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One sentence to sum up my 2025: Burnout is real. I learnt the hard way to not take this matter lightly. Here's a reflection piece as I look back at my 2025.

As 2024 draws to a close, it's a chance for me to reflect on my experiences this year. Here's my 24 takeaways!

Looking back at my travel experiences in Vietnam so far and gathering my thoughts about the culture and people there. 100% my own pov!

I visited Vietnam again for 12 days! Here's how much I spent across these categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food, activities and more.

Getting from Haiphong City to Cat Ba Island is not straightforward because you would need to take a mixture of bus or taxi and ferry. Here's how to do so!

I embarked on a Ha Giang Loop 4D3N adventure and thoroughly enjoyed it! Here's my personal experience and also sharing some tips for future loopers.

I went to Thailand again this year, but it's my first time visiting after I started to learn Thai. And it was such an eye-opening new experience!

To get from Hat Yai to Songkhla via public transport, there are 2 main segments. From Hat Yai airport to Hat Yai bus terminal, then to Songkhla city.

I went to Songkhla, Thailand for 4 days! This is how much I spent across the various categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food, activities and more.

I was reading a book titled: "Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued" by Dr Janina Scarlet, and I found myself reflecting on my childhood experience of being unheard.

I visited Svalbard, which is part of the Norway kingdom, and learnt some interesting facts! To start, did you know it's the only visa-free zone in the world?

I finally donated all my hair in April 2024, after waiting for too long. Here's me sharing my experience, thoughts and feelings regarding my hair donation.

Earlier this year, I decided to donate books and stationery which were still in decent condition. Little did I know, donation took this much work!

As 2023 draws to a close, it's a chance to reflect on another year of growth. Here's my 23 takeaways this year!

I went on an Egypt group tour in mid December 2023. Here are some key pointers and tips to know if you intend to travel there too!

Want to visit Alishan National Forest Recreation Area on your own? I trekked Alishan for the second time in October 2023 and here's my DIY guide to help you!

I went to Taiwan (again) for 9 days! This is how much I spent across the various categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food, activities and more

I started learning Thai officially in April! Here's some thoughts and reflections on my learning journey from these past 5 months ...

In May, I realised that I was spending too much time on social media and felt frustrated with myself. So, I decided to log off from it, and my life felt boring.

Here's my little rant and reflection on the imbalance in sharing household chores within modern families. Can we do better?

After being a part of NUS Aikido Club's exco throughout my university years, I would like to share my main takeaways and lessons learnt!

Sharing a compilation of tips for travelling Taiwan on public transport, hostel accommodations and food, based on my personal experience and observations!

I went to Taiwan for 21 days! This is how much I spent across the various categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food, activities and more

After travelling for a while and visiting countries such as Thailand and Vietnam, here are my top 10 realisations as a traveller from Singapore.

I went to North Vietnam for 11 days! This is how much I spent across the various categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food, activities and more

I took a sleeper bus from Ninh Binh to Sapa, and another one from Sapa to Hanoi. Sharing my experiences for both bus journeys to help manage your expectations!

As 2022 draws to a close, I reflected on the past year and thought about my key takeaways! Quote: "Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations."

I went to Thailand for 21 days! This is how much I spent across the various categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food, activities and more

I travelled solo to Thailand and explored Phuket, Khao Sok, Chiangmai and Bangkok across 21 days! Sharing what I learnt from my experience here.

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for BT4212 Search Engine Optimization and Analytics

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for IS3150 Digital Media Marketing

You’re 19, waiting to start university. I’m 23, in my final semester. Here is my dearest message to you, on academics, friendships, community and relationships.

I was selling some bags on my Carousell SG and encountered a bogus buyer. I was requested for my email address and card details, I almost fell for the scam!

I’ve used several online dating apps, such as Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel and Bumble, for almost a year and I’m feeling burnout already. These are my reasons ...

In this article, I share 3 golden principles that my mentor has taught me and hope that I always keep them in mind!

In this article, I will share with you 4 ways you can earn from your blog. I ranked the 4 ways from the most to the least direct method.

Most beginner WordPress tutorials take only 15 mins to 1 hour. But, that wasn't true for me. In this article, I will share how long I really took to set up my blog.

