Low effort man I am? I take it as a compliment

 Osaka Furoya 

2nd time visiting Japan, this time round I stayed for 2 months. Beside leaving out one week to host my 4th uncle most of my time will be staying in this hostel. Initally I stayed for 1 week and I met a lot of nice people on the road. Therefore I found the owner and nego for 1 month stay which she reduced to 45,000yen which converts to SGD$360 a month in a private room on level 2.

Level 1 had full kitchen facilities, 4 toilets and 4 shower at level 1 and I had no problem in using them, meaning don't have to queue to use it. Nice. Laundry and kitchen full set with free tea and coffee. I will recommend solo traveller to Osaka to review the hostel Furoya.

Low effort man

I met this Afician Amercian lady, named Mariah. I went on a day trip with her to Akashi. I just so happen to like this low effort, low pressure outing. Slow and chill and it is away from tourist places. The place is also mostly locals and none westerner found around.

Beside seeing some old town hall, hanging at seaside to see people fishing for 1 hours (too bad I didn't bring my rod which i left it in the hostel). Tried the famous Akashi Yaki, which I didn't like it at all and last stopped at the castle before heading back to hostel, 2 hours to and fro.

We spoke a lot and exchanged lots of conversation on our cultural differences. She misheard my pronounation many time, once in the train got me laaughing so hard. I say "i don't usually date people that often" was being misheard as "i don't usually date people that are fun". She was confused and kept asking me to explain why I don't like people that are fun. Regardless many time I pronoun she could heard me right and I had to type out on the phone. That was hilarious.

After hearing my KINK policy and non marriage idealogoy, she just highlighted me that in the US I will be called the "low effort men". Hearing effortless men, I took it as a compliment. But she insist that I should be offended if people call me that. But I had a hard time understanding why man that is off low effort is a concern to her. Well, if you literally google the meaning low effort men, it can completely describe me. I ask google if that can be taken as a compliment but the result tells me no.

However, in my perspective, I felt being low effort is a personal choice and its okie that the public or people generally cannot accept that. You know I just couldn't care less. In life, we should be like DAO. which water flow thru the path that has the least resistance. Having effort is like difficult and it mean that is friction. Which mean it wasn't mean to be that way. Men should alway do what they feel they like to do which happens to be frictionless. If you find that you are putting in a lot of effort in it mean it is not suitable in the first place.

I don't agree about putting the extra effort and you get the so call "improvement". I think people are simple, they hunt for the next meal and many of time, they just hang around doing nothing or crafting or sharpening tools. If meal taken care of, human is un nature to find something hard and keep trying to put in effort and fail and feel that they are doing "work" and be happy about that. That is just stupid.

But we human just want to find a job that they don't like but pay well (and wealth not really utilized properly) then climb the fake corporate ladder in levels. Trying to meet KPI, therefore they are always on the look out to "improve" themselve by looking out for things they are not good, like presentation, networking, salesmanship, small talk, they will create these problems and then try to fix this problem. And then they didn't realise that the end goal was never important at the first place. 

Human just like to create own problem and find time and effort to solve these problem. Wasting time in the mean time. That is the answer human give to make our meaningless life meaningful.

What propel me forward is pain

Today went to Chinatown to visit aunty. Since my mum wake I had not been visiting her for more than a year. Feel so guilty. When I sort out my mum photo album ytd then I realise she is my other mum. Or the closest I can call a mum liao. Therefore, I should really need to take care of her. I will want to put in more effort. So today I went down with Jackie and Clement to visit her for a short while. 

Bring her to Chinatown Point to eat Toast Box and coffee. Order ham cheese set for her and I think she enjoyed the meal. Simple people like her needs very little to be contented I think. Simple food like Toast Box will give a lot of happiness. As we who have work and what not will overtime feel Toast Box is less of a treat. I start to want more and more and we are unable to feel happy for all these small little things. 

What impress me is that she is able to read all the Chinese words on the zodiac board. She hasn’t went school but she self taught Chinese by reading magazine and read subtitle on Channel 8. Some more she is intel challenged. Very impressive how people are picking up knowledge. If you want we can almost achieve anything. 

Lastly I was thinking to get her a phone to play tik Tok. But I scare to get her addicted to all these social media. Maybe by not having all these tech is something of blessing. I think she is kinda boring just to watch TV everyday and all days. I thinking a

Phone with tik tok may benefit her but now I think I shouldn’t introduce all these to her is better. 

