GMF#40 | Books, Headbands & “You Can Do It!” Stickers—How We Unwind at Work
TL;DR
We take our work seriously—but not ourselves. From an unexpected office library to headband cults and meme-worthy stickers, here’s a peek at the small things that keep us smiling.
We now have a random but majestic office library thanks to…Yale-NUS and Gena?
Gin responded with bookshelves because mess = mild panic.
Our team call now has a headband-wearing crew (Chloe started a movement).
Jey dropped a sticker of Kei giving a thumbs up. Instant mood booster.
Turns out, we’re not just building tech for kindness—we’re building a workplace that feels kind too.
For all the serious work we do each day, the week is also filled with a bunch of fun and quirky moments. Yes, we care deeply about making the world a little kinder—but honestly, we enjoy the company of the people we do it with the most.
Here’s a few recent gems:
One day, I popped into the office and noticed a corner stacked with books. Not your average bestsellers—these were deep, academic reads with very serious titles. Definitely not “fly-off-the-shelf at Kinokuniya” vibes.
I was puzzled. Where did they come from?
A few days later, I read a news article about how books were being saved from the Yale-NUS library. That’s when it clicked—Gena, one of our team members and a proud Yale-NUS alum, must’ve caught wind of it from her friends and swooped in to rescue a stash… before figuring out where to store them.
And that kicked off a delightful chain reaction. Gin, who’s always had a thing about keeping things orderly (just like me), couldn’t stand the idea of books without a home. So he dug out some shelves from his storeroom and set up a proper library corner in the office. Now we have a whole section dedicated to books that are probably smarter than all of us combined.
Another moment that made me smile: once a month, the marketing team runs our Demo Days—a casual team call to share human stories from the ground. Somewhere along the way, Chloe decided it needed ✨spice✨. She showed up in an animal headband. Then she started dishing them out to others. Now we’ve got a whole crew who log into Google Meets decked out like mascots of a kindness revolution.
And just when I thought things couldn’t get more wholesome, Jey casually dropped a sticker into Slack. It’s Kei giving a giant thumbs up with the words “You can do it!” Pure serotonin. Now it lives in our shared sticker folder, ready to deploy in moments of existential dread.
Truthfully, it wasn’t always like this. We used to be a pretty stoic bunch. The only things we did outside of work were sports and meals together.
But it feels more colorful now. People are bringing their full selves. They're starting little traditions. Creating warmth and laughter in unexpected ways.
And honestly? I’m looking forward to what comes next.
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Let’s keep showing up, and showing who we are. The world could use more joy. 😊