uncle lim kopi

 I am not an old retiree, so memories of what I did during my working years are still kind of vivid.  That includes relationships with colleagues and major accomplishments. These are in the past, though I do want to maintain relationships with some ex colleagues as I treat them as friends now. Specifically, I am going to talk about accomplishments. Over my 25 years of career life, I had a number of moments where I felt I did something that really impressed myself and others. I clearly remember these. They bring back good feelings, reminding myself how my hardwork and determination and little smarts paid off. These are things which I am proud of, even if they may not always directly or indirectly lead to promotions or more money like bonuses. In fact, it was the compliments and praises from respected colleagues that gave me the best feeling.  Let me state a few key ones: 1. I took on a very hard task to design and execute a very risky and complex migration. I literally did...

 It’s funny. I still think of Monday as Monday  Maybe that’s because my wife is still working a regular job and my kids are attending school.  That helps in giving me some anchor in routine. Else I’ll be floating blissfully in the clouds directionless as atoms This gives me opportunity and time to bring up my own routines, before wife’s retirement and then kids going off school and becoming working adults and moved out. Not bad 

 That’s hard. When I was young, my parents weren’t rich (and still so) but we were not fuck poor.  However, I definitely grew up as a kid in an environment that tells me that everything is scarce. My siblings and I seldom have new toys. We have hand me downs, and gifts from our “richer” relatives. We cherished every single toy we have in our possession. We took good care of them and played with them for many many years.  We never worry about food, but now that I looked back, we certainly didn’t have a protein rich diet vs what my kids have now. It’s a lot of rice, bread, noodles. Even adding an additional egg is rare. I grew up thinking it’s abnormal to just eat a meal which composes of more than 20% meat by volume.  I never had new dictionaries, just old and tattered ones that our older cousins passed to us, probably because they would simply buy a new one if the current one is too torn and battered. I seldom have new clothes, except when it’s CNY.  I still fon...

When I was young in my career before 40, I could be considered a workaholic. I can work more than 12 hours a day, and sometimes even overnight and on weekends. That was how driven I was to learn and learn and contribute and gain visibility.  But once I had my second kid, I changed, mainly also due to circumstances as taking care of a family requires a lot of my time since we don’t have helper.  But I was glad of this change. It was permanent. It made me worked hard but smart, and gave me a North Star which is family and self care vs running like a blind chicken.  Being exposed to the ruthlessness that of reorganizations and layoffs since my early 30s also made my much more self aware of what the workplace should mean in my life. Workaholics always think they are needed and the team they are in is useless. Therefore they tend to overwork, taking on things and tasks from others as they believe they can do it faster and better than their team mates. It also comes from a lack...

 Just took stock this month.... damn, my US holdings dropped by 15% from May to June. WTF I don't need to cash out so I can hold, but this will still have some effect on my mood.  But alas, I need to get used to this. 

Ah, the famous 5Cs that Singaporeans dream or used to dream of.  Condo, Car, Credit Card, Country Club, Cash Uncle got all except country club, I failed.  Or did I? Now, these 5Cs are really outdated as a package.  Who the hell still yearn for country club memberships, except for the very old people (rich ones) and maybe their offsprings? It's like living in a bubble. Pui! And credit card? That's a dream? Chey. Almost anyone can get a credit card or a just-as-convenient debit card these days. Heck, even Uncle's teenage kids have debit cards from Visa/Master, physical cards and virtual ones in their phones. Else how they pay for things? It's mostly cashless these days. So, I would say, this C is totally obsolete. It has become a basic daily convenience lol. Unless your dream is to have a credit card where you literally need that credit to spend more than what you have in your bank accounts. That's not a dream bro, it's a nightmare that will appear later in life. ...

 Slowly but surely, it will succeed  How to defend? Sigh

 I wish an adult who has been through working and started retiring successfully was there to give me wisdom when I first started working. This is what I would tell my younger self when I first started working: - work is a means to a good life, not the life itself - prepare for a fix term of work and a target retirement age. Not a target retirement sum as that sum will keep moving. Work backwards from the target age - don’t be tempted for quick gains and don’t gamble  - buy insurance but don’t over buy. Set a budget - open trading accounts and CDP account - open a savings account in a different bank than your account where salary goes in. This is your real savings account. Set a percentage of pay you want to save every time your salary comes in. Start small is ok, say 10%, and stick to it. Transfer that 10% out immediately to the real savings account and then budget all your spending based on what’s left of your salary. If it’s too tight, find out why and what’s bleeding you. I...

 Whenever I feel unsafe at home, I go away for a while. It's better than to stay around and create more tension or let the issue start morphing into other issues.  Maybe it's like escaping, but we all need an escape valve, to realise tension. Some can take cold showers, eat comfort food, jerk off, punch a bag, but for me, I prefer to go away for a while to my safe space. It could be as simple as drive on the highway (no speeding), or going to a park to walk, and put on my AirPods to listen to my favourite songs. Will it resolve the issue? Nope, but it gives it a pause.  Many issues cannot be resolved so easily. That's life. But we can find ways to manage them so they don't become worser than they need to be.  Of course I want to resolve all issues. Man are fixers right?  That's why we are so stressed out lol. Anyway, life isn't perfect and it's futile to expect a perfect life, where you feel you have to have a life that is like what others are showing you. C...

 I think it's a matter of time I will start going on cruise ships as a way of life. No, I am not going to sell my house and live out of suitcases lol But Singapore being a port city of call, its easy to hope on board world class cruise ships and go Not the fancy expense Disney cruise. That's a little too kiddy and I don't want to be surrounded by kids and child-like-adults. I just want to chill and eat and enjoy life and exercise. Or just be disconnected from the net. And not all cruises are expense. a 4-night cruise from SG round trip that stops at Penang and Phuket, costs around SDG$650 per pax.  If wifey is not keen, I can just do a solo. If I don't buy things or gamble, that's the full price I pay, nothing more!  $650 that means $162 per night, with all food covered. And that's good food, and food that doesn't require you to plan and queue and travel to. And gym is there for me to do my daily workout, and room is always ready and clean each day.  Even if...