Dust, Dreams, and the Road to Myself

12 October 2025

Travel has always been my dream — something that felt stitched into my DNA since childhood.

In school, we used to write down our three ambitions every year. Mine were always : teacher, writer,… and maybe nurse. Those were the only careers we knew then. But as life unfolded, I discovered my real dream wasn’t about titles or labels.

It was about freedom. Exploration. The open road.

I’ve always known that the ability to travel is a privilege, one I hold with gratitude. Not everyone gets to own a passport or cross borders at will. Each time I set off, whether on a bus, train, or plane, I remind myself how lucky I am.

And no, I don’t travel for luxury (I can’t afford that kind of luxury anyway, haha).

I travel to feel — to sense the rhythm of different cultures, to learn from strangers, and to see the world through other people’s eyes.

One of my first solo adventures was a three-day journey from Kuala Lumpur to Koh Samui : a blur of buses, trains, vans, and boats. Then there was the desert walking safari in the Thar in Rajasthan, two nights under a sky full of stars with three camels, two Indian guides, and one seriously sunburned nose. And that unforgettable 30-hour train ride from South India to Calcutta — dust everywhere, sweat pouring, but my heart wide open. And later, three years of road travel through the remote mountains of Yunnan, China — over 30,000 kilometres of pure wonder.

To many, my life looked “off track.”

While my peers were building careers, buying homes, or raising families, I was out there collecting stories, lessons, and perspectives.
I used to feel like the odd one out — until I realised that different doesn’t mean lost.

My happiness doesn’t come from ticking society’s boxes. It comes from living fully — from crafting a life that feels deeply, authentically mine.

That’s what I now help others do through coaching.

I work with people who are navigating transitions — returning home after years abroad, changing careers, or simply feeling stuck between what they should do and what they want to do. We uncover clarity, courage, and direction — the kind that lets you step into the unknown without apology.

Because as I’ve learned, the pursuit of happiness isn’t a straight line. It’s personal. Messy. Unpredictable.

But if you follow it fearlessly — 追求幸福时无所畏惧  (be fearless in pursuit of happiness) — it will take you exactly where you’re meant to be.

After all, life’s too short to live someone else’s version of your story.