Open-hearted joys 開開心心 79
Honey I’m home!!
After a magical two weeks visiting family in Hong Kong and Malaysia, I arrived home to a surprisingly mild Tuesday in October – no need for that spare jacket I’d diligently packed a fortnight before. Since then, I’ve had a big reset day, unpacked my holiday treasures and a wardrobe of laundry, caught up on Married at First Sight UK, and returned to work. (I even noted down my work laptop password this time!) I’m planning some travel posts, but our family holiday was such a joy. It felt emotional, heart-warming and fulfilling to be back for the first time since the pandemic. My heart feels so unbelievably full.
There’s a lot to be said for appreciating the smaller, not necessarily finer, details of the everyday mundane. Here’s to another list of petite, open-hearted joys, the moments that’ve brought and woven poetry to my days, this fortnight:






一. Experiencing the indoor waterfall at Singapore’s Changi Airport for the first time.
二. Seeing Diwali prep springing up all around Kuala Lumpur. Something I’ve always loved about spending time in Malaysia is that it’s a huge melting pot of cultures, religions and traditions.
三. Exploring KL’s bird park and Forest Eco Park. Just beautiful and completely extraordinary to be surrounded by incredibly old trees in one of Malaysia’s oldest conservation areas. In fact, five hectares are identified as a ‘virgin jungle reserve’, the only patch of original tropical rainforest still standing in the city.
四. Dinner with my auntie and cousins in KL after six years apart. Afterwards, my auntie drove us up to a nearby hill to catch a glimpse of Kuala Lumpur’s ever-evolving skyline from afar.
五. Reuniting with my family in Ipoh! Being from a big family is the best thing in the world, and it’s even better when we manage to get a good chunk of us together. We had the best time out at dinners, exploring caves, shopping at the night market, and driving up to the Cameron Highlands together. I miss my cousins already.






六. Hiking Jardine’s Outlook with Dad, my sister, my boyfriend and my best friend. It was hard in the 30°C heat, but the viewpoint made it so worthwhile. It was so special to do the hike surrounded by my favourite people.
七. Reuniting with that skyline view at Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong’s skyline makes me emotional every single time and I felt goosebumps showing it to my boyfriend for the first time.
八. The sounds, sights and scent of Hong Kong.
九. Desserts, followed by desserts, followed by desserts. It’s the Hong Kong way.
十. Re-familiarising myself with the rhythms of my old stomping ground, this time with my boyfriend stood by my side.