Sabbaticals, sleep, and secret book finds

Hey there book readers,

Did you discover that tiny line of text in our last newsletter which said, "If you like this newsletter, reply and get a free book"? Well, it was an Easter egg, and someone found it! And talk about dedication – they're from France! I love knowing that our newsletters are reaching corners of the world I've only dreamed of visiting. Sending a little book on such a big adventure can be quite the journey (and sometimes, quite the shipping cost!), but we're always thrilled when readers like yourself connect with us, no matter where you are.

On rest (and chickens)

Speaking of trips—before I rejoined the company (read: last newsletter), I was on a break. When I felt hopeful, I called it a year-long sabbatical or "Funemployment". Most days, I called it a slow erosion of my self-worth.

During that first month, I felt guilty, behind in life and lazy. I've tied my worth to output, so slowing down felt like an epic failure. In an attempt to feel "productive," I scheduled 101 things (exercise, chores and e-learning), but I couldn't, for the life of me, pick up a book and read a chapter without thinking of the next thing to do.

The TLDR is, rest isn't failing—I think we don't have to give ourselves that pressure. Rest is for remembering who we are when we're not trying so hard. It took me a year to learn this.

I'll save the full story of how I rested for another time. Hint: it involves getting my hands dirty and a ton of chickens.

Book recs for the week (on the theme of Rest)

White Cloud Mountain

I first read this as a manuscript, and I loved it. Before retreats became a 'thing', this was the first time I'd heard of one! I completely entered the world Grace wrote and truly wanted to go on a writing retreat myself, even if I had to create a false alibi of being a writer. Being able to escape the stress of our Singaporean city and focus on your art would be a dream.

Calm: A Journal for Myself

Back in school, our form teacher assigned us journaling exercises. It felt like homework (and it was), but once I started writing, my words were free to run along the pages. That single A5 exercise book was too small for the volume of my thoughts. It also felt like a letter to my teacher. She would write a couple of words back, and I would be happy to read some advice or a little praise. I've stopped doing that as an adult because, well, who's going to check on me now? But from time to time, on sleepless nights, I still write to untangle the jumble of thoughts and feelings in my head, just to get a temporary form of clarity.

Well, you're not alone in this with Calm: A Journal for Myself, since it includes helpful self-care tips and useful sample diary entries.

Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker

We're all trying to forget those wild pandemic days, right? But what if you could actually laugh at some of the more absurd moments?

Relive (and chuckle at) some of those uniquely Singaporean circuit breaker rules with Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker. Oh, and did you notice that the initials of this title are CCB? You know what else it stands for? Don't say it!

That's all for this week's newsletter!

And I'll leave you with my gif of the week: