Part Time Scholar

Calculus and First Principles

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sat, 16 May 2026 03:23:06 +0000

I am getting to the age when my son is studying calculus under the tutilege of a tutor. Although he is a few years ahead at math in school, I have to admit the very thought of him doing derivatives makes me feel old. There is also nostalgia however, as I rekindled my interested in calculus by writing this piece -- and yes, I needed a memory jog from the Internet to complete the formulas.

Most people meet calculus as a set of rules. Differentiate this. Integrate that. Memorize formulas. Apply them until the answers come out correctly. It feels almost mechanical, like a toolkit you learn to use without ever opening it to see how it was built. But calculus is not really about formulas. At its core, it is about something much more fundamental: how change actually works when you zoom in close enough.

The idea of first principles is simple. Instead of accepting shortcuts or memorized rules, you rebuild the concept from the most basic definition possible. In calculus, that means ignoring all derivative rules at first and asking a deeper question: what does it mean for something to change at an exact moment?

Not over an interval. Not between two points. But at a single instant.

If you think about speed, for example, average speed is easy. Distance divided by time works fine over a trip. But what if you want the speed at one exact second? That is where averages stop working, and calculus begins.

The trick is to shrink the time interval smaller and smaller until it almost disappears. You compare how much a function changes over an increasingly tiny step, and then observe what value it approaches as that step becomes infinitesimally small.

That idea becomes the derivative.

$f'(x)=\lim_{h\to 0}\frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h}$

This expression looks compact, but it hides a very deep idea. You are not actually dividing two numbers in the usual sense. You are asking what happens when the gap between two points becomes so small that it essentially collapses into a single moment.

The result is the instantaneous rate of change. In physics, it becomes velocity at a single instant. In economics, it becomes marginal change. In geometry, it becomes the slope of a curve that is constantly bending.

But calculus has an even more fundamental layer underneath this idea of derivatives: the definition of a limit itself. This is where the language becomes more precise, and where intuition is forced to become rigorous.

Instead of saying “the function gets close to a value,” mathematics defines exactly what close means.

It uses something called the epsilon–delta definition.

$\lim_{x\to a} f(x)=L$

This is not just a statement. It comes with a condition that makes it exact:

For every ε > 0 (no matter how small), there exists a δ > 0 such that if x is within δ of a, then f(x) is within ε of L.

In plain language, it means this: you are allowed to demand any level of accuracy you want, even extremely strict accuracy, and the function must still be able to respond by restricting how close x needs to be to a in order to satisfy that demand.

Formally:

$\forall ε > 0 \exists δ > 0 such that 0 < ∣ x - a ∣ < δ \Rightarrow ∣ f (x) - L ∣ < ε$

This definition is important because it removes vagueness completely. There is no “almost,” no “basically,” and no hand-waving. It forces the idea of closeness to be measurable and controllable.

What is interesting is that this extremely strict definition is what allows all of calculus to exist. Derivatives, integrals, motion, optimization, physics equations—all of it depends on this idea that we can precisely define what it means for values to approach each other.

So underneath the intuition of “zooming in until it becomes a moment,” there is something more exact: a system that guarantees that no matter how strict your requirement for accuracy becomes, mathematics can still meet it.

That is calculus from first principles—not just change, but change defined with absolute precision. As I finish typing this post, fond memories of my university days came rushing back.

- PTS

Everyday Queueing #3: Why Airplane Boarding Feels So Inefficient

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:23:00 +0000

I used to pay little attention on boarding at the airport because of my elite status with various airlines. But retirement has kept me grounded and almost wiped my record clean in recent years. Trips taken last year, including one to Colombia with an infamous American airline, had me thinking more about the science behind plane boarding.

Anyone who has boarded an airplane enough times has likely experienced the strange choreography that unfolds before takeoff. Passengers stand up almost immediately when boarding begins, lines begin forming long before their assigned group is called, and eventually a slow procession starts moving toward the aircraft. For a few moments the line appears to flow smoothly. Then everything stops. Someone is lifting luggage into an overhead compartment. Another passenger realizes they are seated twenty rows further back. A family begins negotiating seating arrangements while the rest of the line quietly waits. Movement resumes briefly before another interruption appears several rows ahead.

The experience often feels surprisingly inefficient. Modern airlines optimize routes across continents, calculate fuel consumption with extraordinary precision, and coordinate flights involving thousands of moving parts. Yet boarding an aircraft sometimes feels less like an engineering process and more like an elaborate experiment in organized congestion.

Readers of Everyday Queueing may recognize a familiar pattern here. In earlier articles, we saw how similar dynamics appear in both supermarket checkout lines and traffic systems. In Why the Shortest Checkout Line Is Sometimes the Wrong Choice, we saw that visible structure often hides the true driver of waiting time, which is not queue length but stochastic service rates and utilization. In Why the Fastest Lane Often Becomes the Slowest, we saw how feedback effects in traffic systems cause perceived advantages to disappear once enough participants respond to them. Airplane boarding behaves according to the same underlying principle: what looks like a simple line is actually a system with interacting constraints.

At first glance, boarding appears straightforward. Passengers arrive, enter the aircraft, locate seats, and sit down. One might naturally assume that efficiency depends mainly on processing people quickly. However, queueing systems involving physical movement often behave differently because movement itself introduces interference.

Unlike a supermarket checkout line where customers simply wait their turn, passengers boarding an aircraft interact continuously with one another. Every passenger occupies space, competes for overhead storage, and temporarily blocks movement behind them. The result is a queue with dependencies. One person's delay does not remain isolated; it propagates through the system.

Queueing theorists often model such systems using service times and blocking effects. If $S_i$ represents the time passenger $i$ requires to reach their seat and settle in, and $B_i$ represents additional delays caused by aisle interference, then total boarding time can be approximated as:

T=\sum S_i+\sum B_i

The first term represents ordinary service time. The second term represents interference created by interactions among passengers.

This distinction turns out to matter enormously. Airlines frequently attempt to improve efficiency through boarding groups: rows 1–10 first, then rows 11–20, and so on. Some airlines board from the back of the plane first to avoid blockades at the front of the plane -- so as to delay the delay. The logic seems intuitive because order feels efficient. However, mathematical simulations suggest something unexpected. Strict ordering can sometimes create more congestion rather than less.

Suppose several passengers assigned to neighboring rows board together. They all arrive at approximately the same location simultaneously and attempt to place luggage overhead. Suddenly, a localized bottleneck forms. Since aircraft aisles function essentially as single-lane channels, movement behind the bottleneck immediately stops.

Researchers studying boarding processes have modeled passengers using stochastic agent-based simulations. Rather than treating people as identical particles, these models assign probabilities to walking speed, luggage loading time, seat location, and behavioral variation. Surprisingly, some simulations found that randomized boarding strategies occasionally outperform carefully structured boarding zones.

This result initially feels counterintuitive. We tend to associate greater organization with greater efficiency. Yet queueing systems repeatedly demonstrate that order alone is not sufficient. What matters is reducing interference between interacting components.

This idea may sound familiar because it mirrors what we saw in both supermarket checkout lines and traffic flow systems. In checkout lines, variability in service time dominates visible queue length. In traffic systems, small disturbances propagate backward as shockwaves. In boarding systems, spatial constraints transform small delays into cascading blockages. Across all three systems, the same mathematical structure appears in different forms.

The next time boarding pauses several rows ahead and the line mysteriously freezes, it may be worth remembering that the delay is not necessarily caused by poor planning or inconsiderate passengers. You may simply be witnessing another example of Everyday Queueing: a shared mathematical pattern that connects supermarkets, roads, and airplanes under one underlying framework of stochastic systems and interacting constraints.

