8th Feb Jan 2016

Jan is a damn busy month, busy working on my goals.

With that in mind, I started to clear out my wardrobe again. Toss a lot, but a lot more to go. Basically you really need to be brutal about it. Not a simple task. Lol. 

Pretty much unsubscribe to all the online shopping portals FB alerts and emails so they won't have a chance to tempt me. Luckily I do not enjoy window shopping in real life, which meant no issue there.

Not really in my list to do, but still something I would eventually want to do, even if not now. Decluttered my computer. Uninstalled more than 10 programs, desktop icons went from 136 to only 53. Can finally see my desktop wallpaper properly -_-

Getting all my travel itinerary all in one place, aka google drive. Pre 2011, most of my trip plannings are done on open office doc/ Microsoft word. Which basically meant they are all over the place, some in my computer, some in my external HD. Post 2011 are all in google drive. Finally got all of them in one place, I think. I'm a freak for keeping all my documents in properly labelled folders. Most of the time. Lol. 

Of top of all the crazy amount of decluttering I was doing, I was also in the midst of setting up my first business. Been on research mode since Nov till now. I've looked at many many ways to earn money online. There's the website monetizing, affiliate marketing, self publishing eBooks, and finally eCommerce. There's Shoplify, Ebay, Amazon, Etsy and your own eCommerce site for that.

Questions, questions, questions. Do I need to register a company? SG/US? Which structure? Income tax, do I need to pay both countries? Accounting? Bookkeeping? Which Bookkeeping System? Inventory System? Not to mention the mind boggling sales tax in US -_-"

Having absolutely no background in finance/business, this is really no walk in the park. Luckily the amount of thoughts/data running through my head have no correlation with the size of my head. Else, my head will probably look at least 10x bigger than it is now. Lol.

Google was pretty helpful most of the time, online FB groups and forums are good too. But finding something specific to my situation prove to be tricky. In the end, I resort to sending emails to a few accounting / tax firms in Singapore and US for advice. Haha. 

In the end, I realised that most of the Singaporean firms skirt around my questions and seem only interested in making money out of me. Only one of the Singaporean firm actually gave me some good answers. No prize for guessing which firm will get my business when I finally need an accountant. 

In contrast, the US firms were generous with sharing what they know and could help me. Too bad, most of my operations will need to be based in Singapore. But I will be needing the US firms for other aspects. Mainly sales tax and reseller permit.

Alot of studying, trying to figure out the various accounting softwares like Quickbook Online, Xero and then Wave. As well as the integrations possible with each of them. Currently using Wave for my bookkeeping needs. Was already going to sign up for Xero, but figured it would be too crazy to spend so much money on bookkeeping when I can get it for free? It cost 40USD a month just for Xero subscriptions if I want multi-currency. And that's before adding any integrations. Even though, I might be needing something more robust in the future, for now Wave works well. 

Worldfirst and Payoneer account set up online. Payoneer MasterCard received and activated for purchasing :D 

All the studying and research paid off. Company set up as of 5th Feb 2016 and I made my first sale a few days ago!

2016 is pretty much the year I do an overhaul in my life. My lifetime goals are all structured with that in mind. 2016 is going to be the best year to date in my life. Can't wait for it to unfold ;)

Other than the 3 goals I listed to be completed from Jan to Mar, which unfortunately, is not yet completed -.-... The other goals that I'm concurrently planning are pretty much stuff on my Lifetime goal list. Mostly fun stuff like coffee appreciation course and a solo trip to a new country ;)

Healthwise, trying to keep to a Paleo-ish or at least gluten-free-ish diet. And twice a week lifting. 

Still thking where to go for my upcoming trip. Damn, why is it so hard to decide?

8th Jan 2016

I have never been inclined to read novels from the romance genre. Probably 15yrs since I last read one.

I happened to pick up one randomly the other day. Not that the ending was surprising, but it was thought provoking indeed.

Lady Jenny loved her art, and wanted to travel the world in pursuit of it. Even though she had fallen in love. By the end of the story, she had realised how foolish she was to give up the man she love for her dream.

So... Love or dream?

Perhaps the luckiest is finding someone whom you love and supports your dream.

31st Dec 2015

The last day of the year is always a good day to blog. This year's been a good year, lesson wise. There's always a lesson in everything that happen. 

