2016. A Reflection.

This morning, just like every other morning, I scrolled down my Facebook timeline and found this set of questions from Thought Catalog. And then I thought why don’t I try to answer them and put it on my blog? After all, it’s a reflection of the life i have lived in the year 2016. And it’s worth remembering.

1. What made you feel the most alive this year?

The time I hiked the Stanage Edge

2. How did you surprise yourself in 2016?

That I can actually forgive the person I thought I would hate for the rest of my life

3. What did you do this year that you regret?

Nothing that I can remember

4. What made you cry the hardest this year?

Losing someone

5. Which friends have been there for you the most in 2016?

My best friends in Manchester

6. What are you most grateful for as this year draws to a close?

That I have Allah in my life

7. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

HAPPIER OF COURSE!

8. What did you do to take care of yourself this year?

I exercise regularly

9. Where was the best place you traveled to this year?

Alhambra Palace

10. What did you do for the first time in 2016?

Solo travel

11. What did you do for the last time in 2016?

Not committing

12. Which days from 2016 will you never forget?

Oh, this one is hard. Everyday is unforgettable, i guess? But if I really have to choose, then it’s the day I watched a ballet show in London

13. What did you accomplish this year that you’re proud of?

Obtained a master degree, successfully bake a number of cakes! (trust me, this has been through a long process of learning and I’ve failed at baking a cake more than I’ve failed at anything in life)

14. Who did you need to forgive this year?

Everyone 🙂

15. What were you most afraid of this year?

Making other people disappointed

16. How did life surprise you this year?

That everything has been going on very well this year

17. How was this year better than 2015?

I see things positively

18. How was this year worse than 2015?

I’m getting fat LOL

19. Who did you miss the most over the past year?

My parents, cause I’d been away from home

20. What was the most valuable thing you spent money on this year?

Travel!!! and skin care

21. What did you waste too much money on this year?

Food? But I don’t think it’s a waste

22. How did you spend your birthday this year?

I cooked shabu shabu with my best friends

23. What was the best book you read in 2016?

Sabtu Bersama Bapak

24. What do you wish you’d spent more time doing this year?

Solo traveling

25. What do you wish you’d spent less time doing?

Scrolling down social media

26. What made you the angriest in 2016?

I don’t know, honestly

27. When did you feel the most at peace this year?

Every time I pray during the one third of the night

28. What is the biggest risk you took in 2016?

My dissertation ha!

29. What made you laugh the hardest this year?

‘Receh’ jokes, the emerging silly Youtubers, and all the silly stuffs I did with my friends

30. What ended for you in 2016?

Settling down for less than I deserve

31. What began for you in 2016?

Knowing the value of myself

32. What song will always remind you of this year?

Happy as the sun by Tyrone Wells

33. How did this year differ from the way you thought it would go?

It has a lot to surprise me and I’m blessed more than I ever expected

34. How would you describe your personal style over the past year?

I never hesitate on doing good deeds (it goes back to you, trust me)

35. Who in your life did you look up to the most this year?

As always, my father

36. Which quote best sums up the past year for you?

And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about (from Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore)

37. Did you fall in love this year?

Yes

38. Did your heart break this year?

Another yes

39. What was your favorite TV show in 2016?

I don’t really watch TV show.. but let’s just say Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show

40. Which (if any) new years resolutions did you keep this year?

Do not hesitate on doing good deeds

41. Which (if any) new years resolutions will you be making for next year?

Work hard, fear none

42. What disappointed you the most in 2016?

Some people are not willing to fight for things that matter for them

43. Who did you rely on the most in 2016?

God

44. Who might you owe an apology to at the end of this year?

The people I talked about behind their back… I’m truly sorry

45. How did you grow as a person over the past year?

I am more independent, more adventurous, more positive, less childish

46. What made you feel the most stuck this year?

Dissertation LOL

47. What made you feel the most inspired this year?

Young Indonesian moms in Manchester (they made me want to raise children overseas)

48. If you could go back and give yourself a single piece of advice on the first day of 2016, what would it be?

Never settle for less than you deserve

49. What’s the most important thing you learned this year?

Letting go is good. Forgiving is better. Opening up your heart is best.

50. What do you hope will be different for you by this time next year?

Got more money, got more things that I can give to the society, (this one’s supposed to be a secret wish) found my prince charming 😀

That’s all mine. Why don’t you give it a go as well?

♥ Atiqah Zulfa Nadia