- PTS

Everyday Queueing #2: Why the Fastest Lane Often Becomes the Slowest on Highways

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:06:00 +0000

There is a familiar ritual that unfolds on highways almost every day. You are driving in moderate traffic when a neighboring lane begins moving slightly faster than yours. At first, the difference is subtle. A few cars pull ahead, creating the impression that a better option exists just a few meters away. Almost instinctively, your attention shifts. You begin comparing speeds, scanning gaps, and calculating whether a lane change might save time. Eventually, convinced that an opportunity has appeared, you switch lanes with quiet confidence.

For a brief moment, the decision appears justified. The new lane moves smoothly and the cars around you continue forward. Then something strange happens. The lane slows. Vehicles begin compressing together. Meanwhile, the lane you just abandoned suddenly starts moving. Cars you previously passed now drift ahead while you sit wondering whether traffic possesses a strange sense of humor.

Experiences like this are common enough that many drivers jokingly believe changing lanes is cursed. Yet mathematics suggests that something more interesting may be happening. Much like supermarket checkout lines, traffic systems often behave differently from our intuition because we observe snapshots while the system itself continuously evolves.

At first glance, lane selection appears to be a simple optimization problem. Drivers observe nearby conditions and choose the lane with the shortest expected travel time. However, unlike choosing between static options, traffic systems contain feedback. Drivers do not merely observe the system; they actively change it.

One framework used to study this behavior comes from transportation theory and is known as Wardrop's First Principle. The principle states that in equilibrium, drivers distribute themselves such that no individual can improve travel time by unilaterally changing routes. Informally, drivers continue adjusting their choices until all commonly used paths have approximately equal cost.

This idea can be expressed conceptually as:

T_{i} = T_{j}

for all actively used routes $i$ and $j$ , where $T$ represents travel time.

The implication is subtle but important. If one lane becomes noticeably faster than another, drivers naturally migrate toward it. Yet by entering the lane, they increase its density. The very act of recognizing an advantage begins eroding it.

Traffic engineers often model travel time as a function of density:

T = T 0 + f (ρ)

where $T_{0}$ represents free-flow travel time and $f (ρ)$ captures additional congestion effects as traffic density $ρ$ increases.

Unlike a linear system, congestion effects are nonlinear. Small increases in density may initially have little impact, but beyond a critical point traffic begins slowing rapidly. Additional vehicles reduce spacing, increase braking behavior, and amplify reaction effects between drivers.

The result is a feedback loop. Drivers identify a faster lane, move toward it, increase density, and gradually remove the advantage that attracted them in the first place.

There is also a stochastic element involved. Traffic flow contains natural fluctuations due to reaction times, acceleration differences, merging behavior, and countless small decisions made by individual drivers. These random variations create temporary asymmetries between lanes. A lane that appears faster may simply be experiencing a short-lived fluctuation rather than possessing a meaningful long-term advantage.

Human perception complicates matters further because we evaluate outcomes selectively. We remember failed lane changes with remarkable clarity. Few driving experiences feel more irritating than watching the lane we abandoned begin moving immediately after we switch. Successful lane changes rarely produce the same emotional response. This creates the impression that lane switching consistently fails even if our memories disproportionately emphasize unfavorable outcomes.

The mathematics suggests a broader lesson hidden beneath everyday driving. Systems involving many interacting individuals rarely remain static. Advantages often disappear once enough people notice them. The fastest lane is fast partly because it is underutilized, and underutilization rarely remains hidden for long.

The next time a neighboring lane begins creeping ahead, it may be worth remembering that traffic is not simply a collection of cars but a dynamic system governed by feedback, equilibrium, and randomness. Much like supermarket checkout lines, the apparent choice in front of us may reveal less than we think. We often assume we are choosing between fixed alternatives, when in reality we are stepping into a system that changes precisely because people are making the same calculations we are.

If traffic systems can create misleading signals, supermarket checkout lines may be quietly doing the same thing. In Why the Shortest Checkout Line Is Sometimes the Wron

g Choice, queueing theory reveals why visible length and actual waiting time are often very different things.

- PTS

Everyday Queueing #1: Why the Shortest Checkout Line Is Sometimes the Wrong Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:17:00 +0000

There is a small ritual that almost everyone performs at supermarkets. We scan the checkout area, count the number of people in each line, glance at shopping carts, and make a quick calculation in our heads. The logic seems obvious: fewer people should imply less waiting. Yet many of us have experienced the strange frustration of watching a longer line move faster while ours becomes trapped behind a price check, a failed barcode scan, or a customer searching endlessly for a wallet. At first glance this feels like bad luck, but mathematics suggests something more interesting may be happening.

Most people treat supermarket checkout as a simple optimization problem. You arrive, observe a few lines, and choose the one with the smallest number of people. The assumption is intuitive: fewer customers should imply shorter waiting time. However, this ignores the fact that queueing systems are not governed by headcount alone, but by stochastic service dynamics.

In queueing theory, the system is typically modeled using arrival and service rates rather than visible counts. Let $\lambda$ represent the average arrival rate of customers per unit time, and let $\mu$ represent the average service rate of the cashier. The fundamental stability condition is:

\rho = \frac{\lambda}{\mu}

where $\rho$ is called utilization. A system is only stable when $ρ < 1$ . As $ρ \to 1$ , the system does not degrade linearly. Instead, waiting time increases rapidly and nonlinearly.

This is most clearly seen in the M/M/1 queue, where both arrivals and service times are modeled as stochastic processes. In this system, the expected waiting time in the queue is given by:

W_q = \frac{\lambda}{\mu(\mu - \lambda)}

The important feature of this expression is the denominator term $(μ - λ)$ . As arrival rate approaches service rate, this term shrinks toward zero, causing waiting time to diverge. This is why supermarket lines can appear stable and then suddenly become congested with very small changes in load.

What this means in practical terms is that two lines with similar visible lengths can behave very differently depending on hidden service-time distributions. One line may contain customers with low variance in transaction time, while another may contain high variance customers whose service times are unpredictable. Variance does not appear in the simple headcount, but it dominates waiting time behavior.

This is also why intuition fails. We observe the instantaneous state of the system, but queueing systems are defined by their dynamic parameters $(\lambda, \mu, \rho)$ , not their snapshot configuration. A short line is not necessarily a low-utilization line, and it is utilization—not length—that determines stability.

The supermarket, in this sense, is a physical realization of a stochastic process near capacity. What appears to be a simple choice between lines is actually a comparison between two probabilistic systems with different arrival-service structures.

The next time you find yourself choosing a checkout line at Costco, it may be worth remembering that queues are governed by more than what we immediately see. We naturally count people because visible quantities feel intuitive, but queueing systems operate through hidden variables such as utilization, variability, and service distributions. Perhaps this explains why the shortest line sometimes becomes the slowest. We make decisions using snapshots, while the mathematics operates through evolving processes. Even an ordinary supermarket checkout line can reveal that reality often behaves according to structures hidden beneath the surface.

- PTS

2025: Notes From a Year of Moving

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 18:49:00 +0000

This year, I left Hong Kong and landed back in Canada. That’s the headline, but it barely captures what actually happened. Moving across continents forced me to slow down, notice patterns, and re-evaluate routines I didn’t even realize I was carrying with me.

Relocation: Learning to See Life Anew

At first, everything felt bigger: houses, streets, coffee shops, even the way people walk and talk. In Hong Kong, life moves like a high-speed train; in Canada, it feels like a tram--or should I say, street car-- that occasionally stops and makes you think.

The change wasn’t just geographic. It was mental. I had to ask myself: what do I bring with me, and what can I leave behind? The discipline, curiosity, and late-night ponders came along. The constant rush, the pressure to always perform, and the noise quietly fell away.

Perspective arrived almost automatically. In a new place, it’s hard not to notice the context you’ve been operating in your whole life. What seemed normal in Hong Kong now looks different from the quiet, slower backdrop of Canada. And with that perspective comes freedom: freedom to remake routines, to reconsider priorities, and to finally design days on purpose.

