Amadea Ng
Amadea is adventurous and real. She allowed her life experiences to lead her to a higher purpose and personal identity. Her upbeat, reflective and honest mindfulness approach to life is infectious. It is no wonder that Amadea is the friend everyone hopes to have.
What would your completely honest personal profile say?
I am actually Moana - the line between the sea and the sky has been calling me for quite awhile now. I'm always up for an adventure. One that will take me on a journey to seek out what magnifies my spirit and follow it fiercely, especially when it leads me out of my comfort zone because that's where I'll be able to explore and grow the most.
My friends also turn to me for everything from directions to restaurant recommendations and holiday itineraries and I'm a repository of random little facts. I'm happiest when my days are filled with a good sweat session, yoga, dark chocolate, gin & tonics with amazing company and lots of cuddles.
I am actually Moana - the line between the sea and the sky has been calling me for quite awhile now
This is one of your favourite places in Singapore. Tell us about the significance it has to you
A: Botanic Gardens is my little enchanted forest. It has always been my happy place - countless Saturday afternoons were spent playing catch with my siblings as a kid, accompanying my grandparents to their morning exercises during school holidays, picnics with my friends in my teenage years and it's now the backdrop to my morning runs. It has also become a place of refuge, somewhere I go just to lie down to stare at clouds and take long walks whenever life gets overwhelming.
The Gardens is like an ever changing maze and it still surprises me with new hideouts, plants and little trails every single time I visit.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever given yourself?
A: Last year, I left my job and spent a month in Bali doing a yoga teacher training. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into but it turned out to be the best present I've ever received. I went expecting to spend a month doing yoga everyday and come back equipped with enough knowledge to go into full time teaching, but it gave me so much more and I came back with a lifetime worth of memories.
During one of our morning meditations, this phrase 'within you is a kaleidoscope of infinite possibilities' came into my head. In that exact moment, I felt cocooned in the biggest, warmest hug ever. After years of struggling with my body image and self love, I finally learnt to love myself, to be kinder towards myself, to truly believe that I am more than enough. It has become a personal mantra that brings me comfort every single day. Earlier this year, I got it designed and inked as a constant reminder of how far I've come and the infinite possibilities that continue to reside within me.
Within you is a kaleidoscope of infinite possibilities
What’s one thing you would really like to accomplish by the end of the year?
A: 2017 has been the year of hustle for me and I hope to continue to hustle hard to make a pet project of my dreams come to life!
I've also recently started a visual gratitude journal and I hope that I'll be able to stick to it religiously and update it daily at least till the end of the year. It doesn't seem like much, but for someone who has trouble even committing to her "One Line A Day" journal for a month, it will be a huge accomplishment. It will also help me cultivate gratitude and hopefully help me stay afloat in moments of darkness.
What do you love/miss most from the Singapore you grew up in?
A: When I lived abroad, the one thing I missed the most were dinners at my grandma's. Dinners at hers were never part of a routine, they were always a phone call and a quick 3 minute sprint away. She always made sure our favourite dishes would be on the table every single time - chicken wings for my little brother, tempura prawns for my sister and half a table of vegetables just for me after I stopped eating meat. After every dinner, we would be sprawled across her living room, with our full bellies on the floor, watching TV as mama prepared cut and peeled fruits for us all.
Mama's love language never ceased even when I was living abroad. I remember how she would specially bake pineapple tarts for me every September before I went back to the UK, even though it was nowhere near Chinese New Year. She would fill my suitcase up with specially portioned chengtng mixes, homemade chilli and the best Japanese dried shitake mushrooms, so I could try to recreate a taste of home whenever I felt homesick.
