Last week, I was on a business trip. Nestled in the heart of Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, is an urban tapestry woven with the threads of diverse cultures, futuristic skyscrapers, lush green parks, bustling markets, and gastronomic delights. It’s a place where a skyline punctuated by the iconic Petronas Twin Towers meets the tranquil whispers of nature in the city's outskirts. For those eager to delve into this cosmopolitan center, here's your travel guide to exploring the vibrancy of Kuala Lumpur.

In today's digital age, businesses constantly face the dilemma of whether to purchase commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) or invest in building custom solutions in-house. This decision, often termed as the "buy vs build" debate, carries significant implications for operational efficiency, cost management, and strategic growth. Let's delve into the key considerations that can guide this crucial decision.

In today's fast-paced work environment, setting clear boundaries is not just a luxury—it's a necessity. Understanding when to say yes and how to say no is crucial in balancing our professional lives and ensuring our mental and emotional well-being. Let's dive deeper into the art of setting boundaries and how it can empower us to take control of our careers.

In the modern professional landscape, continuous growth and adaptation are non-negotiable. Essential skills encompass a wide spectrum, from technical acumen to leadership prowess. Given the collective feedback, let's delve into structured strategies for developing these vital abilities.

Yesterday, a friend asked me about tools to use for pipeline, and I suggested Argo CD, which is a declarative GitOps continuous delivery (CD) tool for Kubernetes. It enables developers to manage both infrastructure configuration and application updates in one system. Argo CD is built following the Kubernetes Operator Pattern, which means that it is a lightweight, reusable controller that can be used to manage any type of Kubernetes resource.

I love learning, and I value both informal and formal training. On my spare time, I'm taking a part time master degree at National University of Singapore as well as studying for a few certificates in AWS and kuberenets. Learning new things empowers me to unlock my full potential. It is important to get training, resources, and materials that will enable you to excel in your roles.

Yesterday, I was doing some research on pipeline setup. Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) are two important practices in software development that help teams automate the building, testing, and deployment of their code. There are a number of different CI/CD tools available, two of the most popular are Jenkins and AWS CodePipeline.

Today, I got a question from a consultant, who is really confused about AWS Cognito and AWS IAM Identity Center (successor to AWS Single Sign-On). They are both identity and access management (IAM) services offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Both services can be used to manage user identities and access to AWS resources. However, there are some key differences between the two services.

Last weekend, I was taking the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional exam. One feature that I seldom got opportunity to practice is AWS Control Tower, which is a service that helps you set up and govern a secure, multi-account AWS environment. It provides a landing zone that is compliant with AWS best practices, and it includes a set of guardrails that help you prevent deviations from those best practices.

When diving into software development, especially in the realm of building applications, we often come across the terms "imperative" and "declarative" programming. As we evolve our design paradigms and strive for more maintainable and intuitive code, the distinction between these two approaches becomes increasingly relevant. Particularly, this dichotomy is noticeable in the context of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).