Hiatsu

“Verbal bullying constantly uses words to gain power, belittle and control over a target. Those words have nothing to do with who I am. What's important is how I contribute to the community. My personality, who I am and what I can do for others is more important as a human.” - Izi Lee

To my shock, this is my first post in both 2023 and 2024 combined. I almost forgot I have this blog, which is really naughty of me. Looking back, my past year can be summed up in one word ‘Turbulence’. I experienced the first acquisition of the company I worked in, with probably about 30%-40% of the employees getting retrenched. It has been a period with lots of fear and uncertainties. At this moment, the company is still undergoing a lot of transition, and I still can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I went on a holiday twice since my last blog post, and both times was to Japan, a country I am very familiar with and is very child-friendly. And I made it a point to do something really different compared to previous times - learning to ski. And with much effort, I was able to ski, at least on a beginner-level course on my own. Staying in a tropical country, never in my life would I imagine I would be able to ski one day.

I have always been someone who enjoys the company of friends and family. I would put in the effort to be a sport and organize our gatherings. However, there will always be friends, relatives, and even family members who have so much hate, making them really difficult (impossible) to love. From now on, I decided to give up. I’m done trying. I do not want to be affected by them.

I have been staying in my current house for the past 16 years. We love the house and in fact, are convinced it will be close to impossible to find a better place than where we are. However, due to Singapore’s primary school system, and the fact that there are no decent primary schools near where I stay, I am forced to relocate within the next 1 year. I just hope that I will be able to find an ideal new home, with a good primary school for my daughter.

After accompanying me for so many years, it is finally time to replace my basketball. I never like changes and still stick to the same model.

This was my 青春。”Slam Dunk”, a manga which has accompanied a big part of my youth. Watching this bought back so much memories.

Every year, when it comes to Dec - Jan period, love to visit my favorite ‘Safe place’.

[2 Jan 2024] Skiing at Naeba

6 months worth of update and Genshin

"Good things don't last forever. Everything changes, fades, disappears completely over the passage of time. And so, people must make the most of the life they have, seize the chance to enjoy it while it lasts, and have no regrets in the end" - Raiden Makoto

So, it’s been 6 months since I last updated this blog in January. In general, after I failed the most difficult/troublesome job interview I ever had, it’s been Genshin, Genshin, and Genshin. I wasn’t even that upset with failing that interview. Throughout, I was never sure if that was what I want, and looking back, it could really have been a blessing in disguise that things did not work out. That being said, I worked really hard preparing for it and wanted to take a break away from ‘working hard’. And that was when a friend/colleague introduced the game Genshin. And I have been spending a good part of my time immersing in the game.

Of course, the larger part of my time, I was doing ‘dad duties’. My daughter will be turning 3 this year, and yesterday, on the 4th July, we finally send her to school after multiple delays (Due to Covid). Keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that she will get used to school well.

Created my game account on 16th Jan 2022, and never look back. This will probably make up a good portion of my 2022 year.

A major milestone. First day of school for my daughter.

A simple celebration for my birthday last month

Bought a new shoe recently. It’s a really fun shoe and my daughter and wife took part selecting the Charms for it.

Goodbye 2021, hello 2022

“Our history is the sum total of the choice and action made by each individual, man or woman. It has always been up to us.” - Barrack Obama

So, it’s time for another “Goodbye x, hello x” post. Covid19 continued throughout 2021 with 2 different variants. I am thinking hard to recall what I have done in 2021. The past year has been an uneventful year. Nothing much really happened, and neither did I do much to make things happen.

2021 is probably a year in which I tried to figure out what I really want to do, career-wise. Ended up, I did not find an answer. And I learn to be ok with not having an answer for now. I was constantly having self-doubt coming into 2021, and I have been slowly trying to walk out of it. “When you felt lost about your life, just focus on doing your best in what you are doing. Don’t regret it in the future. One day, you will come across a chance to find your answer.” Honda Tsubasa. This describes me very really well.

