Tag: t_sharpQ11

see blogpost

##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.

##where a branded degree matters #Gary.Guo

Posted on by tiger40490

See also email to Gary Guo.

NTU engineering may be better quality in edu, and more research output than NUS engineering, but in terms of reputation, recognition,,,, a longer history does matter. Same for SUTD engineering. When I meet a SUTD grad vs NTU grad from the same major, how do I perceive their talent/capabilities?

— biggest usage of a branded degree.. is (traditionally) employment, but employers increasingly look at recent jobs (for anyone 27+). For tech jobs, employers use tech screening. Nowadays the biggest usage might be

  • dating
  • immigration .. see below
  • applying to postgrad
  • — other usages:
  • lending credibility to a work team.. The team can say “Among team members we have some XXX graduates”, where XXX must be a G5 well-know name.

— immigration: Sg immigration does consider your alma mater …

HK, UK and other gov have special immigration schemes for “Global top 100 university and their grads”. The officials in charge of selection would reference respectable global rankings, but still have control over their final “G100” list. The ranking is usually based on academic research output.

If your college wants to be included, then you need to be well-connected to the global network of academia.

% International students is a key factor. I think international faculty is another key factor. short-term exchange scholars too.

English (feasibility of coping without local language) is factor affecting foreign students/staff.

 

national economic progress(beyondGDP) but!!happier

Posted on by tiger40490

Economists, sociologists, policy makers can measure economic progress and rank countries by ..

  • improving life expectancy
  • improving YLD (healthy longevity)
  • improving infant mortality
  • improving national average BMI
  • improving incident of untreated blindness or seriouis skin condition
  • improving national average home size (holding constant family size)
  • improving quality of nutrition
  • improving birth control success
  • improving national average numbe of off-days in a year, and average work hours (shorter=improving)

I will add a few yardsticks of my own

  • improving frequency of intimacy for married persons of a given age band. The poor often have less time for it, due to overwork, seperation, health.
  • improving national average amount of sleep
  • improving frequency of sightseeing trips
  • improving national average commute length and comfort level
  • improving frequency of overseas family reunions
  • improving frequency of IDD call with family

How about inflation-adjusted average household income reported in official statistics?

==== growing richer but not happier
“Compared to the post-war era or pre-modernization era, we are substantially richer but no happier.”

This is a dominant [widely shared] observation in many countries, at both a societal and a personal level.

In contrast to satisfaction and fulfillment, “happy” is a short-term self-assessment/rating. Re hbA1c vs FPG.

Here are some random factors

— reason::oblivion .. I think most people won’t bother to focus or reflect on everyday forgetable happiness, including those doses of delight. Most people have no bandwidth and have to to focus our mental energy on the problems to solve. Therefore, we tend to remember our adversities [sufferings, difficulties, frustrations, setbacks, declines]. The longer we live, the more difficulties we encounter. Our happiness self-rating would tend to decline. Therefore, improving longevity reflects economic progress but tends to affect happiness rating.

reason:: BNH [Basic-healthy nutrition] .. our increasing wealth makes BHN easily achievable. Ratio of medHhIncome/BhnCost reflects economic progress. However, in majority of the local population BHN bring minimal happiness, largely due to FOLB.

— reason::stress:: faster pace demanded at work .. (rather than 细水长流 ).. Many older workers lament that managers expect faster turnaround compared to earlier eras. End users expect speed + quality, which generates stress across the service sector. Singapore service sector is know for speed + quality.

— reason::stress:: sleep_easy .. physical wealth seldom gives the individual better sleep, but granted, wealth can bring you a quiet home and flexible work hours.

— reason::tech:: tech churn in personal tech .. I think many (esp. older) adults don’t want to keep learning, adjusting to new tech. Many feel forced to do so. The GUI is often designed for and tested with younger users.

— reason::tech:: isolation due to digital communication. Digital comm is a big part of economic progress, but it doesn’t make me happier.

— reason::lack of meaning in our jobs.. In earlier eras, jobs are simpler and often more meaningful like manual labor, local service provider. With technology and automation taking over many simpler jobs, the more “human” jobs are more complex but lacking in meaning/engagement/stability.

— reason:: More years spent taking care of sick parents.. Watching their decline somehow makes me feel less happy For Them.. pessimism.

