Did you know that other than Taipei MRT stations, Taoyuan Airport, and train stations' luggage storage centre — with costs ranging from NT10 per hour to NT70 per day — there are FREE lockers in Taipei city, operated by SOGO departmental stores, located just minutes away from prominent MRT stations?

I did an online search before writing this post. While most blogs document the lockers in Taipei MRT stations and Taoyuan Airport, various train stations' luggage storage centre or the new initiative Lalalockers (with Lalalockers, you can store your luggage with store owners for greater convenience) there are little to no recommendations about the SOGO's free lockers for luggage storage in Taipei.

To be honest I was initially sceptical when I first read about them in Taiwanese forums. Free luggage storage with no terms and conditions? Sounds too good to be true. I had expected to be pressurised to buy something in SOGO in exchange for the luggage storage services, or show proof of purchase before I can store my luggage with them.


Imagine my surprise when I realised the free lockers, tucked into a small corner, were unmanned! There was even ample space for me to unpack and repack my luggage so I could fit everything into the locker.

As you can tell from the size, the biggest locker should a piece of 24-inch luggage comfortably. I used a 20-inch one and still had ample space above to fit my soft toy LOL.

Instructions for the free lockers

Don't worry even if you're a non-Chinese speaker as there are instructions in English as well. It's pretty straightforward and fuss-free. If you're afraid of forgetting which locker you used, just snap a photo of your locker with the locker number after locking it like I always do!


There are four SOGOs around Taipei, but only two that offer the free lockers for storage. the lockers are usually tucked away in a quiet corner so look out for that hint of lime green, or ask the shopkeepers. If you're utlising SOGO's free lockers, it'll be nice to purchase something from the stores as well :)

SOGO Fuxing Store (SOGO復興館)

Address: 

No.45, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
(106台北市忠孝東路三段300號)

Level: 

Basement 3

Operating hours:

9am to 9:30pm daily | 9am to 10pm on eve of public holidays

SOGO Zhongxiao Store (SOGO忠孝館)

Address: 

No.300, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
(106台北市忠孝東路四段45號)

Level: 

Basement 2

Operating hours:

9am to 9:30pm daily | 9am to 10pm on eve of public holidays

One of my biggest worries before I entered university was whether I would still have the capability to finance myself since I assumed that a full-time degree at The University of Newcastle, Australia would take up the bulk of my time. I would later learn that the way classes were structured allowed me to hold a weekend part-time job, finish an internship, and freelance as a graphic designer and content writer in two years.

A day of class for Bachelor of Communication usually consisted of a three hour long lecture and tutorial, which happened on the same day, back-to-back. I preferred this in comparison to what we had in polytechnic — a full day of lectures for different modules followed by tutorials happening on different days — since this keeps the momentum and any class discussions going. Classes at The University of Newcastle, Australia had three time slots: 8:30am to 11:30pm, 12pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 6:30pm.

We took a maximum of 4 modules per trimester, leaving me with at least one free day every week to work on my jobs outside of school. Along with my classmates who hold diplomas in related courses (I have a diploma in Mass Communication from Ngee Ann Polytechnic), I was given several credit exemptions. While these exemptions did not shorten the duration of my course of two years (i.e. 6 trimesters), I had significantly more free time in trimesters when I took less modules.

In particular, I took only one module — Audience Studies — in my second trimester, freeing up the rest of my week. I figured that since a lecture and tutorial lasts for only 3 hours, I effectively had 4.5 free working days in a week, which could be better spent doing something productive. With this in mind, I applied for an internship to beef up my resume during my school holidays prior to that trimester.

My internship application via various job portals got picked up quickly since I had prior experience and I got several offers by the end of my search, about one month later. Most companies were understanding of my schedule and more than glad to allow me half a day off to attend my classes.

A typical week for me then was four full days of work every week, with half a day of work on Wednesday mornings. Then I’ll grab lunch on my way to PSB Academy, which was, fortunately, conveniently located at the heart of town in Marina Square. That trimester, although with only one module, was especially tough since I was doing an internship at a PR agency while also managing my school work and ensuring that my grade for that module doesn’t slip below a distinction.

