My 2015 travels...

It's already 2017. I didn't write a year in summary for the year 2015 - I've been super slack in blogging as I find posting pictures up on Facebook is so much easier. But seeing that my 2 years in the UK is almost up, I thought I'd better write something. This is going to be over several posts.

Let's start with all the places I've traveled in 2015 ever since setting foot in the UK.

May 2015:
Started my first ever job (which I quit after 2 weeks :p) in London and visited two countries:

Amsterdam (Netherlands part 1)
My very first trip to Europe since arriving the UK. Will never forget that over 11 hours bus ride from London simply because I wanted to save some cash. A trip done just before I started work. Met the brother and sister-in-law over there.

Zurich and Lucerne (Switzerland)
A weekend trip with She Yin and Gary. Everything is so expensive over there but I have to say, Lucerne is pretty! I so wished I had more days there to do some runs or hikes. One thing I'll never forget and am still thinking about it their bone marrow soup at Wirsthaus Galliker - simply the best!

June 2015
Finished up my second job (1 month) before doing some respiratory work which lasted me till the end of August. It was also the month where I went searching for a running club as I had to get out on the trails. I have to say, it was THE BEST FIND ever. I stumbled upon this article whilst doing some Google searching. More about that later on. Now, country visited for this month: 0. Thought I'd save up for a bit as I will be travelling quite a bit after that.

July 2015

Rijeka, Novalja, Pag Island (Croatia part 1)
Went with Debbie to my first ever music festival - Croatia Rocks. Food was so cheap and the seafood was so fresh and tasty! The whole trip consisted of mainly eat, sleep, sunscreen, swim, sun-baking and of course drinks and lots of boogie! Got so dark after that trip but it was definitely some much needed warmth and sunshine because summer in London was not even summer. It was colder that the temperature in Sydney when it was winter over there!

August 2015
Finished up my third job before starting my month long holiday at the end of August.

Annecy, Chamonix (France part 1)
Met up with Sophie and Manu and spent a few days in Annecy before heading over to Chamonix for OCC. Annecy to date is still my favourite town and I can't wait to go back there again.
After a few days in Annecy, it was off to Chamonix where I completed my first ever ultra trail race - the OCC. I had blogged a post about the whole race but never got to finishing it. One day... maybe one day.

September 2015

Trogir - Komiza (Vis Island) - Blue Cave - Town of Vis - Green Cave -  Croatia part 2
Island hopping and Croatia sailing. It was THE best way for recovery post OCC race. Loved Croatia the first time round and still loving it now!
Amazing seafood, lots of swimming in the turquoise coloured waters, getting dragged by the boat, jumping off the boat and cliffs... Experiences I will cherish forever. I count myself lucky to be able to tag along with Khuang's friends and saved heaps from not doing it with a tour group. Also learnt a few Slovak words!

Bratislava (Slovakia)
After our sailing trip, we drove towards Bratislava where I spent a two days with Khuang and Peter and enjoyed the local cuisine, did a walking tour, visited the countryside, bought some goodies to bring back to Asia.

Seoul (Korea)
Family trip to Seoul because the brother had to go there for work. Also spent a few days in Singapore and Malaysia and attended Darren and Mag's wedding in Malaysia.

October 2015
Started my 4th job which I stayed in for about 6 months after that and it is by far the best physio team amongst all the jobs I have been in. No travelling this month as I just had a whole month off!

November 2015

Hiking the Lycian Way, Turkey
Joined a Meetup Group to go on this hike with Emma. A very good alternative to joining tours and it is so much cheaper too!

Bucket list ticked for the Travertines at Pamukkale. Other memorable places were the Eternal Flames at Mt. Chimaera, the ancient city at Laodicea (I don't feel like I need to go to Greece anymore), the Roman amphitheatre of Hierapolis at Pamukkale and the view from Simena Castle.

It was a very unique trip and looking back at the photos, I'm so glad I've done it. But ... I also came to discover something after this hiking trip - I don't really like hiking. I rather run all these trails because I am just so slow in walking - I blame the short legs!

December 2015
Barcelona, Spain (part 1)
A long weekend trip with She Yin. Love this weekend trip to bits!! Barcelona is rated the best city in Europe for me! We hit the food market right away after dropping our bags, did the mandatory free city walking tour, followed by dinner #1, Zara shopping and then dinner #2 - La Flauta! THE BOMB!! Our second day consisted of more shopping at La Roca village, and then... dinner again at La Flauta and then more shopping before bed. Food in Barcelona is just THE bomb! I'd fly to Barcelona again just for tapas! Spent our final day inside Sagrada Familia. If you are only going to visit one church in Europe, this has to be it.

Paris, Annecy and La Clusaz (France part 2)
Final trip of the year and also the long-awaited trip with ex-dragonboaters from Sydney!
Took a train from London to Paris with She Yin. Ate our way around Paris, spent a day at the Louvre before the rest of the gang arrive. Did a tourist run on one of the mornings and then the Christmas markets at night. It was a foie gras/baguette/cheese filled trip!

