Alice and The Black Swan

Regret doesn't just stem from mistakes. Sometimes you regret all the right choices you've made in life which probably means, somewhere along the way, you have forgotten a part of yourself.

To me, the black swan is an economic phenomenon, when really it's an economic theory derived from the natural phenomenon of rarity. I'm equipped to think all economic theories are natural like that. The metaphor itself is used to describe an (almost) impossible event. People used to think all swans were white until they explored the land downunder and found what was deemed to be non existent- black swans. This theory was used to explain how an unexpected turn of events caused the global financial crisis. Also applied in finance currently, to develop a robust model to..sorta.. Plan the unforeseen. Sounds fairly ridiculous, but we do live in a ridiculous world. alice did say there's no use in trying, one can't believe in impossible things, but the queen replied, "I dare say you havent had much practice."

So how does black swan relate to regrets and Alice in wonderland? Let me add another little useful quote I love. "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there" A black swan was not unforseeable. It was constructed ignorance. so is regret in a way.

of Truth

“but it is not only the difficulty and labour which men take in finding out of truth, nor again that when it is found it imposeth upon men’s thoughts , that doth bring lies in favour; but a natural though corrupt love of the lie itself."

"But it is not the lie that passeth through the mind, but the lie that sinketh in and settleth in it, that doth the hurt, such as we spake before."

Francis Bacon.

I'm opening up a cafe

seriously.!

I'm not afraid, I'm just practical.

IS GOOGLE PSYCHIC?

Google is a genius.

you know how google is so damn advanced now, they've got that auto complete suggestions. Well I typed in "story of .."and out of the million suggestions it could have given me, it suggested the exact story I was looking for. wait how?

I googled how google auto complete suggestions work(a bit redundant I know), and instead of regurgitating the long albeit interesting explanation here, I'd like to share the link (in case you are interested in random information like me):

http://searchengineland.com/how-google-instant-autocomplete-suggestions-work-62592

I would like to think of myself as someone who is absolutely disorganised despite the extensive effort to change, ergo I get constantly amazed at the existence of such a system that is so specific, precise and well structured. Amazing what humans can do huh.. 

Having said that, even though it's cool, I still can't comprehend how it figured out what I was searching for. I don't think what I wanted to know was a popular search, or fresh, or regionally related, or even relevant to my search history. So let's just agree that google might be psychic. 

Keynes Vs Tony

Keynes* said that there will come a time when demand will be satiated. However, Tony** believed that if we run out of things to consume then we will consume rubbish.

I miss Economics.


* Keynes was such a revolutionary figure in the field of economics, so profound he wrote the book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.

** Tony was my economics lecturer in Sydney Uni, a brilliant man with a sadistic sense of humour. 

Gandhi believed that morality can only be built on faith.

I must concur.

How I was.

Maybe you've never been in a position that pushes you to the brink of insanity that there is nothing else to do but for you to get up at night and beg to God on your knees to help you get through it all.

therefore, you never felt the urge to do so.

which is why a purpose and a goal whether ever changing or constant during your useful life, is too damn important.

to have a purpose is to work for something, and to work for something requires you to constantly surrender your fate to God because He is all-knowing.

la yu kallifullah hu nafsan illa wus 'aha , laha makasabat wa 'alaiha maktasabat.

God will not burden you beyond your means. God will not ask you what is beyond your ability.

2:286 (sura Al-Baqara, verse 286)
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I found this in my old journal and I miss this feeling. 


p/s- A friend was kind enough to remind that when quoting the Quran, one must include the chapter and verse of the surah itself. Thanks!

No thanks world.

I've finally stopped coveting world domination, not because it is  inconceivable, impractical or utterly absurd, but simply because the world will come to an end one day, and I am too self-centered to willingly hold all that responsibility over the distress we witness everyday.

so thanks but no thanks.

I met Dr Zeti.

The problem is, I like to bend the rules a bit too much and I don't mean it in a "I'm a badass" way.  It's more like, I don't understand rules and why they are applied sometimes.

So one fine day, I drove to Sasana Kijang. To put it simply, Sasana Kijang is the knowledge centre of Bank Negara. It's a separate building about 400 metres away from the headquarters on Jalan Dato' Onn in KL and it's truly a state of the art structure. Perhaps not from the outside, but the interior and the concept as a whole is just magnificent but I shan't digress. There is also a museum open to the public in this building, and soon the kids section complete with a tunnel filled with a million bucks will be ready. Exciting yes? YES.

I am digressing again, my goodness. Being quite a fan of the museum cafe where they have decent food and coffee at subsidised prices, I decided to head over for a sandwich-to-go. If I am not mistaken, we are however not allowed to park around the compound in front of the building where the museum cafe is also located at, as there are ample indoor and lower ground parking spots provided. It was not so much that I didn't want to pay the 3 dollar per entry parking fee but it was just a little bit more troublesome to park at the designated spot with all the walking and "elevator wait". Didn't make sense to go through all that trouble just to get a sandwich ergo I drove around the compound for one whole round just to see if there was anyone who was bending the rules as I plan to do. NADA. Fortunately for me (or so I thought), I saw a silver car, stopping directly in front of the cafe and I quickly thought that perhaps it is okay to park there after all. Naturally, I followed suit only to witness a woman coming out of the car gracefully before I could really drive towards that ideal spot.

To my surprise, it was...the Governor herself. Yes, Dr. Zeti. I freaked out for a moment before I started reversing the car as quickly as possible hoping she doesn't see one of her employees trying to bend a simple rule (ahh she doesn't even have the time to care I presume). Memang lah she can park there, she can park anywhere durrrrr! Stop with the perangai squatter Ainul.