I think most of us are like… wtf 2020. And well, me no exception. Some parts of 2020 was challenging, but some were just downright wonderful.

Here is my year in review:

Manila

In January, I managed to travel with my besties to Manila. Funny story, actually, it was a last minute trip. Usually malas me pasal the time was so short, membuang usin and the airfare was expensive. Additionally, one of my friends any anaknya betahan masa tu (though keluar sudah on the day of the flight). To make matters worse, the flight was delayed. Soi berabis!

But we had so much fun! So many laughs and siukkk… And looking back, we were so glad we went on this trip (this fact bibiran sampai hari ani) because who wouldve known it will be one of my last trips in 2-3 years ani. I will never take for granted travelling ever again everrr.

Bali

Second and final trip of 2020. At that time (February 2020), COVID updates were saying COVID cases are happening in well, basically everywhere – except to where we were going!

Thank you Bali. You were swell! Although it really was so so scary to travel with the COVID threat. Can’t help but feel paranoia and well, it did make the trip less enjoyable:

Second time now: I will never take travelling for granted ever again!

Wedding Fever

Probably one of the last big weddings of the year, my sister just managed to get married smack dab in the beginning of a pandemic crisis lol. Big moment for my father, as she is the last daughter to get married.

March adalah also my birthday and I had an impromptu bbq with 2 guests and mesti social distancing haha.

Then Brunei was truly gripped with the COVID-19 Pandemic, and we all realised how precarious our situation is here.

At work, for the first time ever, we deployed our crisis plan – split into teams of 2. I never get to work from home, but totally didn’t see half of my team during the pandemic.

What I did during Pandemic

Pancakes

Like many others, I also tried to make bread with my own starter lol.

However, it never materialised to bread. Haha. While my starter thrived, I never got around to actually making sourdough. But with the starter discard, many things materialised yakni a million batches of pancakes hahaaa!

My garden thrived

My garden is now a far cry compared to what it was in the beginning of the year lol. Though still amateur gardening I do have a few rare plants in my collection.

Masani i also berani sudah ambil plants di hutan, take cuttings dan sebagainya. My dad does it all the time jua 😂

Also interestingly, the brunei socmed landscape saw a bunch of new plantstagrams hahahaaaa. I would like to claim my influence brought this on. HAHAHA. Dulu semua org ijap kan bali bali plants. Now, lihatlah dunia, these plants will bring you peace and tranquility in your homes that you are now perpetually confined in.

April Love

Because it’s GD’s birthday!

Another quiet celebration with his favourite food cooked by his favourite chef haha.

RaMAYdhan

Due to COVID19 for the first time in many many many years (possibly 10 years) me relax heheh. As u may know usually we will be helping local restaurants and businesses reach you with their promotions and offers. I love doing it but i will be honest with you it is hard work.

So I don’t mind the break. However, the brunei food industry is super resilient and dynamic! So fast many restaurants adapted to the new normal and now many are even thriving.

Raya in casual clothes!

Well, siuk! Although I did feel.. ai boring jua nada baju baru. Nyesal inda buat lol.

Continued my annual raya giveaway:

Raya is for family ❤

Collaborations with local brands

So many many brands approach me this year which means local consumption is up!

Just some behind the scenes photos from the content i churned out this year.

The year of local arts scene!

Commissioned a few local artists i love to create illustrations of me for artworks saja saja and it is so so fun!

My year of health and fitness (ish)

This year, I also focused a bit on my health and fitness. It all started from my hormones which I wanted to regulate better for my long term health.

Started walking, hiking, eating better and at the same time, my friends also started opening gyms! So I tried weight training, trampoline, and macam macam!

Turns out panya me ani handal 😂 nah puji diri. I still feel urghhhhh before the classes, bit after i always feel awesome. I love my stronger arms, and legs and how i feel after a work out.

I’ve also joined The Alpha Challenge yakni inda challenging 😂

I’ve also been eating better and mindful of the things i eat. Of course i still makan lah naighty foods buttt not everyday and my treats and indulgences are purposeful and everything is more delicious because of it.

The BIG move!

How strange it is to move office! I mentioned to my colleagues it’s like breaking up with someone haha. Suddenly inda lagi becontact.

I occasionally still do miss Kiarong but not that much haha.

Year of fun with colleagues!

This year, I also wanted to make sure I didnt take anyone for granted. And that includes my colleagues! We did so many things together this year and kami banarnya clingy lol.

They make work life so so much more fun and it’s such a blessing i think to work with people you actually enjoy being with.

The Year of Adoption

Big Babies

Fur Baby

Shell Baby

And best of all, our OWN baby

The absolute best part of 2020 for sure is the arrival of our beloved Zayd 😍

I sometimes feel like i have no words to describe how amazingly happy and grateful we are. Every single moment with him is so so beautiful and siuk.

Failed Adoption but…

Around the time I went to Manila, I actually also applied for adoption of Anak LAQID, which is a collective name for children who have been removed from their parents, or in the care of the government due to abandonment etc.

I knew it was a long shot of course, but I figured, hey I don’t really have anything to lose and actually sometimes who knows manatau rezeki.

I wrote in a letter of application to JAPEM, and hoped for the best.

Eventually, around April, we were contacted by a social worker in JAPEM. She was really lovely, she conducted a home visit, interviewed us, and explained the procedures.

Didn’t hear anything anymore until after Hari Raya when she asked for all our educational qualifications. We dilly dallied and around September, the calls intensified, making us feel, eh adakah? We decided to ok lets take this seriously.

The calls was followed by a bunch of hospital visits – to see a clinical psychiatrist- who certified i was of sound mind, and to a fertility specialist who confirmed my medical condition (PCOS) and my previous unsuccessful treatment attempts to conceive children.

At the same time, i also met Zayd’s birthmom for the first time. We just let things run its course for this, and it turned out beautifully.

And upon Zayd’s arrival, as u may remember, everything went super viral. JAPEM heard about it and called to confirm – is it true that we are adopting another child? Yes we are. That’s when we were officially removed from the short list.

Eventhough this was a failed adoption attempt, I feel the two things are connected somehow. I opened my heart and really really left it to Allah – like literally Jesus take the wheel 😂 – whatever is coming in i will accept and guess what – the best thing did come.

Key Takeaways

• Just try. Whatever it is – fertility journey, a trip, cari jodoh, new course, anything! No matter how impossible it seems, you don’t know where it will lead you. The very least – you will still learn something
• Never take anyone for granted – during pandemic, you know who u really look for – your family and your closest friends.
• Never take health for granted – it will stay with you only if u take care of your health.