Resuming my equity investment, after 1 year pause

A little less than 1 year ago, I made my last equity trades, right before the market dropped significantly, and they were sell trades, to cash out part of my portfolio. Don’t get me wrong, I was not immune to the market crash, and my stock portfolio was down by a significant amount as well. Come on, I bought Netflix and Paypal when they were near peak, how can I not make any loss? Those that I sold then were the few counters that were still in the money, although just by a little. To be specific, I sold Disney, Amazon and Apple, and used the money for expenses on my new apartment. Since then, I have not bought any new stock, and my portfolio laid dormant throughout the whole market crash amidst the crazy interest rate hike.

So, you might ask me, why I start investing again now. The answer is pretty simple, I believe that the market has gone through the worst, and although there may be some more tumbles and drops ahead, in the medium to long term, it will recover, and the current price is good to buy. I may have missed the bottom, but my financial situation then did not allow me to “buy the dip”. And since I am not an active trader, it does not matter much to me the price difference between then and now. After all, I am still holding on my lost bag of stocks, since I don’t have any push to sell them at loss, and I believe they will come back in the future. That’s why I am buying again, bit by bit, true to the spirit of dollar-cost-averaging. And what did I buy, and why I chose them? Well, here are my latest stock addition to my little tiny portfolio that I wish to nurture and grow over the years.

  1. Disney (DIS): I bought Disney again, almost the same amount that I had sold before. I am a Disney fan, and have been for a long time. I subscribe to their Disney+ service, and I watch almost all their movies, so by owning Disney share, I can benefit from part of the money I spend on their goods and services, right? 🙂
  2. Apple (APPL): Same like Disney, I bought back almost the same amount I had sold before. And same like Disney, I have been an Apple fanboy since forever. I have spent thousands on their products so far, and it only makes sense that I earn back from that through owning part of the company whose bottom line is also contributed by me.
  3. Microsoft (MSFT): If I have to pick a company that can compete with Apple for the title of the most valuable listed company in the world, I would pick Microsoft, not Amazon, not Meta, and not even the almighty Alphabet. Why? Because, even though Microsoft is not as sexy as the other tech companies, it has survived a long time in that super competitive industry, and still managed to stay around the top, while many of its peers have long faded away. It has a strong and loyal customer base of millions of companies and billions of Windows users. And although it lost its way for some time, chasing wrong products and losing market share, under the steady leadership of the current CEO, it seems to have turned around, finding its feet and focusing on the products and services that are most profitable. Windows is still its giant cash cow, and Azure is also bringing more and more money, and with the strategic shift to AI and investment in OpenAI and ChatGPT software recently, Microsoft shows that it is not only the hero in the past, but a force to reckon with in the future as well.
  4. American Express (AMEX): I was not very much into payment stocks before, especially after my investment in Paypal turned sour (and is still pretty much under the water now). However, my mindset changed after watching a video on Youtube about Amex and its unique network and business design. It piqued my interest, and as I studied more about the company, I found that it has a small but stable share of the market, and with its unique network, where it issues cards directly to users and not through banks like Martercard and Visa, it can gather much more information about the customer’s spending habit, and in this time and age, information is gold.I also found that is is one of the largest chunk of Warren Buffet’s multi billion dollar portfolio. If someone like Warren Buffet can hold shares of American Express, why should I not give it a go?

And there you have, my latest equity buys. And although this is not any financial or investment advice, I am quite happy with them, and I think I will start investing again, now that the market has been alive again. But as always, no margin or risky derivatives for me. Just my own money, and good old boring limit / market orders.. That, I won’t deviate from. Never before, and most likely never after.

Advertisement

Reflections and gratitude – 2022

There are a few things that I am grateful for as 2022 started winding down and 2023 is unfolding:

