About

Hello, I’m Joanne.

I’m a seafarer from Malaysia. For much of the last decade, I’ve worked onboard cruise ships, living between contracts, ports, and long stretches at sea. That rhythm has quietly shaped how I think about work, travel, money, and time.

I earned a degree in Accounting and Finance, but never worked in the field. Instead, I joined the cruise industry in 2016 – first as crew, then briefly on land – eventually finding myself back at sea. Life onboard is structured and repetitive, even as the scenery changes, and it leaves long stretches of mental space: time to observe, reflect, and question what “forward” really looks like.

I’ve wanted a space like this for a long time. I was drawn to blogging in the early days of the internet, but for years it was something I circled without fully committing to. Writing didn’t come easily, and life felt too busy, too uncertain, to slow down and stay with it.

I’ve always been drawn to nature and quieter places, even while working in busy, enclosed environments. Mountains, forests, and long walks ground me in ways ships never quite can, and that tension continues to shape how I think about balance and freedom.

It wasn’t until the pandemic disrupted everything that I began paying closer attention to how I was living and what I was building towards. I wanted more time, more space, and work that didn’t rely solely on trading hours for income.

This site is where I write between contracts, places, and plans. I share reflections on seafaring life, travel, and simple living – some practical, some personal, all part of an ongoing process rather than a finished answer.

Writing doesn’t come easily to me. I use it to think clearly, slow things down, and make sense of choices as they unfold. I occasionally climb mountains, miss the books I used to read, and quietly dream about future adventures.