After a whistlestop tour of Hanoi, I was ready more than ever to get out of the cold, be reunited with my girl Marisa and head to my favourite city for the SIXTH time in 2015. I left for Singapore a day early so I could get the rest I needed ready for New Year's Eve at Siloso Beach. I arrived into the Merlion city early afternoon and headed to straight to see Marisa, drop off my bags and head into the city for some shopping and to get her a SIM card. It was so nice to be finally reunited with her after what was a very weird trip to Hanoi without her.
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| So glad to be reunited with Marisa! Hanoi just wasn't the same without her. |
When New Year's Eve finally rolled around, we headed back into the city to get some drinks and food for that evening as we were going to a dinner party of a friend of mine, Kaja. We headed to Little India for lunch and spontaneously decided to get some henna done for the festivities that evening. After rushing to get back and trying our best to pre-drink as responsibly as we could (:P), we finally headed over to Kaja's place and I was reunited with Kevin, whom I had met in Krabi last October along with Kaja, in addition to Kaja's fellow Norwegian friends Sandra and Susanne. After what was a very classy dinner of Salmon and wine, we sat around to play a good ol' game of King's Cup before heading over to Sentosa Island where we were to spend the rest of the night. Unfortunately for us, the taxi driver decided to stop us off about a 15 minute walk from the actual beach we were supposed to be at, so by the time we reached Siloso, we had about 45 minutes before 2015 was to end.
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| Kicking off the NYE festivities with new friends! |
When we arrived, we all headed straight to the giant foam pool. I have never experienced anything like it, but it was a whole lot of fun. Thankfully, I was lucky enough not to be groped left, right and centre in the suds but it really kick started my night and was the perfect opportunity to just enjoy the moment. After losing the Norwegian girls, Marisa, Kevin and I made our way closer to the huge crowd that had formed in front of the DJ to begin the countdown. When the clock finally struck midnight, a euphoric sensation came over me; that was it. 2015 done. Fireworks were going off everywhere around me to mark the new year, yet the DJ's choice of music felt like we had just taken a step back into 2011. Nevertheless, I was very much caught up in that moment around good people and quickly reflected on what had happened in the past year. I had visited 5 countries (Singapore, Malaysia, UK, Hong Kong and Vietnam) as well as some beautiful spots in Thailand, met tons of amazing people, and have made some great friends during that time. Of course, there were moments last year that weren't so rosy, but everything happens for a reason and I have to believe that.
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| So happy to spend countdown with these amazing folks! |
Anyways, shortly after the countdown had finished, we decided to make our way to the drink stand. Something which you would assume to be a very easy task actually turned into a big of an unorganised mess. Before you could line up for drinks, you had to line up in another queue to get a 'drinks coupon'. These coupons you could then use to redeem alcohol. Of course, the only coupon you could purchase was S$50 (B1200) so we decided to get two of them before waiting almost an hour to get served. This bar had 15 different lines stemming from each side and only about 5 staff to serve everyone; it was a bit of a mess. Not to mention that the toilet queues were exactly the same. There were about 15 cubicles for several THOUSAND people. My friend Marisa was NOT happy having to stand in line for so long (and rightly so). After we got our drinks, I had met a Filipino guy named James who invited Marisa and I to join with his friends for the rest of the night. They were a lot of fun and made us all feel very welcome (so thanks guys if you're reading this!). Marisa and I made our way back to her place around half 6 the following morning. It was fair to say it was night out well spent and thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps my favourite moment of the entire night was seeing Marisa stuck in the middle of the foam pool covered from head to toe like some ethereal foam fairy and not knowing what was going on. Thankfully, myself and new friend James helped her out of there...poor thing. Hehe.
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| Where it all happened: Siloso Beach Party on Sentosa Island |
The following day or two was spent catching up with sleep, meeting with some friends and consuming as much 'decent food' as I could before returning to Thailand. It was also a time where I really started to become hungrier than ever to want to come to Singapore and start a new life there. Of course, living and vacationing there are two very different things. But I couldn't help but feel so at ease walking around on my own and in that sense, it was so refreshing after spending the last six trips prior always being with someone. At the time of writing this blog, I've yet to hear back from any jobs so I'm just trying to remain as positive as I can and hope something works out. I really hope I can say by the end of 2016 that I achieved all I wanted to and that I'm very happy being where I am (whether that be Singapore or somewhere else).
Now as 2016 has arrived, it is almost time up at Assumption. I have been so fortunate to spend the last 14 months at this school and I have experienced so much during my time there. Yet, my heart is telling me that this journey is coming to it's natural end. I really don't see myself working here another academic year without getting stressed out or just feeling down because I'm yearning for something more. It's also a time, as with the start of every year, to figure out what's next for me, both personally and professionally. I've got to clear out the bad things (or people) that are causing me stress, and focus on the positive and exciting things ahead. It's been very sad to have to part ways with some people (whether it be naturally or through other experiences) but I know that if people are meant to be in my life, they will stay or find their way back eventually. Also, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank my readers for reading my posts over the last year. At the time of writing, I've had over 2,500 readers in the past year from over 20 countries (according to my blogger stats) so thanks! I hope you can continue on with me into 2016 and continue to enjoy reading my posts. But for now, its time to hit (my version of) reality one last time and head back to Thailand to finish off this final semester with a bang! HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! XOXO
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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! LET'S HOPE 2016 IS A GREAT YEAR FOR US ALL!
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