Author Archives: sinyaw

Garlicky Memories

Posted on February 21, 2013 by sinyaw

Decades ago, I was in a military exercise during the hot summer of mid-Taiwan. We drove by this garlic field and attempted to find a bargain. This old guy, wrinkled as a life-long farmer, looked at these 4 soldiers in … Continue reading →

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A Fool Proof Get Rich Scheme

Posted on February 15, 2013 by sinyaw

Do you know 5 year Treasure Bill from the US has the yield of less than 1%? Yes, they are really cheap. Do you know the equivalent from China has the yield of about 6%! So, borrow money at the … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Get Rich in China | 1 Comment

Infrastructure and Education

Posted on February 13, 2013 by sinyaw

January 27, 2013 I was watching CNN’s Your Money this Sunday (channel flipping between Tiger Woods). Ali Velshi’s panel, as a rare event, all agreed on what the US government should do: investing on infrastructure and education right now. Other … Continue reading →

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Irrational Decisions

Posted on February 8, 2013 by sinyaw

Two envelopes presented in front of you. Envelop A has a raffle ticket that guarantees 95% probability of winning $1 million. Envelop B has a cashier check of amount X. How much of the X will make you choose the … Continue reading →

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Two Kinds of Breads

Posted on February 3, 2013 by sinyaw

December, 2012 Another trip to Asia, this time with many early meetings: ungodly early like 3am and 5am. I have no problem waking up, but I got hungry. The city (or even room services) would not be awaken by then. … Continue reading →

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The Power of Conversations

Posted on January 28, 2013 by sinyaw

I have never gone to Davos, but World Economic Forum happened in Beijing several times and I attended then. They were the most invigorating conversations I ever had. It was a pompous mission statement: “To improve the state of the … Continue reading →

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Loss and Regret

Posted on January 25, 2013 by sinyaw

A friend is considering suing someone. The lawyer thinks it is a 50-50 chance to win. If she wins, she should expects minimally $400k, otherwise nothing. The lawyer gave her two options on legal fees: she can pay a flat … Continue reading →

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The Passage

Posted on January 20, 2013 by sinyaw

What does the word “epic” really mean? This is a new twist on the old vampire genre. Genre has rules: vampires are essentially immortal; they can be killed only in specific ways; they are physically much more superior than normal … Continue reading →

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Six Common Strategic Errors

Posted on January 16, 2013 by sinyaw

There is the Do-It-All strategy, shorthand for failing to make real choices about priorities. The Don Quixote strategy unwisely attacks the company’s strongest competitor first. The Waterloo strategy pursues war on too many fronts at once. The Something-For-Everyone tries to … Continue reading →

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Somewhere unknown in Virginia…

Posted on January 13, 2013 by sinyaw

Remember Jodi Foster in “Silence of the Lambs?” That she was running in FBI Academy. Where is this FBI Academy? Well, it is in Virginia off I-95 through the exit signed “Quantico Marine Corps Base.” The most amazing part, to … Continue reading →

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