BigGirlMoves: Two Years of Independence

 
30 NOV 2016. Exactly two years since I moved to Kuala Lumpur and started a new phase in my career and life overall. I often make fun of it calling little things #BigGirlMoves. From paying all the bills, washing my own clothes (call me a princess but I've never washed my clothes for 29 years), cooking all my meals or starve to death, to changing light bulbs.
 
My key takeaways?
 
1. There's no victory too small to celebrate. So feel free dance when you assemble that IKEA furniture perfectly, or cooked your first decent meal. How about learning how to fold fitted bed sheets properly after simply hurling it in the closet for years?
 
2. You'll find a reason to be grateful every damn day if you only know where to look. Oprah's 'What I Know for Sure' suggests that you list three things you are grateful for every day and I've been doing that for a while now - sometimes literally, often just in my mind. I take time in the mornings upon waking up to look out my window and just say thank you for three (most of days more) things. It can be for a bright day because I don't like the rain, a comfy bed sheet, a loved one's good morning message, a migraine-free day, an exciting pitch presentation, or completing an 8-hour sleep. Nothing is too big or too small to a grateful heart.
 
3. Change is the only constant thing. It can be good or bad, depends on perspective, but what's for sure is that it will lead you to the next stage of your journey. People are often scared by change, and I used to be until I stopped looking at it like a death sentence. Sure, change can mean an end of a beautiful relationship, closing an exciting era at work, or even loved ones going away. But change can also mean opening loads of opportunities that otherwise you won't get by maintaining status quo. New people, relationships, experiences, places, challenges - these and more can happen after going through major changes in life. Have faith that the Higher Being has a master plan for each of us and that it is nothing but great. So just keep on moving!
 
I often get asked how moving overseas has treated me. Well, it wasn't all easy nor fun. I've made mistakes. I've missed a lot of important moments and people back home. I've repeatedly doubted my decision to live solo. I've been sick, lonely and stressed to the brink. But at the end of the day, when all the emotions (maybe hormones too) subside, I'm convinced that I am where I am for a reason, and that it's all worth it. I lost some, I gained some. I feel like I've grown 10 years in 24 months and I'm not exaggerating a bit. I'm a different person. Wiser, kinder, more grounded. Appreciative of various people and cultures. Stronger and more stern of my personal beliefs. More sure of what I want in life.
 
So to answer directly, it was one hell of a scary ride, but it's an exciting and liberating one! So cheers to a city that's been good to me, to clingy homies who became more like sisters, to an amazing team at work, to new friends and to old friends and family who always support me and welcome me back like I never left.

It may sound cliché but I'm one blessed girl, and I wouldn't deny that.

YOLO photo from my recent trip | El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

 

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