Today also met Liting and her sister Limin at Chinatown to eat fish head. Her sister is a warden officer and she is so alike to me. 

-No friends, 

-No empathy to people

-Either right or wrong but no grey area

-Don’t want to have children. 

So on and so no. Very similar to me. I was thinking is it of our defence mechanism that made us become a super “I” person. 

Liting mention a verse that impact me very deeply that what empowers her to overcome obstacles is love. I start to reflect on how this statement can apply to me. I try to think of an event that propel me forward is by way of love. I cannot think of any. 

2 event obstacles comes to my mind, one losing love one and the other one is near death experience in Vietnam. Although both event I can think back and realise that there are people who love me are around to give me support. But this is not what I remember the incident for. What really drive me forward is using pain and suppressions. How I manage obstacles is to bite the pain and pull thru and once I got used to pain then pain is no longer painful. Apparently there are people although not a lot think akin to me. 

主观意识 is it really that bad?

Last post I shared on his one incident. Today incident happens like this: 我们恋爱吧 第五季Relationship S5】EP06上 | 梁潇直球进攻，正装晚宴墨墨飙泪落跑！

Omg, the xiao sun super same like me. 

• Able to withstand very uncomfortable suitation.
• Have something to persist on, I am who I am.
• Doesn't afraid to 负天下人.  

However, 老王说他的主观意识很强。Today I come across this word so I google what does it mean and weather the word applies to me or not. Then I realise that I am also suitable to use this word. Let see what is the defination。 (Subjective consciousness) 

主观意识本身就是人自己的思想，意思就是，没有外界的影响下产生的意识。生活中我们的认知、感觉其实都是主观的。那么我们看到的世界就全是主观的。

如：如果你讨厌一个人，那他做什么你都会觉得他很差劲，而你喜欢一个人，他做什么你都觉得很赞。这种喜欢和讨厌的感觉是我们自己的感受，但一个人的品质差劲与否，与我们主观意识没有关系。那么，如果自己是个悲观主义者，看到世界就是悲观的，什么事情都透露着悲伤的气息。

一般情况下这句话并不是用来夸人的，而是说这个人办事太固执，不尊重现实，脱离现实。所以这句话并不是好话，同时这句话又有警醒作用。

How can I better manage my subjective consciousness so that I can blend in with others? 

Maybe every time when someone gives an opinion or advise, rather than being dismissing them quickly. I should not be looking at their "HOW" level. I should go deeper and listen to their "WHY". Analysis is it something constructive? I think first is to listen more and talk lesser. Can we agree that we can have different opinion and view? 

Or I can do more journaling as I think writing gives me a chance to reflect on the topic of disagreement and give me time to see and reflect the mistakes. If I later realise that I might be wrong, then I should take actions to change or let the person if I have the chance.

I think watching variety show and learn what mistake people did. And also reinforce my own world view. You see I sided with Xiao Sun right. End of the last espidoes, 老王end up being a very good friend with 小孙. You see, people with 主观意识 end up over time will have people like them too.

Haha. 

I convinced myself that I am still like to make others uncomfortable.

Oh my god. Was watching 我们恋爱吧 第五季Relationship S5】EP02上 | 天选单独约会！ and I found how irrigating I was before. It reminds me about when I was in my previous job, my arrogance and disrespectful to my co workers and bosses.

So the boy "Xiao Sun" went on a blind date and turn out that the girl he met was not the one that he like in the house. Therefore, being disappointed, he instantly gave the girl "王安琪“ a black face, furthermore he directly tell her that he don't mind that both of them just keep quiet for the whole ride. Indeed, from the train journey all the way till dinner, he just ignored her and tell her that he is just like this, if he needs to be comfortable, he needs to make other uncomfortable. During the whole trip, the girl handles him carefully and tactfully. Very high EQ.

Now that I see this kind of men, Xiao Sun a sigma male and probably an avoidance character. Although I can empathy with him and agree with him on all his point. In fact I am the kind of person that can made people really really uncomfortable. But when I see it from top down view, he can turn out to be childish and immuture. 

做自己就会让别人不舒服，而让人家舒服就不能做自己

All the host are speaking ill of him. About him being very low EQ and not respectful to the date. I find it quite er xin too when watching on the show.

