No Maid = Unhealthy Eating

We are eating out for dinner almost every evening.  When we have a maid, we usually eat dinner at home.  Now all 3 meals are out and our food whether it is hawker or resturant has high salt and sodium content from sauces and MSG.  Also high calories due to high sugar content.

With a domestic help, our homecooked food are quite simple with low sodium and no sugar or MSG.  In long term, it is not good.  We don't get salad or high veg in hawker centers.

In the news, the food is cheap and tasty gets our attention and high share of stomach.  In the Straits Times, this has been highlighted.  Preparing healthy meal at home cost more in dollars and in time.  It is so much easier to eat chicken rice or minced meat noodles than to find chicken salad.  Also chicken rice is $3 and a set with vegetables cost $5.  Whereas chicken salad will set you back by $10 and usually available in selected Malls.

Pool

For a long time, I have not used the pool.  The weather is very hot and I love to be at the poolside.  I can read books and newspaper and take a nap in the breeze.  The only problem is the sun will creep onto you and it become hot and so bright that it burns right through my closed lids.  I also find myself sunburned which makes me think the poolside umbrella offers on shade from the visible light and not the ultraviolet light.

When I first look for a home, swimming pool is a must.  I enjoyed the pool for a few years and then stopped using it.  Sometimes, I wished we bought a terrace or semi-d.  Then we would have capital gain.  Price of my house did not go up much when property market heated up.

Fish Head Curry@Ci Yuan

Ci Yuan economic rice or chap chye png stall has a value fish head curry dish at $14.80.  I am not a fish person meaning I don't eat fish.  But I am fine with fishhead curry.  I like to order fishhead curry as it is freshly cooked and there are lots of vegetables.  When I order this morning, I request for fresh fish as the previous time, it taste "fishy" meaning the fish has deteriorated.

Today, the fish head is pretty good.  So B1 reminds me to tell the boss that the fishhead is good.  And I did.  So he is happy and we are happy.

Mother and Son Buskers AMK Hub

The mother and son buskers was in the courtyard of AMK Hub.  They attracted a large crowd crooning Chinese numbers.  I do not appreciate those songs but B1 and Mummy love them and listem to the duo while I pass time in Fairprice.  You can even ask them to sing specific songs which a number of people in the audience did.  So it is quite a good way to pass time on a Friday evening and the buskers earn a good income.  Win win!

Rediscovering My Love for Reading

The newly purchased books from Page One and books borrowed from library has inspires me to read again.  It is like travelling back in time when I was in my younger days.  I am reading a few books at a time and each has a book mark.  The library has an advantage as I need to return them.  So I will skim through them before returning.  Those I owned tends to have bookmarks somewhere in the middle and may be forgotten.

I love reading multiple books.  I am interested in many subjects.  The most recent acquisitions are mainly on Angels.  From the library, I was looking toward Future and Innovation.  So it is more business oriented.  Whatever it is, books are great resource for learning.  My brain enjoys absorbing new information and refreshing old ideas I read.

Books Deal in PageOne!

I wanted to get the Robin Cook novels for 50 cents.  Unfortunately, the PageOne temp store in Cathay building has no more stock of these novels.  PageOne is having Sale on the 50 cent price.  Now it is 2 for 50cents!!  So the books are at a quarter or 25 cents each!!  I love it and bought a bunch of them.  22 in total costing $5.50.  However, my car park cost $5.35 and I had to wait for more than one and half hours as I reach there at noon and the store opens at 1:30pm.  While waiting, I bought Americano coffee for $2.  Still it is a steal!  I am satisfied with the books I bought although I would have bought them if they cost $1 each.

Bike Repair and Teochew Porridge in Macpherson

This afternoon after sending B3 to his tuition, B1 and I go to Ubi to CannAsia to send my Cannon for spoke repair.  One of the spoke has broke.  The spoke cost $1 plus but the labor is $25.  I also want to change the brake but it is so expensive.  So I decide to just put in a new spoke and have the brakes replace at the Sengkang Community center for $8 each pair.