The only significant thing that happened is probably me almost doubling my investments. It was a good year for investments, and I believe many people made money as well. On the contrary, the 1st two weeks of 2022 have been so eventful that it almost overshadowed my 2021 year. I went for (and failed) what was probably the toughest job interview in my life, and literately all my investments plummeted. Another thing which I have been trying to do is to accept a new religion into my life. For the whole year, I have been putting effort into trying to. It is still a work in progress.

A recap of my 2021:

1. I put on weight.

2. Almost doubled the value of my investment

Status of my goals for 2021:

1. Re-think about my career - I did. And I did try doing something about it

2. Be stronger emotional and mentally - Work in progress

3. Continue and be better at ‘dad duties’ - I believe I did, still a work in progress

4. Reduce and maintain my weight to less than 75kg - Probably the biggest failure of my life

5. Continue with my personal and professional website - Yes, both are still alife

Coming into 2022, this is supposed to be the best year for my zodiac. Although I am really skeptical, it still kinda feels good hearing good things about you.

My goals for 2022:

1. Re-think about my career

2. Continue and be better at ‘dad duties’

3. Reduce my weight!

4. Take training and self-improvement training

Had a try on gardening, and failed terribly

A purchase which I made late last year. It’s so damn ex. I can’t remember it price, and I don’t want to remember as well.

A dessert which I fell in love with in 2021. Ate so much of it. Totally not helping with my weight goals

The most adorable toddler in the world. My daughter turned 2 in 2021.

Yearly gathering with my childhood friends, whom we know each other more than 25 years. We skipped last year due to covid.

Really like this place. A good ‘safe place’ option.

Needed to treat a friend to a meal for a favor he had done for me. “Wagyujin'“. Probably the most expensive meal I have ever eaten.

A yearly homestay by my 2 nephews. They have grown up so fast. Don’t know if they would still want to keep coming over next year.

A series which I have been reading (Listening) in 2021. I am currently at book 8.

Cloud services addiction

I don’t know if I’m partially influenced by my working profession (I work in an IT cloud company), but I have always been a believer and fan of cloud services. Currently, I have Netflix, Spotify, iCloud, Wix, Squarespace and Office365. And I used to have Adobe Creative Cloud and Dropbox premium, but canceled since. I have always felt that by paying a relatively ‘small’ amount of $, I get to enjoy services premium services. And this month, I added Youtube Premium and Disneyplus to the list. I was actually shocked by myself at how long this list has become. At least I have the consolation that both Netflix and Spotify are kinda free for me, as I hold the CRO card.

For the 2 months, I have been trying to complete the RTI (Round The Island) cycling challenges. One round around Singapore is approximately 162 km. I have made 4 attempts since and the longest I managed to complete 71.4 km, almost but still less than half of an RTI. And all my 4 attempts ended with a whole body of sore pains lasting for a few days. I’m still shocked at how many people, across different age groups, managed to pull this off. For me, this is one challenge that I don’t think I will be able to complete any time soon, or if I will even be able to one day complete it at all.

AirPod 3. Airpod is probably my favorite earphone, as I really dislike any in-ear types. Purchased a pair of these on the first day of release, to replace my existing one, which are really old

Wallet upgrade and VTubers

Several years ago, I wrote down my personal mission statement. So I stay focused on what matters the most to me. I was intentional about not making it goals-oriented because goals can and should evolve with your life’s trajectory. I also detailed the values that I want to live by for the rest of my life—the non-negotiable.

I am deeply committed to leading a life that is fuelled by passion, anchored in character and integrity, and centered around the people that I care for. I intend to be a pillar of strength and support to them, always. - Sumit Dhawan

So, I have just replaced my wallet which I carried for the past 6-7 years. It is the same brand as my previous one, as I really like them for their durability, and gotten so used to my previous wallet’s design. Although my previous wallet showed many signs of damage and worn, strictly speaking it COULD still be use. But my usage habit has since changed. As I am making payment more often via my iPhone, and my phone cover is able to slot in afew cards, I no longer need a big wallet which carries alot of cash and cards in it. And coins has always been a problem as my previous wallet does not have a coin compartment. So, this time I settled with a smaller wallet, which allows storage of coins, and afew dollar notes. Hopeful, I’ll get use to this.

