Language Is Beautifully Flawed
Language is a beautiful creature, full of redundancies and flaws. Every word of every language carries with it thousands of ye
On entrepreneurship, and who I write for.
People who attend entrepreneurship workshops, I feel, are probably from a very specific subset of people. Singapore needs more
Waking Early + It’s okay to be incompetent
Day before yesterday, I took a long walk with my girlfriend and went to bed (relatively) early, at about 11pm. I was aware of
Taking your GCE ‘A’ Levels as a Private Candidate
Someone dropped by my Tumblr to ask me to write a post about my experience re-taking my A Levels as a private candidate. Here
Memories of jamming with many different musicians
On hindsight, when I sit down and think about it, I’ve jammed with many, many different bands over the years, many of wh
Letter I wrote to myself (June 2010)
It’s think-out-loud time. Balance, effectively, the right-now and the big pictures. Ignore neither, and do justice to bo
on turning 22
So I’m 22 years old now. 264 months. 1144 weeks. I estimate that I’ll live to be 80, assuming I don’t do any
Wuthering Heights and the folly of vengeance
I choose to start with Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, partially because it was a text that I choose to do when retaki
Schools should learn from video games.
Games evolve faster than school does. A lot of guys I knew growing up, myself included, preferred playing video games to going
My fitness routines/progress over the years
My pushups routine has been working fantastically for me these few weeks, so I’ve decided to up my game and make more th
greatness requires faith
Wherever you see Greatness, somebody took risks and embodied Faith. (previous title) Greatness is relative. No matter how grea
Junior College sucked for me.
It occurs to me that there are quite a few JC students who read my blog. Someone linked to one my articles, writing “I w
Book Recommendation: Soul Made Flesh
Today’s Recommendation: Soul Made Flesh: The Discovery of the Brain–and How it Changed the World It’s a fasc
W5D2: Stand-up Comedy
Today I did something for the first time- I performed stand up comedy. I was terrified. I mean, I’ve been on stage many
W5D1: A Beautiful Morning
This morning is beautiful, not because of anything intrinsic about the day itself, but because of the way I have begun it. And
goodreads
Saw a few reminders of things that I enjoyed reading. http://calnewport.com/blog/2012/05/17/some-more-thoughts-on-grad-school/
What I Learnt From 90 Weeks Of Self-Quantification
In 2010 I enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces as part of my National Service. 102 weeks of service, to be precise. About
Accessible lectures on YouTube superior to what you’ll get in school
It’s really interesting to study Mathematics through YouTube. The lecturers are compelled to make their lectures good, b
Swarm Intelligence and God: How we are already are a part of something greater than ourselves.
Have you ever observed an ant colony, and noticed that there appears to be a greater intelligence guiding the ants’ coll
My MBTI Journey: Each new way of seeing can become a new set of blinders
MBTI: I remember when I first encountered MBTI. It was introduced to me over beer, by a friend of a friend. He was a self-prof
My MBTI Journey
MBTI: I remember when I first encountered MBTI. It was introduced to me over beer, by a friend of a friend. He was a self-prof
Games from my childhood
2016: What’s the first video game you ever played? I’m not entirely sure. I recall watching my brothers play games on thei
Charlie Brown’s ‘Cyclopedia
I used to read a lot as a kid, though it never occurred to me that I was. If I ever seem more intelligent than anybody else, i
starting plans
Yesterday I met my mentor-figure who helped to get me all fired up. I got home, tried to do some work, ended up getting distra
The Love Of Reading
My most memorable reading happened on my bed in my parent’s room- I had a little table lamp of sorts that I’d put
Consciousness and The Art Of Surrender
We can’t help but look at attractive people. I don’t mean that figuratively- I mean really, we can’t. They c
Mission: To Interview Singapore’s Prime Minster, Lee Hsien Loong
I want to have prata with Lee Hsien Loong. Or kopi. Or an interview. The question isn’t “do you think it’s p
The day suicide finally made sense to me.
