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| Photo by Sang Huynh on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
I hope you are enjoying the festivals and holidays.
Even if you are the chosen few to solider on, I hope the work is more relaxing than usual!
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a fantastic festival season and an awesome break!
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| Photo by Visual Stories || Micheile on Unsplash |
We are officially ending 2021.
And this will be the last update for 2021.
Our net-worth increased, but investment hit a new low. As a result, our net-worth increased less than 2020 during most of which I was not even working.
Ok. I have now witnessed the power of Capital from my own experience…
Below is the usual summary.
The increase was due to “non-routine” income:
Luckily, the income was sufficient to off-set the drop in my portfolio, to at least end the year with a “positive” note.
The avg monthly increment of Net-Worth for 2021 is 13.6k SGD.
This is not only far from my 40/40 goal, but also lower than 2020, thanks to the huge loss of my portfolio.
My portfolio hit a new low this month in the absolute value. And the annualized return rate was almost reaching the lowest point as well…
The loss pretty much eliminated my income from hard work for this whole year.
So be careful with stocks.
Happy holidays! And till next time!
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Happy Holidays!
Nothing for the past week. Enjoy the break!
Till next time!
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| Photo by Lee Jeffs on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
Christmas is a little more than one day away.
I am sure you are geared up for the festival and break!
I would like to wish you and your family Merry Christmas!
Also a quick update from me. Read on only if you are interested.
Christmas is expected to be short for me, so is New Year as well as Chinese New Year.
My current commitment stretches beyond Chinese New Year till Mid/Late Feb 2022.
The work is going to be heavy, challenging and time-sensitive.
Good thing is that I am working in a good team and they cut me some slack because I am new.
So it is stressful, but manageable.
I will try to switch off when it is family time and festival time. The sky wont fall anyway.
But the stress would stay in the background nevertheless.
This is the trade-off, stress and time for growth and future.
I longed for the opportunities and complained upon being rejected to them.
So I will make the best out of this one.
And I have to say this blog is a helpful place for me to drag myself out of work and have some private time to reflect, recollect and recover.
Thank you very much for staying with me. Otherwise, I might have stopped long ago.
Thank you and again Merry Christmas!
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
I got myself into a wrong commitment and I am not happy.
It is wrong because
A friend asked for the favor to build an automation model in excel using VBA.
She asked me because I had done it before. That was my star project more than 10 years back.
I spent so much time building that model to make it robust and widely applicable.
What she asked was really just the basic features that could easily be taken care of.
The problem was I no longer had that model. I did not take it with me when I left the company…
So save your work always guys.
So I had to build a new one to help her.
Another problem was that once the automation model was built and shared, people would always ask for new features and VBA is not a particularly robust tool.
This would be a problem for her if she does not know enough about the coding and the model.
I felt it was probably a wrong idea when she asked.
But I did not really get this out to her.
We were quite close as colleagues and she did help me before.
I wanted to return the favor and maybe secretly wanted her gratitude as well.
Hands down, I do not want her in my team.
She just asked and waited, without showing any initiative.
She did not really want to acknowledge that she needed help even though she asked for it.
So when I asked for her raw file so that I could build the model that she could straightaway use, she refused and insisted to adjust the model herself.
She did not get back to me until last minute after I sent her the model. Sometimes, it took her months to get back to me. And when she came back with problems, I pretty much forgot about the code and had to spend time reading through again.
When we got on virtual discussions, she came unprepared and most time was spent on things she should have prepared beforehand. I had to constantly remind her to focus on the problems too.
She did not spend the time to populate the input table. So I could only test with a sample. New problems and requirements kept coming out when she added more sample in.
….
I did not mind helping her. But the whole process could have been so much more efficient.
I noticed her behavior above and was annoyed by it.
But I did not give her the feedback.
She was not going to build a new career and achieve some new heights or anything like that. She just needed to get by.
But I do think I could have helped her more by e.g. pushing her to respond earlier and checking her preparation…
She asked in Aug and I was working 1–2 hour a day. I thought we could fix everything in a week. So no big deal.
It has been 4 months…
With the extra commitment and recent changes, I have been working 14 hours a day since Oct.
Now her behavior just seems more annoying…
And it has not ended.
She has problems all the time because she changes code but cannot even do the most basic debugging…
A few leanings from this wrong commitment:
Till next time!
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
No transactions for the past week.
Still observing my portfolio dropping even further without any actions.
Till next time!
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| Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
It has been about a month since I received the VR headset.
I was playing it daily until the battery ran out for the first few days.
While the experience was largely positive, things like clarity and motion sickness did bother me.
After a few days, I found myself having to make a conscious effort to put it on.
And that made me almost return it.
But I did not, because I procrastinated.
And I started to get busy.
I did not touch the headset for like a week.
And then when I put it on again, the immersion pleasantly surprised me for the 2nd time.
And I started to feel lucky that I had not returned it.
So I started to get really casual about it, playing one or two times a week, depending on my schedule and what I want to do.
