Goodbye 2016

Today is 31.12.2016, the last day of the year.

Time flies so fast, it feels like it was just yesterday I celebrated the new year.

Since today is the last day of 2016, I sat down for a while and reflected on the year. What had I done or achieved and did I achieve my 2016 resolution.

In 2016, I took up hiking and I enjoyed it. It started off with hiking Bukit Klebang, a small hill in Menglembu, Ipoh. Then my buddies, boyfriend and I hiked up Mount Irau, Cameron Highlands. That was the real deal. It was muddy and tough and exhausting but we made it to the peak and down again. I was so proud and happy. I fell in love with the forest and mountain just as I had fall in love with the deep blue sea. After Irau, we hiked up Bukit Jasar in Cameron Highlands. That was such a memorable hike, took us half a day as we got lost. We ended the hike at a tea plantation. The view was breathtaking. Next year we plan to hike Mount Kinabalu.

Look at the beautiful tea plantation in the background

On top of Bukit Jasar

At the peak of Mount Irau

As for my scuba diving journey, I went for my advanced open water course in January along with my dive buddies Hidayah and Thiru. In March we went diving in Tenggol Island. Luck was not on our side as on that day, the sea was very choppy so our boat could not bring us to the famous, world class dive sites. So I am still not satisfied and I plan to dive in Tenggol again some other time. In May I went diving in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Kota Kinabalu with my boyfriend Azhar. That was fun. It felt so safe diving with Azhar. I knew he would take care of me, so I didn't worry much. In September, Hidayah, Thiru and I joined Bubbles of Hope, a diving trip organized by Project Vacation. I had so much fun. I love meeting new people and getting to know people outside medical field. We have a Whatsapp group and it brought us closer. 

Some of the new people I met during Bubbles of Hope

Perfect shot captured by Azhar. Love this photo so much. 

I tried white water rafting and went caving in August 2016 with colleagues from the hospital. White water rafting was fun but caving was not my thing. 

One of my 2016 resolution was to go back home to Mentakab, Pahang more frequent. I am glad I fulfilled the resolution. I made an effort to take leave and go home every 2 to 3 months. I think my parents and my sister Ati like it very much when I came home. It makes me feel more keen to go home more in future. 

My yellow house in the background

Another very interesting thing that I got my hands on this year is coffee. I appreciate coffee a lot more nowadays. I went for a latte art class in Penang with Hidayah recently. Now I wish I have an espresso machine so I can practice at home. Making latte art is difficult! I now have so much respect for baristas and latte art artists. 

Latte art class - steaming milk 

My very own cup of latte with a crooked heart, lol

In January, I listed what I want to be/do and sticked it on my mirror. I believe that by reading it over and over again, I will subconsciously work towards that. Here is my list -

Well, lets see.. 

1. Be humble, be kind -- I can't be judging myself on this right, lol

2. Be patient -- I nailed this definitely. At work, even when housemen and nurses annoyed the crap out of me, I didn't scold them as much as I would have previously

3. Smile a lot - Checked. I smile to strangers. But weirdly I find it hard to smile at the hospital, to hospital staffs especially. They all seem so cold and arrogant. 

4. Read more -- I failed this badly *sigh*

5. Try new things. Travel -- Checked. 

6. Save money -- Checked. This is for travelling and wedding. Going to work on this more next year.

7. Eat healthy, exercise more --  It is very hard to eat healthy. I am renting a room, need to share the kitchen with the landlord but I am not comfortable to do so. In the end, I eat outside almost everyday. As for exercise, I tried to make it as a habit. I love jogging in the park but now since it is rainy season, I don't get to do so. Sometimes I exercise in my room, but it does take a lot of effort to do so (oh boy there I go giving excuses again. LOL)

I'm going to continue doing all this for 2017 and strive harder to achieve them. I want to try something new next year, thinking about joining Pilates class or maybe Yoga. 

I wonder how has 2016 been for other people. I would love to read about it. 

See you again in 2017~~

what is in your travel bag?

2016 almost came to an end. It is December. Oh how time flies.

I travelled quite a lot this year. Mostly to Kota Kinabalu, went there 3 times this year.

January - AOW course in Kota Kinabalu
March - Kuantan for Syazni's wedding and Diving in Tenggol Island
May - Solo trip to Kota Kinabalu
July - Mentakab for a week of hari raya holiday
September - Bubble of Hope in Tioman Island
October - @Butang trip here so we went to Penang, Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur
November - Kota Kinabalu for Corie's (Hidayah's friend) wedding
December - Adan's wedding in Port Dickson and Penang for latte art class

In between those, I went to Penang a few times but I can't really remember the date. I also travelled back to my home town in Mentakab, Pahang every now and then.

One thing I learn from all those travelling is that it is very convenient to have a handbag/a small tote/backpack that I can carry around daily that contains all my essentials. Currently I am in love with sling bags and backpacks so I use that most of the time.

This is my favorite bag at the moment, small anello sling back in wine red. Despite the small size, I can actually put a lot of things inside. It also has a small handle and the long strap is detachable. 

The photos of my bag with the cats were taken during my recent trip to Kota Kinabalu. I visited a cat cafe "The Purrfect Place" in Inanam. For some reason that I couldn't figure out, the cats loved my bag.

I often wonder what people carry around in their bag when they go travel. I read a lot of blogs to find out and to get some ideas that may be useful for me. 

So here are the things in my carry-around-everyday bag : 

1. Small purse - Perfect for my small sling bag

2. Hand sanitizer - An australian brand. organic hand sanitizer that smells good and not drying for the skin

3. Young essential peppermint essential oil - Good for headache, neck pain, nausea, dizziness

4. Sephora mineral powder in compact - Light coverage. I use it for touch up also

5. Lipstick - This one is from Etude House, a korean brand. I like the packaging because it is pink and cute

6. Pocket tissue

7. Wet wipes - Very useful for wiping hands, table top, a dirty bench ect

8. Earphones - Long flight or bus trip gets pretty boring and sometimes they are rude people who talk loudly as if they own the place. So i stuff this earphones on and entertain myself with music

9. Pen - Always handy to have one. Sometimes I need to fill up a form/card prior to custom check at an airport 

10. Handphone - This is the most important thing in my bag (after my purse). Everything is in here - flights booking, tickets, hotel reservation number, important contact number, trip itinerary and everything else that will get me crippled without them. This is also my source of entertainment

11. Hand lotion - I have very dry hands maybe because I wash/sanitise them frequently. So this one from Watson, mango and papaya hand cream smells great and moisturise well.

12. Sunglasses - Malaysia is a hot country and the sun shines brightly everyday, this is a must

13. Power bank and charging cable - I keep my cable in an old sunglasses casing to prevent it from bending or get tangled up in the bag

Now it is rainy season in Malaysia, so I have included a small folded umbrella into my bag as well. 

What do you all carry around when you go travel? I would love to know.