Another resolution wrap-up ALREADY? You bet. Honestly, it's crazy to think about how quickly the year has come and gone - but that's probably what the pandemic years will always feel like. In my head, I'm still living in 2019 when I first arrived the Netherlands where everything was still new and odd. 

Unfortunately that's not how time works, and like most years, I like having a resolution wrap-up from what I thought I would have achieved in the beginning of the year. And just in case you don't remember the resolutions I made for 2021, you could check it out here.

TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW: A HALF

Guess who's back on track to study Dutch? While it's not exactly "new" anymore since words don't feel as foreign to me these days, picking up the book to cram words and figure out the Dutch word structures really isn't that easy. Having hard rules with grey areas and words that don't make a lot of sense don't help as much, but as the most cliche of saying goes - practice makes perfect so I'll hopefully get there soon!

TO FINISH A GAME: YES! 

Egged on by my best friend, I officially finished Pokemon Sword this year and then went on to buy the Expansion Pass after. I also continued on my journey of playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on a daily basis AND splurged on the downloadable content when it was released in November, so this year has definitely been quite the year where I got to enjoy games to my heart's content. 

TO KEEP A WORKOUT ROUTINE: ABSOLUTELY NOT 

I ended my paragraph in my original resolution with, "Cue my parents screaming in 3, 2, 1..." and I truly stand by my words because I didn't do anything with this. While I tried doing some HIIT exercises from home, I quickly got bored of it and fell into an on and off love-hate relationship with it. So yes I tried to workout this year but no I didn't keep to a routine for it. Will I try again in the coming year? We'll see.

TO EXPLORE NETHERLANDS AND GO HOME: A HALF 

As expected, I unfortunately did not get to go home this year as the Covid numbers never stabilized whether in the Netherlands or Malaysia. Jumping from lockdowns to lockdowns, going home was just not plausible unless I was prepared to stay there for 2 months or so. And so all I really want for the coming year is for the pandemic to just calm down so life can go back to normal soon enough.

The good thing, however, was that we got to explore so much of Netherlands and its neighbouring countries this year. From visiting Giethoorn to staycationing in Den Haag and popping into Paris for Christmas (with a blog post yet to be written), this year took us on rather surprising visits that we've probably never planned to experience.

TO LOVE MY BLOG 2.0: ABSOLUTELY 

As a whole, I would say that while 2021 started off shaky, it definitely picked up and ended with a true bang. Between landing a great job and making some amazing new friends while reconnecting with the old, 2021 has clearly become the memorable rollercoaster ride I never thought I'd enjoy. 

On sadder things, I know the year hasn't been great for all - and I've also personally lost my aunt to cancer in August. It took a real emotional toll on me, because none of us had expected for her to go but my consolation was that she never had to suffer for long. Family gatherings may never feel the same again as she's always been the glue to most of our meals, but I'm sure this also reminds us to appreciate what we still have.

We also lost my grandaunt to old age in September, and while the news was upsetting, I'm glad she passed very peacefully in her sleep. It also marked the end of another generation on that side of my family, and unfortunately that's how life goes. Some of my friends have also lost loved ones this year, and all I would hope for is that we'll all be strong enough to go through these dark days. 

Here's to everyone closing the chapter on 2021, and like most years, we can only pray to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is 2022. Au revoir - until I make my resolution list tomorrow.