Year End Reflection Part 1

How time flies! Once again we are at the end of the year. I remembered in my early years of uni that I always summarised my year end with an album of photos (because I am just so lazy to upload every event so I did in bulk haha), so perhaps I could do the same for this year. But well, of course with more words and thoughts because... Older liao la. So I have more to say lol. 

But wait, first I want to show you the evolution of this little boy hahaha. Do you think he looks very different now? Lol

Truth is, I remembered my 2023 as a distant past because it did fly by very fast. And I can say that my 2023 is one of the highs, but also one of the lows. 

The Highlights

I couldn't even begin to express how grateful I am for the start of my 2023 - as I was home the first two months in 2023. We returned home for three months from Nov 2022 to Feb 2023. And spending time with all our loved ones are just so so precious after two years of lockdown 🥹 And we were so thankful for family and friends who specially make time for us, despite the busy schedule. 

After we returned from the trip, we were very busy as we were preparing for our big move!! We moved to a house in a suburb near to beach. It's quite a big deal for us as we had been staying in a city apartment for the past 7 years, so moving to a house felt strange. And it took us some time to feel settled. The house is quite spacious, and we feel really blessed to move into a quiet and peaceful neighbourhood, with close proximity to the beach that we love. But one downside is, we have to get used to commuting because we are now quite far from the city, with the train taking 30 mins! But look, with this view I suppose could get used to the commuting then😆

老人与海

During this time, my son was enrolled into the childcare near our house. And it is so much fun to receive photo updates of his daily activity in childcare. And usually, what he did in childcare are:

Yes, can someone explain his obsession for car and truck and diggers? Lol. But honestly, it has been absolutely wonderful to see him settling in childcare and having fun with all his peers 😊

In May, we flew back for my beloved sister's wedding that we have had the honour to be part of, with my little boy being the ring bearer, driving in with style. I remembered myself being so teary witnessing the moments, because I am just so very happy that she has found the one who will always be there for her 🥹 We don't always have a good relationship and we argued a lot back then when we were young, but as we grew older, we grew closer and exchanging texts where we questioned about relationships and love and God. So it felt like a prayer answered when I witnessed them making their wedding vows. I  pray and hope that their marriage will always be centred in God, to bring Him the glory. After all, God has brought them together and I believe that love will conquer all challenges and His love will always be with them❤️

And another highlight is of course the joy of parenting my little boy. Though I can say he is no longer the peanut, but a toddler size troublemaker haha. It's not without challenges to deal with his tantrums nowadays, and we are still learning. And sometimes I still don't know what he wants, despite him trying to tell us lol 😂 We struggled, oh man how much we did when he fell sick and both of us did too, dragging our feet to go through the days. But looking back, I was reminded every birth is a miracle, and to see how much he has grown is a gift in itself and one that we have the blessing to be part of. I would be lying to say that I enjoy every moment of being a parent but I have come to learn that it's okay to be not okay sometimes and ask for help. I thank God for my wonderful husband because through it all, he has been such a constant source of support and encouragement in life. And I think, as I reflected on my 2023 that we truly are on the road of becoming a better version of ourselves, probably a little more patience, a little wiser, and a lot more loving and understanding towards each other. 

So here you go. Obviously there are still more highlights but I guess I will summarise them now in this video of my 2023. Spoiler: My little boy becomes the main character haha. I don't usually share many of his photos or videos in my social media, but here you go! 

Part 2 of my highlights is probably very difficult to pen down, but I want to journal it to look back on. After all, there's not only roses here in my life in Melbourne, but also some really hard moments that I know will constantly challenge and test me. But ultimately, all glory to God because I know that in good times and bad, He will forever be my source of strength despite my circumstances and for that, I will be forever thankful ❤️