Keep Learning

Tuesday 14th June 2011,

Dear brother,

Congratulations on surviving the exams! I am so proud of you. I don't know the result yet, but it doesn't matter. I am just very proud of you for being the amazing kid that you are.

I just wanted to share with you about Learning.

Today, my boss handed me a box. Turns out it's a Mac computer (and I made a fool out of myself on Facebook cos I didn't even know the "box" is a Max. LOL). Now I have 2 weeks to master how to make an iPad/iPhone app on a Mac so I can lead the company's future project. I know, right. Somehow I was always handed mission impossible during the course of my work life so far, but I definitely will rise to the challenge and deliver it. (On the other hand getting a free "box" from the company might not be that bad.

And I thought of this. As mediocre as I am (refer to last letter), the thing that sets me apart in my career was my ability to learn and to adapt. And I know you have that too. We might not be smart guys, but we are ultra adaptive, like that flexible dude on Fantastic 4. I am glad and grateful for that.

Got my pay slip (Already got my pay end of last month, but now is the official paper), and felt even better. LOL. I am an incredibly lucky guy. It's not that much in Singapore standard, but hey, it's a shitload in Vietnam. The thing that still amazes me is how lucky I am. I came to the interview not really caring how much salary to negotiate (I just wanted to go back home to Vietnam), gave a random number (like, thought about it for 30 secs), got it, and much more. Didn't realize my company is paying for my personal tax (~33%), my government insurance (~5%) and other crap (didn't know until head of Accounting enlightened me). So in the end it's like a 15% increase from my last (slave) work (which already paid more than Singapore's average). That, and an additional 18% interest from the bank (my company owns the bank, so staff rate for me).

Why am I telling you this? Well, to tell you the benefit of learning. And that because I feel good I just wanted to share. Oh and whatever I save goes to your college fund (mom made that quite clear), so yes, you need to know this. Point is, as long as you are good, even if you cost a lot, people will pay it to get you. And learning (note, it's not studying, it's learning) makes all the differences.

I feel very humble (as I am still an idiot, an idiot who called a Max a box) when I am faced with new things But I feel empowered by my ability to learn, to accept what I do not know and try my best to acquire that knowledge.

So brother, keep learning. Even your grades are shit, it's the things you know that matter.

Now, enough ranting. I need to get back to my "box" and learn how to use it so that I can suppress the desire to smash it. "Once you go Mac, you never go back". Let's see about that

With love