Everyone told me that Derek is an amazingly ‘crazy’ guy when I met him over a dinner gathering. “He has been visiting homes consistently for 10 years without fail, 10 years!” When I got to know more about his story, I learned that he had been juggling between a fulltime job and social work since…
The more I get lost in life, the more I realise that the act of creating helps me to discover my truth and gives me the courage to live my life. Many people relate creativity to subjects such as art and music, and they certainly don’t see themselves as ‘creative’ people. I get that. I…
When I met Ken last year, I never knew that he would entrust me with his book project, later became a friend, mentor, and most recently, a trekking mate. In a meeting after our Everest Base Camp trek, I told Ken about my ‘existential void’ in making sense of the gap between two different worlds.…
“You change the world when you create something that never exists before.” — Srinivas Rao When Frankie and I started Own Your Story community event, we were not inspired by such a noble reason. We both spent a lot of time figuring out ourselves, went through 10-days of silence in Vipassana meditation, felt that something is missing in our society…
My eyes lighted up when I heard about Kevin’s woodworking workshop. In the wave of digitalization and speed, it is counter-intuitive to venture into a business that encourages people to build things with their hands. Woodwork is close to Kevin’s heart because it is a craft he inherited from his grandfather. Even though he is…
A couple months ago, I attended a 10-days Vipassana meditation course that changed me from the core of my being. It was profound and personal in a way that was hard to translate into a list of lessons learned. When I came across an article about ‘slowness’, it occurred to me that despite meditation technique,…
‘Never underestimate human stupidity. This is the most powerful force that shape the world history.’ — Yuvah Noah Harari I was aware of the magnitude of ‘Sapiens’ before I know the author, Yuvah Noah Harari. My first proper introduction happened when I came across his podcast interview on The James Altucher’s Show. Half way into the show, I was…
I thought Elaine was a reserved and quiet person the first time I met her over a dinner gathering. When I discovered that she gave up a career in Germany to pursue art in Malaysia, I was intrigued to find out more about her story. Even though she told me about her nerve before we…
The first day I came back from the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal, I was in a hot shower when a thought suddenly crossed my mind: I am so, so thankful to have what I have! For a few days, I walked around feeling immense gratitude and an urge to tear when I see…
As a ‘creative misfit’ who has transitioned from corporate to coffee and creative industry, I was mesmerized that Karfei found his passion in coaching when he was a teen and build his career in the industry wholeheartedly ever since that. While we approach life and career differently, we share the common belief in creating and…
When I entered the ‘real world’ with a degree in commerce, I never thought I would find myself in the creative industry one day. It happened after a few ups and downs, and someone took a big risk to give me a book project, giving me the confidence I needed to call myself a ‘writer’.…
Interviewing Jayshen for ‘Own Your Story’ podcast was a fun experience that awakened the geek in me. From the intention to replace formal learning with video games to propelling human civilization, it was fascinating to pick this ‘out-of-the-box’ brain and learn his thought process. In his current position as a ‘business psychiatrist’ for start-ups, Jay…