Everyone has a story to tell, and remember, no one's life journey is more significant than the other. Simply because we are all fearfully and wonderfully made by Love, for love, to love.

For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
Psalm 139:13-14 (NKJV)

We all have our own ups and downs. Our best moments and experiences that we will forever be grateful of. And... The disheartening moments that gave our roller-coaster ride that extra zest, or 'OMPH'. I don't know about you, but to me, it was a quite a journey to remember and to this day, I am discovering more truths about my true self, identity and passion. So...

This is my story.

Picture taken from my Facebook

C - Chinese, Malaysian Banana

Put your hands up if you are in the same team with me! Wuhooooo! I was born and raised in a small family of four. I am the youngest (and the only daughter) in the family. Both my parents are not fluent in Mandarin but they are fluent in other Chinese dialects like Cantonese and Hokkien. So, naturally, they will not send their children to Chinese primary school, well because who's going to help us with our homework every day? Anyhoo, one young girl, Cally, convinced her mom to send her for a Mandarin trial class in the neighbourhood, and boy, that was one of her biggest nightmare - ever!

I remembered that male Mandarin teacher for a good number of years - I was traumatized on my first day of trial class. He showed some cute flash cards and literally pushed me to remember all the basic strokes and its pronounciation. On top of that, he questioned me about my Chinese name - the Chinese characters, strokes and meaning. He was so surprised that I could not even write my own Chinese name; so he suggested for me... and he made me rewrite my name on three full pages before I leave the class. WHYYYY... That was, I guess, the concluding point for me that I am never ever going to be bothered to learn Mandarin again.

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Growing up as a Chinese, Malaysian banana in my schooling years was not easy too. I was constantly bombarded by awful remarks or 'concerns' by my relatives, neighbours, teachers, friends and strangers. "Your daughter is so cute, so pretty, but how come she cannot speak Mandarin? She is Chinese! Not too late to send her for Mandarin lessons." My parents gave the best replies, ever. They would say something like, "It is okay. She can talk and communicate with us. Then, good, plus she knows some other dialects too." Sometimes, they just ignored them. Ironically, in my college years (and up till today), I realized that I was (and still am) surrounded by the pure-breed of Malaysian Chinese and they speak Mandarin all day long. So, lots of translation needed for me but now, I am able to understand some parts of the conversation and in desperate times, I can speak some Mandarin but with horrible intonations. You will not believe this, I even went for Jay Chou's concert in 2008! :D

A - Always Up for New Challenges

Because of my high levels of curiosity, even since young, I love exploring new things and thus, I am always up for new challenges. I will be that child to pick up a strange bug and show it to my friends and teachers at school. I will be that child to sign up for something that less children would enjoy doing. In terms of sports, I have done hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin throw, hockey, and handball. In my high school or secondary school years, I was out-of-the-school campus for many days for sports competition. Almost ten days every month, except during the holidays. I also had a golden opportunity to represent my state and began my training to represent my country for girls hockey. It would have been definitely a dream come true for my dad, since he is a big fan of sports. Asides from doing sports, I also participated in other competitions like storytelling, drawing, colouring, poem recital, choral speaking and crafts making.

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Due to high levels of motivation and energy I developed for myself, I ended up putting really high expectations on myself that no one ever forced me to. I guess, it was also because I wanted to make parents happy and less worried about my learning performance. Since kindergarten, I love to 'challenge' myself to do better in my grades and pushed myself harder to get into that top 10, top 5 and eventually, top 3. Consequently, I became really competitive too. There were some unhealthy competitions that I've got myself into, and thankfully, I realized how much damage it does to my own self years later in my college years. I remembered those days that I would beat myself up for tiny reasons or unaccomplished targets, and boy it was darn silly and exhausting. Day by day, since then, I am learning more aspects about setting healthy goals and boundaries.

Now, I channel that enthusiasm and love in exploring new places, food, and friendships too. I have done a super duper long post on my travel diary previously here on Steemit. And I am sure you will soon hear more posts about my travels, and my #foodie posts too!

L - Loves Celebrations and Successes

When I hit the age of 21, I made a pledge to be a true cheerleader at heart. Not that I was not doing so in the years before, but here you go - perhaps with some insights prior to that, you would probably understand why. I had pretty exasperating love relationships, and with one, it was a little more hurtful than the others because I thought we had a future together. At the same time, I was under great pressure at work, and with my small monthly earnings in those years (less than 250 USD), I was even more frustrated that I could not help my family's finances. Few months before that, my parents almost wanted to get a divorce too. Left, right, up and down - hurt, sadness, and disappointment. But, above all, everything that transpired from these difficult times have changed my life in so many different ways till today. I have gained and lost many friendships, yes. I have learned to love and be loved by my family and close friends. They are my gems. Most importantly, I have learned to be vulnerable and admit that I cannot do it on my own.

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So, moving forward, I wanted to shift my mind and heart to look for the silver lining in everything, everyone, every day. One way to do it for me is through small or big celebrations, I love them all. Birthdays, anniversaries, surprises, baby showers and housewarming - just to name a few. Oh, I also have this habit of getting gifts for others, or even plan on celebrating successes especially those first-time events like the first completed assignment, the first job, the first car and so on. I love getting balloons and flowers too! Now, I have probably gone a little too wild in getting gifts for others - kinda need to work on this; but I just so enjoy giving, and loving.

L - Little Miss Perfectionist

Guys, come on. I am very sure that I am not the only one in this entire world with some hints of perfectionism. So, here are some of my obsessions as a perfectionist. Please note that I have learned to tolerate some of these a lot, these days.

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1. Use the same type of font and right formatting throughout the same document or paperwork (especially official ones)
2. Shoes, heels and flip-flops are placed next to each other (one pair, left and right)
3. Use wet baby wipes to clean the tables in the cafes or restaurants (just so that I know it has been cleaned)
4. Wardrobe-coding; work attire, casual attire, gym attire, dresses, jeans & pants, etc.
5. Enjoys washing my hands to keep it dry and clean
6. Follow my personal routines: Change my bed sheets every month, get my haircut every month, change kitchen sponges every month, wash my make-up brushes every two months, etc.
7. Sharpen pencils and colour pencils for that perfect point
8. Arrange and rearrange things - sometimes decluttering too
9. Complete tasks before the given deadlines and with great attention to details and multiple revisions
10. Use the entrance and exit doors at the malls purposefully (some people leave the place through the entrance door, against the traffic)

Y - YOLO (You Only Live Once)

Well, after all, we are not cats and we don't have nine lives. HAHAHAA! With my bubbly personality, I have learned and still am learning to take one day at a time, without worrying so much about my tomorrows. Today's decisions ultimately set the pace for tomorrow, and the day after. In my story, I am learning to believe for more, trust more, forgive more, love more, pray more, and embrace more.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NKJV)

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

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Thank you for reading my post here today! This is my entry for #tellyourstory2018 contest by @danieldoughty :)

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