At the beginning of my career, I worked in crisis countries for a few years. There I met people who have lost everything, including their children. And yet, they managed to go on and rebuild their lives. I often wonder where such resilience comes from.

Another question I ask is why we are so bad at making decisions based on science.

George Packer, Sang-Hun Choe, Roger Thurow and Joshua Ferris are some of my favorite writers. Like you, I’m a fan of Bill Gates and Game of Thrones and Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. Yoga is a gift from the gods. It took me a decade to do a headstand away from the wall, so good things do take time.

My great inspiration is my philosophy professor Leroy Rouner from Boston University. He told me what Ex Nemo Non Feces means (“No shit from anyone” in Latin) and said we should never let other people decide how good we are. He used to sign his emails “Ex Nemo and blessings.” So the blog is named Ex Nemo in his memory.

Most of the writings here are my personal opinions and reflections; others are success stories I wrote as public affairs officer. I hope you enjoy them. Stay safe and healthy.