Tag Archives: Musing

Life’s Current Bucket List

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I keep thinking of life in and after May when I will be unemployed and I have decided that I am going to start keeping a list of things I want to do, something like a bucket list. These are all things that have been in the back burner for a while now while I was busy, but now that I will have the time, I plan to start working on them. Knowing me, I know I probably won’t do all, I am hoping I get to accomplish at least 75% of them….

The list, which may change as I go through them, is below and I am putting it here to make myself accountable. I’ve sorted them into groups so that it makes more sense to me. they are in no particular order, in fact they are as they occurred to me!

Self Improvement

Study: Aha, caught you on this right! While I do want to study based on my interests, what I meant by study is to actually do BB & GG’s coursework. With no income, I don’t have the money to spend on tuition, which is very expensive for secondary school. The hourly rate is in the rate of SGD 100 and with more subjects where they may need help, I definitely can’t afford this. So one of my goals is to start studying their syllabus and then teach them. It can’t be that difficult right? I mean I have a Masters degree and this is high school stuff! But whom I am kidding, I’m terrified and fear that I’ll mess up. But this is something I need to do and will do. Humanities should not be too difficult since I was a humanities student during college, it’s the maths and science subjects which terrify me!

Self-Learning: Speaking of studying, I keep getting emails from Coursera and I am quite tempted to take up some courses. I will do that as well as learn about photography from websites and videos. I’ve wanted to take photography courses for ages now and this is the right time to do it I think. I also want to learn how to put on makeup. My usual daily make-up is moisturizer, sunscreen, some CC powder and kohl pencil and a swipe of lipstick. I have no clue on how to apply other makeup and this seems to be a good time to learn. This is a fun thing to do I guess and also as GG starts growing, I am sure she will start wanting to experiment with makeup sooner than later and if I know something about it, it’ll make her learning so much simpler.

Investing: I have been fascinated with investing for a while now. I am student of Economics and Finance (though my studies seem very far away these days) and I plan to use this time to really study investing. I am going to study the Singapore stock market for a while and then based on what I have learned, I plan to invest a hypothetical SGD 10,000 on some stocks and track them for a few months. If I manage to get even 10% returns, I will do this with real money! May not be as much as my hypothetical money, but it will be a start.

Online Shopping: Another thing I’ve been trying to understand for a while now, but not gathered the courage to do much. I do buy online, but am always wondering if I have gotten the best deal? I did some work on e-commerce a few weeks back as part of my work and saw the power of the Chinese e-commerce sites, especially Tabao. So I want to research these sites and see if it’s really that worth it and try to do some online shopping!

Writing: I’ve always written and I think one of my long established dream is to be a published author. I’ve never really taken steps to do this and this will be the time I actually do something about it. My interest is in books and stories for children and I want to write some stories and send it to a publisher to see if they are good enough. I don’t have any creative writing background and so will also use this time to research on this – if there are some online courses, I am going to take them, or even if I can find something in my local universities. I also want to research and write some decent articles for this blog.

Work: I am also contemplating starting something on my own – there was an article on the Straits Times this weekend on freelance work and to me it seemed like a sign. I’ve signed up in one of the freelance sites I’ve used in this company before. While unemployed, I need to see if this will be to generate some income.

Exercise and eat well: My perennial favourite! I want to start walking again and this time I have a good reason – to beat my diabetes once and for all! I want to start walking again on a regular basis and eventually move to running. This time I plan to see if this works for me or no (I’ve tried running before but couldn’t keep it up) as well as eat well and avoid mindless snacking. I am also very seriously planning to go without sugar. I’ve seen some videos on what sugar does to you and this is quite tempting. It will be easier if everyone does it together, so I am going to have to brainwash my family to be in it too!

Home Improvement

Organise: Do a thorough clean-up and organizing of the house. I have tons of ideas and want to get rid of stuff (I am a certified pack-rat) as well as do some organizing projects.I plan to split this room by room over a period of time so that it does not get too overwhelming and I lose steam before I finish.

Housekeeping: I’ve never been a great housekeeper, preferring to do all the other, wonderful things you can do with your time. I’ve pretty much always relied on outside help to do things I don’t like to do and this is what I plan to change this time around. I plan to research the best way to clean my home and also figure out the best way to schedule my cleaning, such that with an initial effort but not much after that, the house is in good condition all the time. I also want to do work I don’t like and get those out of the way. I have a very low ‘icky factor’ and this is something I want to work on.

