Another Fresh Beginning ;

In the blink of an eye, another year passed. 

Thanks to COVID, 2020 passed as though it wasn't there.

The year lacked its usual parties, outings, adventures, travel, and even just meet-ups. 

It kinda wrecked everyone emotionally - we realised how alone and together we are, we find out more about ourselves through the lockdown and partial isolation. We reflected, we grew.

We learned to treasure the "normalcy" we used to take for granted. 

The simple joy of just going out freely without worrying too much.

COVID threw work life into a mess as well - work-from-home became a new norm. Office work became even harder as the boundary between self and work became a blur.

We started working from day to night as they all began gathering into the same desk we rest as home.

The same desk we use to unwind and chill with, now shares its space with our work laptops that we try so hard to avoid in our personal space.

As a HR personnel, this was all the more harder to cope with as events and reaching out to employees became unnecessarily harder. 

It was no longer a simple walk over to the desk to check what's up, or just arrange a meeting in the office to problem-solve together.

We now work mostly over online calls.

It really showed me how strong, and yet fragile our workspace is.

How flexible, and yet inflexible it is.

Some things we can't seem to change, and also many other factors we finally brought ourselves to change.

I didn't learn anything less in 2020 than i did in all the other years.

In fact, i think i learned even more.

At the start of 2020, i told myself i'd like to learn to treasure the small things better.

It must have been a twist of fate that COVID hit us so hard.

In the months i spent with myself and with others, i learned how precious it was to be able to just simply spend time with the people we love.

How rewarding it was to be by myself.

How to appreciate the time i get to eat, drink, chill and learn about myself.

All alone.

It was both a comfort and an experience.

To know that i can actually still be happy by myself.

To be honest, i've had my fair share of dating over the past few years, and many times, i've made mistakes and they all ended nowhere.

I've not been mingling with new people anymore, and i stopped finding happiness in others.

During circuit breaker, i think i finally learned how i never really needed anyone to be happy.

2020 brought me new people, new feelings, new experiences, new thoughts, new goals, and i'm really glad it happened anyway.

Even though it was such a pain.

We wear masks everywhere we go now, and bless the mask-acne that comes with that. 

The panic that we feel everytime we catch a small cold and start showing symptoms.

The lack of sleep and insecurity we experienced with the increased and changed workload.

The limitations of human traffic.

The wariness of others.

But i'm glad we all pulled through that, and we're all diving headfirst into 2021.

This blog has existed for the past few years as a memory and log of how i've grown.

Every year, i re-introduce myself to everyone reading.

But this year, i looked in the mirror and introduced myself to me.

:)

I guess i never really liked the way i looked, and with the decreased exercise, increased snacking... I must look different right HAHAHA.

Man, i used to be skinnnnnyyyyyyy. 

I think i look healthy(?) now but that's up for debate ok.

I finally can look myself in the mirror and tell myself it's all a process.

I'm still a work in progress.

Every day i can still make myself better, and every day is a new beginning.

Every day i'm going to wake up and learn something new.

Every day i'm going to tell myself to just do my best.

And most importantly - that my best is enough.

I'm sure that 2021 will prove to be a challenge as always.

That i will experience many moments of doubt, insecurity, unhappiness, frustration. 

That i will experience even more moments of happiness, gratitude, appreciation, learning, and love.

Thank you 2020!

You won't be missed. 

Here's to 2021!

May everyone be blessed with great health, wealth, and plenty of love from yourself and others.

Thank you for sticking around till here.

:)

You're so loved.

Joy