And every single time, I loved the emersion, despite all the problems, like clarity, moisture after like half an hour, etc.
And the little moments that jumped in now and then were particularly satisfying.
For example, I was struggling with different ways of holding the gun (controller) for better aiming and suddenly I got into a position I felt comfortable and familiar with.
And then it came to me that that was exactly how I held a real rifle in the live-fire range in Canada.
At that time, I was struggling with different awkward positions trying to look through the iron sight and line up the target.
A veteran saw that and came to me, telling me to put the rifle stock against my shoulder and move my head forward along the stock until I could see through the sight, instead of trying to bend my neck sideways like an idiot to press my cheek against the gun.
That worked and I had a good time.
That moment was particularly satisfying for me, not only because it brought back fond memories, but also because this VR thing was so much closer to how things really worked.
I would have never got that experience no matter how much I play flat-screen shooters.
Furthermore, I am also exploring new things, like videos and social interactions.
They are all largely fun and the experiences are remarkable.
I am happy that I did not return the headset and I think I have found a proper way to use it.
Play when I feel like playing it and focus on the immersion and ignore the problems, and meanwhile, wait for the next-gen headsets.
Till next time!
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| Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
It just occurred to me that life is almost entirely our choice.
No matter how good one’s life is, there is always something to complain about. No one would think their lives are perfect, at least most of the time anyway.
On the other end, no matter how bad one’s life is, there is always something to be grateful for.
Therefore, it is almost entirely our choice how we go about life.
There are people who have everything but never feel enough.
There are also people who have so little but feel so grateful and happy about what is going on around them.
It hard to say the former has a better life than the latter.
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| Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash |
How about me?
I find myself having a range within which I am constantly moving.
I do complain, especially on the financial side of things.
The opportunities I have missed are worth multiples of our total net-worth which we have worked so hard and saved so hard to accumulate and they are enough to put us well in financial freedom already.
At the same time, I do feel grateful.
While I lost precious opportunities, that is nothing like “terminal sentence” where I am denied to all subsequent opportunities. I am denied to some for sure, but luckily not all.
As a matter of fact, new opportunities never stop coming to me. For some, I would be denied to them; for some, I would let them go; for some, I would try my best to grab them. At the end of the day, maybe I am lucky to grab one or two.
That is something to be grateful for.
And people who trust me never stop helping me. And in the process, I get to know more great people and I would be working hard to earn their trust and prove my value to them.
Again, this is something to be grateful for.
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| Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash |
Therefore, I am constantly moving along the line on a day by day basis.
Luckily, in my opinion, the range is manageable as it never goes to the extreme.
But I do notice that things generally work out better if I am on the “Gratitude” side.
The other thing I try to do is not let the emotions affect my actions.
No matter where I am in the range, I try to maintain clear priorities and act on them.
This, however, does consume self-discipline and will power.
Therefore, all in all, it is beneficial to me to be on the “Gratitude” side.
However, I do not forcefully put myself on any side. I have learned to leave buffer in my life, including room for wastage of self-discipline and will power.
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| Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash |
No matter what lives we are leading now, there are always things to be grateful for and things to complain about.
It is almost entirely our choice how to go about life.
For most, that moves within a manageable range.
Things may generally work out better if we are on the “Gratitude” side.
However, do allow ourselves to come to the “Dark side” from time to time and even stay there for a bit. It is ok as long as we are not lost in it.
Most importantly, do not lose sight of our priorities.
Till next time!
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| Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
I made some transactions in the past week. Below is the summary.
I am literally ignoring my portfolio.
So not looking, not moving, and not feeling...haha
Happy investing!
Till next time!
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| Photo by Charles Forerunner on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here.
I have been meeting a lot of people lately, virtually and face-to-face.
From the interactions, two things become really clear:
That infers two findings:
That further infers two conclusions:
In some cases, a follow-up email takes half an hour or longer to write, because a summary of that specific interaction is needed and some certain aspects needs to be highlighted and we need to decide which ones.
In some cases, a chat could use up all the spare time we have.
In some cases, emotional benefits needs to be provided, at the cost of acceptable quality loss
… …
It is easy to argue that none of this is necessary and we could better use the time and energy on work.
This could be very true and this could also be the biggest misunderstanding.
What use is work if it cannot solve the problem or it solves the wrong problem.
It is also easy to just skip doing this when under pressure and time constraints.
I need to make sure I do it constantly.
However, at the same time, there is no need to overdo it.
There is no need to proof read an email 20 times even if it is to the big boss.
There is no need to always worry that the summary is not good enough and it will show our incompetency.
There is no need to always be formal. Maybe a quick WhatsApp message would just do the job.
…
The other party is people too.
The key is that we keep doing it.
Only after we get comfortable with doing it, we start to worry about how to do it better.
To us all!
Till next time!
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| Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
An opportunity knocked and I took the risk.
So far, what I have seen is great beyond my expectation.
Challenges will come. I have been warned.
But I should have this month to prepare as much as possible.
I am going to really try and make it this time.
I am grateful for the opportunity.
