As of today, four of my current financial transactions were completed.
When I turned fifty in peak COVID-19 year of 2021, I congratulated myself for having reached the No Bullshit Age.
My self-invented free pass for no longer tolerating just any bullshits in life gave me the courage to demand, nag, and stand on my own.
Nevertheless, I am always prepared to have my mind and opinions altered, when presented with undeniable facts. One may not be too stubborn to the point of blind stupidity. I for one refuse to turn into an old idiot.
Learn new things. Do not believe in every single opinions you come across on the internet. Sleep well. Eat well. Be calm. Be brave. Laugh. Spend your money. Compost those kitchen scraps. Do not waste food. Future proof yourself. Plan and take action. Travel and see the world – be it physically or virtually. Read. Tend to your ikigai like it is your only child.
My parents got married fifty-four years ago, today. Wishing mom and dad a happy 54th wedding anniversary from across the Atlantic!
Yesterday, I started going through boxes containing my personal paperwork. My main intention was to look for copies of my old passports and attached visas, while also decluttering.
Five decades, three continents, six languages and numerous addresses later; it dawned on me that I am having problem recalling certain years of my life.
For instance, I can not remember certain things that happened in the late 90s to the mid-2000s. I must have had renewed my passport and applied for a tourist visa to the US, but I have no memory of how that was accomplished. If not for the yearly summaries, I would have probably forgotten about my role in settling my parents’ retirement funds, property rights, planning international trips, and so on and so forth.
These years of several ocean-crossings were a blur to me. So many things happened in those hectic days – at a non-Sabahan speed and frequency!
Five decades, three continents, six languages, and numerous addresses later; I am still counting.
About three weeks ago, I put in a request for an administrative service by a legal office. First, I was informally given a probable sum, which I found agreeable. Then, I received a quotation for the service, more than double the initially stated fee. What, why?! This prompted me to pause the process, put a hold on the request, while I explore other possibilities. A week later, today, I received an email of an amended quotation. The cost for the service has dropped back down to the sum quoted to me the first time. What the heck?!
Meanwhile, lesson of the day on the Belgian front: It is more costly to defame the wrong people, than to knowingly torture and accidentally kill another human being.
Diversification is a key strategy in good investment. I need to learn more about bonds (obligaties in Dutch). I want to trade in bonds in the foreseeable future.
My nephew turns sixteen years old today. The baby boy grew up so quickly and became a teenager in the wink of an eye. I sent my birthday wishes from across the Atlantic and then made pancakes to celebrate his special day. 🙂
When I was in my mid-twenties working in my mother’s life insurance agencies, many people thought that I was a teenager. A friend of my aunt thought I was seventeen when I was a twenty-five year old university graduate. 😛
Going through your twenties and thirties with a face that was a decade younger has its pros and cons…
One of the disadvantages of looking way younger than one’s real age, was not being taken seriously by certain people. Although, with the right twists and strategies, my youthful looks was used to my advantage. Many did not see a ‘calculating strategist’ when they looked upon my damn innocent face. Ha!
Most people my age would love to be able to turn back time. They envy the youth and wish to be frozen in a certain younger period of their lives. Not me. I do not envy the youth, nor do I want to turn back time. I have travelled on interesting and unique paths in my teens, twenties, thirties, and forties; to reach my fifties. I am content to be at this point in my life. Life has been good to me.
All the best to those who still need to catch up. 😉
The following photo shows a two-year-old me. A happy toddler and her humongous home-made birthday cake! My mom baked this creation without any measuring equipments, she literally hacked her way to this using empty tin cans.
Fifty one years ago today, I got a gigantic home-hacked butter cake with runny icing, and two large regular candles balanced precariously on top. I do not remember this day, but I am pretty sure I was the happiest girl at that moment. 😀
Wonder what happened to that cute birthday card? Looks familiar. Like I have it somewhere, tucked amongst my many possessions…
My youngest brother M, turns forty-four today. Damn, I still remember holding this baby in my arms more than four decades ago. I wish M a very healthy year, filled with joy and good fortune. And the obstacles in front of him are mild and avoidable.
Forty-four was not such a good age for me. I lost grandma that year…
So, that’s that. Now I buy two train tickets to Brussels tomorrow. Thank goodness there is a Winter Promo, train tickets are at half price.
This is me making the best in whatever life throws my way.
Grandma would have been 100 this year. Tony would have been 50 today.
To commemorate this day and the people who had impacted my life significantly, I opened a certificate of deposit. Many would have preferred planting a tree or laying a bouquet at the grave, but this is my way.
Today, I recall and remember the decisions I have made thus far, the turning points I have faced, the course corrections I took, and the butterfly effects of life.
What if I have chosen New Zealand?!
