Chai > Recent Status Updates

« The obvious is no longer obvious in today’s world. » Amen to that 🙌

A talking cat in a Japanese novel? Color me surprised 😅 I’m here for it though, I never read about talking cats without the novel being a really fun read

“Every day i sang, Grow and grow, my baby. And then, one day, you were bigger than me.”

“Mother was a presence that got him to continue building his resolve as a man, as a human being.”
It’s nice for a change to read a story of a mother-child bond that is just as strong as It is in my culture.

"You were caught off guard. You had never thought of Mother as separate from the kitchen. Mother was the kitchen and the kitchen was Mother. You never wondered, did Mother like being in the kitchen?"

‘If there were no sea between you and me there wouldn’t be this painful goodbye…’ It’s hard not to read this book without reflecting on your relationship with your mother, especially if you live thousands of miles away..

Interesting outlook on mentorship, how It can be a trial period for a management position, how you need to define what you want out of that mentorship relationship (something I need to work on tbh). My favorite part of this chapter was possibly the Alpha Geek description, i’ve worked a lot with this type of people before and it’s always intimidating.

Chapter on goal setting; a mix of smart and stretch goals, where stretch goals are detailed into smart goals seems to be more efficient, and of course, one must take a step back and think if the goals they're working towards are the right goals. Never too late to change proximal goals. (GE example, bullet train invention in Japan in the sixties)

Chapter on building mental models (the AirFrance 447 flight vs Qantas 32 flight). To avoid cognitive tunnelling, it’s best to build a habit of building several mental models of what could potentially happen, to challenge your theories of what is happening and what should be done, rather than to react according to the textbook.

Trying to figure out which patterns were best to achieve maximum cohesion within a team (extrovert/introvert ratio, diversity etc) led to inconclusive and rather contradictory results. Eventually, research showed that psychological safety is key to accomplish that, meaning when each member feels that they can take risks within the group and not feel embarrassed or be punished for it.

Might seem like a self help book, but It's more about the analysis of the human brain to be more productive. I'm glad I bought this, even though It was a gift to someone else lol
Anyway, takeaway from first chapter about motivation: Choice is very powerful in generating motivation, and the ones that are most powerful in doing so convince us we're in control and endow our actions with larger meaning.

Yeah their plan is messed up..

Okay it's been a while since I read a book, so I'm getting back at it...by reading a book about depression..yaaaay *slow mo voice*
In all seriousness though, It's probably the most accurate description I've ever read of what being depressed feels like

Painful to read

Fermina admitting that the main reason she rejected Florentino was because he seemed less than a person and more of a shadow of a person rings oddly true...

"He believed that when a woman says no, she is waiting to be urged before making her final decision" ummm......