Let's go, 14!

With bells ringing, streamers popping and kopitiam uncles yam-seng-ing, the new year has come!

Leo says HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And what do bloggers do on new years? We write about resolutions!

I used to refuse to make, much less write out, resolutions. But last year I made a resolution that I tried keeping, so I thought, hey, if I actually write resolutions out, maybe there's a higher chance that I'll keep them.

So with keyboard tapping, thoughts swirling and frown deepening, here are my 3 resolutions for 2014.

1. Run 10km in the Standard Chartered marathon. Not gunning for an under-1h-timing or anything, but I just want to run as fast as I can and feel good about it. (That was supposed to be 2013's resolution)

2. Buy 1 record every month, so my record collection by the end of 2014 will be a nice 18 records hahaha. And also properly maintain the collection. Very important.

3. Get my finances in order. I mean I pay my bills on time, and I save money and everything, but I'm one of those people that buys everything at the start of the month, and has to budget the rest of the month. Also, I don't open my bills. I kind of just go to the AXS and pay what I need to pay. I really should NOT do that...

I guess that's all!

I mean, what's the point of making like 25 resolutions if I'm not going to keep all of them, right?

Fingers crossed, toes crossed, eyes crossed, knees crossed, arms crossed, all crossed that I can stick to them hahaha

xx,
Miss D.

13 things in 2013

There are probably like a billion other posts with this exact same title, and I am a proud contributor to the mass of year end reflections.

I'd say 2013 was pretty effing good to me. Not gonna lie and say it was smooth sailing all the way, of course. And anyone who does say that is a DIRTY LIAR!!! But I digress.

So let me crack my knuckles (crk crk crk...) and begin this whirlwind reflection adventure...

1. Had my first Chinese New Year office party. We lo-ed, we hei-ed, we lucky draw-ed, it was fun times all round.

2. Went on my first actual business trip to Shanghai.We were visiting a new brand's headquarters over there, and I went with my (now ex) boss and (now ex) colleague. The weather was great, the people were hospitable, but most importantly, the food was eeeeggcellent.

3. Gave my first ang pow as an aunt-in-law. My boyfriend's totes adorbs niece turned 1 and I had to write "from Uncle Daryl & Aunty Kathleen". Pretty sure I shed a little tear for the end of my youth. D=

4. Visited KL with my boyfriend. Just cos it had been a while since Daryl and I went for a holiday by ourselves. I don't think we'll be going back to KL anytime soon, but it was good food and fun times all round.
 
5.  Checked "watch Aerosmith live" off my bucket list. That was just a night of epicness and amazement. I honestly don't have the words to describe my experience at the Aerosmith concert because it was just brilliant and I was awestuck through the entire performance.

6. Went to Australia in August. Ah, the beautiful land down under. Blue skies, fresh air and insane wind because it was winter. Really though, I'm pretty sure we're still having post-Australia blues. We visited my family in Perth and Daryl's family in Sydney and pretty much ate till we died. Not even kidding.

7. Started running with my running buddy, who doubles up as my annoying little brother. Okay, so we havent gone running since late November, BUT I MEAN IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! It's a step in the right direction, though. And we're starting the regime again next year, fo sho.

8. We bought a house! Wait, what? Wait, yes! But more on that another time.

9. Said goodbye to my (now ex) boss and (now ex) colleague. Not everything can be amazing, right? It was a very bittersweet time for the team that's left in the office. We're incredibly sad they left, but we know it's onwards and upwards for them!

10. Got a record player and started a small but good record collection. I really have the best boyfriend ever (he gave me the player for my birthday <3) and the best family (got most of my records from them for Christmas <3). Hey hey hey, don't judge me for putting this in here. Records are epic, and therefore item #10 on this list is epic.

11. Did BKK again in December. Reasons abound for my love of Bangkok. Top reasons are my dearest friends who are living or working there, the amazing food and, okay, who is anybody fooling, the shopping.

12. Taught my dog, Jack, to jump through hula hoops. I think there's like a billion ticks that are inhabiting the ground level at my place, so everytime we walk him he'd bring them home and they'd just breed and breed and it would take months till we got rid of those horrible things. So I read somewhere that jumping through hoops (no pun intended) is fun exercise for dogs, and I decided to do it! Okay, so we're still working on it, but we've improved by leaps and bounds (pun totally intended lol)!

13. I think the most important thing in 2013 was that I spent a lot more time with my friends. I'm like this crazy hermit introvert, and if I could get away with not stepping out of my house the entire weekend, I would just draw the curtains and do just that. But I do love my friends and I can't even say how happy I am that we've managed to catch up on so many occasions this year, culminating in Christmas dinners, drinks at the hotel bar and shopping (mis)adventures. Naaaawwwww.....

I hope everyone's year was as memorable as mine. And I do hope everyone takes a little time to look back and smile at the happy memories.

See lah, now I'm going to have to do a post on new years resolutions which I'm not going to keep.

xx,
Miss D.

 

10 stages of reaching young adulthood

Growing up sucks, no matter which part of the world you're in. On this little red dot we know and love, it's sadly no exception.:(

1. Graduating. Acing the 72 rounds of interviews, and landing your first job.

Yusss I've graduated and am a contributing member of society! go me!

2. Starting work at your new desk.

I am a vision of success!

3. Your first paycheck

And the 10-page long shopping list that came with it

4. Eating out all the time.

Buying me some STEAK cos I got cash to burrrn

5.Seeing a sizable amount of cash money go into your CPF account.

6. Realising the ten billion limitations on the use and withdrawal of CPF

I pretty much can't use my CPF for anything other than a HDB flat?

7. Realising said HDB flat will take at least 3 years to be ready.

No, Annie, it isn't.

 8. And then suddenly, you've spent all your money.

9. The beginning of packed lunches

This is what my life has become. T_T

10. Hopefully you'll lose weight now.

"I've put on sooo much weight since I started working."

11. Weekends are always a source of solace and comfort

(and free family feasts)

12. Except... No money to go out on weekends till my next paycheck :(

13. Thinking of creative ways to pass time

Can also apply to weekdays

 


14. Realizing that pretty much everyone is out having fun and living it up.

And rubbing their stupid success in my face. I hate you all!

15. And then..

I HAVE TO PAY HOW MUCH FOR INCOME TAX??

BONUS MEME: Nowhere to go, nobody to turn to. I'll just make a list with a billion 80s/90s/pop culture references like all those cool ones i see on buzzfeed!

 

xx,

Miss D.

1

 

I recently read through a couple of my old blogs. It's pretty interesting that at each different phase of life, I had a different blog. And I wrote quite differently in each one. Which begs the question, which one's the real Miss Dragon?

I think the different personas are just evolutions of one another. Each new blog had a different maturity about it, and Miss Dragon is the end result. Or at least I hope this blog is the end of evolutions.

I quite like the way I am now, if I may say so myself. And how I'm old and grey and am becoming more of a grumpy old lady with every MRT ride I take.

So, once again,

"who am I?"

And, truth be told, I don't care that I don't know. But it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out!

xx,

Miss D.