After spending almost a year traveling in 2011, I made a very simple resolution for 2012 – That is to spend more time exploring my own country (in other words, travel local).

BUT, 2012 proved to be more exciting than I thought… I did nothing close to that one simple resolution! Here are some highlights of  places I went and things I did throughout the year (for the record, most of them were spontaneous).

♥ JANUARY: Lunar New Year in Penang

Time well-spent with loved ones at home (granny stayed with us), gobbling down yummy home-cooked food and good ‘ol Penang delicacies. A week later, I hosted a group of my colleagues who visited Penang for a makan trip. I also made numerous trips back home this year (which I’m very happy about).

♥ MARCH: Birthday retreat down South in Teluk Iskandar, Johor

Decided to go somewhere ‘beachy’ for my birthday this year and  took a long drive to Teluk Iskandar; a sleepy fishing village and stayed in a kampung-style inn. Explored some hidden beaches and had awesome satay by the roadside!

♥ MAY: Impromptu trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and Lady Gaga’s show in Singapore!

I’ve been to KK many times before this, so I literally did nothing this round but chill…

Back in Singapore for my annual trip to the island – this time for Lady Gaga! One word: Awesome! Continued with routine shopping in Orchard Road.

♥ AUGUST: Heineken presents Sensation Ocean of White, Bangkok

An unplanned trip to Bangkok to partayyyy. Part work, part play! This trip also saw me going crazy shopping in Chatuchak Weekend Market and bought a whole bunch of outdoor/traveling gear in Central World Plaza. I even went back to the shop right before heading for the airport!

♥ OCTOBER – DECEMBER: The Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP)

A youth exchange program to promote and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship among the youths of 10 Southeast Asian countries and Japan. The 53-day voyage brought us from Japan to Vietnam-Thailand-Singapore-Indonesia-Brunei and back to Tokyo. I blogged about it here before I left.

We had loads of non-stop activities throughout the program and homestays in all the countries we visited. I now have 6 extended families throughout Southeast Asia and Japan! Will blog more about this after I recover from what we call “SSEAYP sick”.

♥ DECEMBER: Winter in Macau and Hong Kong

Three days after I got home from Japan, I flew to Macau to visit my godsister and celebrate Christmas & New Year’s. On Boxing Day, we hopped over to Hong Kong and spent a magical day with Mickey and friends in Disneyland. Also managed to do some shopping the day after.

 

So, yeah… 2012 has been a whirlwind of random unplanned events. I feel like the year has zoomed past and I don’t even know what struck me! I’m still living in my 2011 memories and dearly miss those backpacking days. I guess life moves on and I gotta catch-up before I’m left behind! Nevertheless, I’m thankful for all the opportunities and experiences that came my way.

2011 was epic…

2012 was random…

2013… show me what you’ve got!