the unabridged reader

Many years ago, I foolishly thought that I knew everything.
I described and proclaimed myself as an intellectual, an old soul, who has seen and known all that can be seen and learned in life.

I grew up in a broken family. And I had to navigate difficult situations early on in life. Not to say that I had a horrible childhood; I grew up loved and well cared for, despite the circumstances.

I poured all my youthful angst and feelings into reading and writing. It was a beautiful escape. It was also validating to see how I can create the same beautiful words that made my soul feel alive.

I graduated from university and with my degree came my entry pass to the grown up world. I became fully responsible for myself and my family. And it felt like opportunities were abounding and I spent more time working and doing things 20-year-olds do.

Obviously, little things like hobbies were thrown on the backseat. I have never regretted that until now.

COVID happened and I turned thirty. I braved a new continent in search of better opportunities and future. It was a whole new world. My personal life, work life, friendships, and routines were unfamiliar and clumsy.

I am living the life that I have hoped. Or thought I hoped for. For the longest time, my whole mind and body were just in survival mode. I never really had the luxury to visualise the specific things I wanted. Now, I am free to dream. But I have never felt more trapped. It is interesting. How as children, we thought adults knew everything. It is the farthest thing from reality. We are all just figuring it all out.

And in the midst of all this life crisis, I found myself circling back to my heart’s youthful passion and desires. To escape in the world of books and to write and write until all that I have learned from three decades of living is immortalised into print and stories.

From here on out, this is the story of me reuniting and rekindling with the core of my being.