A new start, in the land far, far away

I'm way overdue for an update, I know.

So, I started my new job last Thursday. I was pretty apprehensive, for various reasons. For one, this is the first time I've worked full-time in a university. The worst thing was really the transport arrangements. While it's nice to have a chartered bus taking you there directly, it doesn't give me any flexibility with regard to timing, especially since I realised I do have some flexibility.

A pleasant surprise was getting my own office. It does make for a rather lonely time at work, though. There's plenty of space for my books now, but I don't dare bring too much of my stuff to work, in case my contract doesn't get renewed next year. The thing I dislike most about this office isn't the lack of a real window, or having to manually lock the door whenever I leave, but the location, which is very far away from the main department office, not to mention the nearest toilet and pantry. My previous office had both just next door, and I'm spoilt by that.

The new semester starts in September (delayed due to YOG, which also has resulted in our spending August working from home). I have 5 classes lined up, plus facilitation of a community service project. Staggered start dates mean that I'll be teaching right up to Christmas, though. My students will be diploma and PGDE students training to teach in primary schools. Because I'll be working under coordinators, I don't have to do a great deal of prep, which is nice. I think I'll be learning a lot from the courses myself.

What with the new job and driving lessons (always painful, especially when executing turns), I haven't been very good with the other things I ought to be doing. I haven't been practising my forex trading, which probably means I'm not getting as much out of hands-on sessions as I could be. I haven't been working out daily. I was supposed to do 20min or so after work, but I'm just so tired it's hard. I hope to overcome that as I get used to the hours. I haven't restarted my Fast-5 diet either. I just couldn't quite bring myself to explain to new colleagues why I'm not eating lunch. Something maybe I can get around when classes start.

Mid-June update: forex trading and other money matters

I spent the past weekend on my forex intensive. It was incredibly draining and frankly I'm not sure how much of it I actually got. We were supposed to practise on our demo accounts till the first hands-on session today, but I only got my log-in info late Tuesday, and my experience so far has not been encouraging. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't really "get" it and am barking up the wrong tree as a result, or am just unlucky. I tell myself that I'd intended to practise for a good long time before I jump in for real, anyway. Will I earn my course fees back at least, as promised? Eventually, I hope. The bigger question may be whether this is something I enjoy enough to do for supplementary income, or if I should start looking for other avenues.


In other news, I've yet to settle the issue of my integrated shield insurance plan, which is annoying. I'm also not too happy with the life plan my parents got me years ago, which isn't due to even break even for a good long time, from what I can see. I think the hefty annual premium can be put to better use, and will most likely terminate the policy at a loss. I also plan to terminate the foundation policy my parents got me as a child. The premium is not substantial, but I feel that every dollar invested counts.

Not that I've been that virtuous, financially speaking. I've been lusting the new HTC Desire since I knew it existed, but my plan isn't up for renewal yet. I couldn't face the thought of paying full retail for the phone, and ended up trolling the internet for a good deal. In the end I paid cash for a 2-week old European import. I would have preferred a local set, but I saved over 20% on retail, money which could go towards a nice Noreve case. Will be really cash poor until UniSIM pays me the balance of what they owe me at the end of the month.

Re my fitness plan, I was doing 30 minutes on the crosstrainer until the forex intensive weekend basically knocked me out. As I'd feared, my self-discipline faltered. My strategy when the spirit is weak is to make a compromise with myself: any workout is better than none. 100 calories or even 15 minutes fulfils my obligation to myself on bad days. I have yet to motivate myself to resume yoga, though, which is bad.

Work begins on 1 July, and it occurred to me that since the semester doesn't begin till 30 August, I could actually take the holiday I'd wanted. I'm not sure what sort of budget I'd have to work with; even with the savings on accommodation it's $1.5k for a ticket to London. The plan right now is a week away in August, maybe in the first week, after the campus lockdown starts and before YOG opens. 

Fighting cancer

I've always believed that a healthy diet is one's first defence against diseases, but in recent years I've been consciously trying to eat disease-fighting foods regularly, and making sure my family does too. (Fibre was my previous focus, with success.)

After watching this video I read up on anti-angiogenesis and decided to focus on soya products and cooked tomatoes, both of which we do eat but probably not enough of. I'm happy to say that in recent years I've conquered my dislike of soya milk, and now like it best unsweetened. Tofu is delicious, especially cold Japanese tofu. The tofu they make in-house at Meidi-ya is superb and quite reasonably priced. Morinaga Longlife tofu is great if you want something on standby. With Meidi-ya delivery, I can have my regular fix without making the trip down. I also stocked up on tinned tomatoes (great for making puttanesca pasta sauce and yesterday I added it to a butternut stew with chickpeas) to help make up the minimum $50 purchase. For my order this week I added frozen edamame and natto. Can't say I'm a big fan of natto, but I'm sure I can learn to like it since I've liked most stinky foods (eventually).

I've also started the habit of brewing tea for the family every day after lunch. It's hard to drink hot tea in our recent weather, but a couple of ice cubes usually helps. According to the video tea of all varieties are beneficial, not just green.

