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

Posted on Tue, 22/Mar/2022Thu, 30/Jan/2025 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:

durability .. bpost > git_0_txt > smartphone > smemo
easy update .. smemo ~ smartphone::jot > 0_txt > bpost
easy to print .. git_0_txt > bpost
For think-while-walking, smartphone::voice > smemo > printout of git_0_txt > smartphone::jot> printout of bpost
info-radiator .. hardcopy > smartphone
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

##advtg@Eng: blogg]Chinese #portable

Posted on Wed, 02/Feb/2022Mon, 13/Nov/2023 by tiger40490

Context — introspective and therapeutic blogging; blogging on family, relationships, pff, career…

For years, I have wondered
Q1: why am I subconsciously cautious about /relying/ on Chinese phrases in my blogging [2], even though Chinese phrases are increasingly important o my blogging.

After so many years, today I just noticed the #1 biggest [1] hidden barrier — technical dependency. Ascii-based blogging (without text effects) is the quickest, simplest, most transparent, most reliable, easist in set-up. Available on any device including linux,,,

Conclusion .. in my lifetime, Ascii blogging will remain the most reliable and my default.

— Chinese IME at offices, hotels … I hit progressively fewer (but not zero) issues nowadays, after the technology reached maturity, 20 years after Windows added it!

— printing .. I had hit multiple issues when printing out Chinese text, even when the screen display was fine! Even if hardware support keeps improving, this worry still lingers.

— blogg on smartphones .. Singapore smartphones generally have reliable Chinese support, but in many countries (esp. U.S.), Chinese-made phones may not be so easily available. The cheapest or best phones may not have (decent) Chinese support.

–[1] a #2 hidden barrier, I also worry about the scenario where I seek counselling or I have a written discussion with someone in English, or I present my input in a group discussion.

If a Chinese phrase is central to my writing, then I would have to translate it, crossing the /chasm/.

— case study: 摆烂 .. (躺平, 内卷 to a lesser extent) . I spent an hour researching on the precise meanings, origins/connotations. This Chinese phrase has rich meanings, but limited resonance/awareness outside the internet-age Chinese community. In contrast, many English expressions are easily understood by people unfamiliar with the English language.

Q: How much will I use this and related Chinese phrases in my blog?
A: I think “involution” as defined by myself might be the first exception to my rule (Q1). Bai3lan4 or Tan3ping2 might be the second exception. These Chinese phrases are highly relevant to my family, with RICH meanings.

— other advantages of English over Chinese and other languages

Rich vocab .. ~~expressive~~, often due to long history. Note English expressions often consist of 2 or 3 words, and far outnumber /documented/ idioms + phrasal verbs
English is slightly easier (esp. compared to Chinese) for many beginners, due to plenty of learning resources and accumulated best-practices in teaching/learning. This makes (a simplified version of) the language more accessible to the less educated
There are more English-speaking countries than Francophone countries or Latino countries.

When American innovators create an online product or service [games], it appeals to the global audience, but when Chinese (or Japanese) innovators do that, they become successful only in home country. This is partly due to the openness of the American culture and English language.

[23]carefree: how2restore@@

Posted on Tue, 01/Feb/2022Sat, 28/Dec/2024 by tiger40490

k_all_green_dashboard

See also

bpost on steadfast focus

Bubble burst .. How do I repair my bubble of bliss?

Derailed .. How do I get back on track?

Resilience

— in early Dec 2023 “bachelor mode”, I was slightly more carefree.

time_freedom … I don’t have commitments to kids or come home early. I have time_freedom. I can spend more time at work and get to higher ground.

diet, exercise, sleep .. I have better self-control in these areas

Drawback: no intimacy, but so far, this drawback is far outweighed. I think when we stop sexual intercourse altogther, due to againg, I will adjust to the change.

— calm between storms / all-green dashboard .. After overcoming some pff/wellness challenges, I would breath a sigh of relief. The xpSelf would experience real boost to financial security (though rmSelf may not recognize it).

