United Nations

I joined United Nations as an online volunteer for several years and I was blown away by how much Singapore has progressed as a nation all these years. When I engaged with those volunteers from other parts of the world, they are still stuck in problems that only my grandparents knew of.

In Singapore, our per capital GDP growth has slowed down because we are already a developed economy, so it tends to give people the feeling that we are not progressing as fast as we would like to. But to be honest, it is also a good opportunity for us to take stock of how far we have come, and spend our resources on other softer pursuits.

Ever since I was diagnosed with clinical depression and lost my full time job, I started exploring alot of sideline hobbies, which usually are not very profitable, but it gives me lots of meaning in life. The bad news is that I never got married and did not have kids or own a car or condominium, but the trade off seems to be worth it over time as I find myself having a lot more fun instead.

I quit United Nations after spending five years learning more about the Sustainable Development Goals framework, to me I already have enough meaning to keep me occupied all the way till 2030. It is truly a blessing to be Singaporean, where I can have internet at the tip of my fingers when other Africans have to travel a long distance just to find a computer with internet connection.