The Decode Diary

When one moves abroad, there is a whole new set of skills waiting to be discovered and adopted. Aaryan was already familiar with this since he was already trying to gain acceptance from his family by becoming a calmer and more composed person.

However, moving to Malaysia meant a different approach to being accepted because he needed friends. Adapting once again, his new way of coping may be something completely opposite of what he has been his entire life. The way I see it, he has come a long way, from being a short-tempered kid not liked by anyone, to being an introvert because of obvious reasons and then becoming an ambivert to be a well-balanced character he is today.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1P2p8Js8mLdtPpMdoDYaz2?si=qCaFBlAUSbebFYymt3xn7g

I guess every middle child has this thing with their parents where they think they are not appreciated enough and they try to do whatever it takes to be accepted.

In this snippet, Aaryan showed me how this was the case for him for many years until he realized one day that the treatment wasn't any different and he then seeks his own acceptance instead. From being a short-tempered child, he turned into a calmer person, thinking this would help the others like him better.

I would say if the change in behavior helped him make better decisions that he would not regret, his own acceptance is the only validation he should seek.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1P2p8Js8mLdtPpMdoDYaz2?si=qCaFBlAUSbebFYymt3xn7g

Meeting Aaryan because of a serendipitous encounter at one university alumni event, he came off as a confident kid who seemed on the outside to know what he was doing. He was the emcee at the event and speaking to him on stage was like speaking to the head of the student council. Indeed, but not quite, he is the Vice President of the student council! 

Interestingly, in this conversation, I found out he does not always know the answer to everything and like everyone says, no one actually does. But if there is one thing he notices about his youth, it was his short temper that caused him to be disliked by many, including his family members. The drastic difference in how his parents treated him and his brother made him realize that being calm and composed would likely allow him to reap better rewards. He became introverted because of that. Because of the acceptance he craves from his family. 

I think I can resonate so much with him because of the way we change our behaviors for the same reasons. Acceptance of others. If you are like him and me, this conversation is for you.

Timeline:

[00:00] Hailing from Tanzania

[03:12] Why did he choose to come to Malaysia

[04:16] How was he brought up in Tanzania

[05:13] The middle child treatment

[07:06] His behavior before he found out his parents have been treating him the same way as his brother

[09:22] Why he became calmer

[10:37] Circumstances that made him an introvert

[15:06] Acceptance of his own

[18:14] His coping mechanism after coming to Malaysia

[20:42] Think before you speak, or speak before you think

[23:35] Mindfulness

[25:47] Life in Tanzania vs life in Malaysia

[28:14] His goal here in Malaysia

[31:34] In the national team for cricket in Tanzania

[36:15] Becoming the Vice President of the Student Council and Institute of Chemical Engineers

[50:14] Emotions at work

[53:21] People favor the calmer person in the room

[57:36] What he hopes to achieve as the Vice President of the Student Council

[01:05:37] Is he staying long term in Malaysia

All this while knowing Darren, it’s always about investment and cryptocurrencies that our conversations surround. No doubt it is an enticing form of investment, given the huge bull run Bitcoin has had in 2024 and I probably have missed the bandwagon. Fortunately, knowing Darren means I get to talk to him and learn how best to invest in cryptocurrencies. But first, I need to know what the talk is all about.

If you are interested in just knowing how and what Darren invests in, and a little about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, this episode is for you. If you are a seasoned investor, maybe you will find something of your interest here. Or not. Either way, Darren is just like you and me, trying to make it in life by hedging his position in the market.

Timeline:

[00:00] Misconceptions about Bitcoin

[02:34] Decentralization of Bitcoin

[05:16] How did he get into Bitcoin

[06:33] Why would Bitcoin go up in value

[10:06] Volatility is Bitcoin’s biggest strength

[14:00] How he learns about Bitcoin

[16:33] His crazy behavior around Bitcoin

[19:00] The reason Bitcoin went down in value in 2023

[26:57] Who is hurt the most during a bank run

[27:54] Bitcoin still relies on traditional currencies

[31:53] Understanding ledgers

[37:35] Buying vs mining a Bitcoin

[38:42] Why buy when you can mine

[40:13] Does he mine or buy Bitcoins

[40:53] Why are people selling Bitcoins

[42:17] Cryptocurrency trading platforms

[45:08] When would he sell his Bitcoin

[47:17] Understanding the risk investing in Bitcoin

[48:35] What about taxes?

[51:20] The role of government in policing cryptocurrencies

[53:28] Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)

[59:37] FOMO in crypto trading

[01:00:44] His investment portfolio

[01:03:15] His perception on money

[01:06:50] Impulsive purchase decisions

[01:08:25] How can one start investing in cryptocurrencies

[01:11:30] What to say to people who don’t believe in cryptocurrencies

Disclaimer:

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Of everything we have discussed, I cannot skip this question. For a man like Dr. Khan who has his own opinion after talking to students for years, he must have his own idea of how the education system should look like tomorrow.

In this snippet, he shares with me the way he would change it in general. Students, however, may not agree.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZIrJheefk763Xwg0Ty9n4?si=2mk5fCGyR_uS7_3ps1LXPA

I'm pretty sure we've all done that as students - complaining about the lecturers' teaching method because we are not achieving great results. Sure, we have all the rights to do that.

But in this snippet, what I hope to be clear is the explanation that Dr. Khan shares with me here. Some may agree, some may not, that there is a distribution curve for the quality of students in a classroom and the lecturers can only focus on so many students before the rest feel unattended to.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZIrJheefk763Xwg0Ty9n4?si=2mk5fCGyR_uS7_3ps1LXPA

In this snippet, Dr. Khan shares with me how he disagrees with people who say his quality of teaching has degraded due to the sheer number of research papers he publishes in a year. In his own words, doing research work is harder nowadays than what students think and to keep up is the only way for a lecturer to fulfill their duties.

I sometimes wonder whether we are putting too much pressure and expectations on the lecturers. Maybe we should because they are getting paid to do this, but I think they deserve some credit in the name of science and advancement when they have to juggle between teaching and doing research.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZIrJheefk763Xwg0Ty9n4?si=2mk5fCGyR_uS7_3ps1LXPA