Tough times ahead!

 

In the past, the terrain was relatively flat with just occasional gentle slopes. It was quite easy to navigate around and to get by.

Now, the landscape is full of uncertainties with many pot holes, steep and slippery grounds and many vertical climbs. Nobody knows when big rocks would fall and chunk of land would slide down. But there isn’t any choice as everyone has to move forward. So everyone needs to grip tight and be constantly alert to look far ahead.

Regrets

 

In the past, I regretted more on things I did than those I didn’t do.

Now, I regret more on things I didn’t do than those I’ve done! I believe the older we get, the less likely we are to take risk unless one has the FOMO attitude which I don’t have. This explains why I’m still poor today. ☹

Resistance to Change

 

See full video here: 

In the past, I disliked changes.

They disrupt status quo of things and caused many inconveniences and unnecessary costs.

Now, I still dislike changes but I have no choice but to accept them as they are often beyond my control. One has to adapt quickly to survive in the current ever-changing world. But some old habits remain unchanged for me: reimagine, reskill, refine, resell, refuse, recycle, repair, repurpose, reduce, relent, reluctant, release, reject, regret…..  

You win some you lose some

 

In the past, when things happened not according to plans, I often felt frustrated and ‘pulled my hair’. Now I try to breathe deep to stay calm and think about how to change and adapt to undesired happenings that are often beyond my control. Someone said: “Change what you can and can what you can’t.” This is easily said than done!

I guess you can’t win all the time. Just like football!  

Translation: “In life, there are many unsatisfactory happenings. If you continue to be depressed, you won’t feel happy even if you have lots of money and a good life.” Rosamund Kwan

Health Insurance: Head you win, tail I lose

 

In the past, health insurance is a must-have to hedge against own health’s risks. So almost everyone is forced to buy into some plans.

But now I realize these health insurance plans’ terms keep changing with premiums keep rising rapidly to factor in inflations and ‘hidden’ costs. Old plans become useless over time! Those insured are akin to cash cows to the insurance companies. They continue to ‘milk’ the cows who have to find grasses as food so as to eat enough to produce milk to be ‘milked’ by these profit-making companies. But what choice do we have? Sigh ☹

kiki-ku-kiki (自己顾自己)

 

In the past, whether you’re healthy or not, medical fees and insurance premiums continued to rise with one’s age.

Now, it’s even worse! Medical costs and insurance premiums keep rising rapidly without limits or control. A new topic these days on preventive-care but does it really work?  There is no incentive (like no-claim discount in car insurance) to keep fit and remain healthy except for one’s strong will or belief in Mahatma Gandhi’s motto: “good health is true wealth”.

Fast vs Slow

 

In the past, life was slower but safer. People carried pagers (only those old enough would know what is a pager) and had to find a phone to call back when paged. It was hard to get scammed because there is a time delay as people could not find a public phone easily to call back. 😊

Now with mobile phones on everyone’s hands and with fingers always on the screen, it’s so easy to touch it and activate the scam especially for those ‘trigger-happy-fingers’. Technology is an enabler for scammers and hackers in the fast world!  If you want to beat them, you have to play it slow with your brains. 

Technology: Enabler or Inhibitor?

 

In the past, life was simpler. Any help or request is just a phone call away. Now, life is quite challenging & tough! Almost everything today needs to use an app or talk to bots:

“Press “1” for English, press “2” for Chinese. For……press “1”, for……press “2”,……otherwise, please hold, we will attend to you shortly…(wait, wait, waiting)….” Damn! Technology is supposed to be an enabler, not an inhibitor to users. What the ****. ☹

Be Smarter

 

In the past, my phone wasn’t smart. It could only make calls and sms. It was so peaceful. I only needed to charge it once every few days.   

