Sunday, February 26, 2012

Some worries, Seller's regret and calories frustration

Worries:
Usually the worries come mainly from the job. Many colleagues are leaving, for a whole lot of reasons. Those of us who are not expatriate wonder if we would have a similar fate even though our contract is going to be renewed, no sign of the pay or anything. Should I be thankful just to have a job with no pay increase or minimal! Too bad my stock can't earn me a living yet, only some extra 'months of bonus' which helps with my insurance premiums. Which is kinda of a bigger burden now at my reduced pay and bonus compared to MOE. But I feel less burdened by work, not that I didn't habe to work hard.

So I wondered if I should stay on? When Candle wanted to go to the Guan Yingel temple, I decided to ask about this question. I got a good qian and so accordingly I should stay on a while longer. I find I am looking at a job to settle into. Not that I don't have challenges, like having to come up with lessons and activities, but some place, where I can be comfortable with. I am not sure if currently this is the ONE. But I do feel weary of the interview, job search. Wanna focus on doing more of the things I am interested, which would mean I need a stability in my work. When it's stable, I can pursue other interests and deal with all those uncertainties. The Qian help me allay my insecurities. Of course I would still work hard at what I can do. Cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Seller's Regret:
This is a term I coin for the feelings of regret when one sold off the shares when prices rosed due to realize gains with some stupid Greek debt news, only for it to shot up even higher. So far, I didn't make an additional RM$5000 due to selling off too soon. Another
SGD$1.3k from another SG counter... Bloody irritated with myself though I realized some gains. It could be much higher but hind-sight is always 6-6.

Then I keep having the urge to buy back that runaway Msia counter. I would term this feeling and compulsion as 'Seller Regret' as one wonders if there is more upside and buys back at High price only to risk buying at too expensive a price when the market turns. So my solution to this was to buy back just 1 lot. It helps alleviate the 'buy compulsion'. I am 'participating' in the potential upside but also limiting my potential to lose in a downside. It's just a way to keep that feeling at bay. Which surprisingly works. I started a "Little Black Book" for my investment and recorded my reflections for all the buy and sell transactions. I find by recording down the good and bad decisions and my reasons then for that decision, I am learning from every trade. I made 1 better sell decision after that 3 initial not-so-good ones. I will keep it up for this year's investments as I am not intending to do tuition. I want to see if the extra time and effort can yield me better returns both financially and health-wise (more rest time, free time, time to exercise)

Calories Frustration:
I find it really amazing and frustrating how easy it is to burst the daily calorie limit, sometimes by ALOT. This month of Feb is really busting all my previous 3 months of hard work. The no of parties, sumptous meals outside meant huge surplus in calories that I am not able to work back through healthier n lower calorie meals on weekdays. A Friday or Sat out can bust an entire week or two's effort.

I left home today having eaten breakfast n lunch that is 40% of my calorie limit. With just dinner with 60% limit, one would think that it should suffice, right? Wrong! After keying in all that I have eaten, I am up to 8% over the calorie limit! That meant I ate 68%. The muffin n latte teatime didn't help, plus dinner choices is really easy to bust. That meant Sunday, first is have to go gym (keep up with routine plus this week havent gone yet), second calorie deficit forced by eating a meal of subway (usually dinner), better choice of breakfast n lunch. Sian, food nowadays is getting too easy to bust the intake. No wonder it's so difficult to lose weight n not otherwise.

Am going to shop for a week's supply of fruits for breakfast, snack and eat that wheat with low-fat milk too. Sigh... Feb is too much of an excess.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

From the privacy of a toilet...

Most of the time, in fact almost daily, I find the only place with the most privacy at my workplace is the toilet. It's quiet especially when classes are on-going. It's private because I can lock myself inside away from people. So this blog is coming while I am seated on the toilet bowl at my workplace. It's kinda sad and very restrictive n depriving.Unfortunately that's the daily situation at my workplace.

I have the freedom to go out (eat or dabao supposedly at lunchtime but I chose to go during my free periods. So that during lunch, the short break n rest time for students I am in the staff room, available. It's one of the thing I look forward to the most daily. A way to get away from everything for a while. A mood-changer. Lunchtime is a good time-out.

Been having a bit of sore throat... Trying not to fall ill and stomach today is not that great
that I get to sit on the toilet bowl thrice so far. At least I get a time to think, in relative peace n out-of-sight. Can't wait for weekend to come though I have that freaking $140 dinner this coming Fri.

Finished the biz in the toilet, now sitting on the kern in the carpark behind. Kinda just don't want to go and sit at my table... for a while. It's after exams, but lessons and cca are all resuming. Kinda hard cos some students are not in the mood to study n I am still feeling some of the normal fatigue that comes after all that marking.

Hmm... Feel like going out before this Fri. Where to and to do what... Havebt decided.

Anyway for my Groupons, next round of expiry is end-April. Definitely won't mind the redeeming. There's burger, premium sushi platter for me, Big O, Tung Lok, Lebanese food and the most recent one, Jap food at One Fullerton. Am thinking of getting the Genting trip to go with mom, that's if she could give me the convenient dates for her. Asked her yesterday. Hope she can give me an answer, it's 3D2N. Anybody? This month expense higher due to that $140... And some coupons too. Am trying to cut down but already overshot my usual expense level by a bit. Still got 8 days until the end of the month.

