Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016.

In a blink of an eye, we've reached the end of 2015. It has been a special year for me as I turned 21 this year. 2015 in a nutshell is a fruitful year with plenty of achievements and new experiences. Things that happened in the first half of the year felt like it happened way back in 2014, and the second half of the year just rolled by too quickly. This GIF below perfectly describes how the year went by for me.



5 years ago in year 2010, I never would have thought I would become a designer today. Before I went into Polytechnic, I never had a real goal of what I want to achieve or what I want to do in the future. I'm thankful for the choice I made to step into the design industry. Today, I am proud to introduce myself as a designer and also getting paid for doing what I love!

Here's an overview on what I have achieved and experienced in this amazing 21st year of my life:

Bought this amazing book online, all the way from New York.
Started reading this amazing social experiment on the original blog in 2013, and fell in love with it! Then the book came out this year. I HAD TO GET IT. The designs illlustrated in the book were so beautiful, and also the book includes the section about "What happens after". How can I not get it. Go and read the blog!! >> http://fortydaysofdating.com/




Went to Bangkok with my family.
It was a shopping heaven with really yummy fried drumsticks sold in the streets! Can't wait to go back again.

Stopped doing Part Time at SPRMRKT and start having more time for myself.
I really loved working at SPRMRKT and all the people I met there. However, I was getting really tired every weekend by waking up super early. I'll always miss pouring milk on a cup of freshly brewed espresso, perfecting each cup of coffee with a nice latte art.

Bought my own phone for the first time.
Have always used second hand phones passed down from my parents. Now that I have a job, I get to buy my own phone! Ditched Samsung, and not even thinking of getting an iPhone. So.. SONY! Still loving it. Especially the battery life. The best.



Went to a 7D6N trip to Taiwan with my family.



Video of the trip here!



Held my 21st birthday party at Tree House Villas @ Changi!
Preparation was crazy and I almost gave up mid way. Now that I look back, it was all worth the trouble!

Finally owning a PANDORA bracelet and my first charm.
Bracelet is a birthday present from someone who doesn't wants to be named, and the charm is a Christmas present from my sister!





Fell in and out of love.
It's a lesson learnt, but no regrets.



Shopped like crazy online.
Sorry, not sorry. Still gonna continue doing it, but maybe not so extreme like the one below. Hehe.



Went stay-cation thrice!!

Hard Rock Hotel.



Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel.



Hotel Jen Tanglin.



Attended Halloween Horror Nights 2015!
Got photobombed in this picture. We don't know that guy on the left.. He stood still with us throughout the 10 second timer though. Hahahha. Oh. And I will never forget this night of crazy queues. Not gonna go again if I'm not getting express tickets!

Planned for further studies. To pursue a degree.
Fulfilling the 2-year buffer I gave to myself when I graduated last year and started working in the industry. I guess its time to go back to school and upgrade my design skills!.

Bought a new laptop for myself, with my own money!
Days were almost numbered for my old laptop, so.. to be safe, I got myself a new laptop with these specs in mind. I wanted Intel Core i7 and the graphic card has to be NVIDIA GEFORCE. And tada! These was what fits my criteria, and within budget!



New found love of LINE NAVER's charactor, Brown.
And successfully influencing my colleagues to play with them too. Hehe.

Passed my driving test at first attempt!
After 3 months of practical lessons, I passed the test on the 14th of November! Woooo!!! Oh, and my driving licence has the SG50 logo!



Although now that I've gotten my licence, I'm driving lesser than I did when I was still learning. So every chance to drive on the road, is a precious one and was mostly nervous. Really need experienced drivers to sit beside me and guide me along, then I'll feel more at ease. Hope I get to drive more in 2016!



Went snorkeling at Adventure Cove.
Also learnt how to properly swim, at least for a few meters, and the correct breathing technique.

Went hiking on a 10km trail, and walked the Tree Top Walk!
Completed the hike in 2.5 hours, faster than expected! Met a few monkeys along the way too. They were really adorable~

Getting recognized of my design skills.
A freelance client recommended me to a friend of hers!

Dyed my hair at a "salon".
I've always dyed my hair using DIY boxes, and this time, we decided to dye our hairs at a home salon! In love with the colour pay out. It's more of red now though. Pictures are deceiving. And our hair condition was really bad in this photo.







Catching up with friends.

Yue Yi and Sharon.
Secondary school friends whom I lost contact with during poly but recently caught up again and we still have endless topics to talk about! Not forgetting how they stayed after my birthday party till 3am, just talking!



