Coming Home Changed, Leaving Again Stronger

January 2026

Home, Held Together by Grace, by God.

From October to January 2026, I was back home.

Back to familiar courts. Familiar faces. Familiar rhythms.

Looking back, I can only say that God has provided.

Not in loud or dramatic ways, but through steady opportunities, patient people, and a team that grew stronger together. This season reminded me why I started, and who I am becoming, and I thank God for holding it all together, through my teammates in Japan, my national team sisters, my grandpa, and my loving family who have quietly walked this journey with me.

1. Back to Where It All Began

Singapore is where my volleyball journey first took root.

Every return feels like stepping back into memory. The early mornings. The shared struggles. The quiet determination. The days when Pa and Grandpa took turns ferrying me between training, tuition, and home, quietly sacrificing their own time so I could chase mine.

At the time, those routines felt ordinary. Looking back, they were anything but. They built my discipline. They strengthened my resilience. They shaped the hunger that keeps me moving forward even when things get hard.

Being home reminded me that although my journey has taken me overseas, my foundation was built right here. Long before Japan, the values that guide me were already forming in those simple, consistent acts of love and sacrifice.

Grandpa played a big part in many of my successes. Resilience was not just something he spoke about. He lived it daily. That example has carried me through every season of my journey, especially in volleyball. I am deeply grateful for the role he played in shaping me, and I will always carry his lessons with me.

2. Training for the SEA Games — Back in the Groove with My Girls

Uncommon girls with a common goal.

Training with the team again felt natural, like muscle memory returning.

We trained hard. We trained honestly. Slowly, the rhythm came back.

Preparing for the SEA Games was never just about results. It was about trust, communication, and learning how to fight together again. A group of buddies walking through hardship together for one shared purpose.

We finished fifth overall. No medal, but something important happened.

The team grew. We became stronger, more united, and clearer about what we needed to work on. That kind of growth builds character. It teaches patience, accountability, and the discipline to keep showing up.

Representing our country does not come with financial reward, but the honour is something far greater. Wearing the Singapore jersey is a privilege. The recognition, the responsibility, and the pride that come with it are deeply meaningful and rewarding in ways that cannot be measured.

3. Reconnecting with Mentors & Living with Gratitude

Being home also meant reconnecting with mentors. Coaches, seniors, and people who have walked this path before me.

I listened more than I spoke.

I asked questions.

And I stayed teachable.

I am deeply grateful for those who continue to guide me, challenge me, and remind me to stay humble. I know I do not walk this journey alone. I thank God for placing the right people in my life at the right time.

During four days of mourning, I witnessed something that stayed with me. Three of Grandpa’s former colleagues from his school came to pay their respects. They sat together and reminisced about the days in their twenties through their forties, when Ama Keng School eventually closed. Through those sweet and bitter conversations, I saw them break down, and I saw gratitude in their tears. They were thankful for one another, and for the years they had shared.

It reminded me that life is not a coincidence. It is a shared journey. We pass through each other’s lives so quickly, but how often do we stop and truly cherish the moment? How often do we pause to appreciate the simple things that matter most?

That season taught me to be present. To value people. To give thanks while I still can.

4. Looking Ahead — One More Year in Japan?

What do we really live for, and what truly matters in life?

Chapters close, yet another page always begins. Every season carries its own lessons, its own shaping. The strength that takes us through the different sections of life is rarely meant to be carried alone. Those who have walked alone are strong, but even strength blossoms more beautifully when it is shared. We are not designed to journey in isolation. We grow through people. Through mentors. Through teammates. Through family.

For those who feel lost or without direction, seeking is part of the process. Direction does not always arrive fully formed. Sometimes it reveals itself one faithful step at a time. Sometimes it comes through discomfort, through change, through surrender. But we must choose to seek. We must choose to move.

As this chapter closes, my heart is not heavy. It is reflective. It is steady. I have seen what matters. Relationships. Character. Faith. The courage to continue.

The months at home reminded me that life is more than performance and results. It is about who we become in between the competitions. It is about the people who shape us quietly. It is about the values we carry forward when the crowd fades. And now, the question many have asked me.

One more year in Japan? Possibly.

But this time, it would not just be about playing. It would be about building. About refining the details. About becoming sharper in skill and stronger in mind. It would be about carrying everything I have learned at home back into a new season abroad.

If I return, I return with clarity. What I know for sure is this. 2026 will be more focused.

More intentional training. Sharper discipline. Deeper purpose.

I want to return stronger, not just as an athlete, but as a person. Stronger in character. Stronger in faith. Stronger in how I represent my country and the people who believe in me.

Prepared. Grounded. Ready for what God has planned next.

Thank you for walking this journey with me.

I move forward with gratitude, faith, and quiet determination.

A December I Will Carry Forever

Two weeks in December and January were spent with my grandpa.

We laughed. We cried. We loved. We even got angry.

Four different emotions, all shared before he left.

We talked, through his stutters and limited words, and we visited places, in memory and in our conversations, that we once went to when I was just a toddler, back when both my parents were stationed overseas. During those years, he was my dad for a long while. I am grateful that we shared so many moments together, sweet and bitter memories alike.

Time has a way of circling back. What once felt distant became deeply present. I did not need to say much, just being there was enough. I am thankful for those moments, for the memories we revisited, and for a love that stayed constant through every season.

His body had grown frail, but not his spirit. He was a bull, fiery, strong-willed, and unwavering. His short temper was always tied to one thing: standing up for justice and righteousness.

I will carry those two weeks with me, wherever this journey takes me next.

I will hope to catch you on a rebound.

您慢慢老去的背影，我终于看懂了。

原来那些沉默的付出，是一生最深的爱。

Not the Same Girl

Forever Remembered,

Beloved Grandpa.

1946 to 2026