Business and Money Tips

The Quiet Pillar: Shadows and Sacrifices The Man Who Slept with Rats In 1976, after our family's shoe shop was robbed, my father quietly stepped into the role of a shadow . To protect our livelihood, he chose to spend his nights as the shop’s watchman . For three long years, the tiny, cramped shop became his bedroom . There was no air conditioning, only a small fan that hummed fruitlessly against the thick Singapore humidity . His "bed" was nothing more than a few rough wooden planks exactly the size of his body . He wasn't alone in the dark; he shared that space with cockroaches and rats that scurried across the floor, while the outside air was filled with the sounds of stray dogs and cats fighting through the night . Plus, our German Shepherd Boeing, who was his constant companion.  This was his reality for over a thousand nights . Every morning, as we opened the shop for business, he would emerge, weary and hollow-eyed, to head to our shophouse's bedroom acro...

The Illusion of High Valuation for Empty Malls They say an empty (or mostly empty) mall fetches a higher value than a fully-occupied mall.  From a pure property finance perspective, a mall is often valued based on projected rental income and capitalization rates. If rents are lowered significantly, even the mall is fully occupied, the mall’s paper valuation may indeed decline. In that sense, an “emptier but higher-rent” mall can sometimes appear more valuable on paper than a fully occupied mall with weak rents. This explains why malls raised their rentals and chased away long-standing tenants but the landlords are happy.  The statement is financially intelligent but only partially wise. It correctly explains  valuation mechanics and  leverage implications and  why landlords sometimes tolerate vacancy,  But it underestimates  human psychology,  ecosystem effects,  emotional energy and  long-term vitality.  A mall is not merely valued...

Meaning Is Not Information We are entering a world overflowing with information but starving for meaning. AI can tell you: what happened what people said what trends exist But meaning answers: Why does this matter? What is worth doing? What kind of person do I want to become? What is the right thing under uncertainty? Meaning is deeply human because it involves: values suffering purpose relationships sacrifice lived experience Example: AI Can Write a Sympathy Message AI can generate: “Sorry for your loss. Stay strong.” Perfect grammar. Instant response. But when a close friend sits quietly beside you at a funeral, says little, and genuinely feels your pain… That creates meaning. Because meaning is not just content. It is: presence sincerity emotional reality In the AI Era, Meaning Comes From What Is Real When fake content becomes easy, people start craving: authenticity honesty humanity emotional truth Ironically, ...

The Weight of Silence: What Were We Really Arguing About? My earliest memories are punctuated by the sound of shouting. In 1970, when I was barely 6 years old, I stood as a small witness to the fierce quarrels between my father and my late eldest brother Kah Yang (he passed away in 1971 at the age of 17). As I grew up, these contradictions became the soundtrack of our lives, usually centered around our family's shoe shop and clothing stalls in Chinatown. In the court of family opinion, the verdict was almost always the same: my father was "wrong." He was judged as a man who didn't fulfill his role, who wasn't "burdening" enough for the family’s success. But as I look back from the vantage point of 2026, I have to ask: Was that actually true? Let me finally put to rest what my father did right: the truths that were buried under decades of criticism: Unseen Labor: He worked grueling, long hours. I remember him hauling boxes of goods and equipment to set u...

For a long time, people believed intelligence meant logic, memory, and reasoning. Who could calculate faster. Who could analyze better. Who could solve problems more efficiently. But AI is now doing all of that, faster than most humans ever could. So the real question becomes: If machines can reason, what exactly makes human intelligence unique? The uncomfortable truth is this: Much of what we call “intelligence” in human society is actually the ability to navigate, influence, predict, and sometimes outsmart other minds. A large part of human intelligence is not pure truth. It is strategy. That is why deception sits so close to intelligence. The smarter someone is, the more capable they are of manipulating perception. People can use intelligence to: persuade without sincerity perform without authenticity signal virtue without living it gain trust without deserving it And now AI is beginning to do the same. AI can mimic empathy. Simulate confidence. Generate...

For years, a silent but noisy war was waged in his living room. My father, in his 70s, would sit before two television sets, both turned on simultaneously. One would be tuned to Channel 8, the other to Channel U. The clashing soundtracks made it nearly impossible for anyone else to enjoy a program. Yet, there he sat, remote controls gripped firmly in his hands, switching between them with frantic consistency. We called it the fiercest battle anyone could witness between Singapore’s 2 rival TV stations. "Just focus on one," we would plead, frustrated by the wall of noise. His reply was always the same: "Something interesting is coming up soon." We were baffled. How could someone be so inconsiderate? So restless? We saw it as a quirk of old age, or perhaps just stubbornness. Today, in 2026, I look back with a heavy heart and a much clearer lens. I finally understand what he was after. He wasn't looking for a specific show; he was desperately trying to fill a void....

Karma Is Not Punishment — Karma Is Continuity Many people think karma means punishment. If something bad happens, they say, “This is karma.” If someone suffers, they say, “He deserves it.” But karma is much deeper than reward and punishment. Karma is continuity. Karma is natural. Karma is not religion.   Every thought, emotion, word, and action plants a seed. Such a seed will grow into a tree, plant or fruit MUCH BIGGER THAN THE ORIGINAL SEED, as long as the environment is right.  Over time, these seeds grow into habits, character, relationships, opportunities, and consequences. That is karma. The Chinese phrase 因果真实不虚 means: Cause and effect are real and never empty. The Outer World and the Inner World Buddhist wisdom says: “万法唯心造” “All phenomena are created by the mind.” This does not mean the external world does not exist. The external world exists: people, situations, money, environment, opportunities. But we also live inside an inner world: beliefs, emotions, memorie...

It was 2007 when we discovered his secret. While moving my father’s mattress, we found them: heaps and heaps of Singapore Pools 4D tickets. They were stacked in layers, a paper trail of lost hopes. What shocked us most wasn’t just the volume, but the stakes. He wasn’t betting a few dollars for fun. He was punting hundreds of dollars per draw—nearly ten times a month. At the time, my siblings and I were furious. Our father was a 79-year-old retiree. We wondered, with a mix of anger and confusion, why a man at his stage of life would need to win such "big money." What was he going to do with the money? We saw it as a reckless habit, a sign of poor judgment in his final years.  Some of us would say, "If I were to give him money to buy 4D, why don't I use the money and buy 4D myself?  At least I have better discipline".  It has taken me two decades, and the experience of raising my own three grown-up children, to finally see the truth that was hidden under that matt...

Why Do So Many People Start Life “Wrong” from the Beginning? Most people think Yijing is about fortune telling. But at a deeper level, Yijing is actually about this: 👉 How you begin determines where you end up. In the famous opening of the Qian Hexagram, Yijing speaks of four words: Yuan 元 · Heng 亨 · Li 利 · Zhen 贞 These are not just ancient Chinese words. They are four stages of life, leadership, and success. Yuan 元 — Return to the Essence Most people start from problems, emotions, and appearances. Yijing teaches: 👉 Start from the essence. The real question is not: “What happened?” But: “What is truly at the heart of this situation?” Heng 亨 — Move with Flow Many people work harder and harder… yet life becomes more difficult. Why? 👉 Because effort without alignment creates friction. Wise people understand: timing direction when to move and when not to move Li 利 — Create Value True success is not about winning alone. 👉 It is about creating benefit ...

Meaning of Mother’s Day — and How Love Intelligence Makes It Real Mother’s Day is not really about flowers, gifts, or restaurant bookings. At its deepest level, Mother’s Day is about recognizing one of the most powerful human forces: care. A mother stays awake when others sleep. Worries when others don’t notice. Gives even when exhausted. That is why motherhood is one of the clearest expressions of Love Intelligence. But Mother’s Day also reminds us of something important: Care alone is not enough. Many mothers care deeply, yet still feel misunderstood, unappreciated, stressed, or emotionally drained. Why? Because effective love requires more than emotion. It requires LQ — Love Intelligence. LQ is built on three things: Care Not just sacrificing endlessly, but understanding what truly helps another person grow. Courage The courage to set boundaries, say difficult truths, and not lose yourself while caring for others. Connection The ability to build trust, emotiona...

One of the biggest blind spots in human behavior is this: When we see other people succeed, we tend to make external attributions. When we succeed, we make internal attributions. If a colleague gets promoted or wins the boss’s recognition, people often say: “He knows how to play the game.” “She’s good at talking.” “He’s politically smart.” “She knows how to flatter people.” But when we succeed, we say: “I earned it.” “I worked hard.” “I’m capable.” The reverse also happens. When others fail, we blame their incompetence. When we fail, we blame the environment, bad luck, or unfair circumstances. This is where Love Intelligence (LQ) becomes important. LQ is not just about being caring or emotionally warm. LQ is the courage to see ourselves truthfully. Many people think their biggest weakness is: not speaking well, not networking enough, not being “smooth” enough. But sometimes the real issue is much deeper: 👉 the value they create is still not strong enough. Yet very few people are willi...