Chess, and the Long Game

Chess remained a steady anchor this year, but it may also soon become a teaching experiment. First I had to teach myself patience. I am getting into a mode of what works and how not to fall into the trap of spending time chasing points effortlessly. Can I turn this hobby into a business in 2026?

Investments

Can be better... enough said.

Work and Conversations That Matter

Relocation also clarified my approach to work and networking. Careers aren’t just all about advancements through titles or promotions—they’re shaped by conversations that challenge your assumptions. I got back to full-time work with a familiar boss, thinking that Canada's slower life style demanded that I spend a good part of my day occupied with purpose, albeit' someone else's for now.

I spent time asking better questions: about startups, leadership, and strategy. Not just what do you do, but why do you do it and how do you go about it. These conversations became the real currency of the year.

Health and Quiet Progress

Health in 2025 wasn’t dramatic. It was consistent: sleep, small adjustments, living pain free and keeping fit. I was successful at most of it except for my weight--can lose a good 8 pounds to get back to my best shape. Much like relocation itself, it was about removing friction rather than adding spectacle. The quieter approach pays dividends you only notice months later.

What 2025 Taught Me

If there’s one line to capture the year:

Moving isn’t just about changing locations—it’s about changing frames.

Some days felt like two steps forward and one step sideways, but looking back, the pattern emerges: subtle shifts that accumulate into meaningful change.

Looking Ahead to 2026

I’m entering 2026 without a long list of resolutions. Instead, a few guiding intentions:

Continue learning, but also move to teaching
Approach work and investing with patience, not impulse
Keep thinking, slowly, deliberately, and in public

If 2024 was about exploration, and 2025 was about refinement, then 2026 will be about execution without noise. Not flashy. Not loud. Just steady work, shaped by curiosity and context.

- PTS

Nash Equilibrium: Good and Bad Outcomes

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 08:13:00 +0000

Towards the end of 2024, I left the 9 to 5 routine given my financial goals were achieved. It felt great not needing to hug my phone to sleep and being able to wake up at whatever godly (or ungodly) hour desired. Fast forward six months, the retirement routine became mundane. I needed to find meaningful use of my newly found time. Between street and league soccer, writing a book, exotic getaways, relocation back to my adopted home country, all the while taking on advisory gigs with interesting companies, life seemed like a handful. Somehow, I managed to find time to study various topics of interest. One topic that really caught on was game theory.

Learning game theory was a self-improvement initiative. I wanted a life broader horizon and be better equipped when when dealing with others. My definition of game theory is the study of interactive decision making of more than one party, where the outcome of each particpant or player depends on the actions of all. Applications of this subject are widespread in economics, business and more.

Perhaps the most renowned example of game theory is Prisoner's Dilemma. I assume my readers are familar with the case. What most don't know however, is that Prisoner's Dilemma is also kind of Nash Equilibrium. Nash Equilibrium, in simple terms, states that a player will continue with the chosen strategy without deviation, after taking into consideration the opponent's strategy. Expressed mathematically, it is:

where is the set of all possible strategies for player , and . Let be a strategy profile, a set consisting of one strategy for each player, where denotes the strategies of all the players except . is player i's payoff as a function of the strategies.

Nash Equilirium can be good or bad. In a good equilibrium, all players have a strong incentive to cooperate to achieve a mutually desirable outcome. It may not be the best outcome for the individual per se, but is nonetheless a desirable outcome. An example of this is a couple dueling to watch the program of thier choice on TV. The husband wants to watch the the basketball game live, but the wife wants to catch the final episode of The Squid Game on Netflix. Four distinct outcomes come to mind:

Both watch The Squid Game - Wife wins, husband loses. Happy wife, happy life, right?
Both watch the basketball game - Wife loses, husband wins. Husband gets the couch that night
Turn off the TV - both lose. Husband gets the couch that night
Both watch Top Gun, an altnerative program they would enjoy together - both wins. Happily ever after?

It is not difficult to spot that possibility #4 is the good equilibrium, whereas #3 is bad. In fact, Prisoner's Delimma also leads to a bad equilibrium when both prisoners betray each other to do what is best for themselves. This seemingly inevitable outcome is a result of lack of communication among the participants. Whereas the happy couple was able to discuss options, the prisoners were interrogated in secluded cells. The lack of information sharing among the prisoners led them down the betrayal path. If they were allowed to cooperate, they would both have less jail time which meant a good outcome.

Game theory has many applications in real-life. Ever wondered why a KFC is closely placed next to a McDonald's? Or why do big retailers almost always offer discounts around the same time of the year? These everyday questions have everyday answers supported by game theory. I am only a third of the way into my reading materials. But my appetite has been fully wetted. Looking forward to more sharing when the learning deepens.

- PTS

Book Review: Think like a Monk

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 13:29:00 +0000

I have long wanted to study Buddhism, because its teachings are quite cryptic in nature and to me, thought provoking. In fact, I took a trip to China's Shaolin Temple in recent weeks to soak in some zen. Shaolin is also known for its Chinese kung fu, so I also signed up for a private martial arts lesson with a warrior monk. That was a great experience in itself, but the story will have to wait for another day.

Instead, I wanted to share a great read called Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. It portrays a few keystones of Buddhism and how a purposeful life can be led without subccumbing to the distractions we encounter on a daily basis. Reading the book provided an egaging experience as it uses real life examples to illustrate its points.

Here is what I learnt:

We are what we think people think we are: we often project the "right image" to impress others. This is the direct result of us overthinking our importance in the eyes of our neighbours. Too often, we end up living the life we believe others want us to have. If you do this for too long, you will lose yourself and lead a false life that does not lead to peace. So let's be yourself and be at peace with yourself

Negativity is everywhere, especially in your mind: Negativity is everywhere in life because it has so many manifestations: the complainer, canceller, commander, casualty, critic, competitor, controller. Be a silent observer of this negative energy when it is present. Objectify it, remove yourself from it, before (literally) sending it away. The other thing to watch out for is your mind, which is often a blocker to your achievements. Many authors, including Shetty, have claimed the mind to be a evolutionary distraction as it creates noise and undesirable thoughts refraining us from achieving our potential. Don't let it beat you into submission

Spot, Stop, Swap: Use this technique to undo negativity. Give yourself a to-be goal. For instance, be someone who does not gossip. Spot the moments when you fail to do so, stop yourself from committing the act, and swap the act with an action that aligns with the goal, i.e., say something nice about the person

Fear and your abilities: Fear impedes your ability to perform a task at hand. Nothing new here. But many are indeed paralysed and crippled by fear in life. Accept fear as a fact of life, and deal with it like any other negative thought. Externalize, observe, and send it away purposefully

Find your dharma: Dharma is the intersection of your passion, expertise and skill. It also involves servicing others. Without service, there is no purpose in your dharma and so it is a hobby at best. When you serve others through dharma, you feel alive, comfortable, and can experience flow -- the state where you are so focused you lose track of time. Do this as often as you can!

I remember not wanting to put down my Kindle because this book was a pleasant read. It made me examine my life and brought me peace when I truly practice some of the teachings. The concepts were easy to comprehend for the common readers. Shetty did not delve into any deep philosophical teachings, but that was never his intention. Instead, he gave us tools such as the Vedic test and medication techniques to live a more purposeful life. All in all, Think Like a Monk is an entertaining and useful book to keep handy. I am sure I will be going back to it from time to time, looking for reminders to live a calm and meaningful life.

- PTS

Book Review: The Psychology of Money

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:16:00 +0000

I have read many personal finance books over the years. Coincidentally, I have become quite adept at managing my finances over the years. It made me arrogant, thinking there is nothing more to learn in this realm. How surprised was I to pick up the Kindle version of The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. I finished it in just a few hours, a record time for reading an entire book!

