About

I spent my childhood growing up in Malaysia, the daughter of a local Chinese Malaysian father and an Australian mother.  Mixed, Eurasian, Pan-asian.  These were the words used to classify children like me.  We were an emerging breed, you see.  I wouldn't come to know the term Third Culture Kid until much later, and even now, I wouldn't claim to be one.  I actually dislike that term because I think it simplifies things too broadly.  Still, people my whole life have wondered about where I'm from, often throwing in their own guesses.  It's hugely entertaining.

My mum tells a story about me when I was perhaps four and someone asked me what are you?  She said I answered quite simply and confidently, I'm a Norbyah.  Pretty good, eh?  Deep and profound at only four (ha!)  I used this as the title of a book I wrote about myself in seventh grade.  And, years later when I was reconfiguring my blog, I decided it would be the perfect blog title.

So, what you'll read on I'm a Norbyah is a glimpse into all of the many aspects that make me who I am. I'm a wife, a working mother, a vintage lover, a hoarder of polkadots and other prints, a stylist and a fashion blog writer on the side. My sartorial sensibilities are largely influenced by my belief that there's value in pieces from the past. Fashion is cyclical. And, clothes have a longer lifespan than the time they spend in people's wardrobes. I wear vintage and secondhand clothing nearly exclusively because of this belief and because of my passion to reduce textile waste and to recycle.

When my clothes need repair, I take time to mend them. When I have mishaps with my vintage (and it happens more than I'd like to admit), I look to creative ways to rescue my vintage. Usually this involves a bit of DIY (no, I'm not a DIY blogger - I'm a vintage rescuer). I'm a strong champion of local businesses and markets and I love to support local brands and designers, especially those with a vision of sustainability.

I hope you enjoy what you read and see here and that you'll come back from time to time.