A colleague/friend recently introduced me to watch VTubers. Before, I didn’t even know this term exist, let alone knowing that it means. And I out of curiosity, I even attended (watched) a VTuber’s concert, which shockingly cost 5000 yen just watch it online. I have the say, it was quite an experience. And it surprised me how big VTubers can be in Japan.

A beautiful sunset taken on my cycling trip on 8th Oct 21. Somehow, most of the nicest sunset I come across are when I’m out cycling.

Something which my friend, David introduced to me. And I have been hooked since. Just bought my 8th box. This taste very similar to the Caramel Macchiato which I ordered very often from Starbuck.

Gd bye M1, hello Singtel

Changing the world around you isn't easy. You have to make your own happiness. As long as you keep that in mind, they'll surely be drawn to you. Anyone you'd want to have by your side - Chizuru Ichinose's grandma

It has been more than 20 years since I hold my mobile number and line with M1. Over the past few months, I have been noticing that my M1 mobile reception has been weak in quite a number of places in Singapore. And, there really isn’t any benefit for a loyal customer like me, who has been with them for so long. However, I still believe that M1’s customer service is the best among all telcos in Singapore. So, over the past week, I made the decision to finally make the change to Singtel, together with all 3 of my family’s line who are under my name. I also used the chance to upgrade to the latest iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have been using iPhone 11 Pro Max over the past 2 years and migrating my phone’s content, wasn’t as smooth as I expected. From the past 2 days of usage, noticed the below needed to be re-setup.

• Google 2FA authenticator needed a manual export and import from previous phone

• All banking soft tokens need to be migrated. For OCBC, it was particularly troublesome. As it needs the pin of a credit card, which I do not remember.

• Metatrader 4 app (an app which I use for forex trading) needs to be re-setup

• Apple Watch needs to be re-paired

• AirWatch needs to be re-enrolled'. Expected behavior.

• Singpass app needs to be re-setup

Brompton mk2

We didn't give up and completed the challenge. Life is like this right? Not everything is smooth sailing. We made mistakes, we learnt; we made some wrong turns; we found what we were looking for and completed the journey. Most importantly, we enjoyed the process. - anonymous

I bought my Brompton on 21 March 2015, about 6.5 years ago (reason why I remember so clearly, is because it was 2 days before LKY passed away). I haven’t been riding much over the past 1 year. With me taking every Friday off from work now, I am making a point to ride more, exercise more. And with this newfound hype, I am making the chance to replace some worn parts. Upgrading a Brompton is really be expensive, and I learn this the hard way. My upgrade was really subtle; mostly on some small parts which needed replacement. All in, it cost a whopping $988, and below is the breakdown. I don’t love my Brompton more after the upgrade, but still, find the cost too high.

• Ti22 seat pole: $120

• H&H seat clamps: $110

• H&H Hinge: $130

• Minimod suspension block: $135

• Trigo light mount: $46

• Dura Easy Wheels: $150

• Rear light: $17

• Continental tyres: $150

• Maintenance and service: $130

Friday, is the new Saturday

It's always darkest before the dawn, but the dawn is coming - Batman and Lawrence wong

As we are at the final few months of the year, I did a count of my balance leave and found I am still left with many leaves to clear for the year. So, from last week of Aug, I am clearing leaves on every Friday, all the way till the end of the year. The prospect of having a 4 days work week, is just too tempting and for once, I would like to experience this. On this extra day of ‘weekend’, I was determined to make it an eventful one. So far, I have spent the day lunching with colleagues, cycling to places I have never been to, catch up with friends I have not met for ages, meet up with relatives, and driving to random remote places which we found on the map.

