I started writing this blog post while sitting alone at my boyfriend's apartment in London on New Year's Eve. My boyfriend had to work that night, so I took the quiet time to pen down my thoughts, reflecting on many memorable events that I got to experience in 2022 and feeling extremely grateful for them. 

Nearly 1 month later, I was sitting in my home in Vietnam, still trying to compose this long post. It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, 2023- the most auspicious day to write your resolutions and wishes. But more importantly, it's the perfect day to look back at all the ups and downs I went through in 2022.

At the beginning of 2022, as soon as Vietnam & Singapore resumed their international flights, I booked a flight ticket to be home with the family for Lunar New Year. There were still many strict Covid travel restrictions then. Despite being prepared and having a Covid test done, and vaccine certificates, I wasn't allowed to board due to the timing of my Covid test. I took the test 75hrs before departure time, and the airline required 72 hours only. So, unfortunately, I had to cancel my flight and book a new one to be home after Lunar New Year. I couldn't be home for the family reunion dinner; the earliest flight home was on the 2nd of the New Year. But on a positive thought, I got to experience both Lunar New Year in Singapore and Vietnam. 

This was also the first time in the last 12 years I celebrated Lunar New Year in Singapore. I had my close friend- Dhilip coming over on New Year. We prayed, mediated, and had a few drinks together. It was just lovely. 

On 2nd day of the Lunar New Year, I flew home. Seeing my parents again after 2 years since the lockdown made me feel emotional. Even though I'd love to give mom and dad tight hugs and kisses, I had to keep a distance from them and walked straight to my room to serve 3-day quarantine right after I arrived home. At the end of my quarantine, mom drove me to the hospital nearby for the Covid test. I was only able to join everyone at lunch when the test result came back negative, which was mid-day on the 5th. It was tough not being able to be close to my loved ones, but my home quarantine experience was the easiest one compared to many other cases. Thus, I wasn't complaining. On the contrary, I felt thankful that nobody in my family got sick. 

Except for my grandfather. 

He fell sick for over a year and a half and was hospitalized for a few months during the pandemic. I was so worried that I couldn't come home to see him at all, and I was praying that he'd still be there when I went home. As soon as I got out of the home quarantine, the next day, we drove back home to see my grandfather. He wasn't able to walk or eat by himself. He could only lie in bed. Some days, he forgot his children's names. On other days, he remembered all the stories of his life during the French, Japanese, and American wars. My grandfather held many high leadership positions during the Vietnam war, and he was well respected by thousands of people. When I arrived at his bed, he remembered me. The first thing he asked was, "You've finally come to see me. When will you be getting married?". He asked me this question in the last 16 Lunar New Year. Every time, he received the same answer from me "I don't know, grandpa. I haven't found the right one yet." "When do you think you'll find the right one? When you are 50 years old? Quickly find someone to get married and have kids"- he continued despite having difficulty in breathing and speaking. I left his room to let him have his afternoon rest. I was happy to see my grandpa and talk to him, but I felt so sad and disappointed in myself. All his wish was to attend his granddaughter's wedding, but I couldn't fulfill that. I tried, but I failed. 

Grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep at 9.05am on 12th Feb 2022, aged 97 years old. Although our family expected that this date would come, nothing could prepare you for the death of your loved one. Everyone said that he was waiting for me to come home. 

I decided to create an account on a Dating app again. I had not been on a dating site for a long time, but the conversation with my grandfather made me feel like I should put myself out again to find true love. The negative Crystal in me thought, "You'd end up in disappointment and heartbreak again," but the positive one kept pushing, "Don't give up on Love." The positive Crystal won. I swiped right and was matched with a few people. I decided to meet one. I never believed in a long-distance relationship, but thanks to this person, I started accepting the idea of dating from thousands of miles away. The world is small, and I never stay in one place for so long anyway. Unfortunately, the relationship didn't last, so I moved on with my life. I'm at the stage where I no longer have the time and energy to fight for someone to be in my life. I have other important things to prioritize, like my health, finances, and career. 

