Blog

RSS

Sustainability Part 1 - My Take and My Concerns

Jan 20, 2021 · 7 min read · #sustainability

TLDR; Sustainability is a multi faceted, complex issue that fascinates me. It has many different interpretations and requires an intimate understanding of how the world works. There is a danger of sustainable development falling victim to its own complexity. It helps if we were more informed and nuanced in our understanding of it. Disclaimer - views are my own. There is no one way to think about sustainability.

A Renewed Direction - A blog to understand the world

Jan 17, 2021 · 5 min read · #meta

TLDR; I reflect on how best to make use of this blog; This will set the structure and purpose of the blog moving forward. As the new year breaks, I have decided to give this blogging exercise more direction. After reflecting what - specifically - I would want to share with prospective readers, I felt that something unique (and therefore of-value to others), was how I have come to perceive and understand the world.

On a 2020 Retrospection and what Makes Me, Me

Dec 27, 2020 · 7 min read · #personal

TLDR; I talk about major events that happened to me this year; On the topic of major events, some are more major than others, and have a long-lasting impact on your life’s trajectory; I talk about and take stock of such events in the past decade of my life. I roughly list some objectives for 2021. 2020 - What a Year With the year drawing to a close, I thought I might - as fashionable as it is - do a quick retrospection for 2020.

Making Sense of the Engima that is the Economy

Oct 7, 2020 · 5 min read · #economics

THE BELOW IS TO BE REWRITTEN NOW THAT I HAVE STARTED WRITING THE SERIES OF POSTS TLDR; The world is often characterised as being on a tipping point and challenged by significant uncertainty. Through reading, synthesis and systems thinking, I offer my own take of the state of the world . This is not meant to be prophetic. It is a coping mechanism, to make sense of the uncertainty we currently live in.

On a Mercantile Heritage and its shortcomings

Oct 3, 2020 · 5 min read · #economics , #current-affairs

TLDR; Geographically, Singapore lends itself to trade. Singapore has a rich heritage of merchants and traders. The Merchant mindset prefers to take, and not make. This puts Singapore at an inherent disadvantage to create value. As the economy grows more intangible (article for another time), this also skews us towards a profit-without-product state. This is not resilient or healthy in the long-term. But things are temporal - cultures take time to change.

The Intolerance of Intolerance

Sep 7, 2020 · 4 min read · #thoughts

TLDR; I live by a belief system of living in the gray. Nothing can ever be linearly explained. There are complex reasons and interrelations behind everything. It has made me more tolerant of different views, as I seek to understand both sides of an argument. This belief system crumbles when I come across an extremist view. I can’t tolerate this. This leads to a paradox: Can a belief system promoting tolerance coexist with one is unable to tolerate intolerance?

Survivalism and the path of Life

Aug 26, 2020 · 6 min read · #philosophy

TLDR Above all else, life is about surviving; Cycling can be used as a metaphor for the expected bumpiness of life Do we Survive to Live or Live to Survive? omgdeep Philosophers across the millennia have always sought to answer life’s most pressing meta question. WTF IS LIFE To act virtuously cries Aristotle and his students on a Greek hillside in their fancy robes and whatnot.

On Politics, Hype and Decision-making

Jul 11, 2020 · 5 min read · #government , #decision-making

TLDR; Part 1: General elections in Singapore this year has activated a broader political conciousness. This is a good thing. Part 2: I abhor hype. But I am keen to open my mind to contrarian views to challenge my thinking on this. I appreciate its potential to create a positive impact (if not abused) I decided to combine a draft blog post I had been mulling over with a very timely and topical issue here in Singapore.

How will you measure your life?

Jul 2, 2020 · 3 min read · #philosophy , #personal

TDLR: Conceived from random shower thoughts - I propose two principles to live by: Increase your engagement with the world. You’ll feel better Aspire to make the world less sweaty (with caveats). The world will feel better. A rough pen down of thoughts today - not intending this post to be too polished. A former (fantastic) manager once told me that he would annually scan through and review a book by the late Clayton Christensen on How Will You Measure Your Life?

On Bikes and the Diminishing Returns of Innovation

Jun 24, 2020 · 4 min read · #thoughts

TLDR; Goods and services now accessible by everyday consumers are of extremely good quality. The impact of innovation faces marginal returns in both supply (ability of the manufacturer to innovate) and demand (ability of the consumer to adopt new innovations) Still, consumers like to splurge a little on quality products. #feelsgood. The circuit breaker has been a time of both contemplation and new hobbies. As one of the few permissible outdoor activities, I have begun a habit to run more in the nearby park and dusted off the old family bike (Ladies bike; my sister’s) to feel the wind in my hair, the rush of nature… whilst being legally compliant of course.