Pat’s 35th bday dinner @ Grub + Farmily birthday dinner @ OUD + steamboat @ YB’s & countdown dinner @ Ian’s + 2024 resolution

26/12/23 Tues: Thanks to Ian, PotaTOHs got home at 1+am after our flight back from New Zealand! *Damn water from the Peace Lily overflowed and left dirty water marks on our vinyl tiles and settee omg. Luckily, we managed to clean up most of it although some did seep into the tiles haiz.*

Mostly did laundry and unpacked my luggage for the day.

27/12/23 Weds: Headed to town to pick up our Xiaomi S10+ robovacuum but I didn’t expect it to be that heavy… probably around 7kgs and I carried it all the way home lol. Had pork tom yam kway teow and red milk tea at Pratunam at Centrepoint… not bad and under $10.

EQ let me try a new艾灸treatment instead of the usual负压仪treatment this afternoon. She places an urn over fire on my belly and I lied down for about 1.5 hours for that treatment… almost fell asleep lol. After that, I was curious and went to try the Kskin Korean Express Facial that opened at Le Quest mall recently. I took the Cleanse + Glow package ($50) for 30mins under Summer’s recommendation and they gave me a box (10 pieces) of brightening mask because of an ongoing promotion. Took 45 minutes for the whole procedure and Summer used mainly machines to do the facial treatment… might visit again in future.

It's been a while and we had a nice homecooked meal at my parents’ for dinner.

28/12/23 Thurs: Met Pat and WZ for dinner at Grub at Junction 8. I tried their chilli crab linguine with breaded fish ($21+) and while the pasta was good, the breaded fish tasted bland despite the softness of the meat. WZ only drank earl grey tea because she had heavy buffet lunch while Pat had hi-tea late afternoon. Was talking about Pat returning as a full-time teacher, my trip to New Zealand and on WZ’s previous discipline-lacking maid from Myanmar.

Bought a slice of peppermint chocolate cake ($8) for Pat at Coffee Bean to celebrate Pat’s 35^th birthday after treating her to simple dinner. WZ shared about how Vera is in her “horrible three” now and on her elder brother who has slight autism since young.

29/12/23 Fri: Attended yoga stretch class early morning and I thought my body stiffened a bit after stopping my regular exercise classes for more than two months!

PotaTOHs headed down to OUD restaurant to meet family for Christmas and Ian’s belated birthday dinner. *James and family couldn’t make it because he wasn’t feeling well.* Almost everyone was late and we could only keep the table till 8.15pm because there was another reservation, so we had to hurry. The food was surprisingly not bad, like the grilled black cod I had was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Potato, Ning and PY had Atlantic seabass, Ian had ribeye while Wandi had lamb. We shared their starters like their oud fries with beef tartare, salmon tartare and sea scallop, salmon crudo and krispy fried cauliflower. The latter was good albeit a bit salty.

The whole group then went to Ian’s where Fran joined us later at night. We had记得吃desserts while trying to solve a murder game Ian bought for Stephen. The “detectives” were a bit stuck at first but as the game progressed, better deductions were made and we solved the case in about two hours I think? PotaTOHs then cabbed home with Fran… sleepyheads by then lol.

30/12/23 Sat: It's finally a wrap for 2023's racing season after the last meeting today. Came home to Potato's cold udon with teriyaki chicken, enoki and Japanese cucumber for dinner~ our first homecooked meal after returning from New Zealand and it was good!

31/12/23 Sun: PotaTOHs went to YB's for steamboat lunch~ Ethan's mandarin is getting clearer by the day! WH and his newly-wedded wife YH joined us after buying some of the food while WL and WS came too. WS's EDD is expected to be on 6 Jan but she said she cannot wait to "offload" him by the time she sees her gynae on Tuesday lol. 

Was so full after lunch before we left at 3+pm. Came home to wash the toilets before we went to Ian's for dinner! He offered to cook seafood stew for us and PY at our gathering on the last day of 2023.

I'm not a fan of raw oysters because a certain smell in them makes me feel like puking when I down it haha. *Okay, I found the only seafood I don't like to eat raw. I'm not much a fan of cooked oysters either.* The seafood stew was nice~ brioche buns went very well with the sauce!

Thanks to some credit card he has, he redeemed the cheesecakes from Cat and the Fiddle. I thought the yuzu, lychee, strawberry, tiramisu and oreo ones were better compared to the rest. It was nice to gather with the farmily before the new year. PY left earlier while PotaTOHs left his place at 10+pm. *Older now, so rest is definitely much more important and required compared to the yearly countdowns we used to do when we were younger haha.* 

1/1/23 Mon: PotaTOHs tested out our new Xiaomi S10+ robot vacuum that came after my credit card spending. Thought it did quite a good job vacuuming and mopping for the first time, albeit we had to re-do the parameters for places it should or cannot access while doing it's job. *Would get one for my parents if it's really good so dad don't have to vacuum and mop their place every week.* 

We went to the new coffee shop at West Scape to have lunch. My dry ban mian ($5) was okay only but the soup from Potato's sliced fish soup set ($6) was not bad. 

Cooked pork and fish roe dumpling with  carrot and tomato in chicken and ikan bilis stock base… strong flavour. Also fried egg and stir-fried a packet of bok choy but the latter looked so little (250g) tonight.

Looking back, 2023 wasn't good to me most of the time. After contracting COVID-19 in March, I felt my stamina weakened overall. A panic attack in May marked the start of anxiety moments on and off afterwards, albeit I'm glad it's very mild nowadays. A day before my flight to Mauritius in June, STC announced it's closure and last race meeting on 5 October next year... work somewhat spiralled downwards from then on and I'm even unhappier with how the management handles the racing fraternity from then on. It affected my job to a certain extent too. Then in September or so, I got to know that I have a genetic condition which made me really down for some time and I’m now in two minds about having children.

But amid the stress and times I felt lost, I'm very lucky to have solid support from Potato no matter what I chose. I'm thankful for his company, and also that I spent time with my families and close friends around us. The travels to kelong in Malaysia, Mauritius, Hanoi, Vietnam and the South Island of New Zealand this year have allowed me to let my hair down too. Also, the fact that I stuck to my exercise routines and consciously did massages or take supplements to take care of my own health is something I thank myself for. *Maybe I should push myself further... achieve my first headstand in 2024? Lol.*

I'd have to admit the year had been frustrating for me most of the time, but every time I find the time to sit back and think, I do realise it's the subconscious expectations I have for myself based on what the society norms are. It's very hard for me to let go of the comparison and I know social media only adds on to my stress level. But, I don't think my usage of social media is overboard so I won't stop using them. However, I'm clear the battle always comes from the mind. Meditation practice is something I have to put in more effort in the new year to steer my thoughts towards the positive direction given new challenges like deciding on my next career path and finding a new job after retrenchment are on the cards. *To breathe and to let go will be my solution to a better life in 2024 and beyond.*

The trip to New Zealand also made me realise good things might not be there to stay and we should not miss opportunities presented to us. I'm going to read to expand my knowledge and learn often through courses. Should opportunities present itself for me, I will try to embrace it. Once I'd been through it, I will be grateful and cherish the memories. *把握机会。全情体验当下。感恩珍惜。*

2023已是过去，经历过开心不开心的都得放下。

以笑颜迎接2024新开始的到来，不时换个角度看待事情也无妨。不值得的人或事我也不该再浪费时间或为其烦心了，因为自己的身心健康以及和身边亲友的联系才重要。