Meaningful Living

Pic: Taken from the CPF website. In Singapore, we have the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which is a compulsory savings through own and employer contribution during our working years, to provide us for our golden age. This post lists some information for younger Singapore citizens, as a quick reference.  The info is accurate (to the best of my knowledge) as of the posting date. Before 55 years old: 1.   Try to achieve the required Full Retirement Sum (FRS) early.  The main purpose is not about wanting to retire early, but to take advantage of the high/good interest rates offered in CPF.  The amount is compounded, and will be a huge sum by the time we are 55. 2.   We can achieve the above by various methods, like low-to-medium risks investments using Ordinary Account and/or Special Account (OA/SA), or through voluntary top-ups.  Of course, we need to work very hard and impress our boss so that we get our promotions, higher salary and bonuses that ...

  Most Chinese would know the phrase 得饶人处且饶人, which means, to forgive others whenever we can. This has been a very useful strategy for the Chinese.  Because when we force someone into a corner, we may trigger his need and urgency to fight back. This can then put us into a less advantageous position. There is another saying 狗急跳墙 : When a dog panics, it can jump over a wall. Hence, do not press the super-power button on your enemy. But, many Chinese would not know the full context of the former phrase.  It came from a high priest who gained enlightenment by spending many years playing the Chinese Go, and finally understanding the deeper meaning in it. 烂柯真诀妙通神 一局曾经几度春 自出洞来无敌手 得饶人处且饶人 Literal translation:  The game of Chinese Go is intriguing. One could spend a few years on a game. Never met a stronger opponent after coming out from the cave (meditation/enlightenment). Forgive others whenever we can.  Referring to the context from "never met a stronger opponent..."....

Sunk Cost : In economics terms, Sunk Cost is the amount of money already spent / invested that cannot be recovered. A simple way of explaining Sunk Cost Fallacy :  A situation where we feel that we have put in too much money (in relative terms), that we tell ourself not to quit that project/investment.  This fallacy can also be used in other areas like time, relationship, studies etc. Examples: 1.  You invested some money in the stocks of a company.  After a while, the stocks is not doing well, and you are starting to lose money.  But you held on to the stocks, as you do not want to waste what you have invested, and hoping that it will do well again. 2.  At the casino's slot machine, you have already dropped a lot of chips into the machine, and the bets put in outweighs the winning.  You chose not to stop, because you have already bet so much, and you hope luck will be on your side soon. 3.  After being with a girl for five years, you realised tha...

Came across something interesting from a TV program. The rice plant is one of the most successful plant species on earth, because man's successful cultivation of rice ensures the rice survival as a species.  The rice plants hence do not need to compete with other plant species for space and nutrients, because all these are taken care of by human beings.  On top of that, humans develop better rice varieties that are drought/pest resistant etc.  This can be said of many other plant species that human beings consume too. What about animals?  Using the same thinking, many animals also ensured their survival as a species by being useful to the humans, like the chicken.  The chicken will not be hunted to extinction by predators. They are propagated by human beings in a safe environment, and chicks being hatched and raised in assisted methods.  This ensures their survival as a species. But the question that I keep asking myself is, would you consider your species ...

I am not an expert in this area.  Captured here are just things I learned over the years, from conversations with CEOs and Design Directors over the course of my work, as well as from other learning. DO's 1.  Do your research on the company beforehand.  Understand and be familiar with their objective and philosophy, operations and products. 2.  Dress appropriately .  Be punctual. 3.  Greet.  Smile .  4.  Show interests in the Organisation (through your questions about their operations, outreach program etc), instead of negotiating for salary or work benefits straight away.  It is about how you can contribute to them, instead of how they can reward you.  But yes, you can negotiate the salary towards the end of the interview, when more or less you know you have a good chance of getting the job. 5.  Push the chair back in before you take your leave.  Thank the interviewers for their time. DON'Ts 1.    Do not spe...

There has been a lot of talks on climate change lately.  This post is to summarise some of the things we as individuals need to know/do to save the environment and hopefully, indirectly slows down climate change. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Reducing is a more effective strategy than reusing and recycling , because when we reduce the use of say, plastic materials, then we have less plastic materials to reuse or recycle. Many years ago, there was a school doing a recycling project.  They built some artistic structures using used plastic and aluminum bottles/containers.  By having such an activity, some children may inadvertently buy more such items, in order to bring the containers to school for the project.  At the same time, in my opinion, reusing such items do not solve the problem.  It only delayed the problem.  Because many years later, they would still need to dispose of the structures. Examples of things we can do: 1.   Reduce the need for single-us...

In a recent group chat with a few ex students, the topic of money came up again.  The question was, Does Money give us happiness?  The obvious answer is yes, but we went on to discuss deeper. Why does money give us happiness? 1.  Spending money can boost our mood.  Researches have shown that buying experiences and gadgets increases the dopamine level and hence gives us happiness.  However, this dopamine level increases only when we are buying it, but quickly lowers after the purchase. So the happiness from the purchase may not last long , especially if we regret the purchase. 2.  At one National Day Rally, either Mr Goh Chok Tong or Mr Lee Hsien Loong (can't remember which PM as it was quite some time back) said something like this:  "... we work hard, so that we can have more options in life ." When we have more money, we can choose between hawker centre, expensive restaurants, or home delivery for our meals.  This gives us the satisfaction and ...

