We Can Have Many Different Ways of Living

Tan Kheng Hua

Tan Kheng Hua was a familiar face in my younger years and for many Singaporean millennials.

I remember growing up and watching her on TV in Masters of the Sea and Phua Chu Kang. She was also in some of my all-time favourite productions by Wild Rice and TheatreWorks: Animal Farm, The Eleanor Wong Trilogy: Invitation to Treat, Beauty World, and Descendants of the Admiral Eunuch.

Reading her recent CNA Lifestyle interview over the New Year’s weekend brought back nostalgic memories. But the real highlight for me was this quote she shared about her living off-grid experience:

“I also feel I don’t just stick to one way of thinking or one way of living; I have experienced many different ways of living. And I really feel that it makes me a more complete person. By the time I leave this world, I want to be as complete and as good as I can be.”

Wow. The timing of this message and its impact on me was spot-on. I couldn’t help but feel that this sums up the New Year energy I’ve been seeking for myself and for everyone else: To have the flexibility, adaptability, curiosity, and, most importantly, acceptance of different ways of being—the seeds to cultivating a healthier and more wholesome sense of self. ❤️

About the Author

Hi, I'm Mag: a UKCP-accredited counselling psychologist and founder of Singapore’s first ever existential practice. My care philosophy is not to diagnose, label, or categorise but rather to work with the individual in front of me in the here and now.

My clinical credentials certainly play a significant role in defining my professional identity. But to foster a deeper connection and authenticity, I invite you to discover my other “Selves”, the various facets of who I am.

Learn more about me here

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