Finished up my list of lifetime goals few days back. Took me about 2hours on a very focused afternoon to finish, and Im not sure if I got them all. Grand total of 117 goals. Pretty sure I will be adding more... I divided them into 3 categories : Skill sets(21), Experiences / Achievements(51), Places to Go(45). Note that for places to go, one country is only listed once. 

Also, gonna be picking around 12 goals for each month of next year, which may or may not be from this list of life time goals. That's probably the part where it gets interesting. By giving myself some kind of a monthly deadline, shall see if Parkinson’s Law kicks in.

Jan : Two goals at one go, becos they are related and #50 is basically passive

(Item #48 under Experiences / Achievements) : 

Reduce items owned (Except for food items) to fit into my 24 inch luggage. 

Basically, it would meant that by end of Jan, my entire life should fit into a luggage which I can just check in and take off anywhere I want, literately living out of a suitcase. The rest of the stuff that I don't want/need to bring along when I travel but will need when Im not travelling, should fit into a box. Books will definitely go here. 

Obviously, it will exclude : desk, computer, bed, wardrobes and stuff that are not portable. Food, which obviously I'm not going to bring when I travel. And other necessities that I happen to have in excess at the moment. eg tissue paper / toothpaste / etc... 

(Item #50 under Experiences / Achievements) :

Not buying new clothes/ fashion items for a year (365days)

Exception : New shoes to replace worn out ones. My heels seem to get destroyed at an alarming rate. 

Feb (Item #49 under Experiences / Achievements) : 

Clear all photo backlogs of trips to date

This would comprise of : 

2012 : Japan

2013 : Arctic

2014 : South Korea

2015 : Taiwan(Jan, June), Vietnam

It's been.. at least 5yrs since I last had NO backlogs for my travel photos.

Mar

Time for a holiday. And create new photo backlogs again... (just kidding). 

Yet to decide where. But I love travelling in Mar. I'll probably pick one off my list of places to go.

April to Dec

Random mix of goals I would like to achieve, things that will probably take longer than 1mth to complete, and maybe things that can all be done at the same time. This list is still a works in progress. 

24th Dec 2015

It's Xmas Eve! One of my favourite days of the year :D

After a nice Xmas Eve lunch with the gals and some random window shopping in Orchard and a simple salad dinner, I headed home. Nothing exciting, just settle down on the bed, and watch a few episodes of Modern Family. Simply perfect. To be honest, I'm a really homely person, and dislike crowds. I can foresee myself staying home the next 2 days :D 

2015 had gone by in a flash, and 2016 is coming up really soon. 

Alot had happened this yr.

Rs wise, sure I had my heart broken, but Im not ready to admit that finding the one who is perfect for me, is never going to happen. I used to thk that my last ex was someone special, becos I used to think that it's so hard to fall for a person. Until I met someone else this yr, and fell for him. Too bad that did not work out. He wasn't right for me, and I cut the cord before anything started. But at least, I know that I can, and I will meet someone else I am going to like and will fall for. Life pretty much goes on regardless. If the door closes on one RS, just lock it, throw the damn key away and find another door. It's really that simple.

But at this point in time, I simply don't think I can give a RS my full attention, therefore I will not actively seek a RS. But if it's meant to be, Im sure it will find me, regardless. 

Going to be focusing my energy and time on other areas of my life. Money and health / wellbeing. After reading The 4-hour work week, quite a few things fall into place and a lot of thoughts are running around in my head : 
There's alot to do, even more not to do. Time really is a luxury. You only have one life. Why waste it living the same experience everyday of your life, when you could be living many different experiences over the span of your life? A job should be a life experience, not just something u do everyday to make ends meet. 

Looking forward to 2016.

3 Dec 2015

Its been a very busy Nov. Thinking, read, researching, trying out new strategies, methods. Constantly upgrading my "brain" in one way or the other.

Minimising the amount of stuff I own, almost every weekend and whenever Im free.

Drastically reducing the amount of clothes in my wardrobe is quite a challenge. Would you bother wearing clothes if they only look ok on you? Why not just stick to clothes that look great on you? If thats the case, why keep those clothes that are only "ok" on you? 

Problem: easier said than done.

Attempting to use up products I have is also a challenge. The amount of skincare, haircare, bodycare and "whatever-care" products I have on my table, is insane.

Exhausted from so much physical and mental activities, took a mini break from everything for a few days. Had some fun at Megazip Adventure Park. Levelled up my fearlessness for sure. Haha. 

