Category: t_J4reflect

rename to t_j4reflection_tBudget

(tiny)SIM handling #marker

Posted on by tiger40490

For decades (since 200s?) I have faced the same risk of misplacing SIM cards, and Sys2 workload to mitigate this risk. This bpost is a t-investment to reduce sys2 load. Personal best practice.

— todo: put unimportant SIM in the same place?

— use tiny transparent plastic bag to hold one or multiple SIM cards.

You can put this bag inside a bigger transparent container. (I used to have a black/white safebox)

— consistent, predictable, memorable location (sys1-friendly) for SIM cards..

During travel, that location is inside the luggage

At home, that location should be with important docs, perhaps in a BIG transparent box, hard to miss.

— /inscribe/ a short identifier .. with permanent marker

Given tiny real estate on the SIM, we can write over existing content which is always meaningless.

Sometimes we have too many SIM cards showing “Starhub”

personal_UGC [blog,gmail,,] #xp,tips

Posted on by tiger40490

k_UGC,,, k_disk_hog

UGC was discussed in the Rolia bpost and other bposts, but here I’m boldly (no shame) expanding its scope to includes personal exchanges and personal notes.

Perhaps, system/solutions of UGC vs personal_UGC have overlaps?

j4 this bpost .. I spend 10h+/week on blogg + email. More than half the hours are using my personal archive.

incremental_update .. A G5 essential goal , although it sounds irrelevant to an archive system…  incremental_update across months, even years [see those w1r6 bposts]. This goal is highly relevant when I jot down “content” for planning, problem solving, analysis, self-help etc. Dozens of pieces to update in any week, disqualifying many “simple” systems like paper, smartphone, email drafts.

archive_search .. A G5 essential goal of personal or team’s archive (even a “national archive”). For me, gmail+MSOL, Jira, wiki are more relevant than blogs. Paper folders are suitable if they come in the letterbox. Common challenges include [archive_proliferation, outdated_content, x_ref,,,]

Terminology .. x_ref is a technical /challenge/, but not a “problem”.

==== 温故知新 .. including DRamRefresh is a G2 goal for my “system” . Finding long-forgotten pearls of insight. Common challenges include [x_ref, outdated_content,,]
I now rely more on blog tagging (a system adjustment ) for x_ref.
* A big tcost and real complexity is categorization. I have invested a lot in my category hierarchy.
* A challenge is … tag_proliferation. I have invested into header keywords as an innovative adjustment.

As a system adjustment to help the SEng[search engine], I allocate time to bpost title drafting and continuous adjustment. Search result only shows blog title!

A common challenge is … archive_proliferation i.e. “too many Drams to refresh”. My t_fuxi tag + sticky flag, and fuxi files in git blog are not very effective but still a worthwhile ongoing adjustment. Post-it and print-for-refresh are time-honored techniques.

nuts ##forgettable truths .. is an example of a tradeoff. After a few years, the valuable content (a “Dram”) deserves a welcome refresh but until then, we have to keep it as “outdated, low-value baggage”.

As I age, this goal and its challenges will grow. May become a #1 goal.

For devTill70 and career longevity, DRamRefresh would be crucial, as I use personal_UGC to record technical/localSys/past project content.

— a common challenge is … outdated_content. Most emails and bposts beyond 10Y prove irrelevant.
I now allocate some effort (adjustment) tagging them as outdated.

To reduce noisy search and to reduce storage footprint, I actively remove (adjustment) outdated content from blog and email archives.

In Rolia, only hand-picked conversations are preserved in 精华区 (system adjustment) for years, but a good post was often followed by low-quality comments 🙁

xp: dozens of bposts on diet/nutrition/BMI; dosens of bpost on parenting…

For these goals, A simple “write-n-archive” system without adjustments would soon prove primitive.

