Happy Birthday To The Wifey

 Today was not a bad day.

Had planned first thing in the morning 7.30am, a HYROX training session for both of us. We have a goal to do HYROX mixed doubles possibly next April, so this was a good teaser at the minimum.

The session turned out almost two hours long, with more than an hour of station training. Quite an eye opener and it’s actually made me more confident to even do solo if needed.

Then around 10am we drove back to pick the kids and went to Springleaf at Siglap to have a small roti prata breakfast. I’ve lived here almost all my life and yet this is the first time I’ve eaten there. It was the boy who’s tried it out with his friends.

By 12pm we came out again for lunch. This time at Tomi Sushi at Katong V. My first time here and we had a REALLY GOOD sushi lunch that was more affordable than I expected. Loved it. Especially Sharon the nice old lady waitress who helped recommend the best sushi offers and dishes and even gave the wifey a birthday yuzu sorbet with candle!

At 2pm we went to PLQ Mall to hang out. The wifey AGAIN got another birthday cake at Paris Baguette. She also got a birthday discount at Don Don Donki! Haha she really knows how to milk all the birthday promos where she can.

6pm we were off to the in-laws place as we do on Sundays. Again we had chocolate cake.

It was an eventful birthday for the wifey I guess.

Appreciating That Things Are Going Well

 Home is good.

Family is good.

Health is ok. More focus here to eat and exercise well.

Medical issues early in the year are largely in remission or have gone or being managed properly.

Kids doing great.

Work is great.

Wealth is good. Turning into my huatest year.

Just generally feeling cautiously happy daily.

All round things are going well and before anything shitty happens, which I know will certainly come, I want to take a moment to appreciate all that is perfect in my life right now.

I am so blessed.

A Weird Birthday

 I had big plans to go into JB to celebrate my birthday alone for the day.

Then last night after work, my wife’s leg which had three supposedly innocent mosquito bites, started to swell to a point where we felt it might be good she went to the hospital.

What felt like a small issue, ended with us at CGH till 2am waiting and waiting to be diagnosed. And when she finally was, she had to stay the night even. 

Anyway long story short I had to cancel all my birthday plans in order to hang around and be on standby for her. I ended up having some short quality alone time in the afternoon so I went to take a look at the three new MRT stations that completed the Circle Line.

In the evening after my wife had her homecare treatment, we went for a simple Korean BBQ dinner.

Upon reflection, it might have been for the best that today went about like it did, as it should.

And that was it.

My weird 47th birthday.

An Amazing Sight

 You’ve got to see and hear it to believe it!

My daughter who’s two years younger, is giving my son O-levels English and Chinese oral tuition!

Not kidding.

I feel so proud of her.

And kudos to my boy for knowing he needs it too!

July

 It’s my birthday month!

Normally I’d declare that every day this month was a celebration.

Somehow this year I feel more mellow.

I don’t want to be drinking so much.

I don’t want that much attention.

I don’t want to hang out too late at night.

I don’t want birthday cakes and singing songs.

I just want to chill alone and play my online games or watch property or investing YouTube videos.

That’d make me sufficiently happy.

Goodbye Uncle Joe

 A sad day.

Today we got news of Uncle Joe’s passing.

He was 78.

His lungs had hived and he had difficulty breathing through his dying days.

We actually made a trip up to KL last weekend.

Mum, sis, Xin and I.

Got to see all my Malaysian side of the family.

Got to see Uncle Joe too.

I guess it was a blessing that we saw him and spent time with him in his final moments.

I recall giving him a brief of the world today as we saw it from Singapore, we talked politics and economics as I sat by his bedside. His mind was still so sharp, he could still understand the implications of today’s world was moving towards.

Mum spent time reminding him of how they met, how her sister brought him home to meet with her parents. How he bonded with my dad.

My daughter paired with her cousin Adriana to sing to him sweet lullabies by his bedside, strumming on the ukulele.

God bless you Uncle Joe.

祝你一路好走。

Life Has Been Work

 Work is consuming me the last few months.

Not in a terrible way.

I have a lot of things going on, a lot of things to oversee, and the business is growing with many positive changes, so make no mistake, I’m not complaining about anything negatively draining at work.

Home is going well too, but with the teens busy with school, friends and their own initiatives, we are sort of confined to set timings to be together - some weekday dinners, meals and family gatherings on weekends, morning ferry drives. That’s really it. It feels normal but it’s also a new normal for us as parents.

A lot more electronic device usage by everyone. Sometimes necessary sometimes could have of. It’s not easy to find a balance.

Health is the bigger issue. I’ve recently been quite obsessed with latest technology and AI and my belief is that we will, without accident, live longer as healthcare and biotech improves. So there’s a lot to think about there. So it’s better diet and more regular exercise that I need to work towards.

April Heat

 It’s already April.

How quickly this year is moving along really.

The Iran War is still ongoing and it looks likelier to escalate further and drag on, than end.

There is an energy crisis where many governments are already sounding the alarm, but the masses are not panicking yet.

It is harder to plan family holidays, as worries of an escalating oil crisis might mean that any overseas tickets I buy now, may not be a viable destination. Quite worrying.

