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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Transaction for past week: Nil
Again, I am warming up.
Have a great week!!!
Till next time!
Sunday, July 31, 2022
My Market Transactions — Wk30 2022
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Discipline = Freedom
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| Photo by Austin Henckel on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
The more disciplined we are, the more freedom we will enjoy.
Freedom = the right not to do what we do not want to do.
Discipline allows us to turn what we do not want to something we want or at least to do what we do not want in the way we choose, to reduce the pain.
1. Turn what we do not want to something we want
Once we are disciplined, we will “want” better things, e.g. exercise, reading.
Otherwise, these could be the things we are “forced” to do by ourselves or others, making us feel not free.
2. Do what we do not want in the way we choose
There will always be things that we do not want but have to do in life. No one said anyone could have total and unlimited freedom.
But at least discipline would allow us better chances to tackle them in the way we choose.
For example, if we have to complete some boring and meaningless work, with discipline, we could start early and have more maneuvering space.
We could automate it, delegate it or better still, reduce it through discussions/negotiations.
If you are still not convinced, just imagine what would happen in the absence of discipline.
Just a few examples.
In your own life, health issues and financial pressure may “force” you to exercise or take courses or look for jobs.
In your work, your boss/coworkers will “push” you to complete your work and give you tight deadlines, which will only take more freedom away from you.
It is almost always better to take care of our shit with discipline, before someone or something comes and “forces” us to.
Till next time!
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Amateurs? Not a chance!
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| Photo by NASA on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
There is this show that I love so much that I have watched more than 10 times.
I thought I understood it. I even bragged about it in a few occasions.
Until recently, when I watched a whole and well-structured series of explanation videos on the show.
I realized I had not really understood anything.
And when I searched the maker of those explanation videos, I found out that he had been studying the domain for more than 20 years.
In other words, he is an expert!
The points I want to make are as follows:
- Try to be an expert in some area. That is our value add.
- For areas where we are amateurs, it might be better to search for some expert opinions to boost our understanding. (Of course, never brag about your shallow understanding)
Till next time!
Sunday, July 24, 2022
My Market Transactions — Wk29 2022
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Transaction for past week: Nil
Again, I am warming up.
Have a great week!!!
Till next time!
Thursday, July 21, 2022
Monthly Net-Worth Update — Jul 2022
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
First month of H2 2022 — I have to say that the feelings are mixed. Lets see what the next 5 months entail!
Here is the snapshot of our Total Net-Worth for Jul 2022.
Net-Worth increase from last month: 28K SGD, 1.84KG Gold
Again, the increase was mainly from predictable sources, e.g. salary, interest, CPF, dividend etc.
Again, my investment portfolio recovered a little bit, which also contributed to the Net-Worth increase.
As for Gold, this is the biggest monthly increase since I started tracking, mainly due to gold price drop though.
Investment: -15.1% annualized return, incl. dividend
Again, slight improvement, but barely noticeable.
More hard work is needed to make up the loss.
Till next time!
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
OMG! My Weight!!!
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| Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
OMG! My weight has exceeded 90kg again!
The last time was when I did consulting almost 5 years later.
Consulting does make me fat!
I need to do something now.
Given my circumstances, the most realistic way is to adjust diet.
Less oil, sugar etc etc
This means less hot pot, Wayu steak, BBQ etc etc
Pain, but necessary!
Well, I accept the pain as it is inevitable in life. [Read more here!]
Sunday, July 17, 2022
My Market Transactions — Wk28 2022
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Transaction for past week: Nil
Again, I am warming up.
Have a great week!!!
Till next time!
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Good Decision vs Good Outcomes
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| Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Do good decisions mean good outcomes?
Yes and No!
Do good outcomes mean good decisions?
Again, Yes and No!
You might think I am just playing word games here.
But actually, they matter a lot.
Let me explain.
The interview did not work out. This is a bad outcome, because I did not get the job.
But would that mean that my decision to prepare for it the day before was bad?
I woke up late but manged to rush to the important meeting just in time. This is a good outcome because technically I was not late for the meeting.
But would that mean that my decision to run the red light was good?
I think you get the idea.
Good decisions do not always bring good outcomes. The same is true for bad decisions.
But if we ignore the specific cases and focus on the many repeated cases, we can say that:
- Good decisions have a high probability in bringing good outcomes; The longer the horizon, the higher the probability
- Bad decisions have a high probability in bringing bad outcomes; The longer the horizon, the higher the probability
So we should keep making good decisions and let time work its wonders.
Till next time!
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Humans are pathetic as a race, to some extent
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| Photo by Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
We, as a race, have never been this powerful — We do not need to worry about attacks from other predators; Our supply is more than abundant; The average life span and education/medical level has never been this high; We built mega cities to reshape the face of the earth; We even ventured into the Space.
But at the same time, we might be the most insecure, struggling and unhappy beings.
So much so that businesses that help people find inner-peace and happiness are booming, because more and more people believe they need the help!
It is actually easy to understand:
1.Our instincts for survival no longer guide us
Animals are happy because they know exactly what they need to do at any point of time from their born instincts for survival. And the evolution has taught them how to accomplish what they need to do.
