A program on the BBC about a week back talked about getting a job during a recession. "Graduates," they said, "who got jobs during recessions were likely to be paid less than their peers who got jobs during times of prosperity." I am, unfortunately, one of them. Graduating at the end of 2008, I went... Continue Reading →
Achieving Bliss in a Striving World
“Life,” he told me, “ought to be filled with always striving for something. It keeps life interesting.” Intuitively I felt that he was right in some way. It reminded me of the concept of “flow”, where you’re so engaged in an activity that is just beyond your comfort level that you lose all sense of... Continue Reading →
Getting Old
Yesterday I had a meeting with one of my best friends since secondary school, Wilson, whom had only recently returned from his four-year degree course in New Zealand. We met at Heartland Mall's Xin Wang HK Cafe, a very decent place for relatively low-cost, almost restaurant-quality food, and the ambience was good (Wilson managed to... Continue Reading →
On Television Advertising
A cynic once called television a medium because it is neither rare not well done. This was taken from the book Cutting Edge Advertising by Jim Aitchison. Just thought it was genius how punny it was.
The Engagement Announcement
"What do I say??" I asked her in desperation. I looked across the table and there they were, looking quite indifferent to the food with which I had hoped would help bribe my way to an easy "yes." I was here today, at the Peach Blossoms restaurant in the Marina Mandarin hotel, to ask for... Continue Reading →
Persevering Through Difficulty
I am currently reading Seth Godin's book The Dip, in which he mentions that well-roundedness is not the secret to success, contrary to what we learn in school. How often do you look for someone who is actually quite good at the things you don't need her to do? How often do you hope that... Continue Reading →
Our Second Anniversary in Malacca
Just came back from a trip from Malacca with the fiancee, a trip sorta arranged around our second anniversary. I really enjoyed myself, and so did she. Went shopping, watched a movie at the theatre (and half of one on my lappy). Ate lots -- and I mean lots of pretty decent food. Happy anniversary... Continue Reading →
“Freak” Rain Every 50 Years?
At lunch yesterday, a colleague of mine told me about the previous day's rain that had caused flooding in the Bukit Timah area. The damage, he told me, was quite substantial, with some of the major casualties being the cars caught in a basement carpark (with water levels up to waist-height). He was surprised that... Continue Reading →
The Black Swan
My thinking has lately been a little inspired by The Black Swan, by Nicholas Taleb (author of another of my favourite books, Fooled by Randomness). The basic idea behind the Black Swan is that we cannot ignore improbable events (especially high-impact events), and that absence of proof does not mean proof of absence -- which... Continue Reading →
On Reading
I am a voracious reader -- I read anywhere and everywhere: on the toilet or on the bus; at home or at the office; at the library or at fiancee's home; while watching television or exercising. I like to think that I'm always learning something new, something to apply to life, such that I can... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 