Here are the key and refreshing takeaways from the read:

Be Humble: If you are successful, it is very likely because you got lucky despite what your altered ego may think. Bill Gates and Paul Allen had access to a personal computer at the high school they studied - a rare gem in the 1960s. Of course, they had the smarts to take advantage of the situation and the rest was history. Little did we know that Kent Evans, who was Gates best friend at school and actual first partner in business, could have been a major success too had he not died in a freak mountain climbing accident at 17. Same circumstances. Different luck. Unimaginable outcomes. The moral? Alway stay humble, because you can easily be the lucky or unlucky person despite facing largely similar circumstantial advantages in life

The Gap between Your Ego and Income is Your Savings: I could not have said it better. Buy what you really need, not what you want to impress people with. After all, no one is impressed with your posessions as much as you do

Make Sure You can Sleep at Night: People have different tolerance to the risks associated with their investments. Make sure you know yours so you can sleep tight at night despite of the ups and downs in your portfolio

Be OK with Everything Going Wrong: That's just life in a nutshell. Applied to investments, it is ok to have a bunch of losers (bad picks) throughtout your investment journey. As long as you have a few brilliant winners, you will do well. This is how most successful people win anyway. Most experience more downs than ups -- it's just that the losses are often less publicized as their wins. I also found resemblance in a Venture Capital's portfolio distribution. The VCs are bound to invest in bad picks, but as long as they have a few unicorns, the portfolio is a winner. Sometimes a big winner!

Time is Your Single Most Important Factor: To grow your wealth. It is also a very limited resource to many. Use your wealth in turn, to gain back control of your time!

Take Risks but Avoid Ruinous Risks: Not all risks are born equal. In investments, risks present a certain level of reward so it is wise to take calculcated risks for the right rewards. The key is to not take too much risk that can cripple you from recovering to fight another day. If it takes you 20 years to accumulate $1M, losing it all in one risky investment may prevent you from ever coming back with another million dollars to invest again. Apply sound judgment.

I found the book portraying personal finances in a way that is common sense, but with intrigue. The content pushes beyond my supposed comprhension just enough to keep me interested and think there is more to learn. And there certainly is. There are no boring formulas, just good examples of real life people living through the topics in discussion. As for his personal finances, Housel is the typical boring investor who lives below his means, had a high savings rate on his income, and invested in low-cost index funds. All said, he is not big into risks, even quickly paying off his mortgage to feel more secure. But it allows him to sleep at night, which is one of his golden rules.

- PTS

Hong Kong's Hidden Gems #5 -- Water Supply Department H2OPE Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sun, 11 Aug 2024 06:02:00 +0000

Ever wonder how fresh water is processed and delivered effortlessly into your home? Well for starters, it is not effortless! And, it is definitely not easy. Hong Kong's Water Supply Department (WSD) H2OPE Centre tells it all. It is yet another hidden gem that brings a great wealth of knowledge and interactive fun to your family. If you are visiting the city with young ones, and have a half-day of free time, this is the place to be.

The centre covers all key topics one has to know about water. From collection, treatment, distribution, to conservation, you can readily choose content to skim through or deep dive into. Many displays combine visual/audio elements, along with interactive games that captivate your attention, and provide an amusing experience for children. Depending on your interest level, you can spend easily between 1 to 3 hours in the cosy facility. My favourite fun-fact takeaway was that Zebrafish is used as a real-time biosensing alert on water quality given the fish's close genetic makeup to that of humans.

There is also a short 15-minute animation played on a dome shaped screen that covers the water journey, from wilderness to chemical processing, that will impress your children. The look-up screen provides an immersive experience although the cartoon can use some quality touch-up in my opinion. Let's just say it is not exactly Pixar calibre. Nonetheless demand for limited seating is high, despite the language being in Cantonese only with no subtitle.

In a world where ESG is already a household topic, the centre does its job in teaching us to conserve one of the most precious natural resources on the planet. After all, only 2% of the water on Earth is fresh water. And over half of the global population does not have access to fresh water like we do in Hong Kong. Using faucets and machinery that is water-efficient is a good start. Honing your showering habits, defrosting techniques, among other daily routines, can also make a difference.

The H2OPE Centre was a pleasant surprise for me. It ensures an educational but entertaining outing for a family day. This hidden gem is literally quite well hidden as it is tugged into Tin Shui Wai, the outskirts of New Territories. Public transportation can be an issue if traveling from the city, although the place is very accessible by taxis, Uber and some buses. There is no onsite parking but plenty of spaces in its vicinity. Be sure to book early on their website to secure a visiting slot. If you start late, you must still leave within the two-hour alloted window. Walk-ins are not allowed at the time of writing.

Enjoy!

- PTS

AI: To Be or Not to Be

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:10:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in our world today. For better or worse, it is growing fast! Children use it for school work. Love birds plan their honeymoon with AI itineraries. Workers rely on robo advisors for their retirement funds. Name a daily task or chore, and chances are AI plays a role in some capacity.

This includes writing. I have seen AI write me travel reviews, company profiles, CVs, and many other things. Its writing techniques are sound. This leads me to the million dollar question: Should I continue blogging on my own or through AI?

After some contemplation, I decided to use both. I will definitely write my own mind instead of relying on ideas and arguments from AI. Even if it means from time to time, bad logic, clumsy sentence structures, poor choice of vocab. I will use AI to proofread and correct all those mistakes however, and make it easier on the eyes for my readers. There you go, it doesn't have to be binary after all.

AI is here to stay, and before judgment day comes, we should all embrace it and leverage its wonders.

p.s., the writing in this post has no AI involvement whatsoever. It is all me.

- PTS

Book Review: Invent and Wander

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 08:27:00 +0000

I am not usually a fan of biographies. The narcissist in me says there is no one better to learn from but myself. I have always hold in admiration for Jeff Bezos however, having interned for Amazon.com during my university years. Invent and Wander, written by the man himself, is a great summary of Bezos' philosophies on running his businesses -- namely Amazon, but also The Washington Post and Blue Origin. In particular, a few points caught my eye:

Go long: Amazon.com is focused on the long term, and I mean really long term. Bezos even raised the eyebrows of his shareholders on numerous occasions by sacrificing short term profits for what he believed to be worthy long term investments (Marketplace, AWS, Amazon Prime)

Focus on customers: Focus on customers' needs, sometimes even before they know it. If you are obsessed with your customers instead of your competition, you will innovate much more. This was how voluntary price reductions and refunds came about. You will win bigger and faster this by focusing on the people who open their wallets for your goods and services

Make big decisions only: Bezos prefers his eight hours of sleep each day. He focuses on making decisions in the most productive hours in the morning, and is happy if he makes three key decisions in a one day. The reason being executives should be focused on making big decisions while others are hired to make smaller choices. There are two kinds of decisions. They are called one-way and two-way doors. One-way doors are non-reversible and can be fatal if the wrong decision is made. Two-way doors are reversible and can be corrected by simply going the other route. Think long and hard about one-way doors, and use multiple analyses and data points to support the decision

Hire the right people: Make sure they come with the full package of working long, hard and smart. Missing even one of three is not acceptable. When interviewing, see if you admire the candidate, if they can raise the average standard of the team, and along what dimensions are they a superstar (e.g., national spelling bee champion)

Make bold bets: Bezos loves to experiment with new ideas and is perfectly OK to fail. For every successful innovation (e.g., Kindle), hundreds of failed experiments came along (e.g., Aamzon Fire). He knows that is alright because the winners will more than pay for thousands of losers

Every day is Day 1: There is a tone of desperate survival with urgency in the term Day 1, because Day 2 is equivalent to dying a slow death. In fact, this is a remarkable resemblance to Steve Jobs' live every day as your last. When we can truly embrace the Day 1 philosophy, then we can remain hungry and desperate in the right way!

