Isabel Leong

Double tap if this baby squirrel brought a smile to your morning/ evening!!! 🐿

Being on a constant move keeps me on my toes. While the nagging feeling of not working enough is always there, much like juggling being a mum, wife, daughter, girlfriend and a boss all in one of you, I prioritise. I’ve found that working on limited time and capacity has worked the best for me. It prevents me from dwelling too long and hard on an idea that has no eventuality, and exposes me to meeting more people and hearing more stories where I can gain inspiration from. ... More on that and my 2020 takeaways in my latest blog post - link in bio! #BATWxCostaRica

You know how there are some days you wish you could stretch forever, others when you can’t wait for it to be over? Moments like: - When it’s winter and the fireplace is going; the light is warm, the couch is cosy, jazz music playing in the background. It’s just me, my skin against a blanket and a warm embrace as we watch the firewood crackle together. - When we took the boat out for a rendezvous, and decided to stop it in the middle of the ocean. We lie down and stare out into the big blue sky and the birds that fly past our limited vantage point. - When the faintest of morning hues hit my eyelids and I awake. I step out of the RV only to come face to face with California’s ocean. I watch as the world come to life, one second at a time. .... Full back story of the past 4 months in the latest post - link in bio! #BATWxCostaRica

The price for freedom? . . . PRICELESS! ✨ To be able to live and work from anywhere. To be able to call anywhere you like home. To be able to love what you do. To be able to be in control of your time and LIFE. What would you do if you could have such a life? #BATWxCostaRica

Best, worst moments of surfing, and everything in between. Wouldn't trade my time in the water for anything else in the world! Note the sinister laughter when I was caught in a wipeout. #BATWxCostaRica

Having mixed feelings about having my phone back after tracking it from Costa Rica (where I left it) to the US (where I was denied entry to) and finally to Mexico, where I am now. I've lived without a phone in my hand for the past 2 weeks, where previously it served as my second-in-command wherever I go. ▪️Not expecting a buzz every few minutes ▪️Not scrolling through past text messages hoping a new notification would pop up ▪️Not wondering what life is like "on the other side" ▪️Not wishing i was someplace else doing something else like what said Instagrammer is doing ▪️Not being interrupted by buzzes in between what i'm working in the present moment - something i'm working on for my 2021 resolution, to be more focused and less ▪️Not finding the need to be validated or "liked" ▪️Being fully present on calls, not in between doing work ▪️Fully embracing the present, like taking a nap on the beach or taking in every morsel of food on my plate. The only caveat to not having a phone is my loss of navigational skills and the lack of an alarm. It taught me: ▪️How to trust in the word (when a date says meet at 7pm at X location, you do so), ▪️To believe in fate (from exchanging numbers to "see you when I see you"), ▪️To exercise my memory better (no more portable notes) ▪️To be more descriptive (no pictures to send to illustrate) ▪️Who matters (who cared enough to ask how I am) and who doesn't Do you think you'd be able to live without a phone completely for days or even weeks? 🤳 P.S. Full travel drama in the link in bio if you're curious! P.P.S And yes I took this photo of the beautiful cenotes of Mexico! #BATWxMexico

I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to be so excited about learning a new sport. It seems the last time I've been so passionate about a sport was in 2010, when I first came to join rock climbing in my junior college (and which I still love and partake in today!). I guess you really know it when you think about it in the minutes between sleeping. This might sound sadistic but the more number of bruises I got from surfing (including a black eye), the more accomplished I feel. I was actually pleasantly surprised at my back muscles the last time I saw it. There's just something about surfing (or any sport for that matter) that makes you want to try over and over again each time you crash and fall. It doesn't matter how often you fall or how much you have to paddle, that one wave that you catch means more than anything. That one wave is what turns your entire day around. Do you feel the same way about a sport or hobby? #BATWxCostaRica

How 4 weeks in Costa Rica turned into 5, being withheld by officers for 12 hours subject to intense interrogation, having my tourist visa revoked in the US and my phone I'm trying to chase half the world away. Just got off a call with a friend who'd noticed I went "missing" and shared the whole drama with him. (Thanks to all who tried to keep in contact and your well wishes btw!) What transpired over the course of this past week have been everything out of the ordinary. I don't think I'll have access to my phone for another week or two at least (stole my friend's phone to post this) but full story is up on the blog now - link in bio! For the rest who've been unable to contact me, I'm still accessible on Instagram DM or FB messenger. Sending lots of love and positivity to you guys meanwhile. 😘 #BATWxCostaRica

🌞 A few more days left to win the beach towel of your choice! Check out the previous post to participate. 😉 #BATWxSingapore

[GIVEAWAY] To encourage you to get out there and soak in all the Vitamin Sea the ocean 🌊 has to offer, I've partnered with my favourite Australian-designed sand-free beach towel brand @tesalate to welcome the new year with you! Quick drying, packs compact and repels sand, here's how you can win a regular towel of your choosing for yourself: 1. Follow @tesalate & @belardtheworld 2. Comment your favourite beach destination 🏖 3. Tag a minimum of 3 friends. The more you tag, the higher your chances. (Share this post!) Giveaway ends 11 Jan 2021, opens internationally. Let's share the beach love! Good luck! 🤙 #BATWxSingapore

You know how sometimes you enter into another dimension where you feel like you're living a completely different zone than what you've ever known? That's how much #Tamarindo in #CostaRica has grown on me. From a time when I was counting down the days till I'm back to the cool comforts of the US to waving down to familiar faces on the way to the beach twice (or thrice) a day, this beach town has completely thrown me off what "reality" is! How many can say they spent New Year's Day by this pool amidst the lush tropics, beer in hand, and then going for sunset surfs? Ugh, I wish everyone can experience loving life sooooo much at least once in their lifetime. 💕 Where has made your heart feel sooo full? #BATWxCostaRica

Started 2020 in a bar in Long Beach, California. Crazy how 2021 had me in Costa Rica, sharing this new page with people coming from all over the world congregated at the beach last night. The town had closed early due to COVID but that had nothing on the rest of us. They brought the party to the beach with their own stereo and disco lights. Fireworks 🎆 lighting the night sky; Colours 🎨 melting into the ocean. Strangers kissing; Wrapped up as the clock struck midnight. It's been a wild 2020, but I have nothing to complain about. Thank YOU for believing in me and for being here with me always as I share my stories with you all. 💕 My heart is so effing full. 🥲 #BATWxCostaRica

Surf 🏄‍♀️ Nap 🛏 Work 💻 Repeat Feels like I'm living in my own lil surf bubble in the last few days in Costa Rica, and taking in all the simple life a surf beach town has to offer. 2020, you've treated me well! #BATWxCostaRica

i surrender; to who i am, to what i am. i accept my actions, my lapses in judgement, my miscalculations. my joys and my sorrows, the stress and the anxiety. they are simply what they are - an expression of an afterthought. i'm slowly learning how to love myself; to be unapologetically me. #BATWxCalifornia

Jungle living be like... 🌳🌳🌳