2016 In A Nutshell

Happy New Year 2017!!!

Time does fly in a blink of an eye, don't you think? It feels like just yesterday I was writing the entry 2015 In A Nutshell and now I'm doing another recap for the year of 2016. Phew! It's no surprise that one day I wake up as a 100 years old granny who walks slowly dragging her suitcase to board a plane for another adventure. LOL! Okay, that would be too much to imagine :p

2016 is definitely a better year as my phobias started to fade away. I also learnt to love and to appreciate my body more. I'm getting good in ignoring other people's nonsense about what is the perfect body image. I started to believe that I don't need to be as skinny as a stick to be beautiful. Though as an extreme introvert, it does take lots of effort to brave myself to come out from my comfy cocoon and to meet new people. A bit awkward in the beginning but I know I'll be just fine.


January - Bali

Jatiluwih rice terrace

Dad missed his hometown and all those sinfully delicious Balinese food. So we did the road trip from Malang to Bali just how we used to do when I was little. Though I lived in Bali for almost 10 years before, I'm ashamed to admit that I've never been to Jatiluwih rice terrace. So glad I finally did! Yep, I tend to be lazy to explore the city I lived in because I always think, "Oh well, it's not far from home. I'll visit it next time." Have you ever had the same thought?

February - Bali

maid of honor on duty

Flied again to Bali to be the maid of honor on my best friend's wedding. Me and Luzi has been besties since kindergarten and we grew up together sharing our ups and downs. I guess not everyone is lucky to have a best friend for more than 30 years, right? I can't express how happy I am to see her walk down the aisle with the love of her life. I got too emotional and was too busy shedding my tears that I forgot to take her hand bouquet before the vow, lol! Sorry, Luz :p


March - Semarang, Magelang, Yogyakarta

nasi ayam Bu Pini in Semarang

sunrise at Borobudur temple, Magelang

pre-wedding photo shoot at Taman Sari, Yogyakarta

Joined a 3 days food tour around Semarang with my sister. Then we decide to extend our trip to nearby city like Magelang to experience sunrise at Borobudur temple and also spent some days in Yogyakarta for further culinary adventure. And since my sister has never had a train ride in Indonesia, we chose a slower journey back to Malang by train.


May - Singapore, Hong Kong

I kissed a stingray. Marine Life Park Sentosa

Nan Lian Garden, Kowloon

BBQ galore!

It's time of the year again for my parent's annual health check up in Singapore. I caught the worst stomach infection so I couldn't really do anything in Singapore but managed to visit the Marine Life Park Sentosa on the last day. Flied to Hong Kong for a week because I have had some dreams about my second hometown's comfort food, almost every night in my sleep. Yeah, I am that shallow. I would travel all the way to some destinations just because I crave thelocal food :p


July - Makassar, Lombok, Banyuwangi, Bandung

sunset in Losari beach, Makassar

Sade traditional weaving village in Lombok

the Blue Fire in mount Ijen, Banyuwangi

my #TripOfWonders family at Kawah Putih, Bandung

Invited to join the #TripofWonders #WonderfulIndonesia trip by the Tourism Ministry of Indonesia with a group of social media influencers from Malaysia, Singapore, Philippine, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam. In a span of 11 days, we travel in a busy schedule through Jakarta, Makassar, Lombok, Banyuwangi and Bandung. Nevertheless it was super fun trip with 30 new awesome friends. I'm so grateful for the opportunity because finally I could catch a glimpse of the Blue Fire in mount Ijen and also visiting Makassar for the first time and the famous Losari beach.

August - Semarang, Magelang, Yogyakarta

Kenzo, my guardian angel

Blenduk church, Semarang

Umbul Sidomukti, Semarang

Borobudur Temple, Magelang

Yogyakarta

I was in my lowest point in the year because I lost Kenzo, one of my furry friends who I had the strongest connection with. I raised and took care of Kenzo since he was born thus he had been attached to me since puppy. He was very loyal to me and would followed me everywhere I go, including to the loo. Every night when I sleep, he would sleep under my bed and woke me up with his cheery face every morning. He lost his battle to some mysterious illness which lead to hypothermia. His sudden death shook my life. I was so devastated that I lost my guardian angel at a very young age. I was so depressed that I refused to do anything for weeks. I just wanted to curl in my bed and crying days and nights. So grateful to have you all as my friend who sent me some comforting words through my social media account. I really can't thank you enough.

I tried to pull myself together and organised a 'fix the broken heart' trip with my family who were also as sad as I was. I chose the road trip route Malang-Semarang-Magelang-Yogyakarta-Malang simply because I really enjoyed my previous journey.


September- Welcoming baby Zorro

Meet Zorro, my new adopted puppy.

I was actually not sure if I was ready for a new family member. Losing Kenzo definitely left a deep wound in my heart and still hurts so much. But this little fella needs a new loving home, so we took him in. Welcome to the Leksonos! 

October - Singapore, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania & Poland

make friend with a friendly seagull in Taallinn

Riga, Latvia

Trakai island castle, Lithuania

the Old Town of Krakow at night

I decided to have an early birthday trip in October though my birthday was still a month away. It was another 'last minute holiday' and I had only less than a month to organise everything. We were lucky to be able to apply the schengen visa through VIP service. It was granted within 5 days only. Otherwise we would missed our flight and ruined the whole itinerary, lol. My main reason of this journey was to visit the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania. Some places about which I had zero expectations and ended up loving were the Balkan countries. Each of them has its own charm and beauty that I left home with a heavy heart :'(

So that's basically the highlights of my 2016. It was also my second year spending my Christmas holiday at home. I kinda love it now spending some quality time with family, friends and my dogs instead of travelling abroad.

Farewell 2016, you made me cry and you made me laugh. It's time to move forward but I'll remember you. Aaaand hellow hellow 2017! Let's be friend & let's rock and roll together! Cheers to the new awesome year. May everyday of the new year glow with good cheer and happiness for you. xoxo