Hot March

The last few weeks have been scorching hot. Felt like the skin is burning when I step out into the sun.

Been walking after dinner to complete my move steps and to compensate for heavy dinner in the last few days. May need to go for evening exercise going forward to avoid the sun.

Shocked to learn that someone rather young died suddenly. Glad she went for a happy holidays in Feb. Still too sudden.

Celebrated birthday and attended wake.

Went for Eras tour. Admired Taylor Swift’s stamina and vocals. Not a hardcore fan but still enjoyable. The supper after the concert is great too. Didn’t have supper for many months and it was so good to have it.

Difficulty losing weight this month.

Started listening to 陶晶莹via 97.2.

I finally watched Reply 1988. So glad that 德善and阿泽are together in the show. Only know the actors (except Bogum, which I vaguely know him) after this show. And at this timing, Hyeri and that guy separated and that guy’s new girlfriend threw many tantrums on social media. Feel bad for Hyeri.

Went Sakura exhibition at Flower Dome. Love it.

Went for an art class and it is not my forte. Tried and don’t like. So far, I didn’t do anything extraordinary after my retirement . Continue doing what I enjoyed, which is watching shows, TikTok, reading books, go library, walking, listening to radios.

2024 books

Jan : Impressions of an invasion;火燒愛窩窩; 沒有什麼了不起

Feb : 阿公讲鬼x3

March : 永不永不；仔鱼时光，夜谷宾馆1

Apr : Trees an illustrated celebration, 代尋失去時光, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, 人生就是一出戲, 夜谷宾馆2-4, 阿公講鬼： 魑魅

The Untamed January 2024

Time flies. It is already the last day of January.

A very good start in 2024.

I have a relaxing trip to Taipei.

I watched 2 concerts

I read 3 books.

I watched a few shows, including my absolute favourite The Untamed. I have been listening to the Untamed theme with 魏無羨on the cover on YouTube to fall sleep for several years. I love the sorrowful music that touch my soul and 魏無羨’s profile is very intriguing. But I never thought of watching the show as it was period fantasy drama, a genre that doesn’t appeal to me. I knew vaguely that it is BL theme but think it will be very light weighted BL due to China censorship…

I finally tuned in to The Untamed this year as I am getting tired of reading subtitles for Korean and Japanese dramas in Netflix. And I also don’t want to watch Western dramas with never ending seasons.

So glad I watch the show. The story is good with very good characters including the villains. While I knew that they are villains, I am also emphatic why they are villainous.

Without any touching, kissing or even vocally expressing their love, this is the most romantic show I have watched in the longest time.

My absolute favourite character is 魏無羨。This character is reminiscent of 楊過。I am so nostalgic of my youth reading about 神鵰俠侶，feeling angry that all the self proclaimed righteous sects claiming 楊過is wrong. Fast forward to 2024, I am sad that 魏無羨always got the blame for everything even when he is the one saving everyone. This feeling of sadness is not only about reminisce of the book I read during my youth, but also from the wound of my working life. I am so happy to see 魏無羨‘s smile at the end.

So lucky that 肖戰 is the actor for 魏無羨。He really gives the character a soul. 魏無羨 character is multidimensional and 肖戰really portrayed his innocence, righteousness, anger, despair and his love perfectly.

A happy Jan 2024.

31.1.23

Heading to 2024 in 12 hours time.

2023 is quite an interesting year for me.

The first half was rather uneventful. I was extremely busy and stressed with work. Every morning, I woke up with unhappiness of unfinished work. The breaking point was constant headaches and I finally quit my job.

Start a brand new retired life in June 23. The happiness of waking up not worrying about deadlines, demanding customers and meaningless meetings.

Now, I wake up every weekdays listening to 在晴朗的一天出發，really feeling awesome and sunshine while doing my morning stretches.

Reduced my medication after my retirement. Living stress free life is good for health.

Read many books this year. Watched even more shows, especially after having Netflix. Danced to Spotify music.

I have been walking a lot, trying to go different places. Perhaps, walk too much and I am having hip pain now. Have to reduce my walking.

Have an annual Flower Dome pass and enjoy going to see the flowers. I used to visit flower dome regularly before the pandemic when it was near my working place. Have stopped visiting for a while as I usually work from home. If I work in office, it was quite cumbersome to go the dome with my laptop. Going to visit the Flower Dome more often.

Started a free trial on ukulele. I wasn’t very good at it but I intend to continue learning.

Started investing more seriously. Invested in T bills, savings bonds etc. Hope that this will lessen the impact on inflation. Have to be more cautious on my spending without income.

Happy that finally have a swimming pool and gym nearby.

Voted for my 2nd presidential election. I have either missed the earlier elections as I’m overseas or they were walkovers.

I have levelled up Pokemon Go from Level 45 to 46 in 2023.

Have taken my first flight since the pandemic this year. Have also taken train to Johor. The joy of going overseas even if it is just a neighbouring country.

Have gatherings with old friends.

Finally, got my first COVID at the end of 2023. What a year.

Walked and read a lot in Nov 23

1 day to Dec.

1 month to 2024.

Happiness is waking up to listening to 在晴朗的一天出發。Blissful as no more deadlines. I spent most of my adulthood worrying about work deadlines, which have no impact on the universe regardless whether I meet them or not. Joyful as I wake up daily not worrying them anymore.

Wars are going on. I empathised with the children and have donated money. However, I am beginning to resent that every time I go to TikTok, someone is scolding other ethnic group for not taking their side in the war. I just deleted a few paragraphs of my thoughts as tired of being presented as the villain over a war that I have no part in starting, over conflicts that started over thousands years ago, over spiritual books in which my race is not even mentioned.

Read many books in Nov. I love libraries. Hope they never go away. There are many voices asking libraries to be removed in name of digitalisation. My blood boils over such soulless suggestions.