— xp: my recoll. Many purposes, including incremental_update and 温故知新. Stopped using it in my early 40s, because … (among other reasons) hard to access from outside home. “Title” space too limited 🙁 No version control

For localSys notes, I still rely on recoll.
— xp: I used blogger and free wpress for years. Limited tagging. Date editing too cumbersome.
— xp: wpress post comment and “updates” on page top .. are simple adjustment for incremental_update
— xp: wpch[wpress commercial hosting]  is my current system
GitBlogg “noblog” files .. as an adjustment and a archive, dramatically reduces my pain of creating/updating too many bposts, but at a small cost ! The noblog Dram doesn’t get enough refresh, but I can live with that.
— xp: English vocab and Driving blogs
DramRefresh is non-essential. Blogger, recoll,,, would probably sufice, though wpch offers additional benefits
— xp: personal email archive, esp. in my Gmail. I seldom use Gmail for active DramRefresh, because largely immutable, and archive_proliferation. I sometimes notice valuable /conversations/ in this 20Y worth of email “haystack”, thanks to the advanced SEng [search_engine]

To reduce noisy search and to reduce storage footprint, I invested in multiple adjustments to clean out worthless letters. Described in a separate bpost.

wechat/whatsapp messge personal archive is used by many individual users… poor cousin to email archive. Limited screen; no subject; limited history.For important data, better send email to myself.
— eg: A Goldman colleague shared his “team best practice” .. saving all email discussions in some /undisclosed/ knowledge archive, which proved effective for finding long-forgotten pearls of insight.  I see multiple imperfections

  • lots of the content are duplicated/repeated,
  • Some of the content is low quality, even incorrect/misleading
  • alternative spellings and (rare) misspelling would mess up the poor SEng

ExpertExchange and Quora suffered the same. Stackoverflow has many adjustments to reduce those pains. Those features are costly and complex.

A corporate wiki is better maintained but still lacks an effective SEng.

— innovative adjustment : /disposable/ blogging
* tcost: updating existing bpost .. obligation to find the _most_relevant_ bpost. After that, often need to integrate new content into existing.
* tcost: creating brand new bpost… obligation to choose category/tags and draft good title
* tcost: noisy wpress search /against/ increased haystack;
* tcost: overcrowded category/tags

When I have too much content in git-blog, a recommendation is … disposable blogg i.e. expressive, reflective, therapeutic writing in git-blog (or wpress), and later move content into those fuxi_*.txt files

Email with friends .. is an exemplification of such reflective writing and comparable to disposable blogg. “Thrown away” into gmail archive. better tcosts. Eg: in early 2024, I did such an reflective writing on “adaptable retirement”. These emails are kinda worth a dramRefersh once a while, but … Should they go into my blog as four-liners? Only a selected few.

Need to go through the fuxi_* files once a while or they would keep growing, but that’s a tradeoff.

Sugg: split fuxi_ files by subject

 

##buy stress-relief #ris`income

Posted on by tiger40490
  • Rmb 30/Y charged to psbc::gp to receive sms on every in/out amount
  • https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/41310/samsung-tv-stressors/
  • choose ICBC::zlh over CMB to save stress due to mobileNum smrz

k_soul_search

See also

Q: given our rising cashflow high ground [salary, int,,,,], at which pain points could I find /leverage/ to spend a bit more judiciously to reduce my (and wife’s) growing stress? Warning: Slippery slope .. towards overspend and regret.

