Sometimes chilling out is about close friends (or in this case 家人们) who drinks as much as I do (or more). In the recent Dec trip, I’ve lost count of the number of bottles and brands of beer and cocktails that has gone into my body, only that almost every night there are drinks (whether over lunch or over dinner or after dinner), except the one night in 吉林 when we were dining in my room that it was alcohol free. 

This photo are of 2 of the closest people to me who drinks (more than me 😂), missing only Veron who wasn’t on the trip with us. And in the glasses was a beer so diluted (and bad) that I couldn’t resist trying coz the other tables were having it (cheap and low alcohol percent). Thank god for the 2 of them, so we finished 12 bottles within the 3 of us, on top of the previous round of 12 bottles of another (better) beer 🤭 

I drink, but I am super selective about who I drink with. Company matters. For people to drink and go crazy with, definitely the ‘family’ (that we’re meeting after I come back from India 🤭).

Jan has been a slow start at work, but just today, I realized I’m still not out of the rut yet. Been drinking over the past 2 weekends with the bro and mum, and also having whisky at home alone. Looking forward to catching up with Jas this week, and dives at Hantu on the weekend! ❤️

 

Personal growth, healing, and purpose. 

It was a tough 2025, where I decided it’s time to heal from past traumas and to keep myself grounded. I also lost my purpose towards the second half of the year, and it was a rough patch that I barely got myself out of. 

2025 brought the most emotions with it, emotions that I could finally name and talk about. And it brought me people who were unexpected - people who checked in, people who cared, people who mattered. 

In every season that I experienced this year - spring in Chongqing and Chengdu, summer in Liuzhou and Nanning, autumn in Incheon and Seoul, winter in Northeastern China, different reflections surfaced.

Dec 2025 was spent in a lot of meaningful gatherings, and also 12 days in 哈尔滨 - 亚布力 - 雪乡 - 牡丹江 - 长白山 - 吉林 - 哈尔滨. It was a crazy trip coz I was indulged in everything and everything 🤭 Travelling with my 家人们 and going crazy every night after sunset drinking, sleeping for 5h or less daily, and surviving the cold of -29C. 

As I continue my journey of healing and self-discovery into 2026, I’m grateful for the people who were there even when I didn’t know I needed them, for the metime spent in nature, and for the opportunities I took for new experiences. 

2026 may call for drastic actions and bolder boundaries, but it’s a year I wanna come out of stronger. 

Live, intentionally.