  1. We moved to a new house. After staying in our first home for more than 10 years, we finally base it farewell and moved to a new home. It was an upgrade, and nearer to our kids’ school. A big decision, and so far we have been enjoying the house totally.
  2. Life is back to normal, finally. After 2 years of Covid, we could see some lights at the end of the tunnel. Quarantine and travel restrictions were eased, and travelling was back again. We made our first trip home in 2 years, and also our spent holiday year end overseas. It was great to be able to fly again, despite the sky high costs.
  3. Our older kid got into GEP program, and managed to cope relatively well. It was a surprise to us as we had done no preparation at all, but since the opportunity had come knocking, it would be a shame to let it pass, so we jumped on the bandwagon, and thank God he could follow the challenging curriculum. Of course, he needs a lot of help, which we certainly try our best to stand beside him. But it’s really an eye opener for all of us.
  4. Amidst the crypto winter, I still have a job, and my employer Bullish is still doing quite well. We managed to hit milestones and records, and thanks to our more cautious and conservative approach to risk taking, we did not get tangled in the crypto mess that had been unearthed so far. Of course, my investment portfolio hit a big loss, as with others who have invested in equities and cryptos, but fortunately I still can hold and not have to liquidate it, since I have stayed clear of margin or loan for investment, and only invested with my own money.
  5. All of us have been healthy so far this year. According to our Chinese horoscope, 2022 was a very bad year for us, especially in terms of health. Thank God, so far it has been ok for us. We got Covid, but who doesn’t, and even then the symptoms were quite manageable and not so serious. Health is really the most important thing in life, for with health comes wealth and everything else.

So, that’s it, my reflections for the year. And with 2023 rolling in, it’s time to plan ahead and see what to achieve for a blooming year.

Thoughts on House of The Dragon, part 1

If you are a Game of Thrones fan, like me, then I guess you also were in shock and utter devastation when the series ended the way it did, and even proclaimed that you would never watch anything related to that universe again. I did, and therefore, I had serious doubt when the news of the new series, House of The Dragon, started appearing. What if it was just another follow up, to squeeze out some more juice from the dragons before they were totally dry? My open wound has not really healed yet, even though three years has passed, and so I approached the new series with a lot of suspicion, treading gently and keeping a distance, so that if it was really that bad, I would be able to run away. But instead of running away, I was sucked in the moment, the dragons flew above King’s Landing, and I was immediately transported back to the world that I loved so much and held so dear not long ago.

After the wonderful start, the story unfolded in a way that could not be more impressive. The characters started appearing, and they were all wonderful, no matter which side they were on. Each character left their mark on the flow of the story right away after they got onscreen. The script was really solid, it left enough room for character buildup, but not so much that the plot became thin and the audience feeling bored, which was no mean feat given the huge amount of characters to introduce in one hour of the first episode. I was especially impressed with Daemon Targaryen. He was part Jon Snow, part Jamie Lannister, part Tywin Lannister, all in one, and he was riding a badass dragon. What more can I ask for?

Even though we have a king sitting on the Iron Throne, the show was very much about women and their fight for power, sometimes overtly, but most of the time covertly through their male counterparts. And although it was a noble idea to name a woman as heir to the throne, that fateful decision proved deadly in the end, as it set the stage for conflicts to brew and finally blow off, burning everyone in the process and leaving nothing but carnage in the end. It was applicable in medieval time, and it is still applicable right now, despite all the efforts to bridge the gap between men and women.

Right in the middle of all those scheming and political calculations are two young women, two innocent girls who grew up as best friends, who trusted each other so much and understood each other so much that nothing seemed to be able to come between them. But power corrupts people, and it was very sad to see them torn apart, following different paths, which would very soon cross each other, turning friends into enemies and making them lunge at each other’s throats (literally and figuratively).

And the dragons. OMG. Talk about the dragons. Unlike the original series, where the dragons were more of a cameo-like appearance, and sometimes gone MIA for a few episodes straight (we cannot blame them either, as CGI does not come cheap, and there were only 3 dragons anyway), dragons were front and centre in this new show, which was great. And they look great, distinctive, recognisable, and absolutely fearsome. Caraxes is red, with scary long neck and tail, just like her rider Daemon. Syrax, on the other hand, is almost golden, and much more proportionate, perfect companion for the heiress Rhaenyra. Moreover, we can feel the very strong bond and deep relationship between the dragons and their riders in this series so far, which will be pivotal in time to come.

Oh yes, the king. Since you have an iron throne “the most dangerous seat in the Seven Kingdoms”, you need someone to sit on it. And more often than not, the one who is chosen to sit on it is either not worthy to own it, not able to hold it for long, or suffer a not very desirable fate. Plus, how more pathetic can it be than to get cut by the throne, and suffer one injury after another. Viserys was not a bad person, he was just an awful king. He was the mirror image of Robert Baratheon, just a few hundred years earlier, and with a different color of hair. But both guys were equally weak, indecisive and got fooled by their small councils. And that is the perfect setup for disaster to happen and for chaos to erupt, the very moment they were out of the scene. They were great puppets, which was the reason why they could Iive out their days, but once they were gone, that was when the real power showed up and the war for ultimate power began.

