I thought my 2014 was bad; I was so wrong.

Hello! Honestly, I don't really know how to start off this post. I think my mind just went blank for a few seconds before my fingers started moving, or rather, typing lol. This year was pretty... fine? Lol ok obviously I can't sum it up in one word. I guess I'll just run through the months (in my mind) as I go along.

The early part of 2014 was basically, rough. It's been a few months since I stopped myself from dwelling on what happened. But since this is a year-end reflection, I decided that I should and will face it with an open heart. Oh god, just the thought of it now makes me speechless. Clearly, it was a big mistake that ended on a bad note. I'm just thankful that my heart survived through all these shit. Frankly speaking, I believe we both did put in effort to "make things work"... which unfortunately just didn't work out. Especially when I realized that I felt even more lonely when I was with him, which clearly was a warning sign that something isn't right. Yes, we all know that love isn't easy but it shouldn't be that hard as well. So accepting that it is just not meant to be, we both mutually agreed to move on for the better. I moved on pretty well, things were all fine... until I accidentally found out a couple days later that he's been stepping onto another boat, for monthsss. To him, it was probably an either-me-or-her situation. But what hurts the most is knowing that while we were still dating, she actually gave him everything (yes you read it right). I guess that was the moment I truly felt all the shattered pieces of my heart. So f*ing messed up but I'm glad it's all over. I just want to really thank my friends who were there supporting and lifting me up when I was at my lowest. It would not have been possible without you guys, so thank you :)

LET'S MOVE ON TO HAPPIER THINGS! :)

In May, thanks to Audrey, we had a 1 night stay at St Regis that came very timely (as it was after all that mess). Definitely the perfect "getaway" I needed :) Thank you <3

Then in June, my brother and I arranged for a family staycation at the gorgeous W Hotel @ Sentosa Cove! OMG now as I'm looking through that album, all the photos are sooo niceee that I think I'm gonna do a post on this staycation soon!! Just for memory sake ;)

Looking at my July calendar, I could say I broke a mini personal record in the number of cafes/restaurants that I've visited? Which also means a lot of money spent lol :x But what I loved most is that one fine day of chilling by the beach with my family, where we also managed to watch a beautiful sunset at Sentosa. Nature at its best :)

Now let me walk you through the BEST MONTH EVER - AUGUST <3

My brother & I headed to Taiwan for a 10 days trip :D

We woke up to an amazing view at Cingjing.

I fulfilled my checklist of cycling by the bay at Hualien.

Then I woke up at 4am plus for...

...this :)

I walked through caves & mountains which if I have the choice to choose, I probably won't do it again hahaha. (it's just not for me!)

I finally reunited with my Sec 2 Taiwan friend, Ena! Was so thankful to be able to stay at her place for the last few days at Taipei! <3

I'm not a fan of avocado but it was this trip that made me fell in love with Avocado juice <3 I was literally craving for it so badly when I came back to Singapore! Lucky I managed to find Singapore's best avocado juice at Alexander Village Foodcentre - Mr. Avocado! 

I found my way back to love again; for myself & the people I love most :)

And that marks the end of my amazinggg Taiwan trip :)))

Before the year ended, my best friend got married :D

With a plan in mind to make more instrumental song covers, I self-taught (just had to emphasize that hahaha! :P) and finally learned how to play the ukelele! So happy that I managed to record my first Ukelele cover on "Last Christmas"! (You can click on the link if you haven't watch it hehe) Mini achievement unlocked! :D

And as the years go by, I realized how much I've toned down; from those past "havoc Christmas" to one which I feel contented enough just to be able to spend it with my family over pizza and grape juice :)

Honestly, before I started this post, I REALLY thought that I didn't achieve much this year :/ And omg I'm glad that I didn't end the year thinking that way!! Because you know sometimes, we may unknowingly get too caught up in a whirlwind of negativity and thus, fail to see the good that we've done or achieved! Life will always be a rollercoaster journey, there's just no running away from it. And that's the reason why it's important to do reflections time to time -- not just to see if we've achieved our goals, but also to remind ourselves to always be embracing the good and bad times, or simply, embracing life as it is. With that, I'm thankful for 2014 and looking forward to achieve much much more in 2015!! Cheers!!

