About Me

Welcome to my blog! My name is CY. I hope my blog can help you to: learn about the life abroad in Australia, get tips/ideas about travelling the world, and find the courage to be different.

My background:

Born and raised in Malaysia
Living in Melbourne, Australia
Lived in New Zealand for 7 years before moving to Australia
An accountant, a blogger, a traveller, a slow runner and an uncoordinated belly dancer

In the past, I was an obedient girl sheltered by my family and friends.

I had always been living together with my family and never stepped outside into the world until 24 years old. If you asked people about the impression of me, they would probably say ‘shy, timid, quiet, nerdy, passive…’ It was hard to imagine that I would go off the beaten path.

But, I made a crazy decision all of a sudden, as I embarked on a journey to discover the opposite side of me.

At age 24, I left my home in Malaysia and took the Working Holiday in New Zealand on my own… because I could not resist the temptation to see the world. I was so young and fearless at that time! Unexpectedly, I found a permanent job in New Zealand and decided to live here.

That moment was a turning point in my life; if I had not made the decision to travel, I would be a completely different person.

Perhaps I was tired of being the good girl who always adheres to the road well-paved for me, so I rebelled and took a leap of faith.

Because of the decision to live abroad, I have done many things that I could never imagine in the past, such as backpacking for a few months, talked to strangers, visited a volcano, hiked in the snow, shot a gun, ride a horse, visited a drug shop, went to Oktoberfest, seen an aurora in Alaska… and much more.

Though my life abroad was not always smooth…

Not only did I have to overcome the language barrier, but also had to embrace the new culture as I grew up in a conservative Asian family. It was especially challenging for me due to my introvert personality. My feeling of loneliness and insecurity had amplified when I was living on my own without any family and friends.

But the journey abroad is eye-opening for me. It has taught me to be more confident and accepting to new things. Had I not left my home, I would still be a narrow-minded person and complained about my life and never knew how different the other side of the world is.

Today, I believe people can change and I am still learning along the journey. I have also developed a strong passion for travelling because I want to discover the beauty of the world.

Now we are settling down in our new home, Australia.

Most importantly, I met my soulmate/husband, Ben, in New Zealand, who has forever changed me. We recently left New Zealand and moved to Australia together to begin a new chapter of our life, and so is my Opposite Journey blog.

I created this blog for my transformation. I used to write about living in New Zealand but it has changed to Australia. I endeavour to write both positive and negative stuff to keep it as true as possible, which might be helpful to anyone who is planning to live / already living in Australia.

I named my blog Opposite Journey because my life has become totally different.

In the past, I would have never thought that I will live in a foreign country. But now I have moved across 2 countries that are very different from my home country, Malaysia.

I believe everyone deserves to live his/her own choice of life, even if it means to be different from others and might never be understood. You can hold out for the best, or you can settle for something less. After all, we are responsible for our own lives, be it good or bad, at least it is our choice.

Perhaps, life is meant to be crazy 👣