In recent months, as the Covid situation gradually improves, many governments have been exploring the possibility of fully re-opening their country’s borders and economy, in a bid to resume life to pre-Covid days. In Singapore, fully vaccinated persons can now enjoy quarantine-free travel to selected destinations. Many people have welcomed the initial easing of measures, which have been long-anticipated amidst the restlessness & fatigue creeping in from almost 2 years of not indulging in any overseas travel.
In the pre-Covid days, overseas travel was the norm for many people who could afford it. As people became increasingly more affluent and the costs of air tickets dipped, the air travel industry was booming with business globally. With the budget airlines competing for a larger slice of the air travel market, many full-service airlines were forced to offer discounts to their airfares, in order to incentivize savvy consumers searching for the best value-for-money option. As the price war waged on for the airlines industry, many consumers benefited from the cheaper airfares, to travel to far-flung destinations which might have been unimaginable previously. With greater interconnectedness across countries, it led to positive spillovers to many businesses dependent on the tourism industry, such as the food & beverage industry, fashion industry, shopping malls, local attractions, and all other amenities. All these, in turn, benefited the economies of many countries and the livelihoods of many people.
Covid brought almost everything to a standstill. As the number of Covid cases surged globally, many countries took turns to impose restrictions on air travel, which stagnated the air travel industry, tourism industry and across all sectors that previously benefited from the tourist dollar. As a result, many businesses and people struggled to survive and make ends meet. Some businesses were forced to be liquidated, and some people had to be retrenched. As the Covid situation persisted locally, many countries took turns to impose restrictions on mass group gatherings, including default work from home arrangements, and limits on the number of people dining out.
For many people, it led to a realisation that we all live in an extremely interconnected world, whether we are aware of it or not.
Amidst the uncertainty in the Covid situation, it also provided us with a precious opportunity to slow down and observe the self. With the external restrictions everywhere, it forced many of us to spend extended periods of time with ourselves, our loved ones, our colleagues, and our closest surroundings, whether we like it or not. To put it bluntly, there was nowhere else to escape or run away to.
During these 2 years, I realised how dependent I was on my overseas travel, as a form of escape from the physical reality that I was in.
When I was younger, I didn’t get to travel much, except for the yearly trips to Malaysia with my family by car. Back then, my dad would usually take us on a 6 hours’ car ride to visit his favourite Malacca region, for a 3 days 2 nights stay. We would usually repeat the activities that he enjoyed, such as eating his favourite bowl of porridge when stopping over at Muar, visiting the museum, threading carefully through the historical graveyards of wartime figures unknown to us, and visiting his favourite roadside stall for a piping hot bowl of fishball noodles soup. Sometimes, we would also visit the shopping malls, and buy products made from durian or coconut. Back then, I didn’t recall enjoying these activities as much as my dad did. Most of the time, I felt like I was tagging along my family, doing the things they like. Or more specifically, doing the things that only my dad likes. To me, it would be a grueling 6 hours’ car ride to Malacca, and another 6 hours’ car ride back, while struggling to combat with the motion sickness & the heat building up in the car. It was not as if I enjoyed the food, for I had never been a fan of a piping hot bowl of porridge or fishball noodles soup. Moreover, I would usually avoid eating fishball noodles soup if I could, after my experience of being scalded by a piping hot bowl of fishball noodles soup from head down, at the shop. It left greyish patches on my thighs for almost a decade, before they slowly faded away.
After I was discharged from the hospital for my autoimmune condition, my dad decided to take my mum, sister and myself on a holiday to Penang by flight. It was the most indulgent trip that he ever splurged on. He booked a guided tour package to Penang which included a two-ways flight via Malaysia Airlines (back then, there was no concept of budget airline), a five-star hotel stay, guided tours to local attractions and meals at restaurants. It was the most relaxing and comfortable trip that I ever had with my dad. Although my dad didn’t like that we didn’t get to visit certain local attractions or eat famous Penang street food, my sister and I ticked off many first time experiences in the trip. Be it our first flight, first five-star hotel stay, or the first relaxing trip with dad (where it didn’t feel like suffering).