  • [$ = hundreds of dollars each time, $$ = thousands]
  • [t = saves a lot of time or Sys2 resources]
  • [d = eliminate/reduce due diligence workload]
  • [☆★ ===== effective .. leverage or pain relief]
  • [$] vacation .. additional hotel room
  • creature comfort]low-cost flights
  • ^^ promotions .. below list is largely unsorted
  • pay for sufficient roaming data pack for Djdj visit … so I can use wpress, github, gmail etc.
  • [Sv][$$$] low-pay, less demanding job, as XiaoYan of PSA suggested
  • [Sv] more lavish rewards to induce boy’s better beahvior, and buy me some stress relief
  • pay out of pocket for DJDJ-required screenings
  • [Sr][$ct] tuition for kids .. if kids engage (like ahboy), then we get stress protection and even prevention
  • — category: 77_misc small expenses
  • accidental roaming costs on #5241 .. I need roaming SMS (free) but it creates a hazard — incoming calls may look like important. Each call I accept accidentally costs some amount.
  • Overseas spend .. physical cash creates stress over theft and loss. Reduce that stress by accepting card fees.[dt] buy small things (like chia) faster, without oth
  • pay $20/M for starhub SIM to control boy’s mobile data
  • [cdt] used batteries .. no obligation to check for 99% depleted or 1% depleted.
  • [t] no obligation to sell your old stuff to CashConverter or online. Just discard or give away.
  • [d] dripp water tabs .. costs perhaps $1 /month. I can relax and take my time to fix it.
  • ChnM monthly fee .. accept
  • [Sv] wallet to always carry (low-balance) hsbc movie card… accept risk of loss. In addition, carry another one just for that day. Accept the practice of using the all-day card on weekdays.
  • — category: 33_pff
  • [Sv] NCT help with title
  • [Sv][$ct☆] KondoKo assistance .. RPT
  • [Sr] Ivy/Phillip assistance
  • [Sv][dt] pay HRBlock extra fee [4].. more effective than paying a consultant
  • [dt] buy big quantum to get “free” consultation
  • [Sr][t] become priority clients to enjoy better hotline, email support etc
  • [St][$$] GEX/PropNex for after-sales assistance
  • [St][dt] accept occassional FBF .. No /obligation/ to babysit multiple FBADBs
  • [Sr][cdt] accept some late fees or residual debit balance in ccards. Striving for 100% 20 times a year is stressful
  • [Sv][d] don’t care about seasonal promotion features if it has a (stressful) deadline.
  • — category: 33_wellness support
  • Cigna: I used to leave some residual unused budget within the Wellness category. I think it _is_ best practice, but if I exhaust the budget, that is also fine.
  • buy simple workout equipment for my use in DJDJ, even if I may use it very lightly
  • buy healthy and tasty foods on the go.. usually expensive. Note small portion often less unhealthy.
  • [St][cd] fitness classes, fancy fitness equipment that I may discard after a while
  • .. [$$] pay a fee to learn some meditation
  • [St][$] diet instructor, fitness instructor,,, for affluent clients. Can protect your self-image
  • [St] pay for counselling
  • — category: 33_tech including personalized /assistance/
  • [] VivoY02: a commercial SMS app
  • [cdt] buy MSff or adopt WPS in multiple laptops?  I now prefer /decoupling/ from MSff
  • [St] accept small roaming costs like outgoing SMS.
  • [Sr][$$ ct☆] pay $1k for an IT contractor to set up non-SSL and blog printing service for me. I simply have no bandwidth for now.
  • [Sr][t] laptop with premium support or a good Simlim shop
  • [Sv][ct] hire a consultant to set up home network with parental control. Hotline support proved stressful
  • [Sr] [$c] faster, “richer” smart phone .. reduce stress about storage constraint, but SD card is a cheaper alternative
  • [Sv][★$d] wpch USD 200/Y. Phone support would cost a lot more.
  • .. similarly, gDrive and VPN
  • — less effective, or too commonplace
  • [Sv][cd] changeable air tickets
  • [☆t$$] temp accommodation near office during initial camp-out phase
  • [$$$] improve commute by buying better (not necessarily prime) locations ..
  • [] support family buffet even if “good deal” is unlikely [not hungry]
  • [$] unpaid leave .. too expensive, not worthwhile. No leverage. Regrettable — spent unpaid leave before starting Macq job .. to gain peaceful family time? low ROI
  • [c] taxi .. for family outing. Classic lifestyel creep
  • — I want the item above to follow strict criteria. The items below tend to cost money but are not exactly stress relief
  • [c] premium economy seats with extra legroom

Many U.S. employers hire commercial providers to provide common stress relief for employees.