So far, my favorite character in the first part of the series is none other than Daemon Targaryen. He was a great fighter, and fighting scenes are always great fun to watch. He had a devil-may-care attitude, did not succumb to bullshit, and was never reluctant to speak his mind, even though that might step on some serious toes. Plus, he looked great on his dragon, Caraxes. And he had a ruggedly handsome look, not so perfect like Jamie Lannister, but he had a flair for power and an aura that nobody could underestimate him. I don’t know if he would be a great king or not, he did not even seem much interested in being king or wearing a crown. I think he just wanted to bring his house back to its former glory. But I may be wrong, dead wrong. Let’s wait and see.

My next favorite character is none other than Rhaenyra Targaryen, the heiress to the throne. Despite her young age, she was determined, sharp like a Valeryan blade, and smart as hell. She also knew how to talk to people, to convince them, threaten them, manipulate them or just will them to her own way. She had a splitting image of Cersei Lannister, but she also had the Targaryen blood, the blood of the dragon. Daring, strong will and stubborn, she was even more hard headed than her uncle Daemon. And she knew her way around the court, she knew how to play with power. That made her someone very interesting to watch. It’s a pity that we will not see the actress Milly Alcock in the second part of the series, as she will be replaced by the older version of the character. She was not the prettiest girl on set (probably on purpose, her childhood friend Alicent Hightower was played by a much more dazzle looking actress Emily Carey), but her character really shone brightly everytime she appeared onscreen. And my favorite screens were always those the she were with his badass uncle. They were simply great. Together. Period.

Just some random thoughts on the new series, in no particular order. I really love it so far, and I am looking forward to each and every episode. Let it burn.

The Merge, and the bright future of Ethereum

https://bullish.com/news/insights/the-coming-ethereum-merge/

This is arguably the most important event in recent crypto history, even rivaling the creation of Ethereum itself some years ago.

With the move to PoS, there will be a lot of potential use cases that will be unlocked, making Ethereum much more useful and applicable in a wide range of industries, and empowering their smart contracts even further. Coupled with the already widest market, the proof of stake consensus mechanism and the sharding mechanism that will come soon after will overdrive Ethereum and may even leave the so called Ethereum killers in the dust, struggling to survive or hold market share. The future cannot be brighter. Furthermore, with the move, their competitors will have no choice but to innovate and invest more to keep themselves relevant and competitive, and that will drive the whole industry forward.

I am personally super excited. The next few years of crypto will be very exciting, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds, and definitely want to be part of it. Time to load up, in knowledge, experience and portfolio allocation, especially now that we are still in a bear market, which gives us the precious time to learn and earn and invest at a discount. 

The need for a connected metaverse

https://digiday.com/media/why-nfts-must-be-transferable-between-platforms-for-the-industry-to-survive/amp/

Totally agree with the points presented in the article. It will surely hyperdrive adoption of NFT and metaverse once the interoperability issue is resolved.

The metaverse is supposed to be a huge interconnected network, not a collection of separate islands. The use case and the value of assets will be enhanced significantly once they can be utilised across different platforms. And that will also drive cooperation, collaboration and collective creativity as the developers will be more encouraged to develop new cool stuffs knowing that their creations will be able to work in multiple platforms and therefore reach a much larger group of potential customers.

Network effect is the most important measurement of the success of the metaverse. With a bigger customer base, network effect increases, and the assets jump in value. Connecting the different platforms into a consolidated metaverse helps achieve stronger network effect, just like what happened to the Internet a few decades ago.

It’s even more true and applicable to the NFT market as a whole, not even game related NFT. As of now, NFT arts in particular are residing in their own networks, restricting their reach to a global audience. Even the biggest NFT marketplace, OpenSea , does not support all networks, just the major ones. That hugely limits the marketability of NFT in minor networks. If one day in the future, you can mint a NFT in any network, and list it for sale in a global
marketplace, without paying huge gas fee, I believe the market will explode and the true value of NFT will surely shine.