Now, my phone is very smart with a data plan. So it started receiving useless contents, fake news and scam calls. Now, I have to charge my phone almost every day! My energy consumption has increased, my carbon footprint becomes deeper and my vision gets poorer. I have to de-activate my data when it’s not in use because I cannot stop scams, stubborn and bored people from “abusing” their devices. ☹  

Don't give freely

In the past, scammers misuse your personal information from lucky draw papers. Now, scammers steal your personal data via portals and apps sign-ups. Any personal data in digital form are targets of cyber crimes. Data’s owners don’t really spend resources to protect or secure your data. That’s explains why there are so many data breaches these days.   

Something isn’t right: Think first

 

In the past, SINGPASS could only be used to log into government portals for personal services and transactions.

Now, even private businesses are asking users to use their SINGPASS/OTP to log into their business portals or apps. Surely, this is definitely not right. So I asked SINGPASS why like that. They told me they don’t control this! This explains why so many people gotten scammed! Think thrice before you click on any link!

If you can imagine it, you can create it

     

My creation was one of the 50 winners in the Straits Times Merlion challenge. The reporter asked me lots of questions on my design.

Q: Why did you choose to recreate the Merlion with more voluminous flowing hair? What does this symbolise for you?
​A: The focus of a lion's head is its mane. The current version is too tame & does not stand out. New hair-style symbolises growth, health and strength.  

Q: Were there any of your friends or family that encouraged you to take up this challenge, and how so? 
A: Nobody except myself. 

Q: Did you have any doubt about what you would be able to produce?
A: No doubt. Just whether or not the final outputs meet my own quality standard. 

Q: Do you have any personal memories of the Merlion from when it was first built or when it has been shown in the media?
A: Yes. The big move from the old to its current location. Once, someone built a room around it for a staycation. I cannot remember which year.

Q: What was your inspiration for choosing to illustrate the Merlion in the way that you did?
​A: I'm an old school artist & now learning to paint digitally. Our Merlion needs to keep up with time, it's good to give it a new modern look. 

Q: What attracted you to the contest?
​A: This is one interesting challenge I believed I could handle it. 

They keep coming, I keep blocking

 

In the past, I tried to avoid scammers physically.

Now, I try to ignore them digitally.

Somehow some still managed to get me through my communication devices!

When they speak in English, I’d speak in Mandarin or some dialects. When they speak in Mandarin, I’d speak in English or some gibberish. My last option is to tell them the number they just dialed-in is the neighbourhood police post. They would immediately hang-up!

Fast vs Slow

 

In the past analogue world, things happened really slow. Scammers had to find you in-person to cheat you. 

Now in the digital world, things happened really fast. Scammers just have to find a way into your mobile devices to scam you without even showing their real faces!   

Most people have this FOMO attitude these days and they wants things to happen really fast. When eyeballs and fingers are constantly glued to their mobile devices, chances of being phished by scammers are very high!  

How to waste time

 

In the past, I wasted time by doing nothing or sleeping. They helped me to clear my mind and recuperate my body.   

Now I waste time by fiddling with my mobile phone, reading contents that won’t help me grow or contribute to my goals. Many useless stuff are shared to my close-contacts to expend their data 😊. Over time, my brains stop thinking when I needed it to. Also, I often feel eye strains and lethargic due to lack of rest. Damn!

Dealing with difficult people

 

In the past, I tried very hard to avoid difficult tasks. Especially those that zap your energy but bring in nothing in value or contribute to goal or growth.  

Now I try very hard to avoid difficult people. It’s the most challenging and tiring thing. But often we cannot avoid them. So we have to adopt a different mindset and strategy when dealing with them. I’d rather stop wasting time and admit ‘defeat in argument than spending long hours trying to win it.

Do what you like & like what you do

 

In the past, I often had to do tasks I didn’t like.  

It was tough to put 100% heart and mind into doing them.

Now I still have to do stuff I don’t quite like. The only difference is to adopt a strategy to complete those unlikeable tasks first, then free the mind to do those tasks that I like. 

Ideas won’t work unless I do

 

In the past, I had many ideas but no gut to test any of them for fear of failure.

