Category: General

This is a general category for stuff that do not fit in the other categories.

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An empirical approach to being nice (but not a pushover) in the workplace

In life, many of us grapple with the balance between being kind or assertive to advance ourselves, whether in personal interactions or professional pursuits. We’re constantly faced with choices: to cooperate for mutual benefit or to compete to gain advantage over others.

We are often caught in a dilemma because advice from management experts and life coaches often fluctuates between extremes, urging us to either always be accommodating or to adopt a fiercely competitive stance. 

In 1984, Dr. Robert Axelrod of the University of Michigan devised an ingenious empirical experiment to tackle this dilemma, based on an iterative version of the classic game theory experiment known as the Prisoner’s Dilemma.

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The End of Civilisation?

Classical liberalism is often credited with ushering in the Enlightenment in Europe, a period of profound transformation spanning the late 17th to early 18th century. This era reshaped European politics, science, and philosophy, emphasizing the pursuit of knowledge, the decentralization of power, and the establishment of rational thought as a guiding principle.

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Specialized Roubaix with carbon rims and saddle

I love cycling in the early morning. There’s something almost magical about the crisp breeze against your face as you barrel through the gentle morning mist along a quiet, dimly lit road. The first rays of sunlight, still uncertain of their own existence, peek over the horizon, warming both the earth and the soul with a sense of renewal and hope.

I’ve been cycling since childhood—mostly because, back in my day, it was the only way kids got around. In that sense, I’ve technically been cycling for decades, though I only dabbled in what some might call “serious” cycling about a decade ago. Since then, I’ve managed to wear out two bikes and am now on my third (and most beloved) steed: a Specialized Roubaix.

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Reflections on 2020

It’s that time of the year again—when things quiet down, and we take a moment to reflect. And what a year 2020 has been—one for the history books. Generations from now, books and documentaries will dissect this extraordinary year, as academicians and storytellers attempt to distill its lessons for the future of humanity.

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Is 2020 going to be the year of the COVID?

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 —previously known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19. Credit: NIAID-RML

It’s only been two and a half months into 2020, and the world is already in turmoil.

The new year quite literally kicked off in flames, with wildfires tearing through vast swathes of Australia in January. Just as fresh images of singed, bewildered koalas began to fade from our minds, Malaysia’s barely 24-month-old liberal government was toppled by a rebellion from within. And before the political drama of the Sheraton Move could even settle, the world was hit with something far worse—a once-in-a-generation global pandemic that broke out in March.

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OCBC Cycle KL 2019

I’ve just completed the entire 42km of the OCBC Cycle KL event today. And to my surprise, it wasn’t as gruelling as I had feared.

Our group had planned to meet at Menara Maxis at 5.00am, aiming to roll out by 5.15am towards the flag-off point at Dataran Merdeka. A list of names had been floating around in our WhatsApp chat group, but as expected, attrition happened. In the end, it was just five of us– Vishal, Agnel, Charene, BX, and me– who finally pedalled off from the office at 5.45am.

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