i actually did a little summary of the year on my personal instagram, but i wanted to do one on the blog as well, so here we are. 2018 has been a heck of a ride, full of ups and downs, and i am forever grateful for the people i met and the experiences i went through this year.
so let's start with my biggest highlight of the year - the rites of passage programme. in mid july, i went to queensland, australia, saw some pretty sights, met some incredible people, and shed a lot of tears. (will be publishing a post on that soon, i am still working on it!) it was the happiest four weeks of my life. i got to spend time away from busy hong kong, and discovered many aspects of myself that i didn't know about before. almost every morning we woke up to see a bush turkey strutting about in front of our door, and had large breakfasts lovingly prepared for us by the kitchen staff. i was actually dreading going on the trip because no phones were allowed, but i found out that when everyone was off the phone, we interacted more, and i made some really good friends whom i still have really great relationships with now. we also went on long camping trips and saw the clear and starry nightsky. it was a beautiful experience, and i will never forget it.
another thing. i started my studygram account, and it was a huge success. i got to talk about bullet journaling and productivity with fellow bujogrammers and studygrammers, and most importantly i motivated myself to work harder by posting pictures of my notes, planner and journal. i am the kind of person who loves to "do it for the gram", so i am being productive and positive "for the gram", and it has helped me a lot.
one thing i learnt this year was i should always make myself a priority no matter what. in 2018, i met a lot of awesome people, and some not-so-awesome ones. when i do meet some not-so-awesome people, i would ask myself are they worth it? should you make these people happy with you by sacrificing your own happiness? and more importantly, are these people good for you? when i made decisions, i stopped and thought about whether i was making the choice for myself, or to satisfy other people. this year, i surrounded myself with people whom i feel comfortable and happy with, and kept my distance from toxic people. i also made decisions which i believed would fit myself the best. i have been so much happier since, and i will continue doing the same in 2019.
also, in december, i traveled to chaozhou, china with my family. chaozhou is my laojia / ancestral home, which means my dad's ancestors were originally from there. it was amazing meeting so many family members i have never seen before, as well as visiting the family ancestral hall. i was so overwhelmed because i had no idea i was part of a "clan" and it made me so proud to be a part of something so big.
oh, and i almost forgot. i discovered my current favorite drink i.e. brown sugar boba milk! (and started a series on the blog about it :D by the way, part two is coming soon so stay tuned). i love milk so much and the brown sugar and boba make it even better. i'm so glad i was courageous enough to try new things this year, and i will definitely keep doing the same thing next year.
i have a few goals for 2019. the first is to continue trying my best to be nicer to everyone. this is a goal i set up after the rites of passage, when i realized i often treated people too harshly and accidentally hurt their feelings. my second goal is to work hard at school. i hope to study medicine in uni, and the required grades are super high, so i have a lot of room for improvement. my third goal is to start ice skating again. i used to skate when i was younger, and in 2019 i wish to start from where i left off. hopefully this will make me a happier and healthier person.
how was your 2018? did you set any new year's resolutions and goals? let me know in the comments!
love, kisses and alpaca hugs,
chloe
"you crown the year with your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance."
- psalm 65:11