Evelyn and Shirley.
Ever since graduation last year, the three of us hardly met up together. This year, we managed to meet up a few times as well as during our birthdays! Hoping to catch up more often with them next year!



Jason
No photos, but this guy here is a primary school friend who painstakingly tried to organize class reunion for the longest time ever and failed every single time, as well as a stalker of this blog of mine. I know you're reading this, Jason. HELLO. I finally updated my blog. Bye.

Jian Hao
First met this guy last year during a few part time catering jobs, and 6 consecutive days of work at the Singapore Airshow, where we get to see fighter jets fly above our heads EVERY SINGLE DAY!! Best job ever. Okay, back on track. We never really talked much afterwards. And then sometime late this year, we suddenly just started talking again. I don't know how it happened or how is it possible for us to have so much to talk about but I'm thankful for this unexpected friendship. Here's to more late night chats on the phone, which escalates from rubbish talks to sharing with each other our past experiences to practically anything!

Oh, and got to give him credit for trusting me to drive the car, and guiding me along that day. Even though he's a little annoying at times.. but I guess I can deal with it. 

Having great colleagues who knows me best.
Endless laughter and crazy moments with them in and out of work. Such a blessing. Really thankful to have met them!

The full Vintedge family.



And finally, the best BFF I can ever ask for.
She's always here for me, listening to all my rants, calming me down when I panic, bringing me to eat yummy food, and being my best friend. Even though she's technically the younger one, I feel like I'm the younger one instead as she's always the one to dote on me, and guiding me along everything. Always thankful to have her in my life!

Not forgetting the family.
This photo from 2014 though. Hehe.



Now, its time for the goals I'm setting for myself to achieve in 2016:

Find time to update my design portfolio with more of my recent works!
Portfolio is stale with all my works as a student. Feeling super embarrassed to show people my portfolio already. Gotta update soon!

Conquer the G-MAX Reverse Bungy at Clarke Quay.
If I cannot do bungee jump, at least conquer this?

Donate Blood.
I've been wanting to donate blood for the longest time ever, but never really had a chance to really go for one.

Learn how to swim
Or at least.. not panic in waters where my feet couldn't touch the ground. To stay afloat. Yup.


Flash through photos of 2015!

View on Flipagram

Okay that's all! Till next year!

Contemplating on further studies

As you've read from the title.. yes. I'm contemplating on whether it's time for me to go out of my comfort zone and get a degree.

Upon graduation from poly, getting a degree wasn't my priority. Firstly, where do I get the money? Secondly, after studying for so many years, why would I want continue studying for 3 more years, and at the same time, putting myself into a debt before I even start earning a stable income? Thus, I gave myself 2 years to decide whether I really want to get a degree. 

A year and a half has passed, and as I'm starting to see some of my ex course-mates graduating from university, which gets me thinking, is it time to get mine? Of course, I've laid out some pro and cons.

Cons:

1. A degree isn't necessary to find success in the design industry.

2. University Course Fees: $22k+

3. Be in debt for at least 2 to 3 years when I get a student loan. (22k/2yrs = ~ 1k/mth)

4. Having to step out from my comfort zone.

5. Putting a halt in my career progression.

Pros:

1. Open to more job opportunities after graduation.

2. Higher salary range with a degree.

3. Chance to build a better portfolio in university.

4. Freedom to design and conceptualize bold ideas which real life clients will never risk to approve.

5. I'm still in my early twenties. If not now, then when?

6. Course duration is only 1 year.

Part of me wants to stay in the industry, earning a stable income every month and having the freedom to spend on whatever I want. But the other part of me wants to be challenged. To step out from my comfort zone and progress in life. I want to learn more things and see my limits. I want to put effort into something which I'll be proud of at the end of the day. I want the future me to thank me for the decision I make today.

Guess this shall be the goal I'm going to work hard for after getting my driving license! Right now, let me just focus on passing my driving test. Hahaha. Till then! 

Halloween

In a blink of an eye, we're almost three quarter done with 2015. Wow. So much has happened this year and I'm so glad to have accomplished the things I've always wanted to do. But lets keep that topic with me for now and talk about it at the end of the year.

Right now what I'm looking forward to is the arrival of Halloween! I've never really celebrated Halloween in the past as those late night partying in costumes isn't for me.. Last year's Halloween, we had to dress up in costumes for the day at work, but I couldn't make it to work that day. Already forgot the reason why. So this year, I'm really looking forward to it!

