uncle lim kopi

 someone said "Buy nice, or buy twice". How true is that We always have a temptation to go for the cheap, discounted item, as we tend to be enticed by the "40%" off original price!  So I also fell into such traps before: - Buying something basic because its way cheaper vs the more expensive mid tier models - Buying something cheap but older model because its so much discounted from its original price Not saying above are bad things to do, but usually they end up with me discarding them and buying the better versions later lol. However, this really only applies to things which I tend to use a lot more. For one-off things that I seldom use, unless their quality matters a lot, I thinking going the "cheap" way is fine as it ensures financial sustainability. But for many things that we want to use regularly, or things that we use occasionally but are important that they work when we need them, I have learned that I should focus on value and function, vs just pr...

What a powerful goal.  It crystallizes the purpose of your efforts and your focus No delay, no excuses, just commit fully to it. I was still in some denial when I first tried retirement in 2024 to 2025. Yes it was a trial and it was good test of my abilities to retire. But I wasn’t committed fully as I still wanted to earn more from a job. But this time, I am ready. I am ready to commit to go all in, Now, to embrace my new role, fully retired from a salaried job, and fully committed to make this work. There’s no plan to turn back unless i am forced to. I want it to work. I want to live my life from this point onwards this way. A life of self care, family care, and life of enjoyment of this wonderful world and whatever it can offer. There’s no need to explain to others who won’t understand. But I will stay humble, and willing to share experiences with others who are keen to know this path. 

For myself, first and foremost, it was the silent drive, lack of silly vibrations as the car ages, and the instant torque and buttery smooth acceleration and precise control via a single pedal.  And it wasn't a financial question, though for my case, it worked out to be slightly cheaper compared to a full petrol car. I am not sure how it compares to a hybrid, but I guess it would be similar, given that both ICE and Hybrid engine cars will still need regular oil and plugs change, while I literally have no maintenance required on my EV, except for wear and tear items that are common with any other cars. Now, what about environment?  It's not my top reason for buying an EV, but when I think of it, it does help in significant ways, mainly to create a more pleasant living environment where I live. This comes from lower noise and tailpipe pollution. One great example is Chinese cities like Shanghai, where you are surrounded by EVs and electric scooters but yet it's pleasant due t...

 It’s really easy to live a decent and not too expensive life here in Singapore , as long as you can afford a place to stay. If you want decent food, you can learn to cook it and buy fresh produce at good prices at mass market grocery stores like NTUC and Sheng Siong . Even upmarket ones like MeidiYa and Cold storage can give good deals if you can spot it.  If you want furniture and things in your home, you can go Ikea , Nitori , and even Muji . If you need clothes, there’s Uniqlo   If you want sports attire and gears, there’s Decathlon   There’s no need to buy expensive branded stuff at all.  If you need medical things, take a bus to JB! 

 As I lay comfortably on bed before dinner time, listening to K-pop music while admiring my tastefully appointed bedroom and looking out the windows through the gaps of my real wood blinds, it hit me. What? Well, if I was still slogging my ass off in a day job in office, this scenario will be extremely rare. I leave for work just when sun is about to rise and reach home after dark. And weekends? There will be errands, shopping etc, and we are hardly at home. Groceries run, exercise, shopping etc all squeezed into the weekends.  So it’s ironic that many of us spent so much money and efforts to buy a nice condo apartment, spent money and time to renovate it extensively and also buy so many things to fill it up nicely, and yet we don’t really spend time to savor all of it. By the time we retire when we are old, the condo is also old and worn down. We never enjoy it when it was new and shiny. It’s so dumb. I am glad I can enjoy mine now while it’s still new.  What a blessed t...

It takes an open and mature mind to look at new technology objectively without personal judgment and without taking hearsay as is. I am talking about ICE car owners in SG. So many times I have heard them saying things that paint a bleak picture of EVs, based on hearsay and rumors, and not based on objective reasoning or real life experience or talking to actual EV owners who are friends  How do you criticize a technology when you don’t read about it carefully and without bias ? Or you don’t read about the actual rules and regulations pertaining ownership of EVs? It’s just make for illogical coffee shop chatter. Zero substance and all entertainment 

 Every morning during school going hours, maybe around 7-720am, everyone with kids going to schools will be taking the lifts of the apartments down to ground floor or basement carpark floors. Sometimes, there will be a choke point created when someone in the higher floors decided to hold the lift to wait for maybe their kids to complete wearing their shoes, thinking they will “save time” by not needing to wait for the next lift.  This is, first of all, totally anti social and selfish behavior.  But also, ironically, if you think about it, this doesn’t really save time for the joker who held on to the lift. In fact, he or she would had reached the ground faster by simply waiting for next lift! Why? See, it’s peak hours. So there is a high chance that each floor will have people waiting to take the lifts. If you hold the lift at your floor (high floor) for too long, the number of people waiting at lower floors increases with every second passed. So what happens to you? Well...