The issue is not restricted to the NFT market though. If you look further, into the crypto space as a whole, interoperability is still a big problem with no simple solution. Different networks don’t talk to each other easily, and tokens listed on one exchange cannot be easily bridged to another exchange. Of course, major coins and tokens are widely supported, but those smaller coins will find it hard to get liquidity, especially in bear market like now. That drives companies to develop bridges, but they are just tactical fixes, not long term solutions. If there can be a standard communication protocol between different blockchain networks, the blockchain industry will be in hyperdrive. But until then, we have to make do with transferring tokens across different bridges and paying toll along the way. #nft #blockchain #crypto #itnteroperability #bridges

A case study against Doge – or any meme coin

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/cryptocurrency/what-is-dogecoin/

This article pops up in a very appropriate time when DOGE starts rallying again due to the side effect of Elon Musk buying Twitter. I have never been a fan of meme coins, and I don’t think I will ever be, even though they have experienced crazy pumps that are rare even in the crazy world of cryptocurrency.

I totally agree with the author of the article. It’s ok to put down a token sum in order to understand the system better. It’s more to get you in, and give you some skins in the game, to inspire and spur you to start. But anything more than that will require some serious thinking on your part.

It’s not uncommon to see pump and dump in crypto space, and the market is still largely controlled by the whales and FOMO nowadays. So unless you are a whale, you are at the mercy of unpredictability, and just a whale dump will result in unexpected and significant loss for you. It has happened before and it will happen again (look back to SHIB a few months ago). And it is even more frequent and severe for those cryptos with little use case and rely heavily on sentiments, like meme coins and specific game coins.

A vast, complex and strong ecosystem with a healthy amount of TVL can provide support for a coin or token when the market swings. Without it, anything can happen. And with that belief, I am done with meme coins. I had fun with them for a while, but then the fun stopped, and it was time to say goodbye 😁

Factfulness – A beautiful book full of positivity

It was the first book I’ve read in the year 2022, and it’s totally worth my time. A really good start for my reading journey this year. The book was full of positivity, as the main focus of the author was to spread the message of a better world that we are living in.

The overarching theme throughout the book is that the world we live in is better than we perceive, and people’s lives are still improving everyday, despite us being aware of the slow and incremental change. That is very encouraging, especially given the fact that we are being bombarded on a daily basis by the media with all the shocking and tragic world stories that seemed to portray a world that is getting worse and more dangerous. Fortunately, that is directly opposite to the truth, and by showing the data and facts, the author set out on a journey to change our perception, one person at a time.

The author also outlined 10 misleading instincts that prevent a lot of people from having a fact-based worldview, and how to combat them with facts and data. It’s really astounding to discover that human are worse than chimpanzees by a mile when it comes to factual knowledge test, and it’s even more shocking to find out that, the more educated the group is, the worse they fared in the test. Probably it is the information sources that those well educated people have access to and what they are being told. It clearly shows that people may just be educated with the wrong knowledge, and that the media rarely tell objective and credible news.

The most interesting and thought provoking myth that was debunked by the author is the gap instinct. It’s a deep rooted concept that has been ingrained into us since we were young. We always think of the world as us vs them, with a vacuum in between. Human vs alien. Hero vs villain. Developed vs developing countries. And that narrow frame of mind has led to many other instincts and misunderstandings mentioned in the book. The suggested breakdown of the world into 4 income levels is a brilliant concept. It reframes the way we think about the world, reduces the gap between countries and realigns our generalizations in a better way (after all, we still need a way to generalize and categorize things around us, due to the vast number of individuals that go far beyond our ability to comprehend and assess them all at one go). Besides, correcting our gap instinct also has an impact on our fear instinct, straight line instinct, size instinct and destiny instinct, so if you have time only for one chapter, that is the one you should read, in order to get the most out of this amazing book (of course you are welcome to devour it all).

By now, if you still have a nagging feeling that this book is all well and good, but it has nothing to do with you, and the concepts are more for the people at the top, well, nothing is further from the truth. Some of the instincts there are as applicable to us as they are to heads honchos. For example, the news tend to be heading towards negativity and shock factor, so keep that in mind when reading the news. Good news is hardly news at all, and the world is much safer now in spite of all the shocking news all around us. And we should look at things from different perspectives and seek different opinions and viewpoints in order to have a more well rounded view of events that happen around us, and thereby making more informed decisions. Another applicable advice is to avoid blaming others when things don’t go according to plan. Instead, look into the system and see what to fix the system in order to avoid such issue in the future. And remember, most of the deadlines are negotiable and not set in stone, so take ample time to consider before making decision, and don’t get yourself pushed into making knee jerk reaction. Don’t procrastinate, but also don’t blindly jump into action without enough information. Those are all practical advices that can improve our lives everyday.

Happy New Year 2022

So, 2021 has left and 2022 has come, and here is the customary new year post where I look back at the old year and look forward to the new year.