Came upon this article last yr Nov : http://oliveremberton.com/2013/how-to-master-your-time/
And decided , I only had time for two things. I decided there and then, it was to be money and health.

And strangely, not long after, Love found me. Sort of.

And now it's time to choose again.

Life is a game, time to start leveling up your character properly.

I made a list of 101 Life Goals not long ago. Its still in progress. I thk I'm up to item 7x for the list. One of those things is to become a Hypnotist. I thk that shall be one of those things Im going to do for 2016. 

Currently reading The 4-Hour Work Week. Fast becoming my favourite book, almost impossible to put down. lol

6th Nov 2015

Onto my 3rd Chicken Soup for the soul book. First one was Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul. The 2nd was Chicken Soup for the Soul, 20th Anniversary Edition. Now reading Chicken Soup for the Soul : Think Positive. And guess what? Realised quite a few stories, I've read them before on the internet / Facebook! Now I finally know their source... 

My 4th Chicken Soup for the Soul book is arriving soon. Along with 4 hour workweek. Can't wait...

After a few weeks of "intensive" cafe hopping, time to slow down on the sugary/gluten/ dairy stuff and start exploring places serving Organic food / raw food / Paleo food / Salad... Assembled quite a list today... 

First on my list, checked out The Lawn today, awesome food! I even get to eat chestnuts in my salad :D I almost did not want to go there becos of numerous bad reviews I saw on their Facebook page.. Glad I decided to just check them out anyway :D 

They just replaced Saladstop as my favourite Salad place :D

The only sinful thing I had today was a cup of milk tea. Still the only thing Im not willing to give up, unless Im going W30. Haha. 

Ended the day with my 2nd workout of the week and a Paleo Dinner from Caveman Food. 

Continue to work on my lists today. 101 Lifetime Goals, done till #72

I love the way my life is structured now. Plenty of reading, soul searching, programming my thoughts and life, working on myself internally. Not to mention good food and a realistic exercise routine. My attempts to minimise the items in my life is also going well. 

Last weekend, did a major "de-owning" session. This coming Sunday, gonna do another big session of "de-owning" and decluttering. 

Life is good, and getting better and better everyday ;)

18th Oct 2015

Finally getting back on track, the path I was supposed to be on, prior to getting into my last relationship. 

Not that Im blaming the Rs for bringing me off course. But I guess I put too much of myself into it, and ending up derailing myself. It wasn't the RS or the guy. I guess it was something that I thought I had to do to make the rs work.

Exercise routine is back on track after I pin point the reason for my procrastination.. After shifting my workout session to evenings, Im getting out of my house earlier and also jumping straight into my workout upon reaching home ;) 

Lovely, back to twice a week of weights and core exercises. ( I was randomly doing once a week, or even once every 2 weeks for a long time...) Next.. time to add back the HIIT sessions, which had been missing since.. I don't know! ><

In an attempt to actually get around to reading "The Success Principles", decided to divide it into bite size bits. Minimum of at least one 1 chapter a day, 64 chapters in total. The plan is to read it on the bus, on my way to work. Im up to chapter 3 today :D

Pondering how to reprogram my subconscious mind. I've heard so many motivational speakers mention that the subsconcious mind is the one that really controls everything. Really got to get to it. 

"Like an iceberg the conscious mind is just 1/6th and is seen above the water. While the unconscious mind is 5/6th and is not seen and needs to be reprogrammed."

Almost finished reading "Rejection Proof". I realised just how much of my life is structured around avoiding rejection at all cost. If I don't have a 101% chance of getting it, I probably won't do it. And I probably won't ask for something as well. Just how much have I missed in life becos of this fear?

Trying to make it a point of asking for things. Rejection is a myth. It's all in our mind. People simply take rejection too personally. Don't we all?

"When you asked and got rejected you are no worse than when you were before you asked because you didn’t have it in the first place before you asked." - Jack Canfield, The Success Principles

"Rejection is just an opinion, remember? It reflects them more than me, right? " - Jia Jiang, Rejection Proof

"Rejection is an experience that it is up to you to define. In other words, it means only what you choose it to mean." - Jia Jiang, Rejection Proof

A lot to ponder.

14th Oct 2015

So.. recently been trying to do some changes in my life. 

Minimalism. Need to implement minimalism, but this one is gonna take alot of work. Im still trying to schedule time to clear up all the stuff I dun need or love. I intend to just keep the things I need and love. Its amazing how much stuff can pile up... 