But I can feel him. I can understand him. He just simply don't care about how the viewer see his reaction. He doesn't care about the date, the crew, the host and even the audience. He is just thinking about what he wants in life. Okie. end up I still support him after ranting out his shortcoming.

I think you really don't have to care so much about how people look at you. Even people see you as low EQ, its just we have the choice to choose how we want. More time to know him, 王安琪 will know he is not directed at her. Just his character is like that.

Sometime I question if I really have EQ or not. I made many people uncomfortable at workplace before I just wanna persist on my own opinion. Can say that I am very self centred and don’t adhere to social fabric. No manners and being very respectful to people around me. Problem is I really don’t think I care a bit about the people I don’t care about. But I still like me as a person. I like having these boundaries and people can keep a distance with me. I don’t need people to agree or like me at all :)

Haiz. Guess I am still so 难搞

We are already living in hell

We were taught about the idea of heaven and hell when we were young. We have to be obedience and be a good person then we can go heaven otherwise we will go to hell. For half of my life I had fear death as an unknown. Unknowingly if I going to go heaven and hell when I die or “when will I die”. 

After my half life, I started to think all these concept are just bullshit. To scare you and control you. I believe when you die, everything just ends. No heaven or hell. Which I think people are already passed is more blessed then people living alive now. Take for my mum, she passed so young I kinda think it is a blessing as she had been a very good person, kind and loving therefore she will enjoy herself by not suffering in this world anymore.

People saying, good people die young and all the villain always lives a long life. I believe people that is long life just because they are being punished in hell. 人间就是地狱.

There are so much suffering in this world. All the scammers to cheat your money, Big Med company to sell you expensive medical. Capitalism squeeze dry the pay for the new graduate. Big corporate (Grab and Amazon) control the livelihood of grab driver and small retail owners. People are just so selfish to stall all the wealth among themselves and let the people eat bread crumbs. I am also selfish so I don’t know what makes tomorrow a better place to be in?

My thoughts are very gloomy that even youtube ad starts to recommend me self help line. It is so funny. I think I am too free and I should start to do something to take my minds off all these thoughts.

But redirecting my thoughts doesn’t mean the problem will just disappear. I can just choose to work or get busy to engage in escapism. 李诞现在还会觉得人间值得吗？

Life isn’t being achievement all the time

Was riding on my father bike suddenly just let my brain wonders. Suddenly thought about life shouldn’t be about objective driven. Objective is just a man made concept that they install in your brain. A plant and animal doesn’t have objective that they needs to be accomplished. Only live each day with peace and eat if you have to. That’s all. 

Something of completion will only be a beginning of something else to be achieved. Our human life is only between the pursuing and completion of something. Anyway the end goal of our life is death and no one wants to complete this mission anytime soon right?

When we talk about success, it is for external and for other people. If there are no one around there will be nothing of success to show people anyway. Therefore when we pursuit success we merely want some people validation from outside sources. 

So while many time I do something it’s appears to people that I am not achieve something just like doing something for fun. People find it weird. I sometimes also not used to be doing something but not achieving anything in the process. But that’s is fine. I shouldn’t worry too much about it. 

Life shouldn’t be always about goal setting and had to have achievement in the process. That’s too stress for me. Life is not about the 0 and 1. But it really about the happening between the 0 and 1. 

This weekend I stayed at JB to get some stock up for my house. Love to go Malaysia rent a small house. That’s is small empty and always clean with little stuff :)

Sapa trip video uploaded

Today I order from shoppe epoxy paint 300g. My plan is to paint my basketball with epoxy paint to make it slightly heavier and improvement of gripping. My lousy ball which was bought from Decathlon, the low end one had the skin all pealed off. I find it too light for my liking while I used other's ball and found them to be too heavy. Therefore I like to DIY to repair it with better grip. I tried finding it online to see if people had done this or not, couldn't find any so I like to try it myself. This time I tried buying something from Shoppe. Long time never do online shopping let start the ball rolling.

I returned my travelling bad to decathlon today as I like to get the green color version at JB. It is nicer and cheaper so why not.

