Conversation with Amos Lau

Amos is a Gen Z Singaporean diving deep into the world of digital storytelling, branding, and content creation. From sharing honest reflections on Instagram and YouTube to building thought pieces on LinkedIn and blogs, he’s been growing a multi-platform voice that blends creativity with real-life lessons. He also explores how AI can shape smarter, more meaningful content.

In August 2025, Amos is publishing his first book —

“Bamboo Decade: Bending, Rooting and Growing in Your 20s”

The book is a raw, messy, and honest look at what your 20s really feel like — the confusion, dreams, breakdowns, and breakthroughs. It’s not told in a straight line, because life isn’t either.

For anyone figuring things out while creating something meaningful, Amos’ journey is one to follow.

1. What inspired the title Bamboo Decade, and why did you choose the bamboo metaphor to describe your twenties?

Amos: Originally, I thought of calling it The Asian Defining Decade, but that sounded clunky. Then it clicked—bamboo. It lays roots underground for years before rapid growth. That’s our twenties: quiet struggles, deep inner work, identity building—then suddenly, it shows. I wanted a metaphor that’s both poetic and precise, and bamboo is exactly that. It's rooted yet rising.

2. Your book is described as nonlinear and raw. What was the most emotionally challenging chapter to write—and why?

Amos: Chapter 6: Real Love in a Hyperreal World. Writing about love in the swipe-left generation especially as a Gen Z was terrifying and healing especially when I'm part of the smaller population of Singaporean Christian guy.

Dating has alas, become taxing on a lot of males in today's society to be good-looking, muscular and wealthy.

I had to confront my own patterns, my fear of vulnerability, and the cultural silences around emotional expression. That chapter wasn’t about answers. It was about truth.

3. You explore 7 key areas of life in your book. Which area has been the hardest for you personally to navigate in your twenties?

Amos: You explore 7 key areas of life in your book. Which area has been the hardest for you personally to navigate in your twenties?

Emotional and mental health. Growing up in Singapore, productivity is almost a religion.

But no one teaches you how to pause, feel, or heal. I’ve wrestled with burnout, emotional suppression, and the lie that rest equals laziness. Rooting my identity beyond achievements—that’s still a journey.

4. How do you think being a Gen Z in Singapore shapes the way you view purpose, success, and growth?

Amos: Before Covid, my understanding of success has been defined by traditional, linear path of good grades and steady career pathways, ideally government job.

But the more non-Singaporeans I meet, the more I realise how unique we are. We’re one of the Asian nations that went from Third World to First in one generation—so we inherit a pressure-cooker culture.

We’re hyper-efficient and globally competitive. But that can breed narrow definitions of success. Some Singaporeans live in a mental bubble—where success = prestige + paycheck. We need to widen that lens.

5. In a digital-first world that rewards speed and visibility, how do you stay grounded in depth and authenticity?

Amos: By staying with my habits and growth mindset, being open to the feedback about my flaws and blind spots.

Weaknesses remind me I’m not a brand; I’m a person. I don’t want to just be optimistic or pessimistic.

I want to be real. Being deeply seen is better than being widely liked.

6. You’ve blended storytelling, cultural insight, and personal growth. Who are some storytellers or thinkers that have influenced your voice?

Amos: My Christian upbringing played a big role—Scripture, devotionals, and church sermons shaped my inner life and thinking.

Later, authors like Meg Jay (The Defining Decade) and even Lee Kuan Yew’s speeches gave me language for ambition with grounding.

I also drew a lot from the Brand Builder Talent, a Linkedin community filled with content creators who held space for honest reflection in our context.

7. What role did social media and digital platforms play in shaping your identity—and in launching Bamboo Decade?

Amos: Social media was my sandbox. LinkedIn posts, Medium essays, Instagram reels—they gave me permission to experiment publicly. Before I ever called myself an author, I was a content creator especially on LinkedIn, curating my headline, banner etc.

The book didn’t appear out of nowhere. It grew from hundreds of micro-stories, reflections, and digital experiments

8. What’s one misconception about your twenties you hope readers will unlearn after reading this book?

Amos: Don't just count the days in your twenties but make everyday in your twenties count as they’re rootwork.

Your twenties don’t define your whole life, but they do influence the scaffolding of your future, thirties and beyond—relationships, mindset, habits, self-worth. You can pivot later, but the cost of delay is real. Not choosing is also a choice.

9. If you could speak directly to a 23-year-old who feels lost or behind, what would you say?

Amos: Don't compare your external reality eg your chapter 3 to someone else’s highlight reel.

Do one thing today: write a letter to your future self. Find ways to sow today for tomorrow's future!

You’ll realise you’re not stuck—you’re slowly becoming.

Progress often feels like stillness before it looks like growth especially when we have no deeper sense or clarity or one's values.

Recently I spoke at SG60TH Voices from the heart at Republic Poly: The Freelancer Academy about mental resilience, not giving up and holding on rather than giving up on one's life

10. What’s next for you—any new creative projects, digital content, or future books in the works?

Amos: I’m building Bamboo Decade as a brand, sharing my journey as a fellow Gen Z navigating adulting in Southeast Asia. I intend to release a second edition—hopefully with contributions from psychologists and thought leaders.

And long-term? I’d love to write an autobiography for my descendants. Not just a legacy piece—but a living journal they can learn from