It's Monday 28th of Feb 2022, our company has a new starter and guess what? I am his buddy. Little did I know how much my life would change because of this man.

A warm welcome on your first working day goes a long way, first impressions stick. For me, I remember Adib rocking up so early on the first day because he was so keen to start learning and working. It's where I learnt that Adib's background was actually marketing and he's been successful in the switch to his new role as a software engineer.

This doesn't merely happen by coincidence.

Over the time I've spent getting to know Adib, is when I realised he's the real deal. He writes his own programming languages for fun.

Let me write that again.

He writes his own programming languages.

For fun.

And the best part is that Adib and I grew up in the West, we were habibs from then on.

It's always so inspiring to meet people like this. People who have carved their own path and learnt things by themselves and achieved such great things. And especially when you can see that he's just does it all while having fun. He is a perfect example of someone who just puts in the work to achieve what he wants. It's just sheer hard work.

Then at the start of 2023, Adib suggested a challenge for the both of us;

Abs by July for our Birthdays?

It was March at the time and I was the heaviest I had been in my life at 106 kilograms. I had been gyming regularly at the time but never took my diet seriously. With the challenge in mind, Adib and I kept eachother accountable. It was a simple caloric deficit we both maintained while hitting the gym as regularly as possible. Of course Adib took it to the next notch, with an even greater deficit and just doing more training sessions per week.

Was it healthy? I don't know.

Did it work? Most definitely it did.

Over the next 6 months, the weight just melted off of my body at almost a kilogram per week. Although we didn't hit our goal of visible abs by July, after 6 months of a disciplined diet, I had lost 18 kilograms. It is the best I've felt and looked in my life. Had it not been for the push from Adib to aim high, I don't think I would be at the level of health and firness I have today. Adib's progress was incredible too and fantastic to just see how far we came from just being that much more mindful about the food that goes in our bodies.

Did I mention he used to be an actor? God damn look at this handsome boy.

Adib, I'm grateful for the push. You've probably added a few more years to my life expectancy. Everytime I'm in the gym, I do think of you and how I might not have been there if I had not met you. I appreciate all the times we chatted about the good and the bad and how attentive of a listener you are. Honestly you're a role model for me. Your own hard work to achieve your goals and dreams reminds me that I can too if I just put the work in and put the reps in.