Food: My cooking in the last few years has been mundane and routine. Once R leaves, this is another area where I want to improve in. R’s repertoire is quite limited and the children and S get quite tired with the same old dishes week after week. So I want to plan menus where I can do international cuisine, both which can be taken to school as lunches as well as slightly more elaborate ones for weekends and dinners. While I am decent cook, Indian cooking does not really leave itself to much baking skills. Add to the fact that we are vegetarians, so my baking skills are really sub-par. I want to use this time to really start baking, not only making cakes and cupcakes, but also things like quiches and scones.

So there you have it! A ton of projects to do. And since I have committed it to doing it here, I really hope this will help me be accountable to myself. Let’s see what I can accomplish and how long!

Colouring for Adults: Have you tried it?

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There’s something so soothing mindlessly colouring, the only thing worrying you being whether you should be using red or carmine for this particular spot!

When GG & BB were younger, I used to print loads and loads of colouring pages for them, based on their favourite character of the day. In the process I also used to print some for me or used to sneak out some from their stash!

Even before adult colouring books became so popular, I loved colouring. But, and a big rider to this is that I only like to colour specific things. I love geometric shapes and mandalas and last week when I was cleaning out a cupboard, I came across a fat file full of mandala print-outs all ready to colour.

These days, these colouring books for adults are all the rage, the book which started this craze is Secret Garden which I hear has sold over 2 million copies since it was released in 2013. We see loads of such books in book stores, some even specifically themed. GG & I saw a Harry Potter coloring book and GG wanted me to purchase it for her! These books are quite expensive, retailing over SGD 35 per book and each time I see them and am tempted to buy, the price always puts me off!

But what is the lure of these books? Some people believe that the repetitive motion and confined space in which you have to colour triggers some kind of mental nirvana and gives you the peace of mind that digital devices distractions are forever chasing away. These help you to unwind and kick off the stress of the daily grind. I’ve since discovered that Carl Jung, the pioneering analytical psychologist often used colouring therapy as a means to get his patients to relax way back in the early 1900s and himself used to draw and colour mandalas every morning.

Colouring also trains our minds to focus, so that we do not go out of the line and live in the moment, which is getting to be critical life skill in our lives. It’s a given that colouring helps with fine motor skills because it requires both hemispheres of the brain to communicate and this activity improves fine motor skills and vision.

When I realized I could not get myself to buy the colouring books, especially since there were not many books which catered to what I like to colour, I discovered colouring apps! I can’t remember now where exactly I heard of them, but once I did, there was no stopping me. Most of these apps are free to use with in-app purchases. I’ve yet to pay for any, so keep reusing the same free prints that are available.

I downloaded a bunch of colouring apps and then deleted some of them almost immediately. Like I mentioned before, I prefer to colour geometric shapes and mandalas and those that didn’t have a good selection of those, didn’t make the cut and were deleted.

Colorfy is one where I where I mostly use the blank geometric patterns and make my own. This one has around 2 free palettes and a free daily palette which is usually shades of a single colour.

Another good one is Adult Colouring which seems to have a good mix of pages or books as they call it. Their free colour selections are also the most extensive, but sometimes the colours tend to overlap in palettes and it gets confusing after a while.

ColorTherapy is the last one I frequent. Again a good mix of themes to colour and this one also has a lot of festival-centric pages. Free colour selections are limited though!

All the apps above are from the Apple App Store. I do not know if they are available on Android phones and are free/with in-app purchases.

If I were Stranded on a Deserted Island…

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The other day I was reading and there was a post on the top things you would have with you if you were stranded. Most people had very innovative and practical items to have on hand, but this actually got me thinking – do we actually think we will be stranded when we travel and have the x number of items on our person? So anyway this got me thinking and if I were ever stranded, especially on a deseted and desolate island where communication is an issue and I am the only person there (aka Robinson Crusoe), this is what I hope I have on myself – otherwise I guess I am doomed!

