Today, I kinda just want to ramble. You all know that I went to Chiang Mai, Thailand in October. It was quite a sudden decision and it was a decision that should be made long before October (in my opinion). I woke up one day and I discovered just how tired, drained and lifeless I was; that’s when I thought, “I need to leave, like NOW” hoping the break somehow will do my soul good.
I did quite a few trips this year and there was nothing to complain about. I am grateful that I could go to different places and bring you along with me (with the help of vlogging). I am a blessed person when I started counting how many trips I have done this year so far: France (in Jan and I got sick…), Italy and UK (in Mar – mostly work-related, like meetings etc.), Tokyo (Dr. Ci:Labo brand trip) and Osaka (With Butler hoping to bring different travel content for my YouTube Channel). Compared to other people, my trips are nothing *laughs*, but to me, they are all quite amazing in their own little way. But one day, it dawned on me that for 2017, I hadn’t done that one trip that’s without a purpose; that one trip which says “oh what the hell, let’s go and see what happens”; and that one trip which doesn’t require too much of my brain power. Also, I notice by end of September, early October, my smiles faded a bit, my mind wasn’t as clear as it could be, my energy level was the lowest of the low. That’s when I said, “we need to go, anywhere, we just need to go.” Of course, Mr Honey was beaming with joy when I said that!
We picked a resort quite far from town because we (or I) wanted some peace, we wanted to be somewhere without too many people and we wanted serenity. As you can tell from the vlogs, we didn’t have major plans, our research was lastminute.com and we didn’t flash all the touristic locations. I guess everyone travels differently and every trip could be associated with different moods and deeper meanings. Like, when Butler and I went to Japan, I viewed it more from work angle, I wanted to get the most useful/ interesting content for my YouTube channel, so you could tell from the vlogs that our agenda was quite nicely packed. And this Chiang Mai trip vlogs offer a different kind of vibe, it was more relaxing, it was more “going with the flow”. I do hope that the different vibes do come across in my vlogs. My colleagues and some of you do say to me that, “whenever you go away, it’s not truly relaxing because you are still vlogging.” True. My work is part of me and working for the virtual world (aka social media platforms) is a 24/7 job (apart from sleeping). I don’t know about other social media gurus (but I am sure they feel the same too, I got that vibe watching some of their daily vlogs), but it does drain me out because I just don’t get to do nothing. It pains me sometimes when I am without my professional camera and I see a great photo opportunity to share (it happens all the time lol). It upsets me when I decide not to vlog for the day and then something exciting happens (life plays me all the time). It stresses me out when I feel that I have no good valuable content to share with you all for a day or two. All these emotions happen inside my head and I do regard them as part of my DNA now. Do I mind working all the time? Not really but I agree that it doesn’t need to be that intense all the time. Do I think having a break would be nice? Absolutely.
During and after the Chiang Mai trip, I can’t help but keep thinking, “everyone needs a break from time to time”. Everyone’s break is different. Some could be just a 10 min coffee break, some could be just a walk outside, and some (like me) just need to go to unknown places. I had a good break in Chiang Mai, I left my usual position at home and went to widen my horizon of the world. I wasn’t using my brain that much and I wasn’t stressing about anything – it was a true moment of realisation that I needed the break so badly without even being fully aware of how much I needed it. Sometimes, we all get so fixated on getting shit done/ projects finished, we start ignoring the fundamentals that our mind and body need. Yes I did vlog during my trip and some people might think it was still work and wasn’t truly a break. To me, that was a break. Part of me still needed to be producing something and part of me just wanted to be brain dead, so an aimless trip with causal vlogging would serve the both sides of me. I came back, I was a happy person. I sat in front of the computer editing the 5 vlogs and I was smiling. My mind is now a lot clearer and my soul feels a lot cleaner. I think I should do this type of “going with the flow trips” more often. Why not? There are still so many cool places to explore in this world. And, you all seem to really enjoy my type of travel vlogs *smiles*. Not everything has to have a purpose, sometimes, we just gotta live in the moment and take it all in.
I know working in Hong Kong can be quite overwhelming and stressful, but I urge all of you to pay close attention to what you want deep inside too. If it’s a break that you need, make time for it. I am sure if you realise how important it is to you, you will be able to find time for it. Breaks only do you good. Trust me, work will always be there, and there is no ending to it; if a break helps you to clear your mind and soul, you will return to your position feeling like you are invincible, I am sure you will be way more productive when you feel that you are fully rested.
