p e a c h y

I hope technology never dulls communication.

May we never be reduced to memes and stickers.

May we re-open books and rediscover words that could move, flow and dance again.

My parents are not proud when…

I tell them I’ve sold in an idea at work

They’re not proud when something I did gets featured on the big screen

And neither are they proud when I tell them of the potential clients who want to work with us.

This is what makes them proud:

When I make a big purchase for the home

When I donate to charity

When I gift my aunt with a red packet for her birthday.

You see, what’s important to them is that I turn out to be a good person - someone who has values, goes beyond the norm to show love, takes care of them family and such. Those are the kind of things where I’d hear them say, ‘I’m proud of you’. Other times, it’s not that they don’t listen, they just acknowledge my other achievements with a nod or the typical 👍🏻

While I’m not discrediting the value of doing good, I think they need to realise that there’s more to me than just being a good person. Not only am I a daughter, I’m also a passionate about ads.

As the saying goes, if you do what you love, you never have to work a day of your life. And that’s something I truly resonate with.

So, if all they see me for is just a daughter, that’s a little sad. Because I believe I’m made from so much more. My beliefs don’t just define who I am, my passion does too. Be it work, the kinds of movie I watch, or the books I read.

I get it, my job isn’t the easiest to understand, especially with parents (Just recently, I found out my mom wasn’t exactly sure of what’s my day job🙃). I’m sure if I did something ‘simpler’ or ‘conventional’, like accounting or banking, KPIs would definitely be clearer and they’d actually understand my work and accomplishments.

The solution- it’s not that complicated. I don’t see this as a big issue. It’s just something I’ve come to realise this week and decided to pen down. I can’t change who my parents are. I don’t need them to shower me with praises in all aspects of my life. I’ll just have to manage my expectations, understand that this is who they are, and have the grace to move on. Should I air my feelings to them one day, I hope they understand that I’m not shaming them for seeing only one side of me.

4 March, monday. 1:35AM

My day begins promptly at 12AM with a pen in hand and caffeine coursing through my veins.

Here’s to filling up my idea sheet before presentation in the morning 🙃

The reality of advertising is this: cold dinners

And lucky me, mine comes extra chilly, with a side of Monday blues. Swell.

08/02/19, 11.28pm

There was a point in my life where I was certain that the saying ‘every daughter wants a husband like her father’ would never apply to me. I hung tightly to that conviction and refused to let anything change my mind.

Despite what my mother says about how much he loves me, or dotes on me, I didn’t want someone who was ‘stubborn’. Someone who was ‘hot tempered’. ‘Unreasonable’ even.

But upon reflection, I’ve come to realise something I’ve long overlooked- His gentle nature and love for me. I’m penning (typing) this down to remind myself that it’s my father who never fails to pick me from the train station, or wherever I was, when it was late at night.

Dear papa, I’m sorry I’ve been so busy bearing grudges that I forget just how much you love me, and how you want only the best for me. I should have understood that you love me in many ways, and you do things with the best intentions.

It is with this realisation that I conclude: I am precious to my father. And because I am precious, I deserve nothing less than the example my father has set. I do want someone like him.