Do we need to use proper English? To me, it depends on the situation.  When we are with our friends or relatives, sure, use Singlish by all means, because everyone talks like that.  But we need to learn to switch over to using proper English when the occasion calls for it, like talking to superiors, with clients, when being interviewed for TV programs, when teaching the younger ones, etc. To me, the use of lah lor leh etc in Singlish is fine when used in Singapore, unless we are speaking to foreign visitors, where these words may confuse them.  However, some words just don't sound pleasant, in my opinion. Some common examples: 1.  "Actually".   There is too much use of the word 'actually'. Heard on a TV interview: "Because of this pandemic, most of our workers actually work from home.  We actually send some of them for training since this is the best opportunity for us.  Our sales actually dropped by 40%, and we actually hope to turn this around by the...

A new TV program started on channel 8 recently (财不怕退休), to give information/advice to young people on how to plan for financial stability when old. This is a summary of some key points from the program, as well as some of my views. 1.  We should plan for retirement as early as we can . In Singapore, even though we have the CPF scheme, it is likely only enough to meet our basic needs.  We plan early, so that we can continue to live the way we want to live, after retiring. 2.  General guideline for a young working adult:  Save 20% of the salary, use 50% for daily expenses, and invest the remaining.  For me, I would advise going for longer term, lower risk investments, because the objective is to plan for retirement, not to hit the jackpot. Some people don't save at all because they feel that they have CPF.  As explained above, CPF may give us just enough for basic needs.   On the other hand, there are people who are very prudent and save a huge prop...

It was reported that in Singapore, 16 new kidney failure patients are diagnosed each day currently.  This is a scary number.  Here are some notes on kidney failure. 1.   Common Causes : Diabetes : This is the most common cause of kidney failure.  When blood sugar binds to proteins, it causes the kidney filters to lose its function to filter toxins effectively Glomerulonephritis : This is the second most common cause of kidney failure due to kidney inflammation.  This is not treatable or preventable, but can be controlled with medicines High Blood Pressure : HBP can damage the blood vessels in the kidney, thus reducing the kidney's filtration functioning Exposure to pollutants , including cigarette smoke Injury to the kidney due to sports etc  Severe dehydration Certain medications (like some blood pressure medicine) (doctors will switch medications or stop the medicine temporarily for monitoring)     2.  Through blood test (or u...

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more people are getting used to working from home (WFH).  It has been noted that there are more job seekers requesting for WFH. Some will deny this, but these are the reasons (not exhaustive) I feel many people prefer to work from home: 1.   Can wake up later; 2.   No need to travel to work place, hence saving some money on transportation; 3.   Can steal time at home to do personal stuffs; 4.   Not being watched by the boss and colleagues; 5.   Can spend time with family/send children to school etc. I am not against the idea of WFH, because it depends on the nature of the work, and it depends on the boss.  The purpose of this blog is to give awareness of another group of people with a different thinking regarding WFH. Some people prefer to work in the office, due to the nature of their work.  But there are also people who prefers to work in the office because of FOMO, the Fear of ...

Abilene Paradox, a social phenomenon where a group of people decide together on a certain action plan, but actually many or some of the them did not like the idea. The story goes like this, according to Wikipedia.   On a hot afternoon in  Coleman , Texas , a family was comfortably playing  dominoes  on a porch, until the father suggested that they take a [50-mile (80-km)] trip to  Abilene  for dinner. The daughter said, "Sounds like a great idea." Her husband, despite having reservations because the drive is long and hot, thought that his preferences must be out-of-step with the group and said, "Sounds good to me. I just hope your mother wants to go." The mother then said, "Of course I want to go. I haven't been to Abilene in a long time." The drive  was  hot, dusty, and long. When they arrived at the cafeteria, the food was as bad as the drive. They arrived back home four hours later, exhausted. One of them dishonestly said, "It was a great ...

36 Chinese Stratagems  (三十六计) is a set of 6 x 6 techniques, a collection of ancient Chinese military and civil interaction tactics.  It was based on fighting the enemies and dealing with people, hence a lot to learn from and to apply in our daily life. What I like most is the last strategy 走为上策, literally, Leaving (running away) . Like the Chinese say, it is the best strategy. Practical applications: - to avoid confrontations, arguments - to escape from embarrassing situations - to run away from aggressive sales pitch - to prevent further losses - to get out of likely being played in a mind-game Many people cannot just leave it, due to pride and the need to win.  It doesn't mean we will become a loser because we avoided confrontations.  My general rule is, things we cannot control (other peoples' actions), we avoid . Some examples: 1.   Many years ago I was in a taxi where the driver kept on rambling on his dissatisfaction with the government.  I liste...