Procrastination. I realised I've been slacking around too much during my offdays. I might wake up early, but I can slack around for a few hours, and might not even be done with breakfast few hrs after waking up -_-

Usually, its becos I'm supposed to exercise, but I procrastinate. Well, I need to eat first. Then can only exercise one hr after. Usually, I watch drama while waiting for the one hr to pass, and end up dozing off O.O. Even if I did not doze off, I started feeling so lazy that my exercise timing drag until afternoon. 

Now I simply set my alarm for 7am everyday, without fail. Regardless of whether Im working or not. Then I just proceed with my usual workday routine on my offday. Wake up, shower, etc. Then I start to see my charts and prep for trading, and be done by 10+. Head out shortly after that for early lunch ;) Exercise gets scheduled to evenings, 6 or 7pm. So far so good :D

Diet. Trying to get a Paleo lunch during my offdays, as much as possible. If not possible, will try to eat less gluten / sugar / dairy. And try to squeeze in a smoothie :9 

Catching up on reading. Some fiction, mostly self enrichment books. 

And doing alot of thinking.

9th Oct 2015

In one of those moods where you have loads of stuff going thru your mind, so much that you can't and don't even know how to start processing or talking about them. 

Solitude is strangely comforting at this point in time. I just want to be left alone with my thoughts. 

Still trying to make my goals happen. Kept feeling so stuck. Thinking, is this really what I want?

If I really wanted it, why is it so hard to feel motivated?

I recalled this movie scene in Titanic, where Rose attempted to jump off the ship. 

"And all the while I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one even looks up."

Thats the kind of feeling Im feeling. 

Overwhelmed. 

Tired. 

If life is a puzzle, it felt like Im misplacing all the pieces in this puzzle of life. 

I hate the feeling I get when I caught myself wondering : Wtf am I doing? 

And then I do it again anyway the next time. ZZz.  

There are so many things I want to do, yet don't want to do. 

Bloody mid life crisis. Or maybe Im overdosing on Sugar. Haha. 

I think I need to go meditate or do a W30 or something. 

28th Sept 2015

Chanced upon Chicken Soup for the Romantic Soul the other day. Read the first story, and got hooked. It truly is Nourishment for the soul.

Another year older today. This morning, I received one of the most lovely bd present ever. When it comes to gifts, it's always the thoughts that count :)

My choice of activities today, all my favorite things to do. Browsing at Kino, random reading at the library, cafe hopping.

My choice of cafe today : Curious Palette. They have the prettiest pancake! 

16th Sept 2015

Hmm. Time flies. 12 more days to growing yet another yr older :/

Been a very busy Aug / Sept, doing the things that matters, the things I love. Checked out many new cafes. Going on dates, but not dating anyone exclusively yet ;) Once bitten, twice shy. 

The last relationship, made me aware of how deadly, following my heart exclusively and diving into a RS can be. 

Don't get me wrong, I still believe in love. Believe in the one meant for me. He may not be perfect, but he will be perfect for me, and me, perfect for him. The one who will willingly speak my love language, and me, his. 

However, this time, I will take more time to know a guy's dark side first before committing. Haha. Lesson learnt! :P

21st Aug 2015

Few days back, I suddenly realised my appetite's back. It went missing few mths ago, and I was worried I was getting some kind of eating disorder. Turns out, its probably just my emotional state. 

Few mths back, I was definitely in a bad place, emotionally. Who knew a bad RS could have this kind of impact? Definitely a lesson to be learnt there. Haha. 

Saw this 「我們不要王子，只想有個把我們當公主疼的人」。

So true. All we ever wanted, is to be treated like we are someone precious to the guy we're with. Perhaps you know you are with the wrong person, when even something simple like that, is too much to ask ;) Another lesson received. Hehe. 

Haven't found time to do my gratitude routine or Tony's hour of power. Damn it, I need to find time for it. Trading takes up too much time. Need to spend lesser time on it, either short trade which can be closed quickly or long TF trades which dun require much monitoring. Hmm. 

Seem to be making some progress in trading. The summer months are almost over as well. Hopefully Sept brings more $$$ :D

Still undecided where to go for my BD trip. Pondering a possible Yoga retreat... Its #56 on my Lifetime goal lists :D Or I could volunteer overseas, thats #20 on the list. Hmm. Options.. Options.. Options... ;)

15th Aug 2015

Recently, really busy. Got really interested in motivational stuff... LOA.. NLP.. Thking of taking some courses... Need to find the time for it... 