Let’s start with the old year first. While it seemed to be another lost year, and an extension of a disappointing year, in fact it was really a memorable year for us, which we managed to achieve quite a few big goals individually and as a family.

1. Covid-19 vaccination for the adults

While the pandemic still raged on, at least we had an additional weapon to fight against it: The vaccines. And even though many have doubted them, they have really helped improve the situation. And so once it was our turn, we quickly booked the slots, and to be honest, we felt much better and more assured to carry on with our lives once we were vaccinated. The only concern we had was that our kids were still not eligible and therefore we still had to limit our time out to reduce the risk of carrying back the virus to them.

P.S. Right at the doorstep of the new year, we got the booster shots and my elder kid had the first shot, so we are feeling much more relieved right now. Thank God the side effects were not severe for us, we only got a bit of headache, pain and tiredness, but nothing more serious and back to normal 2 days after the shots.

2. Passed driving test and got a car

Although I was not the brightest student when it came to driving, I was glad that I passed, on my 4th attempt (so embarrassing 🙈). We quickly got a car shortly after that, despite the fact that cars in Singapore cost an arm and a leg. Well, at least we started with an affordable used Vezel, and we have been making full use of it. In fact, I was very grateful that we got a car when we needed it the most, with the fear of public transport in the time of the pandemic and our increasing need to travel around in Singapore. After almost one year of driving, I cannot say I am perfect, but I believe I have improved quite a lot, and I start enjoying it more and more these days.

3. Staycation, staycation, staycation

We have never stayed in Singapore hotels so frequently before, but with the borders closing tight, that is the only option for family relaxation. And so we started exploring different hotels in this tiny island and what they have to offer, and I must say I was quite impressed and surprised by some of them, both in terms of the high level of service and the quality and variety of food and activities on offer. Now at least if the situation is still bad, we have something to fall back on, and we know exactly which one to book for our next block of leave clearance.

4. Competitions, Olympiads and GEP

Last year was a remarkable year for my son. He started P3, with exams and tests and grades starting to be captured in record book. And thank goodness he has been doing quite ok so far, even managed to get into the top 25% for his level. And he started getting exposed to more competitions outside of school. He participated with the Maths Olympiad, and even got 2 Bronze medals, which was totally unexpected for us. And he was sent to the Robotics competition, even managing to get into the final round. And the best news came at the end of the year, when he passed the GEP selection exams, without any preparation at all, sending us into a frenzy with all the procedures to select and switch school, and their cascading impact on logistics, housing, transportation and stuff. But it was a really pleasant surprise, and it would make 2022 and exciting year for us as a family. I am really proud of him, even though we seldom praised him, and most of the time scolded him for his carelessness, but he really surpassed all our expectations.

5. Crypto, blockchain and professional advancement

2021 was an exceptional year for crypto, with Bitcoin getting more mainstream, and the crypto market cap reaching all time high, with some specific assets booming in values. All the while, I have been a crypto skeptic, choosing to stand on the sideline and sticking to my traditional investments. However, since I worked for a crypto company, building the next level of crypto exchange, I had no choice but to get my feet wet and my hands dirty, in order to learn in greater depth about the technology and the industry as a whole, and so I opened my first crypto trading account. It has been an eye opener for me, and although I have not earned much, I would say I have learnt a lot and I am much more confident in discussing about the space, and that also help me compare and contrast, and gain a newfound respect of the amazing product that we have toiled over for almost 2 years. And our efforts have finally paid off. We are now live @ bullish.com And though the path ahead is still challenging, at least we have achieved what we set out to do, and we hang on till the end, not giving up or dropping off no matter how frustrating the journey has been.

And so, 5 points to wrap up an incredible year 2021. A toast for a job well done, and looking forward to a more amazing year ahead. Onwards and upwards, 2022!

Money Heist Part 1 Episode 3 – Tension Runs High

As mentioned in my previous post, I am slowly rewatching Money Heist, and I have just finished the third episode. I don’t know when I can finish, but this rewatching exercise gives me more insights and draws more lessons in life and work than the first pass. Let’s get going.

After the stage is set, now we see tension run high as the group started getting to work inside the Mint. In the language of project management, this is the start of project execution, after the project planning phase. And it’s really when tension starts increasing ans people start deviating from plan. There comes the first lesson: Project plan tends to fail, and when it does, it’s important for the project manager to stay close to the team and work together to pivot. Tokyo was right. The Professor was too far away to be effectively managing his project, and without his close attention, the plan started falling apart as issues occurred that was not in the plan and the team started improvising solutions. So, be with your team and work closely with them so that you can resolve arising issues promptly and reasonably.

