The Sunday Times (26 October 2014) - Feature on Michael Lien

Favourite part of the article

His former JC classmate, Mr Olivier Lim, 50, until recently deputy CEO of property group CapitaLand, says Mr Lien was always a "considered contrarian, not willing to accept status quo and conventional wisdom blindly, but also not contrarian for the sake of it". "Among my friends, he was the most well-read. He drove the cheapest and oldest car for years, not succumbing to the automobile arms race. He preferred to save his money travelling to places like rural Nepal. Yet, at the same time, he led a 'double life' as a successful investment banker."

Today, with a six-year-old son, Mr Lien no longer drives a "bombed-out car". But he still enjoys the simple things in life, like a prata and teh tarik. He continues to "like to move off the grid", trekking the Inca Trail in Peru or the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. "In these remote places, you are grateful for a bowl of hot vegetable soup," he says, tight-lipped about other aspects of how he lives.

As to why he juggles this "duality", the free-thinker says simply: "It could have been us."

The Sunday Times (12 October 2014) - Feature on Ray Dalio

Section I particularly liked

Mr Dalio is equally complimentary about Singapore, saying there is "no country in the world that is so admirable as to be able to particularly raise its income levels, without losing its financial responsibility".

However he sounded a warning on countries that are no longer rich but profligate. The cycles mirror those of families, with a Chinese saying that the wealth of families lasts only three generations.

Countries start off being poor and think of themselves as poor, Mr Dalio notes. They then become rich after working hard and saving but still think of themselves as poor. That's when growth is good. The next stage is when countries are rich and think of themselves as rich and want to enjoy themselves more and spend more. The fourth stage is when countries are poorer but still think of themselves as rich.

Singapore continues to have a strong work and savings ethic, Mr Dalio says, but he holds up the US as a cautionary example of countries that have reached the stage where they borrow as they have spent beyond their means.

Thoughts

The Chinese saying for this is 家宝不传三代. 

Myanmar, October 2014

I was sent on a business trip to Myanmar. It was a trip of many firsts. First business trip. First time to Myanmar. First time flying SQ.

As a young adult exploring the world, it's great to be able to travel and see how business is conducted in other countries. There is still so much to see and experience and learn. Previously I was the pleasure traveler, the one who checked the 'for holiday' box in the 'purpose of travel' section in immigration cards. It is a strange feeling to be checking the 'for business' box this time.

I was anticipating the famed service on the Singapore Airlines flight. Coming from a humble background, I never had the chance to fly on the national carrier before. It was always budget airlines where-ever I went. It was the only way I knew how to fly. When I sat in the SQ cabin and the lovely air-stewardess offered me a warm towel, I knew that things have changed.

It was quite an eye-opening experience. It certainly did help me to clear many misconceptions about the country. Before I left, I consciously downgraded my wardrobe, opting for a simple $16 Casio watch. I didn't want to attract attention, especially since I knew I'll be in the villages, where the most of the people live below the poverty line and earn US$100-200 a month. I even joked to some friends that I was trying to learn Burmese for "Please don't kidnap me, I've got no money". As it turns out, I couldn't be more mistaken.