I stumble upon TB challenger selling fan and they say they extended operation hours from 9:30pm to 10pm due to Christmas period. Aiks. All the Christmas shit I hate it. But I end up buying a 12' Toyomi Air Circulator. This is the first time I trying to buy these kind of metal fan. I didn't know they are a bit different than our convention plastic bladed fan. It was meant to circulate the air instead of getting a straight air breeze. A bit complicated. And I do not know how much of it is a marketing gimmick. Therefore although its slightly expensive over conventional fan, I decide to buy it to try it myself. 智商税

离婚有错吗？婚姻的本质是什么？

Today I come across this video that have a bit of the LLP relationship I am talking about. Marriage this old fashion thingies no longer work in this new era. Still 拾吓拾吓。From statistic POV already say so, further more still got percentage that is dragging one leh. Data never lie mah.

Okie enough of ranting.

My Sapa trip video up go and see if you like

My though in having children

Yesterday I had a moment that reflect on the purpose for living in this world. My worldview tend to be very pessimistic but realistic to say the least.

Pleasure vs Pain

Firs of all, I had concluded in the past that in life, we should NOT be the pursuit of pleasure but rather the removal of pain. Pleasure like enjoyment to body and the joy in obtaining material are temporary. Once the moment had past, we will return to normal as no one keep having pleasure forever. However pain like lost of kin and physical hurt are long lasting. 

Therefore, my conclusion to having a "good life" is equilibrium of non existence of pleasure non pain at the same time. The most comfortable state to be in is to either feel happy or sad. Which isn't it as good as being "dead"?

That the reason I had been stoic and learning to remove my emotional attachment towards object and people. Without the pleasure from picking up there will not have the the pain from lossing it in the future. A bit leaning towards the Nihilism idealogoly. 

Everything is a wavelength

If we break down human into simplest state. An atom is the smallest particles of matters can are made but my positively charges and negatively charged proton, neutron and electron. This atom vibrate in a wavelength and therefore can be turned into solid, liquid and gaseous state. 

Since all our emotional pain or pleasure is all the tiggers in our brain wavelength. Chemicals like dopamine and endorphin are the chemical result from our brain perceptions. Therefore all things, events and thoughts are just energy and wavelengths. As for all wavelength if there is a peak, there will be the decline in returning to equilibrium.

Bring joy into the world?

Since I was small till becoming an uncle now, I always thought my mission in this life is to bring joy and happiness into the world. When I leave this world, at least I had made an positive impact to the world. How naive was I.

Now knowing that the joy I bring forward to the world will result in suffering at the other end of the world. Remembering that giving love to people had the end result of misery when the person lose this love in the end. I strongly believe there are will not a net positive impact to the world, When you leave, someone or something is going to be negatively impacted be it a loved one or a stranger, object or things will get impacted by your "positive" injection. As the famous quote, energy is either created or destroyed, its merely transferred.  

That being said, does mean I asking you to draw pain to the world. The pain inject is merely the end result of a "positive" being injected somewhere. So just maintain as still as possible, nothing matters as the up will only result in coming down. 

The purpose of reproduction

Giving birth to children, result in 2 result, they are either happy or they will be miserable. Therefore 50% chance to being miserable. But by not giving birth, they will be 100% in equilibrium, neither happy or miserable. Therefore this made me believe there is no real incentive for the person you bring to this world. For course there are incentive for us, be it to fulfil our so call "happiness" from being a parent or the old saying to have a children take care for us in the future. However I see it, that seems so selfish of us.

Arthur Schopenhauer was especially pessimistic on this topic:

If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence, or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?

We can even find this view in the New International Version of the Bible:

And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Is living really better than never being born at all? - Big Think

Everyone is so selfish

I am not saying people are selfish and I am not. In fact I am very selfish therefore I am able to read all the selfish act. And also note that Joe in friend once explain about the selfishness in selflessness. 

People are selfish therefore the accumulation of wealth and the invention of marriage as a weapon for the wealth. 

People are selfish in advancing in technology (AI, deepfake, social media, shopping platform) for the benefit for themselves and lets million of others suffer in mental illiness. 

People are selfish in advancing in human legacy thru birth without thinking clearly that they themselves had not figure out their own reason for existence. 

No plan trip to work exchange and met with great accompanies

Today is the 2nd day we reach into Okayama. I don’t know about it. I used to think Kobe is boring but then I love it into the 2nd days onward. So far Okayama hasn’t give me a reason to like it yet. The shopping is clustered near the train station and our hotel “the onefive Okayama” was 20mins walk away. Nothing special and there are not much 2nd hand shop for me to shop around. Tmr got an event in the evening and Sunday we shall go visit Aeon mall for shopping. 

