Back in Japan.
Day 915. A quick hello + update on June mailers.
Everything in Singapore moves fast, and I am breathless by the end of my time there.
Something about Singapore takes me right back to the way I once was – it’s strange but when I’m there, nothing is enough. There isn’t enough time, not enough money, and never enough room.
Life is too little and I am always wanting more.
I am not criticising the country. I just can’t quite figure out why the place draws out this version of myself, even when I am determined not to be that person again.
Now that I’m back in Japan, I’m hoping to slow things down.
In my time offline, I’ve been working on a few personal projects – documenting interesting people in Singapore, surrounding myself with the same spirit I search for out here in Japan. I hope I will be able to find the time to put things together and share them soon.
But first, I will rest.
Between all this busy, I somehow managed to print issue 04 of the physical mailers I send out to paid subscribers.
(If you’ve subscribed to my mail, keep an eye out for it within these few days, or in a few weeks if you’re based outside Singapore. )
I knew early on that issue 04 would feature a strong woman. Someone gritty, determined and full of life. Then I met Ibu Kentri, and everything clicked.
Her dreams are large and unapologetic. Being in her company was to be in the presence of gravity. I can’t quite describe it, but I suppose some people have the ability to help your feet find ground. They remind you that your journey may be windy and uncertain, but you are often capable of much more than you think.
I am grateful for a curiosity that takes me towards people like her, and places like that. I hope to continue going on these tiny adventures and I hope I never stop seeing the wonders of our world in the deep creases of these weathered hands.
Today’s letter is short. I just wanted to pop in to share that I am still going! Still dreaming, still writing, still leaning into courage and learning to be brave.
The act of courage is a daily commitment. Some days it is a lot, but I know where to reach for strength and I am taking pauses to remember that it is a privilege to live my dreams.
A collection of random interactions and recent thoughts:
Do not take advice from anyone whose life you do not admire.
“Go hard at life. Leap. And when you tire, come home. We will love you here. We can figure it out together.”
Kindness is a friend who says: “You’ll always have a room in my house.”
Obsess yourself with purists in a shortcut culture – they are few and far between.
You have a voice. Remember to use it.
Lifted from a mother’s letter to her kids: “I hope you fall in love. And I hope the world is kind to you when you do.”
Thank you for reading, may all be well on your end. Till the next one!
Couldn’t agree more. We spend months overseas at a stretch but I too feel breathless whenever I’m back in Singapore. Slowing down in this incredibly fast-paced city is a challenge, but I’d like to think the effort is worth it! If only to show that it’s possible, and that there is another way of living, another way of being.
I really appreciated this. What stayed with me was the way Singapore and Japan seemed to bring out different versions of the self. Singapore appeared almost like a mirror for urgency, wanting, and not-enoughness, while Japan became a place where you could begin to breathe again.
The section about Ibu Kentri felt connected to that in a quiet way. You described her as someone with gravity, someone who helps your feet find ground. That felt like the center of the whole letter to me: the search for people, places, and rhythms that bring you back to yourself.
I also liked the honesty of “I am still going.” Not as a polished declaration, but as something smaller and steadier. Still dreaming, still writing, still resting when needed, still trying to be brave.