Author Archives: Lifenotes

The Model: 37 Years Investing in Asian Equities by Richard H. Lawrence

The goal of the book is to answer two simple questions: The Overlook Model Overlook Investment Philosophy The most successful fund management companies, in their experience, operate with quiet modesty. They worked hard for their success, fought to overcome many challenges, learned from mistakes, and gave credit to others who helped along the way. Overlook…More

📚 The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin is a captivating exploration of the principles and strategies that underlie high performance and mastery. Based on his own experiences as a world-class chess player and martial artist, Waitzkin offers a unique perspective on the process of learning and growth. He argues that mastery is not solely about…More

Redefining Success: Beyond Talent, Toward Growth

For the longest time, I marvelled at people who seemed naturally smart and successful. I am always not good enough, but having a first-hand observation of my son’s journey changed that belief. He was streamed to the bottom 12% of his cohort during his PSLE examinations. Yet, something remarkable happened. Slowly, he changed. He honed…More

The great investing myth (12): Moat as the investing thesis

This post aims to examine the “moat” as an investing thesis, exploring its strengths, limitations, and the potential biases it can introduce. We will delve into the challenges of evaluating moats, and the limitations of moat-based investing and propose a more holistic approach to investment analysis beyond this popular concept. Warren Buffett, one of the…More

When Things Don’t Go Your Way: Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times by Haemin Sumin

Although we desire only positive experiences in life, it is inevitable that we will also encounter difficult times. These challenges, however, are not without purpose. They can serve as valuable opportunities for self-discovery that can lead to emotional maturity and spiritual growth. The extent of maturity and growth often corresponds to the severity of the…More

Same as Ever by Morgan Housel

Morgan Housel is as good as ever. A summary with my notes taken as there are many great nuggets. Summary Same As Ever argues that by understanding timeless human behavior and focusing on long-term thinking, we can make better decisions about our lives and our investments. Different but same; we are humans after all History…More

3Cs of Investing: Contrarian, Consensus and Cult

As investors, we can broadly categorize ourselves into three main types: Contrarians, Consensus investors, and Cult investors. What matters more is (a) whether we do our due diligence and (b) making money consistently. Contrarian To the non-contrarians, the contrarians are often viewed as risk-takers and at times, hated and weird. Their ideas and picks are…More

The great investing myth (11): Generalisations to make money

Many generalise when they invest. Examples: Such statements may seem insightful and simplify a complex world, but they can mislead us. Generalisations can be dangerous. Here are some ways people generalise: Generalizations can be useful for forming quick judgments or making decisions, but do beware of the following: Here are a few traps when investors…More

My mother

A short story Her story was collated by my second brother Birthplace Born in Jinsha village about 30 km from Shantou in December 1927, she grew up in a multi-generation house built by her great-grandfather. Imagine a central building that served as the main hall to receive guests with a big courtyard. There were rows…More