Nice note (there was a press conference where the cops were reminding folks that they don't need warrents for break-and-entry). This past fortnight I've been supremely busy trying to juggle (a) temporary accommodations during lockdowns, (b) stabilisation of a lifestyle business that's large, unwieldy, and slightly traumatised, (c) learning how to add value to a stable company that wants to take a few big leaps.
Most of (a) is spent with a housemate whom I share similar experiences with - we were in a developed country, around the same time in the early 2000s, and we both avoided living there ... myself probably more intentionally, than herself. So anyhow, I've thought a lot about workplace trauma from the past few years, the overall arc of my career, and how implementation has fit into the strategy I designed while in college.
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First off, most of my career ambitions are about skillsets which require no specific geography - the study of computation and the replacement of human labours with machines is unbound, largely, by location.
Second, my main hobby is my career ambitions. I often say that I lack in ambition, but that's with regards to making money. I suppose if you refer to the design of my schedule over the decades, it's somewhat ambitious, just in an unconventional dimension. Anyhow, so that's two big neutral votes regarding staying in a developed nation. There's just no clear "pull". I basically optimised epicurean amusements out of my life because I had already reached a state of happiness way back then, that allowed me to be flippant about the acquisition (or non-acquisition) of stupid shit like fashion, music, travel, cars, houses, food, etc. Decided I had better things to do, and moved on.
Third, retaining a visa or citizenship in a developed nation requires that you actively compete with the crowd - totally not my style. Way too lazy. I'm in Malaysia because I have papers here, really.
Fourth, healthcare here is cheap. Not so much in the US. Really depends what nationstate you're considering, I guess - it's a lot cheaper in some other developed countries.
Fifth, I figured at the time I didn't know as much as I wanted to know about political economy in Malaysia. Definitely caught up on that over the last fifteen years back.
Sixth, I figured that I understood Americans pretty well, and I'd eventually learn enough about Malaysia to be a good advisor to businesses trying to cross into Asia at some point - since I've spent most of my free time studying tech instead of schmoozing, I'm not actually sure this is a role I can ever deliver. Go figure.
Much to do. Much to learn. On we go.
It's not that I want to be in the wild west of the East. I just don't particularly mind it. And I guess that's just my privilege showing.
