Au revoir!
Taking a break from the regular program for 2 months to travel, rest and refresh.
By the time you read this, I’ll be in the middle of Paris somewhere. That’s right, I am finally on that trip I’ve been talking about for months now.
As the title alluded to, I decided to stop posting during this 2 month trip. Not just my newsletter, but my social media channels as well. If you’re a LinkedIn connection, you may have noticed that I have hibernated my account. I just didn’t want to come back to an overwhelming amount of messages. 😅
As someone that has been constantly on the internet in one way or another for the last 15 years (including literally building software for the internet), I want to see what it’s like to be off.
Don’t worry, you’re in good hands
2023 is the year of sabbaticals.
I am lucky enough to know a lot of amazing people doing sabbaticals this year. While all of us are on break, we are all experiencing and tackling different challenges. That’s why, I asked two of my good friends on sabbatical to share their own learnings whilst I am gone.
I am so excited to do a quick intro to my two friends and a preview of what’s to come:
Linda Zhang (June Edition)
Linda is a friend I have known for a few years now. She came in as a product management intern at Atlassian and I was one of the grads. We have kept in touch and followed each other’s journey since.
I had no idea Linda was on a sabbatical from her gig at Bain until we randomly bumped into each other at an event! We caught up on life over some amazing Thai food and came up with a topic that’s close to her heart: establishing a strong support network during your break.
And it is so true. My break would not be the same without my family, husband and friends. On the same vein, sabbaticals is the best time to strengthen ties with your loved one. Linda will explore the importance of a support network (especially as an extrovert) and how to establish one.
Mandy Yuan (July Edition)
Mandy is an ol’ friend I met through the startup scene at university. When I first announced that I was on a sabbatical, she messaged me saying that she also just recently started one. 🤯 What are the odds?!
Mandy has an extensive background in corporate and startups in customer success and recently took a sabbatical to focus creative pursuits: dancing, acting, media and much more.
As part of her sabbatical, she met an incredibly diverse group of people (from TAFE, pursuing more creative careers etc.) that she would not have otherwise met. That’s why she’ll be writing about the value of going beyond your own social bubble. An interesting perspective that would complement Linda’s!
Thank you again to Mandy and Linda for spending their time and energy on writing something so insightful and special. Although I won’t be posting, I will definitely be reading their articles when they come out.
How the trip is going so far
So far, so good. We have hit 3 cities and I have officially entered the continent of Europe for the first time in my life. Here are some photos! 💜
📍 Singapore. This is my 2nd time in this beautiful country. One of many more trips to come as my brother lives there. We managed to also see my husband’s sister there too, who was visiting from Hong Kong — the first time we’ve seen her in 2 years!
📍 London and Cotswolds. Originally, this was just a pitstop to Italy. But I ended up loving the UK way more than expected — especially as I ventured out of London and into the Cotswolds. What a beautiful area.
📍 Paris and Versailles. A truly picturesque city. I have yet to explore everywhere in detail, but the Palace of Versailles was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So. Extra.
See you all in 2 months 😎
Thank you for the support for the last few months. Writing started out just as a way for me to document my journey but it evolved into so much more. That’s why, I know I’ll continue to write when I come back (hopefully, I’ll be even more inspired after my travels).
But for now, I’ll see you all in 2 months. 💜