appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Aminah Farid

It was the seductive call of the wind and the waves that first lured Syasya Syahirah Nor Azmi to give up her life in the bustling capital of Malaysia’s Penang Island for the gentle sway of a sailing boat more than 18,000km (11,000 miles) away from home.
Through her Instagram account, “Syasya Syahirah Adventure Life”, the 28-year-old adventurer offers followers a window into her life aboard a Beneteau 57 sailing boat, living in harmony with the rhythm of the sea off the coasts of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Mexico.
What began with a stroke of serendipity with the offer of a spot on a sailing crew has evolved into a two-year voyage around the Caribbean. Syasya’s dreams have now expanded to include reaching French Polynesia and crossing the Pacific next year.
“Ever since I was a child, I had a burning curiosity to explore the world around me,” she told This Week in Asia from Costa Rica.
Her journey isn’t just about exploration, but also the active embrace of freedom, adventure and a simpler existence. Her days are now a blend of navigating, fishing, restocking essentials during shore trips, and refreshing dips in crystal-clear waters, all chronicled on social media.

“My childhood ambition was to be a flight attendant, so I could travel or be a professional athlete. My family always knew that I had big dreams to travel the world,” she said. “Although I never imagined doing that through sailing, only via planes or trains, but never beyond that.”
Syasya is part of a growing cohort of young Asians seeking what the internet dubs the “soft life” – a lifestyle choice that place more emphasis on personal happiness than the relentless pursuit of career goals or success. The “soft life” ethos advocates comfort and minimal stress.
This mindset shift was underscored in a survey last year by recruitment agency Randstad Malaysia, which revealed that 79 per cent of employees under the age of 34 had considered leaving their current jobs in pursuit of a better work-life balance.
Singapore gives workers the right to request more work from home, 4-day weeks
Acknowledging this change in priorities, especially among the young, Singapore announced a new guideline earlier this month that will give employees the right to request more four-day work weeks and work-from-home days, starting from December.
Syasya’s journey around the world began in October last year with an unexpected invitation to join a crew bound for Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island.
She quickly embraced the joys of independent living in beautiful natural surroundings, despite the close quarters of a boat that she shares with a captain and two other crew members.
I’ve always been fascinated by the freedom and adventure that comes with living on a sailing boat
Syasya Syahirah Nor Azmi, soft life practitioner
From casting her fishing line into the ocean to discovering hidden beaches and watching the sunset, every Instagram upload captures Syasya’s maritime adventures. Her posts capture candid moments of laughter and companionship, as she relishes the simple joys of camaraderie or a refreshing drink, with the endless sea always in view.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the freedom and adventure that comes with living on a sailing boat,” she said.
“The idea of being able to travel to different places, explore new horizons, and live a simpler life close to nature really appealed to me. It’s a way to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of city life and embrace a more serene and peaceful existence.”
A typical day on board the boat involves a mix of maintenance, navigation, and leisure activities like swimming, reading, and creating social media content.

“Living on the boat means an endless project of fixing things, made tougher by the heat and humidity. When there’s a breeze, it’s bearable – just open hatches for airflow. But on windless scorchers, thank goodness for the generator-run air-conditioning,” she said.
“While we have encountered a few minor issues like adjusting the rigging and adding more solar panels, our attention to detail has ensured a smooth sailing experience overall.”
There are other downsides to the adventurer’s life, she concedes.
“Living on a boat can be pretty lonely sometimes, away from friends and family. When we meet other cruisers, we can connect, but in the end, there’s always a goodbye, and we won’t see them again,” she said.
“With limited space and missing loved ones, it can get really lonely. Plus, there’s never an end to boat work. I do have breakdowns once in a while … I also miss Malaysian food more than anything.”

‘Embrace the unknown’
Syasya’s peripatetic roots run deep.
Raised in a small town of Sekinchan on Malaysia’s west coast, her life path saw her study sports at a specialised school in Johor, before dabbling in fashion design and running her own businesses.
“I went to Johor for a sports school as a track and field athlete. Through sports, I had the opportunity to compete in competitions. For me, that was a way to travel. I always found smart ways to travel from early on,” she said.
After graduating high school in 2013, Syasya worked in a hotel, then a cafe, and also pursued fashion design studies. Although she initially enrolled in sport science at a university in the Klang Valley, she eventually decided to drop out, which allowed her to embark on a backpacking journey across Malaysia, concluding in George Town, where she started a new chapter of her life on Penang Island.

