"What do you wish to be when you grow up?". "To be kind." said the boy.
"Here is a secret. It is the time spent on your rose that makes her special to you. And it is only with the heart that one sees clearly. " said the fox, in The Little Prince.
Assumption can be a dangerous thing. I would think that most people are like beautiful boxes only if you take time to get to know them slowly to understand their life stories personally from their struggles, hope and dreams in this thing called life.
The beauty you see in the world is also in a way a reflection of you.
To everyone I know (be it offline or online), I hope there are days your - ordinary coffee taste so good in the morning, the sun shines on you lovingly and everything else is filled with hope and positivity for you.
A gentle reminder and a quote from Chunking Express: "Somehow everything comes with an expiry date." so do try to live in the now.
If there is one thing I would like to ask or seek - it is to have wisdom.
A high leveled and valued person does not seek revenge or feel sorry for themselves. He or she seeks to be better so that they and the people around them are better.
A realisation: when I was a kid, I was often timid and quiet and realised most people/most adults are awful people unaware of their horror and egos. I can never hug someone without feeling disgusted until my late grandma changed all these - she was always patience, full of love and kind and I thank her for that. I hope somehow somewhere she gets my message.
Today is International Women’s Day. Thank you to all of the women in our lives (myself included - daughters, sisters, cousins and friends as well as aunts and mothers) for making our world better once again.
Some small goals:
Have some sunlight outdoor. Don't take things too seriously. Ignore the phone just before we sleep. Ignore rubbish and learn to laugh more. Trusted/supportive circle of loved ones.
Do not know a soul through another’s whispers and let borrowed words paint another’s heart.
On who had a natural accent: I think - it must be our late Mr. Lee Kwan Yew. It was both authentic and global. Crisp, first influenced by the British, then rooted in elite schools - Raffles, Cambridge and Harvard. The way he answered questions from international reporters were with filled with only razor sharp answers, clarity and politically unexpected and honest at times. He even redefined English, with vowels sounding like Nation “neh-suh” with full authority and no apologies.
From Third World to First - and still building our best years yet. Happy Birthday, Singapore and forever onward. Majulah Singapura! (Onward Singapore!) “Majulah Singapura” is not just words in our anthem — it is our heart beat in a national building process.
A reminder to self: The finger we point in judgment is sometimes a mirror reflecting our very own flaws. Sometimes we cannot see our own faults we see in others. It is worth asking ourselves if the faults we see in others are the things we need to address within.
Back in my convent school days, we had a buddy system. The school would pair me with a classmate, and we would interact with older schoolmates. We helped and encouraged each other, and even worked together to solve problems like bullying. I found this system very edifying, as it taught us to lift everyone up and not down. However, due to relocation, I have unfortunately lost touch with those wonderful childhood friends. #MarymountConvent
A woman’s decision to have children is entirely her own. If she chooses not to, that choice is valid. If she is unable to, there is no reason for shame. If she decides to, that is her choice. Societal pressure should not make anyone feel odd. Besides, there are children who lack parental care due to tragedies, abandonment, or unstable homes. Therefore, whether one decides to become a parent, or to help other children as a mentor or “part-time mum,” is a very personal choice.
Little peaceful doves, so gentle and graceful. Perhaps you are one of God’s favourite’s creations. Just watching you each day brings the quiet blessing and contentment to me.
On why I was a mentor during my teenage days: mentoring have its distinct from tuition. It is about trust: you are someone a child can confide in issues where they feel helpless. Some children come from challenging homes where they have no control. In some cases, the help of social workers is required. Thus, this cause is important. I still remember, I had classmates from broken homes who turned to self-harm or worse. This is a painful reality, and this is why mentoring offers support.
However, these days I do not have time to mentor like my younger days but I try to give where I can. Every bits shows them you care.
