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Valery Tan

Singapore-based marketer specialising in paid & organic content

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Musings

Slowly expand your circle of discomfort

Posted on 1 August 20256 August 2025 by valerytan

Last night, I went climbing.  I was already a comfortable 3-pie lead climber, but I wanted to push for a harder, 4-pie route.  The middle of the route was the crux for me – full of tiny, awkward footholds, which were my biggest weakness. The real challenge wasn’t just the physical difficulty, but the knowledge…

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Why the beginning & end are always the hardest when getting things done

Posted on 25 July 202529 July 2025 by valerytan

I headed to JB over the weekends. Here’s what my journey looked like from my house in the east:  My house to Tampines interchange: 20 minutes (Bus 291). Tampines interchange to Woodlands interchange: 45 minutes (Bus 168). Woodlands interchange to Singapore customs: 10 minutes wait plus a 10-minute ride (Bus 950). Singapore customs clearance: 5…

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My insurance plans as a Gen Z in Singapore

Posted on 18 July 202531 July 2025 by valerytan

Insurance.  It’s a word that rarely sparks excitement. More often, it conjures images of complex jargon, endless paperwork, and a necessary evil we reluctantly pay for.  Just last week, my friend and I got onto the topic and she felt paralysed by the sheer number of choices out there. I’m sharing my own plans here…

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The power of a simple pen and paper

Posted on 11 July 202524 July 2025 by valerytan

My big weakness? I have a tendency to ramble.  Give me an article and I can write it out concisely for you after a few revisions, but ask me to speak spontaneously? I can’t edit words in mid-air like I do on a Word doc. My coherent ideas and content simply dissolve into a verbal…

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What this Korean variety show taught me about life

Posted on 4 July 202524 July 2025 by valerytan

I’m currently in the midst of a Korean variety show. The premise of the show is simple: a team of celebrities plays games to win prizes for a guest who applied to be on the show. Three stages, with the prizes getting progressively better from a nice coffee maker all the way up to air…

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Stop reminiscing about the past and forgetting to live

Posted on 27 June 202522 July 2025 by valerytan

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. Does anyone love scrolling through their past?  I do.  I can spend hours poring over my old photos and videos – I scroll through my past Instagram Stories, re-binge my favourite dramas I watched at least 5x, re-read my favourite Harry Potter series,…

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I did an email declutter and it feels amazing

Posted on 20 June 202529 July 2025 by valerytan

The weight I didn’t know I was carrying. “What do you mean you have 10,000 unread emails!” My horrified friend exclaimed when she chanced upon the notifications on my phone. Her comment was subsequently forgotten, but the notifications stuck around and slowly ballooned to 12,000.  Thousands of unread emails from four different accounts. Subscriptions from…

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Don’t rely on a single point of failure

Posted on 13 June 202524 July 2025 by valerytan

Efficiency is celebrated in business and in life.  We’re taught at work to streamline, optimise, and cut out anything that doesn’t contribute directly to the bottom line.  For a short period of time at my previous workplace, we had to jot down every task we completed, the number of words we had written, and the…

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Cost of my multi-pitch rock climbing trip in Longdong, Taiwan

Posted on 20 May 202524 July 2025 by valerytan

This post is part of my Holiday Price Tag series, where I share the nitty-gritty of my holiday spending, giving you a transparent look at what different trips actually cost me. If you’re curious about other destinations, don’t miss these posts: Cost of a 12-day couple trip in Kyoto, Osaka & Tokyo in Japan Cost…

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Don’t make your passion your work, work on what you’re good at

Posted on 16 May 202522 July 2025 by valerytan

In the past, I had many dream jobs that I envisioned myself to be in. I wanted to be a gynaecologist on the vague assumptions that I’m good at biology, get to interact with women and babies, and that being a doctor is a prestigious occupation. This dream of mine was shattered pretty quickly when…

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