NLP is really interesting. All about been more observant, and "seeing" the language the other person speaks. Being more observant is definitely something I need to work on.

Reconnecting with old frens and meeting new interesting people. I used to have this limiting belief that there are no more good single guys around. Its so not true :P

Exploring new places, new food. Back to exploring new cafes, in new areas. I just realised how nice it is, to cafe hunt with people who love coffee like I do :P

Think I've put on some weight... Been eating too much good food!~ 

Need to find time for regular workout, and cooking Paleo.. As well as doing a W30 soon!

6th Aug 2015

So tired! Just back yesterday from a 10 days trip from Vietnam. Personally I thk I prefer Hanoi over HCM. Both cities had horrible and chaotic traffic. But I could still manage Hanoi. 

Food is great, alot of damn nice food. Haha. Cost of living is alot lower than Sg. I might just stay at Hanoi the next time I needed a city with low cost of living ;) Kept getting mistaken for a Vietnamese anyway :P

Sapa is pretty nice, but I dun really like the town. The rain also put a damper on everything. I guess I might go back again when its not rainy season. 

Back to reality. Back to being busy with charting, trading, decluttering, improving my state of being. 

Will re-start Tony's hour of power tomorrow. Have also started reading Jack Canfield's The Success Principles. 

Been doing some thinking the past month or so. I realised, that I might have possibly attracted my last BF into my life. Attracted in the context of LOA. 

If I did not recall wrongly, some time ago, I was bored and decided to make a list. A list of the qualities I wanted in a BF. Interestingly, my last BF probably had all the qualities I listed. Problem is, he also had the opposite of those characteristics I did not include in my list. 

Interesting. I should make a more complete list next time. 

Im also going to make my list of 101 goals to achieve before I die :D Time to grab a pen and paper ~

23rd July 2015

Discussing with my fren, about a drama....

Thoughts, post discussions...

There's probably no such thing as, someone who is easy to get along with.

There will definitely be differences in the parties involved, creating difficulties in every relationship, be it romantic, kinship or friendship.

Sometimes, giving in a little will make things better. It won't kill you, but you simply refuse to.

Ever wonder why? I think its simply ego ;)

Perhaps we should weigh how important is winning if it meant losing a relationship, losing a person, losing something important.

If winning comes at a price, are you sure you can afford to win?

Or even want to?

I used to be really stubborn when it comes to admitting I'm wrong, apologising when I'm wrong.

Thankfully, I'm a lot less stubborn now. Sometimes I would rather apologise to keep the peace, even if I dun thk it's solely or even mainly my fault.

In retrospect, it's usually worth it.

Perhaps another key to a successful relationship is to pick your fights. 

Not everything is worth fighting over. The next time when you get into a fight, kick ur ego to the curb. And ponder if its really worth fighting over. 

Note to Self : Fight clean. Never let a fight drag for more than a day. Never stonewall.

That being said, what if  you are always the one who do the giving in? 

My take on this, if you are with the right person, both with healthy attitude with regards to give and take, you shouldn't end up feeling taken for granted at the end of it. 

17th July 2015

“The turning point in the lives of those who succeed, usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through which they are introduced to their "other selves.” - Napoleon Hill

This is very true. Personally, for me my turning point was in 2009, when I encountered a crisis I never expected. From then on, I started to realise the importance of having money stashed away for emergencies. 

From then, I started to take trading, investing, passive income and accumulation of wealth for purpose of early retirement seriously. I could recall how determined I was. When you are determined enough, you will get what you want... 

Unfortunately, I got sidetracked after 2010. Haha. But 2009 and 2010 were two very good years, indeed. Financially. 

Now I looked back, and it felt quite stagnant since then, financially.. Time to focus on trading and pick up where I left off. 

I distinctively recalled the various instances whereby the power of determination gave me what I wanted. 

I needed to get back into that frame of mind. 

Perhaps the first step is finding out, my heart's true desire. 

This time, nothing is gonna sidetrack me. I will find my "other self" again. Nothing will stop me. 

14th July 2015

Addicted to watching 武媚娘传奇... Mostly, I find it a nice show, but today, these lines really touched me...

"我本来就不是温婉柔顺的女子
陛下既然选了我
就要包容我的全部，甚至是确点
例如，我很霸道，甚至还有其他
相依为命，本该如此
媚娘，有妻如你
我李治别无所求"

Later on, in the next episode, she even tested the emperor's medicine for him. Becos she said, she will not allow him to take any risks...