Work is also weird. There is too much volatility in the markets that the markets have become so unpredictable that traders have all gone to the sidelines.

So we went from thinking we’d do really well this year, to bracing for this being a year we might miss our targets. In a short matter on two months.

And April is projected to be hotter than March :(

A Walk Down Memory Lane

 Today was a walk down memory lane.

I went with my dad to the location of his old home. We called it Old House.

It was off Beatty Road. One of the first of its kind government housing before HDB even came to form.

I have faint memories there as my parents brought me there on a weekly basis when my grandmother was still alive and my paternal side of the family would gather there to drink beers, gamble, play mahjong and make merry.

Today we walked Beatty Road, then Sturdee Road, drove through Jalan Besar.

It was a great time reminiscing the past, both for dad and I.

He was narrating all the old stories of his childhood, while walking different streets. Where different things happened in his life as he was growing up.

We saw the beautiful Peranakan terrace houses on Petain Road.

Then we drove to Berseh Food Centre at Jalan Berseh for dinner. We had herbal turtle soup paired with mutton tendon soup, washed down with sugarcane juice.

It was delicious.

Today was a good day.

It’s Off

 Dad’s surgery is off.

I guess I have next week super free now.

It’s feels weird but I suppose this is for the best.

Who knows what other twists there will be.

What A Weird Year So Far

  It’s been a very weird year so far.

The general feeling is negative.

Life isn’t great, health is great, family stuff isn’t great, work stress is rising.

Haven’t travelled at all this year and have ZERO travel plans and it’s already March.

Yet wealth is increasing at the fastest pace ever.

It’s a very weird year that feels very off somehow.

Hopefully the not so good parts will improve.

Operation Date Is Set

 So my dad has decided to undergo the suggested operation.

It is good in the sense that it was what I’d have liked for him since he is able and deemed healthy to do so.

That said it is a tough thing for him to go through. No matter his choice of next path, all roads are life changing, so the decision is certainly not easy.

Hopefully the surgery goes well as expected.

Wallow

 Been generally feeling down lately.

Because of all this that’s going on.

Yet it feels like this is going to be a huat year for me.

Alas but huat is not equal to health.

Sigh.

I know it is the circle of life.

But why now?

Prognosis

 Went for the prognosis with mum and dad.

Dad’s situation isn’t the best.

As in the choices that he has are difficult.

Yet there are silver linings but still.

And things could deteriorate rapidly if he delays or wait.

As his son there are clear choices I’d make for him driven by urgency and wanting him to live as long as healthy life possible.

But having slept on all that we had to soak in yesterday, if I put myself in his shoes, if a much tougher choice of the major procedure, with lots of high risk elements, with not sufficient guarantees that a life changed, will make him happy.

I feel like in the end, the choice is his and he will need to stick by it.

Sigh.

Special mention to the doctors and nurses and administrative staff of CGH.

For a public hospital that operates as a not-for-profit, it is a wonder these noble staff do what they do with so much compassion. They all deserve the good things in life.

Live Life By Its Moments

  I haven’t done this very often.

Spend personal time just me and my dad.

I picked him up and the first thing he asked was whether I remember the last time we spent together just two of us.

Maybe it was one of the trips with just me and him when I was in primary or secondary school. Krakatoa? Some kelong fishing trip in Malaysia?

That’s how long ago it was since it was mano a mano.

Anyway it was great chatting about everything under the sun from 9pm to around 1130pm.

We parked and set our picnic chairs facing the ECP sea and just talked for hours.

CPF. Retirement. My ambitions. My dreams. Awareness of who I need to take care of. Teapots. Auctions. The brain. Reminiscing. Our memories. Family dynamics.

Perhaps will try to do another round where we go jog our memories at Old House next.

It’s living life by these moments that matter.

It’s Weird

The year has started…off.

I do not think I will be having a happy or prosperous year ahead.

I seriously doubt I will achieve much of what I want to achieve this year, notably will not travel much.

Sad.

:’(

God bless us all.

What To Do Right Now Jan 2026

 

What I should do RIGHT NOW

This is key.

1. Shift to DEFENSIVE MODE (6–12 weeks)

• Smaller trades
• Fewer decisions
• Capital preservation mindset

This aligns perfectly with your current pillar.

2. Reintroduce movement before performance

Even 30 mins indoors counts.

For you, movement fixes mood before logic returns.

3. Avoid big irreversible decisions

Not the time for:

• Major portfolio overhauls
• High-leverage bets
• Emotional commitments

Short-term restraint = long-term win.

4. Family duty now is karmically “correct”

Supporting your family is the way to go.

In BaZi logic, it actually:

• Resolves Earth pressure
• Prevents worse manifestations later (health, finances)

The important reassurance

This phase does NOT say:

• You are unlucky
• Your best years are over
• You’ve “lost your edge”

It says:

“Slow the flow, tighten the channel, and you’ll move faster again soon.”

