I am Where. Are You?
On March 24th 2015, the “I am Where. Are You? Talk” was conducted by 19 year-old Eibhlin
Lim, CEO of her own startup company, Phoenix. Biting the bait of free BurgerLab burgers,
around 70 students gathered in Alpha Theater to listen to the humorous and very relatable teen.
Appearing unassuming and nervous, many of us were still amazed by Eibhlin’s strong personal
journey of self-discovery and persistence.
her story to us. Introducing the character as a 19 year-old girl who took a break from formal
education after finishing her IGCSEs in 2013, the story followed an unexpected path full of both
failures and achievements (two concepts which Eibhlin considers to be interchangeable).
From small falls such as not being able to go to the bookstore on weekends to bigger letdowns
like organising a brainstorming meet-up in Colorado with no attendees, Eibhlin shared with
us how she took her downfalls and turned them into something valuable. Suffering from
her bookstore visit deprivation, Eibhlin decided to apply to write book reviews for The Star
newspaper. At the age of 15 with barely any qualifications besides a blooming love for books,
one probably would have quickly dismissed the idea of even applying to write for the newspaper.
Why on earth would they accept an unqualified 15 year-old student? But they did. I suppose it
goes to show that if you never try you never know.
Following from that, the young introvert succeeded in publishing about 55 articles through
various outlets worldwide, eventually obtaining an offer to write for the highly-acclaimed
Huffington Post even. She even got a scholarship to continue her A-Levels at a good
international school but in the end, she declined. Instead of pursuing her A-Levels, Eibhlin
was drawn to do something else. She had a goal - starting up a digital journalism camp for
She had undergone a number of obstacles in efforts to realizing her dream. However, as life
would have it, her digital journalism camp remained only a brilliant idea. Throughout her
journey, she kept a blog running and kept brainstorming ideas with friends until one day, she had
plans with a friend for lunch and unexpectedly, her friend bailed on her last minute. So there she
was, in the shopping mall, with a bag of newsletters next to her and she thought, “Why not give
them out?”. And now, her newsletter is being distributed to 7 different high schools in Malaysia.
Phoenix is an online newsletter which features people from all different walks of life but are
all ultimately sources of inspiration. From gymnasts to supermodels, Phoenix voices out the
hardship-filled journey of others and how they overcame these hardships. In the next 3 years,
Eibhlin hopes to have a student from every country signing up for the Phoenix newsletter and
as a life-long goal, she hopes to be able to contribute to creating a culture where you can pursue
whatever you want and not be scared to do so.
As insignificant as she made us feel (there is only a 1 to 3 year difference and yet she is so much
more accomplished?! Is she even real?), her unlikely story also taught us a lot and made many of
us feel inspired and motivated to start following our passion. Eibhlin shortlisted 3 best practices
I feel that practice 1 is especially applicable to today’s youth. We are constantly putting off
things and waiting. Our generation has become the masters of procrastination so much so that it
is a culture embedded into our lifestyle. When we think about doing things, we say things like
“I’ll do it after I finish my exams la”, “Wait la, still got time, chill a bit” or “Too many things
now, maybe later la”. But really, what better time to start than now? If Eibhlin had waited to go
to the bookstore to satisfy her needs, she may not have started writing for the newspaper. You
may never be in the ideal situation so make the best out of the resources you have right now,
although sometimes it pays to be a little foolish, a little ambitious and a little, well, unrealistic I
The second as well is something that has been looming over our generation for a while. We are
often too afraid of failure to actually do anything. Do not let the fear of something happening let
nothing happen. Go for it and if you fall you just pick yourself up again.
When speaking on humility, Eibhlin focused on accepting ourselves for who we are, flaws and
all and from there, being open about it. She preaches vulnerability and being strong enough to
admit your own shortcomings and accepting criticism and teachings from others.
Her advice and journey were impressive but what really made her stand out was the fact that
at the end of the day, she was really just one of us. This relatable nature allowed a strong
connection to flow through the room and really inspired us.
During the open Q&A session after, Eibhlin stressed a lot on her key takeaway point - “Be
intentional”. Much emphasis was placed on the suggestion that everything we do should be
accompanied by genuine intention. No matter where our passion and intention leads us to, it
should be a path we are proud to be on. Just tell yourself, my path “might not be as fancy [as
others] but that’s who I am”. And if you’re more of a floater in life, that is fine too. Just keep
exploring, keep doing what you feel like doing and embark on some soul-searching. It is going to
be a tough journey but one day when you find where your heart lies, it will be worth it.
Writen by
Chin Wye Mun
Member of Writing Department
TCSH Editorial Board
Photos by
Samantha Yong
Head of Photography Department
TCSH Editorial Board