Yesterday was a quiet Sunday, and I ponder to myself: it is both the light and darkness that comes from within us that we each gives meaning to the other. We cannot recognize the beauty without knowing its ugliness or the goodness without its shadows. Our very own human emotions and thoughts can be very complicated and that is why some of us find others to guide us toward self understanding.
Reminder to self: My late father felt that, 'for a girl,' I was opinionated and should be quiet. He even shared that in traditional Chinese aesthetics where women with small mouths are portrayed as more attractive, symbolizing grace. While I understand his perspective was shaped by his time and culture, I have also come to realize that the most assured voices are not always the most informed. Often, it is the quiet and thoughtful individuals who possess deeper understanding and humility.
Socrates idea has been adapted into many modern sayings and mindfulness practice: The most common and simplified version is: “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?" This is the core idea and wonderful principle for mindful and compassionate communication. The typical filter is: “Truth. Goodness. Kindness. Usefulness. Necessity.” Therefore, I bite my lips at times intentionally and to understand the psychological aspect behind words.
It is very puzzling to me that some view affiliate programs with skepticism or disdain. When we examine marketing objectively, the principle is already widely accepted: businesses regularly pay for leads through advertising, sponsorships, or promoted content. Or consider the more traditional business networking groups. Members meet weekly with the explicit purpose of referring clients to one another and offering mutual encouragement. This is seen as smart business development or marketing, too. Likewise, we see many influencers or even public figures, or if you have used a company’s services for years and trust them and thus recommending them to others is a genuine gesture. An affiliate simply formalizes the act of offering a small acknowledgment for a recommendation because it is authentic. This stands in contrast to an aggressive sales mentality. Affiliate marketing, is not about predation; it is about partnership and sharing value: a modern trusted word-of-mouth referral.
My life feels a little complete today: I found sugar-free red bean mooncakes: a treat I love as a child. It is amazing how food can bring back so many memories. It also got me thinking what I often see in Singapore: during the Hungry Ghost Festival, red bean cakes are often placed alongside burnt offerings. This makes me always wondered: do the ghosts love the red bean mooncakes as much as I do? It is one of those quirky traditions that make our culture so rich yet interesting. This made me strangely remember there was one Halloween when my elder sister took me trick-or-treating around the estate. I was very young and pretend to be a ghost: an elderly lady took one look at me and exclaimed affectionately in Cantonese, "Oh, my little fat ghost - for you, I will give you extra treats.”
My late grandfather’s company stamps are more than just artifacts: it symbolise his legacy. He started an entrepreneurial journey from his Teochew hometown to Indonesia as a young man. Both my mum and I sometimes wears batik at home while speaking fluent Cantonese. Because of my tanned skin, I am often mistaken as a Peranakan, or sometimes a Malay. These moments of mistaken identity reflect how Singapore’s culture can be often so beautifully blended and joyfully blurred. Meanwhile, my late father’s thumb drive has been with me for years. I am not even sure if it still works, but it contains his writings, records of his thoughts on companies and his perspectives on global issues. Both he and my grandfather left us too soon - their wisdom and presence were deeply missed, but their memories live on through small but yet tangible pieces of our history with us.
From my brief reading on psychology, I understand there are generally the two main schools of thought: one that encourages moving forward for progress, while the other emphasize looking backwards to understand the past. In my very own humble opinion, generally an effective path is moving forward towards growth despite all of us may still have sort of issues in this path called life.
Like it or not, everyone of us carries some sort of struggle - wherethere we admit to them or are even aware of them. Simply being human means walking a path sometimes with challenges. Long suffering is even regarded as a gift in some traditions, from Biblical teaching to Buddhism and beyond. So choose kindness, for we never truly know what someone has endured or what they face now.
It is often said that those who control the media can control the masses and the public perception. This begs the question: what are you consciously feeding your mind, or are you unknowingly being fed to the machine and the many social media algorithm's agenda.