We drew on the toilet of the homestay we are at

Leaving the house is a bit sad as we met really great accompany in the house. 2 German girls, Hannah and Marke and 2 France girl, Joanna and Julie. Each of us was very polite and had good initiative. We will help each other on simple task like fetching hot water. At night as it was so cold the whole house only the living room table is attached with heater so we will curdle together and discuss on all topics under the sun, religion, education, culture, breaktalk and everything German and France related. So fun to hang out with them.

Met up with Kiyonori san and his mum gave us all some tidbits in Kimono bag!

We had the extreme honor to be invited Kiyonori San church where he explained to us his religion, 天理教。Where they focus on living a joyous life be it living in a joyous life or helping others to feel joyous. So their mission is to host and give to people. Kiyonori’s mum gave us a pouch that is handmade by Kimono fibre and she also teach us hand by hand to do Okonomiyaki, which is kinda junk food and comfort food at the same time. And his mum also run her own podcast show on her own when now she is 83 yrs old. Kiyonori also show us how he do his own rocket burner to cook his water using abandon wood. 

Kiyonori san’s mum taught us how to cook Okonomiyaki

As we are nearing the end of the stay in the guest house, we are planning to travel to Okayama. Julie just happens to want to discard a converse shoes. So happen that her feet size is 42 which match with my foot. As you know I didn’t even own a shoes back home as I only travel with slipper all the time. I faster say I want the shoes as a memento. Julie is also glad that the shoes will be taken care by me so we both had a good timing where one wanna discard and I wanna keep. I will love this shoes very much and I will wear until it is very broken.

We pose as the converse shoes is gifted over to me

It was a great stay and we make sure the toilet is painted with our youtube channel so that the future volunteer will be able to subscribe to us and see the video we post for this house. I didn’t know that I have a talent in painting and received good review for my drawing.

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We are advocate for no plan travelling. Sometime if you plan and rush for the trip you will miss out in fun and often fall short on your expectation. If not for our no plan trip we couldn’t have went to the sudden last min recommendation for work exchange and will not be able to meet up with all these great people along the way. See you at Okayama

The funny part we talk in the cafe during work exchange

Friends from the guesthouse gets together for coffee

The “flow” in old Japanese cafe

Yesterday at the house, morning we had an outing where all 6 of us will walk to the nearest cafe to get our coffee for the day. Well, when I saw the lady boss is working in the kitchen I was afraid that she might assume our order as all coffee drink so I went over to clarify with her on our order. Apparently she told me “Chottomatte” please wait and get back to her work. I suddenly realise that I had interrupted their work flow again.

In Japan when you get into a cafe usually you will not be entertained to until when the owner is finished with her tasks one hand and ready to come to you. You will know it is your turn when the owner brings over a hot towels and then they will have to serve a glass of iced water. There will be the time you put in your order. I think any other time when you just interrupt them for order will be rude.

It is very different from Chinese people where they can multitask and take order while maybe cooking fried rice at the same time. All Chinese cares are about is turnover rate and collection of money as quickly as possible. But in Japan, you will get the feeling that they don’t care so much about the money but instead they are very persistence in their sequence and traditions. Which they focus more on well being instead of the peruse of material procession. 

Question for personality test

In the cafe they asked us 3 questions and wants us to answer them straight when we think of the question.

When you are walking in a jungle and;

1. You see a color and what color will that be? And why
2. You see an animal and what will that be? And why
3. You come around an environment and what will that be? And why

You can stop and think of these questions yourself and I will be sharing my answer below and what does it mean in the end.

My answer for the color have 2 answer to it. First thing comes to my mind instantly was yellow and my mind was changing it quickly to black. The reason was that yellow was what i used to like as a kid where it symbolise energetic and happiness, but as I grow older I stop liking yellow and love black. Black is the absent of color or I should say more accurately the presence of all colours. As I grew as an adult I felt a lot of emotion need to be contained and not expressed so I choose black as my favourite color.