Stock market wise, I am re-reading the book that I gave to FH. Partly reading, translating important parts into Eng, writing it, trying to remember and also apply a bit. Just starting, will take a while. Waiting for more rise, hopefully the Greece debt won't have bad news. But as I am waiting for dividends from CapLand, would refrain from selling it. Also waiting for more upside for the more expensive lots that I've bought. Realized gains is 1 mth of nett salary. Not bad, hope for more. Hope that that stock counter which locked up half of my capital would rise and lemme sell off instead of still sitting on losses on that one counter. That's the main thing I hope to see. Also looking out for more buy or sell opportunities. Once the Jan Effect wears off, hope to buy back some counters at cheaper prices.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Want a Relaxed n Well-deserved Break

This week is more tiring than the usual, as the exam marking was on Mon and Tue. Then the rest, I use most if not all of the free periods to check thru 4x5 stacks of books and files. I could finish 2 classes on Wed, only 1 class yesterday and left with 1 more class by today.

Super-tiring. Every day I reach home mentally tired that I slept really early after dinner. Only to wake up in the middle of the night. So far haven't gone to gym cos tired after work. Last nite was bad, couldn't sleep from 12am until 4am, then fell asleep. This morning woke up tired instead. Good thing it's my lightest day.

Today I used 2 periods to clear up most of the books checking plus writing comment for their daily diaries. I intend to head out to redeem another coupon using my lunch hour and my free period. I don't have anymore lessons but there's an event at the last two periods. Nope to be back by then... See how if worse case, grab a cab.

Lessons resume nex week, cca too. I am feeling the fatigue of the intensive week, hope to chill and relax this weekend. Nothing hectic, nice food (a Groupon meal is due by the end of Feb) Just have a welcome and well-deserved break.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Toasted dinner @ workplace

For the past few exams, I've had to OT until 10+ pm cos I helped to mark most of the paper and it's complicated and slow to do so with 2 diff color pens. So usually I didn't manage to have dinner until I reached home. It's dinner and then concussed in bed cos mentally exhausted.

This time I didn't have to mark as many questions and the 2m and 1m questions were clearly separated into diff sections instead of being littered all over the paper, plus I started earlier, 11am plus instead of having to wait until dismissal. All these helped me finish by 6.45pm. I had brought 3 slices of bread and a container of leftover sliced duck breast meat (3/4) which I haven't been eating for breakfast as planned cos I'm having fruits.

So I had the choice to go home to toast and eat or potentially eat other stuff, I did tell my mom I won't be back for dinner... Or I could toast my dinner, eat and go home. I chose to do the latter. So excusing myself coa there were some colleagues seated near the bread toaster, I proceeded to first toast my bread for 5 mins. The aroma must have been distracting cos the place is air-conditioned. But Bo bian, just apologized to those seated at the table and continued. Quickly put the toasted bread at my table so the toasted bread aroma isn't too over-powering for them. Then using the aluminium foil I brought from home too, I made 2 small foil trays to toast the chilled sliced duck breast meat. I had done this once for lunch before. So toasting makes the chilled meat warm and part of the oil is drawn out, which I poured away after using a pair of chopsticks to fish out the pieces onto paper plates. Had toast in 3 batches cos quite a bit of meat. I did it quickly, 5mins per batch. I realized that there's too much for me, but not sure if there was enough to offer to the remaining teachers, about a piece each. So I decided to put the extra on a plate, put on the long table to offer to the 4 colleagues who had to endure my toasting of the bread n meat. Put 4 pairs of chopsticks for them too. Then I went to my table, ate my toasted bread n duck breast meat hungrily and quickly. Washed it down with a can of Milo. Then chucked the disposables and headed home.

Was still a bit not satisfied but I guessed correctly that it was thirst instead of hunger. So bought a chilled cooling water for heatiness and a chilled mineral water. Full and satisfied after drinking those. I keyed the calories, happy to say today is 13% deficit. Not bad, will try to 'make back' all the surpluses and keep them. Also make better food choice again. Besides monitoring the calories, the app computes the fat intake, which I also monitor to control cholesterol as I had borderline high cholesterol from the previous health check. Hope to clear that by the next check, I guess in 2013.

Did concuss early around ten plus and woke up around 2.30am. Going back to sleep soon.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Time for exercise and plainer food

I think for this entire week, up until Fri lunch, I shall try to eat more plain n simple food. After all the indulgences on Fri n Sat, I feel so fat... Burst through the calorie deficit roof, meaning I have to try hard again to make back the lost deficit. It's always easier to eat back calories than to eat less calories. I'll try to do it thru the weekdays. Today is just managed 100% calories, zero deficit. I did drag myself to the gym on Sunday to keep the routine alive though felt a bit less fit, think my stomach more flabby... Bleah

Bought a week's supply of grapes, packed my lunchbox with the breakfast portion and a snack portion. Also bought this wheat cereal and got a pack of low fat milk to put at workplace, as potential more breakfast, semi-lunch or even as a snack. Tom it might be my dinner cos got to mark the exam paper... The last time i left was 10pm plus...

Think I'm getting old. After reaching home last night, bathed and slept deeply. In the afternoon, I dozed off. Later woke for lunch, just lay around, staring at nothing in particular while waiting for the 2hrs before I could exercise.