It came to me as I was writing about the breakdown of a relationship. I was thinking about how some of us struggle to realize
What I’ve Learnt (so far!) From Starting My Own Business
I used to doodle ideas for t-shirt slogans on my notebooks. I thought I started doing it last year, but when I was clearing ou
do what you hate
(switchy-switchy here is that you only have strong feelings about thigns that matter to you) I used to play in a band called A
Variation and Selection: A Darwinian Approach To Relationship Success
(A lot of people misunderstand natural selection. Mutations in nature are random and undirected. Human variation, on the other
secret
I secretly worry that I am a burden to my friends, that they don’t want to hear anything from me, that they get annoyed
dream
I want to come home from tampines. I take a bus 10 from somewhere near the interchange. I don’t remember where exactly I
What I Learnt From Having Completed A Half Marathon Without Training
I was in the shower earlier today and I checked out my the big toenail on my right foot. It’s almost completely healed n
What I Learnt From Having My Wisdom Teeth Extracted
(This isn’t my x-ray, but it’s pretty similar. Check out the teeth at the far right of the picture- the left side
wisdom (teeth)
So I pulled my two left wisdom teeth today. I only had 2 cigarettes yesterday- I wasn’t feeling so well, so it was more
9gag and tumblr
Let’s talk about internet memes. I like internet memes. I like using them, and I like seeing them spread, mutate and evo
learning
an important thing I’m learning, I think, or trying to learn, and trying to embody, is that we have to treat our “
Why does altruism exist?
Here’s my shaky hypothesis, which I put together from many casual (and possibly flawed) readings of several different so
Nurse reveals the top 5 regrets people make on their deathbed
“For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special t
The Art Of Overanalyzing Text Messages
There have been many great books and articles written about the art of writing- how to write formal letters, how to write love
kind words
“hello! Just wanted to tell you that I love your blog! I love its ingenuity, creativity, eloquence, and maturity! Singapore
How To Win At Relationships
Some ‘radical’ theorists describe life as a game. This can seem simplistic or even dangerous, but I think it’
Nobody Actually Wants You To Be Yourself
Some of my friends describe me as a megalomaniac. I can’t refute that, because it’s a valid assessment that I ough
A List Of My Favourite Things: Movies
Movies: 20: X-Men: First Class 19: Monty Python and the Holy Grail 18: Scent of a Woman 17: Love, Actually 16: The Incredibles
When you smell the curry…
The other day, me and a group of friends met for coffee and conversations. These meet-ups are spontaneous rather than schedule
My bank balance from Oct 2010 to Feb 2011
The last time I talked about money was back in May 2011. The story goes on, and here’s how it’s looked like since
Habits Through Connections
I have been paying lip service to this for the longest time but it’s finally about time- better late then never- that I
How would you live?
I think a great question to ask is- what sort of life would you (or do you!) envision for yourself if money weren’t an i
Money
I don’t think we talk enough about money. It’s kind of a sensitive topic- it’s not nice to talk about how mu
Great Posts I’ve Read
The Disadvantage of an Elite Education by William Dersiewicz. Welcome address to freshman at Boston Conservatory, by Karl Paul
Running is a break from the neurological rat race
TLDR: Don’t think so much, just run. The reward is a break from the neurological rat race. So today was a normal day. I
Loyalty to country vs. Loyalty to humanity
“No nation was ever so virtuous as each believes itself, and none was ever so wicked as each believes the other.”
dissatisfaction: a source of beauty
It’s not quite politically correct to say it. I mean, we live in a world where there’s multi-billion dollar indust
sitting in the silence
Lately as an atheist I find it exceedingly unnecessarily and even counter-intuitive to even speak of atheism, or of religion.
no chain, no gain
(Original title: Gamification, the power of chains and combos) Chains and combos are strings of actions or events that flow sm
SS01: Defining ‘Education’
The meaning of schools and education has changed over time. We tend to think of education in a limited sense- go to an academi
“hello! Just wanted to tell you that I love your blog! I love its ingenuity, creativity, eloquence, and maturity! Singap
NS memoirs
(originally wrote this for Fever Avenue) This one is for the boys. I’ve had some pretty unique opportunities in my life to e
Things To Do [2012]
This is it. No more hiding, no more cowering in fear. This is the post- or the series of posts, the system and the philosophy
creative struggles
2024: I don’t want to write a substack that has dozens and dozens of posts primarily about my creative struggle. That’s li
Gamifying Education + Can We Make People Care?
Games People Play It’s interesting to listen to what people talk about: girls talking about fashion, boys talking about
The Path Of A Double Pendulum
Look at that. Isn’t that beautiful? Doesn’t it look chaotic, and yet strangely elegant? This is the path of a doub
7sins: Envy
(image courtesy of blackeri) What is lust? Lust is fundamentally about conquest. Nobody lusts after what they already have.
