When it comes to change, I suppose it starts with a little forward planning sometimes.

I cannot believe it has already been a full year (and then some) since I decided to register this domain and host it proper. I suppose the idea of blogging ‘seriously’ has always seemed like pie in the sky stuff for me – but over time, I realize this wasn’t so much about chasing after a sliver of paradise, but simply, a personal tool I held tightly on to as I repeatedly fought from drowning in an abyss where the only thing going on was work.

It was difficult at first – but not as difficult as I thought it would be; and one year on, I am – if not proud, then at least – relieved that I somehow managed to claim back some control on my life. I learned to switch off on rest days, steal moments to write, cook (a lot), and towards the end of this year, I even decided to start reading again.

And it has been so, so wonderful.

Ironically, the year I chose to start a travel blog ended up being the year where literally no travel was involved, but I made hay anyway and caught up with writing all the articles I never managed to write, brushing up on my photo and editing techniques that I have been so unssatisfied with for so long – and somewhere between the last two months when work got so crazy I had to take a complete step back from blogging and Instagramming, I realized to my horror just how much my creative goals have languished as a result of having tried so hard to pander to a certain way of ‘travel blogging’ or ‘travel instagramming’ – which left a deep-rooted resentment in me for everything I created because none of it was ever ‘good enough’. And now I am resolute never to put myself through that same wheel again.

But hey, that was 2020 for me, and now there’s less than 3 days before the New Year comes hurtling towards us, too fast. I’m almost tempted to theme 2021 as the Year of Old Habits because lately I’ve stared crafting a list of things I want to pick up again from when I was a kid, but hey, why don’t we just sit back and see how this goes?

For those who made it, here’s to a Better 2021 to you.