Although this book is mostly a collection of Bezos' letters to his employees over the years, it provides a glimpse into Bezos' mind and work ethic. The book was an enjoyable read. My only complaint is that some of his points are repetitive across his annual letters. However, this is just a testament to how Bezos has lived true to his values throughout his illustrious career.

- PTS

Hong Kong's Hidden Gems #4 -- Tai Hang Fire Dragon Heritage Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 08:34:00 +0000

Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival that is widely celebrated in China. It gives families a reason to get together for dinner and enjoy some mooncakes under a full moon. This year, the festival lines up nicely with National Day to give the working class some extra R&R. For those visiting Hong Kong during this time, I highly recommend going to Tai Hang and check out their festivities.

Tai Hang is a gem in itself, as it is a quiet corner next to Causeway Bay, Hong Kong's bustling commercial and shopping district. The quiet neighbourhood is home to various specialty restaurants, offering cuisines from China and around the world. There are also plenty of non-franchised premium coffee shops for locals and tourists alike. In my eyes, Tai Hang is a sleepy child most of the year offering tranquillity to those wanting to escape from the buzz of Hong Kong.

This quiet corner comes to life during Mid-Autumn however, as a series of celebrations take place. The premier event is the Fire Dragon Dance! It is a unique cultural spectacle that combines elements of folklore, martial arts, and pyrotechnics. The Fire Dragon Dance,involves a long dragon made of straw and covered in burning incense sticks. The dragon is carried through the streets by a team of up to 300 skilled performers, creating a mesmerizing display of fire and smoke. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing the performance during the festival and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.

Legend has it that over 100 years ago, a villager in Tai Hang killed a serpent which was the child of the dragon king. The king was furious and unleashsed a deadly plague unto the villagers. The village elder saw a vision of creating a giant model dragon and parading it around the village to appease the king. As a result, the plague disappeared and the villagers continued the tradition to keep diseases away while inviting good fortune. The dragon is 67m long, constitutes 31 sections, and its head alone weighs 47kg requiring 8 to 10 people just to alternately twirl and carry through the streets. In 2011, the fire dragon dance is declared a national intangible heritage.

Historians believed the Fire Dragon Dance did wonders in defeating the plague. For starters, the dragon was made of rattan frame and pearl straws stuck with over thousands of burning incense. Incense naturally had a cleansing effect on the air. The firecrackers that were burnt alongside the dragon released sulfur, which provided a sanitizing agent for the streets. At the end of the parade, villagers worked together to clean up the aftermath, essentially removing all garbage for the neighbourhood thereby stopping the proliferation of remaining germs and bacteria.

This year, the event is held between the September 28 to 30th. If you miss the actual parade, you can still visit the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Heritage Centre, which is a petite exhibit opened in 2022 to showcase the tradition. Be sure to check out the 12-minute video that runs hourly to learn more about the event and tradition. There are also some nice souvenirs that good reason for you to part with your money. My recommended time to spend there is about 30 to 45 minutes.

If you are longing for more touristy spots after the heritage centre, there is also the Lin Fa Kung (Temple), just a stone's throw away. The temple itself is a declared monument in Hong Kong and built around and on top of a lotus rock where the female goddess Guan Yin once supposedly appeared. The building architecture is of particular interest and is worth a quick visit before or just after a meal or coffee in the neighbourhood.

- PTS

Scaling Asia and Your Life - 10 Lessons from Growing Businesses in Asia | PROLOGUE

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:08:00 +0000

I don't have a good title yet, but for now, let's go with this:

Scaling Asia and Your Life - 10 Lessons from Growing Businesses in Asia

I even put together a Prologue:

In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of Asian business, a personal odyssey unfolded—a journey of discovery, growth, and unwavering dedication to scaling companies from their humble beginnings. This is the story of my own experience, a firsthand account of navigating the intricate pathways of four diverse companies, each on its unique trajectory towards unprecedented success.

As the sun rises over the bustling cities and tranquil countryside of Asia, it illuminates a tapestry of opportunity and potential. Within this vibrant continent, I embarked on a transformative voyage, guided by a steadfast determination to contribute to the growth and expansion of businesses at their inception.

Scaling a company is a formidable endeavor, demanding an intricate dance between strategy, innovation, and adaptability. It requires a deep understanding of the local markets, the ability to navigate cultural nuances, and an unwavering commitment to building teams capable of achieving extraordinary results.

Throughout the pages of this book, I invite you to join me on a captivating journey—a chronicle of my experiences working at four distinct companies and witnessing their ascent to new heights. From the exhilarating chaos of a start-up's early days to the strategic challenges of expanding into new territories, each chapter unveils the triumphs, setbacks, and pivotal moments that shaped these remarkable enterprises.

Through my journey, you will witness the birth of disruptive ideas, the forging of strategic partnerships, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. From the fast-paced world of technology start-ups to the intricacies of consumer goods and services, the stories within these pages will immerse you in the intricate workings of scaling businesses in Asia.

But this is not just a how-to business book. It is also a reflection on life lessons derived from growing organizations this part of the world. I have learnt so much about myself along the way, and yearn to share lessons learnt along the way.

Be prepared to embark on a remarkable voyage—a journey into the heart of my experiences scaling businesses in Asia. As you turn each page, may you gain insights, inspiration, and a profound appreciation for the transformative power of entrepreneurship. May this tale ignite your own entrepreneurial spirit and illuminate the boundless possibilities that await those who dare to forge their own path in the ever-growing landscape of Asian business.

- PTS

Part Time Project: Be an Author

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sat, 27 May 2023 11:08:00 +0000

Over the years, I kept a habit of reading each day. This certainly broadened my horizon on the world. I am now at an age where I think I can give back. Instead of consuming others' opinions and research, it's time I provide my own ideas to my readers. As such, I will write a book on a part-time basis. The topic has been tentatively set. It is about scaling one's life through lessons learnt from my career on scaling businesses.

More to come... Stay tuned!

- PTS

Book Review: Beyond Infinity

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 05:10:00 +0000

Geeking out is something I yearn to do from time to time. Having seen a documentary on infinity from Netflix last year, I decided to pick up a book on the topic. Beyond Infinity, by Eugenia Cheng, is an excellent guide delving into this mind-boggling notion. In this book, Cheng explores some key aspects of infinity that challenge our intuition and understanding of mathematics:

Numbers Numbers Numbers, natural, rational, irrational and real: Cheng explains that these number sets are infinite in nature but some are "more infinite" than others. For instance, the set of natural numbers are smaller than its superset of rational numbers, which in turn are smaller than the set of real numbers. So far so good? But...

Infinity is but an abstract notion: It certainly is not a number to which the rules of arithmetics apply:

∞ + 1 = ∞ (addition/subtraction does not apply)
2 ⋅ ∞ = ∞ (neither does multiplication/division)
1/∞ = 0 (in the sense of limits which touches on the fundamentals of calculus)
1/0 ≠ ∞ (because 1/0 is undefined. Proof: If 1/0=r were a real number, then r⋅ 0=1, but this is impossible for any r, hence the contradiction)
1+ ∞ ≠ ∞ + 1 (even the sequence of addition matters when it comes to infinity. Cheng uses the book of raffle tickets to explain this conundrum)

Some series grow to infinity but others don't. For instance, the harmonic series (1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/5 + ...) is unbounded, even though its tail is very small. In contrast, the sum of squares of the harmonics (1/1^2 + 1/2^2 + 1/3^2 + 1/4^2 + ...) is bounded and converges to a finite value of 1.64493.

Infinity (Hilbert's) Hotel: This is a thought experiment that illustrates the counterintuitiveness of the concept. Suppose a hotel has an infinite number of rooms which are fully occupied by an infinite number of guests. If one more guest arrives, the hotel can still accommodate him by asking all guests to move up one room to n + 1. This frees up room number 1 for the new guest. Weird? We are just getting started. If an infinite number of guests arrive together, the hotel can still accommodate them by asking all current guests to move to room number 2n. This puts all current guests in even numbered rooms, thereby freeing all odd numbered rooms for the new arrivals. Other mind bending scenarios can yet be imagined. The point being Hilbert's Hotel, while always full, can still fit more tenants!

