Reflections for year 2022

2022 was a year of which my life followed Murphy's Law - I have experienced crypto bank runs (CeFi bankruptcies ensued), portfolio plunge, Covid infection and calling the ambulance to the house. 

It's a really bad year, and I almost thought I am not done listing the Murphy's Law events. At least these are the major ones, and I don't want to bored people with more day-to-day shit that happened. Despite all these, I believe there's still some silver lining behind the gloomy clouds. Here are some reflections to share.

Change is the only constant in life


We all know that. If we cannot change the environment, change ourselves. There's Chinese saying "适者生存",  adaptability is the most powerful skill of humankind. 

After changing what we can in the environment to make ourselves feel as comfortable as possible, we need to learn to live with the discomfort that cannot be changed or is hard to be changed. This means "accepting what is" by changing the way we live, our mindset and our attitude towards life. I think I have managed to achieve that at work and at home.

To be fair, not all changes are bad. Finding new pathways, establishing new routines, learning new skills, meeting new people, these are what changes bring.

Unlocking new skills


For the first time, I could replace light switch sockets, toilet seats and fix the door closer. They are actually simpler than I imagined. It's good to unlock these skills because I don't want to call for serviceman and get ripped off for 15-min tasks.

I have also learnt how to cook some new dishes, picked up a couple of sports, learnt vibrato in singing (don't ask me what for), and made a bunch of new friends outside work.

I have also seriously embarked on trading options. Why I chose to trade options? Some reasons are:

1. Low capital outlay (beware of leverage risk though)
2. Short time frame = less stress about uncertainty
3. Can profit from the upside as well as downside of the market





Well, if money can solve a problem, it is not a problem


If you don't like the job, quit.

If you don't like to do manual cleaning, get a robo cleaner.

If the weather can't dry your laundry, get a dryer or dehumidifer.

If you don't like to take care of elderly, send elderly to a Home/ Day Care/ Respite Care or hire a maid.

The list goes on. You get the idea.

But, of course, some solutions might bring about other problems or discomfort and we need to ask ourselves whether we are ok dealing with these.

Money is to be used to solve problems, make one's life more comfortable and make one's life more fulfilling, don't ogle at an intangible figure.

Risk management is paramount


Good thing the SG portfolio plunge has rebounded. The amount stuck on bankrupt crypto platforms is less than 5% of my overall portfolio value. Higher expenditures can be offset by higher returns from dividends, interests and earned income. Warchest is still waiting for a slow deployment into the US market, probably through ETFs and funds. 

The crux of risk management is not putting all eggs into one basket. If barbell strategy is deployed, put a large sum into safe assets / investments and a small sum into risky assets. No doubt returns may be limited but nothing beats having peaceful sleep. 

Understand the market and economical cycle, master the discipline of going risk-off when everyone's greedy and greedy when everyone's fearful - I am still trying.

Start off anything with the question: "What is the worse that can happen?" And be prepared for it.

--

I was disappointed that my life game didn't level up last year. On the contrary, it seemed to have leveled down (felt like I was thrown into a pit). 

When in a pit, you could either:
Wait for someone to pull you out
Wait for dirt and rain to bury you alive
Find a way out yourself

I don't want to wait for someone to pull me out to only realize, when I am about to get buried, that the someone does not exist. So I would rather depend on myself and persevere in my crawl to get out of this pit.

So for 2023 I have only one resolution: 
To live life as comfortably as possible in the pit while finding my way out.

Let me share my favourite song of last year. 


答案 , 是能找到的。

Before I forget, 
Happy CNY!  🐇

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Comments

  1. Rainbow girl,

    I like your optimism when facing the slings and arrows of life!

    I see you have found a new Earn More vehicle. Reminds me of my job-hopping days until I found the right shoes to fit my own feet ;)

    By the way, I also like 你的答案.

    However, I prefer 张韶涵/尤长靖 version.

    Like you, 张韶涵 is strong against the adversities in her life ;)




    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi SMOL,

      Wow the 张韶涵/尤长靖 version is really cool! Thanks for sharing.
      :))

      Delete

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