Many (too many) stress relief items here are … “personal assistance”

— [c = lifestle creep, creature comforts, against my zqbx and adaptation goals] .. Sharp question:
Q: are these suspects of lifestyle creep?
%%A: in the selected cases, I weigh the costs and benefits and make a conscious (sys2) decision to embrace the creep.

— I try to assign 1/3 of the items to each of the three categories. Very few items would “belong to” two buckets

  • [Sr=stress reduction or buffer]
  • [St=stress proTection], relatively rare
  • [Sv=stress preVention]

— [4] xp: I did my due diligence and decided that without the $69.88 fee, HRblock couldn’t file some uncommon forms (stock sales?). Afterwards, I couldn’t verify that the $70 would really make a difference. In the past, I would always require this verification, or demand a confirmation from the vendor (I trust them). This time, I had too many stressors to clear. I didn’t want to keep the entire (filing) process held up, waiting for this verification.

I accepted the risk that “HRBlock misinformed or short-changed me .. the $70 fee made no difference.” I paid the fee to remove (“prevent”) this and other stressors.

tww+todo list: priorities #promote phone #0.txt

Posted on by tiger40490

k_X_upkeep

In each phase of my life, my priorities and requirements change. My todo list always includes a tww list. Current priorities:

  1. durability .. bpost > git_0_txt > smartphone > smemo
  2. easy update .. smemo ~ smartphone::jot > 0_txt > bpost
  3. easy to print .. git_0_txt > bpost
  4. For think-while-walking, smartphone::voice > smemo > printout of git_0_txt  > smartphone::jot> printout of bpost
  5. info-radiator .. hardcopy > smartphone
  6. infrastructure uptime .. bpost hosters like dreamhost/bluehost have more frequent blackouts than github

Single todo list (like git_0_txt-only or bpost-only) ..  is the ideal but unlikely to be optimal.

E-update is the most expensive, most time-consuming part of todo list. I prefer write_n_forget todo system or pencil-update only.

— bpost .. was an /unlikely winner/ but it has proven effective for longer-term tasks … Aha
System down once few months 🙁

— Q: in choosing the todo sytems, why not just follow your sys1? Sys1 would “self-adapt”?
A: No. Without conscious effort, you are likely to be stuck with bad solutions like …(no need to give examples)

— Q: What todo list do ordinary people use? I guess very few use tww. I guess smartphone (camera) is “quick-n-lazy”.

However, Photos saved in the phone tend to take up huge space for years. Upkeep can be time-consuming unless the user develops efficiency. Overall,  it’s a highly inefficient todo system.

==== another bpost: todo-dashboards #tabs

  • 1) inboxes — in MSOutlook and gmail are two disconnected dashboards, mostly for tasks given by other people
  • 2) browser tabs – each represents a task, but this breeds an over-reliance on blogging sites.
  • gmail draft
  • google calendar
  • (to be deleted) MSOutlook tasks — GTD author suggested MSOutlook tasks as the ultimate, but I find it useful only for a subset of my tasks.
  • — Now some all-time favorites that depend on no sophisticated software systems, which are always over-complicated and less reliable
  • 0.txt hosted in git blog was my primary dashboard for a few years..
    • 🙂 useful when we I have a lot of tww + shopping items + reminders
    • 🙂 printable
    • 🙂 high density with multiple items
    • 🙂 version history via git
    • Can use any decent text editor (not notepad or Winword)
  • paper notice board —
    • 🙂 highest visibility, good for a short span up to 2H.
    • 🙂 extremely simple and robust, similar to the space pen (pencil)
    • 🙂 Can be combined with other notice boards.

Conclusion — no perfect combination

##underrated j4blogg

Posted on by tiger40490

Background: the blogg t-allocation is increasing year on year.  I often receive zsms.

Key benefit: We grow wiser via adversities + reflections [including expressive writing]. Without reflections, the growth is slower. We may even forget the details of the adversity and fail to learn from it.

broad but vague benefit: blogg→evaluation@life→more satisfactions

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/benefits-of-journaling-_b_6648884 lists several underrated benefits.