Zeno's paradoxes: This is based on the idea that if we divide a distance or time interval into an infinite number of smaller parts, we will never be able to complete the division or reach the end. If the tortoise was given a head start over Achilles in a foot race, Achilles can never catch up to the tortoise. This is because he must first reach the point where the tortoise started, but by the time he reaches that point, the tortoise will have moved a bit farther ahead, and this process repeats forever. The resolution lies in the fact that in the real world, we can actually approximate these divisions with a finite number of steps. The final divisions (distances) become so small that the mere size of Achilles foot will be enough to complete such distance without spending any time.

It is pleasing to witness Cheng use simple-to-understand examples to illustrate abstract problems and thought experiments conducted by mathematicians, past and present. It is fun to see how infinity applies to both big and small notions. I especially enjoyed the part where the dimensions of the universe were touched upon and how one can escape a lower dimension through a higher dimension. For instance, when your path is blocked in a one-dimensional world (straight line), you can evade the obstacle by going into a two-dimensional world with a lateral movement before reverting onto the straight path. The same applies to three-dimensional space if you use time as the fourth dimension - the obstacle may not be there at a different time. This begs the question of how many dimensions are there in the universe? Infinite? Thought provoking indeed. In summary, this book was so enjoyable that I am already onto another book of hers, How to Bake Pi.

- PTS

Hong Kong's Hidden Gems #3 -- Hong Kong News Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 06:29:00 +0000

As Hong Kong is now fully re-opened to travellers, it is time to introduce yet another hidden gem in the city. Hong Kong News Expo (HKNE) is located in a unique neighbourhood in Mid-Levels. It is a multimedia exhibition that showcases the history, evolution and current state of Hong Kong's news media. The establishment features a wide range of interactive exhibits, historical artifacts, and multimedia presentations. It is a great niche gem for those interested in the news industry and the role it plays in shaping the city.

The exhibition is divided into several sections, each focusing on different aspects of Hong Kong's news media. For instance, one section is dedicated to the history of newspapers in Hong Kong, featuring how they have evolved over the years -- from the early days of colonial rule to the present day. Visitors can also learn about the development of radio and television news, as well as the rise of digital media and social media platforms.

It is interesting to note that horse racing is such a big draw for the population, especially in the 1980's and 90's. Numerous horse racing newspapers were regularly published, with detailed odds and expert opinions, to prepare die-hard punters for race days. Interspersed throughout the galleries, you can also find many newsworthy Hong Kong headlines, from the bubonic plague in the early 1900s, the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, SARS in 2003, and Covid-19 in recent years.

In addition, HKNE also features a multimedia newsroom, where visitors can experience what it is like to be a journalist. The newsroom is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, allowing visitors to try their hand at reporting, editing, and producing news stories. Another highlight of the HKNE is the "News Literacy Zone," which aims to promote news literacy and critical thinking skills among visitors. The zone features interactive exhibits and workshops that teach visitors how to fact-check news stories and separate fact from fiction. Visitors can also learn about the different types of fake news and how to identify them.

The HKNE gallery is housed in a historic building in the Central district of Hong Kong Island. The site was the one of various temporary residences of Sun Yat Sen, the father of modern China. The neo-classical building was constructed in the early 1950s and was originally used as the headquarters of the British colonial government in Hong Kong. Then it was repurposed as a market for dry and wet goods, before finally becoming what we see now enjoy in 2018. You can still find remnants of its previous functions interspersed in the gallery.

Overall, the Hong Kong News Expo is an excellent destination for anyone interested in the history and development of Hong Kong's news media. It provides an informative and engaging experience that chornicles the city's rich media landscape while promoting news literacy and critical thinking skills. It is certainly a great way to spend your time after a coffee break and before your shopping spree!

- PTS

Book Review: Atomic Habits

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 05:39:00 +0000

I recently finished a good book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. It is clear by now that my book reviews have also been doubling as book summaries for future reference. This is a delightful read as the author uses his personal experience to illustrate his theories. The arguments are logical and generally well explained. Here are some key points to note:

What is a habit? It is a solution to a recurring problem in life. A habit helps us solve problems with as little energy as possible. Habits consist of four parts: cue, craving, response and rewards. To create a good habit, make the cue obvious, the craving attractive, the response easy and the reward satisfying. To lose a bad habit, simply do the reverse

Never underestimate the compounding effects of habit: Habits are usually small changes in our behavior that may not bring immediate benefits when deployed. However, just like compound interest for your money, when applied over time, good habits will yield wonders for your life. On the contrary, bad habits will bring you on a very different path!

Get to the critical point: Good habits are often foregone because they don't immediately yield results. People give up their gym memberships because there is little effect after a week of hard work. But if you move ice cube from the freezer into your room, nothing will happen as its temperature increases from -20°C, to -19°C, -18°C,... until you hit the critical point of 0°C. Then ice becomes water, which is very different from its solid form, and is altogether something else. If you heat that water to 100°C, then it becomes water vapour which again is very different from its liquid form. Habits are just like that. Once you hit the critical point, a whole new world appears

Focus on your habits, not goals: Habits define essentially a system that provides a process to get things done right and efficiently. Goals on the contrary, are temporary in nature. If you have a habit of going to the gym every day, this will keep you physically fit until you stop the habit. If your goal is to lose ten pounds however, then you can stop going to the gym once you hit that goal. Lose the goal and gain a habit

Use hacks to form good habits:

Stack your habits one over another to create an exponential impact over time
Find the goldilock zone for your habits by making them neither too easy nor too hard
Shape your environment to induce good habits and avoid bad ones
Apply the two-minute rule to reduce the entry barrier of forming a good habit
Delay instant gratification. This is contrary to what our species was used to back in our hunting days. But delaying a reward (often) for a bigger return is actually more beneficial overall.

At the end of the day, good habits are essential to our success. Most people recognize a good habit and can start one with ease. Many give up good habits midway however, because they lack the understanding to keep up. Using the above hacks will certainly help. However, Clear mentioned that the greatest obstacle to keeping a habit is perhaps being able to stand the "boredom" of doing repetitive routines. This is especially true in the world of sports. No wonder there are so few elite athletes in the world. It makes me appreciate them more as they not only create great habits in toning their trade, but also in their diets, physical fitness and other aspects of their life.

- PTS

Goodbye 2022. Hello 2023!

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 04:45:00 +0000

Today is the last day of 2022. To me, this is an unprecedented year of bad fortunes. Record financial losses, career regression, business blunders, feeling "meh" in life, just to name a few. I thought 2021 was my worst year, but somehow managed to find a new rock bottom. It is not all bad as I also managed a couple wins, most notably receiving my first paycheck for blogging. It is definitely a shot in the arm to continue what I love but often lack the time doing.

Can't wait to wave 2022 goodbye and not look back. What is in store for 2023? My resolution has never been simpler. REDEMPTION.

Happy New Year!

- PTS

Hong Kong's Hidden Gems #2 -- Hong Kong Jockey Club Central Stanley Street Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 05:35:00 +0000

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) owns all government approved sports betting and lottery stations in Hong Kong. These establishments normally offer few reasons for me to visit. But I recently ventured into one HKJC venue. This Stanley Street branch in busy Central has won the title of the luckiest (or most unlucky if you are the HKJC) betting site in recent years. Quite a few have won the grand prize in lottery, known locally as Mark Six, from this premise. The shop has recently undergone a major facelift. It now houses two restaurants, various horse racing and lottery artefacts, along with fun facts showcases.