  1. A solar powered iPhone: This is so that I can try to communicate with the world in a bid to be saved. This should also help in passing the time should I be bored and will also take the place of my books because my phone is always pre-loaded with books. I can also listen to music on my phone so this one phone will actually be the equivalent of 3 items….
  2. A Swiss Army Knife: This is a no-brainer! This will check so many boxes for survival that it should probably be number 1.
  3. Pen and Notebooks: Since I will be free of all distractions, this enforced period of boredom should help me flesh out the book that has been inside me for aeons.
  4. A giant pack of matches: To help me light fires. I’ve never been a Guide or Scout, so no idea on how to light fires using flints or stones!
  5. A solar powered flashlight: This would help me see in the dark and also hopefully frighten away any animals at night.
  6. Sunscreen: Skin cancer anyone? Not me!
  7. Lipstick: Because I am vain like that…
  8. Hammock: Deserted islands have plenty of trees and reading while lying on a hammock is absolute bliss. And of course, this eliminates the need to sleep on a hard floor with god alone knows what bugs and insects.
  9. Toothbrush and Toothpaste: I hate a furry mouth, though I’d need to find a freshwater source before I can actually use it. I’ve brushed in salt/brackish water once and it was an experience I do not ever wish to repeat!
  10. Canned food items: Since I am a vegetarian, I can’t depend on ocean’s bounty to feed me so some canned food for me to survive. I will use my Swiss knife to open the cans and my matches to cook anything I need to cook!

What about you? What would you bring with you if you were ever stranded on a deserted and desolate island?

What if I Won the Lottery?

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Earlier this week one of my colleagues sent around an email asking if we were interested in pitching money to play the lottery. This is one of the biggest draws of the year and most people in Singapore, even if they don’t gamble at all, try to put some money for the Chinese New Year draw. After all, who would not like to win big with a small investment! This year’s Hong Bao draw () prize has now snowballed to S$13.9 million and the draw is later today…

I’ve been imagining on and off what I would do if I ever won the lottery. I am not so greedy, so I never dream of winning really big (think billions or even a few millions), but I’d really love to win a million (or even a few hundred thousand!)

So with the assumption that I’ve won a few million, here are my top things to do if I won a lottery….

  1. We don’t have a lot of debts with housing and car loans the biggest ones. So one of the first things I’d do would be to pay off my housing loan and if there’s anything left over, use that to make the down payment for a new flat which I will use as passive income stream. If the win is serious money (talking about 10 million and more), I’ll probably use it to purchase multiple properties (housing and commercial) as investments.
  2. I would also love to buy a bigger house, my dream home, one with a minimum of 6 bedrooms, one each for us, BB, GG, my parents, my in-laws and guests, each with its own ensuite bathroom, a large kitchen and living room and rooms for our domestic helpers. Since it’s a dream home, I’d want the house to have two granny flats – one for my parents and one for S’ mum and aunt, both featuring a small mini kitchenette and a living room so both sets of parents live with us, but are independent at the same time.
  3. Spend some money in doing up the houses in what would be my version of a dream home – including having a dedicated space for the loads of books I will own!
    Set up education funds for BB & GG so that they are able to study what they want and where they want without feeling that we cannot afford it. I’d also invest in getting good coaching for them now while they are still in school so that they are able to make the points in achieving their dream careers.
  4. Invest a good chunk of the lottery money. I don’t have great knowledge on this, so I’d probably hire someone to go this for this. This would secure not only our present, but also our future and retirement.
  5. Leave my job and become a SAHM as we can now afford it! Take time to really spend quality time with my family.
  6. Splurge on nice holidays for my family (including parents and in-laws) and see the world. I have extended family literally across the globe and have made so many plans to visit them, but the fact that for a family of 4 adults, any holiday (even to a nearby destination) becomes expensive and travelling across the globe is something we need to budget for, so a fairly large travel budget will be really god sent! I’d also love to splurge some money on first class travel for my family, parents and in-laws.
  7. Invest in a private trainer for my family so that we become the healthiest we can become. This will also include investing money in hiring a great cook, who can whip up tasty and healthy food for us.
  8. Spend some money on splurges for my family (including the extended ones) so that they can all buy some things which they’ve always wanted, but probably can’t.
    Buy S a new car, hopefully his dream car, but if not that, maybe one that he loves more than our current one.
  9. Lastly, I’d want to give back something to society. At this point, I don’t know what and how, but I do know I’d love to give back to the lesser fortunate, especially children. Since I’d not need to work for a living, I want to volunteer my time as well as money.

Well, it’s all wishful thinking at this point, but it was nice writing this post dreaming of all that I’d get and do should I win a few millions in the lottery!

What are your top wishes if you won big?