Spent 3 days in Paris before catching a train from Paris to Geneva where we met Sophie and Manu. Walked around Geneva for an afternoon before heading to Annecy with Sophie and Manu. So happy to be back in Annecy and am so lucky to have experience two different seasons there. I'll never forget that cold morning run with John and Chern where it was -1 degrees by the lakes.

Christmas was spent with Sophie and Manu's parents in a town not too far from Annecy. Such great hospitality!

After the Christmas celebration, we headed to La Clusaz to hit the slopes for a week and also had a go with cross country skiing. Eat, sleep, play and repeat. Also had my very first Michelin dining experience - definitely a different level. Great times with great company. Awesome week!

And so, that's the travels for 2015 - 8 different countries over 8 months. Landed myself twice in France and twice in Croatia. Stay tuned to see what was in 2016!!

The AMAZING 2014

It's june 2015... half the year's gone...

2014, it was an amazing year. I wouldn't change a single bit of it. Even now, half a year after 2014 ended, I still do think about it. Loved it and wished it didn't end. I'm not saying 2015 have been crap so far. It's been great too. But in a different way.

Not too sure how I should format this post, tempted to do it like previous years but I think the easiest way is to do it month by month.... with lots of photos! I will be posting on the many FIRSTS, events that were memorable and stood out to me...

January
Cousin got my aunt and I tickets to watch About Time at St George Open Air Cinema at Mrs Macquarie's chair. It was overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House. What a luxury, it was simply amazing!

Did a trail run to Ruined Castle and Mt. Solitary during Australia Day long weekend. Was out there for almost 5 hours but this included plenty of resting time on the rock, just chilling and soaking in the amazing view.

Trapeze!! Bought vouchers to go "trapezing". Felt like we were in the circus. Quite a fun experience but don't think I'd do it again. 

February - a month of achievements

10th of Feb: 40 pull ups just on the day before I turned 26. 

11th Feb: Did a 10km birthday run and ran a PB of 48:06. 

15th Feb:

Wentworth Falls Run at the Blue Mts. Shaved off 30 mins from the previous run. It was raining but it was an amazing run. Felt so much stronger than last year. 

And at night... it was my birthday celebration at Holy Basil with a small group of close friends met through dragonboat and primary school :p It was a great night out... but not advisable for someone who had states trials early next morning... I still made it though! I'm just so thankful to have this group of friends. Easy-going and fun-loving. 

And I got fried ice cream with a monkey candle for my birthday cake!!!

February was also the last month of summer. I had a good summer. Filled with plenty of beach days over the weekend and beach volleyball. I have to say, I do miss summer in Sydney! (This is me typing in London's summer. It's still freaking cold!)

March 

Got into NSW team for dragonboat. Long water sessions. Was definitely a different level of paddling. Did not entirely enjoyed the experience. 

Apart from that, Tsunami was also prepping for States and Nationals. More intense water training and land training. I have to say, my shoulders definitely gotten bigger. 

Also, I ran in budgie smugglers for the very first time! It was a fund raising running event that I did with one of my work colleague who has a heart of gold who dragged me into it. No regrets at all!

And just like the year before, March seems to be family month. Aunts were over because it was cousin's wedding. Brother came over to Sydney for work and at the same time, to celebrate mom's birthday.

April

Became part of the audience in The Voice! Sorry no photos as we weren't allowed to take any but it was quite an experience. Friends of friend won free tickets so why not? Right? They were filming for the showdown. It was pretty cool to see what actually goes behind the scenes. We were told when to cheer, when to clap... Whether to cheer loud or soft... Sorta felt like we were in the zoo, just a bunch of animals obeying signals from the trainer on what to do. What we see on TV which is only an hour in actual fact takes over 3 hours to do. There was a lot of standing and at the end of it, was pretty tired from standing. Will I do it again? No. But hey... I was in the same room as Kylie Minoque, Ricky Martin, Joel Madden and Will.I.Am!!! 

This month was the peak of dragonboating as well. 

First it was States... and then followed by Nationals. 

For the very first time, I was travelling out of NSW for a race!! It was a pretty cool experience and it felt like those good ol' swimming days. Click here for the write up on Nationals. 

And for Anzac weekend?

A trip to Hunter Valley!! Lots of drinking and eating. All care-free because paddling season is over. Time to relax!

May

Introduction to gym and weights for the very first time: 

Due to the off season in paddling, I went to the gym a few times to do some weights - mainly squats, deadlifts and bench press. I would have liked to get into a proper routine and program because I found that it really helped with my running. However, it wasn't very sustainable because it costed quite a fair bit. Did this for about two months and then stopped.

It was also the month that MY OTHER HALF came to visit!

It's never a dull moment with this chic here. My light in the dark?? Despite only having her for two days, they were freaking epic two days!! It's amazing how our friendship continues to grow even when we are far apart. Love her to bits!! 