They experience consistency, peace and purpose.
We humans have long lost that “Luxury”. We no longer needs to fight for survival and we have “Free” time that we do not know what to do with.
2. Old traditions developed to replace the instincts are being broken and discarded
Our ancestors must have panicked when they realized that the instincts could no longer guide their actions during their “Free” time. So traditions were developed in its replacement to give people purpose and faith, no matter how fake and unreasonable they were.
Coming into modern times, we have “proudly” liberated ourselves from those “chains”, only to find ourselves panicking in front of too much “freedom”, at least for some of us.
What should I do with all those freedom?
Just go and play? Would that be wasting life? What if rainy days come later?
Go and study/work? Why? I do not enjoy it and I wont starve even if I do not do it…
Then go do something meaningful and purposeful? Are you kidding? If I knew that something, believed in it and was willing to commit to it, we wont be having this conversation in the first place.
It is ridiculous that all that power and abundance would raise an insecure and pathetic race.
But maybe that insecurity is the thing that acquired us the power and abundance.
If the destiny is so, I guess we have to ware the crown and bear the weight!
Till next time!
Sunday, July 10, 2022
My Market Transactions — Wk27 2022
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Transaction for past week: Nil
Again, I am warming up.
Have a great week!!!
Till next time!
Thursday, July 7, 2022
The grass is always greener on the other side
The grass is always greener on the other side.
This is human nature.
I see it in my friends and I definitely see it in myself.
For me, a lot of this originates from greed. I want the best of both options.
For example, my concerns about risks were addressed and then I was worried about not being able to maximize the benefits.
For example, I was given the opportunity to thrive and then I started to complain about the lack of personal time.
… …
This is just childish and refusing to grow up.
Four steps to address this:
1. Know what is realistic
The world runs on its own rules. And most of time, we have to give up something to get something else.
Know what we want and what we are wiling to give up.
Bear in mind that this might change. The more we know, the more we see, the clearer it will be.
Of course, a little help goes a long way.
2. Make the trade-off decision
Make the decision, knowing clearly this is what I want and this is what I can give up in order to get what I want.
Most of the time, there are no right or wrong trade-offs.
We can pick money or more free time. We can pick reducing risks or maximizing benefits…
It largely depends on our own preferences. But we need to know whatever we pick is our preference and we need to get the expectation clear — We will NOT get the best of both worlds.
3. Stick to it
Stick to your decision and try to make the best of it.
Do not waver at the first sign of frustration. Do not look around. Stay focused.
Many times, we make our decisions right.
4. Never doubt ourselves
Even though many decisions are just preferences and we actually have quite some power to make our decisions right, we will still make wrong decisions for sure, especially looking back when the dust has set.
I have made many wrong decisions, some of which are really costly, setting back my life for many years.
We need to be ok with it and also know that the next opportunity will always come as long as we do not give up.
And being clear on the trade-off and expectations makes it a lot easier.
The last thing we should do is doubt ourselves because that will affect our happiness, confidence, and capability to pursue what we want at the most fundamental level.
It extinguishes the sparks inside us that really makes us us! And it is really hard to re-ignite it!
So if you are doubting yourselves like I am, please stop it and tell yourself — I am who I am and I am on my way to my goals. Not a single bit of my efforts or experiences will be a waste.
To us all! And Till next time!
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Can you protect the ones you love?
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| From Internet |
Dear Reader,
Thank you for coming here!
Watched a good movie and had some thoughts.
It is a Chinese movie and apparently there are different English names for it — Sheep Without a Shepherd II or Fireflies in the Sun. I prefer the second one.
The main character of the movie was a father who had a beautiful, loving and happy family, even though he had no money or power.
Of course, something bad had to happen.
His cute son which he loved dearly needed a heart transplant to live. Apparently, the help they could get from government or charity was limited.
They faced two problems:
- Wait for a matching heart, which is rare — the heart needs to come before it is too late.
- Money
They did everything to accumulate enough money, including selling blood and borrowing from loan-sharks, while waiting for the heart.
Finally, the heart came, but was stolen because the mayor’s son needed it too!
Out of options, the father carried out a bold plan with all he had — his intellectual power and his life.
He knew he would not walk out of it alive and he knew that was the last chance for his son.
My thoughts are:
- As a commoner which is the vast majority of us, do we possess the capability (intellectual power, courage, execution capability etc etc)to protect the ones we love, as the last resort, when the World turns its back on us and decides to dump us into the trash?
- As the privileged minority, try not to cross the line. Even one in a million rises up, and that is enough to change a lot of things and the privileged has everything to lose.
My favorite lines from the movie:
我们可以为了生活忍气吞声，可以接受卑微的活着，但是他们不能像虫子一样把我们随意踩死!
犯了错就要受惩罚，不管是谁，不管在哪里，我们都要学会接受！
Till next time!
Sunday, July 3, 2022
My Market Transactions — Wk26 2022
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Transaction for past week: Nil
Again, I am warming up.
Have a great week!!!
Till next time!
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