This experience is primarily a comparison against recent past.

Secondly, This experience is also a reminder that my peers have numerous common stressors that I don’t notice.

Therefore, an all-green dashboard is rare. My carefree ezlife is invariably a calm between storms.

— some specific factors/actions, half ranked within each category by note-worthiness [not bland, not vague] and effectiveness

address the big stressors. They tend to dominate my stressor profile.
more outing with boy .. good bonding one-to-one
more outing with family .. tend to highlight the carefree joy
— self-care,
[o] commute .. put commute time to better use, with L36
more time for blogg and blog clean-up
more quiet time … in office, library, stadium, MRT,,,
more email with friends. Some meet-up when needed
— gz .. many efforts have the potential to erode “carefree”
Progress more slowly .. see bpost on 细水长流
[d] company projects .. make progress on weekends/evenings. Capture the power-surge/engagement
[o] prod support … take on more, but this may not give “carefree”
[d] JIV body-building .. get back on it perhaps at home .. python, Dram-refresh, FIX
— wellness
[o] workout .. keep it up. They are likely to improve carefree mood, but you may need to be patient.
among various workouts, jogg offers slightly more stress-reduction
[o] BMI deeper green .. but this target is as unattainable as flexibility improvement
[o] stand more
[o] earlier sleep.. aim for 7!9H
[o] more self-yoga? Not enjoyable or relaxing. Not really helpful with carefree.
[0=offensive]
[d=defensive]

hour-level time freedom #failureZ,retire,successE,,

Posted on Wed, 05/Jan/2022Sat, 18/Jan/2025 by tiger40490

k_quietime k_def_of_success

Overall, time-freedom is a vague phrase, not a memorable impact phrase.

— financial freedom vs time freedom
Time-freedom is the Level 4 of ffree, and a part and parcel of ffree. Jacob of ERE asked

Q: freedom to … do what?
A: Jacob’s question was presumably about time freedom measured in months .

My idea of time-freedom is more granular, like hour-level:

blogg
successZ: techXX for career longevity and to keep the mind active
successZ: workout
failureZ: screen addiction, including random news and curiositySou
recreational reading, but for-a-purpose
recreational investing
see other energySinks

Like ffree, time freedom is highly personal. Once you have a better understanding of what it means to yourself, you may realize that you could realistically enjoy time freedom while employed, at least for a while.

Soon after retiring, you may realize that you want the _freedom_ to work in a team, on a engaging project i.e. return from retirement.

— failureZ (flip side of the same coin known as time-freedom).. too much time freedom leads to unhealthy sleep patterns
Some retirees lose their daily schedule…

— successE … I feel hour-level time freedom is a non-trivial component of successE

— flexible work hours can lessen work stress, esp. if workload is lighter.

== retirement
— time-discipline due to work
If you love your job [personal interactions, engaging, purpose, in-demand,,,,], then yes your job will impose some welcome “time-discipline”.

Many retirees lose that discipline, and decline in health. See Lawrence Wong quoted in my blog

— daily commute .. a huge factor to _MY_ sense of time freedom. Paradoxically, some people treat the pockets of commute as personal quietime, as explained in the CNA article

Similarly, Flexible work hours prove to be another factor to my time freedom.

##[21]visibleGrowth plateau: #江河日下 #w1r5

Posted on Sun, 05/Dec/2021Wed, 01/Jan/2025 by tiger40490

k_def_of_success

See also

This blogpost is about a shared[5] but often vague sentiment of 江河日下 [plateauing]. (This blogpost is therefore non-distinctive, hard to remember , despite the graphical phrases ..)
This blogpost is a serious (perhaps too serious) effort to identify a specific type of personal goals [追求] underneath that sentiment. These goals are primarily defined in terms of CC) successC i.e. measurable–n-steady progress including “batteries” of accumulation. If such a definition is inappropriate [1] then my personal goals are defined in terms of ZZ) successZ i.e. zqbx 自强不息. This blogpost should be mostly about successC.

