Restarting a blog in the age of TikTok is akin to driving a gas guzzler in the age of Tesla. I love Tesla and tech but unfortunately, I can articulate my thoughts better in words than in 60-second videos. Also, I can’t dance, let alone do a TikTok dance challenge. Long form complete thought is how I (rock and) roll.
I wrote regularly on this blog from early 2000s to early 2010s, chronicling my observations as a naive young adult navigating A Levels, university, and early years as a trainee actuary. Reading them now, the blog posts run the gamut of cringeworthy to unexpected foresights.
Early on, the blog landed me a freelance writing gig for a newspaper (when these still thrived albeit on the wane). I was paid for each 300-words submission. That was a flywheel moment for me; it was a virtuous cycle of writing, getting paid, levelling up on writing, writing more, and stacking fiat money💰. Before long, I blew it all on a white hot 3rd generation iPod (I’m a sucker for tech).
I did dither over buying Apple shares instead of an iPod but access to the US stock market just wasn’t that easy (or cheap) for a 19 year old Malaysian. There wasn’t a Robinhood or a Revolut equivalent back then. Heck, I’m not entirely sure there is a commission-free trading app in that part of the world to this day (would-be entrepreneurs eyeing the Asia Pacific region, this is your cue).
I digress; back to the topic at hand – writing. Good writing informs and entertains. It spreads ideas. It turns the mundane into something significant. The pen, when wielded with malice, destroys. Clichéd as it is, the pen is mightier than the sword. This blog will be an avenue to pursue topics of my interest. I’ll do deep dives and then distill the essence of the topic. No hype, no hyperbole. The odds and ends of subject matters will be broad but focused mainly on tech and business.
My main motivation is to understand technological megatrends at a deeper level. I subscribe to the Feynman learning technique; the gist of which is that “the ultimate test of your knowledge is your capacity to convey it to another”. The underlying motivation is that knowledge can be leveraged into financial reward; I’m on a lookout for tech-orientated investments that are the proverbial “ten-bagger”.
I’m also motivated by this quote:
We try to use the talents we do have to express our deep feelings, to show our appreciation of all the contributions that came before us, and to add something to that flow. That’s what has driven me.
Steve Jobs
Join me as I attempt to add to the flow. The blog posts might or might not be insightful but a funny meme (somewhat relevant to the post) is always guaranteed.
The bottom line: I write to understand subject matters at a deeper level, with the hope that this understanding/knowledge could be leveraged into financial reward.