Zain Abiddin
Life Enthusiast – Musings on Life & Work
Category: Zain Abiddin
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Why Lisbon Feels Like a Reset Button There are cities you visit.And then there are cities that quietly realign you. Lisbon has become that place for me. I’ve noticed a pattern over time. Whenever I need better energy, clearer thinking, and a calmer rhythm to my days, I end up back here. Not by force,…
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There are cities you visit.And then there’s New York, a city you feel. Spending the holidays in NYC is less about relaxation and more about surrender. You don’t ease into it; you get pulled in. The noise, the lights, the pace, the people brushing past you like they’re late for something important (because they probably…
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I don’t usually like over-romanticizing years. Life doesn’t reset cleanly just because the calendar does. But 2025 deserves a pause. Not because everything went perfectly — it didn’t — but because it was a year of building, reconnecting, and slowly stepping into a life that feels more aligned. What 2025 Looked Like (From the Inside) On paper,…
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As we step into 2025, I’ve been reflecting on the power of simplicity—how a single word can encapsulate a mindset, a way of being, and a guiding principle for the year ahead. Inspired by my friend Kunal Gupta’s blog post on how he chose his word for 2025, I’ve decided that my word for this…
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If 2024 had a theme, it’d be “Live life, make friends, and say yes to every adventure.” From scuba diving with sharks to hosting panels in San Francisco, this year was one for the books. Here’s a look back at a year packed with thrills, laughs, and a few moments of pure chaos. Sydney: Where…
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Ah, the 9-to-5 workday—our modern-day hamster wheel disguised as “structure.” Some say it’s a symbol of civilization, while others (me, mostly) call it a creative prison where good ideas go to die under fluorescent lights. But who invented it, why did humanity agree to this bizarre arrangement, and—more importantly—how will AI finally set us free?…
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Imagine a world where the human experience unfolded entirely outdoors. This was not a utopian fantasy but rather the reality for the vast majority of our species’ history. For millennia, humans thrived in open spaces, navigating life under the sun and stars, deeply intertwined with the rhythms of nature. Yet today, the average person spends…
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Back in 2018, I was wandering through Asia without much of a plan—just a backpack, a sense of adventure, and a list of countries I wanted to visit. Somewhere along the way, I booked a spontaneous flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, Indonesia. My thought process? “Bali is in Indonesia, right? Let’s just go and…
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So, I was just thinking about how working in a company is kind of like being on a plane. Yeah, hear me out on this one. Picture this: the employees are the passengers, the managers are the pilots and flight crew, the founders are the plane owners, and then there are the brave souls who…
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Serendipity. It’s a fancy word for those delightful accidents that can turn your life upside down—in a good way. Picture this: you’re minding your own business, and BAM! You stumble upon someone who changes everything. Here are some of my own serendipitous (and mildly hilarious) encounters that have shaped my life, plus a foolproof formula…
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In his book Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey shares profound insights about life, framed through the concept of recognizing and seizing opportunities. He compares these moments to green lights in traffic – signals that urge us to go, to move forward without hesitation. These green lights in our lives appear unexpectedly, offering us the chance to advance,…
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Gather around, folks, because it’s story time. Once upon a time, in the land of cubicles and polyester suits, there roamed mighty creatures known as corporations. These lumbering giants had many layers, like onions, but without the tears of joy. No, these were tears of sheer boredom from the endless meetings that could have been…
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The other day, I was sitting in a cozy café in Canggu, sipping on some fantastic Balinese coffee. As I enjoyed the rich flavors, I struck up a conversation with a stranger. She was a researcher at a university, but she was fed up with staring at a computer screen all day and just wanted…
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Life can often feel chaotic, a series of disjointed events and experiences. But what if we viewed it differently? Imagine your life as a book, with each stage, experience, and lesson neatly organized into parts, sections, chapters, and pages. This perspective can help you make sense of your journey, reflect on your past, and plan…
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“The happiest people are those who don’t need to compare themselves to others.” In a delightful, eye-opening conversation with an old classmate during a recent phone call, he shared a YouTube gem that had me chuckling, nodding, and reflecting all at once. The video titled “The Paradox of Happiness” (seriously, give it a watch here)…
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The tech landscape is constantly evolving, and Apple has once again positioned itself at the forefront of innovation with the introduction of Apple Intelligence for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Announced on June 20, 2024, this groundbreaking development promises to revolutionize the way we interact with our devices. But beyond the immediate consumer applications, Apple Intelligence has…
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It was July 18, 2015, when my mom pulled off the surprise of a lifetime. Forget the usual birthday cake and gift card—she booked flying lessons for me, my sister, and my brother-in-law at the local executive airport in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. This wasn’t just a cool gift; it was the spark that ignited my…
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A Trip Down Memory Lane First things first, let’s take a nostalgic trip back to 2014. Picture this: a younger, more optimistic me, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed at the Apple Developer Conference, witnessing the grand reveal of Swift. Ah, the days when we thought Objective-C was the pinnacle of programming languages! Fast forward to today, and…
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Once upon a time, in the chaotic land of 2010, I was running my own startup. And let me tell you, managing a startup is like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle on a tightrope. Overwhelming doesn’t even begin to cover it. My to-do list included Business Development, Product, Sales & Marketing, Partnerships, Team,…
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Picture this: a group of product managers, designers, and engineers huddled together, holding broken pieces of plates, looking like we just survived a wild office party gone wrong. No, we didn’t have an epic ceramic-throwing contest (though that’s not a bad idea). Instead, we were diving headfirst into the art of Kintsugi, and let me…