[5] Remember the timetable in [[Midlife crisis]]?

One clarification about the definition … The antithesis of progress/accumulation/自强不息 is stagnation/decline , surrender, passive_acceptance, fat-n-happy… Despite my best effort, this definition is still abstract and unintuitive. The big list below helps clarify it but is not extremely effective. So we need both the definition and the list.
——- end of the lengthy definition ——–
Background: During my HibernateInSingapore phase, frequently I feel /lousy/[4] and would occasionally lament[2] that my personal growth, as defined above, has slowed down, plateaued, past the peak, 江河日下 or 下坡路. Don’t get me wrong — I’m still pushing myself hard on absorbency, on personal improvement, on plowback,,, as I still hate wasting my precious time and energy in “cruise mode”.

As we age, hopefully some earlier domains of (personal) growth would be replaced by new domains of growth. “One door closes, another one opens.” Crucially, the progress we make are often impermanent … Imperfect batteries of accumulation.

[2] the lament is a paradox because at the same time, my family livelihood is actually improving towards a carefree ezlife. Mellowing up, letting go, loosening up, /unwinding/.. The paradox reflects the conflict between successE and successC.
[1] The two parts are actually interdependent. In more and more domains like BMI, stretch, Dram-refresh,,, I can’t make real, lasting progress. Quite often, the defining features of “burn” [materialistic gain + self-discipline ] are fundamental to both successC and successZ.

Also fundamental: my absorbency (and time) continues to be a scarce resource. 鱼与熊掌. As I shift my focus to wellness, I choose to let go and defocus on successC [localSys, coding drill, Dram-refresh ..].

One of the best analogies — A start-up, an emerging economy, a young athlete/artist/writer .. also experience the same slow-down, plateau, or apparent decline (as in Japan) after years of fast growth. Hopefully some lessons can be shared. Re A.Brooks article.

— the list of personal goals (as defined above) giving rise to the lament
[m=measurable … not always a “progress”]
[b=battery or progress]
[a=absorbency]

[ abm] BMI .. the best type of tough goal — measurable, easy to monitor, strategic leverage. BMI is my #1 goal. I am able to keep my weight below 65, but trying hard to bring BMI to deep green zone.
[E am] chin-up .. kinda measurable but progress is easily lost.
[D a] stretching .. I target 1 minute/day. Real effort to maintain a few minutes a day. Not measurable .. I once had some hope of improving range of motion, but has given up completely.
[C am] weekly workout .. frq improving towards 4. Targets are well-chosen.
…. [C = decent effort or decent progress]
[ abm] coding drill [D] and [C] QQx .. including Dram-refresh.. now a LGlp.
[ am] quant study .. not comparable to MSFM years or the earlier self-study years, but in hindsight, what’s the long-term value of MSFM? SuccessZ, successC [branding]
[E ab] localSys .. [including Dram-refresh] no target; some effort once a while
[D b] wider recreations .. to pre-empt boredom or loneliness in retirement (re grandpa). No target, but I try to /cultivate/ writing, music, stock-picking, workout variety.

List above are the the ^^ ~~improvement goals~~ ^^. I tend to focus on “room4improvement”, subconsciously motivating myself. However, nowadays I like to focus more on the positive factors, so below is the 2nd list of personal goals (same definition). I have done well on these ~~celebrated goals~~:

[B] dental health, memory aging, mentalPower .. reasonably well-maintained
[C-] stress prevention/reduction/protection .. improving gradually as we mellow up (and gain introspective insight), and transition to maintenance mode.
[C-b] family bond .. [marriage, parenting] not bad at all, improving. Fruitful (rather than wasteful) family time
[C+b] DIY skill .. (crucial in U.S.) improving progressively
[B-b] preparation for U.S. relocation .. (financial++) improving fundamentally
— career, finance #the familiar domains
[B b] IV competitiveness .. Not growing but staying in shape; well-maintained.
[B+b] (long-term) career and (current) job security
[A-bm] salary .. well-maintained, much better than feared. I now care less about exclub. By livelihood target, my salary is A++++.
[A-bm] NAV and FullerWealth .. growing at a steady pace from strength to strength, hitting my targets
[A m] brbr … well-maintained.
[C bm] stock picking .. enjoyable, not tough burn. Targets are LGlp.
[B+b] brbr recon .. improving
[C bm] rental mgmt .. BGC improving; Cambodia excellent

