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Revisit: Get more positiveness in life +++

[This was first published on 03/06/2019.] 1) Practise MINDFULNESS Mindfulness teaches us how to notice our natural emotions and responses, then in turn accept them and respond to them such that it enhances our well-being. Meditation is often used to bring about that mindfulness and, at higher level, the calmness of mind. (Calm being the opposite of stress.) When we are under stress, we will start to develop negative emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration, fear etc. All of which are our body's natural responses that cannot be averted. To overcome these challenging emotions, we must learn to NAV (name, accept and validate ) them, and not to suppress, deny or fight them. Cases like taking sleeping pills hoping to sleep away stress and anxiety, or getting dead drunk to escape from reality would only create more problems as one becomes dependent on these ways to 'escape'. It is not easy, however, to tackle them head on - which leads us to why we should be pract...
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My 3 favourite assistive phone apps

Usual tool and communication apps aside, here are 3 nifty apps that I enjoy using daily. The apps are easy to use and have clean navigation interfaces, good for folks like me who doesn't like complicated functions and ad spams. 1) Life Reminder   The top app that I have been using for years and even spent to get rid of pop-up ads is Life Reminder . Maybe I have been getting on in years and my memory tends to be failing me more often, having this app is a real life saver. Whenever I have an appointment, important matters that need follow up or any urgent chores, I would key into this app.  Under each reminder, I can also attach an image for reference, write notes and set a pre-alarm. I was amazed that it can even set actions like phone calls and SMS with the reminders. The reminders can also be set on an auto-repeat basis so I can easily get reminders on birthdays and anniversaries (besides marking them on calendar app which I will forget to check).  Present and past remin...

Endowus Promotion TnC

I am surprised and feeling wtf to find out today that my $100 Endowus fee reward will be expiring in October this year (rewards earned can be viewed under Earn rewards --> Track my rewards). I was expecting the fee reward to be able to offset any of my invested goals' fees, but apparently not.  On emailing them, they simply slapped me a reply that contains a link to their TnC. Paragraph 4 reads - Upon successfully registering for the promotion via the Promotional Link provided to you by Endowus and completion of the Qualifying Investment during the Promotion Period, a S$100 Endowus Fee credit (the “Reward”) will be distributed to your Endowus account by 24 January 2025. However, please note that the Reward will be valid for 6 months from the date of distribution of such Reward and will only be applied on or for investments made through your Endowus account using SRS. Great. So now I know I can't use it for any of my other investment goals and got to watch it expires. FYI the...

8 tips for house moving

This is a belated post as I finished moving some times ago and thought I would save some tips to remind myself the next time I move house. I have underestimated the gross amount of items that I have had and ended up needing 2 separate days of truck moving. I booked a Lalamove 10-ft truck with mover for the second big move as I don't need cartons nor wrapping for furniture. Lalamove was very efficient, the driver arrived early and moved all my storeroom items and remaining carton boxes with care despite the rainy weather. Here's my tips for house-moving / lessons learnt from mistakes: 1) Defrost your refrigerator If you have a layer of ice in your freezer compartment, do defrost it a day before and clean up the water. That would save you from having to clean up any leakage of water from a defrost during and after the move. 2) Turn off the tap of the washing machine and disconnect the water pipes Disconnect the tap connecting pipe and drain away the water prior to the move. If yo...

The best credit card for my house reno & prep

As updated in my previous post, I have finally bought my own place solo. For the past few months I have been busy coordinating with various contractors and vendors for my house renovation. As I am still on flexi work schedule, I decided to be my own ID. With only a simple renovation in mind, I set my reno budget as 20k (aircon & fixtures inclusive). The renovation process and acting as my own ID were not as easy as I thought. It took me about a month to gather and compare quotations from different contractors and another few weeks to finalize all the things that I need my chosen contractor to do. I eventually settled for a main contractor who specializes in carpentry work but also provides painting, tiling and electrical services. I have grossly underestimated the amount of defects that need fixing for this resale flat. Fortunately, the floor tiles and some of the existing built-ins are still in good condition so I kept them, otherwise I would have burst my budget. The first issue ...

Reflections for year 2024

2024 has been a relatively peaceful year. So peaceful that I have read countless novels and other books, met my sports buddies almost every weekend and picked up horticulture. Physical and mental health As we say, health is wealth. I have stuck fairly consistently with my exercise regime and tried to include more fruits and vegetables in my meals (although I eat out more and cook less these days). My weight, BP and cholesterol levels are doing ok. For those 40 years and above, remember to get your  subsidized health screenings from the government . Working less and meeting up with friends more contributed to an improved mental health. I see that the government has stepped up on initiatives in the community but work place initiatives from employers still seemed lackluster, especially for those who can't WFH and need to commit 44 hours or more a week at frontline work. I have also started a Gratitude journey to celebrate all my little life milestones. Financials Investment wise ...

The gold rush again

I recently saw this video on CNA Money Mind channel https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/money-mind-2024-2025/going-gold-4299741 and thought I would summarize some learning points for those interested in gold investment. Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash Gold is viewed as a safe haven asset in time of uncertainty, crisis or geopolitical risks. Demand for gold is influenced by Central bank purchases. The purchase premium of gold decreases in % with relationship to the gold bar's weight. Eg, a heavier gold bar has lower purchase premium over a lighter one. There's no GST for investment grade gold bars. Gold-backed ETF is backed by physical gold. Lower yield environment will benefit gold prices as the opportunity cost of holding gold lowers. Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/673513/monthly-prices-for-gold-worldwide/ As seen from the chart, the last mega price spike was in year 2019 to 2020. This year we saw another mega spike. In order to circumvent any US withholding t...

Be anti-fragile

Life isn’t easy, but it goes on. Instead of griping (as the saying goes, “人生不如意事十之八九”), it’s wiser to focus on risk management and, more importantly, becoming anti-fragile . Basic risk management means protecting ourselves: buying insurance, setting stop-losses, cutting toxic ties, and avoiding reckless decisions. But as Nassim Taleb points out, anti-fragility goes beyond that. It’s about growing stronger through chaos . Rather than fearing volatility and uncertainty, learn to turn them into opportunities . Quoting the video, we should learn to  "transforms fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation and desires into undertaking" . Toughen the mind If you desire something exceptional, accept the tough journey that comes with it.  One way to build resilience is to imagine the worst, as highlighted in the video : If everything were stripped away, could you still cope and rise again? This kind of mental training and life practices build true strength. ...