A great talk by one of my favourite authors Alain de Botton, speaking on success. A quote that I absolutely love, from the talk: The next time you see someone driving a Ferrari, don't think this is somebody who's greedy. Think of this as somebody who's incredibly vulnerable, and in need of love.
Confounding and the measurement of the MRT off peak initiative
The Singapore government announced a while back that they were going to start an initiative to try to reduce peak period crowds on our public rail system or MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). The initiative involved providing free and subsidised travel for passengers on selected trips during the morning off-peak period. This initiative kicked off two... Continue Reading →
Singapore hits a record high PSI
Singapore has been experiencing a terrible bout of haze lately, with record-setting PSI of 371 recorded earlier this afternoon. The haze had been, in the beginning, quite a welcome break from the dull monotony of everyday Singapore life. I'd even followed PSI readings as closely as punters would the weekly 4D results. But as it drags... Continue Reading →
On theory, practice, and Snowflake Schemas
Just the other day I learnt that the data warehouse I was working on was designed using a Star and Snowflake schema. I'd known enough about them to know that this meant the data was set up on fact and "dimensional" tables, but not much other than that. So the moment I had some time... Continue Reading →
Student loans and how the deed is infinitely stronger than the word
Interesting article giving the perspectives of three people with outstanding student loans and how they're paying it off. I'd never been that heavily in debt and I do sometimes wonder what I'd do. Though I cannot say for sure, I do not see myself holding off the payment of loans if I could I help... Continue Reading →
The need for discomfort
If life was comfortable all the time, we wouldn't learn a damn thing. I do wish it would be otherwise. Give me the lesson without the associated pain of learning. But no. Life has to be hard if it is to be worthwhile.