There’s something about people who leave you feeling energized after talking to them or reading their notes. When possible, do the same

Is America ready to bring Snowden home ?

I woke up thinking of hidden beaches today - there is one on an island I lived, it takes 2 hours hike to get to that beach - it’s a beautiful hike with waves hitting the shorelines next to you. There’s also a lighthouse and I remembered how peaceful it was sitting right on top, seeing the sea spread as far as your eyes can take you. Another time I explored a hidden beach was a random impromptu flight to Vietnam and another 5 hour bus ride on a windy road to a beach called Mui Ne. The beach was beautiful but what I remembered most was how the sky had a blanket of stars shinning from miles and miles away . I’ve never seen a spread of stars that beautiful. There’s something special in exploring hidden beaches The mind needs to work but the heart needs a break.

If you stayed away from mainstream and read hundreds of books from various perspective, your ability to view, gauge, and grasp the nuances of things will be very different

My brother : you have to master the Sicilian defense. That’s the only thing you need to good at (after hitting 4 different strategies to take me down). Everything else I read : don’t even bother abt Sicilian defense, you are not that person. Lol What are your favourite moves ?

When you have a dog that needs to stick his nose in whatever you are doing, pilates is customised to one hand rubbing his belly, forehead and one hand everything else, planks is making sure you don't fall on the dog when he insists on sleeping between you and the mat.

You build up these little things, and eventually, they make a big thing

I appreciate people who create real value for other people.

Lessons from my dog this past week. He went into a shock mode with the fireworks and thunderstorm. I was up most of the week keeping him calm, and was literally functioning on coffee. He went on a hiatus with his meds and food. And after various attempts, what worked like a charm was positive reinforcement i.e. cheering him on and telling he is a good boy every time he took his meds and food. Maybe we all need some cheering on in our lives too. He has been much better the last 2 days. This morning’s thunderstorm started at 4am so I thought since I’m up I’ll practice my guitar. I can’t tell which he thought was worse - the thunder or my playing. Pretty sure he would pay me to stop singing if he could too. But it worked like a charm and he slept back. Next goal is to soundproof the room. But it will only keep the thunder away. I’ll still be around. Stuff my dog puts up with, for love

Another interesting story about my first boss - after a few years as a manager, he decided to pursue his masters in the UK. He sold his nice comfortable house, his big cars, let his maids go - and took his family with him (his wife and 3 kids). He was on full scholarship but given pounds currency was a few times more, he took extra jobs to survive - cleaning toilets every morning from 3am at his university. But he has such a great spirit that he would publish comic strips of a “floor engineer” making light-hearted jokes of his experiences mopping the floor and washing toilets everyday. He finished his masters with high qualifications, and IEEE recognised his accomplishments and awarded him a full scholarship to do his PhD. He was among the10 selected globally. He went on to finish his PhD and next thing you know, the US hunted him down, got him a special O visa - I think it's called an “extraordinary visa” which is super hard to get. After a few years of hardship, today his family is quite settled and he has a good life going for him. What a journey to look back to.

Was catching up with my former bosses today - I’m blessed to have had great bosses - though both were different. My first boss was a hands-on kind, and big on self development - perfect for a starter team. We constantly pushed ourselves to be better. This team was fun, I was the birthday prankster and we even jammed together (I did the drums). We were without a doubt the most popular team of 10 in a building of 3000 people. My second boss was different - he was a hands-off kinda boss but a safety net if you fall. He gave that freedom and his trust with it. This was perfect as I was expediting my growth stage in my career. I rarely entered the office but sealed deals bigger than his sales team that he decided to create another role for me. I hated sales and I would tell customers as it is and somehow they trusted me. I remember only setting meetings with my boss every time his favorite team Manchester United wins - boy he will be in the happiest mood lol. Over time I kept in touch with both of them but they have both left the country - one to the US and one to Singapore. They are both incredibly polite and kind and I have never stopped short at learning from them even till today. It’s nice and nostalgic catching up with people who leave good memories in your life

Good luck, America

In today's episode of what the cat brought home. Maybe its some kinda baby water dragon or monitor lizard i don't know. Found it in my kitchen. It was still alive so I left it back at a lake nearby. Amazing how quickly they change colours based on the surrounding, but man if curiosity does not kill the cat, its likely gonna kill me. Luckily the dog was in the room sleeping.

The energy is real, but the soul is tired

Wolfgang Mozart joined the Colloredo’s court in 1772 as a concertmaster but was so miserable because his creative inclinations did not go hand in hand with the traditional ask of the Archbishop so he parted ways and decided to be autonomous for his creativity to thrive, and thrive he did. But he was poor for most parts of his life because he could not bridge with the audience that loved him easily. Prince wanted to breakaway from his contract with his longtime label, Warner Bros so he renamed himself to an unpronounced name. Chance the Rapper never signed a record label when he got famous. It's not a question on whether value for value and self autonomy in the creator economy works - artists have wanted this for centuries. The entire Punk era proved the workability of the system. It's about reaching out to passionate artists who want to express themselves in their own way - and they have a certain genre of audience that they can attract. These are people who believe in self expression to the core and do not want to be tied down to what mainstream labels demand of them. And these are the people who will create a cultural revolution in how the creator economy thrives. Eventually mainstream influencers who are naysayers now will join in and rock the boat. It’s just how it is

Been listening to acoustic covers this week - these guys are so good. This is my current playlist but I love all their covers - they do not disappoint

Never lower your standards to fit in