Cycling to ‘Green Corridor’. A place where I always wanted to explore. End to end, it is about 13.5km

One of the catch up I had with my colleague.

One of the exploration ride to the remote area of Singapore. Sarimbun Beach Landing Site

First lantern festival for baby kexin

Had a great time hanging out with my buddies

Farewell lunch with a colleague, in a colleague’s home

Midlife crisis

“You don’t choose the time. The time chooses you. either you seize what may turn out to be the only chance you have, or you decide you’re willing to live with the knowledge that the chance has passed you by.” - Ted Kennedy

Midlife crisis, that’s why my wife describe what I’m going through now. By definition, it is a loss of self-confidence and a feeling of anxiety or disappointment that can occur in early middle age. Although there are aspects of it that match, I can’t say for sure. In any case, I am taking some action. I have applied for time off from work every Friday, till the end of the year. That is a full 4 months of 4 working days per week. And during this extra day of break from work per week, I need to find ways to re-energize.

So, about 1 year back, I made a Youtube video that I have lost about 12kg of my weight in 3 months. Now, about 1 year later, I have officially gained back the weight I lost... Rome isn’t built in one day, but he can certainly be destroyed very quickly… I putting the blame on work stress. When I lost weight a year ago, I was on sabbatical leave from work. But after I went back to work, it very much breaks my daily schedule. This is on top of the hectic and stressful nature of my work. Dieting and taking time for exercise haven’t really been my priority. It’s about time that I seriously address this elephant in the room.

So, this Nasi Lemak store (The Coconut Club) recently won the ‘Michelin Bib Gourmand’. Decided to give it a try. It cost a whopping S$19.60. My verdict: Chicken thigh is very nice. Rice is ok. Good experience, but won’t try again.

Aug is, Singapore’s National day. Happen to catch 3 groups of Chinook and Apache helicopters carrying Singapore flag fly by during a rehearsal

So, i have recently try watching at least a movie every weekend. These are the treats I’ve prepared for our movie night. Ended up, i felt I get higher satisfaction from a cup of instant noodle

Some appreciation from my company this National Day.

August is also, my daughter’s birthday! Turned 2 this year. Brings me new joy everyday, as I watch her grows up.

A post by a childhood friend on FB. Contains so much of our childhood memories which we shared together.

My birthday, and welcoming my 6th nephew

“千里自行 始于足下” - Honda Tsubasa

So, I celebrated my birthday in June last month. This is my 2nd birthday since having my daughter and I know from last year’s experience, that my birthday no longer has much of a celebratory mood as it will be another day of looking after/focusing our attention on our daughter. Unfortunately, the same applies to our wedding anniversary. Definitely not what I have like it to be, but somehow it naturally turned out this way. Probably partly worsen by the Covid situation as outdoor dining in Singapore restricts to 2 people.

This year, I received a lot of cakes delivered to me. In total, I received 5 cakes! This is also the first year I receive a handmade birthday card from my daughter. Last but not least, I also got an Obama medal coin present from wifey. During this covid period, I can’t ask for more and is already very grateful to the people who remembered.

Last week, on 11 July 2021, we welcome the arrival of my 6th nephew! I was really looking forward to his birth, and definitely, something for the family to be happy about. But I have a feeling, we won’t be expecting any more babies in the near future.

Randomly chose this chinese roast pork, roast duck, cha siew restaurant afew days ago. This is probably my first try in a 1-star Michelin Restaurant. Was sceptical as first, but turned out it was so much better than my expectation. Probably the best I have eaten. Costed SGD 50+ for 2 pax

Finding Happiness

“The best thing to do is to have fun. Your life will shine brighter if you enjoy yourself and make an effort. It is also a talent to work hard and to enjoy everything.” - Saya Hiyama

I was aimlessly browsing Youtube one day, when I came across this quote by Saya Hiyama. And it immediately left a deep impression in me.