I had 3 to 4 modules the following trimesters after my internship. As I was used to 6 modules per semester, on top of working part-time, during my polytechnic days, I figured I could push myself again this time. As clients started approaching me on Linkedin, where I was listed as a freelance content writer and graphic designer, I started accepting jobs while studying full-time since freelancing allowed me some flexibility.

A typical weekday was packed with client meetings in the morning if my classes were in the afternoon, or vice-versa. Weekday evenings were strictly reserved for a careful balance of my client’s works or school assignments, depending on whichever deadline is nearer while my weekends were filled by my part-time job.

I’m a staunch believer of how you choose to spend your life determines the person you become. Naturally, I loaded up my weeks even if I had to burn the candle at both ends sometimes so I could make the most out of my time. As most of my previous working experience was centred around corporate blog writing, interning at a PR agency gave me the chance to explore other modes of writing and eventually, opened up more opportunities. Freelancing during school also set the stage for more options during my job hunt as I worked with several big-name clients.

If you’re interested in getting started on an internship or freelancing, job portals — like Glassdoor, Glints or InternSG — and Linkedin, which also has its job portal, are a great way to get started. I did my internship in my second trimester as the workload was lighter but one of my classmates did hers towards the 4th to 5th semester; doing your internship later will allow you to contribute more to the company you’re interning for since you’ll be more knowledgeable then.


A lot of my friends used their free time to improve themselves differently as well — some go to the gym, some picked up a hobby, some took extra lessons outside. The point is that although Bachelor of Communication at The University of Newcastle, Australia is a full-time course, it also offered students the flexibility of working outside or pursuing your interest while gaining a new qualification.

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Brought to you by PSB Academy.

Have you ever sailed through your assignments and bagged several A’s only to get crushed by a final exam? That was me, for the entirety of poly. I was great at practical work but my kryptonite has always been exams. I hated that exams, which held the bulk of our grades for certain modules, defined our performance.

Exams birthed an education system whereby students viewed studying as a series of successive goals — not a place you ask questions and learn from your peers. If you’re not graded for it, why bother working hard on it? If this chapter is not tested, why bother reading and memorising it? The fact that I ever scored 100/100 for a Dreamweaver test in poly proves that it is not my inability to work under pressure — I simply never saw the point in mugging for the sole purpose of memorising those notes then moving on thereafter.

As Albert Einstein famously said, “But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”


I know people who dropped out of Junior College (JC) or attended private institutions after A-Level exams but eventually excelled in their university course. The issue they faced was not their capability but that the performance of their entire two years in JC was being graded with one large final exam.

But when it comes to communication courses like the Bachelor of Communication I took at The University of Newcastle, Australia, are exams truly the best way of grading our performance? I would rather my success be measured by ongoing assessments, which I believe are closer to what my appraisal at work would be based on.

With this in mind, one of the first things I asked the course consultant over at PSB Academy when I was applying for universities was how The University of Newcastle, Australia graded its students. Imagine my relief to hear that other than some quizzes (I sat for a total of 2 during my two years there), there were absolutely no exams and final grades were derived from continual assessments.

I heaved another sigh of relief when I learnt that The University of Newcastle, Australia doesn’t grade students on a bell curve. I never liked that idea — bell curves create an air of animosity amongst students, who are forced to pit against each other with the knowledge that his failure will be my success.

Most of my assessments during my 6 trimesters at The University of Newcastle, Australia were:

• Written assignment (essays, news features, press releases)
• Project work (with final assignments being either a proposal and/or presentation)
• Production (shooting and editing of videos)
• MCQ quizzes
• Class participation

The shift away from traditional exams paved the way for a smoother transition between studying and being in a full-time job which, in my opinion, is what universities should be preparing you for.

Journalism, one of the final modules I had to take in university, was particularly challenging. Grading consisted of a class presentation, weekly blog posts based on the different elements of Journalism, and a final news story (in any format of my choice: written work, audio story/interview, video story/interview) with an actual journalist. Not only does the module test our proficiency and depth of knowledge of the journalism industry, but we also needed to be resourceful to secure an interviewee for our final assignment.