In Cantonese, I am sometimes called a "crumbled egg biscuit", a fragile thing yet sometimes useful. I suppose I do wish to become better and tougher; perhaps a more refined version, like an egg biscuit from a better-tier restaurant. And I realize that at times, we are all crumbled egg biscuits in our own way. We each have our fragile and odd moments, and that is what makes us human.
I was editing my work earlier while listening to Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science from the University of Pennsylvania. The content is remarkably insightful and filled with wisdom. It is one of the rare lectures that kept me engaged throughout and left me reflecting deeply afterward. I hope it will apply its lesson in my very own life and with those around me, too.
I am also truly grateful that SkillsFuture has funded several of my online courses. It is also encouraging to see that many educational resources; once difficult to access are now available to the public through leading institutions. This spirit of open learning aligns closely with my company’s mission: to share knowledge freely, whether through art grants, helpful resources, or supportive learning.
Someone asked me who I respect. There is a list of them. One of them is the incredibly inspiring story of Malala. I have tremendous respect for her. At just 11 years old, this Pakistani activist began advocating for female education, ultimately becoming the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history. Her story is one of remarkable courage and resilience. She is a powerful advocate for girls' education and surviving a Taliban assassination attempt for just speaking out.
Despite the attack, she co-founded the Malala Fund to champion girls' education worldwide. On her 16th birthday, she gave a powerful speech at the United Nations, cementing her role as a global symbol of peaceful protest for education. The Malala Fund, which she established with her father, is dedicated to ensuring every girl can complete 12 years of quality education. Malala's courage shows that a person's voice can inspire global change. She is an example of disruptive change-maker for good.
Everyone and flowers blossom in their time and it is this diversity that creates harmony.
We have to look beyond the surface. A so-called "job hopper" might have changed jobs frequently because they suffered a major health scare or even need psychological help. As someone with a short experience as a recruiter, I know that gaps in a resume are generally viewed unfavourably by clients. Judgements are also often made based on trends or the opinions, despite not knowing them in real life or just in a few glance: an individual's seems like they are worthless.
I should note that some of what I am saying comes from personal experience; particularly the sleeping issues I am facing now, the health scares from last year, and sometimes the lingering echoes of growing up pains. These are not abstract concepts to me at all; they are the realities I understand deeply.
I personally know someone — a former classmate who exemplifies true resilience. She worked through holidays for pocket money, carrying the faint smell of grease as a badge of her effort. She paid her own school fees through sheer will, and later balanced full-time night shifts with daytime studies.I am incredibly proud of her.Though she does not see these experiences as achievements and left small gaps in her resume, it is her unconventional strength.
It is also rewarding to know some of my former schoolmates from our very humble neighbourhood school are fulfilling their ambitions. Among them are professionals at JP Morgan, scholars as well as entrepreneurs.
My own perspective was shaped by my own secondary school in Singapore, which was considered a "neighbourhood school." If I had been educated in Hong Kong, I might have attended a Band One school, which was deemed "better." Despite having a former Raffles principal, the school was very challenging to manage. Yet, I am now grateful for that experience because it taught me empathy and reduced my tendency to judge.
In that school, I saw huge contrasts: there were students with chauffeurs and others who drank water for recess as they could not afford it. There were students labelled "academically lousy" who worked at McDonald's for food, for pocket money, studying there afterwards and feeling self-conscious about the smell of grease on them.
So, what makes you deserve to be you, or me deserve to be me? Very often we or the media only portrays only a slice of reality. We must always remember that every person has a story a stereotype can never fully capture.
Today is one of those days: I do not feel very good. I think there are some fortunate ones who would not be able to relate to this at all, which is a very good thing.It is like an unreasonable monster within, one that can surface without any valid cause. So, when this arrives, I count all my blessings. I practice observing my thoughts like clouds passing by in the sky and that these feelings are just like bubbles and a dream.
Besides, perhaps it is only when we put down our ego, only then we will find peace and that we need to know that all external factors and matters will be made irrelevant some day.