Now I have less ideas and a bit of courage to test out some of them as simple ideas have very low failure costs. There is really nothing to lose except for the effort and time spent. The worst case scenario is to let others laugh at my ideas as free entertainment. That’s OK.

Perseverance and determination

In the past, when things are not right, I often have to accept them or gave up. 

Now, when things are really not right and they affect my well-being, I have to keep on trying to frustrate the other parties till they give in and change. 

When things aren’t right

 

In the past, when things are not right, I often have to accept them or try not to think about them.

Now, when things are not right, I try to report them to the relevant agents and authorities for actions if they affect my well-being and public safety. More often than not, they just ignore me or provide lip-services to explain why things could not be changed or improved or actions could be taken. Sigh.   

Small stuff Big Sweat

 

In the past, I am calm and peaceful when walking on narrow foot-paths.

Now I fear for my life not knowing when I would be banged from behind by speeding cyclists who always think they have the right of way.

Policy-makers never have to sweat the small stuff as they are never affected by their decisions. I do sweat a lot due to their poor judgment! Sometimes, even my underwear is wet.  

Have inner peace

In past economic downturns, I did not feel much impact even when I had received no help from our big bro,

Now the current economic downturn coupled with high inflation rates, high cost of living, high energy costs, the impacts felt are a lot greater even with some assistance from our big bro. Now prices get higher, portions get smaller. It’s the most challenging times so far. I have to stay calm and have some inner peace through cheap art therapy, runs and doing simple DIY challenges to distract my mind. 

Hunt to live

 

In the past, my parents were responsible for ‘hunting’ (finding) food to put on the table. I never had to worry about inflation and food security. My only worry was not able to find good fighting spiders to bring to school.  

Now with inflation at record high, I have little choice but to go ‘hunting’ every day to look for less-costly food sources. No more time for spiders. Sometimes, I feel like prey. ☹

Learning the hard way

 

In the past, I learned through the hard way and paid for the consequences for not following rules. 

But then some gurus said sometimes we had to break rules if we want to get ahead and be successful in life. Damn, this was so conflicting and confusing.

Now, I realize only those who made rules are the real successful ones. Why? Because they coerce people to become followers, not leaders!

Face the music

 

In the past, I was forced to learn to play the recorder (vertical flute) and harmonica as part of music lessons in school. I didn’t like music, so I didn’t pursue it further. 

Now, I still do not have any interest in music and I learned nothing from it except that if I did something wrong, I had to ‘face the music.” Time has changed. There is no more need to stand on a chair in class or as ‘guards’ outside the classroom’s doors. 

Learning never end

 

In the past, we learned in order to pass examinations and tests.

Now, we have to un-learn, learn and re-learn to perform unique tasks and to keep our jobs.

Leonardo da Vinci said “Learning never exhausts the mind.”

But this is only half-true. It’s really very tiring and stressful if the topic does not interest you but you’re forced to learn it. It would be both a torture and nightmare for me!

Keep Learning

 

In the past, I could only admire other artists’ caricatures and artworks. They looked so cool yet daunting to create. I’d never believe I could ever create them.

Now, I believe anyone could also do it.

One just have to believe in own-self and practise, practise, practise. Believing is just the starting point. Time and efforts must be put into practice. Belief without actual work done is just dreaming!

Of course, to be good at whatever you do, you need something extra! 😊

Nothing to lose

 

In the past, I was afraid to show my art and craft openly as they were often below the quality standard I had wanted. I was very afraid to receive negative feedback and criticism.  

Now, I care less and try not to think so much on what others would say. These are none of my business. What others actually buy from me is my main business. 

Art can sell?

 

In the past, I believed art could sell. After all, so many artists had made it big and were making big bucks. 

Now I believe not all art could sell.

Many artworks exist because artists want to feel good and to entertain others and to make people laugh. This explains why many artists always feel hungry.

Aging: no escape

 

In the past, I could easily twist and turn.

I mean my body, not words. Now, no more can.