“I worked in a bar, cigar shop, and cafe to make a living. When the pandemic happened, I took an online course for three months. After the pandemic, I started selling fresh lemonade at the Sunday flea market, only working on weekends,” she said.
“I was scouted for modelling jobs in a grocery store. I also opened a thrift shop in George Town. From all this experience I gained, I made so many friends and established a strong network.”
Syasya credited her time in Penang for deepening her understanding of different cultures and enhancing her ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds.
“Living in Penang, surrounded by friends from all over the world, has made it effortless to embrace diversity. We frequently organise cultural exchange events, where we come together to celebrate our unique traditions and customs. The friendships I’ve formed have profoundly enriched my perspective and brought boundless joy to my life,” she said.
South Korea’s ‘FIRE tribe’ seek financial freedom in an uncertain world
Life on the boat is a far cry from the city life Syasya left behind. Instead of crowded streets and bustling cafes, she wakes to the sound of waves gently lapping against the hull. While most people rush to their workplaces, she spends her days exploring remote islands and soaking up the sun.
As she sails towards new horizons, Syasya has a simple piece of advice for anyone thinking about following in her footsteps: just do it.
“When you get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something out of the ordinary, have the guts to take the next step,” she said.
“Always keep an open mind and broaden your perspective. This willingness to embrace new experiences can lead to personal growth and unexpected opportunities. So, embrace the unknown, take risks, and seize every opportunity that comes your way.”


Malaysia’s Loke resigns as transport minister following Najib’s house arrest approval

Malaysia deploys air force aircraft for cloud seeding to combat worsening haze

Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Malaysia’s Najib Razak allowed to serve the rest of his term under house arrest

Malaysia

She left Malaysia to sail the world seeking freedom, adventure – and the ‘soft life’

A typical day on board the sailing boat home involves a mix of maintenance, navigation, and leisure for Syasya Syahirah Nor Azmi. Photo: Instagram/whatswrongsyaa

Malaysian adventurer Syasya Syahirah Nor Azmi on board the sailing boat she now calls home. Photo: Instagram/whatswrongsyaa

A typical day on board the boat involves a mix of maintenance, navigation, and leisure for Syasya. Photo: Instagram/whatswrongsyaa

Syasya enjoys the “soft life” with a cocktail on a beach. Photo: Instagram/whatswrongsyaa

Leaving harbour aboard the Beneteau 57 sailing boat. Photo: Instagram/whatswrongsyaa

A haul of goods seen below deck on the sailing boat Syasya calls home, after a supply run. Photo: Instagram/whatswrongsyaa

Descendants of Singapore’s ‘sea people’ keep Orang Laut way of life alive through food, stories

An old family photo shows a boat trip to Pulau Seking to get supplies while revisiting Pulau Semakau in 1988. Both islands now form the Semakau Landfill. Photo: Instagram/oranglautsg

Typical Orang Laut cuisine being shared at an event organised by Orang Laut SG. Photo: Instagram/oranglautsg

Trucks transport ash from incinerated garbage on Pulau Semakau, which now serves as an offshore landfill for land-scarce Singapore. Photo: AFP

A photograph taken in 1990 shows two matriarchs enjoying food on the beach at Pulau Semakau. Photo: Instagram/oranglautsg

Children swin in the sea off Pulau Semakau jetty circa 1980. Photo: Instagram/oranglautsg

Malaysia’s growing nationalism renews Sarawak’s quest for autonomy to become a ‘state within a state’

Kuching, capital of Sarawak state. There is a growing push for autonomy in Malaysia’s Sarawak state. Photo: Shutterstock.

The Samajaya Light Industrial Zone is where all the major electronics, solar and semiconductor plants are located in Sarawak. Photo: Shutterstock

Is Singapore really Asia’s happiest country? UN report sheds light on age divide

Singaporeans under 30 reported significantly worse quality of life in the World Happiness Report’s survey than those over 60. Photo: Shutterstock

One sociologist attributed younger Singaporeans reporting lower quality of life scores in the World Happiness Report’s survey to the feeling that they were unable to access the “Singapore Dream” of affluence as easily as their parents’ generation. Photo: AFP 

Why travellers with passports issued by Malaysia and Singapore are at a disadvantage

People travelling on passports issued by Singapore are at a disadvantage compared to those from many other countries because the document does not explicitly differentiate between first and last names, yet airport systems do. Photo: Shutterstock Images

A Japanese couple in traditional dress show their wedding rings. One partner, usually the bride, is legally required to adopt the other’s surname. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Malaysian passports do not explicitly distinguish between the holder’s family name and given name. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Application forms often require that a person state their surname. What if they don’t have one?  Photo: Shutterstock Images

This Week in Asia

People

Lifestyle & Culture

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

World

Americas

Syasya Syahirah Nor Azmi gave up her busy life in Penang for endless days of navigating, fishing and refreshing dips in crystal-clear Caribbean waters
The 28-year-old is part of a growing cohort of young Asians placing a premium on happiness over hustling for success as they embrace the ‘soft life’


Syasya Syahirah Nor Azmi gave up her life in Penang for the gentle sway of a sailing boat thousands of miles from home. Life is good, even if it can get lonely at times. And she misses the food.
