End of Year Update On My 50 Things To Do in 2012

Before I begin with the actual top 50 things that I had set out to do. Here are some that probably didn't quite fall under that list but worth a mention anyway.

I think one of my biggest takeaway from 2012 is in learning that, you don't have to receive just because you give. It's true that a lot of things in life must be reciprocal, but so long as you're happy giving, don't let yourself be robbed of that happiness just because other parties are not complying to that 'rule'.

There was a fair bit of traveling in 2012 too. Club Med with the family in Jan, Banjaran Ipoh with Mom, Kota Kinabalu in July, high school friend's wedding in Port Dickson, Malaysian Match Racing Championship III in Johor, Sibu with Mandy and Sharon, Johor and Singapore with the parents in September, Krabi with Ivy, Ivy's boyfriend, Ivy's sisters, and Ivy's friend.

Indian engagement wearing Punjabi suits; Paintball with some new friends; Tapestry Christmas performance; Random meet up's including the one with Morten and Su Ann, Xian Jie and the other Sg girls, Alison from the previous job; Broga climb in which we learnt that we should/ must always check the weather forecast first!

Dolphins sighting in Port Klang. Spending way too much on Starbucks. Also, I've lasted a full year (still counting) in my current job!

I learned/discovered a new tip/trick/routine - if you are one who frequently uses the hairdryer, you can try putting on a facial mask and then drying your hair with the mask on your face. I feel it helps to keep your face protected from the heat of the hairdryer and at the same time provide the moisture necessary for your face. =)

Moving on to that list! (To refer to the last time this list was updated, click here).

1. Travel to 2 countries/ places I have not been to before.
 a. Club Med Cherating
 b. Banjaran Ipoh

2. Submit applications for Masters.
I applied, I got my offer and I rejected the offer. But it's all good, plans for the near future are not particularly clear yet, but at least I know that now is not the time, yet. =)

3. Invest in hair care treatment.
Checked!

4. Bake a cake.
I didn't really end up baking any cakes or cake, but I baked a batch of Christmas cookies yesterday, and I'll be sharing them around! =)

5. Wear a dress once a week (unless special circumstances).
Come to think of it, I do wear dresses once a week, on average.

6. Wear heels once a week (unless special circumstances).
I bought several pairs of heels this year, guilty of under utilizing them, but to be fair, I do wear them when the occasion arises.

7. Red highlights for the hair before mid year.
This sorta kinda did and did not happen at the same time. But I am pleased with this item anyway. Checked!

8. Do charity work / volunteer.
The extend of my charity contribution for this year would having participated in the World Vision 30 Hour Famine. I will not be doing it again next year, but I have learnt to appreciate what I have, more than ever before, and to give what I can because others may not be as blessed as we are.

9. Go for a full medical check up.
I am as healthy as a horse.

10. Keep my hair super long.
It's growing out well... I am happy.

11. Get a new pair of glasses.
Checked!

12. Re-start up HELP Sailing Club.
I recently re-checked back the helpsailingclub email, haha, good times back in university. It's sad that it's no longer up and running, and it's also sad that I don't seem to want to get it re-started up but ohwell, it just means that it's not a priority.

13. Use a satin pillow case.
Not satin but close enough. Checked!

14. Buy a satin pillow case.
See above. Checked.

15. Do something nice for one person (or more) each day.
I am thinking this is going quite well, I give myself off days from time to time. Some days, no one deserves to be treated nice.

16. Smile and say Good Morning to the first person I see every day.
Checked!

17. Go climb Mount KK.
Checked!

18. Get a second opinion on the wisdom tooth.
I did, and Mr Dentist says that I don't have to extract my smart gigi after all! Wheee, I just need to keep to regular flossing, brushing and, visit the dentist more often.

19. Drink more water.
Everytime I get a new bottle, I drink more water.

20. Play volleyball.

21. Not use work as an excuse to not sail.
I really haven't sailed much at all this year. But it's not a bad thing either. I think I've been balancing my priorities well when it comes to this.

22. Go fly kite.
If we count spinnakers as kite, then yes, I did fly a kite!

23. Go for a picnic.
Checked.

24. Do something crazily spontaneous, Like an impromptu trip somewhere.
Checked.

25. Try something completely new, can be anything from food to a new experience.
Checked.

26. Make 10 new friends and remember them.
Facebook's review of my 2012 year said that I made 63 new friends! That's... pretty amazing. Out of that 63, there are definitely 10 whom I've grown to love, a lot.

27. Eat more fruits.
Checked.

28. Finish watching everything in my external hard disk.

29. Read up on NPD.

30. Either read and return The Lucifer Effect, or return it without reading anyway.

31. Only make promises that I can keep.
This is possibly the trickiest item on my list. I think with it being on the list, I have consciously put more effort into thinking about promises before I make them, but some inevitably still don't materialize, but the important point is that I try/ tried.

32. Quit impulse buying.
Checked.

33. Do the sailor nails. Maybe for my birthday maybe hmmm.

34. Avoid showering late at night if I can help it.

Verdict: 6 items not fulfilled out of the 34, not bad I'd say.. =)

Non quantifiable items
35. Trust more.
36. Talk less, listen more.
37. Be more social.
38. Be responsible.
39. Be patient.
40. Take less, give more.
41. Forgive and forget.
42. Love, don't hate.
43. Make time for those who matter.
44. Eat healthily.
45. Be kind to others.
46. Remember that respect is earned.
47. Be brave.
48. Do not envy, do not be jealous.
49. Have a big big heart.
50. Be nice to people.

2012 has been good and bad in its own way. I've cried tears of sadness, disappointment, and frustration but I've also had my fair share of tears of joy and from laughing so hard that my tummy was doing somersaults.

If there's another thing that I can takeaway from this year, it would be that you win some, you lose some. We accept the good for what it is, but we also must learn to accept the not-so-good for what it is. It's not about compromising, or reducing your values, but more of learning to be better and growing stronger as we go along the journey.

I was re-reading my 50 Things I Did In 2011, and I like that list. So for 2013, I am going to stick to that instead. I'll still have my new year resolution list, but maybe scale it down to 10 main things. And the rest, well I'll just live it out and see what happens..

Now 2013, bring it on!