Upon entry, there is an unexpected caravan setting that provides a homey feel for visitors. A real lottery ball drum machine is also on display. Opposite it is a historical wall detailing the evolution of Mark 6 over the years. Did you know that the lottery went from thirty-six numbers in 1976 to forty-nine in 2002? This made your already low odds of winning much worse over time. No wonder statistically, you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning twice in your life than winning the lottery even once!

On the first floor, there is a Lady M cafe that offers good coffee along with their signature cakes. The two make a good afternoon tea combo and is a must-try in my opinion. What's more, there is a giant centre screen playing a hotly contested football match or horse race on race days (every Wednesday and Sunday). The tables are also thoughtfully arranged to ensure unobstructed views for most patrons. As expected in a betting branch, numerous TV screens are lined alongside the opposite wall to display odds and results of your favourite sporting events.

Be sure to "watch your steps" when you go up the stairs. These staircases contain many fun facts as they aptly showcase all grand prizes from lottery ticket purchased at the shop! Be on the lookout for engaging artefacts like the jockey weighing room on the second floor. Weigh yourself to see which horse you should ride to make the race fair. There are also more fun facts on this floor such as the Tic-Tac Man Manual to teach you how bookmakers used to communicate with each other with various hand gestures before the advent of mobile communication.

Speaking of the second floor, the branch hosts another restaurant called the Tic Tac Room. It is a Japanese fusion eatery that offers egg and pork dishes to the satisfaction of many. If you are not feeling too hungry, you can always go for a club sandwich instead. Like its cousin one floor down, there are also odds monitors and a big centre screen to showcase the latest sports action from around the world. You wouldn't miss a beat while keeping your stomach engaged.

Numerous fun facts and artefacts in the branch

To many, the HKJC Stanley Street branch looks more like a museum with restaurants. But they finally go back to their roots on the third floor. On this level, you can find wagering counters, betting machines and friendly staff to help you with your betting needs. The layout somewhat resembles a college lecture room with desk-chairs allowing the serious punters to make notes and "do their homework" before wagering. Don't forget to test your luck with a Mark 6 ticket before leaving. I walked the walk in my first visit here. Unfortunately, the lottery gods did not think it was time for me to retire yet.

Tic Tac Room, 3rd Wager Centre, My Mark 6 ticket

In my opinion, the HKJC revolutionized the betting experience with this amusing venue. The ambience of the branch is both fun and relaxing for serious and amateur punters alike. On weekdays, the eateries can also double as a nice hangout for local professionals seeking a break from the buzz of the city. To the tourists out there, this will be a unique experience for you to explore a betting shop in Hong Kong. Perhaps most importantly, new age patrons will no doubt be drawn to a superbly improved betting experience.

Well done, HKJC!

- PTS

Book Review: The Magic of Thinking Big

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 15:49:00 +0000

I recently finished a self-help book called The Magic of Thinking Big, by David Schwartz. The title caught my attention as I have had first-hand experience on the topic. My expectation from the book was to see if there are consistent means to induce big thinking and in turn, derive its benefits. It turned out there is no magic pill on how to think big. Instead Dr Schwartz provided a few lifehacks that resonated with me:

Believe you can and so you can. Self belief is key to success. If you believe you are good enough, then you are on the right track to attaining results. This message reminded me of Morpheus telling Neo in the Matrix, "Don't think you are. Know you are." This has been my mantra for some time so the chapter served as a good reinforcement on self belief. On the flip side, if you believe you cannot, that is equally self-fulfilling

There is no excuse for mediocrity. Whether it is health, intelligence or the age-old "age" (pun intended), take none of it. You are not too weak, too dumb nor too old to go after your goals! Never, if you believe it...

Overcome fear with action. Too many people are paralyzed by fear in life and do not get off to a start. And few know the way to overcoming fear is to take action, a step at a time. So get off the couch and start chasing your dreams

To think confidently, act confidently. The key to self-confidence is to act with confidence. On first glance, this seems like causal non-sense as the result comes before the cause. On second thought however, it does make sense because the mind actually needs to feel confident for you to act confident. It just does not know it (yet). The same principle applies to the fact that smiling actually makes you less nervous and more cheerful. Action before feeling. Hence wearing your best suit does bring you up a notch on the confidence level!

Avoid well meaning losers. Many loved ones, with their limit thinking, actually are guilty of holding you back. Don't give in to them when they tell you it is impossible, or you are just not good enough. Positivity is required for you to succeed. Make new friends who believe
Defeats are okay, as long as you course correct. Even the most successful people experience hardships before reaching their apex. Very few just luck out. They persevere to make themselves lucky if you must count luck as a factor for success. The mindset you have when experiencing defeat is what separates you from the losers. Look at each failure through the lens of self improvement. Taking this one step further, try to find one thing in your life you can simply do better each week. For instance, find a shortcut to get to work. That can be your milestone for a week

Be a great leader. Show empathy, treat others humanly, think progress, practice managed solitude. This is a long one, but it basically means: putting yourself in others' shoes. Do unto others what you expect them to do unto you. Always look for areas of improvement. But most importantly, and this is an area of my personal development, spend more time alone to reflect on yourself and problems to resolve. "Miracle solutions" will come when you can lay down your smartphone and give yourself enough alone time to clear the fog from your mind.

The book is an easy read that can benefit many. For me, many tips served as a reinforcements of what I am already practicing. One point did leave an impression however. Dr Schwartz claims that there are three groups of people in life. Those who have completely given up and they spend time justifying why they are happy where they are. Then there are those who have partially given up. They had plans entering adulthood but after a decade or so of living, fears and resistance build up, stopping them from moving beyond the middle stratas. Finally, there are those who never give up. They breathe and live success and are the happiest people even when times are tough. This unique group makes up only 2 to 3% of the population. Which group do you belong to?

- PTS

Hong Kong's Hidden Gems #1 - Hong Kong Monetary Authority Information Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 05:26:00 +0000

COVID-19 has certainly taken much lustre out of Hong Kong's star on the world stage. Travelers into the city still require a 3-day compulsory hotel quarantine at the time of writing, leaving many holding off on a trip to the Asian hub. Shame!

In view of this, I have decided to use this blog to occasionally showcase Hong Kong to the world. Feel free to use these posts as a guide to plan your future travel here. Even if you don't have plans to come, my hope is the introduction of these sights will offer unique perspectives on the buzzing city.

To start us off, we have a boutique but interesting information centre in Hong Kong's Central Bank. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) Information Centre is one of a kind. It is located in Two IFC, arguably the most iconic skyscrapper in town. That said, it is certainly off the beaten path and not very well known to even the locals. Visitors information can be found here.

This gallery can probably be explored within a cozy 30 to 75 minutes, depending on your desire to learn and engage with various interactive displays. Upon entry, you can see a historical wall detailing significant financial events in Hong Kong since its colonial years from 1842 to present times. There are of course, many fun facts to be learnt. Some interesting points for me include:

The Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) was first pegged to the GBP at a rate of 16 to 1 back in 1935

The HKD then switched to the USD in 1972 but the rate was only set to 7.8 to 1 in 1983. These figures are still largely in use today

The HKMA had utilized its abundant reserves over the years to keep the pegged exchange rate within a small, accepted range. In fact, it is happening at this very moment. The US Fed has been aggressively raising interest rates since the turn of the year, thereby making the HKD less attractive for keepsake. Our MA in turn, needs to buy HKD to prop up the demand (and hence the FX) for the HKD

The centre also provides ample coverage on Hong Kong's currency and how it has evolved over the years. Be sure to check out how our paper bills are manufactured. Many state-of-the-art counterfeit measures are built in using sophisticated technology from the Fintech industry. My personal favourite display is an art piece however. It is a collage of Hong Kong's skyline, built from actual coins that went out of circulation. Can you guess how many coins were used and how much these coins are worth? The answers can be found near the display. Spoiler alert: the total value is worth over $60K HKD (7,600 USD) of coins! Sorry, but I had to geek-out for a moment. Across from the collage, there is also another splendid display made largely of shredded retired paper bills for your enjoyment.