The two lists have to be well-defined to be meaningful. Some other items don’t require _effort_, therefore out of scope: sexual health; heart health; work/life balance;

— [4] (A partially related topic) over short-to-medium term I have been feeling lousy, partly due to burn [absorbency] , partly due to laser, partly due to measurable progress (mostly successC)

[z] too many movies .. either in cinema or at home… improving
[cz] AMB .. limited _visible_ progress, but I don’t want to feel guilt or inferiority
[cz] coding drill .. Recently, I didn’t help friends’ CIV
[z] diet .. real achievement to maintain discipline
[cz] BMI .. no improvement since Apr 2020, but real achievement to reverse the decline
[cz] math coaching sessions + father/daughter bonding .. visible progress
[c] communication channel with boy .. visible progress
[c] new HDB .. Something important to wife. I did put in lots of serious effort.
[c] MOETF .. the recent incremental acquisition is a key feature of recreational stock investing

[c=successC]
[z=successZ]

— Grandpa’s corrective comments.. I told grandma that compared to my cohort, I feel too fat-n-happy 沒有追求. He corrected me .. 沒有过分的追求. He is right. I still work hard towards my goals。

I also told grandpa about my feeling 懒散, 无为之道. Again, he corrected me — I’m a responsible professional, and dedicated father.

I am basically comparing with the earlier self, but things have changed in terms of priorities, vitality (energy level), career runway ..

[20]steadfast focus@Protect` #短期 #bonding,optimism

Posted on Thu, 02/Dec/2021Mon, 18/Mar/2024 by tiger40490

k_soul_search k_tectonic

See also

This blogpost needs more sunshine, more Dram-refresh, like a 座右铭.

— Lee Hsien Loong said SG would zealously guard its competitive position. Singapore would lose the high ground to other countries after a few strategic missteps. I would say SG also need to protect the enviable covid19 situation, amidst worsening situations in most countries near and far.

Similarly, I now (2021) have a precious carefree ezlife to protect. We need protection against 1) strategic or smaller missteps 2) external threats and hazards

— during the pandemic

For the identiable protections, I’m willing to spend more money (+ some tcost) like tutors, relatively-healthy-but-expensive foods, nearby family outings (tcost),,. Make good use of the extra leaves.

protect my precious family harmony and protect my bonding with boy —
protect boy’s motivation, confidence, optimism — wordy problems are the most dreadful, basically clueless and hopeless
protect my precious wellness condition — diet, dental, endurance, energy, drive ,,, combined to demand huge commitment in absorbency + time. This protection can be enhanced at some $cost such as yoga classes and fancy fruits
- Longevity of grandpa .. My health (more than my salary) is fundamental to the protection of dabao, meimei, ,,
protect my precious job — the PIP-green zone, health insurance, extra leaves, and numerous other precious features, work-life balance,
protect the satisfactory married life
protect my precious brbr
— some also-rans:
? productivity at work or self-study? may need to take a back seat?
? protect my carefree cash-flow situation. Perhaps should delay the U.S. plan
? protect my interview readiness? I think I will NOT lose it so soon.