The moon shines bright yet it does not know it is the moon. It does not flee from darkness and sit still faithfully among the clouds.
I strive to see people with my heart — not just with my eyes or based on first impressions. The most interesting souls and stories are never found on a superficial surface.
My late father’s mantra for me since young: “Do not be loud. Do not talk too much. Do not complain what you can endure. Do not speak on things you are uncertain of.“
Let’s hope my little rebel self do not take it as — be loud, talk much, complain and speak out instead but choose my words wisely.
Grateful List: I am learning to be more mindful of my thoughts and actions, my stage of mind and more conscious of the ripple effects they may create — whether I intend them or not.I am grateful that I am spending less time online, this consciously choosing to minimize a major source of distraction at times.
Grateful List: The family of little doves that graced my days. Though they have returned to the wild, the memory of that special connection still bring me joy.I look at some work and some of my early work and see immaturity with a cringe that signals growth. I am grateful for this self-awareness; it means there is room to improve.
Grateful List: My growing emotional resilience: I am noticing that certain things which used to trigger me no longer hold the same power.The diverse profile of different people and organization I have encountered online and sometimes offline. They are all inspiring.
I find that misunderstandings often arise from words or numbers themselves, and more so from the unspoken cultural gaps on how we interpret them and especially in Cantonese.
Today I saw a coke bottle stating “Leng Lui” and that reminds me of the time where my friends were visiting Hong Kong for a short holiday. One of them was called “Leng Chai”by an elderly market vendor. He turned to me, looking concerned, and asked, “Is she flirting with me?” I had to burst out laughing as it is a common term from shopkeepers, meaning “handsome” or “pretty”.
Then another friend asked about the term which translates to “dead girl bun” and was horrified that a parent would use such a phrase. I tried to explain it is like a very affectionate scolding and it is an utterly different from Western connotations. Her brain needed a moment to buffer. These cultural gaps were both wide and amusing. #backinhongkong
Grateful List: Less Screen Time: Consciously choosing less screen time has given me more time for life itself. This space allows me to connect more deeply with the world around me instead.
The Sun's: The simple, physical sensation of the sun's warmth on my skin is an immediate source of comfort. It is a gentle reminder that I am alive and connected to the natural world.
Grateful List: Greenery In Singapore: The plants and nature that flourish around offer a quiet beauty. The presence is a daily gift of peace and of the world's gentle, growing things.
Access to Art: The ability to explore beautiful artworks from online libraries feels like having a major art lesson at my fingertips. It is like a privilege that inspires and educates me.
Grateful List:
My Humble Tea:
The very average fruit teas from the supermarket are my daily ritual. This act of brewing a cup helps to calm my spirit and brings a quiet joy to my day.
Small Acts of Kindness:
Witnessing the small, often unnoticed, acts of kindness in the world fills me with a quiet hope. They are gentle reminders that goodness persists.
The Great Midnight Canned Beef Incident:
Last night, I sparked a minor drama over the canned beef. Around 10 p.m., my quest for a snack woke my sleeping mother, who all of sudden launched into a frantic, sleepy tirade: “What canned beef? You eat too much! Go to bed! No beef! No beef! No beef!” I fell silent. The whole thing was made more dramatic by a chorus of car horns from the estate.
I realised that I do not have full control over some things: such as my very own private Instagram account.
I trust and sometimes choose to see the very positive side of things, not because I am just native but it is necessary for my own survival.
I have seen unexpected faces helping others, young children and young adults helping old folks in one room flats and my own neighbour always volunteering for the animal shelter to clean, and to help the stray animals finding a home.
These small every day actions that may go unnoticed makes me feel warm in the mist of the mechanical feeling of life at times.
Yesterday I re-read “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde again. It is still one of the most beautiful and heart breaking read — about compassion, loyal of love and on the world’s blindness within one tale.
