Hello readers,

My name is Anna and I was born on Monday 7th of August, 1995. I want to dedicate this page to telling you who I am and how this website came to be.

In the summer of 2017, I graduated from Chulalongkorn University from the Faculty of Arts majoring in language and culture. As a twenty-something, you might feel like you’re kind of lost between being a fully responsible I-need-to-save-up-for-my-future kind of adult and YOLO-I-don’t-give-a-fuck. Honestly and shamelessly, I’m leaning toward the latter. And this website will be living proof of all these financial mistakes I will be making in my twenties.

Yes, this is a picture of little Anna on her 2nd birthday.

 

All my life I was taught to SAVE UP especially being brought up by a Chinese family (you know who you are), you were brainwashed by your Chinese mom to be as cheap and frugal as you can. Your mom would probably be something like my mom who would steal all the freebies from the hotel room wherever she goes. Being her daughter, I was brought up thinking that you need to save up and have some money in case of emergencies.

This is a cute picture of my family when I graduated from university. I actually took this after graduating for half a year because the first time we took it, the photographer lost all the photos (Yes, it happens and it sucks).

Oh, I tried, I really did (I think?). At least my parents helped me save since I was born but they were totally making a mistake in trusting me to manage my own savings at the age of 17. Because at the age of 19, I, for the first time, learned how to spend that money for the sake of traveling. I used it for my first trip abroad to Seoul, South Korea with my best friend, Seewleng (who you will hear a lot of), and that was the beginning of my adventure.

2016 rolled in and it was awful.

It was one of the worst years filled with worries and anxiety. I was in my junior year of college and experienced this existential crisis realizing how boring and mediocre my life is. For the first time, I felt so scared of graduation and real-life responsibilities. Even though I still earn the privilege of not having to move out and worry about renting, I still felt like life was a challenge. I was, after all, just another Asian kid living with her family, in her own comfort zone.

2016 just sucks in general.

That’s when I decided it was time to spend ALL my savings in 2017 and the year I started this website. I was thinking to myself, why not? Anna, you’ll be busy working your life away, so might as well go wherever you want when you can. I know this is a bad idea I’ll eventually regret. But for now, I couldn’t care less.

As I grow up, one thing I learned in retrospect is that NOTHING ever goes to plan. And I shouldn’t be worrying about everything in the future that I don’t have that much control over anyway.

Everything I do, I have zero regrets. Regret is a waste of time. You do things because it felt right at that specific time you made the decision. Everything I’ve done in life makes me who I am, even if that means I am nowhere meeting the amount of money I expected to save at the end of senior year of college. It’s ok. Because you can always, always make more money. But you can never find the right opportunity, at the right time, with the right people to go somewhere amazing and make long-lasting memories.

In 2017, I decided I am going to be happy. I want to make something of my own, something significant and genuine that I can be proud of. No matter if it’s traveling, meeting new people, and appreciating all the friendships I have, romance and dating, work and school. Happiness, in a way that nothing has to be perfect or planned. But I have to appreciate everything and everyone and most of all, being alive and getting to do what I want. 

It’s now May, and I’ve been to a few places so far this year. One thing I realized is, I normally take SO many photos during a trip. That adds up. And it always ended up somewhere hidden in my hard disk. I can post it on Facebook and Instagram but then the stories about those pictures get forgotten sometimes. I knew I wanted to write, to have my own space where I can just say this is what happened, this is my life story. 

This is where my website comes in. Not for business, not for money in mind. But all for the sake of memories, the good and the bad ones. The ones you want to remember or the ones you wish you know better next time. The memories that I want to keep and make alive for as long as I can. On a digital platform, where it is shareable, easy to edit, and hopefully lasts as long as I live. I did try scrapbook.. but who am I kidding I’m not that patient and crafty.

I don’t care if nobody reads this, I really don’t. I’m doing this for me. For future Anna who I hope will be reading this. I want this blog to represent me.

This is my life, my pictures, my writing, my problems, and my advice. What I have learned throughout the years. 

I am just an ordinary 21-year-old who’s fortunate enough to be able to travel but who also happens to have the same insecurities and hopes and dreams as everyone else. And I believe you can relate your life to the things I go through and the things I find interesting. I wish that it might make you feel less lonely in a world where people seem to only show the good parts of life online. Because this blog is real. It’s a candid shot into the things I’m experiencing in my life at different stages, the advice I want to give to those I care about, the thoughts I have running in my head, the struggles and problems I wish people know we all go through it. I’m so excited to finally set this website up to share that experience with me. And I can’t wait to post all the things I have done so far and share them here.

Love,