List: Personal Essays | Curated by Alvin T.

Nov 28, 2023
19 stories
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Personal Essays
Alvin T.
in
About Me Stories
About Me — Alvin T.Permanent outsider, over-thinker, INTP, coffee addict, beer lover
Nov 28, 2023
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Nov 28, 2023
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Alvin T.
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ILLUMINATION
Smart People Make This One Mistake If They Think the World is RationalThe earlier you learn what makes people (including yourself) tick, the more you make your life richer too.
Jul 23, 2022
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Jul 23, 2022
2
Alvin T.
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Digital Global Traveler
Why This Singaporean Doesn’t Write Much about SingaporeA country that’s both crazy rich and “Disneyland with the Death Penalty” doesn’t inspire one to put pen to paper
Oct 16, 2023
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Oct 16, 2023
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Alvin T.
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The Memoirist
What Happens When You Get Obsessed with Mastering Japanese?It changes your life trajectory completely.
Aug 7, 2022
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Aug 7, 2022
4
Alvin T.
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Japonica Publication
How I Moved to Japan at the Age of 31 without Being an English TeacherThe path was not easy and required some major sacrifices early on in my life.
Aug 21, 2023
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Aug 21, 2023
21
Alvin T.
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Japonica Publication
The Dark Side of the Japanese Virtue of “Gaman”Working in Japan showed me the negative side of this often-praised Japanese cultural idea.
Aug 14, 2023
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Aug 14, 2023
26
Alvin T.
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ILLUMINATION
This Humanities Graduate Used to Suffer from Tech Envy. Not Anymore.Techies are making their own jobs obsolete while my low-tech marketing job might not be so easy to automate.
Jun 8, 2023
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Jun 8, 2023
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Alvin T.
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ILLUMINATION
This Over-Thinker Ponders if AI Will Make Us Artificial and UnintelligentWe need to think carefully about how to make use of AI — or this might be the last time humans might ever think.
May 21, 2023
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May 21, 2023
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Alvin T.
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Japonica Publication
How I Managed to Pass the JLPT N1 without Any PreparationNo textbooks, no tuition, and no memorizing kanji lists — but there’s a twist.
Jan 25, 2023
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Jan 25, 2023
5
Alvin T.
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Digital Global Traveler
I Traveled Home to Singapore for the First Time Since the PandemicMany things have changed, and I feel strangely out of place.
Aug 11, 2022
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Aug 11, 2022
8
Alvin T.
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ILLUMINATION
How Can an INTP Be Happy? — A Letter to My 20-Year-Old INTP Self.Your life won’t be easy, but you can begin to make it better.
Jul 11, 2022
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Jul 11, 2022
4
Alvin T.
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Japonica Publication
16年前日本語と出会った私が今、日本に住んで思うことLearning a language can change your life
May 18, 2022
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May 18, 2022
2
Alvin T.
in
ILLUMINATION
The Unbearable Struggle of Being a Quiet Thinker in the Corporate WorldIs there a place in business for intellectual types to succeed?
May 9, 2022
1
May 9, 2022
1
Alvin T.
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ILLUMINATION
This is What a Military-Trained Singaporean Thinks of WarIn bloody war, there are no true winners.
Mar 14, 2022
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Mar 14, 2022
3
Alvin T.
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CryptoStars
Writing About Bitcoin Is Like Writing about Politics or IdeologySomeone is bound to disagree with you and call you names.
Feb 25, 2022
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Feb 25, 2022
8
Alvin T.
I Was a Social Science Grad Student Who Sold My Soul to Capitalism.Here’s what I’ve learnt 8 years later.
Jul 18, 2021
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Jul 18, 2021
6
Alvin T.
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New Writers Welcome
The Corporate World Was Killing My Soul from the Inside. Writing Saved It.Maybe it can save yours too.
Dec 1, 2021
7
Dec 1, 2021
7
Alvin T.
in
Be Open
Recruiters are Always Seeking Ambitious and Passionate Leaders with Proven ExperienceBut what if corporate experience kills ambition and passion?
Nov 21, 2021
2
Nov 21, 2021
2
Alvin T.
But I, Being Poor, Have Only My LaborI have sold my pitiful labor for a wage; thread softly because you tread on my spirit.
Nov 1, 2021
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Nov 1, 2021
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