2021, pretty much a continuation from 2020, where all the days, weeks and months somehow blended in together. In Malaysia, almost half the year was spent in a controlled environment (MCO) I vividly remember the Government announcing for the third time we would be going into another lockdown, which is when I also found out my last IVF round hadn’t worked + other medical stuff.…..not trying to be dramatic.
As much as there have been painful moments and just simply wanting to run away from it all, what it did do was force me to sit with the uneasy feelings and find joy in the simplest of things. I know healing is not an overnight process, as with all challenging experiences, it can bring up a whole load of other shit which has been quietly hiding in the background, but it’s okay, I am learning not to be too hard on myself and if anything I’m excited for what’s to come.
So kicking it off, following my tradition of sharing My BEST 9 posts since 2019, I didn’t wanna miss it this year and, even better, on my New Blog Site HEYYY!!!!
I used the app Top Nine
REXKL, January 2021
In one of my fave parts of the city, REXKL, once a cinema, now a community centre where you can enjoy a cup of coffee, grab a bite to eat, discover some vintage finds and also keep an eye out for any upcoming events, Love this place!
Somewhere under the sky, Feb 2021
By the location tag in this post, you can probably tell where my head was at. What I did share in the caption was a list of things I started doing that helped me during this period of lowness.
The photo was taken at a newly discovered place at the beginning of 2021, the v instagrammable @RumaPuteh
Villa Samadhi, February 2021
This was a little one night staycation, and boyyyy did we need it. We truly felt like we had been teleported to this Balinese’esk oasis which happened to be in the middle of KL city. It was AMazing + all the rooms have their own whirlpool….. TAKE ME BACK!!!
March 2021
I’m sure I have mentioned before on my IG and old blog I really need to share a list of favourite Cafés and restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. One of the blessings in disguise of us not being able to travel abroad over the last almost two years is that it pushed us to do a whole lot more of exploring the city we uncovered some cool places.
In the photo I’m at my usual, never fails me @ Lisette’s Café & Bakery
May 2021
I think we were in lockdown when I posted this, obviously feeling the effects from being cooped up again, missing my family deeply and finding comfort in looking through childhood photos.
I don’t often share too personal stuff online, but by this point and onwards I’ve kinda been like “what the hell”….
November 2021
Another hidden gem in the city, a community garden with lots of plants, vegetation, ponds and farm animals, I mean….leave me here.
We should all have access to places like this, good for the soul. @kebunkebunbangsar
November 2021
A rare shared photo of us, out celebrating a friends birthday looking kinda fancy at a kinda fancy restaurant.
November 2021
We were supposed to go somewhere else that day for food, by the time we arrived it was jam-packed, so instead, we ended up here which turned out to be a banging place, great food and lovely jubbly views of Sentul Park. @craf
December 2021
How beautiful is this? On a random afternoon, we were driving around Labuan town and happened to pass the docks, I decided I wanted to get out of the car to try and catch a nice shot of the sunset over the water when one of the riverboat taxi drivers called us over and offered to take us on a tour of a floating river village. With the timing of the day, the water, the sun, the reflections, the children laughing, playing in the water, kite flying, it was MAGICAL.
Before I leave you, I want to ask, what is one thing, just one positive thing you picked up in 2021?
Now, I am gonna cheat here with my answer and give you two. My first one is acupuncture, which technically I started at the end of 2020 though I did continue throughout the whole of 2021. Two is journaling, which has frankly been life-changing to get out of my head onto paper all the emotions, frustrations and mundane it helps bring calmness and clarity to my at times chaotic mind.
Dont forget to leave your answers in the comments below.
Here is to fresh starts at any time of the year/month/day/hour/minute
xx