Paula's Blog :): Goodbye 2013, hello 2014!

Hello on the last day of 2013! :)

I hope 2013 has been a good year for you so far, if not don't worry, we all have our ups and downs.

May 2014 be an even better year for you then :D

Let's do a recap of my entire year in 2013.

1. Became an aunt to baby Eliza and watching baby Chloe grow up to be a ~~monster~~ cutie pie.

Here's Eliza when she was first born.

Chloe being ~~tortured~~ carried by me at Charmaine's 21st at the beginning of the year

Chloe at her yiyi Matilda's graduation this July.

The 2 rascals last month at my grandmother's house. Gosh, time really flies!

2. Found my way to God and got baptised this Easter.

With my family and my dearest cousin/godmother at my baptism

I never really blogged much about my religion because I felt it was a really sensitive topic for many. However, I am grateful and thankful to become a child of God and to follow Jesus in His footsteps this year. In May 2012, I took a leap of faith and joined RCIA at the parish my grandmother attends. Along the way, there were temptations of straying from the path He asked me to follow but I am glad that I overcome all the obstacles and finally was baptised on Easter vigil this March. Really overwhelmed by the presence of my family and extended family that night to witness this moment. I hope to strengthen my faith further in the coming year, taking baby steps to grow on this might pillar called God.

3. Attended only 1 Kpop concert this year in Singapore.

So shocking please :/

I only attended Super Show 5 back in July just a month before I left for Europe. And then there were no more Kpop concerts for me to go because they all happened when I was in Europe T.T

Me and the bff at the concert

I also went to catch 2NE1 and Girls Generation in action at the Asia Style Collection but this one not counted as full concert ok! LOL

Scored free tickets courtesy of Wanjun to attend Asia Style Collection to see 2NE1 and Girls Generation wohooooo!

4. Attended 1 K-pop concert overseas.

Deciding to go on this trip to Paris to see Infinite was a YOLO moment for me - definitely topping my YOLO list thus far.

I went all the way alone to a foreign country which doesn't speak English as a primary language, stayed with a friend of a friend who became my good friend too, attended the concert all by myself with no one to talk/spazz with throughout the concert.

/pats self on back/ Way to go Paula!

5. Learnt 1 Kpop dance this year - SNSD's I Got A Boy

Next year, I will try to go for more classes because I really enjoy them and of cos, the exercise that comes with it.

6. Had a staycation this year which didn't turn out the best in my opinion. You can read about my experience here.

7. Travelled to Korea for the third time! Wohooooooooo~

8. And of course, changing my job this year and uprooting myself from Singapore to live all alone in Germany and Switzerland for 3.5 months.

Sept: Köln and London

Oct: Amsterdam November/December: Switzerland

November/December: Munich and Paris

The experience of being able to live, work and travel in Europe for me this year was really like a dream come true.

When I started 2013, I was still stuck in a shitty job with low wage.

Taking that leap of faith to just throw everything behind and do a whole new job switch was something I had never planned for this year but I'm glad I did so.

No amount of money can ever replace all the wonderful memories and relationships I had forged on my trip to Europe from Sept to Dec 2013.

I'm really really really really very thankful to have been given this opportunity by my company to be the first to undergo such long period of training at our parent companies and just thinking back, I really feel like it's a dream for me.

Sometimes when I sit in my office at work, I wonder to myself how did time fly so quickly and my training was really over in just a few months.

Some FaceTime moments and on Google Hangout

With my awesome colleagues in Switzerland

My lovely host Eva whom I stayed with only for 4 weeks - thank you for being so much like a mum to me while I was living with you! I cannot thank my lucky stars enough to have met you this year.

I struggled both emotionally and physically to be away from home for so long simply because I am really a person who loves to be at home and with my family.

This whole memory of living in Europe has taught me several things that I would have never learnt had I not embarked on this journey.

The amount of support that my family and friends have given to me was really overwhelming and to be honest if any of you are reading this, thank you for being there for me!

I love you guys so much :')

And of course to the people I met along the way - new and old friends - it's just been a whole new experience for me and I will live to tell my children in future that I had gone and done something YOLO-worthy while I was young.