Despite being stuck here in Singapore for the entire year, but to me, 2021 is still very much eventful.

2021 is wrapping up soon. I spent all of 2021 only in Singapore due to all the border restrictions and they have only opened up for leisure travel to Malaysia last month. I will only head back home end of next month during Chinese New Year period.

I quickly browsed back all the photos I have taken this year and scrolled through my posts published all the way from January 2021 for a flashback of all the special occasions, events or highlights happening this year. I have to say that 2021 is indeed an eventful year for me despite being stuck here in this tiny island nation for work.

Here are the highlights of my year in 2021 by months:

January 2021

• Watched mini yet satisfying new year fireworks from one of the nearby heartland locations due to cancellation of annual mega new year countdown celebration at Marina Bay to prevent crowd due to on-going pandemic.
• Visited Jurong Bird Park for the first time. Have accomplished complete visit to all parks under Mandai Wildlife Reserve (other parks are Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, and River Safari which I have visited in previous years).
• Went to ‘Light to Night Festival’ (animated light projections on several landmarks at Singapore Civic District.
• First time visit to Macritchie Reservoir. Completed one of the walking trails within the jungle under the rain.

February 2021

• First Chinese New Year celebration in Singapore away from home and family.
• Visited ‘River Hongbao’ (CNY decorations and exhibition) event at Gardens by the Bay.
• Had great CNY meals and gatherings with friends, housemates and office colleagues.

March 2021

• Focus of the month was on watching as many Oscar nominated films as possible.
• No special outing this month due to being busy with work.

April 2021

• Explored Rail Corridor (refurbished landscaped walk along former railway line) close to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

May 2021

• Bought a new laptop (also from Acer brand).
• Had a brief 1 night staycation in the city during Hari Raya Aidilfitri holiday.
• Visited Singapore Flyer (one of world’s tallest observation wheel) and ‘Time Capsule’ exhibition at the base of the flyer.

June 2021

• Went to Singapore Botanic Gardens (country’s first UNESCO heritage site) for the first time.

July 2021

• Received my first dose of Covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer).
• Watched the fireworks display rehearsal event in conjunction with Singapore’s National Day celebration on next month at The Float, Marina Bay.

August 2021

• Went for the 4 days 3 nights cruise to nowhere on board Dream Cruise. Had a lot of fun (playing games, having wonderful meals, soaking in jacuzzi, trying my luck in the ship’s casino, watching some shows, etc).
• Received my second dose of Covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer). Hence, completed my vaccination regime.
• Played skyline luge and skyride at Sentosa for the first time.

September 2021

• Attended a Mid-Autumn Festival event at a church at invitation from my friend.
• Celebrated my blog’s 13th anniversary and reached 2300th post milestone.

October 2021

• Went to Universal Studios Singapore for the second time. Had fun from the attractions and the Halloween theme ‘Trick or Thrills’ in the theme park.

November 2021

• Visited KAWS Exhibition (a popular giant inflatable doll) at The Float, Marina Bay.

December 2021

• Celebrated my historic 30th birthday! Had a sleepover in camp at Changi Experience Studio in Jewel. Enjoyed the time seeing all the Christmas decorations and vibes. Also visited the Canopy Park in the Jewel.
• Quick 1 night staycation at Orchard.
• Visited ‘Christmas Wonderland’ (Christmas decorations) at Gardens by the Bay.

Besides March, the rest of the year was pretty interesting. Hopefully more places or countries will open up for leisure travel without much hassle by next year so that I can travel oversea (I’m travel deprived…haha) and fill 2022 with more exciting events. But first of all, priority is to head back home next month (once 2022 starts) to meet my family after almost 2 years of not able to see them (video call not counted!).

I worked mostly at home this year as work from home remain as default in most of 2021. Countless Teams online meeting, Zooms call and site meetings have filled significant parts of my job this year. To be honest, most of these online meetings are a waste of time.

That’s all for my personal highlights of the year. Hope you had a great 2021 too! Few more days to make the most out of it before the year ends…