Day 3: Chilling With My Thai Iced Tea

Featured Photo Credit: Crystal Hong

Living in Singapore’s fast-paced society, we are often caught up with the hustle and bustle of life. As students, we have to juggle between studies, family and numerous school commitments. I find myself constantly on the rush and leading a very hectic lifestyle. Work is never ending. Each day, I just can’t help but to feel that twenty-four hours is just not enough. I feel compelled to finish the tasks at hand fast and work long hours every day. Striking a work-life balance is definitely the least of my priority.

Scheduled this morning was a trip to Doi Suthep Temple. Following that, we were free to roam around Chiang Mai and plan any activity we desired – well, that includes conducting more interviews too if we wanted. Being a workaholic, work was always on my mind. There were still a substantial amount of data we have yet to collect and with just a few days left in Chiang Mai, taking a full day break was a tough call. What if we are unable to achieve the research objectives we had set out for ourselves before the end of this fieldtrip?

After much deliberation, we decided to ditch our research materials back at the hotel and just enjoy the rest of the day. Boy was I glad we made that choice!

Perhaps by being too absorbed into work all these while, I have neglected the importance of taking a timely break. Today’s adventure made me realised that taking a break is not a luxury but a necessity. It was time well spent rejuvenating myself with a refreshing traditional Thai massage and I got to know my peers better through more personal conversations, instead of merely discussing about our research. We shared much laughter today and I believe that we have also forged stronger ties and built better rapport with one another. In years to come, I will definitely reminisce the fun time we had in Chiang Mai today.

Never neglect and underestimate the importance of breaks. Take a break, have a Thai Iced Tea!