Another lesson from the episode is: Keep your emotion out of business. As a famous movie character once said: “It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”, mixing up business and personal life can be detrimental, especially in a highly charged project like a heist. The Professor was well aware of that pitfall, so he went to great lengths to prevent the team members from getting personnally connected or attached, like referring to them by nicknames and not real names. He had a reason to do so. Personal emotion can cloud your judgment and when you take things too personal, most of the time you cannot think straight anymore. However, it’s easier said than done. You put a group of young people in close proximity for a couple of months, and sparks likely will fly. And so it did. That’s why companies normally try to avoid having family members working in the same team.

Squid Game – A thrilling series with lots of meaning

By now, if you still haven’t heard anything about Squid Game, you must have been a hermit crab, or you must have been hiding under a rock somewhere. The thrilling series has been conquering the top position in Netflix most watched lists all over the world, and spawning countless related products, memes and quotes. It’s on track to be the most watched series on Netflix ever. And audience are starting to speculate about the second season, even though the first one was released only less than 1 month ago.

The show is rated M18, due to its violent nature, but instead of being a niche one for a group of viewers only, it is still attracting more audience everyday. I myself was curious when I saw the poster in the coming soon section of my Netflix app, so I added it to watchlist, but I did not immediately jump into it when it was available, due to the lack of trailer and the fact that the description and some photos from the series looked a bit dubious to me. But the moment I started watching, I got hooked right from the first episode. With only 9 episodes the story was unveiled quickly and the events were fast paced, unlike some other Korean dramas.

The concept of the series is not new. It’s the kind of survival game, where players fight, and even kill, others to live. We first saw it in the global phenomenon called Hunger Games. However, this series is quite different, in the sense that the producers focus on the life stories of the players, and their emotions throughout the course of the game, from their joining day to their demise. It’s not just senseless massacre, or even the games themselves, that makes this series a hit. It’s the rollercoaster emotions of the players, big and small, and the touching story behind each character. The series devotes enough time to each character so that we can understand the reason why they join the game, and build connection with them, so that when they leaf the game, their death sparked in us some kind of feeling.

What I love most about this series is the meaning, stories and sacrifices. All the players joined the game without any idea what would happen to them. However, when reality set in, and they knew the deaths were real, they quickly adapted, found a way to stay alive, and even saved others’ lives. That ability to collaborate and adapt is what helped human evolve from caves to the most prominent species in the world. And it is proven to be vital skill to survive the rest of the game as well.

Another spotlight of the series is how people deal with each other when they need to do whatever it takes to survive. Loyalty is non existent. Allies are created just temporarily, to get through one game at a time. And all the ugly things about human beings surface. They cheat, lie and backstab in order to get through, even willing to sacrifice others, step on others, or hide behind corpses just to get to the next game. And as one player said, nobody was really innocent, and everyone had blood on their hands, the further they proceed in the game, the thicker the blood trail they left behind them. Unlike the first time when they entered the game without any knowledge or expectation, those who decided to come back knew full well what they signed up for and what was at stake, and willing to risk their lives for the remote chance of earning billions and having another restart of life outside. The situation is really kill or be killed, and for those players, it has robbed them of their humanities, only left the human instinct and the primal, animal like behaviours. It’s fair to say that, the further they proceed, the less human they become.

However, right in the center of that survival madness, where there seemed to be no more kindness, only brutality and death, kindness blossomed the shone brightly. The main character was hardly the smartest or strongest player, but what set him apart from others was that he never failed to show kindness, no matter what the situation and how doing so put him at the disadvantage, and might even endanger his own life. He cared about the old man sincerely, and he was not angry with his childhood friend even though that guy sold him short. He took in his team those weaker players that nobody else accepted, and he willingly forgave people no matter how wrong they were to him. That set him apart, and in return, he received help, and kindness was given back to him, mostly in critical moments when he was between life and death. That reminds me of what Cinderella famously said: “Have courage, and be kind”. Be kind to others, and one day others will pay back to you.

So, if you have not watched Squid Game yet, I suggest you should. It’s short, thrilling and hugely entertaining. It will give you a good time, and it may even change the way you perceive life and its value and meaning. And if you have watched it, what do you think about the things I wrote above?

%d bloggers like this: