About

Hi! I'm Ling Ling
I'm the writer behind this personal blog, Miss Elle Tea. I started this blog because I wanted to write, get things off my chest, find my voice, and discover what matters most. I wrote a post about Why I Blog.
I write about people, places and phenomena that spark inspiration or tickle curiosity.
Who is Ling Ling?
Here are a few fun things about Ling Ling:
- I'm Malaysian-born, in a city where the Portuguese, Dutch and British once colonised.
- With the help of a fortune-teller, my name is derived from the word língjiǎo (菱角) or water caltrop in English.
- I've lived, studied and worked in 8 countries - Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Portugal, Serbia, Singapore, the UK, and the USA.
- I'm a multi-hyphenate, which means I do too many things. I'm an intercultural psychologist / a learning & development professional / formerly an electronics engineer.
- Since 2005, I've facilitated and delivered workshops and training programs in 21 countries across four continents in technology, travel and humanitarianism.
- I ran a podcast show called, Leaders of Learning from 2018 to 2020
- I practice Vipassana meditation daily and learn Ashtanga Yoga with Glo.
I am based in Lisbon, Portugal. If you're around, drop me a note and let's have coffee. ☕️
What are you working on now?
- I'm an Intercultural Psychologist with Culture Spark Global (CSG). CSG is a learning company focusing on developing psychological and sociocultural skills to cultivate inclusive and compassionate communities.
- I'm settling back in Lisbon to prepare for the upcoming PhD in Psychology programme with ISCTE-IUL in September 2023.
- Also, I'm making (slow) progress in learning Portuguese.
If you'd like more insight into my background, contact me on LinkedIn.
Who Miss Elle Tea?
I love to hike mountains and trek jungles. The Bornean rain forests. The rocky Himalayas. The undulating coasts of the Algarve. The majestic and wondrous nature is a humbling reminder of the impermanence of it all - our fleeting and insignificant speck of existence in this timeless and infinite universe.
Malaysia is blessed to have one of the world's oldest and most biodiverse rainforests. According to local superstitions, spirits live in these rainforests; some are good, and some are not. When trekking, people may disturb or offend spirits by trespassing or stepping in the wrong places.
As such, these spirits may want to seek revenge and stalk trekkers. However, spirits can only follow you if they know your real name. So, when we make a trip to the rainforests, we give each other nicknames as a spiritual precaution.
My trekking nickname is Elle Tea; my initials (L.L.T.) are spelt out. 🤓
How can I support Miss Elle Tea?
You can sign up for my mailing list.
I'll send articles about people, places as well as cultural and universal phenomena that spark inspiration or tickle curiosity. If you find my writings helpful or inspiring, feel free to forward them to those who need them most. 💐
Appearances
I've made some appearances in other places. Check them out!
Speaking
- Virtual International Council of Psychologists Conference - Nov 2022
- British Psychology Society & PsyPAG Conference - July 2022
- Women’s Forum Asia with French Tech – Sep 2019
- Podthon– Aug 2019
- Pecha Kucha Festival Malaysia– July 2019
- Echelon Summit Asia – May 2019
- Asia Professional Speakers Singapore – May 2019
- PPTKTV – Apr 2019
- Be Kind To Yourself – March 2018
Blogs
- Are Refugees in Portugal Finding Well-Being in a Safe Space? - Speak Social
- A Long Journey Home: On the Road to Refugees' Integration - Speak Social
- Podcasts by Women You Need to Know About by 2020 – Singapore Women’s Network
- 9 M’sian Podcasts That’ll Help Every Entrepreneur Stay On Top Of Their Biz Game in 2020 – Vulcan Post
- How To Grow Your Podcast: Proven Tips from Ling Ling – Norman Chella
- Conversation Starter Series: Interview with Ling Ling Tai – Marie Nadal Sharma
Podcasts & Videos
- Ep 14: Being Average & Not Knowing What to Do In Life (ft Tai Ling Ling) - Handful of Leaves
- Want to start podcasting? An interview with Ling Ling Tai – Andrea Edwards
- Pecha Kucha PJ, Malaysia – March 2019
- Fireside Chat: Work and Learning in the Age of AI – Oct 2019
- Understanding Cultural Intelligence – Livin’ it up in Lion City
- Skilling Me Softly – Design and Tell
- What do you value most in life? – My Worst Ever Investment Podcast
- The power of WE! The eccentric Adam Neumann and his tequila parties – Longkang Kitties
- Developing Cultural Intelligence for an Inclusive Workplace – French Tech Podcast
- Not Again Podcast Episode 111 – Gary Tan
- 12-minute convos with Ling Ling Tai – Engel Jones
- Discover and Learn with Ling Ling Tai – The Tao of Self Confidence
- Ling Ling talks about The Human Voice and Duolingo – Economical Rice Podcast
- Questioning female leaders after Theranos – LongKang Kitties
Are you an affiliate?
Yes. Miss Elle Tea participates in the Rakuten Advertising Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to help a site earn commissions by linking to its products and services.
In other words, whenever you buy a book/product from any link on this site, I receive a small percentage of its price. This helps to maintain the website and support my work. You're safe. There are no nefarious "third parties" or "cookies".
Thanks so much for being here. It means a lot to me. 🥰
Much love,
Ling Ling
P.S. If you found a typo and dying to fix it, drop me a line, and I'll get to it soon!
Last Updated: 26 July 2023