Post 2017: Quick review (NO PICTURES)

I know it's a little too late for a 2017 review, but hahaha~ yea, let's do it anyway.

2017 was a great year of 'first times' and new beginnings.

• Travelling the world

Took up a job in late 2016, with the opportunity to do a lot of things I wanted to do, writing, traveling, selling on eBay etc. It was an eye-opener, being able to experience Karneval and Octoberfest in Germany. All in all, lots of great experiences, although not all too sweet in the beginning. When there are lots of new things, that meant lots of getting used to, adapting to new stuff and all.

• Losing my luggage at the airport

With traveling comes the risk of losing your luggage... yup, made my first trip to the USA, only to end up at the United Airlines baggage counter making a report that my luggage did not arrive. Ended up spending a whole week there with minimal clothes. But alls well ends well, I got my luggage eventually, on the day I flew out of the USA. Yea, it was a short trip there but a good American experience. Only managed the west coast this time, I still have my bucket list unchecked for the USA... road trip from the East to West.

• Fire a real firearm

While I was in the USA, managed to visit a shooting range there and fire some rounds. Pretty impressed with myself, hahaha, despite only a short distance with a scope hahaha... still, I had videos to proof. My earlier posts talked about that too. You may check them out if you like.

• Go sailing

Besides getting my hands on real-life rifles, I had the opportunity to go sailing for the first time too, only a short distance, and a half day thing. I was afraid of throwing up by the side hahaha, yea, sea-sickness is horrible. It was a cool, late spring afternoon when I went sailing, the weather was nice, the wind was pretty good, waves weren't that bad so I did not get sick at all, thankfully. It was an experience I may not be too keen to try again, unless maybe on a cruise ship.

• Live in the desert

After the brief trip to the USA, I had the opportunity to work in the UAE, near an oil refinery. We (my boss and I) stayed in a hospitality camp, smacked dead in the middle of the desert, yup, where the air-conditioning runs 24-7-365. Had the opportunity to experience brief black-out during the day, the heat becomes unbearable without air-conditioning after about half an hour, so yea, luckily they had the electricity back on before I suffered from a heat-stroke.

• Joined Steemit, made some extra money

First heard about Steemit from a good friend and I joined in August, having fun writing for a while. Then you know, other stuff got in the way, discipline lacking, procrastination, excuses, bla bla bla...

• Visiting a 吊花场, or what they called the Flower Joints

First time I heard about a flower joint was from a translation job I did earlier for a local TV (NTV7) drama, Growth Behind The Sun. Then while traveling around, I heard a friend was patronizing it on a regular basis. Later on, I found out MANY of my friends were patronizing such places. What kind of a place are these? Well, if you check online, most of these places well documented online were in Singapore. But heck, if you know where to look, they are everywhere around you. I went to one in Cheras (near PGRM), heard of one in Old Klang Road, another one in Kota Damansara and heck, I even went to one in Danok, over the border in Thailand. Basically it's a place where you drink, buy girls drinks, buy the girls garlands to hang around the neck on stage so they would come drink with you and spend some time with you... then some of these girls would let you grope them etc... though not all, I'm not suggesting all are for indecent proposals, but heck, it's a complicated place if you think Zouk is complicated.

• New relationship

A new relationship bloomed last year. I am just feeling happy.
Although I get many many people telling me to be careful with Chinese (yea, like China Chinese), telling me to not jump in too quickly, not to step in too deep, not to get too serious, not to do this, not to do that...
I know many meant good but I had my queries with their cautions too.
I want a relationship where I want my partner to be serious with me, to love me for who I am, and is looking to work out differences with me to make the relationship work. So if I am looking for someone like that, why should I not be serious and not put in 100% in the relationship? All I can say is, if I found the wrong person, at least I am conscience free. I am in love and that is all there is for now.

• More flying-hiccups

First time sitting on an airplane for 4 hours on a supposedly 3-hour flight, then having the pilot announcing that the flight was canceled due to engine failure on the left wing. Hahaha... when I told friends afterward about this first experience, I was asked if I was EVER worried if we really took off and the engine failure happens while the plane was mid-air.
Honestly, it didn't even cross my mind. All I was thinking about after 3 hours or so, was when can we eat? I'm hungry. When food was served while we were still on the ramp I was thinking about my girlfriend. While we were being informed that the flight was canceled, I was texting my girlfriend and was arranging for her to get to the hotel so I could see her again. It was the sweetest Christmas eve of my life... despite the cancellation, the hassle, and stuff... we were still being treated fairly nicely by the MAS airlines. I did not buy travel insurance, should I buy some next time? Hahaha.

So then 2018 came... and I've already experienced another first time. It was once my ambition when I was younger, being a taxi-driver. This year, 2018, I had the opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream, being an Uber driver, close enough to be​ a taxi-driver. haha. In coming days, I will have another first experience... something I have NEVER ever done my entire life - UNFRIENDING someone, in REAL LIFE. Unfriending someone on Facebook is SO common these days, but yes, I am planning to remove this TOXIC person out from my life, although she is not a bad person, but I truly feel used, unappreciated and taken for granted.

For more first times and new beginnings... happy 2018!