My arm cannot swing backwards to scratch my back below my neck.

My elbow cannot touch my nose.

My toe cannot touch my ears.

Aging is a real black hole. Nobody can ever escape from it. ☹                        

Nobody learns from mistakes

In the past, I reckon that it’s beneficial to learn from own’s mistakes or others’ mistakes.

Now, I realize this advice is useless as we never learn from mistakes. First, we refuse to acknowledge our mistakes. Second, we don’t face the same problem twice and third, we never encounter the same problems as others in the same context. Lastly, we often forget about our past mistakes too!

The key to be better is to avoid making mistakes in the first place! When face with a new problem or challenge, it’s better to pause, think deep, think far and fast before taking the next step.   

Forgive and forget

 

In the past, I had made lots of mistakes.

As a kid, I was caned at home.  

As a pupil, I was taken to see the disciplinary master in school.

As a soldier, I was punished to do “extra duties” over weekends with no book-out from camp.

Now at work, I try not to make any mistake or quickly correct them before anyone knows about it. For unavoidable errors, I just pat my shoulder and forgive myself. This self-help mental wellness technique is quite useful. It’s called: Forgive and Forget. 😊  

Learning the hard way

 

In the past, I buy what I want. Now I buy what I need.

Before, I like to buy and keep stuff thinking their values would appreciate one day and I would be rich.

Now, I have to sell, give away and throw stuff because they have either gone bad or depreciated in value. Sigh!

The most regrettable buys were those unit trusts and investment funds that had gotten my fingers burnt.  Now I stop believing in these instruments.

Lessons learned: 

1-Past performance does not guarantee future returns. 

2-Sellers just want to make your money, not help you make money!

3-If these investments are so good to be true, they would have sold out long time ago before the public know it.

Money Always Enough?

 

Some years ago, one retiree friend told me he had stopped working to enjoy life.

He said his savings and passive incomes were enough to last him a lifetime as he had budgeted to spend no more than S$50/day. 

Now with inflation and cost of living breaking records  here, perhaps this amount is no longer enough for basic living expenses. If still is, kudos to him 😊. 

ST Editor Tan Ooi Boon’s latest book: Always Have Enough Money-Not everyone can become rich. But everyone certainly can try to avoid being poor.  

No need to buy this book ($29). Its content can be summarized into one statement: Income must be more than expenses. So that you can contribute to CPF.  Ignorance and wrong decisions mean you would lose money or your expenses always exceed your incomes. This means your retirement years will be “jia-lut” (worse-off).  

Desperate time desperate measures

 

Desperate times desperate measures! This is often said in movies. With the rapid uncontrollable rising cost of living here, many have to change their lifestyles to reduce expenses. I’m also forced to adapt ☹:

No more liquor and wine. Now it’s mainly sparkling water or root-beer. No more big fish (大鱼) for meals, only ikan-bilis with soy-source on white rice. No more big meat ( 大肉) for feasts, only small portion of minced meat with plain noodle and soy-source. No more ‘jio’ friends for coffee and snacks, only share food pics via Whatsapp to make others drool! No more oversea holidays, can only hangout at local coffeeshops for teh-O-kosong. No more sport day of the week, only run or jog for free now. 

Keeping Up...

 

These days, almost everything is going up and up with no retreat in sight! Sea level is rising. Earth’s temperature is rising. Food and essential consumer goods’ prices are rising rapidly. It’s getting worse and worse by the day and week. Many have to hunker down to endure the current hardship as ‘dark clouds’ are everywhere with no light ahead. Only my drawings and these words keep me going: 守得云开见月明.

Translation: Wait for the clouds to clear, the moon will shine again.

Just Keep Going...

 

As far as anyone could remember, current tough times are the worse in decades. Many people including seniors need to keep on working to pay for the high cost of living. Some seniors even have to deliver food on foot. Very few can afford to retire unless one has hidden wealth or recurring passive incomes. Only a handful can choose to work not for the money but for their hobbies and loves for something that keeps them mentally fit.

