Life Lessons at 30,000 Feet

Tonight, I found myself in an unexpected situation — air traffic. I didn’t even know that was a thing. I just thought, “Why aren’t we flying yet?” It wasn’t until the guy sitting next to me — well-dressed, calm, clearly experienced — said, “This is normal. Kuala Lumpur often has air traffic.”

Turns out, he’s a pilot with 21 years of flying experience for Singapore Airlines.

We started talking when he overheard I was from Iloilo. He mentioned his housemaid is also from Iloilo and has been with them for three years. That tiny link sparked an unexpectedly deep conversation.

He told me about his life: 12 years in Abu Dhabi, a Canadian ancestor, a wife from Johor Bahru, and now living in Malaysia because it’s more affordable than Singapore. He’s a Computer Science graduate who followed his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. That dream started from a school activity, school paper/magazine — a small spark that never went away. He committed at age 23, and now, even after numerous long-haul 12-hour flights from Singapore to LA and other European Countries, he still finds joy looking down from above the clouds.

“Some jobs don’t pay much, and some are hard — but if you love it, it gets done.”

He’s raising two kids — around 14 and 16 — and told me not to rush love. He planned everything: marriage at 27, kids at a certain age, and retirement at 50. And somehow, life followed his plan. Inspiring.

Then there was the Indian guy on my right, who started the whole thing by asking if there was a delay. He gave me one of the realest quotes I’ve ever heard:

“Marriage is like suicide.”

He explained — when you’re single, you can enjoy life with just 10 rupees. You eat alone, you’re free, and that’s it. But with a family? It's about sacrifices — providing, adjusting, constantly thinking beyond yourself.

He married at 30 and now has a two-year-old he calls “naughty but sweet.” His mom helps raise the kid. He works at Flextronics in supply chain management, a job he’s held for 10 years. They manufacture devices like vacuums, hair dryers etc., exporting them worldwide.

When I told him I was in Computer Science, he smiled and said, “You should’ve gone into IT — there are more opportunities!” He admitted he’s still interested in learning how to code and build websites. You could tell he still has that hunger to learn.

He also shared something I really sat with:

“If you work in a startup, you learn a lot — you wear many hats. But in a big company, you’re stuck in one department.”

That stuck with me. It reminded me that growth isn't always about status or salary. Sometimes it’s about where you’re allowed to explore, fail, and improve.

What I learned:

1 Don’t rush love.

2 Passion makes hard work easier.

3 Marriage brings joy, but also real responsibility.

4 In startups, you grow in all directions. In big companies, you specialize.

5 Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be inspiring.

0 They both like their job!

Tonight, two complete strangers gave me a glimpse of what grounded, successful, humble looks like. They didn’t want to be called “Sir.”

“Even CEOs shouldn’t be called that"

"It makes us feel old,” one of them said.

I’m grateful for the delay. Sometimes, the real journey starts mid-air.