Year End Review: Adios 2018!

It's December. It's nearing the end of the month, which means it's time to review things that has happened in the past year. Good and bad. 

For me, 2018 was a year of stagnation, growth, and regress at the same time. 

My personal life was nothing sort of exciting. Everything was peaceful, and I really appreciate it. It means my family is all alive and well, and we've managed to get through 2018 without any dramatic incident/accident. Phew. Well done. Nonetheless, it also means that my career was at its lowest. I gotta admit I'm in a rut. Teaching doesn't spark joy anymore. Now that I've spent more than 4 years in this field, I feel like it's almost high time to move on -- to find my true calling. 

Luckily 2018 wasn't all bleak and dull. I succeeded in avoiding dairy and eggs at any cost most of the time. What surprised me the most was how easy the transition had been! I thought giving up dairy and eggs would be so challenging that I would fail, but it turned out to be simple. All I needed to do was to say NO when the occasion presented itself, and read labels more carefully. That's it. It sort of happened naturally, and I eased my way through it quite comfortably. Craving is humane, and sometimes I miss being able to just eat a slice of cake or a piece of macaron without giving it a second thought; but I know that I don't have to give up cake. I just have to find alternatives! And there are alternatives everywhere. Living a plant-based life in this century can't get any easier. You just need a strong determination and will, plus a bit of knowledge. Resources are everywhere! I know there are times when I still consume eggs (in form of bread, cookies of some sort), but progress has been made and it all that matters. To everyone out there who's thinking of doing the same, just try and don't let little slips deter you from keep trying. The animals need our help. Desperately. 

Being the best version of me is what I was striving for throughout 2018. It comes in form of fixing my lifestyle, health, and working on relationships with my friends and family: trying to make time to meet my friends, eating more fruits and veggies and less processed food, considering the effect of my acts to the environment and animals, and taking action to build a more sustainable life. I gotta say it's been tough yet rewarding. 

The thing I need to work on more for next year is my spending habit. In 2018 I had been horrible at keeping my cash flow healthy and balanced, and I kept spending money like water. Most of my money went for tertiary needs like clothes, bags, shoes (too many pair of shoes were bought this year), random knick knacks (mostly we bare bears stuff or gudetama), and skin care (like really, i have an addiction with skin care). Instead of accumulating wealth, I accumulated more junk I certainly could live without. Next year, I need to tighten my belt and be wise with my income. I don't earn much, so it doesn't make sense to spend more and more while receiving less and less. 

Despite having little to not enough money this year, I somehow was able to travel to one country I had never been to before, Thailand. It was an impromptu trip to watch a concert (AOMG concert) which I wrote about previously. The trip was short but enough to experience new things in a foreign land. I wonder where my feet will take me in 2019...

Now that it's time to turn a new leaf, I get all giddy and excited but also anxious thinking about what might or might not happen next year. Whatever it is, I hope I'm ready, and I hope life will only get better. Finger crossed.