I normally don’t do these kinds of reminiscent posts out of sheer apathy and I’ve never really accomplished anything in past years except school and work. What started out as a really rough year, has gradually became one of the best years of my life (so far).
January & February
I actually started off the year as an emotional wreck. I was extremely burnt out being a full-time student, having two jobs and burning a lot of bridges. Then February came and I lost a friend who was so close to me, he was practically my older brother. Everyone who was affected came together and we coped, we reminisced and we made it through.
One thing that I really envied from my late friend was his adventures. There was a slideshow at a gathering his brother and friends threw him to remember him. He has traveled to Vietnam, Bangkok, Singapore, France, Indonesia and probably a ton more that I’m missing. Seeing those photos is one of the things that helped inspire my adventures for the rest of the year.
March
I went traveled to London. Not only was this my first time going to Europe, but it was also the first time I’ve ever traveled outside of the country without my parents. Calvin and I almost got into trouble for bring alcohol onto the London Eye, haha.
From London, Calvin and I took a train to Paris (that we almost missed). On one of the nights we were there, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. From the metro station, we walked around the corner of this building and bam, the Eiffel Tower was right freaking there. I know it sounds cheesy, but I completely lost my breath and was in awe. I’ve seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower on the Internet, seen it on TV, but never in my entire life did I think I’d see it with my own eyes.
April
Went to my first outdoor music festival at Sweetlife Festival! Aha, we made it just in time to see Fun. perform Kevin’s favorite song (which he actually really despises). It was really nice because all of my coworkers (who are like family to me) were there and we just chilled and bonded.
May
I graduated! Looking back, I actually really enjoyed my time George Mason University. I loved my friends, I loved my classes, I loved all of the professors in the Communication department, I loved the “all-nighters” where I would promptly fall asleep. It was all good except I just really, really hated parking.
June
こんにちわ日本！ My first time in Japan and I’ve heard a lot of stories where people go and they hate it because it’s not what they expected. Well I loved everything about it: the convenience stores, the public transportation, falling asleep on the metro, just everything.
Xin chào Việt Nam. WE MEET YET AGAIN. This was my third time in Vietnam and I had two of my lower wisdom teeth removed (luckily my top ones haven’t even formed, and hopefully never will). So I guess you could say that this was both an enjoyable and painful experience the third time around. I got to see more of Vietnam, but I also got my wisdom teeth removed while I was there so I didn’t get to eat as much as I wanted to.
Hello Singapore (okay, they speak English so I’m not sure if this is being ignorant or not). So for all of my friends who read Singaporean blogs, yes, they really do say ‘la’ after a lot of their sentences. Not only that, but they’re so clean, even their government is clean. Why? According to our tour guide, their president has the highest salary in the entire country so that he can never be bribed.
Selamat tengahari Malaysia! Our tour guide basically proposed to me -_-;; He told my mom, “When I first saw your daughter without her glasses, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” And he wouldn’t stop hitting on me at the airport and followed us to the security gate. He kept joking that my mom should just leave me behind and let me tutor him in Vietnamese. He was really funny and perverted through. Great tour guide! In Malaysia, men are allowed to have four wives, and he was already married. He was actually in love with a Malaysian girl, but his parents forced him to marry a Chinese girl since he is Chinese. He doesn’t really like Chinese girls though, because they’re only interested in money. Well at least he has three more chances to find true love!
July
I went to Los Angeles for Anime Expo and hung out with Calvin~ I saw Danny Choo at his presentation and his life story is so inspiring! I also got to work one day at a restaurant for a popup dinner. Life is so exciting and unexpected sometimes.
August
August was a pretty low-key month since I had to start work. Calvin came to visit and we did have a nice little weekend trip to New York.
September
Visited California and Colorado with my parents. I used this as an excuse to hang out with Calvin some more :{D
October
Went to Las Vegas for my sister’s 21st birthday, holla! DRINK ALL THE G&Ts!
November
Went to Los Angeles (again) and San Francisco with Phana and Kevin. Our first real trip together. It was quite an experience, especially that one night in San Francisco. But I honestly wouldn’t have had it any other way. Peeing in bathtubs, throwing questionable substances in people’s faces, and the inevitable hangover the next morning.
December
DECEMBER 5, 2012: CELEBRITY SIGHTING – So this was my last day at work. While I was there, my chef’s PR person told us THE Neil Patrick Harris would be coming in to eat. I was like, whatever, since I wasn’t working in the evening and left at five. On the way home, my other coworker ‘C’ who was off in the evening called me and asked if I wanted to get a drink and wait traffic out. I turned around, which was the best decision ever because traffic was awful, and we grabbed drinks and food. We had the best talk ever. By the time we finished, it was 6:50. NPH was supposed to be in at 6pm so we casually stopped by the restaurant to see if NPH was still there. Turns out, he changed his reservation to 7pm. There was a bar on the lower level of the restaurant, so we grabbed another beer and camped out at the entrance. We kept talking about how we’d get a picture, but when the moment of truth came, we both tensed up and just started at him and his partner as they walked inside the restaurant. Once they were inside, we just started screaming and hugging each other and was like, “Okay! See you later.” Haha, strong adrenaline rush mixed with alcohol. It was seriously the most awesome thing ever, especially since I’ve been to Los Angeles three times and haven’t had any celebrity sighting and my first celebrity sighting ever happened in D.C. at my restaurant nonetheless.
Went to New York with my mom and sister to see the Christmas tree. Got to spend lots of time with my family and Calvin before my departure and cherished every moment of it~
What’s in store for 2013?
I am living in Japan.
Trust me, I know this post is long enough but whatever. My entire life, I’ve always been waiting, depending, counting on someone else to help me make something happen. In high school, I wanted to study abroad but waited for my friends to come, they never did. In college, I wanted to study abroad, but once again, my friends weren’t interested. I think it was this year that I was like, “Eff it, if I want to do something, I’m just going to have to do it on my own.” Thus the trip to Europe, the trip to Asia, the trips to California and finally, this move to Japan.
I was iffy going to Japan. I kept asking my friends who had been there or were already there, what was it like, did they enjoy it and so on. I had my doubts, but no one can decide whether I’ll have a good experience or not except for me, you know? Either way, I did not want to stay in Washington, D.C. I needed a change of pace, a change of scenery.
Last year’s resolution was to move on, as in become a better person instead of continuing to live in my terrible perpetual habits. This year’s resolution? Become successful, make new friends, and be happy. Pretty vague, but I already have my challenges cut out for me living in a foreign country and all.
I really miss my family, friends, BFF Calvin♥, and my comfort zone but so far this experience has been pretty positive. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I got to spend my New Year the traditional Japanese way! Participated in はつもで (Hatsumode – first shrine visit in the New Year) and drank あまざけ (amezake – sweet sake).
I’ll post about my New Years Eve and New Years in Japan soon!
あけましたおめでとうございます！
Happy New Year!
