Reflection on Tee Zhi Yao

Taiwan-Seoul 2026, Part 1: Taiwan

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Two weeks away from work, thirteen days away from Singapore. The only confirmed activity going into this trip was the IOI concerts in Seoul — everything else was decided right before or during. Turned out booking day tours on Klook became a pattern I didn’t plan for.

Started the trip in Taipei, flew on my birthday.

May 24 — LCP Final

Went to watch the LCP BO5 between DCG and SHG. Underdog story: DCG did the unexpected and defeated SHG, with even the viewers rooting against them. A fitting start to a trip where most things weren’t planned.

Taiwan-Seoul 2026, Part 2: Seoul

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The second leg of the trip, and the one I’d planned around.

May 29-31 — IOI Concerts (Days 1-3)

Day 1: bought the lightstick. Day 2: bought the shirt. Day 3 (Sunday): last day with a super long encore. The special events organised by the fans were very well done. Three days of concerts, three days of being in a crowd that all came for the same reason — that part doesn’t need much more explanation.

Taipei, May 2026

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I spent five days in Taipei in late May — the first leg of a longer trip that would take me to Seoul after. I landed on the morning of May 24, and it was also my birthday. Small surprise at Changi: the immigration screen had a little animation that said happy birthday. Nice touch.

Day 1 — Arrival + LCP Tournament

First order of business after checking in: find a spot to watch the LCP BO5 between DCG and SHG. This is the kind of thing I’d never plan for on a normal trip, but there’s something about being in a new city and finding a place to watch esports. It set the tone — this trip wasn’t going to be a rigid itinerary.

Guiding Principles

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Beliefs and principles developed over time that guide how I approach work, learning, and life.

When you fail to plan, you plan to fail

This is the principle I lean on most — across work, studies, and life. The idea is simple: a little forethought goes a long way in avoiding avoidable failure.

At work, I see the consequences of insufficient planning regularly. Being in QA means I’m most often towards the end of the product or development cycle, making the ripple effects of poor planning particularly visible — edge cases missed, environments not ready, dependencies overlooked. This isn’t specific to QA; it’s an observation about work projects in general. But from where I sit, those gaps are harder to ignore.