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Early Retirement SG

Stressed by the Thought of doing Nothing?

29/6/2019

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So I saw this article on Mothership, I'll copy the whole article below for easy reading. 

I really felt for it... not cos I can't chill, but cos I know a lot of people who can't. 
And maybe some people think that, "OH ERSG, doing nothing at home or in Paris... So lucky..."
The thing is, a lot of people underestimate that "doing nothing" is an Art in itself. 

​I'll talk more after the article...

Stressed by the thought of being unproductive

According to a survey commissioned by Sentosa that polled 600 Singaporeans and permanent residents in April this year, half were stressed out by the thought of doing nothing.

And when these people are taking a break, about 57 per cent actually felt that “the time spent on such breaks could have been used for something more productive”.

Three in 10 respondents also said they did not know how to relax.

Singapore is obsessed with results

What could possibly be some reasons for these rather alarming survey results?
In conjunction with the release of these findings, Today also reported on a panel discussion, where three experts in the fields of mental health and sociology offered their views on why the above was the case.
​
National University of Singapore (NUS) Assistant Professor Sin Harng Luh was quoted saying that Singaporeans incessantly strive for excellence, hoping to do more at a quicker pace.
Sociologist Tan Ern Ser noted that Singapore is obsessed with KPIs.
Now what they said isn’t new, of course. The fact that Singaporeans are obsessed with results is hardly a revelation to any of us.

I could actually relate to the survey results

Being stressed out by the thought of being unproductive sounds almost ridiculous and stupid when you think about it, but I realised that I could relate.

After all, just yesterday, I dragged myself to work after only four fitful hours of rest the night before. All because I had two meetings I had to attend during the day.
(I only managed to get four hours of sleep because I was having difficulties sleeping, likely due to work-related stress or personal worries.)

I could have chosen to call in sick and stay at home to rest. But here’s the thing — I chose not to do so.
Unless I am suffering from a debilitating illness, it is likely that I will almost always show up at work.
And in writing this, I’ve figured out why that’s the case, too: it’s because I have spent a good portion of my life worrying about being “unproductive”, and the fear that I was wasting my time (and others’!) constantly gnaws at me.

As a student, I had no chill
Many Singaporean kids, including myself, have been conditioned from a young age to always feel the need to use our time in “fruitful ways”.

As a student, I recall spending my school holidays catching up on subjects that I was weaker in. I would diligently work through assessment books, past-year papers and ten-year-series — on top of the homework that was assigned.

When I was in secondary school and junior college, I had two CCAs and went for extra-curricular activities five times a week on average.

This was no different in university. I even spent my school breaks going for internships because I was told that it would be advantageous to accumulate some work experience before actually starting work.

Basically, I could never take a break without feeling worried that I was relaxing too much.
Nobody explicitly told me that I had to do all this extra work or sign up for all these CCAs. I did it because I had grown to fear that not doing so would put me at a disadvantage, or that I would be perceived as a lesser individual.
:'(
And looking back (hindsight is always 20/20, they say), while I enjoyed my schooling years (the packed schedules could sometimes be fun!), I think I could definitely afford to just chill a little more.

We all exist in a digital age

Now, as a working adult, I witness how these very same productivity-related anxieties can be exacerbated by technology.
Work hours have become less clearly defined because we are technically “available” as long as we have an internet connection.

When a work-related WhatsApp message or email comes in at 10pm, we may choose not to read or respond to it, but then a thought creeps in: Would my colleague think that I’m being irresponsible if I do not reply? Would my boss think any less of me?

The nature of technology has radically altered the way we think, work, and think about work.
It has become increasingly difficult to “switch off” from work, too. Especially for those whose jobs are effectively intertwined with social media, it is no longer possible to casually browse and consume social media without thinking about work.

It’s good to take breaks, but is it enough?

There can be plenty of external circumstances (e.g. technology, poor work culture, endless KPIs etc.) that may make us feel like we always need to be productive.

Now, to be fair, keeping busy can bring great satisfaction — plenty of people get bored and restless if they don’t constantly have something to do.

However, when this busy-ness stems from anxieties of not being able to live up to others’ (and our own) expectations, as well as feelings of inadequacy, it can take a toll on one’s mental health.
Work burnout, defined as chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, is a very legitimate thing among Singaporeans.
Taking frequent breaks would certainly go a long way to prevent this, but I wonder if it goes beyond the seemingly simple solution of taking breaks.
Perhaps we also need to recognise how we can better manage the demands of work in our modern society.