Not Looking Good

 

Things are not looking good at the moment.

Scientists found that as we grow older, our thinking and perspectives can change. Maybe for some.

I still think the current bad times will last for a long time and can only get worse. I’d rather be pessimistic wrong than optimistic correct!

Going Up and Up

 

Many things are not going right at the moment. Cost of living and inflation are at record high, over-taking all past recessions.

In the old days, I can drink liquor and wine every week. Now I can only afford to drink sparkling juice once a month. Plain water for most days now. Sigh! ☹ With the CDC Vouchers, I can now drink beer for a very short while. 😊 Thanks to ‘big bro’.

Going Left

 

When people and things are not going the way we wanted them to go, there is very little we could do!

Many things are beyond our control and often we feel frustrated and upset. We have to learn to keep our cool and change our mindsets to move forward.

Someone once told me: When things are not going right, you can go left!

Weird People Everywhere

 

We cannot stop or change behaviours without strong enforcements. We cannot stop strange people with weird behaviours doing irrational acts.

There is really nothing we could do except to report them or just close our eyes, shake our heads and move on. We must always be alert to our surrounding at all times just in case these crazy people do insane acts.  

No Pain No Change

 

We cannot stop others from over-consumption or coerce them to reduce their wastes generated. We cannot force others to live a more sustainable life and to re-cycle wastes more. In reality, we cannot change anyone’s mindset. We can only change ours!

Earth Day or no Earth Day, we are generating more and more wastes. NEA reported that households generated 1.82 million tonnes of wastes in 2021, up from 1.77 million tonnes in 2020. There is no incentive to reduce our wastes as every household pays the same flat fee regardless of quantity of wastes disposed. No pain no change, no?

This mistake can only be avoided or corrected if people (from young to old) adopt this mentality: refuse to buy, re-use, up-cycle, re-cycle our wastes.

I believe this won’t happen!

Life is full of …..

 

As more and more years are added to age, it’s less and less affordable to make mistakes. They can be very costly and consequential.   

I try to avoid mistakes and forgive myself for making small errors: telling jokes in serious meetings, say Yes when I wanted to say No, buying stuff on impulse thinking their values would appreciate in the future & I’d be rich, hoarding stuff thinking they might be useful someday and expecting a huge demand for my artworks!

Well, real life sometimes is filled with miscalculations, errors and s****!

Mistaken Friend or Foe?

 

It’s not a mistake to make new friends.

But is it a big mistake not to break old ones who have become toxic and gone astray?

They have superpowers and are all above the law and you could do nothing to change them. You want to leave them-good for you. For some reasons you cannot leave them-I understand too. For sure, old doesn’t always mean good.

Mistake: Who pays?

 

Others make mistakes. I make unavoidable errors!

If I make an error, I’ll suffer and pay.

When boss makes mistakes, all the workers suffer and the organization pays.

When ‘big brother’ makes mistakes, the whole population suffer and taxpayers made to pay!

So someone has to suffer or pay for any mistake made but it might not always be the mistake-maker. That’s why it’s called a mistake.

Learning from others

 

We don’t learn from others’ mistakes. It’s not our style. We always learn our lessons the hard way because we believe nasty things would never happen to us till we gotten ‘slapped’ in the face!

That’s why we often pay heavy prices for lessons learned this way. You can be different! Don’t follow us.

No Laughing Matter

 

Since young, my mum told me it’s ok to joke about oneself but never to laugh at others. It isn’t a wise thing to do and worse if you mock others in front of them in public. The consequence could be serious. If you really can’t control yourself and must do it, then you need to have a quick escape plan or some self-defence skills to survive the aftermath!

Anger Management

 

When I’m being provoked or get angry, I’d just take a deep breath and walk away. Most often, I’ll go to my ‘reflection corner’ to calm down and have a cup of coffee. Of course, my day would be spoiled for the entire day and I’d just think that the other party has some form of mental issues. 😊