I thk this is how love should be. If you find yourself putting the other person before you, you're in love.

Even despite the fact that the last time I put someone before myself, all I did was get my heart broken... Still, I wouldn't settle for anything less.

I want someone who love me enough to put me before himself. And I will and want to do the same for him.

Anything less is settling.

Even though from time to time in life, we may have to settle sometimes. Love shouldn't and cannot be one of those things.

No offence but... Why the heck would you want to settle when it comes to that special someone you are going to spend the rest of your life with? ;)

11 July 2015

It's a crazy busy week! On course on Monday and Tuesday, worked from Wednesday to Friday. Super super busy and hectic. But its all worth it. Awesome week! Been so long since I felt so alive and motivated ;) Great course, learnt so much from it. I thk in this case : when the student is ready, the teacher appears ;) 

After being on the go for the past 5 days, decided to stay home today instead of heading out. Decided to process some photos from my Norway trip. Progressing well :D I might just be able to finish them before this year ends. Lol...

Nowadays I make it a point to switch off my phone during weekends. My phone's been off since morning :D But of course, Im connected on my PC la. 

Vietnam trip coming soon. Needed to get my Anti-Malaria pills, and also get my Typhoid shot. Probably won't be doing much travelling until end of the yr. Current focus is on my trading ;) Giving myself 3 months to test out my capability. If I can make it, it will be the last piece of puzzle I need. 

I started keeping a gratitude journal from Jul 1. Its amazing how many things u have to be thankful for when you actually take note of it. 

Im really grateful for the turns of events that led me to this current point in life. Life has never been better... And the best has yet to come!

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation."

26th June 2015

Saw this article (http://mothership.sg/2015/06/10-achievements-unlocked-when-you-were-growing-up-in-90s-spore/), and my mind went back so many yrs into my past. The rather carefree days back when I was still young.

I have done 9 of them, haha. 

Brings me back to the time when my BFF and I went Orchard for the first time, with her and another fren. Our mission was to buy a present for my crush. Pretty intimidating to go to Orchard for the first time, to be honest. haha. 

I was a very different gal growing up. I was painfully shy, and did not talk much to ppl. I simply assumed ppl do not wan to talk to me. No idea why I thought that... 

My self esteem was low, I had no confidence, I was afraid of many things. And definitely afraid to be embarassed. I recalled that day we went to Mos Burger for food, and I wasnt sure how to go about ordering, so I said I did not want to eat. 

I cannot imagine how much I've changed since then. 

Now, I just do whatever the hell I want. If im not sure how to order, I ask the person taking my order. Making it their problem, not mine.. lol. 

Nowadays, company is appreciated, but not required for me to enjoy any activity. Happy just to be spending time with one of my favourite gal, me :) This is a long way from the gal who didn't even like to eat alone and needed company for alot of things. 

And maybe that was why I always seem to have a BF in my life back then.. Was never single for long.. Possibly also becos it was easier to get over a breakup and also get into a new RS back then.. 

Had plenty of crushes growing up, serious ones, a few. At the point, you really thought you are in love, but its really just a crush. I met up with one of my most serious crush from time to time over the course of the past.. 15yrs? Definitely not feeling the love or anything, but it was nice to meet up and just chat abt the past and see how its going for him. 

And even though I was dying to date him back in secondary sch, would I date him now? No. Haha. Becos I simply dun thk we have a spark or anything at all.. 

Nevertheless, I really treasure those sweet memories I had back in the days... 

I guess its all part of growing up. You are stronger than you give urself credit for, and most of the time, the fear is just in your head ;) And I thk, it still applies now ;)

Die la. Sign of old age. Keeps reminiscing about the past. Damn. 

25th June 2015

Been a hectic two weeks or so. Finally, back home to familar grounds, feeling so much more grounded. 

The trip was a band aid, to be honest. But it helped alot. 

When a RS ends, both parties have to take some responsibilties. Looking back at my past RS, I would say I have done some of them wrong. Maybe I just didn't know what love was supposed to be. Maybe some of them were not meant to be. I could pinpoint what my fault was in all those failed RS, and quite a few were my fault. Even though, I wished it wasnt. 

If I had been this person I am now, when I dated them, the endings with some of them would have been alot different. 