Went to the zoo to see the baby panda before it going back to China. Went Flower Dome, Changi Airport, One North, Esplanade, Orchard, Bukit Merah, Paya Lebar etc. I have not stepped into Paya Lebar for such a long time and the whole place is so different from last time. Went Admiralty parks during heavy downpour. Walked a lot to explore old and new places. Hope to see more old before the old is torn down and become new again.

Just another mumbo jambo blog.

Sep 23

Retired for 3 months. Relieved no longer waking up with unhappiness.

Presidential election.

Heavy flood in Hong Kong.

Earthquake in Morocco.

Visited Pa at Mandai.

Brought mum to hospital for check up

Dental checkup and bought medication with my own money. No more company’s benefits.

Went Bishan and Ang Mo Kio.

Cleaned cupboard. Threw away stuff.

Changed Korean won to $ changed $ to MYR.

Visited Garden by the Bay for Lantern festival.

Went Vivo and Now is not the time’s exhibition

Went Orchard for Grubbin community day and abalone noodles

Attended first aid course

Binged watch HK drama

Enjoying TikTok/youtube on Rose and Anzai’s country life

Went Kallang sport hub. Visited sport hub library before it closes down.

Cut hair

Played piano tiles, draw, write and play harmonica.

Celebrate lantern festival with mum, sister and helper. Looked at Supermoon.

Read, walk, dance, weight training.

Gratitude Aug 23

Thank you for

– dividends

– interests in my acct

– health of my family

– lunch with friend in Jewel

– walk around Changi with sister

– helper taking care of mum

– greeneries

-happy walk and jog at Jurassic Miles

-reading book on manifestation.

-borrowing books from libraries

-Pokemon go

-Spotify for good music

-TikTok. Love Rose’s and Anzai’s country life

-National Day

-waking up to 雲妮鍾情 and 在晴朗的一天出發

– falling asleep listening to various YouTubers such as 李婉華 etc

– beautiful flowers in Flower Dome

– watching Women World Cup via Mewatch

Jul 23

Started jogging again. It’s a great feeling to be able to run. But realised that my shoes are spoilt and have to buy a new pair. Luckily, the new shoes are comfortable and do not cost a bomb.

Managed to read a few books. One of it was Delight, which was written in the early 1900s. Despite written in a world much different from now, the writing resonates with me. Perhaps, I longed for a world that is no longer in existence.

In the domestic political front, both members of PAP and Workers Party have affairs. I don’t really care about the news, but more afraid that there are more hideous stuff that are not made known to us. I am more concerned about the loss made by MAS and Temasek. If Tan Chuan Jin stepped down in 2020, Soh Rui Yong may have better achievement in the running world. Not happy that the sport scene is run by people with political power rather than people who care about sport.

Coco Lee and Sinéad O’Connor have passed away. Both are around my age. It is such news that reinforces my belief that I made the right decision to retire. I want to enjoy life while I still can. I do no want to continue to work for a organisation in which the CEO publicly said that work is part of life and there is no such thing as work life balance 🙄 Easy for him to say this when he made record bonuses year after year. My salary was stagnant for the last few years but work kept increasing. And can’t even have a new laptop and have to use a 2nd hand laptop left behind by ex staff. So glad I am no longer in a toxic corporate environment.

Watching bits and pieces of women World Cup.

Officially, there are aliens. We know.

My only problem is I spent too much. Groceries, groceries. And unplanned cost such as new kettle, new shoes etc. Still, I prefer not to work.

2023 Books

Jan : 只要我能跑，沒什麼不能解決；针眼

Feb : Enola Holmes- The case of the peculiar pink fan; 人呢

Mar : 倪匡老香港日記，今天的日記適合離職

Apr : 粉絲賞個臉；Hotel Milano; 日日都是吐司日；毒誓；Forest Bathing Retreat

May : First Person Singular; 網紅養成記

Jun : Pandemic; 如最初的月光； I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki; 我的100%人森；未卜先知

Jul ： 遺失了一只貓； Delight; 愛何必百分百

Aug : 剎那芳華； 逃出香港；The Art of Manifesting;

Sep : 港产片拍摄地朝圣天书, 被淚水淹沒的我決定在水中暢泳，玫瑰與荊棘，The Little Book of Running

Oct : 星星是暗夜的眼睛；歌词的背后；邂逅，夢中的那一道鐵路

Nov : Beyond the Story, 賞心樂事；阿公講鬼x2; 美代子

Dec : 好久不見2，糾纏，愛的十秒，Dr Who – The Monster in the Cupboard

Nov 22

Extremely busy. Have to wake up early just to work. On Friday, worked till 7.45pm and missed the World Cup match between Wales vs Iran.

Brought mum for medical checkups. A relief that she does not need to be hospitalised.

Pokémon Safari at Garden by the Bay. Paid around $30 for it. Ouch. Missed the early bird as have to ensure mum’s health is okay before I book the ticket. Took Thomson line early in the morning. Nostalgic about garden by the bay as used to jog around that area on Fridays. Heat is tolerable after slight rain in the morning. Got 10 shinies. Wasn’t playing too hard. After the event, watched Pikachu drone show.

Watching world cups. No longer have the intense feeling that I had in my youth. Still a joy to see upsets such as Argentina 1 Saudi Arabia 2, Germany 1 Japan 2. Didn’t watch Iran – Wales but Iran beat Wales 2-0 during injury times. England best Iran 6-2 but goalless draw with USA. I enjoy watching the fans’ celebration more than the matches. Hope that Italy make it in 2026.

Busy month for work. Busy month for Pokémon and World Cup. Juggling work and play while having daily exercises and ensuring enough groceries for the household.

Read two books in beginning of Nov. Borrowed three books but no time to read.