Last year, thanks to my boss, I was promoted to a Senior role in my career. As a result, I took more responsibilities at work, got to work with new colleagues from different regions, and picked up new skills and knowledge every day. More importantly, I had a wonderful opportunity to work from our Europe office. Before the Europe trip, I received all my certificates from Harvard Business School online for all the courses I took in 2021. It was quite a proud moment holding these certificates in my hands. 

Back to the Europe trip, it was the most last-minute business travel I've ever had, but thankfully, everything just worked out. I received my visa on April 18th, booked the flight on April 19th, confirmed the hotel on April 20th, packed my suitcases on April 21st, and by April 24th,  I arrived in Barcelona. If this isn't called "unexpected last-minute travel", I don't know what is. The first week working in Barcelona was busy and productive. It was also my first time meeting my new team members, and I enjoyed chatting with everyone. 

After the work week in Barcelona, I spent another week seeing more of Spain as a tourist. My long-time friend, Gregory, who is based in London, helped me book a train ticket to Madrid and a hotel room when I returned to Barcelona. I hadn't seen Greg since my trip to London in 2018, so it'd be lovely to meet him in Barcelona if he could make it. And to my surprise, he booked his flight ticket to Barcelona on the day I told him I received a visa without a doubt. 

This trip to London was more memorable as I got to experience snow for the first time. I remember I literally jumped when I first touched the snow in my hands, and Greg was holding me tightly so I wouldn't slip and fall. They said the first snow was like the first love, and luckily, I got to experience it with my love. It felt magical. 

After London, we took a train to Bruges- a picturesque city in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, where Greg was born. He wanted to officially introduce me to his family and his best friends on his 40th birthday. I had never met anyone from his family despite knowing him for 13 years. I only knew 2 of his best friends, whom I first met in Barcelona in April. Though I didn't know what to expect, I had no pressure at all. As usual, "I'll just be my fabulous self,"- I thought. Very coincidentally, my best friend Marissa needed to go out of the US during that time, and Amsterdam was where she decided to land. Since she had a free and easy itinerary, I invited her to join us in Bruges. She met us at the Brussels train station and joined us on the next train to Bruges. Perfect timing! 

We all had wonderful 4 days at Knokke Heist. Greg's mom cooked delicious meals every day. She prepared everything so perfectly, from breakfast and lunch to dinner. One day, we went shopping at the Market Square, walked along the Bruges canal, took the horse-drawn carriage tour, and ate delicious lunch at a local restaurant. 

After Greg's 40th birthday celebration, we went back to London for work and returned to Bruges again the week after to celebrate Christmas with Greg's family. It was my first Christmas celebration in Europe, and it was the best. Greg took me to the Christmas market, introduced me to local wine, and took me to Bruges's most famous chocolate shop. 

When we came home, his mom was already done preparing food and drink for dinner. We exchanged gifts, hugged, and laughed. I felt completely at home and enjoyed every minute of it. Everyone was so warm, caring, and loving, just like my family. 

Time went by so quickly! I wish I could stay longer, but we had to leave for London for work. I started writing this post on New Year's Eve, sitting alone in Greg's apartment while he went to work. Outside, the firework brightened up the dark sky. I remembered clearly how happy I felt watching the firework, holding a glass of wine while giving my boyfriend a midnight kiss through video call. It's an overwhelming feeling of happiness, contentment, and gratefulness. How did I get here?

2022 felt like a high-speed train ride that took me from one place to another in a split second. Saturday morning, I had breakfast in Qatar. On Sunday night, I had dinner in Singapore, and Monday evening, I had a networking drink with customers in Thailand. I was exhausted, but the adrenaline kept me going. I went to Barcelona for work and returned to Singapore with a long-distance relationship. Then, the meeting with the families, the plans, and talks about the future. Everything happened so fast, and yet it felt right. 

At the time of writing this post, I thought 2022 was the best year that I had. 

Now, it's 2023. Here I am, back in London again after my trips to Tokyo, Bali, Bruges, and Paris in the last 3 months, wrapping this blog post on the last day of the first quarter of 2023 while Greg is making me some hot tea. So many things happened in the last 3 months, and I cannot wait to reveal what I'm working on. 

Stay tuned! The best is yet to come...