2014: Getting To Know Ourselves

"Embrace and make peace with where you are, and your journey toward something new will feel much more peaceful, rewarding, and satisfying."

It can be very hard to know ourselves; it’s easy to be distracted by the way we wish we were, or think we ought to be, or what others think we should be, until we lose sight of what is actually true. Since my trip to Vikasa last November, I've been inspired to meditate more in order to create self-awareness and reflect deeper on my thoughts.

Instead of coming up with a whole list of new year resolutions, this year I came up with a lifetime resolution. I'm focusing more attention on my mind and soul while taking care and nourishing my body for good health. I'd like to be more in touch with my deeper thoughts, emotions and relationships with others.

Why is this suddenly important to me?

For most of us life is a series of practiced steps. Daily, weekly, monthly routines…routines piggyback routines as months turn into years and our lives race by. Have you ever stopped asked yourself why?

Why do I follow these routines? What do they do for me? Are they moving me towards my higher goals? Are they moving me towards my life’s purpose? Are they helping me become the person I want to be?

To answer these questions and to re-evaluate our assumed routines, we need to increase our self-awareness. Being self-aware can help us re-prioritise our lives so that we live in accordance with what really matters to us; so that every day we are moving ourselves closer to the place and the person we want to be.

Self-awareness is more than just knowing our strengths and weaknesses. Becoming self-aware means acknowledging that there are things we do that keep us from living the life we want. That is why increasing self-aware is difficult; it means asking hard questions; it means facing ourselves fully; it means recognizing and admitting our limitations.

When we fully know and understand ourselves; when we can look at our vulnerabilities and not cringe, we will be able to make changes. We will be able to stop repeating the same mistakes. We will be able to consciously adopt new routines that do move us towards the person and the place we want to be.

Join me on this new journey of self-discovery. Let's get to know ourselves and open up to those who provide inspiration in our lives. Be happy. Appreciate this moment. Resist nothing. Love yourself and others. Be grateful for small blessings.

Make happiness your number one priority.

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So there. That's what my mind has been occupied with in the last two months since I updated this blog. I hope it gives you something to think about... Speaking of updates, let's pick it up from where we left off - from around November 2013 until now. Prepare for a long post!

Here's what you missed:

Embrace change.

When friends saw my new haircut they asked "Why did you cut your hair?"

I asked myself why having long hair had been so important to me and I'll be honest, I realized it had something to do with some deep insecurities… 1) I’d play with my hair when I felt nervous and 2) most men tend to think women look more beautiful with long hair.

So fucking what.

Let's set this straight: It’s not about your hair, it’s not about looking good with make-up on. I wanted to feel confident the way I am and I wanted to try something new for myself. So I turned to my stylist Glenn, from Essensuals Bugis, and told him I want to brave a new haircut. I fell in love with it immediately. I wouldn't have known I'd like something different for myself had I not stepped outside the comfort zone.

Charles grew a mo' for Movember, changing his look entirely as the weeks passed. I didn't realize how different he looked until the end of the month when he finally shaved it off! I'm happy with my mo'less Charles.

Straight razor = TRUST

December was Charlie's birthday and we celebrated with an intimate dinner with some close friends at Don Quijote.

Celebrating another year wiser with the love of my life.

On his birthday weekend, we checked out the treetop walk at Macritchie with our good friend, Mark. If you haven't been here before, it's definitely worth checking out! The view is amazing. It just feels good to be surrounded by nature.

Keeping our weekends together active, adventurous and breathtaking.

We spent Christmas in Hong Kong with Charlie's family and enjoyed more outdoorsy stuff...

Hiking in Sai Kung West Country Park with Charlie's dad, his two little brothers and pet dogs - Sunny and Blackie.

Good dogs, Sunny and Blackie. They made us wish we had our own dogs.

The dogs seem to know their "good side" lol

Taking a break while enjoying the beautiful view from the top.

Just being us.

After a big feast on Christmas Day, we spent the day out at Ocean Park.

With Rachelle, James and Sam.

Flash ride!

It's fun to be a little kid again. It's fun to be with kids <3

mi adidas travel essentials

After a week in Hong Kong spending quality time with the family, we headed back to Singapore to re-pack our bags for a holiday in Bali. Looks like Denpasar airport just got upgraded to meet the high demand of tourists coming into town during peak season.

I've never seen Denpasar airport this crowded before...

We stayed in Ubud for the first time to avoid the crowded areas like Kuta and Seminyak during the holiday season.

A small river just a few steps down from our villa in Ubud.

Cycling in Ubud was a bit of an adventure for me since I hadn't cycled in years! My legs were aching the next day but it was a fun little adventure and I'm happy we got to see the more peaceful and green countryside of Bali.

