Are you a lifelong learner or someone who works better with structure? I have always believed in lifelong learning. It was not meant to be used as an excuse to perform poorly but rather to remind myself to be grateful for being alive at each moment in time. On top of that, it was also a principle I created that there is something to learn from every encounter and situation no matter how small.

It has been four months since my last entry. I have been doing what I needed for my mental health and this meant learning to truly relax after I made a shift in my job allowing me to do so. The last few years has been full of nonstop changes and grinding without the pandemic added. I learned a lot from my previous job responsibilities but the flip side of it was that I was overworked and underpaid compared to the team and dealt with my portion of office politics.

Last month, what everyone worldwide has been taking precautions against, affected my family and me—we caught COVID-19. When the pandemic hit early last year, we all started wearing masks and only went out for essential errands. Those with job functions permitting started working from home. As much as we made ourselves more aware of our surroundings to ensure that we were doing everything we could to keep us and others safe, there comes a point where it escalates easily because of one person.

At a young age, I was the type of kid who sought adventures regardless of accompaniment. A quest could mean climbing up a small hill in the backyard imagining I was on Mt. Everest or wearing traditional Chinese hairpins pretending I was a princess during the Tang dynasty.

I was on a two month trip abroad from October to December of 2016 which made it my first time going on a solo trip as well as my first time traveling out of the United States.