Maybe it's the right person at the wrong time. Still its all in the past, and Im grateful to have them love me the way I probably did not deserve to be loved back then. At least, I guess I might have taught some of them what the wrong person is like. And probably helped them in their next RS :x

Hey, at least they are all happy now, I thk. I have nothing but well wishes for all of them. Even the ones who are real jerks and don't deserve it. Oops.

As for this RS that just ended, I won't blame myself for this. 

We were once happy, but somewhere along the line, he changed. Or maybe he just showed his true self and I refuse to see him for who he really is. To be honest, even though I have to take some responsibilties for this RS, the main reason why this one fail is not on me. And Im not about to claim credit where its not due ;) 

At some point, I really thought that if I compromised and made it to the point where we travel / live together, all these problems would no longer matter. Becos by then, time spent together is not an issue, neither are texting, phone calls, whatever. 

Ya, Im silly that way.

But I've learnt alot from this RS too. Horrible experience though. 

My limits, how much I can take, before I give up. Apparently, after I compromised too much and felt taken for granted, thats the point. If I had felt appreciated for my efforts, would I have still called it off? Maybe not. (At this point, my frens would probably start saying things like, I can't talk to you anymore. You are not thinking straight.)

Things I cannot tolerate in a BF. Someone who shuts down and go into silent mode when upset or angry for days or weeks? Hell no. 

About compromising in a Rs... When u truly loved, its simply something that you will do, willingly. When you loved someone, doing something big or small to make him/her happy, is really not a big deal, and its something you want to do. 

Anyway.. Moving on... 

Life is really too short to waste, thinking about things that no longer exist. 

Despite everything, it was a wonderful trip. I actually did Alishan and Penghu all by myself ;) I never wanted to do these two places, despite going to Tw many times, is becos they seem difficult to do alone. But what this trip taught me, you're tougher than you give urself credit for ;) And also.. most things are easier than you think :P

Hiking in Alishan, all by myself. Granted, it's very safe, but if I had slipped and fallen off somewhere, I could never be found. So ya, thats the danger part :P

Despite that, it was wonderful to hike there. Go imagine a nature walk, where you dun sweat... Becos its so cooling :D Air is so fresh, everywhere is so green and peaceful.. I don't mind doing that again in the future :P And I might possibly stay in the same Minsu I did this time round. 

My Minsu was near a trail, which I wanted to hike, but the day when I wanted to hike, it was really dark and misty.. The possibilty of slipping and falling off somewhere does not appeal to me.. So I skipped. 

Penghu is lovely. I almost went in Jan this yr, but there was no island hopping in winter.. Penghu is also crazy windy in Jan.. So i did not go in the end. Finally, I got a chance to go this time. 

First day, I spent my time walking around Magong City on foot. Ok, I can't cycle and I dun have a license.. hence, only walking for me. Its a big island to walk around on foot.. Haha.. 

Anyway... Chanced upon a Cat Theme Cafe, went in and found this old Taiwanese lady running the cafe. She was friendly and nice. Asked about me, was once again, amazed that Im here all alone and planning to go island hopping the next day. She was so worried about me getting left behind on one of the island alone that she started calling up someone she knew about the island hopping tours to guide me thru how those island hopping cruises works. Funny thing is, she thought I was Taiwanese.. Said my chinese sounded local. Local as in Penghu. Lol.. Fascinating, since thats the first time I was in Penghu :P

Second day, island hopping. Seriously, its crazy hot in June. And I mean crazy hot. To avoid getting sunburnt, I wore a jacket over my clothes, to protect my body when I went island hopping. And I wore sunblock all over me. Kept applying on my face everytime I get the chance. Sweating like mad -_-" I thk I used up half a bottle of my newly bought sunblock -_-

Other than me, the rest of the ppl on the island hopping cruise are all locals. They were friendly and certainly curious about me. Im the only one who came solo. Most of them came as couples or with families or friends. I stick with some of them, chatted with some of them. Very nice people :D

When they realised I was not a Taiwanese and actually came travelling here solo, they were so amazed :P Frankly, after so many people telling me how amazed they are that I managed to do all these places alone, Im really beginning to thk Im really amazing too :P

Taipei is nice and familar. I stayed near Songshan Airport area this round. Its an ok area to stay, but I thk I still prefer to stay near Taipei Main Stn area. 

Done with Taiwan for now. 4 trips so far, time to give other countries a chance :D

Next Stop, Vietnam ;) Looking forward to it!