Chatty Lass

I am writing this piece inside a lovely cafe in Zurich; tucked away from the biting cold, while my eyes rivet to the foggy lake every so often. It is the most wonderful place to write from and it seemed right to reflect on all the year has been.

2018 has been a year of embracing the new (job promotion in a different industry) and strengthening the old (ideas are still king, only the methods to demonstrate them have enlarged). A year of growing fresh and going deeper.

Naturally, the wildly amazing 2018 came with a few lessons and here are the invaluable ones:

Make change your best friend.

Show up. And, be durable.

Your story will only be as interesting as you.

Write when you have something to say.

It's a bad day, not a bad life.

Learn to tune out the noise.

Be thankful, always.

One of the five tangible goals I had set for myself in 2018 was to make time for people who matter. The metric included going home once every 1-2 months to see my family (work-in-progress), scheduling regular dinners with my peers (acing this), and visiting friends in neighbouring countries (zilch).

The last item on my list was something I had not done all year and that, very obviously, needed remedying.

So, this past weekend, I flew down to Singapore to be with two of my bestest friends and it was just what the doctor ordered for my (slightly) exhausted soul. In a span of less than 72 hours, I was loved on so well. I left feeling inspired and challenged, to be and do more.

Which, interestingly, led to the creation of Travel Thoughts, a spin-off from my Travel Logs.

If I have learned anything since moving to the city three years ago, it is this - who you choose to journey with will impact your life more than you can ever imagine. Choose well. Pick wisely. Practice intentionality (the ultimate secret to what makes a friendship or relationship flourish).

Here’s why:

• Be with like-hearted people who inspire you to be the best you can be.

They are the ones who believe in you long before you believed in yourself. They are also the ones who will have faith in you when no one else does.

• Edge closer (and hold on forever) to true friends who will call you out on your nonsense.

They are pretty hard to come by, but when one comes along, never let him / her go. They are the ones who dare to put your friendship to the test because they care about you too much to leave you the way you are.

• Find mates who will be in your corner when you get knocked down.

They are the ones who will be there when you are down and out because they know how much it hurts and how tired you are, but will rally and get you to stand up to throw one last punch. Because, finishing well matters.

• Ride out the waves with comrades who will be with you in the boat.

They are the ones who watch your back, support you, believe in you, cheer you on, and give you the courage to do the impossible. Someday, when you are walking on water, you won’t have to look back; you will instinctively know they are right there with you.

He knows how much I love stories and graciously endows me with an affinity for words to craft them, which I first treated as a hobby. I never expected it to be anything more. As it turns out, my pastime blossomed to become my profession, my passion, and in recent days, my calling. I pursue it relentlessly; sometimes failing, but ever forward.

Beyond sharing the stories of others (which, in itself, already evokes so much joy), He then gives me my own. Every work promotion came with a God-weaved story, each more wonderful than before. This most recent, straight-out-of-heaven one is a dear favourite.

Here I am, catching a breather and incredibly excited for the next chapter to unfold. He writes the most beautiful stories, and I know, without a shred of doubt, He is writing mine.

SEAFOOD PAD THAI (Front) This noodle dish was decent. Perhaps we were nitpicking, but we thought it lacked the well-loved Thai flavour nuances - a blend of savoury, sweet, and sour in every forkful. COCONUT BUTTER CHICKEN (Back) The chicken cubes were tender and crispy, coated with a creamy sauce spiked with a tinge of heat from the abundance of capsicums and onions.

VIETNAMESE GRILLED SUGARCANE PRAWNS (Front)  |  BALINESE FISH SATAY (Back) The 'meats' were well-seasoned and flavourful with delightful accompanying dips. Shame that they weren't grilled on the spot and served piping hot.

TAB THIM KROB We ended the night on a sweet note, and this hits the spot for the both of us.

Dear 19-Year-Old Me,

ON SELF-IMAGE

ON CAREER

ON LOVE

ON DREAMS

Our hopes for an out-of-the-country vacation were abased to a staycation in the city due to conflicting work schedules. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we had the loveliest weekend at The Majestic Hotel, KL as an early birthday celebration (for me).

Our gorgeous living area in the Colonial Suite. I adored the room's classic decor, complemented with modern furnishings.

Endless supply of food in the snack drawer and mini bar (not pictured), which were refilled daily or upon request.

Our sumptuous suite with incredibly plush pillows, bolsters, and nightly turndown service. Perfect for dreamy nights (and days).

My favourite part of our staycation - the claw foot bathtub, where I spent most of my time reading and drowning any remnants of stress away.

Food galore at breakfast. Eggs in every way imaginable (a cheese omelette for me, while my companion prefers eggs over easy), slices of cured salmon, pressed juice, and smoothie cups.

Private pool overlooking the city at the Majestic Wing.

Our suite came with access to the Majestic Club Lounge, which we loved.

Afternoon tea.

Evening drinks. The Scotch eggs were excellent.

Streams of natural sunlight pouring into the Colonial Cafe.

Private entrance to and from the Majestic Wing.

I highly foresee a return in the near future, particularly for the impossibly plush bed and delightful claw foot bathtub, which we (rather obviously) took full advantage of.

That night, in the shower, I recalled of a book I read in passing as a first-year university student. In her book Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich outlines the stories of women who made an indelible mark in history. She presents us with a cross section of women who not only used history to argue against the limited definition of womanhood, but who also broached the subject of equality and breached its divide.

Thoughts bobbed like gaudy horses on a brightly-lit carousel - what does well-behaved truly mean, who decides its definition, how do we break that polarising mould - so much so that the deluge of unanswered questions began to cloud my vision.

And then, all of a sudden, the music stopped and the (not-so) merry-go-round drew to a grinding halt. The blurry haze of fairy lights rolled away and there it was, that eureka moment in all of its brilliance - It’s all right to not fit in. 

Just let that sink in for a moment. Take a deep breath and say those words out loud. Give it access into the deep recesses of accumulated hurt, pain, and rejection you’ve carefully stowed away.

For most of my life, I have struggled. With being demure, poised, and composed. With repressing my feelings. With swallowing my opinions. With keeping silent. With labels slapped onto my boisterous personality. In essence, I have battled against society’s confining definition of fitting in and being well-behaved (women should be seen and not heard comes to mind).

So, I decided - I don’t fit in, and that’s absolutely, most definitely all right.

I find it fitting (pun totally intended) to reprise a little something I wrote almost five years ago on this day, but with a little edit:






To every woman, from this day forth,

Don’t fit in. Instead...

Entrance to the trattoria-style restaurant.

The beautifully rustic interior, with the delightful scent of freshly baked bread wafting in the air.

RISOTTO FRUTTI DI MARE Seafood risotto with a sharp swirl of lemon oil. LINGUINE AGLI E OLI CON GAMBERI Linguine aglio olio with prawns, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. VILLA MARIA’S MERLOT-CABERNET A full-bodied red with supple tannins and a mouthwatering smooth finish.

Gorgeous pavilion inside Sheraton Imperial.