Tag: T_sgCitizen

[20]random list@ Protection + reinforcer #early plann

Posted on by tiger40490

Note this blogpost is an extension of Shields@family_livelihood , going beyond livelihood. See also

The range of threats, hazards …. is limitless. Missteps and swans are two of many types. At any time, our mind can only focus on a handful. Inevitably, many dangers fall under our radar, because it’s impossible to monitor 33 threats.

The focus on the word “protection” is likely to uncover some threats I perceive semi-consciously or sub-consciously.

  • [b] early planning as a protection — the earlier the better
  • [bc] [B $] my hand-picked bx — shields. Pr(payout) is rather low 🙁
  • Buddhism mentality can be a protection — a bit more reading
  • [b] sound education environment for kids — protects against .. parents’ worries
  • [bj] UChicago branding — helps me get noticed in some competitive selections.
  • [j] English skill — protects against job market competition from overseas newcomers. It is an essential skill in the U.S. when seeking help or defending my family. In Singapore, Chinese can be a competitive advantage.
  • — G5 heavy-duty protections, elaborated in Shields@family livelihood
  • SG citizenship
  • wellness
  • cashflow
  • tech career longevity
  • stable marriage
  • — trivial but interesting protections
  • printer is a protection due to therapeutic blogg
  • vim as a universal reliable alternative text editor, if we can’t easily transfer files into windows for editing
  • [j=threat of job loss or job pain]
  • [b=branks… see Shields@family livelihood ]
  • [c=cash flow stress or distress]

— the shields help protect and strengthen each other..

  • career longevity … provides long streams of income
  • health and and healthy habits … are instrumental to career longevity
  • my strong marriage .. protects my health
  • Sg … the tiny red dot provides protection to my assets, my family, and even help protect career longevity
  • brbr .. (conserver lifestyle) helps build my nest egg
  • my nest egg … center of “graph” … can buy wellness services, learning opportunities to prolong my career

— On 28 Feb 2024, Frank.Fu lost his job while I received a huge bonus payout, and immiediately computed my YoY asset growth (annual snap),,, I wonder what are the truly important shields that protect my livelihood high ground relative to the wider population

* wellness habits, wellness conditions… in the family is the most valuable…

Almost all other shileds are are (indirect) cashflow shields.
* in-demand profile on finDev market .. my skills are still relevant, but my age is a growing concern.
* burn rate control .. many have pointed out my strength and my advantage in this particular skill
* cpfLife compared to U.S. SSA payout
* HDB value and rental demand … not really dependable but better than other rental incomes

— a random list of specific action items to reinforce, strengthen, broaden the protections.

See also random ffree-derailers#resilience measure in the tanbinvest blog. By contrast, today’s list features short-term, hopefully specific, action items. Some are part of long-term plans even though the action items will be on and off. Also, let’s avoid items that don’t really “reinforce” anything.

  • [v=vague]
  • improve vocab for career, legal, parenting,,,
  • maintain and expand vocab for analytical or therapeutic blogg capabilities
  • learn DIY home improvement/repair
  • piano — learn some pop songs that I can play and sing.
  • legal knowledge, esp. in the U.S. context
  • online influencing .. digital marketing (as an alternative career/income) is one aspect. You can also use this skillset to influence opinions or increase awareness (“spread the words”).
  • — family and kids
  • [v] strengthen the marriage to provide a /harbor/ for raising healthy, resilient kids
  • [v] more “investment” in family, more energy, not necessarily more time
  • [v] more quality time with kids to strengthen the bond
  • encourage kids to learn more music
  • more self-analysis (blogging beats discussions) to understand my parenting struggles
  • — wellness
  • make time for wellness, esp. research and experiments
  • morning exercise — try more
  • more basketball sessions
  • more jump-rope sessions
  • increase weekly exercise frequency from 1 to 2. If not possible, then implement multiple mini exercises within a day.
  • consider exercise classes again
  • — pff
  • ctbz on brbr.. My capacity to further drive down burn rate will be needed again and again in my lifetime.
  • reduce time spent on those small investments for fun, to make time for higher priorities. The nonwork income generated is too low to provide meaningful protection. Reduction can strengthen the shield by freeing up more time and “bandwidth” for more meaningful protections.
  • — career
  • improve tool knowledge for GTD
  • refresh for IV muscle building. Refresh beats learning new stuff.

Canada^SG: 2 nanny states@@ #U.S.=weak

Posted on by tiger40490
  • Living in Singapore, I could feel a /firm/ support by the government. “Social safety net” is one aspect of it.
  • Living in the U.S.  I felt “nothing below”, just as the bathtub in 31a Hillside Terrace. I guess the African American community relied on self help and the black church. Across racial divides, covid19 revealed huge fault lines and weakness.