These are some of the questions I ask myself now and then or in the past, many of which have no answers. 1.  How did the Universe start?  If it was the big bang, what caused the big bang?  Where did all the materials come from? 2.  What created the first living cell in the universe?  I mean, besides the theory of God.  How did the first living cell(s) know what to do? 3.  Why is it that insects, fish and animals can evolve features for self-defense or to gain advantage, but human beings didn't/can't do these? Examples: Stick Insects mimicking tree branches to avoid detection. Octopuses' ability to change colour to blend in with the surrounding. Zebras having black and white stripes.  My question for the zebra is not so much about the why, but the how.  How on earth did the zebras know how to divide their hair lines in such neat rows?  Cobra.  How do poisonous snakes know how to evolve poison in their body?    4.  Is g...

I mentioned Purine and Gout in one of my previous posts.  Recently, I learned that boiling meat/bones for many hours in water can significantly increase the amount of purine in the soup too.  Without going into details, the advice from doctors are: Do not boil meat/bones in the soup/broth for more than an hour . Here's a Chicken soup recipe I tried last week, which tasted very good. My proof to my mum that we do not need to boil the chicken for many hours in order to get the taste. Chicken Coconut Soup (for 2 pax): 1.  Get ready half a chicken, chopped into smaller pieces, wash clean.  If your pot is big enough, you can choose not to cut it into smaller pieces. No marination is needed. 2.  Get ready one young coconut.  Pour the juice into a bowl for later use.  Scrape off the coconut flesh if they are tender enough. Otherwise, do without the coconut flesh. 3.  Put the chicken into a pot with about four bowls of water.  Turn on high heat....

Collated these information on collagen from documentaries (Talking Point on Channel 5 and a few other sources): 1.   There are three types of collagen in our body.  Types 1 and 3 are those under our skin.  Type 2 are those found in our knee joints, shoulder joints etc. 2.    Collagen broth and collagen supplements don't work , because collagen molecules are too big to be absorbed by our body.  Even if they are broken down and absorbed by the body, our body will send them to higher priority areas like the muscles, not to the skin.  Hence when taken, there will not likely be any beauty effect on the skin. 3.   Frequent smoking, alcohol consumption and exposure to UV light deplete the natural collagen in our body.  Many people who smoke and drink a lot, have rough and wrinkled faces, as well as those who work under the sun all the time. 4.   A more effective method for improving our skin texture is by applying creams with Vi...

  I have been using chiropractic adjustments for my lower back problem for the past three years and found that it works for me.  Hence giving some information here. History :  More than ten years ago, there was an occasion where I bent my body to pick up a carton of drinks, and my lower back gave way. I had problem moving my body. The next morning, I went to see a Chinese Sensei who did cupping for me. He also held me from the back and "adjusted" the spine.  My back got better after about two days.  I just didn't like the cupping, because it comes with needles poking on the leg, which sent electrical feelings down the leg. Ever since then, about once a year, the problem came back, and I continued to see the Chinese sensei when it happened. Discovery  :  Eager to find a way to get rid of my lower back problem, I did a lot of research on the internet, and came across Chiropractic Adjustments .  When it happened again one day, I called up a Chiropra...

There is a Chinese saying, “The Teacher opens the door, but We need to enter it by ourselves." Basically it means, no matter how good a Master is, it is up to the Disciple to improve himself.  To be good at what we do, for our efforts to be recognised, we need the following: - Good attitude : Always look at the glass half full, never give up, always wanting to learn more, and making the right decisions; - Hard work : Practice makes perfect, do not let laziness overcome us, persevere;  - Learning smart : It is ok to make mistakes, but never make the same mistake more than once.  Learn fast.  This includes looking at mistakes others make, and ensuring we don't make those mistakes too; - Have good plans : Use an organiser to remember 'things to do'.  Do not allow the words "I forgot" to take over our life.  Plan and think before action; - Help from others : Be collegial, work as a team.  Make use of the strength of the individual in the team. Work with th...

There is one interesting Economics theory that we should be aware of, the Multiplier Effect.  I will use just a simple example to illustrate this theory. Why is it that, during an economic downturn, or difficult times like a pandemic, the government still give out aid packages to companies and to the individuals?  Shouldn't they be prudent? In general, it is to help the economy to survive, reducing the number of small and medium size companies closing shop for good. But why, to the individuals?  When people spend less, more people earn less from businesses.  These people in turn spend less.  The compound effect is bad for the economy.  On the other hand, when the government gives out vouchers to the individual households, the general public is able to continue to spend on essentials.  Shop and stall owners who earn these money, in turn have more cash for spending on their own necessities.  And when the shop and stall owners spend, the receiver in ...

I asked a group of students in a group chat :"Does any of you use any other chat apps besides Whatsapp?  If yes, what are they?" One person replied :"Telegram".  And no one else responded after that.  When I asked why no one else replied, a few said "cos same, telegram". So, this blog is to to talk about the difference between a quiz and a survey, according to my humble understanding. A quiz is likely to be one that has a fixed answer, or a fixed set of answers.  For example, if someone asked :"What is 1+1?".  There is no need to respond if the person who responded earlier gave the correct answer.  We can, of course, say the same answer or give another answer if we think the answer given was incorrect.  In this case, it doesn't matter how many people respond to the quiz (but of course, a teacher will want more students to try to answer). On the other hand, a survey requires as many people to respond as possible, because the sample group size ...