This year, nobody can escape the impact of the arrival of Covid-19. As you may have read in the news, some have it very tough, some not so, and the rest may be even richer than before (hint: Zoom, Amazon, the 1% society).
I myself find the year 2020 a blessing. Compared to the lockdown and no travel this year, I feel that God opened the floodgate of blessings to me.
I’m sorry if this isn’t the case for you… I treat my blog as a diary, hence I always write a yearly review as the last post of the year.
Blessed 2020 — Career
I landed a new job in the middle of the year. The role was on hold, but then the recruiter called me again to inform me that the position was reopened. After sweat and tears (I had to pass the math test), I finally got the role.
Having been working with startups my whole life, I never thought that one day I would work with a mature, successful, and very generous company. I’m not holding a high position, but I feel as if finally, this is it.
Thank you, God, for blessing me with a great employer in the midst of the pandemic. Thank You, that I:
- get many benefits (free meals, dental, optic, gym, transportation, flights + accommodation, Christmas present, etc)
- can play a slide every day in the office
- become healthier thanks to the almonds + walnuts + cashews in the pantry (protein snacks for the muscles = checked!)
- don’t need to go for a monthly massage anymore because there are massage chairs
Also read: “God, Why Me? Have a Break at Kenny Hills Bakers, Ampang”
Also read: “Working from Home: How to Maintain Your Weight”
Blessed 2020 — Travel
I’m glad that I could meet my boyfriend in Bali after Valentine’s Day because Malaysia starts to implement a lockdown in March. At least, I could see him before that and still be able to enter Malaysia.
I may not be able to go for my solo annual trip this year, but I’m glad that I received a partial refund for my flights (one more is still in process).
Thank you God for 2020, I couldn’t travel this year but I:
- Have 21 days annual leave + 15 days public holiday + 7 days carry-forward leave in 2021 (that’s 43 days in total!)
- Having more time to save money = upgrade my flight (I’m eye-ing Emirates’ economy class)
- More annual leave = extending 1 day of my annual trip to explore Johannesburg, 2021 (I’ve booked the hotel, yay!)
Click here for your 2021/2022 travel bucket list
Blessed 2020 — Unexpected Expenses
If you’ve been following my blog, you might know that I’m not a gadget person. I don’t like to buy new gadgets unless mine is broken or it’s a necessity.
Well, this year, I spent quite a lot on gadgets!
At first, I felt sad that the emergency fund that I diligently saved (or the money that I could use for travelling) must be used for new gadgets. But then, thank you God for 2020, that:
- my personal laptop suddenly dead thus I got myself a good & very light laptop (Acer Swift 3)
- my broken AC was suddenly fixed for a few months until it was no longer working, but by then I had enough money to buy a new one
- it makes me happy that my freelance income allowed me to get my dad a new AC (the old one is spoiled) – the feeling that I’m an adult and I can take care of my parents xx
Also read: “I’m Building Proper Toilets for Children This Christmas. Will You Join Me?”
Blessed 2020 — Personal Habit
When I was a kid, I always went missing when going out with my parents because I was (and still), a restless girl.
Once, I even approached the security guard and said, “My parents are missing!” and they made an announcement about a lost child.
2020 taught me the art of staying at home aka becoming a homebody. The result of the ‘training’? Now, I no longer fancy walking in the mall for hours as much as I used to.
I enjoy watching movies at home, sleeping, walking in the park to get vitamin D, and reading books at home.
Why should I go to the malls, when I have nothing to buy? But I still do it sometimes, especially after meals so I don’t gain weight, hehe!
Also read: “Clara’s CMCO Essentials – Try It!”
Blessed 2020 — Relationship
What do couples in long-term relationships usually do? Video calls, texting, phone calls?
This year is challenging for couples, especially those in long-distance relationships. With the arrival of Covid-19, suddenly LDR = XXLDR 🙁
No amount of video calls, texting, or phone calls can replace real-life meetups.
But, luckily I and my boyfriend share a similar habit: we’re not fans of video calls and we’re good with communicating moderately. We text every day (but not too much), especially when we see or experience something interesting, we would share it with each other.
We’re definitely not the 1-hour video/phone call type of couple. Once, we accidentally did a video call but ended up staring at each other because we didn’t know what to talk about.
However, it was very heart-warming xxx
Thank you, God, for 2020 because the year made us stronger.
Also read: “A Rainy Day at Penglipuran, Bali, One of the World’s Cleanest Villages”
Blessed 2020 — Investment
2020 made me realised that unit trust isn’t for me.
I held my unit trust portfolio for around 3 years and, probably it’s my bad luck that the situation in Malaysia wasn’t good soon after I placed my fund (from political unrest to Covid-19), I saw around RM2k loss.
Not a single cent of profit.
Yeah, yeah, they say unit trust is a long-term investment but when I compared it with my ETF portfolio, I turned to resent it. Here are the reasons why I kissed unit trust goodbye:
- My ETF portfolio gained profit within 1 year
- Even though my ETF portfolio suffered a loss in March 2020, at least I didn’t lose my initial capital. And I got the profit back in the next few months.
- ETF has a much lower annual management fee than unit trust (0.8% vs 5%)
- My ETF will adjust the portfolio automatically according to the global economic situation. No more manual switching and RM10 switching fee.
Although I had a very professional and capable UTC, I finally made my decision. Now, I’m not saying don’t invest in the unit trust. But invest in what gives you security over your portfolio and hard-earned money.
Build your ETF portfolio and sign up through
my StashAway referral link for a 6-month fee waiver
Also read: “Tony Robbins’ Investing Rules of Thumb – Simplified”
Disclaimer: investing is risky. The result of your portfolio may differ from mine.
Blessed 2020 — Self-care
Next month I’ll turn 30 and Covid-19 helped me to slow down and notice whatever changes in my body. Thank you, God, for 2020 that I:
- realized that I’m now a lactose-intolerant
- learn to eat well and my weight gain is because of too much caramel popcorn
- have to move more and watch my diet because it’ll be harder to lose the weight once I reached 30
- make a promise to myself to sleep latest at 11pm (except on gym days on weekdays, it’s unavoidable)
- am still mistaken as a college girl (finally, this feature is a blessing now that I’m almost 30!!! lol)
Also read: “Workout Tips for Dummies Who Don’t Want to Hire a Personal Trainer”
So… finally, it’s a wrap!! Thank you, God, for blessing me throughout 2020.
Thank you to all of you for reading my blog. I wish you and your family a Prosperous, Healthy and Happy New Year 2021 🙂 🙂 🙂