In our natural element.

You'll see a plenty of duck farms in Ubud.

We had a lovely dinner at Il Giardino on New Years Eve, definitely check out this restaurant if you're craving Italian food in Bali! Romantic atmosphere, great service and really, really good Italian food. Weather was not on our side though, as it poured the whole night. We decided to skip Kuta after dinner since we figured traffic might be bad on the way there especially with the rain... and it was, even those in Kuta had trouble getting around as roads were blocked for NYE).

A bottle of wine was all we needed to top the night.

The next morning, we checked out and took a flight on Merpati airlines to Lombok. The flight was delayed for a while, most likely due to the bad weather, but I heard this happens a lot with Merpati. Despite the challenges, it was our first time in Lombok and definitely not the last.

Arcing away from the northwest corner of Lombok, are 3 idyllic atolls, where the sand is still powdery white, the water a clear sparkling turquoise, and the sunsets over Bali’s volcano Mt. Agung in the west simply spectacular. Described as pearls in the ocean and located just north of Lombok, the Gili Islands, which comprises the three islands of Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan, are fringed with white sands and lush palm trees.

We ventured to Gili Air, after we finally managed to charter a private boat to take us there. I feared we wouldn't get to go at first because of the bad weather but luckily... the sun came up for a while!

Boats to the Gili Islands.

Searching the sun.

Gili Air is less touristy and busy than Meno and Trawangan. Gili Air is the second smallest of the islands and the closest to mainland Lombok, making it popular with honeymoon couples and travellers seeking a quiet retreat. No cars at all, just bikes and donkeys.

Horse-drawn carts (more like donkey-drawn carts) known as "cidomos" add to the laid-back atmosphere, shuttling tourists to and fro on the narrow dirt roads.

The sun was hidden behind the clouds but the waters were beautiful and clear when we went snorkeling.

I spotted a stripped sea snake! This was taken with the GoPro 2. Charles said he also spotted a puffer fish.

We were lucky that it stopped raining for a few hours that day because as soon as we got back to our villa, it started raining cats and dogs... all night.

We checked out the next day and drove to Kuta (Lombok) for lunch at restaurant in Novotel. I'd love to stay there next time, the hotel villas looked amazing... the best part is, the beach was only a few steps away.

Novotel. Kuta, Lombok.

Drinks by Breeze.

Bali's little sister island Lombok has all the innocence of untouched beauty, with a little more shine and a whole lot less traffic than its big sister island.

Check out that lonely tree on Kuta beach (Lombok).

After a lunch, we flew back to Bali on Merpati Air and stayed at a beach house in Padang Padang. The house was exactly 90 steps down the cliff, a bit of an adventure to get to but it was right by the beach. During high tide, usually at night, bigger waves would crash onto our decks.

View from the deck.

Probably the closest you can get to the ocean without getting wet. In a place you can call a home.

Who needs TV when you have a view of the ocean?

Surfers in Padang Padang.

This crab got washed in when some bigger waves crashed onto our decks during high tide at night...

So did this sea snake!

<3

It was straight back to work after that longholiday. Getting back into my usual training was a struggle at first but seeing people workout at UFIT, even the trainers, gave me the motivation I needed. I met the winners of #fitwithfay #mygirls contest and gave them their free yoga mat plus 1-hour trial personal training at UFIT.

Hope you all enjoyed the PT session and make use of that pink adidas yoga mat daily!

When Stuff magazine Singapore asked if I wanted to shoot for their cover and write a review about the adidas miCoach Smart Run, I was more than happy to, especially being I'm a huge gadget nerd myself. Gotta love Stuff, it's a great magazine to refer to if you're curious about the latest tech toys in town, it might even give you some gift ideas for that special someone.

In this March issue, they're featuring some futuristic wearable tech.

Don't miss the March issue of Stuff Magazine Singapore Edition! In fact, grab a few copies in case your friends try to jack it :D

I visited KL for a cover shoot for Health & Beauty magazine and stayed for the weekend to hangout with old friends. How I've missed you guys!

Screenshots from the Health & Beauty magazine cover in Kuala Lumpur.

Charlie and I spent the following weekend in Bangkok for a friend's wedding ( #JahKnightWedding ). I was pleasantly surprised to bump into #mygirls Thailand, Si Phitsinee there!

Bumped into sporty sister, Si Phitsinee, at a friend's wedding in Bangkok. #mygirls !

Alright that's all I have for now. Next, I'll share a bit about the adidas miCoach Smart Run, healthyMEtv, Boombot Rex speakers and my favorite green juice recipes. Stay tuned!