Hello ? As the late night hours blend into the early morning, my mind drifts to games of various sorts - specifically chess, poker, and pondering the broader "games" we engage in across politics, relationships and life in general. I start with factual reflections on chess, noting how it focuses strictly on strategy without luck involved. One player's gain only comes at the direct loss of another. Does this reflect a zero-sum view of success? Are certain real-world arenas similarly cut-throat, where we must sacrifice others to achieve our aims? With poker, random chance and calculated risks are ..read more

Hello! ? (⬇️Scroll down to read more) This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Thandar Aung Soe, a bright young woman from Myanmar who was selected as a Chevening scholar for the 2022-2023 intake. Thandar shared her inspirational journey of becoming one of just 8 Chevening scholars from Myanmar last year. She discussed her background and what motivated her to apply for this prestigious UK government scholarship program. The Chevening scholarship provides full financial support for scholars to pursue a one-year master's degree at any UK university*  Thandar walked me through her detai ..read more

Hello! ? This week I had the opportunity to catch up with my former colleague Ma Thiri Yadanar Kyaw, who is now working as a Product Manager in the U.S. Thiri shared insights into her career journey and role as a ⁠Product Manager⁠. Thiri walked me through how she transitioned from her background in finance into product management. A Product Manager acts as the voice of the customer and helps teams build products that meet customer needs. Her day-to-day involves a lot of meetings, facilitation, and stakeholder communication. ⁠Key skills⁠ for the role are being able to see the big ..read more

?Hello again! In this week's episode, I dive into the design thinking process for life and career planning using insights from Bill Burnett and Dave Evans’ book “Designing Your Life”. I have been feeling stuck recently in mapping out my next steps, so I revisited this practical handbook on applying design thinking principles to live. The first step in the design process is to identify the problem by clarifying what exactly isn’t working. This involves collecting data over time through self-reflection and journaling to determine the root cause of feeling stuck. Once the problem is clearly defin ..read more

?Hello again! In this episode, I have a conversation with my friend Laura about the concept of minimalism and how to embrace it in our daily lives. Laura is someone I have always admired for her calm and composed nature. Through our friendship, I have come to realize that her minimalistic mindset and lifestyle contribute greatly to her sense of peace. While the minimalism movement has gained mainstream popularity recently through Netflix shows and social media, she has been practising minimalism for years through her thoughtful choices and ⁠intentional living⁠. We discuss how ⁠Laura ..read more

? Hello again! In this episode, I explore the concept of ⁠choice overload⁠ and ⁠analysis paralysis⁠ with my friend Ricky. We discuss Barry Schwartz's book ⁠The Paradox of Choice⁠ and how having too many options can be overwhelming and stressful rather than empowering. The dilemma extends far beyond choosing which Netflix show to watch or perfume to buy. It impacts crucial life decisions like selecting a career, finding a partner and deciding where to settle down. For me personally, an overabundance of choices often leaves me stuck in analysis paralysis with no opt ..read more

? Hello again! In this episode, I aim to explore themes of connection, purpose and forgiveness in an reflective way. I will be drawing insights from the anime film Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki and a podcast episode on self-forgiveness from The Atlantic. Spirited Away follows Chihiro, a girl who finds meaning and strength in a strange world. This resonates deeply as we all struggle at times to navigate change and discover our purpose. The podcast discusses a 5-step method for self-forgiveness: Recognize, Empathize, Accept, Commit and Hope. Yet to truly forgive ourselves, we must dig deeper ..read more

? hello again! It's been a while. In this episode, I will be reviewing the book "Lost Connections" by Johann Hari and connecting some of the ideas to a recent dhamma talk I listened to by Sayadaw U Zawtika on finding a sense of nobility. As I read through "Lost Connections" this week, I found Hari's research and conclusions about the societal causes of depression quite fascinating. He argues that while serotonin and our individual biochemistry do play a role, there are deeper causes rooted in how modern society has frayed our sense of connection and community. The pressures of modern life and ..read more

I've been disappearing from this Podcast platform for a while now and now I'm back. And I'm back with an unusual topic, something that I'd never consider broadcasting- political situations. On the morning of 1 February 2021, the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military deposed democratically elected members of Myanmar's ruling party, NLD and staged the coup. From the nights that followed, residents across the country show the dissent by banging pots and honking car horns. Day-7 in and the pot-banging gets louder. Protesters get more united than ever, and People's spirit- indestructible. Anyone with a fun ..read more

In episode 4, I conversed with Ko Swan, from whom I inspired "Ask and you shall receive"-the drive and courage to keep exploring and pushing the boundaries. We are quite close- we used to work together, travel places, talk to people and explore new possibilities outside and within. He was my #1 guest list of this podcast yet, in first attempt, we ended up talking over life than actually recording this. So, we tried again! This time, not face to face yet we cover pretty much everything we want to. We talked about: -His phases of life- the journey itself, his reflections on his transition from b ..read more