With this opportunity, there is real possibility that I will hit my 40/40 goal next year, 5 years earlier than my original plan.
But I need to prove I deserve it first. I need to make it.
This will be the absolute focus from now, in a sustainable way.
So promises are made and stages are set.
To all my readers,
Thank you for staying with me until now!
I really hope you will be there when I announce the achievement of the 40/40 goal, hopefully end of 2022 or beginning of 2023.
Thank you!
Till next time!
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
We are in Dec! Last calendar month in 2021! How time flies!
Here is another update on the weekly transactions,
Still NIL.
My portfolio got some recovery last month. And with the new variant, it tanked again to 170K paper loss...
Not sure what to do or think about it...
If it continues to drop, maybe some buying opportunities will emerge for the counters I am looking at.
So life goes on!
Till next time!
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| Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
It is Dec. Have you secured your income tax relief for 2021?
If not, below are 3 things you should consider right now, because they “expire” after the last working day of the year and you will lose your chance to save on taxes.
First of all, let’s distinguish tax relief and tax rebate.
Tax relief means a portion of your income is not subject to tax.
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| Photo by Visual Stories || Micheile on Unsplash |
Tax rebate means a portion of your income tax is off-set and does not need to be paid by you.
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| Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash |
In this post, we will focus on the 3 types of tax relief that typically applies to employees with regular pay-check, which I guess is most of us.
You need to complete them by year end to enjoy the relief.
So let’s begin. While you need to determine your priorities based on your own situation, below sequence is what I follow and suggest.
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| Photo by Visual Stories || Micheile on Unsplash |
1.Voluntary Contributions (Cash) to Medisave Account (VC-MA)
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| Photo by Visual Stories || Micheile on Unsplash |
2.Top up (cash) your CPF Special account (SA, below age 55) or Retirement account (RA, age 55 and above)
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| Photo by Andre Taissin on Unsplash |
3.Top up (cash) Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) account
If you have done all 3, super! If you have not, please consider based on your actual situation. A dollar saved is a dollar earned.
Till next time!
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| Photo by Emerson Vieira on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
I had dinner with a colleague.
It has been a very long while since my last dinner outside.
This is partly because of Covid.
But mostly, I am somewhat an introvert, usually not keen in meeting people and would love to save the money.
But the dinner was good.
The steak was very nice!
The chat was very nice!
The walk afterwards was particularly nice.
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| Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash |
We chatted for a long time, from work to life to investing to future plans.
My colleague was very talkative and he was a very confident man.
So when the topic came to retirement and financial wellbeing, he confidently elaborated his status.
He was in a very good position financially and he saw himself being able to retire with enough money before his planned retirement age.
So he was very confident and relaxed.
He would not be looking to make more money. Life style is more important to him. I think he would not be able to understand if I had told him that I was working the job and some extra commitment at the same time, pushing my average daily working hours to 14 hours.
He had some quite expensive toys.
He rented a 5k+ per month apartment here in Singapore.
He paid for the dinner also.
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| Photo by Thomas Tucker on Unsplash |
I believe I won’t be worse off when I am his age.
Actually, by rough calculation, even if I just stay put, I believe I will be there.
However, I am not as nearly confident.
I would be seeking to trade my time and lifestyle to an extent for money.
And I can see I would be much more frugal than him in the many years to come.
For what?
I am not entirely sure.
I know we wont starve in Singapore and would have enough to raise the kids and for retirement. Worst case, we can still rely on the government.
And all those frugal lifestyle only saved small money.
One opportunity missed or grasped would just render all that completely pointless.
And maybe that did contribute somehow to the opportunity being missed or grasped.
What is life about after all?
With all these thoughts, reflections and knowledge, I still do not see myself change much in this aspect…
Knowing and doing is oceans apart. I am a living example of that.
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| Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash |
Another observation I got was that he was generous.
One of the common colleagues of ours were out of the country and needed his apartment checked.
So he went. Apparently, the key had been passed to him.
I needed to shake all the steak anyway. So I went with him.
We walked and talked along the way.
When we reached the apartment, we were greeted by a lock out of battery.
We could not open the door.
We called the guy overseas, explained the situation and he promised to come back with the battery.
Would I have done it for the guy overseas?
Probably not and probably the guy would not trust me with the keys either.
They knew each other for much longer for sure and they almost always stood together against a common boss.
But that trust and commitment does not come easy.
I also think the culture plays a big part.
None of the local colleagues has relationship of that level with them. And I can imagine I could feel more comfortable doing that for a Chinese guy also.
But I do get a sense of sincerity and content out of it.
None of this would feel the same way if one is not happy with his life.
And people can feel that.
Till next time!
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| Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash |
Dear Readers,
Thank you for coming here!
It is end of Nov 2021. One month to go! Time flies.
The remaining one month is super critical for me also.
Here is another update on the weekly transactions,
Still NIL.
The market dropped because of the new variant of Covid.
For the counters I wish to buy, it did not drop enough.
For my existing counters, I have no expectation for them anyway.
So life goes on!
Till next time!