Tackling the root of our insecurities

Of the experts who spoke on the panel regarding the survey, I’m most inclined to agree with the comments made by Institute of Mental Health medical board chairman Daniel Fung.

He reportedly said it’s impossible to achieve “work-life balance” in the way we all may think of it, instead advocating a “more nuanced understanding of blending work and life”.

In view of how the nature of our work has evolved in the digital age, I do think it’s extremely difficult for us to completely detach ourselves from technology — or, indeed, work.

Hence, the question in my view should not be “can we detach?”, but rather, how we can navigate this landscape in a manner that is healthy for our mental and emotional well-being.

Work needs to be carried out in a sustainable fashion. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be as straightforward as choosing to ignore a work-related message after office hours.

Instead, it is about tackling the root of our insecurities through learning to see ourselves as (very much human) individuals and not as output-generating machines.

Easier said than done, but we have to try.


--https://mothership.sg/2019/06/stress-unproductive-singapore-reflection/


And that's the thing about it. 
I/We... since young, did not learn to do things for the fun of it. 
Do nothing, go play, enjoy yourself. 
It was always don't waste time. Study, work, even play needed to have objectives. 

And that's what happened to me when I stopped working the first time. 
There was an emptiness. 
And it takes time to get used to it and learn that life is just a flow. There is no scorecard.
It's just to exist and be happy and eventually I will die. 
It's not like a game where people try to get top score... There is no scoring system. 
And it takes a while to understand and and play the new game. Of just appreciating life as it is. 

We are ourselves. We can do anything we want with our lives. There is no such thing as productivity. 
Somedays we need to work to earn money so that we can live/survive. But besides that... money isn't a scorecard. Having more money doesn't make you "win" this game of life. 

I think, to "win" the game of life, is when on my deathbed, I can truly say... "I lived a good life."


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Freegan Lifestyle for Better Health?

26/6/2019

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So I've been getting free food in Paris for the week plus that I've been here. 
My wife and I went out to eat lunch on Sat and Sun. But most of our dinners are free.

What we feel currently is... that our diet has actually improved a lot. (Depending on how you look at it.)
We're eating more vegetables. A lot less meat. I don't get a lot of meat. So it's pretty much 5% meat IF I manage to get any, and the rest is rice/pasta and vegetables. 
And for us, we feel healthier cos of that. 

The thing is, we can afford to buy meat. It's not that expensive. €2.99 for 1kg of chicken thigh and drumstick at a supermarket. It's not expensive at all. They aren't really fans of thigh and drumstick here so it's good for us if we want to buy.
BUT, I... (yea, it's just me) choose not to. My wife doesn't complain about it. She says that she likes getting a lighter dinner cos she eats other food at her company cafeteria so she likes a simpler dinner when she gets home. 

Cos fruits and vegetables come for free, I tend to try to just make my meals based around what I am able to obtain. It's really quite hard to finish what I have gotten for free, so the idea of buying anymore food is quite out of the question. 
So it's really interesting for decision making here. Cos... last time when I was using money to buy stuff, I'd think... Ok I have $5... would I want to buy some chicken or vegetables and how much of each to buy.
But now, when a lot of vegetables are free, I ask myself, why would I spend anymore money buying chicken when I have more than enough to eat?

So anyway... my diet has become more plant based, which is supposedly better for health. We still intend to go out and eat SOMETIMES... but quite rarely. 
We went out for a lunch on Saturday, it cost us €21 (burger), and Sunday's lunch cost us €53 (steak). 
And after we ate it, I was thinking that using the money, I could have bought a lot of good meat and cooked the meat for over the whole week. So it's highly unlikely that we would be eating out often again. It just doesn't make sense. 
The burger was pretty nice probably one of the best burgers I've ever eaten. Whereas the steak was "meh", totally not worth it. 

I do wonder how long I will last though, cos I do have cravings for more meat and since it's not too pricey, there's some chance that I would eventually buy meat. But I'm trying my best to keep a more plant based diet and resisting the temptation to BUY more food (meat).


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ERSG is a different person

21/6/2019

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I look back to when I first started blogging. 

I was working. Jaded, upset, tired of my routine. 
Then I quit my job the first time, realized that unemployment was fun, but I needed more money to keep it going.

So I went back to work again this time with a goal...
Then I quit my job the second time... And I was pretty ok for quite a number of years.