I have always been an overly tense person. Often finding myself dwelling on an insignificant (insoluble) problem and finding fault/unsatisfied with myself. I would foolishly lose sleep because I was worrying over things which happened or may happen (just like tonight). ‘Finding happiness’ is a skill I lack off. From now on, I need to be mindful and remind myself to find enjoyment in the things I do.

I have always been an investment person. Recently, I made a major change in the way I track my investments and asset. My asset comprises of bonds, forex, shares, crypto currencies, and money in the bank. I realized my investment behavior over the years has resulted in a 40-60 split between my low and high-risk investments. Pretty happy with the new change I made to track my investments/assets, as it provides a very clear visibility at any point in time and it is much easier for me to manage.

My biggest role model in life

"Stand up; I too am a man." - Act 10:26

I have just finished reading the longest book I have ever read, by far. ‘A Promised Land’, a memoir by Barack Obama. The book has a whopping 768 pages long. It documents Obama’s life from his early years through the events leading to his presidency, as well as some of the major events during his presidency. Obama is probably my biggest role model in life. And after reading this book, I am more certain of it. One of the principles in life which I always remind myself is, ‘you only have one life, you would want to do the right thing’. And Obama is, in my opinion, someone who does just this, on top of a charismatic and composed leader. To be exact, I actually got the audiobook and ‘listened’ to the whole book instead of reading it. It still took an imaginable 29 hours of listening time, and I was making use of every commuting, and driving opportunity to listen to it.

I was patiently waiting for a long time and the past week was finally my turn to apply for the Covid19 vaccination in Singapore. Unfortunately, I was deemed unsuitable to take the vaccination, due to my severe (life-threatening) allergic reaction to prawns. A big bummer, since I took a really long time to make up my mind that it was something I wanted for myself and my family.

Space Rocket Launch

“You have to believe in yourself, that you are capable. Treasure every success you have, and channel them into motivation“ Honda Tsubasa

So, I spent my off-day at work last week, watching the live stream of the rocket launch of SpaceX crew ‘Dragon Dendeavor’ into space. And the experience is so informative and exciting to watch. Seeing the footage of our planet earth, makes you feel really tiny and insignificant.

As compared to me doing an IT project at work, the project of launching a rocket into space is so much more complex and risky. A million unexpected things could go wrong, which would jeopardize the lives of the whole crew members. So rightful, I do have a much easier job. But since last year, I have been having a lot of self-doubt and questioning if I can still can or want to do what I’m doing. For the first time in my life, I felt so defeated. It’s been more than a year of grinding at my job since, and I really hope I will be able to walk out of this bottom very soon.

$ management

“When you felt lost about your life, just focus on doing your best in what you are doing. Don’t regret it in the future. One day, you will come across a chance to find your answer.” Honda Tsubasa

Been a while since I blog as I have been busy settling down in life and at work. As I get busier at work, and me spending the balance of the time with my daughter. It’s been more than a year since the outbreak of Covid, and it was only the past week that I finally went back to my workplace for the 1st time in more than 1 year. I realize that my level of speech got deteriorated. At times, I even find it tough to express what I really wanted to say. This is likely due to me having to interact less with people nowadays. I wonder if I’m the only one struggling on this.

One particular area which I have been spending my free time on is an investment. I have always been an investment person, and I started investing in stocks more than 20 years ago. Every now and then, I would evaluate the value of my investments in each category as I try to diversify my risk exposure. Balancing between high and low risk in my portfolio, and to make sure that any single investment, does not exceed more than x% of my overall asset. Of course, with any investment, there are good times and there are bad times.

Covid created huge chaos in the investment market, which also created many opportunities. I have been spending a substantial amount of my free time researching and studying. Since last year, I expanded my investment options to Forex and cryptocurrencies. Since then, these 2 have been performing relatively well. The ultimate goal is for early retirement. Although the value of my investment is still very small and nowhere near to being able to sustain my retirement goal, I can only hope that I can move closer to my goals little by little.

This is probably my best investment made so far, with it reaching more than 8x in less than 2 months. However, fluctuation is really crazy with cryptocurrencies.

