The ideals. The reality. The in-betweens.

The lalaland. The shitty mess. Both states are poles apart, a great disparity at both ends.

Life is oftentimes trying and frustrating. The hurdles, hard-knocks and turbulence can be way too difficult to be handled by the faint-hearted. At times, life demands your everything so that situations can be improved. There are way too many people who create problems, either intentionally or ignorantly. And their problems affect others around them. As much as we can try to avoid problems, sometimes we might just have to bear and deal with the consequences of the problem-makers - The ripple effect! If we understand the bigger world that we live in, we would be considerate and more cautious of the choices we make - family, friends, work, etc.

Sometimes we do not have all the answers and do not have everything figured out. We might not have the one right direction in every junction. And we make choices based on the best of our ability and resources at the very moment. Our human finite minds can try to rationalise whether it's good or bad, success or failure. Sometimes, we can go in merry-go-rounds and take a long while to move forward. It is all part of the journey called LIFE.

But what do all of these add up to? Why go through this mess? Why do what you do? Questions shape our thought process and help to bring clarity in life's directions. Oftentimes, it's the art of asking the right questions.

"The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions." -Antony Jay

Life at 30. More than the fanfare, more than the celebrations, more than the hype. I was greeted with 3 strands of white hair, and I realised how fast time has passed. It's been a maturing journey.

The teenage years were about juggling studies, having fun, part-time jobs, and everything in-between.

The 20s were about starting a full-time job to leading various cross-functional teams in MNCs, SMEs and startups, exploring the world, understanding more about myself, discovering what I can contribute in the community, city, society - achieving much success in all of these.

The big 3 has brought greater clarity, better stability, and deeper maturity of the experiences built over the last 29 years. That comes in knowing what to let go, when to let go, and not fight the battles that you are not meant to fight.

Fight the battles that are worth the pursuit and your time that would bring impact, big or small we are called to make a difference in the world we live in. The fight, yes we all have causes that we stand for. As the saying goes, "If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything."