Island Life Begins!

Guys, I know it’s been almost a week since my last update, but please… bear with me.

Your girl has been through a lot. Like, so much that I honestly don’t even know where to start. But let’s give it a go before my brain decides to nap again.

So, as y’all probably know, I’m currently on a working holiday at Pulau Tioman—which, by the way, is exactly where I’m typing this from. Yes, live from the island, and bless its tropical heart because the Wi-Fi here is stable and strong. Miracles do happen.

Rewind to before Tioman: I flew to Johor on June 20th and stayed at my friend XT’s place (shoutout to XT, you're the real MVP). Her parents and she were kind enough to drive me to Mersing, which is where I had to catch the ferry to Tioman.

Pro tip: Mersing is a solid 2+ hour drive from Johor Bahru. And guess what? We started our little road trip at the ungodly hour of 6:45 AM.

But first—dim sum breakfast at Kota Tinggi. Because priorities.

Then it was a loooooong, straight, hypnotic drive to Mersing. Like, so straight and long I started wondering if we were in a simulation. When we finally arrived, chaos greeted us. People were everywhere—some looking super professional, others looking like lost tourists (aka me). After some trial-and-error-level detective work, I finally found my way to the Mersing Jetty.

Boarding the ferry was smoother than I expected. I showed my ticket and IC, and boom—I was on. And get this: the ferry was air-conditioned and had assigned seating. I know, shocking. I thought it’d be a musical chairs situation, but nope—civilized sea travel.

The ride took about an hour plus, with a stop at Jetty Genting before continuing to my stop: Jetty Paya. Once I disembarked, I met some people from the shop (the one I’ll be working at) and we headed straight there. So far, everyone’s been really friendly and helpful, which makes me feel less like the confused potato I actually am.

Now about my living situation: I'm sharing a room with two girls. One is 25, and the other... brace yourself… is 18. Yup. She just finished SPM. And here she is, out in the wild, doing working holidays. Her name’s JX, and the other girl is HL (same age as my sister), who’s also the admin of the shop.

As for the shop’s name? Not telling. You never know—this post might go viral (a girl can dream), and I don’t want to accidentally start an island-wide scandal. I’ll reveal more after the working holiday ends. Until then: anonymity is safety.

Our room has two bunk beds, and I claimed the top bunk on the left side. It’s simple—just a place to sleep, nothing Instagrammable. But hey, I’m here for the experience, not a resort.

Now, the work itself? Honestly, not bad. Mostly physical stuff—moving air tanks, loading and unloading boats, charging tanks, and walking around like I know what I’m doing. Basically, zero brain power required. And I love that. Brain? Logged out. Muscles? Activated.

Best part? The view. Especially the sunsets. They look like someone slapped a giant egg yolk onto the sky. I swear, every time I see it, I feel like I’m living inside a postcard.

It’s only day two, but time’s flying—probably because when I’m not working, I’m either staring into space or questioning my life decisions while massaging my sore shoulders. I may or may not have overdone it with the tank carrying. Gym? No thanks, I lift air tanks now.

Here’s to hoping for more fun, more stories, and fewer shoulder cramps.

Peace out for today!