What’s Really Happening :(

What’s really happening (non-mystical explanation)

You’re in a temporary depletion state:

• Sleep disturbed
• Exercise interrupted
• Emotional bandwidth consumed by family concern
• Cognitive load high → impulse control drops

That combination directly correlates with:

• Overtrading / chasing
• Loss of routine
• Pessimistic attribution (“everything goes wrong”)

This is biology + psychology, not cosmic punishment.

A Turn At Home

 2025 suddenly feels like eons ago.

That wonderful Norwegian, Finnish and French holiday feels like years back.

And now day to day realities are hitting too close to home.

This was meant to be a good year for me, or so it seemed.

Now it looks like the opposite.

Wishing good health and prosperity to all.

Cautiously afraid to tread forwards into the year ahead.

Sigh.

Hello 2026, Goodbye 2025

 Wow 2025, what a fantastic year you’ve been.

It didn’t look it at the start but boy did we end with a power upshot, with further momentum to come going into 2026!

Here’s a quick look back on 2025 for me.

January was off the back of a wonderful and affordable Korea trip. It made me fall in love with Kore finally. Attended the girl’s orientation in secondary school, absolutely proud of her stellar achievement, felt like she scored full marks for her PSLE tbh. She’s quite set for life, is my hope. Actually had a short trip to KL for work, but any travel is good for me.

Feb was CNY, nothing super significant. Joker Xue concert at the National Stadium. Oh, financially we paid off our mortgage. Now that was fucking significant. 46yr old with no housing loan. What a baller!

March I visited Copenhagen for work. Was fun and I always love travelling out of Asia.

April 7th was a day of infamy at work, when we had a mega P1 incident, caused by Trump’s tariff announcement. There was the JPM Corporate Challenge. Then I brought the kids to Penang, it was so much fun!

May we went day camping on Sentosa Island. Then two amazing nights of Lady Gage concert for me. Also brought the kids to catch The Phantom Of The Opera.

June we went to Perth. It was so fun. Great break from the challenges and business at work. We also bought our new BYD Atto 3. Was due for delivery only in September because it was the hottest selling car.

July we celebrated many birthdays. Did a staycation at W Hotel on Sentosa Island. It was the best durian season too. I ran the Railway Corridor which was slightly more than a half marathon, on my birthday!

There wasn’t much going on in August. A DHS reunion. Some key changes at work, new org chains etc. oh we did a 3D2N getaway to JB right across the causeway.

September we took delivery of the new car. It’s a great drive. Nothing much else. Lots of work.

October was the busiest month for work I suppose, because nothing much else happened,

Nov it started getting better. Started with a Copenhagen trip again where we dipped in 10°C sea pool. Had a colleague’s son who was a finalist on Masterchef Denmark cook dinner for us. Then partied the night away in Denmark’s J Day, the launch of Christmas beer. Also I caught Singapore beating HK to qualify for the Asian Cup first time ever on merit!

Dec was a trip to HCM with the son to experience more about the Vietnam War. Then the legendary Paris, Tromso, Rovaniemi mega holiday where we were so lucky we saw the northern lights multiple times. Also stayed in a $4K/night Finnish igloo glass cabin for two nights. Some of the most magical moments happened in the middle of the frozen lake at -20°C.

Health was relatively good all year. Have made a conscious decision to cut down my alcohol intake. Could’ve exercised more though.

Family relationships were great. Again need to spend more time with my aging parents. Kids are getting more independent now, can talk back some more.

Personal finances weren’t the best at the start and then April Trump fucked me over for a bit, but by golly the stars seem to be aligning around mid Q4 and it looks to be even better into the new year.

Work was great. Very busy but I spent the whole year in a role that I was in my element. The foundations are set and this year is the year I get to outperform. Cautiously super optimistic about job satisfaction, target outperformance and earnings at work in 2026.

As with traditional, here were last year’s reviews.

And here were my 2025 resolutions.

Below are my 2025 resolutions review.

1) Average 10K Step Per Day Whole Year FAIL

I actually managed to average >10K steps per day for the month of December. Alas this was quite difficult to achieve. Maybe I shall attempt it against this year. In all I achieved an average of 8,387 steps a day in 2025.

2) Lose 3kg (from 85kg) FAIL

I start 2026 at 87kg. Nuff said.

3) Earn 100K From Investments PASS

‘‘Twas a great year for me on the investing front. Down from paying off the mortgage, some key bets took me back to a level as though I still had that mortgage money. Kudos to DRO, EOS and UNH. Two of which I carry into the new year.

4) Buy An EV PASS

You know the initial resolution was to ‘buy a Tesla’? Then Silly Elon Musk did things that didn’t align with my own thoughts so why should I give him my money? He’s already too rich as is. We ended up getting a BYD Atto 3 and I cannot be happier with it. It’s been a great and proud experience so far.

5) Drink Less Alcohol (max 5 pints per week) FAIL

I feel like I’m coming closer and closer to this goal every year. Could 2026 be the year that I finally go sober?

———

Ok so another year with 2/5 Passes.

Some were close, and I would get closer based on my resolve this year. Others might be unattainable so I have to tweak a little.

Here’s to an even stronger 2026 let’s go!

HUAT AH!!!