And.... 

Michael Buble came to Sydney that same weekend!

This marked the last of my concert attendance spree... Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Michael Buble... all in the span of 6 months. 

June

Paddled from Pyrmont to Manly RETURN!! 5.5 hours of paddling on the outrigger. Going there took 2 hours. When had to head back from Manly, it took 3.5 hours. It was so miserable and cold and was going much more slower. Had to pee really badly but because I hold it for too long, when I tried to let it out in the water, I just couldn't. A really awesome, epic experience nevertheless. Felt like a pretty awesome achievement that not many can say they did it as most just did one leg of the journey. 

Also, went for the Lion King musical...

Everyone I talked to said it was good. The expectations were high, there were so much hype for it leading up to the actual night. And so, I was a little disappointed. The costumes were very impressive but because I knew the whole story and what was going to happen, I got a little bored.

This was also the month that serious marathon training started as well. I continued to wake up most morning for my runs in this very attractive winter running outfit.

Eye sore much??

But before I finish off June's post...let me leave you with some of the magic I got to witness in the wee hours of the morning.... 

PRETTY in PINK!!

July

Attended my very first house themed party! The 4th of July!!

And of course.. my very proud sub 45 10km PB (44:27 to be exact :p) See post HERE

August

Another musical... 

Strictly ballroom

This... this musical I enjoyed it heaps! Not just because I had free tickets... I think I'd pay for this as well. Love the storyline, love the songs, love the dancing.... I was kept entertained throughout. 

September

Made another visit to the snow... this time with Sophie and Manu - hardcore french skiers/boarders. Much better snow trip than the year before. Managed to practice more heel and toe boarding. Snow was much better and had good weather on both days. Also, had cheese fondue for the very first time and mulled wine!! Sooooo good! Can't wait for Christmas 2015!! Hitting the French Alps!!

And of course, this is the month where I proved to myself that the months of training paid off in the marathon. I will not forget the sweet sweet results of a sub 3:45. Click here for the full story... 

Now this part is a little bit dull but it's something that I would like to share with you all. This is about a man called Andy... Click here to read more about Andy...

October

Ahhh... October... the Holiday month!! Yup... took a month off pretty much to travel, spend time with the family. You see, the initial plan was to go back to Malaysia, go on a month's long holiday and then fly to London and start my new chapter there. However, I decided to delay this plan as I wanted to enjoy summer in Sydney, and I wouldn't want to get out of winter and go into winter right away. So, since my flight to Asia had been booked and I had so many annual leave to clear... I decided to go ahead with it. And here's what I did...

Celebrated my brother's birthday after so many years of not being able to do so...

Massive reunion with the relatives...

And a swimmer's reunion dinner...

Travelled to a new country - China, with the parents and aunt...

And last but not least.... THE MOST EPIC dive trip EVER at Malapascua Island, Phillipines... I saw sharks for the very first time!!!

November

Did Narrowneck Night Run again. No race report for this. Completed in 2 hours 8 minutes, 9 minutes improvement from the year before. Would have like to do better but seeing that I just came back from holiday, I think it's a pretty good effort!

And this time, it was clear skies, no rain, during the run :) 

And to end the month of November... another boat trip!!!

My favourite French couple :D 

December

The last month of the year. I remembered feeling a little sad to know that the year's going to end. As you can see, it's been a great year. 

It was work Christmas party...

And it was also the month that I farewell Sophie and Manu, my favourite French couple. These two are living the life. Travelling everywhere. They've seen more of the Down Under than me in the span of 2 years... and now, they're off to explore Asia for half a year. What an inspiration!

This was farewell #1

Farewell #2

And farewell #3!!!

So, there you have it. My 2014. Lots of fitness achievements, lots of Firsts, lots of socialising, lots of adventures, lots of family time. There were lots of cooking also, but no photos. What about work? Yes... work...took on a few more students this year almost failed one but didn't have the heart to do so. Career progression? Not really. Guess I can say I'm taking a two year break, to discover what I like and what I dislike ... and of course, travel!!! 

Reflecting back in my 2013 new year's post, I mentioned about a big plan... And as you know by now, that the big plan for 2014 was to travel to the UK. Obviously, that got postponed to 2015. And you can see why I was so glad that I postponed it. Because if I didn't, I'd miss out on all the fun I had in 2014. 

2013 was a tough a year to beat... but 2014 nailed it!! I'd like to think it just gets better each year :) Or more like... every year is different in its own special way. And I'm loving every year that I have reflected on. 

Live and let loose... definitely did that in 2014! 

This is a little bit late but... 

Happy New Year to all. It's already halfway through 2015 and my wish to all of you (haha! not sure who's still reading... probably only the other half :p) is to make full use of the remainding year! Live it up, try new things, challenge yourself... because you might discover things that you never know about yourself. 

This photo sums it all really.... A very big, satisfying smile for 2014 :D