The bike also need a week to repair, so I just place the bike there and browse around.  There are many interesting bike.  Giant is just beside as well.  The price of Giant is more competitive.  I may buy a new Giant instead of Cannondale.

We have not eaten our lunch, so we go to Airport Road to survey the food there.  B1 like the Teochew Porridge.  There are 2 stalls.  One is beside the Braised Duck and the other in the shop next door. The next door stall's scrambled eggs with long beans and fried chicken wings look appetitizing.  It also has the sign ieatishootipost poster.  We decides to ta pow back home.  It is quite good and price is a little dear.  We ordered the scrambled eggs, 3 pieces chicken wings and two otahs.  One plain rice and one porridge.  Total price is $9.50.

Shares Hit New Highs

All the shares I sold are now at much higher price.  But I am not so concern as I just want to get out.  However, my wife feels sad we missed out in some opportunity to lessen our loss.  However, I strongly believe the price will drop and when it drop, there is no time for investors like me to get out.  I am very slow in responding the changes in market.  This is why I keep losing money in stocks.

Divesting Shares

With so many "experts" predicting the Economic Collapse, I am trying to divest my shares.  Unfortunately, many of my shares are in loss position but no choice because if the stock market tanks, it will be much worse.  So I am slowly getting out although some shares like Sembmarine will be difficult as there is news of merger and therefore a potential for price increase.

I had some REITs that are below cost but I am not sure if it is a loss as I do received regular payout.  So maybe it is just breakeven or possibly small gains or loss.   Many times experts are wrong.  However, I do believe the event will happen except timing maybe off.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

AMK Food Center

The food is AMK Central Food Center that is near Courts is pretty good.  We like the Malay Satay and the Fried Kway Teow.  Our whole family of 5 has dinner there this evening.  We have 2 plates of large fried kway teow with extra egg costing $4 each, 20 sticks of chicken satay, 3 mutton and 3 babat or beef tripe.  I also ordered some Indian rojak.  We enjoys our dinner.  No drinks as we prefers to drink water at home.

Up Early

I woke up with a nagging headache and decides to get up and B2 is surprised as he has not sleep yet.  He is registering for his courses in UofT for his first year.  He will be going over in Aug.  He is quite excited about his courses.  I am happy he is motivated.

Economic Crisis

Youtube have lots of predictions on the coming Economic Collapse.  So we are starting to sell off our stocks even though they are under water.  I am not a good investor as I lost lots of money on stocks.  Luckily, our property gain in value and that helps reduce the lossess.

I think the collapse may be coming and I want to be ready and will to buy.  So far, I did not dare to and waited until the price has risen by a lot before getting in.  This is why I am not a good stock investor.

Good Day

In the morning, I do my fishing and caught a wonderful meal for my pet arowana.  Then we go to run errands and bought Ah Seng Braised Duck for lunch.  We pick up B3 from school and send mummy to do her beauty stuff.  This is why all married women looked so much younger than their husbands.

After that, we went to our favorite haunt NTUC Fairprice Supermarket.  We thought we want to cook pasta for dinner.  But the minced meat there does not look good.  So we decide to go to Cold Storage.  The meats in Cold Storage are far superior compared to NTUC.  Although the minced meat looked wonderful, Char Siew Chicken was on special and I decided to buy one bird to try.  So we skip pasta and cook egg noodles instead to accompany the chicken.

It is a regular and good day.

Page One Lelong Shop

Page One is "lelong" all the excess stock in Cathay Building Level 4.  The books are going for between 50 cents and $5.  Regular books such as novels and some nonfiction are at 50 cents each.  The pictures books on cooking, recipes, hotels, packaging, sewing are starts at $1.    I saw a man who bought massive quantity at least 30 books.  I wonder how he can manage to bring them home.  It is very bulky and heavy.

I manage to get a few copies like Who is Your City, Richard Floride, Weight Loss Diet(audiobook) and Hit by David Baldacci.

It is good to get books at good value.

Leaving Fan On

I have not been at my computer for a few days.  I did not realise I have left the fan on and I have wasted a lot of electricity.  I hate wasting energy.  This is very remiss of me.  I feel the pain of wasting my money beside wasting energy.