On the whole, I think the evidence is clear that fruit and vegetables are far more beneficial, and sometimes I really wished I could turn vegetarian. I can't give up meat and seafood, but I can make sure they don't form the bulk of my diet. I've already started limiting my dairy intake, so I know I can do it.

Incidentally, I've modified my supplement regimen recently by adding beta-glucan to it. There is strong evidence that beta-glucan protects one against cancer, infection, allegic rhinitis and arthritis, and lowers cholesterol. This will replace acetylcysteine since I dislike swallowing too many pills. I will continue taking multi-vits and fish oil (another multi-purpose supplement). 

A Vesak Day update

First posted on Vox.

I am doing 20 min daily on the crosstrainer now, and plan to increase it to 25 next week. It can get quite boring, so besides varying the programme, I also do a combination of forward, backward and handsfree "riding". I find it best to do it in the morning, but when I start work I don't know if I can motivate myself to do it after work.

I realise that I can't do the Fast-5 thing while lunching with family. Aside from the fact that I might freak my folks out, it really does inconvenience them. Must restart in July.

This week I finally have all the log-in info I need to make my virgin investments. Using CPF, I bought a lot each of STI ETF, A-REIT and PLife REIT. I can buy more, but I prefer to spread my money out and there's nothing else I can buy with my CPF money that I want. With cash, I bought 60 shares of Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF and 110 shares of iShares MSCI Europe ETF. Can't really afford anything more for now, so will buy the others on my list as my paycheques come in in the next couple of months.

Even though I have an investment strategy all planned out, the whys and wherefores didn't really crystalise until I started reading Tim Hale's Smarter Investing, which came in the post this week. I think this should be the very first investment book anybody reads, before they buy any insurance or bank product or shares or unit trusts. It's a very sobering read - who knew what a giant scam financial institutions run? Even with the recent crisis, I don't think people really understand where their money is going when they invest. This book isn't about making your fortune on the stock market, like the previous investment "classics" I bought, but about staying ahead of the game. It's not about developing an eye for winners, or for analysing charts to time the market. It's about working out a strategy based on historical data, so that you beat the odds. A very scientific, systematic way of going about it, but written for the newbie investor. I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to ensure a comfortable retirement despite volatile markets. 

Insurance plans I applied for this week are AIA Critical Protector Plus ($100k CI), AIA Glow of Life ($50k early-payout CI plan for women) and TM AsiaLife CancerCare ($200k early-payout for cancer-only CI). If they go through successfully, this gives me $350k CI coverage in addition to the $20k from my AIA WL plan. Due to strict underwriting, I have yet to settle the more urgent matter of an integrated shield plan. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks.

My Basic Theory Test is in late June, and I've already booked my first month of practical lessons in anticipation of passing it (fingers crossed). The lessons are costing me a small fortune, so I've reluctantly decided to put aside my plan to buy the HTC Desire. I also spent quite a bit on my Forex course and an IPL package at Regina. Fortunately, I do have pay coming in from UniSIM and Curtin in June.

Health and money matters aside, I'm trying to rev up my social life. This is actually harder work! It's so hard to find interest groups that allow you to meet new people. Last night, I attended a meetup for folks who want to speak or learn Cantonese, and it was actually quite fun, but active groups like these are on the rare side. Or maybe my interests are just too limited. I welcome all suggestions as long as they don't include SDN and similar. The thought of attending an event expressly to find a potential mate is just too scary!

Birthday update

First posted on Vox.

This birthday I feel is more meaningful than the last because it comes as I'm trying to change the way I live. Specifically, actively controlling my finances and health.

In the case of finances, I'm almost ready to make my virgin investments (just waiting for my account passwords). The euro situation is making me nervous, but I keep reminding myself that I never intended to time the market anyway. I've also done a lot of reading up on insurance policies in the past week, and have determined a strategy for maximising my CI coverage (my biggest worry) without paying too much. It's still a hefty cut of my salary, though. Now it's just up to the underwriters.

For my health, I succeeded in doing my version of Fast-5 (eating in a 6h window instead) from Monday to Friday this past week. I hope to see results soon. I read that most people lose inches before they lose weight, which I'm looking forward to! It might take awhile since I give myself a break at the weekend. I'm also very happy today to do 20min straight on the crosstrainer today (over 4km, approx 100 calories). I hope to gradually improve till I can do 30min without killing myself.

Day one of Fast-5 (or 6)

First posted on Vox.

Today I attended a Terraseeds workshop with a friend from a previous intake of their forex course. It was mostly about online channels of communication between trainers and trainees, so I wasn't too lost. Forums, Twitter and FB are all things that I'm very familiar with. After the workshop I paid for the next intake, which is in June. It's on the pricy side, so I hope I make it back eventually!

After that I deposited my Income bonus cheque and opened an SRS account. By then my eating window had opened (3pm) and I was slightly shaky with hunger. I didn't have much of an appetite, though, so I had sugarless soya milk and a couple of buns from Toastbox. As I write this I'm feeling more normal, and will do my 15 min workout before dinner.