Besides providing plenty of financial information about the city, the exhibition with its "height advantage," also boasts a beautiful view of Hong Kong. On the 55th floor of the second tallest building in the city, the gallery offers a unique vantage point you just can't get from the peak or the ferry. The image below is one of many scenic photos taken from various lookouts in the venue.

All in all, the HKMA Information Centre is a hidden gem. It is a no-miss if you are interested in learning about Hong Kong's financial prowess, our currency's uniqueness, and the role the central bank plays in safeguarding the finances of its citizens. The centre also doubles as a observation deck for parts of the harbour and surrounding areas. There is also a souvenir counter if you want to bring a piece of our financial history back with you. Finally, if none of this matters, there is always the IFC mall for ample shopping and dining on the bottom floors of the building. All in all, I would highly recommend this place if you would like to find a detour from the usual shopping, tourist experience, or simply, the daily routine.

- PTS

Quote of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 06:34:00 +0000

The surefire formula to succeed in anything:

Talent + Perspiration + Belief => Success

- PTS

An Unusual Perspective and Strategy on Wordle

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:03:00 +0000

You must have heard of (and maybe for some, forgotten about) Wordle. This five-letter word guessing game took the world by storm earlier this year. Despite losing some of its shine by now, many are still considering it their daily routine. I know people who eagerly anticipate the stroke of midnight so they can be the first ones to crack the daily puzzle. This New York Times darling actually reminds me of the long running TV show Wheel of Fortune especially its bonus round. Pat Sajak's reciting of the gimme letters R, S, T, L, N, E still seems like a memory from yesterday. If I seem to know too much about this show, this is because I watch it on Netflix when feeling the need for an extra challenge in life.

This post was written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of my playing the game. For full disclosure, I do not play every day especially when the schedule gets tough. My record is not too shabby however, as I guess the answer in three or less tries 50% of the time. It has continued to improve perhaps due to pattern recognition over time.

If you are looking for tips and tricks, there are already many thorough guides on the Internet. If you like simplicity, here is mine:

1. Know the basics. There are at least 158,390 five-letter English words, but the game only chooses from 2,315 common words. Hence your odds are not so bad for starters

2. Use the most common letters for the first two tries. There are many articles that detail using bots and algorithms to increase your likelihood of getting the answer in one or two go's. Not necessary for me. I employ the old fashion way of using the most popular letters to compose my first word. The most often used letters in five-letter words (total and average frequency) are in order, A, E, S, O, R, I, L, T. Hence my de facto first guess is SOARE. Note that it is SOARE and not AROSE, even though they contain the exact same letters. With SOARE, the order of appearance of the letters is more likely to give you a green (positional match) as opposed to a yellow. Miss on the first try? Happens always as I have yet to hit the Wordle lottery. Simply continue to utilize other common letters in the second turn.

3. Always use all hints from previous tries. To me there is no two ways about it. And this is why brain freezes will sometimes occur due to constant letter manipulations!

My goal is to complete the puzzle in three or less tries. Failing that means I could be having a bad day. Getting it in the first try however will not give me a rush because this just means I got really lucky. I did however witness someone getting it in one try as he always uses the starting word STAIR, which was the answer to one of the puzzles. Winning in two gives me a good rush as I can claim with a reasonable level of confidence that I overachieved, albeit with some luck. Three tries however is to me, a full demonstration of my mental prowess hence I feel the happiest! Weird psychology but this is me.

Lately I have been wondering how my results fare against the world. Here are the daily Wordle stats on Twitter. Wordle itself has a more in-depth analysis engine (dubbed WordleBot) but to me this is a bit of overkill. No matter what, don't get caught up in trying to up one on the world. Just enjoy the game!

- PTS

Book Review: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Fri, 13 May 2022 06:44:00 +0000

I have always prided myself on leading a meaningful life. Neither a Nobel laureate nor celebrity, but there is a sense of "balance" that makes my days mostly enjoyable. A strong career, adequate finances, a loving family and fun hobbies all contribute to the experience. Though not by design, I have perhaps a become a "generalist" in life.

I finished the book, Range, a couple months ago and enjoyed it immensely. David Epstein did a superb job highlighting the importance of generalists in today's world. Here are my key takeaways:

The book started by comparing two schools of thoughts on raising successful athletes. Tiger Woods vs Roger Federer, two undisputed all-time greats in their respective genres. What is more, Woods represented the deliberate training camp while Federer was exposed to a range of sports both from a young age. This clever comparison intrigued me to find out whether range can prevail over focused deliberate training.

Epstein believes that deliberate training only works well for "kind" learning environments which have set rules. Playing chess is one such example. Kind environments allow the learner to grow his experience and expertise through repetitive training. Much of world however offers "wicked" learning environments. Curing cancer is one such example. In these circumstances, having multiple skillsets and being able to transfer them in various scenarios often leads to better results. In some cases, merely relying on experience actually hurts your performance. I agree with Epstein's contention here. He did especially well in highlighting the importance of "far transfers" in solving some of the world's most difficult problems.

Epstein also claims that today's colleges and industries are too narrowly focused on specialized programs and job categories. This gives rise to the challenge of connecting the right dots in order to have a wholistic world view for problem solving. For instance, we know precisely the chemical features of magnesium and have derived many real-life applications for ages. However, its use on treating migraine, a common but stifling biological condition, was only recently "stumbled across." One can go on to claim that humankind has already built a large database of knowledge about our universe. What we need to do more is to apply knowledge across disciplines to solve most of today's tough problems.

Polymaths are generalists with an area of specialization. The praises of polymaths were sung by Epstein. Did you know that polymaths are the most successful inventors at 3M, a company known for its daily life innovations including Post-its? I believe polymaths' success in the world is a no brainer. This is because they are both generalists and specialists by definition. Can't get much better than that!

This book brought home the triumph of generalists over specialists in today's world. However, Epstein went on to highlight why we need both focused frogs and visionary birds to work together. The frog has a narrow vision of the world from its well. On the other hand, the bird has a broad view of the world from the sky. When these two perspectives overlap, possibilities become limitless. After all, when Steve Jobs and Wozniak came together, they founded the most valuable company (by market cap) in Apple.

- PTS

Quarantine Life

noreply@blogger.com (Part Time Scholar (PTS)) — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 16:17:00 +0000

My business trip to Singapore last month led to a mini-hiatus from blogging. I am now going through a 7-day quarantine in Hong Kong. A similar experience last year turned out to be a blast. Although quarantines are not something most people look forward to, they are appealing to me in a number of ways.

Last year, I experienced what life was like living in a hotel room 24/7 where you eat, sleep, exercise (HITT/yoga) and go to the toilet in a small, confined space. I gained more appreciation for people who choose to live in tiny bachelor units.

Then there was the lack of face-to-face contact with anyone for days. Having less communication with my family and social circle can be a blessing in disguise. The new found quietness put my mind at ease. It helped me venture beyond the daily routine and reflect on life. The extra me-time allowed me to get in touch with my inner self. At times, I felt like a zen monk. With less external distraction, even the 9-5 became more productive.

Wait, it gets better. The extra time gained can be put to good use with goal setting and attainment. Last year, I wanted to improve my memory and so learnt about the major system with plenty of practice in between. This time, I am honing into the math theories behind blockchains on Coursera. I invest financially in the realm but wanted to look under the hood on cryptocurrencies. And? So far so good. When goals are being pursued, it does not matter whether it is sunny or raining outside because my mind is focused on the job. This may sound strange, but I secretly wished the quarantine would not end so soon last year. After all, when the view from the office was this good, how could you not miss it?

Quarantines also gave me a newfound perspective on what life can be like in retirement. Having plenty of free time is actually a delight, with boredom never even surfacing. What great news! Now I am even more excited about the prospects of retirement.

- PTS