A fond adieu

Since there are only 2 days until the new year kicks in, I thought I'd do a little recap of my 2014. I won't go over every single thing that has happened this year because that would take far too long, and let's be honest - I'm lazy and a crappy writer/blogger. So here are the, uh... I guess you could call them historically significant moments from the past year.

MASA2014 was unlike the previous year's. The 2013/2014 MASCA Tas crew and I flew to Melbourne with high hopes for the event, as we had worked pretty hard to get MASA Awards in good shape. I suppose attending MASA as a teeny tiny part of the organising committee made all the difference this time around. Last year, I attended MASA as a participant, so I had little to no idea of just how much work went on behind the scenes. This year, things were different. All of us MASCA kids from all the states around Australia worked our butts off for the whole week we were in Melbourne. Surviving on only a few hours of sleep each night, attending meetings that went on and on and on, dealing with miscommunication issues, ensuring that each component of the event flowed smoothly - we were so worn out by the end of it. But you know what? Despite all the sleep deprivation and hard work, I got to meet the most lovely bunch of Malaysians from all around Australia, some of whom are friends I know I'll have for life. Also, can I quickly and shamelessly award 5 life points to myself for doing a decent job of socialising and making new friends during MASA? For a hermit, this is a pretty big achievement. 

I wore the hijab for the first time everrrrr! Despite a few friends telling me I looked "extra sepet" with the hijab on, I though it was quite nice, really.

Got elected as the vice chairperson of the MASCA Tas 2014/2015 committee. I look forward to working with the new team, especially with a few new faces on board - even if it means disagreeing with each other from time to time.

Spent a weekend in Singapore with my sister. Hurray for long overdue sister time! We don't see each other nearly often enough. I got an epic beer belly from those 4 days with her, because I drank beer almost every day that I was there, but hey. You gotta live a little (and enjoy good alcohol within reason).

Reenacted an old photo with some old friends, which you can read in my previous blog post :) I love you girls dearly. I am so thankful for all three of you, truly. 

No longer forever 21. Please don't blast that song by Taylor Swift because it's overplayed and almost everyone born in 1992 has quoted that song on their birthday this year. -_- I feel a lot older than 22, but I think that's how most people feel - older than they actually are. Perhaps it's because of all the baggage we carry with us.

Spent some quality time with my grandparents when I was home in November. I don't have a photo with grandpa, but it's him I worry about the most. Being so far away from home has its pros and cons, but worrying about my parents' and grandparents' health sometimes makes me want to come back and forget about my studies. It's not an entirely rational way of thinking, but the more you realise your folks are getting older just like you are, the more you tend to worry. I'm sorry, mum, dad, grandma, and grandpa. I'll try to come home as often as I can.

Graduated after 4 gruelling years at UTAS! My failures and laziness added one year to my undergraduate education, so while most of my friends graduated last year and in August this year, I was still churning out one assignment after the other. But I made it! Fiiiiiiinally! 

La familia came over for the graduation ceremony, too! Spent a great but tiring week with them, during which we ate a lot of seafood and drank a fair amount of wine.

I wish I could say that I had a long list of resolutions for 2015, but I don't. I don't really know what's going to happen next year as I'm still waiting on some news that could change whether I can stay here in Tasmania or not, so I guess everything depends on that. That being said, I do have a couple of things I would like to accomplish next year, such as being less pessimistic, being more patient, and reading/writing more. They may seem like your standard run-of-the-mill goals that magazines like Cosmopolitan will churn out, but I really do feel like I need to make these personal changes.

Here's to a better, brighter year ahead.