Sometimes I prefer my younger self when I used to live my life in such a poetic yet adventurous way.

“Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist. It is just like the roads across the earth. For actually there were no roads to begin with, but when many people pass one way a road is made.”

Lo Xun

My first flight was an international one, Aeroflot from Hanoi to Moscow. Back then, I was in 8th grade, 13 years old, I didn’t know a single word of Russian, and wasn’t scared, so everything seemed fine. I flew there and back, and now I’m sitting at home connecting all the dots of my memories.

When I was 17, I officially went far from home, alone to Australia. This time I knew some Australian but still didn’t know much about life, so I wasn’t afraid. Now I’m sitting here, reminiscing about my naive past.

My first job involved a series of domestic flights from Canberra – Sydney – Brisbane – Hamilton Island, then I took the Fantasea boat from Hamilton Island to Lindeman Island for work. I still don’t understand how I made it there, and now I’m here. Back then, I didn’t know much, so I wasn’t scared.

The first time I took a helicopter ride over the Whitsundays, I got so dizzy that I couldn’t see anything. When we flew over an island shaped like a heart, someone pointed it out to me, saying, “Look, a heart-shaped island!” Due to the dizziness, I couldn’t see much, but I took out my phone to try and capture the moment, hoping that I would see it when I got home.

Now, with a bit more knowledge and experience here and there, I feel afraid when thinking back – I don’t know how I managed back then. One lesson I’ve learned:

Confident people are those who don’t know fear – the main reason being that they don’t know much. Because if they knew, they would start to fear and tend to avoid things! I find this to be true in most cases and this is how I’ve turned myself into Miss-No-Longer-Afraid.

Sometimes I prefer my younger self when I used to live my life in such a poetic yet adventurous way. At times I am still told to live on cloud 9, so I guess that all makes sense. Some of the good and the bad thing about me all at the same time is that it’s very difficult for me to forget once things get into my head, this piece of literature for example, I learned in Grade 9, has always been one of my all-time favorite reads from Chinese author Lo Xun: “Hope cannot be said to exist, nor it can be said not to exist. It is just like the roads across the Earth. For actually there no roads to begin with, but when many people pass one way a road is made”.

Women’s Unstoppable Journey

Back in March of this year, 2023, an exciting and meaningful mini-project came my way. It was all about celebrating International Women’s Day and little did I know that it would mark a significant milestone in my career and life. With unwavering support from upper management, dear colleagues, and partners, we embarked on an ambitious journey that we called it “Women’s Unstoppable Journey”.

Our goal was to host not just a single-day event but an entire week-long exhibition, complete with a dazzling highlight fashion show and a grand gala dinner. It was an endeavor that would showcase the remarkable achievements and resilience of women.

In our pursuit to make this event unforgettable, we decided to invite three exceptional female founders from three incredible social enterprises:  Chula, WOO and ETU Handkraft. Each of these brands had its own unique story to tell, but there was a common thread woven throughout their narratives – the power of female strength, love, and spirit that defied all boundaries and borders.