Then I found out about a freegan lifestyle... trying to get free stuff when it's possible, when really needed, I still pay, but why pay when I can get it for free. It's just an enhancement from being frugal. And nothing is more frugal than free. 
Then around 1.5 years after freegan...

I landed up in Paris. Which is now...

And I look back at my old days and the person I once was... 
And... he's not there anymore. 
My old mindset, my feelings, my resentment about why does life have to be so miserable that people/I have to keep working, etc... That's all gone. 

Now, this journey has been a period of growth... I have to say that this path was necessary for me to appreciate what I have. 

My first unemployment taught me that I was happy with less. I'm ok to be unemployed and that the sun will still rise when I'm jobless. The world doesn't come to an end without a job. 
And this allowed me to go back to work with a goal to "retire" early.
When I left my job the 2nd time. I thought I didn't have enough resources. I still needed 3-4 years of accumulation to really get financially free. So I expected to go back to work sooner or later, or maybe get some part time stint. 

Then I chanced upon a freegan lifestyle... it opened a whole new world and perspective for me. It's not easy for many people to see or accept it. But when I was introduced to it. Things just clicked. 
My expenses dropped tremendously. My lifestyle INCREASED. Got BETTER. I had more food, better quality food than when I used money to buy. Cos when I used money, I bought cheaper stuff cos it's more value. After freegan, I got free stuff and these things are better than what I would use money to buy. 
This went on for 1.5 years. 

Then suddenly my wife got posted to Paris and I was dragged along... 
Never in my life would I think I would end up in Paris. If anywhere, we thought we might end up in some English speaking country, like US (San Fran, NY) or UK (London).
Yet here I am, in Paris... continuing my freegan lifestyle. Somethings are paid for... but food is free. I got myself a make shift toilet rack for free too. 

And all this happened in around 12 years. ONLY 12 YEARS!!! It's crazy!
So the thing is... I'm a really different person from before. The way I look at things. How I think, what I think are issues or non issues. How I would solve problems, etc... I look at them differently, see things differently. 

So yea... I think the old ERSG is really gone... 
My mindset is just different. I'm still frugal, still look for ways to save money and live a simple life. 
But how I approach it is different. Also, I believe more that people should have balance. Not just save hard and retire. But maybe find a simple "job" and live a simple life.
I do have a "job" currently. It keeps me occupied, and I think it's important for people to be occupied. 
I'm a freegan. I go around trying to get free stuff. 
The "job" should make you happy, keep you entertained, keep you occupied, and hopefully you get some form of return from it, which can help sustain your lifestyle. 

And I think each person owes it to themselves to try to attain this form of balance to find something that they are happy to do for an extended period so that they can lead a more fulfilling life, instead of being like the old ERSG, where he was jaded and unhappy and stressed and ate a lot cos he wasn't happy with life.
I think it's important to take active steps to plot a path and make changes or adjust expectations so that you'll be able to live the life you want to achieve.


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More Stuff More Stress

19/6/2019

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Ok so today, 6 days into my stay in Paris, 11 of my boxes arrived via air shipment. 
Now, first, y'all have to realize the apartment in Paris is around half the size of my HDB. 
So there's not that much spare space cos after taking into account the bed, sofa, dining table, cupboard, toilet space, kitchen space, etc... there' isn't really much spare space left. 

So now that 11 boxes have come in... I really have no space to unpack the stuff. 
Some of the stuff I packed are consumables, like toilet paper, tissues, wet wipes, etc...
I bought a lot when I was in SG and they are cheaper in SG. And since the company doesn't give us any cash if we don't use the shipping, so we thought we might as well ship over some consumable items which would be cheaper to buy in Singapore. 
I even brought over plastic/paper bags (I got these for free in SG), cos in France, plastic bags aren't free. You have to buy plastic bags carry stuff back from the supermarket, or to throw away stuff. 

Ok so what's in the 11 boxes that I can't really unpack?

1. Clothes for her
2. Clothes for me
Ok so boxes 1-2, I don't really need. I've lived here for 5 days and I feel that I don't need any additional clothes YET.
We realized that she doesn't need much going out clothes, cos we can only go out on weekends. So basically she needs clothes for work, and 2 sets of going out clothes and maybe 2-3 sets of home/sleep wear. 

