Greater

I read a reflection by an old friend. It was about a time of their life when they found happiness beyond what they had previously encountered. I was happy.

My incompatibility with most people is that I am too easily happy with too little, on a daily basis. So in order to entertain myself beyond basic happiness, I make up all these tactical goals ... which are ludicrously greater than what most people need to make themselves basically happy. So in terms of necessities, I want too little - in terms of entertainment, I want too much.

I met a new friend today. In getting to know me, they ran the gamut of asking why I am studying - for what use my studies are. I answered simply that I study only what is useful on a daily basis for entertainment. Anything useful beyond that is pure upside. It's good to know how to program computers, evaluate financial statements, and coach people - but none of these things are necessary for happiness. However, they are always entertaining. 

On rare occasions, they also pay pretty good bonuses.

Investment Motivations

I was talking with an entrepreneur/trader friend whom I met as a customer at a cafe I used to run. We became friends when I was tasked by the cafe partners to seek opportunities for a buy-out, and the customer offered some interest. My friend is a bit more emotive than I - and remindsme of the INTJ / Palihapitiya archetype. They are the sort of people who are slightly more resentful about material poverty than myself, so can be somewhat emotive about investing based on beliefs to the contrary, in people and in general.

I find that I don't relate to these, or most people, as investors. The underlying reason is simply that for me, material poverty is not a problem. I mentioned recently to them that I don't invest based on expectations of success. Thinking about what that meant, I guess I administer finance as a tool of discovery, so it is a bit more a matter of science than power acquisition. Of courses, for sundry purposes, we all "do business", "trade", and "invest" to amass just enough power in society to make each one of ourselves happy - but that has generally been a lower priority than science over my lifetime of forty years. I guess we were just raised differently.

Thinking about what "success" is, I remember the question I got from my first interview for a sales position in 2005. My answer at the time was broadly, that if I have time to think about my day, I consider it a successful day. It didn't seem to make sense to the hiring manager - he seemed to want more, in life.

Legality of Poisoning Pests in Malaysia

I was doing some research on dealing with pigeons in my building. It turns out that methyl anthranilate "grape food flavouring" works as a bird repellent. And you can poison pests with "reasonable excuse", thought that phrase leaves things open to debate.

The ministries are two :

• Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability / NRES

• Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security / MAFS / KPKM

The acts of law are four, at least :

• NRES covers Act 317 ( Fisheries Act 1985 )
• NRES covers Act 716 ( Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 )
• MAFS / KPKM covers Act 149 ( Pesticides 1974 ), and its subsidiary legislation, Pesticides ( Pest Control Operator ) Rules 2004
• MAFS / KPKM covers Act 772 ( Animal Welfare 2015 ) via the Department of Veterinary Services / DVS / JPV

The main points are :

• Act 316 : don't fish with poisons, AT ALL
• Act 716 : SPECIFIED species only ; don't hunt with poisons AT ALL ; don't "destroy grain-eating birds" without WRITTEN APPROVAL ; don't capture or kill wildlife on "occupied land" without ( "reasonable belief" that it is "causing or about to cause serious damage" to "crops, vegetables, fruits, growing timber, domestic fowls, domestic animals" AND having "first using reasonable efforts to frighten away the wildlife and failing to do so" AND with a report thereafter about the capture or kill )
• Act 772 : don't poison any "living creature" ( "living" is not defined, "creature" is not defined ; specifies "beast, bird, aquatic animals, reptiles, insects"; EXCLUDES species specified in Act 716 ), without "lawful authority OR reasonable excuse"
• Act 149 : don't import, manufacture, research, or sell pesticides, without registration, specified pesticides only - does not cover USE of pesticides
• Act 149, PR/PCO2024 : don't carry out "general house pest control", "for hire", "on the property of another person", without a LICENSE

Discussion :

• Common pigeons, dogs, cats, would be included under 772, not 716.
• You can carry out "general house pest control" on your own property without a license, with "reasonable excuse" via 772 149, PR/PCO2024 

Enjoy ...