After graduation, I entered the workforce in an assistant-level role and progressively took on more responsibility.Despite gradual growth over the years, I still face the feelings of not being good enough at times, and this is particularly in comparison to some of my own peers. This even manifest in the oddly vivid dreams of taking the exams back in the school days.Is this even a common or normal experience?
Ultimately, I hope progress is still an equally important metric as perfection.
I have also had done quite a mix of different jobs between professional roles and during my younger years — from being a cashier at a popular Japanese food chain to working in retail and later at a pet supply store.It was a world away from my internship and in some bigger companies and they were good learning experience.
Whenever I have the chance to drink tea — a rare pleasure for me now, due to its caffeine; my thoughts turn to my late grandfather and his old friends.The connection was not by social media or phone but in face-to-face conversations over tea, speaking of life, work, and family.
Today, the venerable craft of hand-making such teapots is slowly fading. It is my sincere hope that this tradition and the connection it represents, somehow endures.
I am currently using my company experience as a foundation to branch into other areas.
Over the four short years as I run my humble company, I have faced small issues and each one a world away from the predictability of the everyday regular job.
It started with a very unfortunate and naming mistake: only after doing basic the SEO did I realize my original company name sounded wrong and close to an adult entertainment planform.I have then shifted my focus to design and photography but that has brought some of its difficulties after Etsy had suspended my own accounts and held onto my earrings for many weeks earlier which created the significant cashflow pressure.
Due to earnings falling below a sustainable threshold, I placed my company into a semi-dormant state and transitioned to filing my taxes as a self-employed individual.As most of my customers are based in the U.S., rising international shipping costs from China have become another hurdle, making it harder for buyers to afford the added fees.
On top of that, I experienced unauthorized deductions from my business bank account, possibly due to a password leak. Though the bank reimbursed me, I had also filed a police report as a precaution.
Personally I had also faced a personal health scare last year — a persistent stomach issues so severe that my mother and I feared it could be something serious. Thankfully, the medical tests came back clear.Through every twist, I have learned that in business and in life the constant is to adapt.
A feather on the floor always brings back the memories of the dove family, my feathered friends who once always visit me by my air conditioner before they returned to the wild.
Do I personally know most of the brands or personalities I follow online?No. In fact, I have never met them, had a real conversation with them, or even exchanged emails. The only time I post anything is on the occasional write-up on tread.
In my room, a peaceful Buddha sits quietly to my left, and the daily Christian prayer rests to my right. On my desk, the Goddess of Mercy watches over me.It might look like a clash of cultures, but to me, it feels like harmony. It feels peaceful. I believe they all make sense together.
Feeling reflective and I found myself thinking back to 2019. We matched on Tinder and met and did not work out.So much has changed since then from phone numbers, inactive apps, missing profiles and careers and even life paths.However, looking back, I realize I owe you an apology. I tried to contact you but it did not work.I just wanted you to know that I still remember you, and I truly wish you nothing but the best.
Current priorities for me right now — include staying focused on my courses, advancing business development for Beacon Learners, finalizing the webpages, completing all social media profiles as well as organizing excel and phone data entry.
A simple belated birthday and new year wish: hope all is well and wishing everyone a great year ahead.
The lyrics to "Gabriel" by Lamb is something I can hear on repeats even now. The song has a few layers and often thought as something spiritual. It was then written by the vocalist Lou Rhodes about her newborn son, Gabriel with an almost spiritual love for him at the same time.To me or the average person, it would most probably interpret it as something spiritual for mankind knowing our limitations yet yearing to be better perhaps. However, I do not know why it’s MTV interpret it another way.
I am not perfect — I mess up too and I can be inconsistent, but I suppose that is just part of being human.
Sometimes I have limited bandwidth and need to step back from social media. It is nothing personal.
I am trying to spend my time more wisely.Like a distracted child, I realised I have been spending at least one hour or more a day on social media and that time I could be putting toward my online studies, website, and other priorities.