The animal that come to my mind was cat as i liked cat most as I was attracted by the car attitude and for them respecting distance. They are cute and comfy to hold in. Sometime they give you a feeling that they need you and provide comfort for you and yet sometime they are just on their own doing their stuff and they will not require your attention at all. Furthermore, I love the arrogance attitude from cat as they know they don’t need you as long they had their food taken care of.

As for the environmental scene that I can think of this, standing at the cliff looking down on the sea in front of me. This scene was the one that Sandy, Tracy and me was in Danang. The feeling attached to it was that I was so small compared to the huge and board world in front of me. That was a sense of liberation and I describe that something was “holding back and suddenly got released”.

They laughed hard as the answer correspond to these is, color is what you think of yourself and animal is what you are looking for in a partner and last question on environment is what is your ideal sexual experience. So literal right?

Bread vs toast

You know me and Jackie just had a heated discussion on the difference between a bread and a toast. For my understanding, bread and toast is the difference in hardness. As long as the bread was placed in a toaster and removed moisture where you know it became hard and warm is a toast.

However for the German they had a philosophy on bread. Just like wine and coffee per se. There are differentiation between sour, sweet and bitterness in bread. The after taste and the initial taste so on. They really respected bread a lot. On the hand, toast to them is like “junk food” like any bread that has a shape of a square is a toast. Like all our gardenia bread is call toast even without putting in a toaster. They call it the untoasted toast. 

Marriage is getting irrelevant

Throw back, tu lao in Hanoi Mia coffee

Today went down to visit aunty at Chinatown. I think it has been a year since I last visited her. She looks healthy and stronger after she went exercise. Not like last round she look grumpy and lethargic. Then I overheard my cousin is doing divorce with his wife. (As per my aunty).

I sort of see them optimistically in their marriage with baby and stuff. Furthermore he got into the relationship at a later stage. So I thought being able to uphold and manage the marriage will be easier. As people is more mature and really had taken time to vet thru their spouse. Apparently, many things can spark disagreement in a relationship regardless. 

It only reinforce the ideal of marriage is really outdated. Or should I say this ideology is getting obsolete as society advances. 

Actually do you know that marriage is a form of strategic. It was created during war and to better conserve the wealth for heirloom. Different era actually call from different arrangement of marriage. Like example during era where the king is able to marry many women is due to war, many men were kill in the war and having a men to reproduce with many women will allows more children to be replenished. But as our social currently balanced out population, having polygamy doesn’t make sense anymore.

Nonetheless, every era different things changes and I believe marriage is slowly phrasing out.

I shall not keep asking why, but how instead

 Today I watched a man talk a good show many learning point for me. 

王达峰-光哥知识论

All engineering problem even like iphone or airplane construction that seems like a complicated problem, they are all simple problem. As you reverse engineer you can find the source problem, doing the replacement to the problem you will solve the problem 100%. Therefore all things that can be isolated are simple problem. 

On the other hand, child raising and business are complex problems. Even if you follow all steps exactly you don’t get the same result. Example you narrow down to gene problem for child bringing or even the business steps are wrong you eventually cannot pin point the problem. (Many due to luck and natural selection reason) Therefore, if you keep digging into the why this issue have a problem, you sure to end up with more problems.

I have the issue of keep digging the why a problem happen. I tend to seek for a reason instead of how a problem should be solved. Not matter how you narrow down and pin point you can say it’s right or wrong. It’s just means that there is a possibility and you cannot prove that it is right and you can’t say it’s wrong either. 

不要执着的追究问题为什么是这样子，你是找不到答案的。一直在追究你一直看的是过去，你找的答案永远是可能但是你永远不知道因为你不能证实。一个爱追究的人往往培养的是会找借口的孩子或同事。”既然已经这样子了，我们因该怎么样解决问题呢？”一个爱追究的人只是想显得有权威和正确罢了。

Reach Dalat and plan to stay 2 nights

Becoming a renaissance man

 Being a renaissance man

3 more days starting new job. 2 more books to go.

1. Early retirement extreme 
2. Outlier

Wah, early retirement extreme really intrigue to me read word for word and the concept is very align to mine. As though, the writer help me to put up a more detailed version of what my worldview is. I really recommend this book to people who like to retire early. Comparing to FIRE, although I haven't read it. I would think this is a better book.

In the book is part people into 4 groups. Salary man / working man / business man and renaissance man. What renaissance man is also a polymath, or commonly known as "jack of all trade". This align with me to be a generalist over a specialist. Being a special come with a benefit but people often overlook the cost of specialisation. 