For decades, the Canada brand, as an immigration destination, conjures up images of a caring society compared to U.S. Now I feel its naïve and brainwash.

Canada is an attractive emigration destination due to healthcare. However, the Singapore integrated shield basically provides a comparable healthcare.

SG is probably much more of a nanny state , even though the education system is ruthless, and there’s no free handout for the poor…

Canada, one of the better western systems in pandemic management, had covid19 new deaths every day until 11 Sep
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/canada-reports-zero-covid-19-deaths-for-first-time-since-march-13104740. Total deaths reached 9000+. Compare it to Singapore’s very low death toll.

Q: What make SG such an effective nanny state? I asked my father this question.

  • With a small population and less severe income disparity, SG gov has fewer needy citizens to look after.
  • Also in terms of logistics, it is presumably easier to check out and monitor each needy household, so as to prevent tax payer’s money wasted on the wrong cases.
  • SG gov assistance to needy household is case by case, and depends on effective case management of volumes of cases.

On another note, the names of many Canadian and U.S. cities conjure up romantic images in my head, but to visit or retire there, main factors are 1) burn rate 2) climate 3) Chinese community. For these reasons, I should consider Penang, Jiande,,,

##cancer++: persistent stressors,relieves #citizenship+optimism

Posted on by tiger40490

 

k_tectonic … k_quietime

See also

Cancer[+stroke,heart diseases…] is one the most realistic threats to longevity. In my case, the #1 manageable factor may not be diet, sleep,,, but chronic stress.

I think anxieties and worries are different forms of stress. Anger is a growing form of stress. Anger often comes with loss of control.

Medical literature often mention short-term stress, like fight-or-flight. Short term stress is not so harmful. Chronic stress is. I will list the /true/ persistent stressors — where I have suffered real, heavy blows, over extended periods of my life.

  • 1. PIP; damaged goods; bonus stigma
  • .. frustration at work
  • 2. kids /developmental/ issues. Academic benchmark problems are usually tip of an iceberg.
  • .. subsided after the bloody psle

Strangely, I didn’t feel hit really long and hard by worries about cholesterol, exclub,,,

— Are these items below cancer-stress sources?

  • hazardous accidents like criminal charge, investment woes,,, # not persistent not carcinogenic
  • job hunting when on the bench — carcinogenic stress for many peers, but not for me.
  • job insecurity — Remember the /relentless stress/ on millions of Singapore workers during covid19 — carcinogenic stress for many peers, but not for me. Mental health became widespread concern.
  • Green Card issues
  • FOMO i.e. left-behind by (wrong) “peers” # a disappointment but no longer an anxiety
  • transient-recurring anxiety due to disruption to my digital dependencies: laptop/gmail/wpress//

— In terms of cancer-stress relieveS and protectionS, virtually everything valuble address livelihood

  • G3: arguably My #1 relief is my cashflow high ground
  • G3: my wellness habits and blessings
  • G3: my IV body-building for WallSt contract market
  • G5: favor contract jobs and avoid bonus-driven, performance-driven teams. My dev70, the envy of my peers, is built on the WallSt contract market
  • G7: my SG citizenship — providing long-term and deep confidence
  • G7: therapeutic blogging, self-healing, demanding lots of quietime. I need to be gentle and forgiving on my tendency for overthink.
  • G9: resilience, unsophisticated optimism — I have shown some over the years.
  • G22: listening friends including grandpa
  • G9: See also ## layers@buffer⇒security #annual leave

“bought” SG when easier2buy #buyLow #HK

Posted on by tiger40490

k_hongkong

See also competitive trec != predictor of success

SG is now the richest country in Asia, and one of the richest in the world, ahead of HK, US…

When I chose SG in my younger days, I didn’t feel SG was such a clear favorite, outstanding choice for my future family’s life chances. At that time, Singapore was below 30 years young — unproven.

Fast forward to 2020, Singapore is now more proven, more successful, more admired worldwide, more popular among the global professional elite esp. those from India, China, SEA. Therefore, immigration to SG is now much harder more selective. I got my PR/citizenship when it was easier.

Looking back, my dad made the right choice for me, and I had karma (or dumb luck) to choose Singapore rather than U.S., Europe, Hongkong, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea,,,. In a way, I bought low. It turned out that my wife and I have enjoyed the Singapore benefits.

Not everyone enjoys Singapore as much as I do. Many westernized Singaporeans give up Singapore. My sister also renounced Singapore citizenship. My son? Not sure.

— early-buy is usually lucky

  • adjustment — I chose SG at an early age, so I had more time for a gradual adjustment. For someone coming here in their 30’s, it is harder to accept SG. SG is not such an easy adjustment for everyone.
  • [b] PR was easier.
  • [b] housing was cheaper

— NUS brand value
On a similar note, I chose NUS when its brand value was rather low. Now its brand value has increased significantly.

