Deborah Chew

I've just listened to a podcast that I've found deeply inspiring. It's episode 2 of Agencies of Design, called 'Storytelling and Migration ft. Alicy Aedy'. She's a photojournalist that I've only heard about through her dating relationship with Jack Harries. That's something to say of the influencing power of relationships, but anyway. She spoke with so much passion about the causes she cares about, but what made it so real and deeply touching to me was the authenticity and vulnerability in which she talked about her struggles in her journey to getting to where she is now. She talked about feeling inadequate and underqualified to do what she was doing. She's a woman in a male-dominated arena (photography) and she was intimidated by all the jargon and she wasn't a professional photographer. But she's passionate about connecting with people and telling their stories, and using that to drive change. Photography for her is the tool to get there.

2020 is turning out to be W I L D.  It's only April, but i'm writing from home, where I've not left my house for more than a month (excluding the ONE grocery trip). This of course is very unlike me, but it my submission to crazy corona. This virus is truly amazing and terrifying all at once, it's changed the lives of almost everyone on earth. There's mass deaths, tension, confusion, and economic disaster. It all feels very uncontrollable, and I'm sure many are feeling a lost of security. The poor and vulnerable are exposed to even higher risks now, and those who were living comfortably are forced to deal face-to-face with the equally scary world of introspection. This is the situation that I know is real for many, but for me personally, my experience has not been so much doom and gloom.  There has been so much good in this, and I've made sure to fill my social media feeds (my main info source) with uplifting, wholesome content. Yes, I know the world i

It's mid way point of the year, appropriate time to reflect on how I'm doing on my goals. I would say I'm satisfied. I haven't full achieved them but I'm proud that at least I'm still trying and haven't given up. Training my mind:  I've completed (almost! one more chapter) 4 books so far (yes i know, it turned out 2 books a month is kind of unrealistic...) and I've also listened to psychological podcasts and engaged in some mind-challenging discussions. Training my body: I decided to stop Jiu-jitsu for a number of reasons. However, my main goal was to keep fit and healthy, do physical activity that will challenge my mental and physical strength. I am still doing that by going for various exercise classes on ClassPass (boxing, spin, strength training...) I enjoy the variety that it offers me and gives me more flexibility on when and where I want to train. I find that this works for me better! Training my soul: I have volunteered for The Vic

New year, new me ? typical, cliche, cheesy but i hope it's true. Here are my simple enough goals for this year that I think are totally achievable. Challenging but at the right level. Train my MIND : Read a minimum of 2 books per month. Watch lecture series/educational stuff. Train my BODY: Compete in a Brazilian JiuJitsu competition, even if i don't win anything the process of training will be great. Train my SOUL: Focus on serving others, especially when I feel down about my life. Volunteer to serve in church and charities. Train my SPIRIT: Read the bible first thing in the morning, before checking social media and messages. Additional goal: Don't use up all my annual leave days because deb you're not THAT weak, you CAN get up in the mornings and it's not morally right to say you can't go to work because "i'm not feeling well" when really you just stayed up till 1am chilling.

Here I am, 6am in the morning, dreadfully awake and drenched in tears. Something not uncommon for me in the past 2 months. I tend to feel things deeply, especially as it pertains to relationships/friendships. The love I feel for my friends at times often scares me. I don’t particularly like it, as people come and go (including me)  and also it’s just cheesy as heck. This was my first long-term relationship. I poured all my emotions, thoughts and devotion into it. I tried not to show it, making sure I spent lots of time with other people, and by limiting my social media of him. It was also (I hoped) a self defence mechanism that would help me get over him if a break-up happened. I think the basic gist of what happened is that I didn’t fully know what I wanted or needed in a relationship. And the things I did know, I didn’t insist on or communicate it well.  I didn’t communicate effectively what was going on inside of me, the uncertainty and unease I felt. And then there’s the dist

1. The way I spent my time determined everything. I made it a point to not watch TV series or dramas unless it was part of a shared experience with other people (like going to the cinema). That meant I had a lot of time for studies, friends and cultivating other hobbies. I really appreciated that I made that decision, it made my time in England so much more fulfilling as I had spent a large portion of my time in real-life interaction and experiences, rather than getting caught up in virtual reality, which I can get in any part of the world. 2. Avoiding heart attacks through preparation feels good. After the 1st assignment hand-in that I cut it super close, I made it a point to hand in everything early. There was an assignment that I even handed in close to 2 weeks before the due date. If I told Deb from a year ago that this happened, she would have laughed. It feels so much better to think ahead, plan early and get things done ahead of time. 3. The people I surrounded myself with