  • [d = true, but often neglected, discounted, dismissed]
  • blogg can stretch your child’s IQ. One of the best single measures of overall intelligence as measured by intelligence tests is vocabulary.
  • Writing has critical connections to speaking. I need more improvement in speaking than writing.
  • [d] Blogg increases chance of achieving personal goals…
  • [d] Emotional intelligence (both self and inter-personal). Even without sending out my writing, whenever I write down another person’s perspective, I get a better understanding.
  • [d] Blogg can spark your creativity, esp. when facing a tough challenge that requires creative problem solving.
  • [d] Blogg can enhance self-esteem and self-confidence. Reflections on positive experiences can build a catalog of personal achievements that you continue to go back to. Indeed I revisit my positive experiences
  • via blogg. I also blog about negative experience for learning and coping.

— In the Nov 2022 parent-teacher meeting, I told my daughter’s English teacher that I write everyday.

Background: She said reading for fun doesn’t help kids improve English, even if the kid reads a lot. I said I had many classmates in secondary school who read a lot but didn’t write so well.

For writing, the most effective learning is daily writing.  Even if no one reads it but yourself, writing (and reviewing) periodically can improve your thinking, writing, IQ.

Humans learn and understand complex things through words and sentences (not pictures), so sensitivity with a rich vocab improves overall intelligence.

##[23]coping solutions #R.Teo困扰 #MRT

Posted on by tiger40490

Painting is known to be therapeutic. So is singing and playing musical instruments. My expressive writing is even more effective but none of these is as immediate, as dramatic, and 80% effective like my ED pill.

Sometimes the effect of painting/writing/// is underwhelming. That’s life.

It’s not obvious which stressors are beneath the current state of anxiety/pessimism. It takes skills, effort, practice and sys2 resources to /identify/ those stressors.

Sometimes my sys2 resources feel like depleted, and I choose to focus on chipping away at one of the big-rock stressors/tasks:

* math facetime, family game night, or outing with boy.. to make me feel less guilty as a father
* company projects
* DIYHI
* localSys refresh .. “direct” effort on an quadrant-II item

In the context of the R.Teo bpost (https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/46375/23copsolutions-r-teo/), these efforts are “direct” efforts.
Other times, none of the direct efforts are appealing or effective, so I would try some diversion efforts or “biological” efforts.

k_office_sanctuary … k_quietime  … k_therapeutic_reflective_blogg

See also

Q: What are some of your tried-n-tested coping strategies/solutions/techniques for 1) anxiety (most common in me), 2) worries (2nd most common), 3) 困扰 [internal tensions/conflicts]?

By the way, the question statement is a good breakdown of the vague and broad concept of “stress”

[XX | YY = this solution is sometimes an XX , and YY at other times]
[a= directly address the actual or a related stressor (always plain visible, therefore real)]
[b=biological or physical in nature]
[c=cognitive solution, sometimes “a”]
[d=diversion techniques]
[h=harmony, with the body, family,,]
[H=I told HenryLew in 2023 or I wish I did]
[p1=stress prevention] .. [p2=stress protection] .. [r=stress reduction]

In the final 5 minutes of our CompassOne chat in 2021, I named 3 _main_ strategies.

  1. [bH p1p2] workout .. to some extent, I can feel turned off after “too much” exercise.
  2. [acH p2] therapeutic blogging .. (+self-talk) As I told Raymond, it can go more in-depth than a friend discussion. Am the best therapist for myself.
  3. [a|bd h p2] quietime .. away from family in quasi-isolation (like office sanctuary) often to /restore/ balance and harmony. This lifelong habit has recently (2023) become important and effective. I told Raymond about my decades-long library immersion habit or fastFoodRestaurant quietime. During the quietime I could study, blog, read magazines, or take a rest and watch people passing by (quiet idle time). This is similar to people sitting on a beach, but nowadays I simply go to MRT or bus interchanges.
    .. [b] early rise .. morning quietime is precious and productive
    .. [a|d H r] work on company projects in my quietime .. can serve as a diversion. As a by-product, it also reduces pressure from work.