My AIA agent (a neighbour that we approached) called to say that my ILP application had gone through. Which made it quite embarrassing to tell her I don't want it anymore. She'll come over in a few days to discuss other term insurance plans they have to offer, as well as the early-payout CI plan I'm interested in. For my healthshield plan, the underwriter wants to exclude "generative organs" despite my recent ultrasound that proved everything is fine! This underwiter is giving me problems again :( My agent will appeal - hopefully she succeeds.  

Turning my life around

First posted on Vox.

So in the last few weeks I've been thinking about my health, both physical and financial. I want to have a long and comfortable life, and realised I couldn't leave it up to chance. It occurred to me today that blogging would be a good way to chart my progress.

Health
I came to the realisation that there's no point paying the big bucks to clubs and gyms, simply because I find dragging myself there a deterrence. The solution is not to give myself any excuse NOT to exercise. I also realised that doing it daily is the only way to keep myself disciplined.

I started off my regimen by climbing the stairs. I actually like this because it's simple, free and out of the sun. It's an excellent cardio workout. I take the lift to the void deck (I only go up, never down, to save my knees), climb up to the top floor (12th), go back down, and come up the other staircase to my floor (8th). Great returns for very little time.

I also needed alternatives at home, so I started to think of equipment. I got Wong Lilin's Loopz (basically a resistance band with loops), and some yoga stuff (blocks, belt, books). I also decided to invest in a second-hand home gym machine. At first, I was ready to go for a treadmill, but then read about how noisy it was, plus a good one that lasts costs a few thou. I never liked running anyway, and always thought treadmills were dumb. My favourite machine at the gym was always the crosstrainer, so why not get one? It's quiet, doesn't use much electricity and is low-impact. I found a nice Kettler going for half-price ($750) on local eBay, and with the help of an extremely kind friend, carted it home. It's a bit creaky, but Kettler will do maintenance for free before the end of the warranty period this month. My mum enjoys it too, and we are starting off with 15 minutes a day with a resistance interval programme. I would like to do 30 minutes daily by the time I start work.

The other goal I have is to bring my weight down to an ideal BMI (between 41 to 51kg). I have to lose at least 3kg, and never having been a dieter, don't really know where to start. Today I remembered an article I read about calorie restriction, which studies show improves your health dramatically, but is also quite hard to do on a daily basis. What many people are doing instead is intermittent fasting (IF). The easiest programme for me I think would be something like Fast-5, where you eat only during a 5-hour window everyday. I have always found it hard to eat breakfast consistently and late lunches I've had enough to know I can take it. I plan to start with a 6-hour window, with 3-9pm being ideal. I can't see myself giving up my morning coffee (black with a little sugar), though, and I'll probably break the rules on weekends. I'm really aiming for the long-term health benefits here, but the weight loss is a real plus.

Finance
I've always had a very short-term approach to finance, which seems odd coming from the daughter of parents who worked in banks most of their lives. I've always been pressured to be frugal, but never taught financial management as such. I actually think this is a skill that ought to be taught to kids as soon as they are old enough to understand, so that they don't develop bad spending habits like I did.

The first thing to do was to settle my insurance. I was frustrated with AIA last year and let my applications lapse, but this year I went for the required medical examination and hopefully AIA finds it sufficient. The most important thing I want to add to my current life insurance plans is as-charged health insurance. On top of that I was going to take an ILP, but have second thoughts now. Maybe I'll get an early-payout CI plan instead.

After visiting various websites and forums, I decided that I want to be primarily a passive investor, using Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). I am especially inspired by this blogger, and will be using his portfolio as a guide to developing my own. When I first decided to trade, I opened accounts with various stockbrokers, but having compared them carefully will stick with POEMS for SGX and Saxo for foreign markets. My goal is to invest about $20k yearly in equities, drawing both from cash and CPF-OA. Cash investments should be drawn from my SRS account when possible, so that I can pay less tax. I was ready to deal with bond ladders for my fixed income, but decided in the end that using my CPF-SA would be a good stand-in for now.

At the same time I also need to save for my doctorate, since there's no guarantee I'll be able to get sponsorship. This $12k yearly can be parked in a money market fund, which gives me a better interest rate than my bank, while providing liquidity and low risk.

It's going to be bloody hard, having so little to spend a month. I suppose it's just as well that 5 days a week I'm going to be stranded in the campus Far Far Away, where there is no real shopping to be had. The institution apparently doesn't believe in AWS, so I can't depend on that and bonuses for savings. I'm going to have to be very disciplined.

The last thing I want to do is to find an additional source of income. Previously, I got that by doing more of the same thing I do everyday, which is incredibly draining. I thought of freelance editing, but that is tiring work too, and a little too close to my real job. I'm going to try forex trading, having been inspired by a friend. If I have the right temperament for it, it could be a very nice change of pace. The initial investment in training is a bit daunting, but education is never a bad thing.

Another thing I'm doing for my financial health is to focus on discounts and rebates for credit cards, and forget about reward points, which I find hard to use most of the time. I've cancelled the cards I never use anymore (so that I don't have to bug them about annual fee waivers), and will concentrate my spending on the UOB One card when I get it. I think it has the best rebate programme of all the cards out there. Every cent saved is another cent for my nest egg!