Breaking down the mind of a fighter.
Once upon a time, I was in college. Most of us are, at some point. Though it wasn’t as painful for you as it was for me. That, I’m certain of. I mean, the depression hit me just two days in. Four years for a bachelor’s degree was starting to sound delusional. I wasn’t sure I’d make it four weeks.
Because the way I see it, there’s two types of people in this world: Fighters, and followers. Most people are followers, which is why the world works. That’s far from a bad thing. Nothing would get done if everyone tried…
An honest beginner’s testimony.
What does terror look like to you? A bad car accident? A terminal diagnosis? A child falling sick? Less than $100 left in your bank account?
I hesitated to write this article for a long time. I’m not easily frightened, but the things that do frighten me, frighten me a lot. Running a business is one of those things. Which sounds silly to most people, but hear me out.
When you own a business, everything is your fault. When something, anything, goes wrong, that’s on you. Which is why having so many things to manage quickly becomes a big problem…
Cover your exits.
I sometimes look back on my darkest moments. That studio in Canada, when I didn’t know what to do with my life. That first job in Germany, when I was stuck indefinitely in a foreign place, completely alone. That night at the top of a building, wondering if there was a better life over the edge. I’ve been through the grinder. It’s never been smooth sailing. And a question I get asked a lot is, “how did you survive?”
And my answer to that question is the same answer that sustains my high performance today. These days, life still isn’t…
Back when we could still travel, flights used to be dull. Remember? No WiFi for 8 hours, no space to move around, cramped bathroom, weird people next to you. Wasn’t exactly glorious. Sort of boring, actually. And yet one particular mundane flight to Munich, just over a year ago, changed my life.
Which is strange, since it was just another flight. Borderline late, as usual, tedious check-ins, “random” security checks, the usual. So by the time I boarded, I was already exhausted. And as I sat down in my cramped economy seat to unwind, I spotted it. In the column…
Despite all its benefits, its adoption rate gives a totally different picture
First, it was Docker. Then microservices. Then Kubernetes. And now, serverless. Servers are a pain in the neck, right? What web developer wants to learn Apache Linux to deploy a SPA? And that’s just the deployment. Maintenance is a different ballgame. Load balancing, security patches, under-provisioning, over-provisioning — it’s an endless supply of problems.
Is serverless the answer?
Serverless computing has been growing in popularity in recent years. But how well does it actually solve the problem? First, let’s define it. In my own words, serverless computing abstracts away the functionality of the server so that developers don’t have to…
We get so busy that we ignore it…
Wednesday morning. The heritage district. Penang, Malaysia. I tugged the glass door tentatively, but it didn’t budge. Right behind it stood a colonial-era interior, juxtaposed with modern European furniture. One of the most beautiful co-working spaces I had ever seen.
Soon enough, a slender lady in a white blouse padded towards the glass door. She tapped her keycard and cracked the door open tentatively. “Yes, can I help you?” Usually, I’d get annoyed by this harmless question. I’m not a fan of small talk. They knew I had an appointment. I just needed to lease an office, and get back…
Two weeks ago, I embarked on an audacious journey. It was time to build the next big release of my trading bot. Complicated code. Uncertain scope — meaning it’s difficult to determine the size and cost of each problem beforehand. And last but not least, lots of new learning to do.
Initially, I thought it’d take a while. I’ve never done programming for someone else, so I didn’t know how long it should take. But I had a rough idea. Big projects like these are usually measured in months.
So when I wrapped things up one week after I started…
And I kind of like it.
Do you ever try to imagine the people on the other side of the screen? When you read a piece of writing or listen to a song, do you picture its creator? Can you imagine what they’re like? Can you build out their personality?
This guesswork is more common than I thought. Because when my online connections and fans meet me, they’re usually surprised. What they see doesn’t compare to the version of me they had in their head. For starters, I look funny. I’m not a big guy, but I occupy a lot of space. My shoulders are pretty…
Who wrote the mandate on happiness?
One fine morning a while ago, my sister approached me while I was working. “Are you doing anything special today?” She asked.
Confused, I retorted, “I was until you interrupted me.”
“But aren’t you doing something special today?”
“Nope. What’s so special about today?”
And that’s when the shock spread across her face. And it quickly gave way to disappointment. Because at that moment, she realised I had forgotten my own birthday. I was so absorbed in my work that I missed it. Probably wouldn’t have noticed until days later, actually.
Even for me, that was an eye-opener. Though not…
Have you ever been homeless? Strange situation to be in, isn’t it? Imagine not having a place to come back to. Imagine not having a base. I feel for the homeless, truly. Especially since I had a firsthand glimpse of it myself.
The year 2019 was dicey. Of course, 2020 later put it to shame. But back then, before the pandemic madness, it was already rough. I was just starting my first job after dropping out of college, holed up in my family home. Worked wonders for my mental health, that’s for sure. …