— I will add a few _minor_ coping strategies —

  1. “tww” with smemo as a back burner ..  effective esp. with non-urgent decisions, or juggling…
  2. [d] exp recon, cash flow optimization to maximize net int
  3. [r p1] delay or reduce competing “efforts” .. so as to prioritize and preserve limited sys2/physical/financial resources. 缩短战线 to maintain the required focus.  For eg, take leave, block out work stressors so as to focus on one of the big rocks and chip away.
    .. [ar] identify and take on quick removals and improve focus
  4. [bhH p2] longer sleep .. effective if-and-only-if I feel physically stretched due to multiple/heavy stressors
  5. [acH p2] talk to friends/counsellors .. I realize that my friends are too busy to listen to me in-depth. Sometimes I call a counseling hotline if I have a specific question such as parenting. Occasionally, I would get a bold suggestion or actionable insight.
  6. [h] be creative with commute .. occasionally, train commute can serve as quietime and facilitate therapeutic blogging, but when time is a scarce resource, tcost of long commute could and should be reduced. For example, clear backlogs on train.
  7. [ach p2] praying and meditation .. effective and “direct” for some religious practitioners. Similarly, I often practice audible self-talk or sentence-completion.

It’s worth repeating that coping strategies are highly personal and individualistic. (For an analogy, each person’s favorite relaxation can be subtly different.) What works for you may not work for me. Below are some coping strategies that I no longer find effective:

  • [a|d b p1] DIY home improvement projects ..  My DIY project always aims to scratch a persistent itch on the back. A creative, challenging, engaging diversion. As such it can be highly satisfying, but see [i]
  • .. [bd p1] home clean-up, gardening .. a form of light workout and also creates a more peaceful, less cluttered environment, which can reduce stress. I guess some women like that, but not effective for me.
  • [d] reading vacation .. pick up some magazines or books (printed, not on screen) of interest. Many people like me tend to have a wide range of reading interests. An engaging read can serve as a diversion… usually not effective enough.
  • [bdhr] musical instruments
  • [d] movies .. not an effective diversion though I go to cinemas about 3 times a month, always alone. On the other hand, sometimes I sit outside the cinema hall (if seating is available) for 3 hours after the movie to get some quietime.
  • [d] gaming, watching sports, music, youtube .. inferior to movies or reading vacation. But effective for my son.
  • [b] drinking and eating ..  usually not very effective, but when I feel (System2) over-stretched I do eat a controlled amount of “comfort foods” such as ice cream or nuts.
  • [bd] get out and volunteer .. often involves physical movement, some interaction with other people, some new, unfamiliar challenges. One of the most effective diversions, but I have no time for it nowadays.

##protrud`wall fixtures: serenity

Posted on by tiger40490

 

Whenever we take over a resale home, we deal with protruding wall fixtures (Even a new unit could have pillars, beams).

  • aircon trunking
  • fake column
  • wiring near the ceiling .. I don’t care but wife cares
  • power sockets .. we tend to move them when we take over the house

— gap space between furniture and wall
Can be good for ladder, foldable table, badminton … Be creative and resourceful.

— conflicting priorities
These fixtures were installed based on previous owners’ priorities. Their priorities could be aesthetics or cooling. The fixtures invariably affect MY priority — #1 being flexibility and (secure) furniture placement. For example due to a wall fixture, a cabinet or shelf would stand at a gap to the wall.

We need to understand the different priorities, and accept these imperfections with serenity.

For A/C trunking, let’s live with the /legacy/, and wait till we replace the A/C. This would reduce our TCO [total cost of ownership] and save us up to $5k, which always is an implicit top priority.

On some hot or stressful days, cooling is a priority for my family, so let’s accept the TCO.