How about mom and dad after selling the home? I think they would indeed get a better quality of life in the luxury retirement home. Grandma would become happier .. I choose to be optimistic for both of them.

— reason::financial::inflation .. (rent, medical, transport, fashion, entertainment,,,) creates long-term worry in any age group. I think in previous eras, the average people don’t save so much, and don’t live so long

— reason::financial:: delayed and prolonged retiremenet phase

Unwanted obligation to save for retirement… is a decade-long thankless job and constant sacrifice.
This obligation, sacrifice, stewardship, due diligence, risk-management,,, affecs our simple happiness. We are forced to stay on our toes.

People in poor living conditions don’t need to save that much for retirement, and their retirement years are shorter.

Involuntary delay to retirement .. often due to inadequate retirement plann

##[16] breakdown@time-sink after UChicago

Posted on by tiger40490

Below there is a sharp question I asked myself in 2016. On a similar note, in q3sg, I spend average 5 hours a week on tech learning. Now it’s below 1hr. Also, my academic coaching is much less than before. My wife stays home to take care of chores … where did my 40h extra spare time go? My 2021 answer:

  • ▼15 hr blogging (including on MRT) emailing on tcost, parenting, wellness, gz,
  • 5: more workout hours than before, including with-meimei
  • .. try to maintain if not increase
  • 3: food shopping and preparation
  • 3-6: piano … Good new energy sink
  • .. try to maintain
  • 3: talking to boy outside academic coaching
  • 5 hr/week family outing, easily 6 hours each time. Happy family hours?
  • 1: dhost set-up
  • ▼ 5->8-10: personal investment including burn rate control/comparison, FSM, US^SG analysis, blogging
  • ▼ 2: meet-up or call with friends and fellow parents. Note the follow-up emails are more efficient more productive
  • .. would die down after the holiday seasons,

Can find a lot of raw data in the weekly ROTI blogposts, but it would take lots of time.

— burn or rot: .. The apparent shift of focus from learning, academic coaching … —> family leisure, wellness  … is natural, commonplace, logical for my age, but not completely good and ideal. I want more burn i.e. materialistic roti + self-discipline. I hit internal resistance but I will work on them.

The sharp question below is somewhat idealistic and naive. My MSFM study hours (also my self-study in quant domains) is hardly productive in terms of materialistic ROTI. It is more productive than other efforts only in terms of a tangible achievement.

What about my real role models (very few beside my dad… Steve of Macq)? I think they too waste a lot of personal time, so in terms of time utilization, who am I to blame my son?

  • most role models esp. the alpha males, don’t invest a lot of their extra spare time in wellness.
  • most role models don’t learn a new skill like music
  • most role models don’t learn technology (coding drill etc) years before job hunting
  • some of my role models invest in their spare time, but few more money than index investors
  • I tend to have role models who are curious intellectuals. These role models spend (up to) dozens of hour a week in their spare time reading, writing, discussing by mail and phone,,, but do they generate any ROTI more than mine?

— Q: Officially, MSFM took up about 20-30 hours a week in my last quarter. After graduation, where have those 30 hours gone? Here’s my 2016 answer:

5 : renzi + swim
2 : analyze and discuss boy renzi situation
3 : yoga + exercise
1 : 1-2 hour/week addition on personal investment
1 : bx analysis
2 : c++, algo, math
3 : more time in office, since I was taking leaves to  attend lectures.
1 : meeting with friends
2 : pingpong trips to office (each time about 4 hours)

Still 10 hours unaccounted for. I think this is to be expected.

 

 

Does boy need emotional support@@

Posted on by tiger40490

Elementary school kids need emotional support? Same commentator can say that my son needs help on math wordy problems.

But I realize that he has way more help than he needs. The only help he wants seems to be somebody to finish his homework so he could blindly copy without making any effort. Such help is unhelpful.

I think my son has a don’t-care attitude, therefore not so vulnerable.

fertile^sharpQ^stickyQ

Posted on by tiger40490

Both: the blogpost Must be a question.

— t_sharpQ is for well-defined, short-n-sharp (jolt) often yes/no questions

— t_stickyQ is for non-trivial questions to be reviewed periodically due to real risk of crowding out.

Reality — Mental energy is limited. You can’t focus on many things for a long time.

— T_fertile overlaps with stickyQ, when the question is important, and not yet fully explored.