I found the proficiency and resourcefulness applicable to the working world as well — when I was freelancing as a writer, I had to do everything on my own, from sourcing for interviewees to crafting a house style guide so my tone and formatting are kept consistent. These are beneficial skills that exams can never teach.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting the merits of exams. After all, it is a quick and easy way of gauging one’s performance. Although the media industry is known for being competitive, at the end of the day, we formed study groups to help each other out. In my experience though, I typically only started studying a few days prior to the papers, and usually forgot most of the things I memorised the moment I stepped out of that exam hall and hardly went back to look at them.

In comparison, I was motivated to work hard consistently throughout the trimester to ensure that my grades don’t slip. I was also given the space to learn at my own pace, consult lecturers for issues I felt strongly about and, through this, developed crucial critical thinking skills.

For example, for one of my Communication and Discourse assessments, we had to visit a bustling site to observe, well, communication and discourse (duh) between people, analysing the social relationships, material culture, power-play etc. It was one of my favourite assessments as it provided hands-on learning from first-hand experience.

Some people excel in exams, some people hate the traditional model of mugging for exams. In my case, I chose The University of Newcastle, Australia as it suited what I was looking for — assessments that encourage students to apply theories to practical situations instead of testing students based on how well they memorised theories.

If you’d like to learn more about my experience at The University of Newcastle, Australia, I will be sharing more at the PSB Academy Open House, held online on 4 April 2020.

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Brought to you by PSB Academy.

It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that private education institutions like PSB Academy are known for their school fees, but most people are unaware that these private institutions and private universities offer full or partial financial aid to students too. These scholarships are easily found on Google, but I’ll share the three that I’m most familiar with!

PSB Academy Merit Scholarship

This scholarship has a few prerequisites such as an outstanding academic record, Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) participation and any leadership qualities. It’s open to all nationalities and private/polytechnic diploma holders.

PSB Academy ASEAN Scholarship

You’re eligible for the PSB Academy ASEAN Scholarship if you’re a student originating from ASEAN member countries — Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar (Burma), Laos. Similarly, the application looks at your academic records, CCA participation and leadership qualities.

PSB Academy - Self-Help Group (The Eurasian Association, Yayasan Mendaki and SINDA) Scholarships

If you’re Eurasian, Malay or Indian, you can apply for a scholarship under your respective self-help group. The PSB Academy - Self-Help Group (The Eurasian Association, Yayasan Mendaki and SINDA) Scholarships are also awarded based on academic merit.

My friends didn’t apply for the scholarships but there were other students who were awarded the scholarship, which is supporting them in their education journey. More information about these scholarships can also be found here.

Individual universities offer their own scholarships to reward students as well — I held The University of Newcastle Singapore Merit Scholarship throughout my two years in university. I knew nothing about the scholarship before I enrolled; only after speaking to one of the helpful consultants at PSB Academy did she inform me that I was eligible for The University of Newcastle Singapore Merit Scholarship since my poly GPA was above 3.0. The application was easy — I just submitted my polytechnic results slips and PSB Academy did the rest for me.

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A post shared by Yi Tsing 怡靜 (@pekyj) on Aug 8, 2019 at 6:19am PDT

Additionally, The University of Newcastle Singapore rewards outstanding students with cash prizes or other key benefits. In my final year of university, I won the Best Performance Award for Bachelor of Communication which came with a cheque, which I promptly deposited into my account to pay for my school feels — not the most exhilarating way to spend it, but definitely a matured boring adult decision.

Taking these financial factors into consideration, is an education in a private education institution much more expensive than one can afford? No, I don’t think so. On top of the financial assistance provided, graduating in two years allowed me to enter the workforce earlier than my peers, who are still in the midst of completing their degrees. My school fees in PSB Academy might have been more expensive, but I will gain two extra years of working experience, giving me two extra years of salary on top of putting me in the same position as my peers when they eventually graduate, or even beyond.

Admittedly, the private education institution path might be a rougher start, but what mattered to me most at the point of university application was how soon I could get back into the workforce. PSB Academy happened to provide me with the right balance of financial assistance and a quicker pathway.

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Brought to you by PSB Academy.

2019 saw me rejecting more sponsorships than accepting them. I'm not sure if anyone noticed the change in my posting habits, but I've stopped posting as frequently as I did and stopped updating my blog as much. Admittedly, I hit a plateau. I started blogging at the tender age of 8, which essentially means I spent more years living my life online than I have not. I have more than witnessed the growth of social media — I was part of it. And now I'm surfeited with it.