— Serenity .. See also serenity^zqbx #passiveAcceptance
Many things must fix on the wall, and most of them can’t go to the top of the wall. It’s unrealistic to have entire walls 100% flat for maximum flexibility of furniture placement.

To accept the huge imperfections and legacy, I want to repeat a few short SMS.

BMI 进步=harder]SG

Posted on by tiger40490

update..

— The MS cafe breakfast experience .. I was able to enjoy some starchy breakfast with lots of stuff added. Somehow, my BMI didn’t worsen.

Now in SG, I see such a starchy breakfast as losing control. Perhaps my metabolism is slower in SG, but I tend to get hungry faster.

I suspect there are multiple reasons why weight improvement is inherently tougher, less achievable in Singapore. Therefore, a realistic weight target is 63->65-68kg.

— Perhaps some elements in SG climate slow down my metabolism and turns excess calories into fat

Higher homeostatic hunger in the SG climate, even when I strictly control the hedonic hunger.

— stress is higher, leading to semi-conscious stress eating. Family stress, work stress, ,, Multitasking requires more Sys2 resources and lead to overeating — see [[Thinking, fast and slow]]
— more workout than in Bayonne.. increasing appetite.
— availability [wrong time, wrong quantity] is a bigger problem in Singapore.

home cooking

See Q1 above
See 10 x higher hazard rate
See stash in Bayonne^ff^1173 #unexpectedEnticing

 

[18]jolt→Re-evaluation: priorities,perceptions #K.H

Posted on by tiger40490

k_divorce  … k_soul_search … k_CAD

You carefully compile a short list of “priority things” truly important to your family [1], then a jolt triggers a re-evaluation and soul-searching.

These jolts/shocks are unexpected events, sometimes a news about someone we know, a diagnosis,,,

Q: Was the original compilation immature, incomplete and over-thinking?
A: Not at all. It serves as a seed and a focal point.
A: Even if you discard the entire list, it is still worthwhile.
A: It’s also possible that after more jolts you revise your compilation and it may again look like the original. Eg: my WStC plan

[1] I call it a priority-list but it’s not a shopping list. Here, I will use various shades of blue (background shading > bold light font > dark font) to indicate a truly important priority to my family.

— CAD diagnosis .. forced me to prioritize career longevity, and quality of my twilight years
— minor eg: blog site blocked in office .. Every time my blog site was blocked by BlueCoat, I would get a minor jolt, and forced to re-evaluate my priorities.
— 2023 EDyw jolts ..
— 2018 news about YY.Tao .. was the seed/trigger of this blogpost. It was an _uncomfortable_  re-evaluation. Not all re-evaluations are this negative.
— CB2022 .. pushed up (in my priority list) the issues of attachment, carefree ezlife, near-perfect work/life balance
— 2022 K.Hu CV.. Since 2020, I often said (to myself + others) that it was “easy” for any decent guy to get into my firm (excellent benefits,,,) and into a nice team like mine.

Then in Apr 2022 I experienced a jolt moment when his CV was turned down. This jolt is easily forgotten, but it represents an utterly unexpected failure and deserves a deeper look. He has formidable talent, outstanding credentials, excellent work ethics, some technical breadth. So I expected him to definitely get a first round, and make a case for himself. He had often impressed trading/quant job interviewers. But this time his CV was turned down. Now I recall multiple SWE friends also lost at my firm due to CV or interview.

In reality, my firm is much more selective than I perceived… Bar is high, as Sophia.Cui once mentioned.

In reality, my base (also the bonus) is rather high, for a non-lead SWE of my age. This comp is probably not so “easy” nor common.

In reality, most SWE teams in my firm doesn’t share my level of stress [work-life balance, timelines, boss’s expectations, peer benchmark,,,]

Analogy: I enrolled at HJC and UChicago, thinking it was “easy”, until I read online that these schools are highly selective with tough acceptance rates.