Dreams Revisited

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I was going to post this in my weekly update, but when I started typing it, it became a whole new post, hence posting it today! I also wrote about another really vivid dream I had about 8-9 months back

This week I’ve had some real vivid dreams. I dreamt about planes, travel, holidays three days in a row and then one about a quarrel with my mum! I am going to document what the dreams were, so if there are any changes in life, I know it’s here and I don’t forget.

Dream 1
In the first dream, I am transiting in Bangalore on the way to Singapore and decide to leave the airport and go out. It is night time and I end up in a very happening party. I talk to people and suddenly see a male friend whom I have not seen for a while. While talking and catching up, I suddenly realise I need to get back to the airport. My friend volunteers to drop me back. We reach the airport which is deserted and stroll in, going upto the runway when we suddenly see the SQ flight take off. I am not at the least bit upset, but just comment, “Oh dear, I’ve missed my flight, I don’t know when I will get to Singapore.” I don’t remember anything beyond this and probably woke up at this point.

Dream 2
The second dream is a lot more fuzzy, but it has something to do with a flying club and BB. I do remember thinking that I had another plane dream when I woke up but nothing else…

Dream 3
This one is the most vivid one, especially when I just woke it. It took me a couple of seconds to come back to the earth! In this dream, S, BB, GG and I are in London. We are in an AirBnB rental place and the kids are not happy with their bedroom. I take soiled clothes and put them into a washing machine, commenting to S about why we didn’t try this route before.

There’s a knock and someone comes in – I couldn’t recognize him, but I am guessing he was local and he passes me a paper. I can’t remember now what it was, but in the dream it made perfect sense. Something about him passing it from someone or I passing him something. Then he passes me a map of London and we start planning our itinerary, I remember seeing the Parliament House and the Buckingham House in the map.

Next I remember being outside and also thinking I should write a novel set in London and see if I could get away with it without actually being there. At the outside place, I saw some people who seemed familiar. At this point the alarm rang and I woke up.

Dream 4
I had another weird dream. This time, I was around 20 odd years old, living at home with my parents and sister. It was just my mum, sister and me in the dream. I need to go to school and my mum was asking me to make something. I don’t know why, but I was against doing that and was mouthing her off. I reluctantly did what I was supposed to do, banging things around.

My sister also needed to go to school and the word Aston/Ashton was very emphatic in the dream. I think this was the school I was to go to? When I finally finish, I decide to take a taxi and drop my sister to school on the way. We get down and I suddenly realise I do not have the address of Aston/Ashton and start googling it using my phone (there were no mobiles then, or if there were, only the very rich could afford them, leave aside smartphones)!

We get a taxi and I also find out the address but suddenly realise that by the time I get to school, it will be over. I don’t remember much after this, or perhaps I woke up. I’ve never spoken to my mum like I did in the dream, at least not since I grew up and went to college. She was more a friend than a mum. My dad perhaps sometimes as I am more like him than my mum in temperament and when we tend to disagree, both stand their ground and won’t budge. It’s up to my mum to play the peacemaker!

I googled what the dreams meant and it’s absolutely fascinating!

Dreaming about missing a flight means there’s something missing in your life, possibly direction, confidence or intimacy. It’s a fear of missing something important and is possibly related to the stress in your waking hours. This is possibly due to my current work situation, but in the dream there was no fear when I missed the flight, just an Oh Oh moment!

Dreaming about London or any other big city usually has references to socializing and making friends. If you are on a holiday or socializing in the big city, then positive changes are afoot.

If you are in an empty Airport in your dream, it means that changes are afoot and shortly you will have a situation that must come to ahead

When you travel to a new place that you’ve never been before in a dream, it means that you desire for changes to occur in your life or changes are going to occur, which you may know or not. This is to enable you to move forward in life. Again if you enjoyed the trip, then the changes may be more positive than negative

When you quarrel with someone in your dream, it means some sort of a struggle which you are facing in your life. Quarreling with friends or business associates indicate positive changes. It also means that everything will be going very well and quarrelling with family means the whole family will live in harmony.

If your mother comes in your dream, it represents the nurturing aspect of your own character and having a conversation with her indicates a matter which has preoccupied you which you are not sure how to deal with it during your waking hours, representing unresolved problems.

Ah well, I am going to take all these interpretations with a huge pinch of salt! I will definitely update here if there are positive changes to my life soon!