3. Winter clothes for both of us
Probably winter clothes will be useful in future. 

4. Some electrical stuff, neck-back massager, plugs, wires, clock
My neck-back massager is a good to have, I have some neck-back issues especially if I don't sleep well, so that's useful. But the other misc electrical stuff is once again unnecessary. 

5. Bags, shoes, reusable bags
I do need some reusable bags, and spare shoes for her, which we bought at a good price in SG so it's worth bringing over, cos she will eventually wear out her shoes and will need to replace at least once in the 2 years here. 
But once again, we brought some unnecessary going out bags and probably too many reusable bags for the time we will be here. 

6. Towels, linen, pillow
We already have 1 set of towels, but we shipped another set. Probably useful when we wash our towels.
Linen and pillow are provided for by landlord. We shipped just in case the condition of the stuff wasn't good, but since it's clean and usable, we probably won't need to use any of these. 

7. Plastic bags, newspaper
Disposable items, will eventually finish using these. I brought newspaper and plastic bags so that I can easily throw away stuff. As said above... it's quite stupid to ship this if I needed to pay for it. But if I don't ship, then I'll need to buy it in Paris. 

8. Toiletries, toilet paper, wet wipes, tissue paper
More disposable items. Eventually will use finish. 

9. Misc box 1 - stationary, envelopes, wrapping paper
More disposable items. Eventually will use finish. 

10. Misc box 2 - Gifts to give away during Christmas, basically re-gifting items
More disposable items. Hopefully eventually will use finish. But if she gives presents to her colleagues, there's a chance they give something back and we end up having more stuff on hand. 

11. Fan, vacuum cleaner, marketing trolley
Ok so the fan and vacuum cleaner, I'll probably leave them in Paris when I move back to SG. I found the fan at my void deck. It's old and rusty, but it works, and it's actually quite hot in Paris during the summer. 
The vacuum cleaner is my old one. It's not working well anymore but it should still be ok for my time in Paris. 

So anyway, as you can see, what we have done during our move to Paris is pretty much what most people do their whole lives. We brought stuff over here, cos we kiasu... Duno leh, maybe I need this, maybe I need that, etc etc... So we just ship everything over. But in the end, we ended up cluttering up our place and it's quite messy now. 

And it's quite common. As we live our lives, we collect a lot of stuff. But in the end, there's only very little items that we really use well and often. Most of the other stuff is just kiasu stuff, we need it maybe once per 3-6 months and if we don't have it, we won't even notice it. We'll just work around it at that point in time. 

AND GUESS WHAT! That's not ALL... I still have another 6 more boxes coming in via ship. 
So I think we really messed up with our packing cos it's pretty obvious now that we don't have the space for all the boxes. Even IF some of the stuff will eventually be consumed, it's going to take a few months before we use them up, which means we'll have to live with a lot of clutter and boxes all over the apartment. 

I think it's really part of human DNA... Cos we are programmed to be kiasu. Think about it. In the olden days, food is scarce, resources are scarce, people aren't certain when they can obtain certain things. So for survival, people tend to hoard, or just keep first, or take first, so that maybe next time it will be useful. 

It's the same as when I get free food these days. I collect way more than I can eat, and to prevent it from being wasted, I eat more than normal. And I get my free food once every 2 days, so I need to learn how to take less or don't go and collect every 2 days. 

So it's quite interesting that humans always want to accumulate. That there's never enough. Cos of a lack of security so we always tend to keep grinding at the hamster wheel, cos... kiasu ma. What to do right?


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French Credit Cards

18/6/2019

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Ok long story short... simply put... they don't exist...
Really...

So when we opened our bank account in Paris, we realized they have a lot of fees for opening the bank account. Apparently that's normal. 
Fees for the debit card, fees for insurance if you lose your debit card and money gets withdrawn, etc...
Free for the first year and not much per month on the second year, I think it's EUR10 per month after the first year. Maybe we could get it waived, I'm not sure, I won't think much about it for now... 

Anyway, about credit cards. I was asking the mobility agent who was helping us with our move cos I was confused. Cos we needed to pay for our debit card and we can withdraw money from our bank and use VISA transactions.
So I asked. What about credit cards? I hoped maybe there would be stuff like credit card promos like at home... 
And she said... "Oh no, we don't have credit cards."
And I was like... "What do you mean? You mean they don't exist in France?"
And she said... "Yep they don't exist."

And I was pretty mind blown...

OK I did some read up on this... apparently there ARE credit cards available in France, just that it's not common. As in, it's very very very rare. 
​
The use of credit cards in France is substantially less than in the U.S. The average credit cardholder in the U.S. has 3.7 cards as of 2018, and 7 percent of Americans hold seven or more. This compares to France, where individuals have a less than one credit card one average and a much more conservative attitude towards debt. It can be difficult to get a French credit card as the application process is so stringent.
-
https://pocketsense.com/do-french-credit-card-6904859.html

And I thought it was pretty cool. It potentially discourages over consumption. People don't get into as much debt trouble. Overall probably a good thing for the general population. 

Like... why DO people need credit cards in the first place? Who ever thought that it was a good idea to spend money that they don't own? I can understand bank loans for businesses or mortgages. But for personal consumption?

Are credit cards really necessary in our current society/economy?? 
Aren't debit cards good enough?


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Day 4 - Life is back to normal?

17/6/2019

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Soooo... It's now day 4 in Paris out of the expected 2 years I'm going to be here. 

Things have really settled down. 
We left SG on Thurs night, reached Paris on Friday morning. Checked into our rental apartment, setup our internet and mobile lines, which will take a couple of days for it to be ready. Utilities is already available in the apartment. Our mobility agent will open the account for us and it the fees will be deducted directly from the French bank account every month. 
The rest of the day was spend unpacking. 

2nd day, Saturday, we pretty much did nothing, just went to buy some groceries, home essentials. 

3rd day, I went to get some free food... which is actually quite a lot, probably will last me 5 days or so cos my wife only eats dinner. This is when I realized I pretty much settled into Paris. Cos once the food is free, then there's almost nothing else to pay for besides utilities and transport.

Now it's the 4th day. My wife's first day of work. I sent her to work and bought a bit more groceries on the way back. Rice in particular. On my way home, I found myself a free baguette... so now I have bread for the next 2-3 days. We don't eat much bread so it takes some time to finish. But it's useful as a snack...
And now that I've gotten back... I'm just hanging in my apartment and just typing my blog and drinking tea. 

This is when I realize, most of my life in France would be similar to when I'm in SG. 
Before freegan, I was just hanging at home, cooking, cleaning up the place, blogging, reading news, watching movies, etc.
And now... I'm back to doing that. Which feels kinda weird, cos... I thought maybe life would be a bit different. But now I'm back to the usual stuff. Like I may want to walk around someday, but settling in is pretty fun and relaxing for now. 

I do miss a lot of stuff in SG, like friends, activities, family, food. 
But besides that. Life goes on. 
It's pretty cool actually, cos I realize... there's not a lot one needs to be happy. I have my laptop, my kitchen, food, clothes, internet and furniture. 
And once again, I feel... why do people buy so much stuff? Cos I have all I need and all I brought to Paris is in 2 suitcases. 
(That's cos the Paris apartment is fully furnished) But really... After unpacking, we further realized that we didn't need to bring much clothes and that the shipment of clothes that's coming later this week would also probably not be necessary so likely some of the boxes will remain unpacked when they arrive. 

Furthermore, since this apartment is rented, I'll not want to buy any additional furniture enough though I may feel it helps a bit with daily life. Like a toiletries rack might be nice to place my stuff in the toilet. So I'm planning to make myself a toiletries rack using discarded crates which is easily found at markets cos the vendors use the crates to transport their produce. 

Anyway, what I felt most intriguing was that it took me around... 4 days for things to get back to normal. I expected it to take longer, like maybe a month or so. But daily operations seem the same and besides being away from home, everything else as a lifestyle is the same, but maybe we might take a short day trip out this weekend if the weather permits. 


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Day 3 - Free Food in Paris!

16/6/2019

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So... Many people say, everything is expensive in Paris...
But that's only if you live a normal life...
Now... Regular readers know about how my freegan journey went.
For those who don't know...
Here's how it started... 

Anyway... I always thought if I would be able to replicate some sort of freegan lifestyle in Paris after I moved. It would be interesting right? Cos IF I'm able to go somewhat freegan in another country, means I could probably do this anywhere in the world...

So today... I went to... get some free food. It's not too hard if you know where to look...

Picture
Picture
-So I got myself half a watermelon. It really is sooooo good. Juicy, sweet, everything a watermelon should be. Better than most I've had in SG.
-I got myself 5 strips of cured fish. Not too good. It was really salty and a lot of fine bones which are supposed to be edible. Each strip of fish is around 20cm long. 
-I got myself a bunch of pork, the cuts aren't really great cuts. But it's still good meat. Can't complain there.
​
Picture
Picture
The picture on the left was taken earlier in the day, the picture on the right is with add ons at a later part of the day and I used some of the ingredients already.