— G9 short-term factors contributing to my current carefree ezlife, half-ranked by … the amount of “sunshine deserved”

grades .. acceptable over the last 6M
U.S. job market .. golden escape pod over the next 4Y.
- .. no immigration stressors
marriage .. uneventful over the last 3Y
family harmony .. reasonable after PSLE, over the last 6M
- .. screen time conflict ? unabated
- .. bonding with boy? improving
blogging .. plenty of content and spare time, over the last 3Y
salary and Brbr .. good percentile [SG cohort] for the last 2Y.
workload .. one of the G2 short-term factors but less sunshine needed. Spectacular over the last 2Y.
- .. plenty of leaves as buffers
my primary lang@FT_job enjoys stability+robust demand
—- longer-term facto, beyond this question:
HDB home .. low maintenance over the last 5Y,
- .. No pest, very few repairs
health of entire family .. good over the last 2Y.
- .. good sleep, no overweight,,
IV-prep battery .. body-building over the decades, which offers protection over the next 3 to 10Y.

long-term ROTI=rare;prejudice about fun time with boy #600@高考 #500w

Posted on Wed, 01/Dec/2021Sat, 23/Mar/2024 by tiger40490

k_tyrant_of_rmSelf k_mellow

What kinda individuals like to point a finger at a school and say “So many students have failed to score 600 marks on gaokao 高考”? Real long-term ROTI is as rare as a perfect exam score:

QQ and coding drill? yes long-term ROTI but feels so fake
localSys .. doesn’t seem to help me keep my QQ knowledge afresh, or help maintain my sense of long-term security
coding drill? Yes long-term ROTI but Only for web 2.0 shops
long-term roti in quant, c#, noSQL, meta-programming…?
long-term roti in my zbs xx — not financial return
yoga roti? yes I would say long-term ROTI, but it feels not lasting
per investment roti? mostly small scale and recreational
— more specific items
work out with kids — considered not burn and low ROTI (too much wasted time) .. Actually tough, and builds family bound. Arguably no less strategic than QQ
reading boy’s exam papers … doesn’t seem to help my career
prepare math worksheet — considered not burn, not hard enough, not strategic, not related to my career
strength training — considered not burn, not hard enough.
refresh zbs know-how — considered not burn not IV-relevant.
refresh GTD know-how — considered not burn not IV-relevant.
refresh QQ — considered not burn and not strategic
bring boy out shopping as reward for him — considered high tcost low ROTI but extremely important to his +/-ve feedback loop

.. So why the hell do I point my finger at family time, boy’s coaching sessions, outing with boy, fun time with boy, relaxed time with boy etc? Any relaxed moment is seen as too “easy” and not burning enough. Such a burn/rot view is poisonous. It’s double-standard because I seldom point my finger at

myself blogging
myself on recreational reading
myself reading news, magazines
my curiosity searches on google
myself watching youtube
myself listening to bbc
my habitual comparison-shopping

I have been utterly prejudiced in my assessment of the value of family-time. I tend to hold highly negative views about my roti with kids, with yoga, MSFM, c#…. I have a habit to adopt a stringent standard (in a blatant double-standard) that invariably casts a bad light on my effort.

It’s like pointing out the imperfections in a beautiful woman.

Einstein doesn’t talk about burn/rot or ROTI. He plays the violin to entertain himself. My dad also listens to tapes for the same purpose.

Overall, I was fixated on materialistic ROTI (rmSelf) and self-discipline over the lazy self, to the detriment of self-esteem, family harmony, parental bond… What are the best ROTI efforts so far?

#1 long-term roti in my java QQ. Higher than c++, python, unix, SQL..
Top 5: long-term yoga — considered not burn and low ROTI… Actually extremely hard. Arguably more strategic than the coding drill etc,
Top 9: long-term roti in strength and endurance training
Top 20: long-term roti in my coding drill? It’s 100% interview driven, and not relevant to GTD.
long-term roti in renzi — even if my renzi coaching did enhance his renzi abilities and comprehension, you won’t see any improvement a few years later if he still refuses to apply his mind.

##misstep, 一念之差

Posted on Thu, 11/Nov/2021Wed, 22/Jan/2025 by tiger40490

k_divorce ,,,, k_X_compliance

See also

https://tanbinvest.dreamhosters.com/12221/resilience-against-ffree-derailers/ .. is about “ffree derailers”, including missteps.

