I fought the EE-DL battle, then the FCH battle .. Now I won it with UChicago degree.

k_quietime  k_soul_search  k_tectonic

Compared to …

• ##[20]won%%battles against FOMO[def2] #mellow
• TJ.Lin@China young techie

… this blogpost is unique in its emphasis on fat-n-happy and on extended battle. Fat-n-happy doesn’t means “battle won”.  See also ##progressive growth: 江河日下, written around the same time.

fat-n-happy is almost the opposite of zqbx …

To avoid becoming another vague, all-encompassing list, we need to careful about what NOT to include (more than what to include) in this list. Even though I’m careful what to include, the focus is shifting to the on-going battles where no fat-n-happy exists. This shift threatens to homogenize and commoditize this once-unique blogpost.

The Trigger — nowadays I feel fat-n-happy, not engaged in too many of those long drawn-out.  battles/struggles like IV, PIP,,,

When I say “battle”, the adversaries are usually not human enemies, but difficult systems, complexities, high bar, or myself.

How specific? With some battles, I want the analysis to be very low-level and specific. With other battles like personal finance, I don’t want 88 specific battles, but I can list them in the section below the table.

— burn or rot? Not rotting. Am more serious about wellness, parenting (and pff), less about gz

— 躺平 ? My fat_n_happy / mellowness are marginally related to the 躺平 movement, and only in the career dimension.
When I think about the 躺平^内卷 (involution) struggle, I realize my non-trivial success [not luck] in 1)cashflow 2)career 3)credentials.

However, these pair of Chinese terms are abstract, arcane, not widely understood even in China, and therefore hard to use in any writing. They may become largely unrecognizable within 10 years.

==== Now the list of battles
[p=personal battle, mostly inside my own world]
[m=mellowing up]
[e= improved my “position” mostly due to personal effort, rather than external factors like luck. See locus@control]

— IV battlefield ..
For example, see https://btv-gz.dreamhosters.com/2016/10/30/civ-weaker-than-java-introspection/. Now I no longer try so hard to enter a tough field like quant or HFT.
— survival on the job .. struggled in GS, Stirt, Macq only. I chose well.
— battles against tech churn, aging and out-sourcing .. affect livelihood in two distinct contexts 1) competing for jobs 2) keep-the-job (promotion is never a concern to me)
I always emphasize (1) over (2).
— stay organized .. is a common battle as our belongings and our personal content keep growing
I feel things stabilized after kids grew up.
— marriage .. now I realized how important wife is to the kids
— pff .. Why the struggle? I subscribed to the brainwash/propaganda, and carried the burdens of SDXQ housing etc.
Inflation was portrayed as so high that you simply can’t beat it with your paltry salary and savings (need investment).

However, my suffering was lighter thanks to my brbr[saving, conserver/minimalist]. My struggle was smaller than my peers’ struggles.

My family livelihood needs are well taken care of. This battle is largely symbolic…
— wellness
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Cholesterol is a long but small battle. Didn’t require tough lifestyle changes.
— sexual needs [searching, courting] .. a decade-long battle. Fierce competition (battle) for the desirable women. In college I was coping fine, but not the decade after. See involuntary celibacy + sexual needs since 2000s. I feel lucky now.

Why not labelled a “personal” struggle? I actually engaged in courtships many times. I had to position myself and adjust it frequently.

Why I consider it my own effort? I chose well. After years chasing the wrong targets, I chose the right woman to satisfy my (not all selfish) needs.