With lotsa love,

Shirley

Let me take you to Christmas Wonderland ♡

Hello~! Hope everyone had a great Christmas, because I sure did! Nothing too fancy this year, just a simple celebration with my family which was more than enough :) Will do up another post on it but today I just want to share my experience last week at Christmas Wonderland @ Gardens By The Bay! I'm sure a lot of people had heard about it and also went down to soak themselves in the festive spirit! It was officially my "second but considered first time" exploring Gardens~ (well, simply because it was pretty late already the very first time when I was brought there and to be honest, the gardens wasn't the main focus of that night lol) So anyways yep, I'm so glad I went this time round especially with the Christmas Wonderland theme that makes the whole place sooo much prettier and merrier :D Also, many thanks to Love 97.2FM for letting me win a gift hamper which I also collected that day. I really love the teacup sets and some other Christmassy stuffs that was included in it, which I will blog about it soon! For now, let me take you to the pretty Christmas Wonderland (if you didn't manage to go this year)! Enjoy the photos :)

Taken at Citylink while on the way to Marina Square; mum is too cute hahaha

LOVE.

This shot makes me feel so proud of my camera lol! Good job baby!

While waiting to collect the gift hamper~

The legendary Supertree Grove~

I really love how this patio gives off that magical vibe, almost like some kinda princess carriage~ you know what I mean?? Hahaha this is the "stage" where christmas carols were sung by some choir groups :)

This is the area where they say we can experience snowflakes! How awesome right?? But I have to be very honest (and sad) to say, the mud was the biggest problem!! I was so excited to experience the "snow" until I realized we have to step inside an area filled with mud?? Obviously I couldn't because of my shoes.. so I could only stand outside and take photos lol.

Nonetheless, it was a magnificent view!

#ootd!

As we had $20 voucher from the gift hamper as well, we bought the Turkey Chicken Shawarma Kebab (with Christmas Special Pineapple Sauce) and 2 Cheesy Fries! Both were not too bad! 

Are you ready for the highlight of the night?? :D

It's the "GARDEN RHAPSODY" (Christmas Edition)!! I was so hyped up with the Christmas tunes and completely mesmerized as the gardens came to life during this music and light show! 

Love this (accidental) beautiful bokeh shot! 

Perhaps the closest I could possibly get to reach the stars in the nightsky;

And more bokeh shots!! It all started with one accidental shot when my camera went out of focus... and I too, accidentally fell in love with how they make the nightsky even more beautiful (awww~) Anyways, it's just simply a try and error technique that you can explore too! ;)

Fyi: All shots taken with my Samsung Ex2F! 

With ♡,

Shirley

YouTube: "Last Christmas (Ukelele cover)"

Hihi! So finally... My ukelele is ready to make its first appearance on camera! Lol~ To join in this Christmas season, here is my ukelele cover of Last Christmas! It was actually my first time looking at the lyrics and found out the "whole story" behind the song from its verses hahaha. Hope you like it, enjoy! :D

Oh and by the way, it's my very first time playing the ukelele! Can't wait to explore more songs in the future! ^^

My YouTube username: Shiiirleygoh

Subscribe for new videos every week: http://goo.gl/SkB2pk

With ♡,

Shirley

Christmas Potluck Party!!

Helloo! So as a promise (to myself) to start uploading more videos on my Youtube channel, I actually did a video on "12 Quick & Easy Holiday Potluck Ideas" for people who are thinking of having potluck/picnic to celebrate this festive season! To be very honest, although I've been making song covers on Youtube, I never really had the courage to speak infront of the camera which I then realized, is a VERY DIFFERENT experience compared to singing (like duhhh hahaha!) But overall, it was pretty fun as I'm also trying to widen my range of videos~ So please don't be too harsh on me, I'm still improving! ;)

If you enjoyed watching, you can subscribe to my channel here! http://goo.gl/SkB2pk

December is definitely the month to feast and indulge without feeling too guilty because it's...December!! Lol. With the upcoming Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year Eve to welcome 2015; with it being the last month of holidays for students, and also the month which working adults are excitedly waiting for their bonuses etc, it's no doubt the month to celebrate!!

So last weekend, I had a really good time catching up with my poly clique (and their plus ones) over at Shux's new place. Omg their new house literally blew me away!! T_T It's soo gorgeous especially that patio -- perfect for an afternoon tea! Decked in blue and white for this Christmas, here are the photos! :D

Natural sunlight gives the best lighting! ;)

8ight #sincepoly

8ight and their plus ones haha

What a spread right?? :D

And it's time for Secret Santa!!

Look at my smile hahaha. You have no idea how happy I was when I found that my Secret Santa is none other than Audrey!! Hahaha thanksss♡ 

And she fulfilled my wishlist of having a pretty table lamp for my white table!!! 

OMG I love it sooo much because it's really really pretty!! I've been trying to find a nice table lamp in Singapore but sadly I just couldn't find one. And guess what, this came all the way from Bangkok! Zee best! :D

Testing out the fisheye lens (from one of the gifts) that can be attached to your phone when you take photos! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I'd be blogging more often and in fact, I do have quite a few exciting things to share with you guys!! So most likely you will see a new post every Tue and Sat? Haha well it's also a reminder for me to stop procrastinating haha. Have a great weekend yes!

With ♡,

Shirley