A visual representation of how I looked when I first started blogging

Maybe I detest that my number of followers is the first thing people comment on. Maybe I hate the stereotypes that come with being an influencer — contrary to popular belief, I am neither vain nor good in front of the camera. Maybe I loathe being defined by a number.

No, I'm not an influencer. Never aimed to be one either. After all, I started blogging in 2004. Social media was hardly a thing then, much less the idea of earning a living via social media. It's even more hilarious when you realise that I only started a blog to list the names of my good friends then, and updated only when I wanted to remove those names that have fallen from grace LOLOL.

Over the years, I have written about everything from what I ate during recess to my thoughts on deeper topics like why we shouldn't romanticise teenage suicide. I was 16 when I received my first paycheck from social media advertising and started being financially independent.

I’m lucky that social media is no longer my sole source of income now that I have a full-time job, and that I had the foresight to not sign a binding contract with any company. I get the freedom to choose my clients and work with brands I’d truly endorse to my friends. More importantly, I can finally stop feeling the pressure to grow my followers and appeal to the mass public with brainless sunshine quotes on ~living life to the fullest~

Trust me when I say I haven’t grown any less opinionated. But... Things changed, I guess. I stopped being wilful and self-centred, I became more sensitive to other people’s feelings and, much to my own surprise, I grew reclusive. While social media used to be an outlet of expression for me, I find myself censoring my thoughts and softening my words so I don’t unintentionally hurt the feelings of anyone now. Throughout university, I always maintained and argued that self-censorship destructs creativity. Now I see that happening to me. It’s taxing — onerous, even — to keep backspacing and replacing my thoughts, so I end up not writing at all.

But more than anything else, I also learnt to live my life offline. I put away my phone when I'm with my friends. I stopped hunting for Instagrammable spots when I travel, stopped wondering if my readers would like a particular place, stopped worrying about how I write about a certain experience on my blog.

It’s a serious dilemma. While I don’t want to share every bit of my life online and live for my blog anymore, writing has always been my escapism. It was all I ever knew of as a young girl, and my love for writing has brought me to places I never once imagined.

I don't know how things would go from here, but I do hope that when I eventually write again, I can revert (yes guys, that’s how you use REVERT) to the proverbial good old days of writing for myself instead of worrying about SEO.

I’ve long stopped penning down New Year's resolutions — ever since I realised traditions were societal constructs that we don’t have to follow if we don’t want to. New year, new me? I beg to differ. Any time of the year is a good time to begin accomplishing your goals or change an undesirable habit. But I suppose I can see the appeal of New Year's resolutions. After all, it wasn’t too long ago that the internet was teeming with expeditious listicles.

Maybe, just maybe, I can make it an exception for this new decade — it might be interesting to look back at these goals a year on as a measurement of change. This is technically my first year back into the working world after I graduated with a Bachelor of Communication from the University of Newcastle. I see 2020 as the year of betterment for me. I know if I just push myself a little more, I can grow into a more confident, more well-read version of me so I can be a better media practitioner.

1. Staying curious

One thing I noticed after graduating from university is how I have essentially stopped learning — a great pity because I had such a thirst for knowledge back in university. It’s easy to see why that is the case though.

At the University of Newcastle, we had knowledgeable lecturers who, on top of mapping out lesson plans, directed us to relevant and current articles or news they deemed to be relevant. Not least I recall discussions held during public relations classes relating to current affairs — we were encouraged to share our views, whether they were in agreement or opposing standpoints. Those sessions were helpful in allowing us to understand more about the media and communication industry not just in Singapore, but also globally.

A module I fondly remember is Public Affairs & Communication, in which our lecturer, Mr Robert, taught us the different systems of governance around the world. I took an interest in communism and socialism in particular and continued reading about them on my own, which led to me holding an hour-long debate on economic equality and state ownership versus what we have in a democratic society with one of my clients back when I was freelancing as a writer/designer. This knowledge eventually led to me securing the business.

I recognise that it’s important to be in the know, especially in the media industry since we always need to be on our toes about the latest news or trends. So in 2020, I hope to regain the momentum albeit without guidance this time. Only by doing so can I be a better media practitioner.

