Five Cents Ten Cents

I went through a bout of throat infection recently and it took a course of antibiotics plus lots of early nights for my body to fight off the invaders. The GP bill was $64.40 (4 medicines – antibiotics, cough mixture, tablets for throat swelling and nose block) at one of the big group GP chains which was somewhat expensive and set me thinking about what medical fees would face me when I grow older?

We know in theory that health is truly wealth but how much do we practice it day in and day out?

I for one have been telling myself that I need to exercise and to lose weight. The irony is that the lack of exercise, coupled with a few late nights saw my body succumb to a bug that made me lose weight due to lack of appetite. I realise that I need to really sleep by 11pm on most days as I get up around 6.30 am for work from Mondays to Fridays. My health has been something that I neglected a bit as I indulged in more than my usual share of soft drinks, snacks and fried foods.

It took a toll and a 5 day course of medication made me re-examine how healthy (or unhealthy) my habits had been for the last month or so.

There’s no point in me rambling on and on about getting healthy if I don’t do anything. In terms of diet, I would focus on more soup based foods as they tend to be less oily and with lesser fried stuff. In terms of exercise, I am trying to get myself back into the groove of doing some light jogging at least 2 x a week and something more strenuous 1 x week. My stress level was high last week because my staff was resigning and another staff was on long MC. Fortunately, the one on long MC was able to come back to work today and now I only have to contend with a short period it takes for the replacement staff to replace my staff who is leaving by mid September 2010.

Ultimately, financial freedom still has to exist in the context of being healthy enough to enjoy it. No health means that even if you are financially free, your quality of life would be poor.

Life is about balancing one’s needs and wants and to be healthy and happy in relationships with people who matter.

The closer I get to 40, the closer I realise that this balance is something that one has to constantly work on to make it happen.

How do you achieve your own balance in life?

Be well and prosper.

The headline “Local businessman loses $26m at RWS casino over 3 days” is a sobering reminder of the possible consequences of a gambling approach to financial freedom.

What is staggering is the amount; but underlying this story is what can potentially happen to any of us when we take a gambling approach towards financial freedom.

I have been to the Resorts World Casino in Sentosa. It was an educational and interesting experience to see groups of people who come together with a common purpose to gamble with their money on the various games provided by the casino. While individual motivations differ, the activity is the same. Taking a bet on a random outcome and potentially gaining or losing money in the toss of a dice or roll of the roulette wheel.

Some feel that gambling is a vice. Others feel that it can be a harmless hobby if one plays within one’s limits and sees it as a leisure activity and not a money making opportunity.

I too have gambled on SGX. Punting on short-term movements in share prices of companies which I had little interest to understand and research. How different is that from gambling in a casino? I am also wagering my capital on the outcome of share prices in the future. The time horizon may be longer than the time it takes for the roulette wheel to finish spinning but the concept is similar especially if my mindset is that I don’t really understand the company and business much and am just watching for the volatility in share prices to buy lower and sell higher.

Ultimately, if one doesn’t really understand what we are getting into in terms of investments, then we are moving closer to a gambling mentality to investing rather than true investing.

The lesson from the $26million loss by the businessman is clear. Play within your means be it investment or gambling. Do not invest (gamble) on credit. And most important of all, know your limits and when to cut loss and walk away without destroying yourself and your own life savings recklessly.

Be well and prosper.

"Black Swan" by Nita W

I am constantly reminded about the unpredictability of life. Yesterday one of my colleagues injured herself getting down from the bus and was on a week’s medical leave due to a fracture in one of her bones. Another colleague informed me that she was tendering her resignation because she wanted to pursue full-time studies to get her qualification.

What does these seemingly unrelated and yet coincidental occurrences have to do with the picture above?

Continue reading Mini Black Swans

I came across Bodyrock TV on youtube and through surfing the net. The personal fitness lady who demonstrates the exercise routine has such a killer bod that I always feel my fats and love handles each time I watch one of her latest workouts. I used to be slightly unfit in JC, lost quite a lot of bodyfat during full-time NS times, went through periods of fitness and relative unfitness in my 20s to 30s before the birth of my daughter 2.5 years ago let me shed my weight from 69 kg to a more manageable 63 kg now. I aim to maintain my current weight by exercising more and to do more exercises like those in Bodyrock TV.

Why am I talking about health and fitness?

No amount of money and financial freedom can be enjoyed if you don’t have good health.

I realise that I’m still not investing enough of my time to exercise (at least three times a week for 30 mins each) even though I can do so after my daughter is asleep or before she wakes up. I can also do so during lunchtime so I have absolutely no excuses other than my own laziness and inertia!

I’m posting a link to the workout video above to continue to remind myself to EXERCISE REGULARLY and GET FIT!

How do you invest in your health?

Share with Panzer in the comments section.

Be well and prosper.

Resorts World in Sentosa, Singapore by Cloudywind

I was at the Resorts World Singapore Integrated Resort recently and stepped into the casino for the very first time. The occasion was my mother’s birthday and she was staying at Hard Rock Hotel for her birthday vacation with my father. My parents are social casino patrons who do visit Genting and those Casino Cruises on occasion given their status as retirees who have provided for their medical and living needs.

It was truly interesting to see that even on a weekday afternoon, there were enough patrons to keep many of the tables at RWS humming along. Pai Gow, Pontoon, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Roulette and countless number of Jackpot machines lined rows by rows with neatly attired croupiers and supervisors greeted the visitor who came in there.

Why am I talking about the casino at Resorts World Singapore?

Continue reading Up Close with Resorts World Singapore (Casino)