UChicago is a high brand I bought without knowing its brand value.

— [b=buy-low-n-forget]

Negative demo: Google employees. Bin.Zhao joined Google in late /2000s/and rose to a manager role, so you could say he “bought” early. I almost got a google job offer in 2007. However, what is the probability that I would also benefit from early buy?

%%A: questionable. After the early buy, this “thing” requires care and feeding and may not grow well. In contrast, with a growth asset or SgCitizenship, you can buy-n-forget

— HK ^ SG .. SG was behind HK in the talent race, as HK draws talents from the global Chinese community + the west. Now SG is becoming more attractive than HK for many nationalities:
* SEAsia
* India
* the West
* Japan? China is anti-Japan

— some long-term _Disadvantages_ of Sgp

  1. — half-ranked by novelty and note-worthiness
  2. vulnerable to global warming
  3. very limited scale in some job domains. For those interested in those domains, they may need to work overseas.
  4. over-dependent on foreign workers and foreign talents
  5. energy footprint due to Air-Conditioning all-year round
  6. burning oil to generate electricity
  7. food insecurity .. limited self-reliance
  8. limited fresh water supply .. even though gov is working effectively on reservoirs, river cleaning, catchment

##envy Them constantly; !!celebrat`family,achievements..

Posted on by tiger40490

k_tectonic    k_mellow

Rewind to age 33 or earlier.

Q: Would I rather have a lovely wife or have a better career and bright kids but 随便找个凑或看着还过得去的女人?
A: When I looked into my real priorities, the answer is always unambiguous — I didn’t need such an outstanding career, or such bright kids, or big houses. If I don’t find a Suitable woman, I’d rather stay single indefinitely, and basically let go of those other priorities.

Over the last few years, I find myself falling into the same trap of inferiority (+ self-pity + self-contempt). Most of the time, the same few individuals capture my attention — the ex-classmates and now big managers in China….

But why I don’t celebrate

  • (unsorted but I want to highlight the unsung heroes)
  • my beautiful yet thrifty, hardworking wife
  • my healthy and capable parents, with their retirement benefits
  • my father with his wisdom, achievements, reputation
  • my smart sister
  • my lovely kids
  • retirement — my Singapore option. “They” are stuck with the Social Security
  • retirement — my well-thought-out plan including multiple properties
  • my part ownership of the Beijing property, something few of my peers have.
  • my level of Wealth by Fuller’s definition
  • my life-long learning attitude, habit, and capacity
  • my chosen country — U.S. age-friendly job market lets me work till 70
  • my profession — lets me work till 70 at high income…. See financial IT profession: !! so bad #longevity
  • my profession — software engineering and finance are both lucrative, strategic, and suitable for me (arguably better than pre-sales). It’s actually not easy to get into these domains.
  • my sub-domain — java and c++ are both deep, well-paid, long-living and hard to master
  • my widely in-demand skill set and excellent market depth in my chosen domain.  Do “THEY” have the same?

This blog post is primarily about celebration. On a second level, I’d like to focus on My 9 biggest achievements (not a rigorous list)

  1. found a woman of my dreams and had 2 beautiful kids, based on luck but also my personal qualities
  2. achieved Singapore citizenship, largely based on our education and professional job. We worked hard for it and made big sacrifices. Singapore citizenship means
    1. housing,
    2. affordable health care,
    3. relatively age-friendly job market,
    4. low-cost retirement destination
    5. decent education system
    6. reliable and low cost services beyond the “civic”
    7. safe, clean, supportive neighborhood,
  3. competed successfully to break into and remain in the finance IT domain
    1. portable skills that give me well-paying jobs in many countries and many companies. IV muscle building
    2. my depth in java language is rarely surpassed, not only in java concurrency
    3. my data structure understanding and skills are my 2nd stronghold
    4. I solved many hard algo problems on my own.
    5. received fourteen c++ job offers + more java offers
    6. moved successfully from back-office to front-office
  4. saved for years to fully pay off a nice Singapore home + several investment properties
  5. education credentials — higher than most people. No mean achievement. I worked hard in my 40’s to get it.
  6. no belly, BMI and chin-up .. at this age
  7. personal finance
    1. burn rate control over 20Y my entire adult life. It gave me extraordinary flexibility and deep confidence
    2. personal investments — fairly successful track record
  8. Plenty of life chances throughout my student and working career, thanks to English, nationality, IV skills, trec..

SG residents has the most workout facilities among cities

Posted on by tiger40490

Sugg: make the most out of my short stay in Singapore.

SG citizens (and foreign residents to some extent) enjoy more workout facilities than in any other country, mostly free or very reasonable costs. iFF they do use the facilities, then the national health would surely improve, in terms of mental health, sleep, appetite, freedom from illness, medical cost..

This is arguably the most essential ingredient of quality of life in a country.