A very nice sunset spotted on 27 Feb 2021

[30Apr21] I have been craving for a cup of starbucks over the past 2 weeks. Finally got to clench my craving

Hearing Aid

“I closed my eyes and summoned the prayer that had carried me here, one I would continue to repeat every night I was president. A prayer of thanks for all I’d been given. A prayer that my sins be forgiven. A prayer that my family and the American people be kept safe from harm. A prayer for guidance.” Barack Obama

Turned up for my ENT appointment today and tried a hearing aid for the first time. It is not as noticeable as I thought and the features it comes with were pretty surprising as well. It cost S$1500 each ear, which is still surprisingly expensive for me. Apparently, this is already a discounted price by more than 50%. Meaning, the original cost is more than $3k. I also asked to do another hearing test and, just as I have guessed, there was a slight improvement to my hearing in my left ear. This was a huge surprise, or a slight miracle, as many doctors told me that my hearing would never get better. Unfortunately, just as I have feared as well, the test result also showed that my hearing in my right ear is worsening.

Trying on the Signia pure charge and go 5Nx hear aid. btw, didn’t know my grey situation is this bad…

bb Kexin on her first ride on the bicycle, and she really enjoyed it

Cooking

“There’s no guarantee we can pull it off. Here’s one thing I know for sure, though. I know that the day I raise my right hand and take the oath to be president of the United States, the world will start looking at America differently. I know that kids all around this country—Black kids, Hispanic kids, kids who don’t fit in—they’ll see themselves differently, too, their horizons lifted, their possibilities expanded. And that alone…that would be worth it.” - Barack Obama convincing Michelle on why he needs to be president

I am finally feeling slightly better after my spine procedure, that I decide to do some simple cooking. Other than the occasionally instant noodles, I never cook. But as I have been feeling down from my past year of health issues, I decided to do something different for a change of mood. Bought some simple ingredient and made some pork jerky pizza for dinner.

Before

After

bb sick for the first time this week.

Last hospitalization, I hope

“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always.”

I have been having so much pain over the past few weeks, that it woke me up just 4 hours into my sleep. Waited till I have some free time from work to get it thoroughly checked. Was shocked to find that I have 2 slipped disc, 1 fracture and flare up inflammation on my spine. With these number of injuries, it was no wonder I was in so much pain, and I really can’t help, but sigh on the never-ending bad luck of my health again.

I am born with AS condition and have been on-and-off a strong pain killer medication for the past 10+ years. This time, it gets complicated, as I have tried a month of strong pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication but didn’t solve the problem. Thus, for the first time, I need to resort to surgical procedures. A ‘Radiofrequency Ablation’ was done to burn off the nerves which send pain signals to my brain. In addition, i need to be on ‘Simponi’ to block a protein in my body’s immune system that causes swelling and damage. All these were very overwhelming, but apparently, I was told I do not have much of a choice. From what I am reading, ‘Simponi’ changes part of my body’s DNA and lowers the body’s ability to fight infections. Honestly, it really scares me, especially with this Covid situation. I can only hope that with all this bad luck, my lowest point in life has been reached and things will turn for the better going forward.

First time, staying in such a luxurious ward

Radiofrequency Ablation done on me

Before the surgery, drop by this interesting lamp post. ‘LP1’, the 1st lamp post on the west end of Singapore.

Ice cream hype

“You don't have to make the whole world like you, and you don't need to like the whole world. The faster u reach that conclusion, the happier you become.” - Jenn Chia

So, I drove half of Singapore (All the way to Jewel @ Changi Airport) today just so I can finally satisfy my hype for the ‘Michelin Recommended’ ice-cream from Birds of Paradise. I pass by this ice cream store so many times and every single time, the queue would be so long that I had to give up. I ordered a double scoop white chrysanthemum and hazelnut cone. It was good, although my favourite is still the Macadamia Nut from Haagen Dazs.

The homestay from my lovely nephews during the end of 2020. An annual event which we all look forward to.