My blog does not have a niche. I write as I go through life and reflect on my experiences.

In this post, I share how much it costs to own my domain name and host my personal blog. I purchased my domain name and WordPress hosting plan from Hostinger.

A simple, general 3 steps guide to set up your own website or blog. In this post, I will go through the 3 steps needed and share factors you should consider.

I started writing publicly on Medium via the username @andrea-makoto. In Sept 2022, I decided to create my own blog!

In today's world, we seem to have grown impatient. We can't wait for long and always seeking that instant gratification. I'm worried for myself.

I relate a lot to Taylor Swift's song "Nothing New". Sometimes, I have an achievement, but that proud feeling dwindles later on in comparison to others.

I went to Central Vietnam for a week! This is how much I spent across the various categories: pre-trip expenses, accommodation, transport, food and more.

My university resumed fully physical classes. The first week of school just ended and here's some differences I noticed between physical and online classes.

A compilation of tips for travelling in Central Vietnam, on weather, communication, dining, traffic, transport, attractions and what you should be wary of.

I cycled in Hoi An, Vietnam for a day! Besides learning to adapt to the roads, I also grew more self-aware, so here's me sharing my journey and reflections.

I discovered the power of asking in 3 situations and realised that it can help us get closer to what we want. Asking is scary, but potentially life-changing!

5 factors to consider when you are choosing a full-time job, based on my experiences from 4 internships, including pay and culture.

I worked in my "dream" company and eventually realised that it did not fit what I want in my career, in terms of pay, culture and growth opportunities.

The instant messaging tool: “Skype for Business” made me anxious at work because of how it tracks users with its statuses: active, inactive, busy and offline.

Which do you prefer? After using a few dating apps for a few months, I thought it would be quite fun to compare two that I have used most often: Hinge and CMB.

In this article, I share a simple, fuss-free, and effective system I used to manage schoolwork, allowing me to stay ahead of deadlines!

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for CS3240 Interaction Design

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for DBA3702 Descriptive Analytics with R

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for DBA3803 Predictive Analytics in Business

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for DBA4711 Applied Analytics

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for DOS4811 Data Visualisation

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for IS4151 Pervasive Technology Solutions and Development

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for IS4250 IT-enabled Healthcare Solutioning

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for IS4301 Agile IT with DevOps

Sharing module synopsis, main learning objectives, course deliverables or graded components, and my personal review for IT3010 Data Management for Business Analytics

Wondering whether to go for your university's orientation camp? Physical camps resumed and I thought it would be nice to share my own personal experience!

A simple, introductory guide for Singaporeans which covers the main reasons why we need money, what kind of funds we need, and ways to accumulate wealth.

I sat in my hair salon and recalled the very first time I told my hair consultant I wanted to grow my hair longer. Here is my entire hair growth journey.

Hold your horses, snippets of personal & contentious thoughts ahead. (By the way, we can agree to disagree.)

In the past, I was very closed off from the idea of online dating because of the attached negative connotations. But over time, I changed my mind and saw the positives of online dating...

Online dating: What do we really know? Well, I “dabbled” in online dating for a month, and here’s what I took away from my experience.

I got Covid-19 on March 2022 ):

NUS Computing Club released their new series: “Too Nerdy to Handle”, which showcases different facets of computing students. In this article, I respond to their first episode's questions!

As 2021 draws to a close, it is important to look back at the past year and reflect on how much we have learnt and grown. Here are my 21 takeaways this year...

Self-pity is unhealthy and self-destructive. Here is how I shut down some of my own pity parties and thus regain some power over my life.

During one of my semesters, I took 4 modules, among which 3 had group projects. Interestingly, I found my experience in these 3 groups to be quite different.

Friendship has always been important to me. But as I grow from my early childhood to university years, my perspective on friendship keeps changing.

Covid-19 and how it has changed our perception on working lives with work from home (WFH) arrangements

When I was younger, I remembered wondering how much better my life would’ve been if I wasn’t a girl. It took me 20 years to finally be comfortable as a woman.

I am on my own journey of breaking out of my childhood prison and dealing with stereotypes and expectations, like how to be a girl, daughter, sister and more.

Back in May 2020, I attended my first software engineering internship with a healthcare startup: Jaga-me. My experience was very humbling and enriching, here are my top takeaways!