This blogpost is about non-trivial missteps in general, and its darkest subset i.e. 一念之差 . Historically, I decided to group this blogpost with related blogposts in pff, so as to have a single tag “t_misstep”… Not purist, I prioritized cross-linking.

— — serious missteps
#1 [1pr] road crossing ..
#2 [1] compliance .. misstep at MLP (other jobs are less valuable)
[1pr] try drugs … if a young person decides to try drugs
[Lr] U.S. Immigration offense … (Negligence is not mis-judgement)
— — unlikely missteps:
[1Lr] confess.. if you confess something on camera or in writing, it can haunt you for a lifetime
.. criminal record in the U.S. system is the main focus. China’s 档案 system is even “worse”. confessions during Cultural revolution
[Lr] if you cheat on your spouse even once, she/he has enough reason to demand divorce. Half the times this decision (to cheat) is made without thought, perhaps under influence from alcohol.
[1Lpr] if you beat your wife or kids just once you can be convicted of domestic violence. The damning evidence could be nothing more than a single video footage or informal, private chat, taken out of context. Note U.S. court is biased in favor the the vulnerable like kids and housewives.
[Lp] [[鹰冠山庄]] a young man A was tricked into beating another young man. This was presented as evidence in court, so A was denied custody to his young son.
— — relatively mild missteps:
[1r] pre-existing .. if you let a doctor record in the medical record your own words about cholesterol medication, it can stay there forever and become a pre-existing condition
[1L] drunk driving .. if you are caught drunk driving, you would face penalties and get a police record. Even a passenger having an open alcohol bottle could be a damning evidence, but the penalty might be different from drunk driving.
[1Lr] (personal xp): trespass
(personal xp): 2013 A/C tubing installation
[L=need awareness of various legal implications]
[p=physical harm, including disability]

— Contrasting a few (up to 4) wildly different missteps can generate sparks and insights into ….

road crossing .. the prime example in a bigger category, which includes drink-driving, speed driving,,,#1 biggest mega-threat in my entire “world”
compliance .. biggest threat to my MLP job

— key feature: $cost .. a misstep can cost tens of thousands, even threaten your barebones ffree. See the big picture in NAV 一辈子花不完@@ 3 factors
— [r=(almost)permanent consequences] long shadow ..
* compliance offense .. shortest “shadow”
* divorce where kids are not involved .. relatively short shadow
— [1=一念之差] (very) brief window for the decision maker, often under pressure, so no space for due diligence. A lot of times, the action was taken in an emotional overreaction.

classic example is my “trespass” experience. Similarly, reckless road-crossing can (and did) also get me into accidents.
divorce .. A single misstep can sow the seed — abuse; cheating
In some Islamic laws, divorce is concluded by the husband repeating some phrase 3 times. You could regret later, but the damage could be permanent [like re-marriage or punishment by the family]
Counter-eg: U.S. Immigration offense … often employer can remind you, so it is rarely a personal negligence.
Counter-eg: 2007 Dateline NBC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Catch_a_Predator. These decision makers had plenty of time… so not 一念之差.
Counter-eg: bidding war when buying HDB. Even if you make a rash decision and pay $1000 OTP, you have 14 to 21 days to think it over.. so not 一念之差.

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

Posted on Tue, 19/Oct/2021Tue, 25/Jun/2024 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.

L399 #appreciation-day

Posted on Mon, 18/Oct/2021Sun, 30/Jun/2024 by tiger40490

btv-open

≠→≅

Tag: t_w1r3

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

##advtg@Eng: blogg]Chinese #portable

[23]carefree: how2restore@@

hour-level time freedom #failureZ,retire,successE,,

##[21]visibleGrowth plateau: #江河日下 #w1r5

[20]steadfast focus@Protect` #短期 #bonding,optimism

long-term ROTI=rare;prejudice about fun time with boy #600@高考 #500w

##misstep, 一念之差

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

L399 #appreciation-day