Hello 2023, Goodbye 2022!

 And just like that, another year gone by.

But wow what a year 2022 has been, from the dormancy of the Covid years, 2022 sprang to life as we went back to normalcy. Pre-Covid type of normalcy.

Travel came back and boy did it come back.

It started off with that missed Germany trip which thankfully we diverted to Switzerland, what an absolutely memorable trip that was as we brought kids to see the charm of Zurich, the beauty of Interlaken and Grindelwald, the mountaintops in Jungfraujoch and Zermatt. Seeing them experience snow for the first time, in pristine beautiful locations still untouched by post-Covid tourists.

Then to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, for golf, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for work, Tokyo, Japan, for work, Bali, Indonesia, for leisure, and finally Osaka, Japan, for leisure. So many things we saw and did. Really loving and appreciating every moment with the kids.

I had a memorable birthday celebration on a yacht with my colleagues. The wifey also gave me a birthday treat, taking me wakeboarding for the first time in 20 years!

Concerts came back with a bang, as we attended concerts from JJ Lin, Guns&Roses, and Jay Chou.

Work was a little tougher to get used to as we went back to WFO. Moved into a new, really nice office. Less WFH and that is still taking quite some getting used to.

Got Covid in Feb. 

The boy had his PSLE year wow that was so epic too especially how he worked so hard to prepare for it only to get Covid on exam week, then still manage to perform well enough to enter the school of his choice,

Both kids have grown so much in just one year and it brings me so much joy and pride each day I spend with them. Family life was really good. Travelling makes everyone happier.

On the investment front things were poor. Particularly after what happened on the final trading day of the year. PSNY also disappointed severely. Have to dial down on risk and save and invest more for retirement and holidays.

Health was generally ok even with another gout episode earlier in the year. Taking more pills now helps to manage all the different health ailments that are appearing more frequently.

The world is shaping up to be a volatile one in 2023. The Ukraine war which began last February is still ongoing. I hope Ukraine can chase those Russians away this year! Global interest rate environment is rising, right now at >4% and expected to peak at 5% in the first half of the year, and then what? Not sure if recession is coming but there is much uncertainty to navigate through with inflation still so high. Everything if getting more expensive.

Just hoping things will turn out fine for me and my loved ones.

So as with tradition, here’s last year’s review as a good reminder.

And here were my 2022 resolutions.

And here are my 2022 resolutions review.

1) Exercise three times a week on average FAIL

This was bad. With WFO becoming the norm, I’ve had to go back to the office full time. This meant no time to exercise at all. Some weeks I don’t even jog anymore. Which is really bad truth be told. I will need to be more disciplined in 2023.

2) Earn More Than 50k In My Saxo Account FAIL

This was just as bad, not only did I lose a bucketload on USDJPY bets (I took too large bets), the Polestar SPAC listing played out at the worst time when the market was tanking. This left me with huge losses. Need to rejigger this resolution if I’m to achieve anything positive in the year ahead.

3) Achieve A Milestone That I Have Not Done/Experienced Before PASS

At least this one I can say I achieved with an A grade, with several in the bag. The most significant, in a year a many significant things I could’ve mentioned, are visiting the Swiss Alps, climbing Mt Batur with the kids, enjoying Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, and introducing skiing to the kids. Really fantastic memories and achievements IMHO.

4) Eat Healthier Than Before FAIL

I am definitely eating better and more expensive food, but is it really healthier? I do not think so. Also with WFO, most of the time I’m not eating out, unlike 2020/21 where eating in really helped me in the health department.

5) Make One Big Purchase That Improved My Life PASS

This is similar to item (3). There wasn’t much of a significant physical purchase (we did buy an 80” TV which is terrific!), the main purchases were flight tickets to some of the most significant places we’ve been to in the last few years. Being able to bring the wifey and kids so much joy through travelling really did make me happy.

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So all in all yet another 2/5 performance which is rather under par. Hopefully next year will be better for me. Will try to come up with 2023 resolutions in the coming days and try my best to achieve them!

HUAT AH!