Hello everyone :)
I'm writing to you from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and I'm super excited to be a part of the community. I'm not much of a blogger, I don't really write, but I'm hoping to share my thoughts and creations hopefully some of you can relate to and enjoy. This particular post will just be about getting to know me, so...
-me @ Pulau Manukan, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
My name is Melissa, Mel for short. I'm turning 24 this year (sudden realisation about aging) and I am currently working from home as a freelance graphic designer and I love making art for myself whenever I can.
I have always been a big art person for as long as I can remember and have always been passionate about many things, painting / reading / poetry / music / photography / travel etc etc etc. So absolutely expect things related to all that from me! I love making food as much as I love eating.
- View from Laban Rata, Mount Kinabalu (Dec 2013)
Ever since I was a child, I've always looked at the world in excitement. There were always things to explore and experiment with, knowledge to grasp, infinite places and people to see and learn about. I can truly say, growing up I may not always have had all the blessings I'm graced with today, but I have never let myself have a mentality of lack. If I wanted something, I worked for it, I grasped, I dreamed. Up until after graduating college, I thought I gave up on all this. For a while, I lacked passion. Wasn't inspired to make art, wasn't inspired to create or explore. Sometimes certain situations or routines put us in a box, and we forget what we dream about.
- Me when I was 3 or something
Early 2017, I almost lost my life, I've spent the last year recovering from a really bad pneumonia. This was because my health, more specifically my body immunity had started to weaken, due to lack of sleep and pulling all-nighters to get work and projects done. I won't say much about what I went through, I don't think I'm able to get over how traumatic it was for me yet. Because of this, I haven't been able to travel at all as of late.
I've always wanted to sit down and write about the whole experience I went through, but I feel that I have moved passed that, and what happened to me can no longer define me and what I want to work towards and what I want to become. I am incredibly thankful for all the people who were there with me during my recovery, most of all my God who has continued to bless me in many many ways.
But what it did to me was, it opened my eyes to how short life really is. You never know when your time is up, and it made me realise how much of life I haven't lived. I have big dreams and massive goals I want to achieve, and there's a lot more of life I don't want to miss out on. I learned to appreciate all the things I have, my home, my family, my friends. I learned to also be kinder, to love and help others, to be quick to forgive. All the world really needs is for one person to want to understand the other.
There are still yet places I want to see, people I want to meet in this life. I'm not settling down until I see most of the world. My art has also taken a different direction, I now pour more of my soul into what I create. Perhaps some I will be proud enough to share with you soon.
If you want to see lots of art I post a lot on instagram!
Art Instagram
If you want to follow me personally, I have my personal instagram as well :)
Personal Instagram
Some of my old art
Some random photos I've taken
- Kuala Penyu, Sabah
-Stray cat by the street, Penang Island
-Street Art, Penang Island
-Penang Char Kueh Tiaw-
Thanks for the warm welcome and hope some of you will stick around and see what I'll be up to! I'd love to see what others have to share too, especially if you happen to have the same interests as me!
If you've read this far, here's a something to ponder on :P
Life is too short
to live too fast,
and much too short
to live bitter.
Leave me a comment, would love to hear your thoughts <3
(edited)