Say hello!

Meet the people who work at eyeo, but don’t necessarily work at eyeo. Take a sneak peek at their lives and what it means to be part of a company that allows you to work anywhere in the world. Today, meet Jasmine, our resident Project Assistant.

Where in the world do you work?

In a beautiful tropical land called Malaysia — where delicious food, beautiful sceneries and lovely people reside.

A view of the Kuala Lumpur (or as the locals call it, “KL”) skyline

Tell us a little about your role at eyeo

I started off as a filter developer in the company. As a filter developer, the main role encompassed ensuring all intrusive ads get blocked. We also maintain the Acceptable Ads initiative, so we act as a gatekeeper of ads for our users. So, like a ghostbuster kinda thing, except with misbehaving ads. ;D

And just a couple of months back, I got the opportunity to join the Android team as a project associate. I’m still fresh to the team at the moment, but I assist in project management and a medley of things. I’ve also just touched my first Android development project! It’s a small project for now, but there’ll be bigger things to come. 😀

What does your workday look like?

I’m a little bit of a night owl, so I tend to start my day later than the average folk. I grab breakfast (usually a couple of soft-boiled eggs, with a dash of soy sauce and pepper) and turn on my laptop, that is if it’s a home office kinda day. Otherwise, I’ll head out to a co-working space and plug myself in there for the day.

Left: Jerry; Right: Lady. They’re both 10 year-old Shih Tzus. The picture above is just after they’d gotten a shave.

What’s so great about working remotely?

Being able to be around people whom I love and treasure. I lost my father in late 2017, and it’s really shaped my perspective on life. I try my best to spend time with my loved ones now ’cause you really never know how much time you have with them.

On a less melancholy note, I really enjoy working remotely in Malaysia because of the food! Great food is literally everywhere. I grew up in the “food paradise”, Penang, and we have all these great cuisines in Malaysia because of the cultural diversity over here.

My absolute favourite Malaysian Chinese dish is none other than this plate of beauty. It’s called Char Kuey Teow (literally fried kuey teow — a type of flat rice noodle commonly found in Asia). It’s stir-fried in a wok, with rice noodles, garlic, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, cockles, prawns and egg, seasoned with soy sauce, pepper and chilli paste. The most authentic plate would come with Chinese sausage and lard bits.

Where is your favorite place to work?

A quaint, tucked away cafe with good food and good internet speed would be my favourite spot. But that’s a rarity around the place I live, so I switch between working at a co-working space and home. I have to say, I really enjoy the setup eyeo has done for the Cologne office folks!

On good, not-too-sunny days, I work to this view at the garden-porch.

What do you do when you’re not working?

Many, many things. I love playing games, watching musicals and reading books, but my favourite would have to be fulfilling my one true calling — eating. I live to eat and as a Malaysian, it’s a national pastime. You’ll often find many Malaysians out around town enjoying good food, sometimes queuing for more than an hour just to satisfy their tummies!

But between all that, I run a translation project and also dabble in an assortment of hobbies — amongst them are soapmaking, milk kefir brewing and sewing projects.

You’re traveling for work and can only take a backpack. What do you pack?

Aside from the essential (passport, clothes, hygiene products), I’d pack my laptop, chargers, sunblock, body lotion and maybe, an eyeo cap. Oh, and a mosquito repellent if I’m heading to a place with lots of them. I’d gotten dengue once and it sucked, so never again.

What job would you be terrible at?

Diving instructor. I think the sea is a rather creepy place and I’m somewhat afraid of big bodies of water. Also, I’ve yet to develop the ability to breathe underwater, so before then it would be a terrible idea.

What’s one gadget you can’t live without?

Hmm, gadget’s a little tricky. I suppose I’d have to pick between my laptop (productivity) and my phone (mobility), but phone would take priority. It’s kinda crazy how we’ve all come to rely on these devices over the last decade.

What’s your favorite app?

Google Maps. It’s my go-to navigation-review app, be it when I travel or just looking for a new place to eat.

Why did you join eyeo?

I was looking for a software company that would allow for me to explore development work and like many of my colleagues, I was already a user of Adblock Plus. Some clicking around and I’d eventually landed on eyeo’s job page and the rest is history!