So I advocate being a renaissance man, which the following clip say you need to have 2 things,

• dedicated learning : Cross learning a skill which can help you to learn another skill easier
• opportunistic learning : ability to learn things as it present itself and therefore able to learn new things quickly. 

Very good video and I like this speaking cadence which show so much confidence. Love it. 

Being a handy man

I want to research should I invest in bicycle maintenance tools. Which has some cross between handyman tools for general repair. If much item is similar or overlay. I think I will bite the bullet to invest in a set of tools.

These are long term ROI and very possible income generating. I need to start working on some hard skills, technical skills or blue collar skill. 

Everyone is a natural builder. From young as a baby, we smile with curosity as we touch the world around us and realise we are able to touch and modify things. As we grow older, we lose this kind of instint due to the busiest of work. We outsource simple things to others in term of services. To escape capitalism, I want to learn more DIY. 

When I finish my notes on retirement extreme, will share it. Inside a lot of example why we need to be a handyman

COVID make me positive

 This week I was tested positive for COVID.

My first instinctive thought is the fear of horrible lung infection and long term organ damage the virus can do to my body. I guess many will feel the same way. The worries, fear or pressure may be overwhelming to a lot of people. I can see some few might even suffer from depression from his unfortunate mishap in life.

However, this fear lasted only 3 minutes within me. Fear I believe is due to the natural human defend mechanism when facing dangerous situation that we naturally comes out with some worst case scenario to better prepare our brain.

But what went through my thought was, my belief system that our life is all being watched over by an good person. Many call that god while I just call it a good person. They will watch over us and make sure they will provide us the best possible outcome for us. All choice that you make regardless of good or bad ultimately is the only choice that you will make to lead you to the best outcome.

The virus was cast against me so that my body will build up the natural defend mechanism probably to protect me against another bigger problem. Which otherwise will kill me in an instant if not because of this COVID experience.

Measurement of time in second, measurement of length using metrics, measurement of wealth using dollars. How funny all this are just man made. And if we are always worry about how young, how tall and how successful base on these metrics. We just leads ourselves to misery. No one cause us to feel sad. We just allow ourselves to be measure against other's expectation. Hard to describe but 你懂的

I was shocked how come I can be so positive as if I can’t even be scared in front of this kind of life and death situation what else can hurt me anymore. I felt invincible.

The reason I am sharing how I mitigate stress and pressure is because I felt a lot of people are always worrying too much. While a lot of illness is cause by stress and pressure itself. And it was only amplified by our own mind. So nice if I am able to advocate to people how to be as positive like me. 

Real friendship and why you are wasting your time

"没有永恒的朋友，只有永恒的利益."

No lifelong friends but lifelong interest.

Since young before primary school, I was a strong believer in friendship. I was always the first who initiated contact with friends after we graduate for a gathering and catching up. But to my dismay, a lot of time this kind of affection is one-sided. I was almost a bit jealous of friends who got into new clique to the new environment. It like I am having withdrawal symptom towards friends "moving on".

After secondary school, I already understand there is almost no friendship that will last forever. So I tell myself, 朋友是阶段性的。And after the army, I understand that friend is mutually beneficial and you are automatically excluded when you are no longer useful. 朋友是互相利用的。

Over time, from extorvert, I became an introvert. Excluding myself from gathering, get together, almost like social withdrawal.

The 4 hours workweek Timothy Ferriss Summary

If rich dad poor dad is a bible to MLM, then four hour work week by Tim Ferriss is a bible to "digital nomad".Every backpacker read somehow this book. Tim Ferris is known for coining the word "Lifestyle Design" and also know to define the current mentally of the Millennium group aka The New Rich.

It centric on defining differences between financial freedom from being wealthily rich. This book talks about how to escape the 9 to 5 rat race trap and living a more meaningful which is geographically unrestricted.

Minimalism is the new Materialism

Minimalism is the new materialism. In short minimalism is the idea of living with less things that distracts you. You more you reduce your choices and options the less time you spend making them.

Minimalism isn't about living without money; that's poverty, but its about living rich enough to be able to live like a poor person who values experience over possession. Come to think of it, experience and possession which do you think is more permanent? Furthermore another benefit of being minimalist is having lesser things to lose.