Sometime in 2016, I discovered that I suffer from GSA.

GSA refers to “Gnawing Sense of Anxiety”. It’s a feeling of dread that creeps up on me when I am working on something — whether at work or on a personal project. It’s the unshakeable feeling that I should be doing something else other than the things that I am currently doing. That I’ve ‘mis-prioritised’ my work and things will fall apart soon.

I started my career believing that every email is top priority and every task is super important, so it was only natural for me to develop GSA.

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Years are not easily cooked — most times they are eaten raw and discarded without so much as a parting glance. Sometimes they are deep-fried with generous quantities of the self-doubt oil rendering them painfully tasteless in the process. Occasionally, they are baked for long durations at ungodly high temperatures and overloaded with greed-icing that leaves a bitter aftertaste following each bite.

The following recipe is designed to help you cook your years in a way that is right for you.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to be a culinary prodigy to attempt this recipe.

All you need is an…

Anyone who has ever been on a fitness journey realizes 2 things very early on:

1. The number on the weighing scale doesn’t drop very quickly even if you’re doing killer workouts everyday
2. Your motivation for the initial days comes primarily from wanting to keep your workout streak going (looking at all you folks doing the 30-day summer shred challenge from Chloe Ting — full disclosure, I’m one of them too :-) )

You might notice the following intangible benefits which no one else can see as proof of your progress:

• You feel physically stronger
• Your energy levels are generally high…

“If you’re failing to plan, then you’re planning to fail”

I heard this sentence for the first time when I was a CA student.

My classmates and I were listening to a guest speaker who was talking to us about the importance of having a well planned study schedule before taking the exams.

He ended his speech with, "if you’re failing to plan, then you’re planning to fail" , to resounding applause from the already stressed audience.

Many years of study plans and harrowing exams later, I've come to realise that while the advice around planning was quite sound, it's…

I am not a naturally happy person. I don’t get out of bed feeling like I’ve got the energy to take on the world. In fact, most days I have a debate on whether it’s worth getting out of bed at all before reluctantly ambling out.

It’s hard to be a delightful bundle of energy when there are tangible worries and fears that seem to do little else but deplete my life force every waking moment of my life.

Heavy.

*awkwardly clears throat*

Anyway, I have many days when the optimism juice just runs out and I can’t even pretend…

I’m a big fan of the “Adventures of God” (AOG) Webtoon. In a recent episode, we see an elderly gentleman; let’s call him Steve, tapping away at his computer when his boss walks over to him. The boss tells asks Steve to work extra hours over the weekend though Steve has recently been denied a promotion.

Steve glares at the boss while the cartoon angel on his shoulder whispers angrily to Steve “Tell him to eat your shorts!” But the cartoon demon calmly says, “Don’t do it, creating conflict in the workplace is a bad idea.”

Steve agrees with the…

There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software — The Social Dilemma, 2020

I’m a user too.

And if you’re reading this right now, chances are you’re a user too. A user of software, social media and the whole nine yards of the infinite scrolling feature.

And yet, until a few months ago, it didn’t really matter all that much.

It was perfectly normal to start the day scrolling your Instagram feed and scroll through some news while sipping the morning coffee.

Then you had to go and watch “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix…

The man I loved broke my heart days before we were supposed to get married.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I count to thirteen, standing at the crossroads, and the air becomes noticeably chillier.

My eyes start to tear up and I feel compelled to turn around.

And there it is. The pawnshop.

I swallow hard and walk towards it.

The lady inside is dusting her wares casually and doesn't notice me come in for a few seconds.

"Hello…" I say tentatively.

She looks up at me and smiles warmly.

"Welcome luv, I didn't see ya there"!

"What would…