As I grew older, I stopped going on holiday trips with my parents.
For all our years of growing up, my dad often expressed his regret for not giving us the opportunity to travel outside of Malaysia. When we took turns to enter university, my dad decided to allocate us an equal portion of his hard-earned savings, to pay for our school fees and to enjoy the university experience. In my first year of university, I joined a group of red cross members for a month’s long trip to Vietnam for an overseas community involvement program. In my final year of university, I took up the overseas student exchange program to study for a semester at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It was my first overseas trip alone.
My initial stay in Hong Kong was riddled with problems. Shortly before the exchange program started, the university informed me that there was no space for me in any of its student dormitories. Later I realised, I was the only affected student from Singapore, who had to source for rental accommodation outside of the university premises. Thankfully, I managed to secure an affordably priced room to rent, for my period of stay in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, within a day of reaching Hong Kong, I developed symptoms of food poisoning, which I suspected was due to the contaminated bun that my friendly housemate offered me. Throughout the night, I was making frequent runs to the toilet till my legs went wobbly. Thankfully, the diarrhoea went away after 24 hours.
Within two weeks of my stay in Hong Kong, my autoimmune condition relapsed. After drinking with my friends the night before, I woke up in the middle of the night with a warm, swollen left calf muscle that was unable to move by itself. I panicked and held on to my left leg, not knowing what to do next. I didn’t want to contact my parents, to avoid worrying them unnecessarily. After repeatedly praying for help, I decided to wait till the next morning to visit a doctor at the nearby clinic. The next morning, I fitted my legs into a looser pair of jeans, and slowly used my functioning right leg to hop to the door, take the lift, and hop to the nearby clinic. Thankfully, where I stayed, the condominiums were clustered together, with the amenities located right in the center. Kudos to the architect. The doctor assessed that it was likely a blood clot lodged in my left calf muscle, wrote a letter, and told me to head to the nearest hospital for urgent medical treatment. Thereafter, I hopped to the nearby taxi stand, and boarded a taxi to the nearest hospital.
Back then, despite all the problems, I was incredibly blessed to meet, and be surrounded by, a group of dependable & trustworthy friends, whom I relied on for help in a foreign land. With their kind assistance, I managed to: (1) be warded after an 8 hours’ wait at the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department; (2) receive my necessities such as undergarments, bank cards, handphone charger, and insurance policies; (3) be visited by the university admin staff after a few days, and secured my accommodation in one of the university’s dormitories; (4) settle the payment of hospital bills by insurance, facilitated by the university admin staff; (5) receive an amulet from an old temple to bless me with good luck; (6) negotiate for the termination of my tenancy at the condominium, after forfeiting one month’s rent. I can never thank my friends enough for their kindness extended to me in times of need.
After one week of being discharged from the hospital, I had to rush to the A&E department again. This time, it was for a swollen left ankle caused by an insect bite, while touring the Lantau Island. Thankfully, it was not as serious, and did not necessitate a hospital stay.
Compared to the first month, the rest of my stay in Hong Kong was much more peaceful. I continued to visit the outpatient clinic at the hospital for my follow-up treatment, until it was time for me to return to Singapore.
After my experience in the student exchange program, I realised that I am much stronger as a person than imagined. I realised that I could survive in whatever environment, with whatever challenges or hardships that came my way. I don’t always have to put on a brave front and shoulder everything alone. I can always ask for help from the right people in times of need. If my time to leave this world has not arrived, I will be protected no matter what happens. Till then, I strive to live each day to the best of my ability, so that I am ready to leave this world any time, with no regrets.
My love for solo travelling grew on me, after my experience in the student exchange program.
After I started work as a lawyer at a mid-sized law firm, and later a large-sized law firm, my life was very hectic, stressful and exhausting. On weekdays, my day would typically run by like clockwork, where I would be rushing to complete every outstanding work matter, attend to every call, meeting and discussion, and fulfill every boss’s requirements for me. When the night arrives, I would be completely exhausted. And the cycle repeats.
As real estate & conveyancing lawyers, weekday evenings and weekends do not always belong to us. At the request of any partner, we may need to attend collective sale meetings or meet-ups with clients, though this does not happen all the time. Back in those days, it felt as if I sold my body & soul to the organisation, in exchange for my monthly wages. No doubt the monthly pay was good, but there was literally no life outside of work. My entire life revolved only around my work.
Twice a year, like other colleagues, I would apply for five days’ leave and look forward to my much-needed holidays overseas. Back then, I didn’t have the option to simply apply for leave and rest at home, for I would end up attending to work matters from home. In such situations, my bosses would also be hesitant to cover me in my “presence” (locally). Therefore, I would always ensure that I have my flight tickets booked, wherever it may be, so that I could enjoy some respite away from the office and work.
Back then, I was required to access my Blackberry (and activate international roaming) when I travel. This came with it the implied responsibility to periodically read and reply to emails in my work inbox. Nonetheless, I didn’t have to face the brunt of the outstanding work matters, dissatisfied bosses and/or clients. It felt like I was an observer to each situation as it unfolded to me over emails.
On my solo travels overseas, I would feel strangely at peace with myself. Not needing to report or account to others on my free time and how I want to use my time. Not needing to please anybody else. Not needing to exhaust myself over an external person or situation. Not needing to live to the expectations of anybody else. It felt like I was finally able to breathe properly, and spend uninterrupted time with all parts of myself. Back in those days, it was my definition of happiness. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t rushing around to tick off all the major tourist attractions or famous food places. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have an itinerary for my time spent overseas. I simply followed my whim & fancy, whatever I felt like doing that day, that moment. To me, it was the most liberating feeling ever.
After my overseas trip, I would usually return to the office, feeling alive and rejuvenated, all ready to tackle the work challenges ahead. Without the holidays, I would not have imagined how I would have ended up back then. It was my only outlet to relieve my pent-up stress & frustrations at work, and my only means to physically distance myself from the work stressors.
After I switched jobs to be an in-house legal counsel of a public agency, I continued to enjoy my solo travels in the Asian region.
While the work stressors had greatly reduced, it was always nice to spend time alone, reflecting and reminiscing about life. Back then, I didn’t know anything about spirituality, or the importance of keeping up with a spiritual practice such as daily meditation and journaling. Therefore, my solo travels were my only means to truly spend time with myself, and restore myself to a calm & peaceful state within. With so much time to myself, I would invariably take a few steps back, be grateful for and appreciate people & things that I often took for granted, and see everything from a higher and more detached perspective.
After each travel, I would usually come back feeling more refreshed, calm and peaceful.
Later on, my interest in exercising shifted from hardcore fitness classes in the gym, to yoga sessions. With the shift, it sparked my curiosity and interest to participate in overseas yoga retreats hosted by the yoga studio, with my yoga friends. After attending the yoga retreats in Bali and Chiang Mai, I realised that group travelling can be fun, exciting and rewarding, if there is a group of like-minded people who are respectful, patient, loving and compassionate towards one another. It opened my mind to explore group travelling.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Covid started spreading like wildfire shortly after I returned from my yoga retreat to Chiang Mai. It was the most interesting encounter at Chiang Mai making peace with the lower spirits in my hotel room, but I will save the story for another day. Within a month of returning, Singapore imposed a nationwide lockdown, which caused much panic & anxiety amongst the people. Long queues started forming in supermarkets, where people instinctively snapped up food and necessities including toilet paper, canned food, instant noodles, instant beverages and the like. There was much fear and uncertainty over this “deadly virus” from Wuhan.
For more than 6 months, I chose to stay at home all the time, to minimise the risk of being infected with Covid.