See ##[21]Y feel`lucky about current job #R.Xia for other short-term factors

jolt: Whenever I wake up and find myself “raised to higher ground” compared to my peers, the trigger event is usually a job/pff event. However, more important are 1) health 2) family harmony, but these things are less visible to us as our perception is dominated by exclub and successC peer comparison.

minor jolt: Outstanding credentials might work against a candidates. Kun’s UChicago and MIT etc may highlight a competitive threat or make him overqualified.

— (No single memorable jolt) From high school to NUS year 1, my life goal was centered on academia [degrees, professorship, publication]. Due to Library Immersion, I was oblivion to what my peers were aiming at 5Y out.

  • Gradually, the hitherto unattractive managerial path became the dominant, overwhelming favorite choice among my cohort.
  • Through a series of “jolt” events and Aha moments, I even realized that some smart classmates were dead serious about investment or going into business.

So commercial value … emerged from the backstage to center stage. Academia has to create commercial value.

健忘: error-free trips #realistic expectation

Posted on by tiger40490

k_short_term_mem_challenge … k_mellow

We all hit forgetful accidents when we go out[1], and we end up losing personal items.

For many adults, as we grow older there will be more forgetful accidents.

I won’t surrender passively, but I won’t hold on too tight either. I think grandma has many such memory accidents since midlife. Grandpa also has some. They are normal individuals. Given my recent forgetful accidents, I really need to avoid carrying expensive items when going out such as

  • extra cash
  • expensive watch, jewelries
  • expensive phone or two phones
  • expensive specs

jolt: Somehow, the retainer loss ($200) felt less painful than pouch loss. Pouch loss requires lots of legwork.

— When hsbc movie card balance = 2, buy a new card but don’t carry both. Risk is running out of card balance by accident.
— on the go: avoid unnecessary checking .. on phone, wallet, laptop etc when outside home/office. Probability of “accident” is slightly worse when outside due to distraction, but cost of accident is significantly worse. Each time we check, an valuable object is at risk of loss or damage. Some item could drop into a bad location or break.

For 0.txt printout, accident is less likely as it is in a low-risk pocket?

— retainer .. don’t wear every day n night. Let the gum rest.
don’t ever leave it on the table, even at home. Develop a strong habit of always keeping it in pocket or container. If you think you are forgetful, then remove before going out.
— realistic expectation
Q: Out of 20 flights you take, how many percent of them would be error-free? What’s a reasonable target?
A: 75-80%. I once left behind jacket, hand luggage (Bali); and missed connecting flights twice; took wife’s passport;;;

Compare to other “experiments”, a flight is typically longer duration, with more moving parts and “error-prone” moments.

Q: Out of 100 commute trips, cinema trips, library trips, how many percent of them would be error-free? What’s a reasonable target?
A: 90<-95%. I often left behind phone, mrt card, wallet,,,

Q: Out of 10 family outings, how many percent would be error-free? What’s a reasonable target?
A: 85<-90%.

Therefore, it’s unreasonable to expect 99% error-free. An unrealistic expectation creates excessive pain, burden of guilt, burden of blame, zsms,

Analogy — in a bottling plant, 2% of the the liquid is spilled during the bottling process. If you try to reduce that to 0.1%, then your precision equipment would increase the cost per bottle by more than 2%, completely unworthwhile.

— [1] Some risk-averse individuals may choose to reduce going out. I have an alternative — travel light i.e. carry fewer expensive items. We can also carry cheap spares.

It’s worth pointing out — Even at home, I have lost some items due to misplacement, but so far nothing valuable.

— compare to exams .. in Shiyan and other top schools, many students aim for 100%. Takes years of practice. I think it’s worthwhile if the results actually determine your college admission.

In SG, for each subject there’s only A/B/C not 3-digit scores. Some forgetful accidents may not affect the grade.
— compare to software testing .. except calculators like tax or interest calculators, most realistic software systems can’t achieve 100% test coverage.

Unlike exams, software testing is not primarily about forgetfulness, because there’s a system to generate and track all corner cases. Therefore, the SWE who are less forgetful (about minor details) have an advantage that’s much smaller than in the China exams.