BMT Recourse
There was an interesting thing that happened when I was supposed to go for BMT recourse. I didn’t have all the items I n
“Losers have goals, winners have systems”, by Scott Adams
“The other day I put on my workout clothes and drove to the gym. But when I arrived I didn’t feel like working out
william gibson nyt profile
2012 jan 13 by Pagan Kennedy On one of his trips to New York, William Gibson stopped before an antiques shop that would end up
xav on me being kind in conflict
“It’s fun to be wrong, especially if the person taking you down does so professionally on a nice practice mat, ins
The Death And Life Of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs
I borrowed this one from a friend who’s interested in architecture. I didn’t completely appreciate it as I was fli
The Black Swan, by Nassim Taleb
This is one of those life-changers. It doesn’t work as a casual read, because it’s most likely going to challenge
Didn’t make it to leadership school? Build your own!
I had a class reunion the other day and I got to talk to one of my classmates who completed his national service as a commissi
2012 review – it’ll never be perfect so just do it
I didn’t want to do anything for new year’s. I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, because lately I
How to live, and other final 2011 thoughts
I didn’t want to do anything for new year’s. I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, because lately I
2012
I didn’t want to do anything for new year’s. I didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, because lately I
The World As I See It, by Albert Einstein
“How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he
dear anybody who’s having a rough time
you can talk to me! please do.
Charlie Brown’s ‘Cyclopedia
I used to read a lot as a kid, though it never occurred to me that it was anything unusual. If I ever seem more intelligent th
was it worth it?
During my Signals course, there was a day where we were supposed to make these wire joints- 20 per person. Quite labour-intens
What is your specialization?
If only managing our own lives was as visually appealing! I have a good friend who shares a lot of my ideas about things, but
Are you too smart for your own good?
My dad used to say something like that to me- that the problem with me was that I thought I was too smart to have to deal with
Why you should never “confess your love” to anyone
My humble advice to anybody who starts to fall for your friends-Â Never, EVER “confess your love” to them.It’
The Man Who Will Not Drive
There once was a guy who swore he’d never ever buy a car. After all, he reasoned, all cars eventually break down and fai
My latest muse: marketplace.sg
Here’s an idea I have that’s been stewing in my head for a couple of years that I think is finally begin to emerge
Project Statement
Here’s an idea that I have that I’d like to pursue: T-shirts as conversation starters. I’m tentatively calli
conversations with alfian saat, 1
(Edited slightly for readability) Hey Alfian! Up so late ah? Ya lah what to do. Nightbird yo. Hahaha. Eh, I’ve been toy
Week 72? Building Routines.
Or is it 73? I admit, I lost track! I lost my notebook, and then I got a bit depressed and kind of lost track of things. Anywa
Hacking The 7 Deadly Sins: Gluttony
(image courtesy of blackeri) Gluttony is the untempered drive to consume. Gluttony is to consumption as lust is to conques
i miss the people who have left i never told them how much they mattered to me
“What to do after ORD?” A conversation about purpose and intent.
What do you mean when you say that University education has limited value? Do you have any plans to work around that fact? Ok
tit-for-tat
A friend told me the other day that one of the secrets to a successful relationship is as follows: When having an argument to
Best Decision Ever.
What’s your best decision ever? Some things we don’t really decide for ourselves- reading extensively as a child w
The Book Project
Books have always been a huge part of my life. I haven’t always been reading, though- I read a lot as a child, and then
Action and Reflection
I’ve always considered myself a fairly unsystematic person, random and chaotic. After a while though, I began to realize
don’t be a sucker
(original title: Occupy Wall Street: What do you do when the odds are stacked against you?) Wall St shouldn’t be screwin
20 Weeks Left: What I’m going to do when it’s over!
There was a disruption in my 90 Week Project, and I haven’t been updating the blog aspect of it since about week 53. BMT
On productivity, evolution and conversations
I often pay lipservice to productivity, and I’ll be the first one to acknowledge it. It’s mostly in an attempt to
Pragmatism or Idealism? Help people physically, or protest for a cause?
At the most basic level, I value people who get off their ass and DO something more than people who aren’t doing anythin
Dealing with depression, in yourself or in others
I’m always a little suspicious of the “do whatever works” argument, because sometimes what works only works
do you doubt yourself, and if so, why do anything?
I delayed starting my blog, I often left thoughts unexplored and unwritten because I felt like there couldn’t possibly b
The Declutter Squad
Here’s an idea that’s been kicking around my head for a while- a declutter squad! Pitch: All of us have too much j