Justin and Shuyi Liok tested their marriage by taking a year off work to explore the globe. This is their story.
While travel, along with food, is a national obsession in Singapore, taking a year off work to trot the globe veers from the norm. Which explains Justin Liok’s reaction when his wife of one year floated the idea. Says the 37-year-old asset manager: “I love travelling, but to do so for such an extended period and having to quit our jobs... I initially baulked at the suggestion and hoped that she would forget about it after a while.”
But Shuyi Liok did not forget. The couple had been working for eight years and this was a golden – read: pre-children – opportunity. Justin eventually relented, figuring it would be a way to turbocharge their marriage. With a condensed time frame in which to experience the trials of marriage, they would either break up or “become an inseparable, perpetually-in-love couple”.
Fast forward a year to 2015. The couple returned – bitter arguments, silent treatments and impulses to flee notwithstanding – convinced they wanted to work together. Today, they share a name card – as co-managers of the Liok family office. Here’s what went down.
What advice did you get before you went on the trip?
Justin: To go with the flow, not stress on pre-planning and make bookings as and when the time to move comes. But there was so much we wanted to do, we actually dedicated two months to planning the entire trip, which allowed us to cover over 30 countries and 80 cities in a year.
Many expected us to cut the trip short as they couldn’t fathom travelling with their other halves for more than two months. We proved otherwise.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2017-Ausgabe von The PEAK Singapore.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2017-Ausgabe von The PEAK Singapore.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
A Sophisticated Bachelor Pad
In this two-storey apartment belonging to a finance in professional, designer Jerry Tan of Joey Khu ID created distinct arez ork and play.
Fringe Modalities
Poet, frontwoman, and shamanic healer ArunDitha Emmanuel returns to Singapore with renewed vigour to push the state-enforced boundaries of art.
Taking On Decolonisation
The annual Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations by T:> Works this year tackles the complex subject of decolonisation with a line-up of artists from the global south.
Japan at Half-speed
A walking tour through the Kunisaki Peninsula in Kyushu is an invitation to appreciate thé country’s beauty ata snail's pace.
Truffle Sabotage
In the heart of Chianti, dark tales of the truffle trade, bacchanalian feasts, and sun salutations await at Christina Ong's COMO Castello del Nero in Tuscany.
Is Barolo the Next Burgundy?
With Burgundy prices reaching starry heights, we find out why Barolo is the next frontier for oenophiles.
Hungry for Hansik
Hansik, or Korean food, is becoming more popular worldwide due to the proliferation of Korean pop culture. We explore two of the cuisine's stalwart elements.
Maxed Out
We explore the intricacies of high-performance tyre development inside Continental’s top-tier test facility in Germany and put its new MaxContact MC7 tyres to the test.
India Rising
From a culture whose glorious traditions have greatly influenced luxury jewellery today, young designers like Renu Oberoi are rewriting the narrative.
A Life Less Ordinary
Street culture pioneer-entrepreneur Feroze McLeod defies convention, even in his watch collection.