More Than Just Tea: Career, Health, and the Turmeric Harvest

Date: 2nd April 2026

Location: VECAD Lab Pantry

Sometimes, the best insights happen while waiting for an oven to beep. This evening, I was in the pantry, anticipating my Karipap Sardin, when I was invited to observe a Final Year Project (FYP) progress demo. It was the start of what would become a much larger, and very meaningful, gathering.

The "Rule of Three" Hospitality

My supervisor soon invited a colleague from the Power Department to join our tea break. Luckily, my current "System Protocol" is to always cook for three people instead of two. It was a fortunate habit, we had an ample spread for the additional guest. And what started as a quick snack turned into a deep, two-hour dialogue from 5:20 PM to 7:04 PM.

We covered the full spectrum of life:

• The Academic Grind: Supervising students and the rigors of PhD studies.
• The Human Factor: Mental health, aging body care, and managing diabetes.

It’s rare to have such an unfiltered, cross-departmental exchange, and it reminded me how much we all share the same challenges, regardless of our engineering specialty.

A Gift from the Lab Garden

After the cleanup, I stepped outside and noticed a small miracle: a Turmeric Flower (Bunga Kunyit) had just emerged from the cluster of plants outside our lab. I harvested it immediately to share with our guest from the Power Department.

He was intrigued! I shared my favorite way to enjoy it, dipped in yogurt. It turns out this was a perfect match for his routine, as his daily breakfast consists of Greek yogurt mixed with chia seeds and nuts. The fresh, slightly peppery crunch of the turmeric flower will be a beautiful, anti-inflammatory addition to his morning bowl.

There’s a unique joy in being able to provide not just food, but a fresh, self-grown harvest to a colleague.

Until next time, may your gardens (and your pantry) always have enough to share!