Dear blog, happy 20th birthday.

If you are my offspring, you are officially an adult now. Wait… didn’t I say that 2 years ago already? Can one become an adult twice? I guess… Maybe when you get a Japan residency? Yes you have moved to .jp now so your coming of age is officially twenty. *Cue a dazzling Furisode background takeover.*

(Does anyone here even know what a background takeover is? Oh… right, the last time this blog experienced one, flip phones were still cool. Sorry about that.) read more

Ironically, the last blog post was titled “The Movie” but it wasn’t about a movie at all.

This is.

I should be better at titling. Or entitling. I’m pretty sure that’s not how “entitle” works but I am entitled to title titles however I like. Now the word looks funny to me.

(Then again, if one is entitled, they are literally being titled. What would their title be?)

(Also, I suspect this is the reason why nobody reads this blog anymore. Because I am bad at writing titles. And writing. Maybe.) read more

Done with relieving a heavy load off my chest after some vomiting literally into my private diary… wait. Wait wait wait.

That’s not how the word “literal” works, is it? That would mean that now the papers of my secret notebook are soaked wet with an encrypted pool of sick on it. No. That’s gross.

I think the word I am looking for is literary. Sorry, literarily. More like. Don’t laugh at me, you know, because after living this long in Japan, I bet you wouldn’t know how R and L work anymore, either. Also, Engrish is hard. read more

If you follow me on IG, you may have realized that I am updating less these days.

That is because I started writing for myself again.

Left: 2023 Right: 1993

Recently I received a few private messages on social media asking me if I ever detail my journey of finding spirituality. I did start writing a little back in 2021, but I think I am ready to share some glimpses of walking the curious path of self exploration. This is one.

… is maybe the title of my next book, if there’s ever another one.

Now that we have entered 2021, I have been creating content for 17 years now. I repeat this every single year, but I still don’t know how anyone manages to keep up with social media, with all that is happening.

Sourcing content and maintaining Instagram alone has kept me busy enough, for I will have to visit new destinations, take non-shitty photos so that it could be edited to a decent level, churn out captions, and at the same time be impromptu to allow a curious peek of a tiny part of my private life on Story and mix things up a little with Reels to kiss Zuck’s ass so he doesn’t kill my engagement and also force myself to conquer my fear of public speaking by going Live once in a while… Also, does anyone even use this new Guide feature? read more

Ok so the conclusion of this post first: I’m recruiting team members for Cheeserland.jp!

Now allow me to digress.

Seeing how social media is dominating the world, I sometimes wonder if it’s still worth keeping a blog. I mean, does anyone still read an article longer than a tweet these days?!

I started out as a blogger. 2020 marks my 16th year of blogging.

It shocked me how putting utmost emphasis on creating the kind of photos that will garner maximum engagement for Instagram has killed my ability to write. I will be honest: I have made the decision to close the comment section of this blog for good simply because I wasn’t getting any of them. Even if I do, there wasn’t something substantial worth keeping it alive. Just look at how the random emojis and “great shots!!!” and “beautiful pic!!!” amidst old money collectors’ pleads quickly filling up below an IG photo seeking the same favor in a faint hope to trick the system into thinking that you are more worthy of notice than the latest shitty algorithm decides you are. read more

When I was asked to envision “Wawasan 2020” in my primary school years, I conjured up an image of Malaysia being a kickass city full of flying vehicles and robotic friends. And that I would be so old I didn’t even want to think about it.

That impending year has frightfully come, for the 10-year-old me. But not so scary after all, for this 2019 me.

Dear Blog,

Today you turn 15 years old. Happy 15th birthday.

You know what? Nevermind.

The kids are fine. They are happy. Tearing down the house as usual. Building spaceship stations and airports with sofa cushions and Champon in our bedroom. Stealing all the CNY snacks without asking me. Switching on Anpanman to watch by themselves (they know the remote control better than me now, Junya even taught me how to fastforward the programs). They also have not been sick (touch wood) since the change of new school for Junya.

They are happy and fine.

So, this month, this monthlyversary blog post, is about ME. read more

Hi. It’s me. I’m still here.

Today this blog turns 14 years old. When I was 14, I had my period for the first time (I was SO relieved because I was the last girl in the class to get her period, I seriously thought I had some weird, inexplicable illness), and I also had a major crush on a boy for the first time.

When I wrote the last blog post of 2017, I did ponder a lot about what my 2018 new year resolutions would be. It turned out that most of them are the same as the previous years – that I want to cook better, maintain a healthier lifestyle, travel Japan more… etc. Mostly family-related. Basically I want to be a better mom and wife and myself!!

And then I thought, what about work? What about this blog? Does it still matter in my life? Yes I want to make effort to keep it alive, but what’s the future? … bleak. So bleak I want to offer it a blanket, some pizza and a hug. read more

Ok so the last post I published was 11 Dec 2016, I think I broke my own record again for being absent here.

We just returned to KL a few days ago from our 2-week stay in Japan, flew to Bangkok straight away for a day trip, came back to KL midnight and drove all the way back the next morning back to Singapore. So… please grant me a small break haha.

Anyway I thought about chilling my last day of 2017 away, but then I went to read my year end blog post on 2016, and I thought, damn, I can’t lose to the me in 2016, because I AM ONLY ALWAYS BETTER. Staying in Singapore really makes me more kiasu now hahaha. read more