2. Gaining confidence

Most of you may not know, I used to have crippling shyness to the point of getting anxiety attacks thinking about school. One of my biggest fears in primary school was hearing my name called out in class because that usually means I have to answer a question T____T

Fortunately, as I moved on to university, I got over that fear and became more confident of myself. I believe my time in university contributed to this confidence as well, since I had to present in front of my classmates and pitch to clients.

One of my fondest memories was scoring full marks for a presentation for my final year module, Journalism. Of course, this was done through multiple consults with my lecturer, who, thankfully, stayed patient despite my endless questions.

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i name this one: the valedictorian’s many condescending thoughts. and one posed photo so y’all will forget how terrible i look in candid photos wtf. . a lot of you asked (REALLY GOT PEOPLE ASK OK HAHAHA *defensive*) if i have a video recording of my speech. i hesitated sharing it initially because it wasn’t my best delivery — i was nervous as hell after finding out, on the day of graduation itself, that i wasn’t just the graduate speaker for my faculty but that i was representing the entire university cohort what the!!! . after some consideration, i decided to share it anyway because a lot of you have been following me since secondary school or poly days, and i thought it would be meaningful for you to be a part of this journey. 😌 . TLDR: video link to my speech in my bio!!

A post shared by Yi Tsing 怡靜 (@pekyj) on Nov 24, 2019 at 4:33am PST

Thanks to the University of Newcastle, I also got the chance to stand in front of hundreds of people to deliver the valedictorian speech! Young Yi Tsing would’ve never imagined this scene.

In 2020, I hope to bring this newfound confidence further — be it professionally or outside of work — by first changing my mentality. By becoming more confident, I will be able to show a better side of myself, allowing me to bring my thoughts and ideas across easily.

3. Read more

I can’t believe I only read 6 books in 2019! I’m aiming to double the amount with 10 books in 2020. Scoffing at all those times I sneered at my teachers for reiterating — like a broken record — that reading is important. As an adult, I now know that reading is important. Not only does it provide me with a respite from reality, reading also expands my knowledge as well as improves my language skills, creating a better version of me.

One of my favourite parts of the University of Newcastle was the online library that I had access to. I could, in the comfort of my own house, browse the online library and pick out books and academic journals I was interested in. It also helped that every module came with recommended readings for us to understand the module beyond what’s taught in lectures.

Now that I’ve graduated, however, I have resorted to the old school way of visiting national libraries again, which takes a lot more motivation and self-discipline *deep sigh*. Shoutout to my secret santa for getting me Kinokuniya vouchers because I finally bought The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler — a book I’ve been hankering for.

4. Write again

Publishing a book has been on my bucket list for over a decade now. 2018 and 2019 were the years I was the busiest with school and my freelance projects, so I stopped updating my blog frequently. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped writing; I was still churning out essays after essays in school. Modules like International Media Studies or Communication & Discourse required several essays — all of which gave me the opportunities to practice writing.

Writing has always been a huge part of my life and, now that I’ve graduated, it’s time to jump back into that. It would be completely ironic for me, who majored in journalism and public relations, to claim that I lost touch with writing so it’s time I change that.

2020 will probably be the year of change for me, diving back into the workforce after graduation. They say the only constant in life is change, and it is my job this year to ensure that my change is for the better. Come what may, I’m ready to take it on — as a better version of the person I was in 2019.

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This post was sponsored by PSB Academy Singapore.

每当我们争吵 你老是毫不犹疑地提出分手
你总说竟然不合 干嘛勉强在一起 干嘛互相折磨

告诉过你 分手后我就不回头 永远不会
可能你没把我的话放在眼里 可能你把我当笑话
所以你很舍得提起放手

而都是我拼命地挽回
是我抱着你 哭着求问你
为啥那么容易放弃 怎么不一起努力
直到某一天 累了 心冷了 泪干了

后来换你请求我再给你一次机会
你说你会改变 你说你会开始沟通
你说你一直很爱我
你说你想陪我度过一生

那时的我跟自己斗争着
很痛苦 却哭不出了
太迟了
我们拥有的一切 已经不能挽回了

我们始终不属于对方
我们，有始有终
我们，剩下“我”
我们，回不去了