The main thing about celebrating Halloween here in Singapore is dressing up in costumes, right? I don't think the "trick or treat" happens in Singapore. But you can try though, knocking on that random strangers door, expecting to get candies. Good luck on that. Hahaha. So I guess the main thing is all about the dressing up! And all the partying and scaring comes after.

Well.. the only costume shops I know are the ones around bugis and north bridge road area. Feels like its going to be a pain in the ass to visit those costume shops as they are usually packed with lots of costumes and I'm bound to get confused and overwhelmed with the number of choices I have in my face. Not forgetting the shop attendant staring at you.. So I think it's better to get costumes from an online platform where you can see clearly how the costume looks like when worn! But of course, I bet the prices are bound to be over the budget. But it seems like there are more and more Halloween Sale going around as the day creeps in further!

Oh ya, there's another thing I'm looking forward in conjunction to Halloween! I'll be going to Halloween Horror Nights at USS with my colleagues! We'll be spending the day at USS playing all the awesome rides and roller coasters (I can't wait!), then to the HHN in the evening. Its gonna be a long day but I'm sure its gonna be loads of fun!

So.. till then! Hopefully I have pictures to share! Oh wait.. I haven't even blogged about my Taiwan trip yet. Ughh, so much to do! Can I not? 

Life's Milestone: 21st Birthday

Just had my 21st birthday celebration 3 weeks ago and I'm so glad it happened! After months and months of planning, anxiety and nervousness, everything was so worth it. I had a great time that night!

It was held at a beautiful resort named Treehouse Villas @ Changi. Its by far the best "chalet" I've ever been to. The service is good and the place is awesome. The spiral staircase in the living room already won me over at first glance. I've always had a thing for spiral staircases. Hehe.

Favourite corner of the decorations!

Featuring photos from 21 years of my life.

Decoration details.

 My ever-so-supportive bestie Michelle came early to lend a helping hand!

Together with her boyfriend of 3 years! Sorry guys, she's taken.

My sister and I!

Sister and Daddy!

Joyce, my sporty colleague who's always eating salads!

Chee Hao, my colleague + badminton khaki. Even though now no more badminton sessions cause we moved office. :(

Latest addition to our creative team, malaysian girl Vivien, who blended very well with us; crazy bunch of designers.

Guests writing birthday wishes for me!!

Cake cutting!

Maternal side, missing elder uncle and family.

My awesome colleagues!

Parent's friends + childhood friends.

Paternal side, missing lots of people.

Bestie once again. Hehe, looking forward to her 21st, coming soon!

My chinese speaking buddies from poly! Shirley & Evelyn! Their 21st birthdays are coming soon too!! Actually, not so soon, but soon! 2015 is passing by too fast!

Sister.

Long time friends, Sharon (from primary school) & Yue Yi (from secondary school).

The best creative team combo, Atlas, Tualsi & Evelyn, missing Lydia.

Evelyn, my buddy who unleashed the craziness in me. We have so much in common! Hehehe. They say I'm 5 years in working towards becoming like her. Oops.

At the end of the night, at 3am, I opened all my presents!! All my friends and colleagues know me so well. I love every single present I received!

Looking back at the past 8 months of 2015, I see so many things that I'm achieving one by one at the 21st year of my life. I feel so good pursuing the things I want in my life, doing the things I want to do. I'm starting to feel more like an adult, taking on more responsibilities in life!

An update on my driving lessons: I've already done six lessons and will be completing module 1 on my next lesson! I now have better control of the manual car! The feeling of changing gears according to the sound of the engine.. I understand why some people are into cars now.

Lastly, on love: Apparently, it didn't work out the way I expected it to be. And yeap, it was truly too good to be true. I took it quite hard on myself at the start when I was hanging on a thin line, not knowing when I'm going to fall. After going through all the helplessness and unnecessary assumptions, I woke up. I realised I deserved better,

Realizing I deserved better was the first step to receiving it. It’s better to have nobody than to have someone who is halfway there, or doesn't wants to be there. The moment I decided to set myself free, I became so much happier. Ain't nobody got time to wait like a fool for an answer that is never coming. I'm moving on. We all deserve to be with someone who says hell yes. And I'm not settling for less. Life is too short to wait for somebody to act right.

Although it's a pity how this relationship ended, I still believe everything happens for a reason. He came into my life as a blessing, and left as a lesson. I don't regret it, and I don't hate him. There were good memories which I'll keep it in my heart, and as for the bad memories, I have a bad memory anyway.

Loss; is the returning of what never actually belonged to us in the first place.