Enhancing Your Thought Process

I observed that many of us have posed similar questions: How can I develop a broader perspective? How can I think more deeply? Firstly, I want to emphasize that you shouldn’t feel disheartened by such inquiries. At times, these questions arise because your perspective differs from others. On other occasions, it might indicate overlooked viewpoints. …

A Framework to Understand Yourself Better

Hard work propels us forward, but introspection ensures that our trajectory is correct. However, looking inward is no easy feat. Not only does it bring to the surface uncomfortable truths and past mistakes, but it also sometimes falls prey to our cognitive biases. Take the confirmation bias as an example; we often lean into information …

The Subtle Constraints Shaping Our Lives

Throughout our lives, we are bound by numerous constraints. Often, we never pause to reflect on their impact or contemplate if they can be modified, simply because we’ve grown so accustomed to their presence. Understanding Life’s Constraints: The effects of these constraints can be deeply ingrained in our psyche. More often than not, we exert …

A Very Very Brief Historical Development of the Calculus

While diving deep into the proofs of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus by Barrow, Leibniz, and Newton, I stumbled upon an intriguing topic – the historical development of calculus. I found myself wishing that my teachers had taken this historical approach, which brings added depth and interest to the cold precision of math. In this …

How I Survived Teaching Myself Calculus with Michael Spivak?

I initially planned to pen down this blog post after completing Michael Spivak’s Calculus. However, with my motivation dwindling near the end, I thought it best to start early. The primary impetus for delving deeper into mathematics is its indispensable role in comprehending science, and in turn, our world. Though I am less intrigued by …

Is the Modern Portfolio Theory Applicable to Managing Consumer Loan Portfolio?

Before I elaborate on the thoughts, I should give readers the typical risk management framework for existing customers used in consumer loans (In a mature market, the contribution of new users is relatively small). Users are segmented into different risk tiers corresponding to predicted default risks. It is similar to some credit rating agencies, like …

Summary On Bold vision: the untold story of Singapore’s reserves and its sovereign wealth fund

Recently, I have a chance to pick up a book on the history of GIC (Government of Singapore Investment Corporation). The book gives important backgrounds of the creation of GIC. In my opinion, it is a short history of Singapore’s reserve management and its currency. In 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent …

How to Understand the Business Cycle Through Economic Indicators?

We read a lot about the economy in the news. They are like data points describing the state of the economy, such as GDP, capacity utilization, purchase managers’ index, cpi, etc. Without a general framework in mind, it is overwhelming. We need to have a framework in mind even if it may not be correct. …