I got quite a lot of carrots, tomato, an onion, some potatoes, some spring onions, a chilli, some baby radish, 2 whole heads of lettuce, a bunch of ham/cured meats, and I got myself some nice fatty parts of the cured meats, so now I can use it to fry stuff. Cos I don't have oil until my shipment comes. 

Oh and I got a nice flat peach and apricot. 

So... this amount of food... probably will last me... 2-3 days? I'll probably need to buy some rice and pasta as staples. Don't think I can confidently say I can obtain those regularly with ease. 
EUR10 for 5kg of rice isn't too expensive considering I can use it for months. 
I know where to get free bread too, but I'm not a fan of bread so I think I'll most likely not collect free bread as often. 

Anyway, that's all for day 3 in Paris... things have settled down quite well. I didn't expect to be able to obtain so much free food only on day 3. I thought I would take longer to find it. Looks like my costs in Paris is probably going to remain quite low. 


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In Paris...

15/6/2019

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Okayyyy finally! I've landed in Paris and will probably be typing a bit more.

I the past few months have been a real rush. Packing, packing, getting the Visa ready, packing, selling the car, more packing... meeting friends for farewells. 

And finally I'm here in Paris. I landed yesterday. Both of us got biz class flights which was a lucky thing cos her company allowed us biz class flights on our trip to Paris and our final trip back after the stint. 

Yesterday was also a rush after we landed. We went to check into our rental flat. Checked the place, went to set up internet, mobile line, went to supermarket to buy some groceries, bought a transport pass, etc... lots of admin stuff to do. 
Had a rushed dinner which was kinda miserable cos the food was cold...
Luckily the rented place is fully furnished. Almost everything is provided. Bed, table, sofa, pots, pans, plates, cups, washing machine... it's pretty cool... some of the stuff need cleaning but it's good enough cos I don't have to spend the next 2 weeks trying to furnish my place...

The place is kinda small though, it's kinda expected around half the size of my HDB. After we unpacked our bags most of the cupboards are already full... So it's gonna be challenging, cos I'm looking forward to my shipment of my other stuff when they come in but yet when they come in, it's going to be a lot of stuff and I'm going to have some difficulty unpacking those. Maybe I'll even keep them in the boxes and not unpack them. Which is going to be intriguing, cos it's going to prove that actually all that I really need is around 2 luggage and we have enough for our daily living. Which is pretty what most minimalists have shown. We use very few items everyday and the rest of the stuff that we own are just kinda just lying around the place, or we use them so seldom and it's probably better to just borrow them from friends instead of buying them. 

I've been tracking expenses once I landed. Nothing much to be paid out of my own pocket yet, cos most stuff is covered by her company. Food and transport is on our own, utilities and phone line and stuff is also on our own. Maybe we'll be lucky and our expense won't increase as much as I thought. 

Anyway, I'm going to leave my apartment now and do a couple of chores and get some laundry and dish washing detergent and other stuff that the landlord doesn't provide... I'm waiting for my shipment, cos I have a lot of my soaps and detergent in there, which I either got for free or bought in bulk a long time ago. So my expenses may be limited cos I have some necessities which I bought in Singapore. 

Okie see you guys. I'll be posting more about my life in Paris cos I'll prob have a lot of time to type. 


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2 Comments
    This is the link to my first post... how it all started...
    ​

    Mindset changes
    throughout the years


    How I make use of my wife

    An Interesting Email

    Author

    Male, born in 1982. 
    INTP
    Graduated with a degree majoring in Banking & Finance, Financial Adviser for a period of time resulting in in-depth knowledge of insurance products and marketing techniques of the industry.

    Inspired by MMM and ERE.

    Decided to embark on a mission to retire early in Singapore, a place where such an idea is considered impossible. As I believe that life has a lot more to offer instead of just a working career. I've decided to start a blog to note down my journey to achieve this mission and help others along the way who are willing to listen and try doing things differently from everyone else.

    I have decided to remain anonymous until I finally am able to actually retire, reason being that this idea might not gel well with the company which I am working for currently and also to avoid real life flaming from people who say that such ideas are impossible and that an individual is lazy for choosing early retirement instead of contributing to society in the form of labour.

    More about me.
    ​

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