…there is a beautiful harmony in the way they fulfilled their role in the market ecosystem.
— Victor Niederhoffer, The Education of a Speculator

Just a few days back, I listen in awe of how prices of our commodities are determined by the futures market and that gamblers, traders, speculators or investors in the market are playing an important role in the ecosystem.

That’s the free market. Behind every transaction that occurs, there are two parties, who hold conflicting point of view based on their perspective or interpretation of their surroundings. Still, the financial market is not a zero-sum game. …

I’m sitting in the middle of the Changi City Point, watching the two girls running in circles around their parents, chasing each other in figure of eight. Giggling about how funny it is while the parents stood conversing calmly in between the circling girls on this carpeted atrium. A few kids are running around, taking advantage of the space since no event could be held, most likely due to Covid.

The couple that sits across me — is the guy dozing off in the middle of the atrium? People stream across heading to the various restaurants around the area. …

“If you see someone you like, just pounce on it,” my mum tells me as I jokingly mention to her I’m going for matchmaking.

For almost 30 years, I wear my singlehood almost like a superpower. Apparently, super single can be used to describe someone as well. It is almost as if the proverbial marriage train is something that I forgot to claim my ticket on. And that I’m a bypasser watching over with binoculars, recording vividly on the alternatives to a conventional monogamous relationship, or breaking apart the systemic building blocks of marriage.

My perverse interest in observing and writing about relationship seems to be a beacon attracting interesting conversations on singlehood, less the ones telling me that I might change my mind about my I-don’t-want-kids narrative and that I’m going to be so lonely when I get older. That’s an entire tale for another day. …

Today, a trip to IKEA has brought more clarity to my future home, a 2-room 45 sqm HDB flat that I can’t wait to get my hands on. Friends repeatedly hear me bemoan the too-ripe an age of 35 before singles could get a BTO in Singapore. Upon getting approval for the BTO, one still has to wait for 2–5 years before getting the keys to the personal abode. Imagine that, a single person will most likely be able to taste independence at an average age of 38 years old, assuming they don’t rent or buy a condo.

Lament aside, today I dream up my desired house again and describe it to my friends as we walk through the aisle of IKEA. …

Societal view on single women in Asia

There is a derogatory term for unmarried women in China: ‘Leftover’ women. Almost as if the single women are like nearing their expiration date and should be thinking of ways to clear off the single’s rack.

A news channel in South Korea also highlighted the trend of increasing single women in South Korea. From 90,000 in the 80’s to more than 1 million single women in 2015.

Yes, almost as if I’m taking a societal exploratory journey to my singlehood, I have been watching Youtube videos that discuss the “singleness” of women.

From a country viewpoint, especially a country like China, whereby the male to female ratio is skewed towards the male gender due to the one-child policy enacted previously, having an increasing number of single women is not a good sign. A shrinking working population might adversely affect the efficiency and growth of a country. …

Due to COVID’19, the current economy is in chaos and the world is in mired in uncertainty. Enough with stating the obvious. Recently, perhaps, due to the need for escapism in my life and my love for getting discounted items, I purchase The Sims 4.

Ever since then, I have been on and off playing sprint when I’m done with my work. The base game gets flat after a while if you play in a proper manner. So cue the family drama.

Cheating wife because cheating husbands are so mainstream right? Getting siblings to impregnate the same women and killing your sibling’s dates and trying to impregnate every fertile woman, single or not. …

When I was 20, I didn’t want to jump straight into yet another academic cycle: university.

When I was 27, I enrol into sports science and dropout. And sort of makes a video about it.

When I was 29, I felt like I make a breakthrough in my life as a self-taught developer.

Now that I’m 30, I’m eagerly awaiting the results of my application to a part-time degree and sponsorship. Are there moments when I feel inferior because of my education level? Sometimes. …

Have you ever wonder why polyamory is not the norm in the relationship?

While the answer might be obvious to you, do you also know an adulterer/adulteress or heard stories about them? Or less innocuous, people who think that it is an unspoken norm that older husband will cheat on their wives?

If marriage is the stage that we should strive for, why do some end up in divorce, or remain stuck in less than satisfying marriages?

Previously, I have written about marriage and love. Today I’m going to dissect the alternatives of relationships. To me, being wedlock seems like a one-size-fits-all legal model in an attempt to unify the complexity of human psychology and relationship. However, I do think marriage is great for both parties to uphold their portion of the socio-legal contract, in their commitment towards fulfiling the obligations in their partnership and the family unit. …