Goodbye 2020, hello 2021

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

Probably everyone would agree, it has been a crazy 2020. For almost the whole of 2020. Covid19 took most of the headline. Our life has been affected one way or another. I know of a colleague of mine, and a colleague’s parent, got infected by Covid.

As oppose to the pass few years, I felt 2020 passed by very slowly. Summarising my 2020 in one word, it would be ‘illnesses’. Both physically, emotionally and mentally, this is the year which took a heavy toll on myself and some of my family members. I went for 2 surgeries, in and out of hospital afew times, lost most of the hearing on my left ear, and my mum is currently still hospitalised. Stress at work was also at it’s peak; to the point where I am questioning myself if I still can or want to do this. To most of us, 2020 will be an unforgettable year. To me, it is a year which I want to forget.

A recap of my 2020:

1. Lost about 5kg of weight. (At one part of the year, i actually lost 13kg)

2. Achieved 1 professional certifications. I passed VCAP DC 2020 and maintained my vExpert 2020

3. Bought my first car

4. Took 3 months of sabbatical leave from work

5. Went for 2 surgeries, and my mum is currently still hospitalised

Status of my goals set for 2020:

1. Settle down and be better at ‘dad duties’ - I felt I did ok

2. Pass at least 2 IT professional certification, or 1 advance IT certification - Passing VCAP would count as 1 advance cert. So, yes, i achieved this.

3. Reducing my weight to less than 80kg (I really hope there will not be any more excuses this year) - I did achieved this as well. Although I could have done way better

4. Continue with my personal and professional website - Not as active as I would like to. But these 2 websites are definitely still alive.

Generally, this has been a year full of illnesses woes. I am mostly at stress over something in life. Lots of self doubts. It’s been taxing for me mentally and emotionally. Although i’m not a superstitious person, but 2020 was suppose to be a good year for me base on my zodiac. I can say with confidence, it has been a pretty bad year.

The average lifespan of a guy in Singapore is 81.4; I am at my mid-life now, an important milestone. In 2021, I will not be ambitious, but to focus on getting the fundamentals right. This will be the first year which I will not set any goals on professional certifications, but to sort out that I want to do with my career and my life going forward. Finding strength spiritually, emotionally, mentally would be a focus.

My goals for 2021:

1. Re-think about my career

2. Be stronger emotional and mentally

3. Continue and be better at ‘dad duties’

4. Reduce and maintaining my weight to less than 75kg

5. Continue with my personal and professional website

Hit and Run

“The heart wants what it wants. You can’t choose what you love” - Kohei, Grand Blue

Never would I ever have thought that in less than 2 weeks of me buying my first car, brand new from the factory, that I would be a victim of a hit and run. I was running an errand and when a lady hit my car while she tried to park beside me. I didn’t even realise I was hit until someone told me the next day. Tbh, she was quite a lousy driver. The parking lot was quite small. She was driving a big size land rover and she tried to park her car from the front! Even after she realised she has hit me, she still tried to park her car and continued hitting me few more times in the process, before driving away.

Filing for a claim for the first time, it has been an overwhelming experience. I had to file for a police report in the police station, and an IO (investigating officer) from traffic police will be assigned to my case. I also had to file for an incident report with my insurance company, which I did though my workshop. Rightfully, these needs to be done within 24 hrs from the accident, but as I only discover the hit 24 hrs after i happened, i did it the following day. Of course, for me to even know what caused the damage, I need to go through all the video recordings. After which, there is a survey session by the culprit’s insurance company to access the damage. AND, it is not until the culprit’s insurance acknowledge the caused of the accident, will the repair for my damage can begin. From what i understand, this process can from a week (if the culprit admits the accident), to half a year (which will depend on the result of the police investigation, if the culprit denies being guilty).

I am not a person to keep blaming on luck, but even i have to admit that my luck hasn’t been good recently.

My poor car, hit in multiple places, multiple times

A blurry image of the culprit. I do have a much clearer image of her, and do know her car plate number, but will not disclose them in this blog