I worked from home, took up online yoga classes, resorted to online food deliveries to satisfy food cravings, and immersed myself in the spiritual world of the Akashic Records. With all the uncertainty and changes everywhere, the volume of work matters escalated, coupled with frequent conflicts with my dad at home, which created a lot of stress & unhappiness within me. Unlike in the past, I couldn’t simply apply for leave, book an air ticket and fly somewhere else, to regain my much-needed peace and sanity. Due to the extended period of lockdown, I was stuck at home, without the option to travel anywhere else.
With the tools and knowledge I had on hand, I chose to go inwards. I decided to create my own routine, which would allow me to feel calm & peaceful, as much as possible, throughout the day. As a result, I started to meditate daily, or a few times daily, coupled with regular journaling and exercising at home. The more I kept up with my practice, the more I was able to internalise the benefits.
Meditation is not about sitting still with an empty mind. Rather, it is an opportunity to enhance self-awareness – to go inwards, feel & connect with all parts of myself, making peace with the past, loving & accepting myself for who I am. The focus is on enjoying the process of meditation, instead of competing to reach any finisher’s line or receive any trophy. There is everything to discover & improve within the self, and nothing to prove outwardly to others. Perhaps that’s why some people label meditation as an “inside job”.
After 2 years of committing to my daily practice, I feel that my life has been transformed on so many levels. Most importantly, I am finally able to feel mostly calm & peaceful throughout the day, something which seemed impossible when I first started. Whenever external triggers arise, be it in the form of people or situations, it would be my opportunity to know myself better. Whenever I sense myself feeling reactive, emotional, angry or upset, I learn to pause, reflect, dialogue with the Akashic Masters and reconcile with myself. For everything that happens externally is a reflection of my inner world. I strive to take full responsibility for my thoughts, speech & action.
Of course, I am very much a work in-progress. Like everybody else, I am on my own soul’s journey to learn, grow & expand as a soul. Every day, I am still learning about, and deepening my relationship towards, myself. As I understand myself, I learn to understand others better. Ultimately, most humans have a similar set of struggles, be it so-called rich or poor, successful or not successful. While we may be on our unique soul’s path, it all leads to the same destination, whether we are aware of it or not. Therefore, in reality, we are not that different from one another.
Just recently, when a friend asked me if I missed my overseas travels, I then realised that my perspective towards travelling has changed. It was no longer my solution to escape from the realities of work and life. I now have a better solution, which anchors in more deeply & permanently, the calmness & peace that I have long been seeking for. 🙌🏻
Of course, it doesn’t mean that I will not travel henceforth. It just means that when the time is ripe for me to travel, it will be an opportunity for me to repaint my perspectives towards travelling. I look forward to what I may draw on the blank canvas.
Masters, would you like to share anything with us here?
How time flew by so quickly in a short span of 2 years, which happened almost in the twinkling of an eye. We now face the reality of opening up the country gradually in stages. We now face the reality of resuming life back to pre-Covid days. What would you choose for yourself, going forward? How would you like to live your life, going forward? Would you be caught up in the rat race mindlessly day & night, with no end in sight? Or is it time to reclaim your powers and focus on what truly matters to you as a soul? Time has flew by so quickly. Life on earth is short, unpredictable and impermanent. What kind of a lasting legacy would you like to create for yourself as a soul, to look back upon and smile, whenever you are ready to leave this earth? We hope this is something you may consider, and we send our blessings to everyone. 🌟
With Love & Blessings,
Asha & Akashic Masters
If you would like to experience my guided meditations recorded in the Akashic Records, I have recently published two of them in my free Podcast on “Demystifying the Akashic Records”. Check out Episodes 54 and 55 of my Spotify Podcast below. 🙌🏻
My free Podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Listen Notes, Player FM, and Podcast Index. Check some of them out in the links below! 😉
If you are interested in a 1-on-1 General or Themed Akashic Light Reading & Healing Session with me, please check out my Services and FAQs in the links below. If you have any other queries, feel free to contact me. 🌟
