Behind every number is a person & the stories it tells; mine is 24.

On the morning of 21st July, Facebook triggered a memory I posted back in 2014. Back then, I turned 21 and wrote this post on the one lesson I learned.

I read it again just to recall how Amy was back then, it was a good trip down memory lane and it made me realize how time can change someone.

This year, on 21st July I turned 24. What happened in 3 years? A lot, so much that I simply cannot keep count as it just becomes a part of me after every passing day.

Just to recap chronologically, these happened in the past 3 years:

1. I graduated in Bachelor of Arts (Communication & Writing) with a second class upper 2:1 from Monash University, Melbourne Australia in December 2014
2. I started my first job with Unilever Malaysia as an Employer Branding Specialist in the Human Resource department in January 2015
3. My grandmother passed away at the end of January 2015, not making it to the next Chinese New Year
4. My family relocated to Eastern Europe in August 2015; I stayed on in Malaysia
5. I moved on in my career to do Brand Marketing for Comfort, a Unilever brand in September 2015
6. I decided to change my career and joined Shell Malaysia in April 2016
7. My boyfriend relocated abroad to Western Europe for his career in April 2016; marking the start of a year and a half Long Distance Relationship
8. I turned 24 in July 2017

Every number in the timeline is a story in itself. 

What triggered me to write this post is, the trigger that made me write what I wrote back on 21st July 2013, as I turned 21. I overcame it yesterday. I forgave the person and moved on. I went and confronted him again, I forgave, I will forget and it's liberating.

That moment, signified how much I have grown since then. It made me realize, 4 years from now. I would have learned new lessons and have different stories to tell.  4 years from now I will look back at today and have the exact same thoughts - I have grown. 

This, is exciting.

As always, I am grateful for the people I have in my life. And as usual, I will mention their names and thank them for being a part of my story:

• Richard Moh - a mentor in life, he taught me resilience, patience, to be tough and to strive for what matters most
• Soo Ee Lyn - more than a friend, she taught me what it means to overcome any challenges in life, she inspires me to be better day after day, to do more than I can and she's always there for me
• David Nge - an inspiration, someone who is so passionate, he taught me to always be neutral, to judge less and understand more
• Yuet Ting - a lifetime companion, someone who has taught me what it means to be rational, she taught me to be objective despite the toughest of times
•  Amanda, Tush & Omar - my mentees, they opened my eyes to something new, they have shown me what it means to be a team, they have shown me what it means to be humble, to be hungry to learn and to not be afraid to say "I don't know this, please teach me"
• Imran, Kavidha, Alex, Carmen, Raymond, Elicia, Gabby, Wan Sin, Bogdan, Albert, Li Shan, Eian, Soo Shin, JH, Peggy, Esther, Laura, Lavania, Alissya, Alia, Wai Yee, Yen Li, Marcus, Xing Yi, Jimmy, Jovian, Jayson, Wen Kiat, Leon, Jien Yue, Stephanie, Adrian, Jo Yi, Kenji, Suang Fu, Kent Kam, Sean, Sze Li, Sue Ching, Mad, Ruel, Jian Xin, Zoe, James - they have all played a part in my life the past 4 years in big ways or small

And also, to the people who inspired me, they taught me who I want to be and who I do not want to be in future. 

To the future Amy, I will say this again just as I have said back then, "This is you right now, you have not learned all that you have to learn. Keep moving forward and may you learn more there is to life in the days to come and more".

Cheers,

Amy Lim (24 years old, 3 August 2017)