vBloga collection of my notes and thoughts…

As I have neglected to write anything for the year, here is a quick summary of the things that happened in 2017.

• We did a lot of travelling this year. We visited Morocco with a group of friends, had a ski holiday in France, took a road trip around Cornwall, spent a long weekend in Switzerland, spent another long weekend in Italy, and to top it all off, we spent two weeks in South America, covering Colombia, Brazil and Peru. If you are interested to hear more about them, details are available at Postcard Journal.
• We invested in a new piano, a Kawai KDP90 after our old piano suddenly broke while I was practising on it. I feel like my sight-reading is improving and I have been expanding on my music selection.
• Run, run, and more runs. Improvements have been slow, but I did manage a 1K best of 5:05 mins, 5K best of 27:44 mins, and 10K best of 58:48 mins. The recent cold weather has been a real drag on my motivation.
• My gingivitis is finally under control, after multiple visits to the dental hygienist and religious flossing.
• I recently tried two new recipes, Japanese soufflé cheesecake and roti canai, both of which turned out really well.
• I am still swiping away on Pokémon GO. I was about to stop, until they released the new Pokémons. I am now on level 32.
• And the highlight of the year—we got engaged. Wedding planning is fun, but stressful at the same time.

Happy New Year 2018!

I still find it surprising how a small, seemingly insignificant event, would end up having quite a profound impact on my life. About seven months ago, having not visited a dentist for several years, I went for a general check up. The news was not good. I had a tooth decay, and early signs of periodontitis. Periodontitis is a gum disease, which causes irreversible loss of the bones supporting the teeth. If left untreated, it could result in tooth loss. The advice was simple. Tooth decay is the result of poor diet, and periodontitis is the result of poor oral care. Tooth decay can be avoided by consuming less sugary and acidic food, and not snacking too much between meals. Periodontitis can be stopped by proper brushing and flossing. He caveated that unless you floss everyday, it is as good as not doing it.

I have tried flossing on several occasions before, but it was too much effort. Nevertheless, faced with the possibility of my nightmares of crumbling teeth becoming a reality, I decided to give it a good go. The first night, it took me quite literally a bloody hour trying to work out how to use an interdental brush, and to floss thoroughly. I persevered with it the next night, then the following night, and the night after. The days soon turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. It is an almost effortless habit now. Admittedly, I have missed a day here and there, but my gums feel much healthier than before. I believe that having the right tools for the job helped a lot. The dentist recommended the TePe Angled Interdental brushes, and Oral-B Glide floss picks, which I am still using today.

Following the advice given, I have also cut down on snacking, and sugary food. I let the credit on my access card run out, so that I can no longer buy snacks from the vending machines at work. I am making a conscious effort to cut down on chocolate. When dining out, I sometimes opt for still water instead of the fizzy drinks that I normally go for.

Having established a good oral care habit and diet, I am now focusing on a different part of my life. I have just started a program created by the Nike+ Running app, with the goal of running 10K in 8 weeks. In addition to that, I am taking on the 7 Minutes for 7 Months Workout Challenge, guided by the 7 Minute Workout app by Perigee AB. Go me!

It started with Shirls, Vigo, Tiger the cat, and a camera. They were part of a three for GBP 5, customise it yourself deal. This was back in June last year.

Last month, we went to BRICK 2015, the annual Lego show at ExCeL London. It was a fantastic experience, and we ended up spending the whole day there. There were many impressive private collections on display; but what impressed me most was the creativity that kids possess. One of the activity we participated in, was to create an item to be placed on a UK map. We naturally decided to build a house, which ended up being very colourful due to the lack of similar coloured pieces; but ultimately, it looked like a house. Ask a kid to do the same, and they will build all sorts of interesting architectures. While some appears impossible, they are all refreshing nonetheless.

At the show, we were gifted a free Christmas tree set. Additionally, we decided to get Vigo the husky he always wanted, as well as a couple of chairs and some greeneries for them both to enjoy. Just before the end of the show, we managed to sneak in an order for a custom engraved Lego brick with their names on it. When we got home that evening and put everything together, there were hardly any space left with all the newly acquired items. Unbeknown to me, I was about to receive a trike, a hedgehog, and a Christmas stocking made of Lego bricks for my secret Santa present the very next day.

A week later, while out doing our Christmas shopping, we ended up at the Lego store. Inspired by the experience at BRICK, we decided to custom build a house for Shirls and Vigo using the random mix and match pieces. We designed, planned, collected, counted, and filled up a small pottle with the required Lego pieces. We must have spent well over an hour in the store. All that effort was worth it in the end.

Having lived here for nearly 3 years, this is my first Christmas in London. Somewhat surprised, though I really shouldn’t be, things were pretty quiet in London on Christmas Day itself. This is in stark contrast to the days leading up to Christmas, and the Boxing Day after, where droves of shoppers are out in force, in search of gifts and bargains.

Christmas is a time for family, and it is great to see the city shut down so that everyone can spend the day with their loved ones. The downside for people like myself, who relies on public transportation, is that we are left home bound for the day. Nothing that a little planning ahead couldn’t fix. We did have to cancel a country getaway because the trains did not resume full service on Boxing Day. Having spent the previous weekend exploring Latvia, it was actually quite nice to be able to relax at home for Christmas.

And in those ten months, I have:

• rediscovered my inner child at Disneyland Paris.
• started learning Swift, and writing my first iOS App.
• visited Hong Kong and Macau for the very first time.
• taken in a Chu Totoro and a Soot Ball.
• hiked Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) in Norway.
• moved into my fourth flat in under 3 years.
• completed a 5K Color Obstacle Rush.
• learned to make pasta from scratch, Jamie Oliver style.
• seen Urinetown, Shakespeare in Love, Peter Pan, and Wicked!
• continued practising my piano.

I’m not talking about your day-to-day to-do list. I’m talking about your ultimate to-do list. Things that you don’t know when or how you can achieve yet. List them down. What’s on your list? Here’s my TODO List.

Now, work out how you can achieve them and go do it! Anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

According to Wikipedia:

Endorphins (“endogenous morphine”) are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being.

This may partly be the reason why I always look forward to that intense game of badminton, and explain my recent cravings for spicy food.

I didn’t know much about Wing Chun until I watched the movie Ip Man. Wing Chun is a southern chinese martial art that emphasises simplicity and efficiency. According to legend, Wing Chun was created by a Shaolin nun, Ng Mui. Yip Man and Bruce Lee are the two better known practitioners of the art. The things I like about Wing Chun are that it’s practical, it doesn’t require a high level of fitness, and it doesn’t have a lot of high kicks.

I’ve recently joined a Wing Chun class. I don’t have a martial arts background but I’ve always wanted to learn some practical self defense skills. The basic Wing Chun principles are based on science and sounds logical enough to me. The drills are heaps of fun too.

I wouldn’t say Wing Chun is the best martial art there is, but it’s a good fit for me.

Insurance is like gambling. You spend some money, in the hope of making much more in return. In the case of insurance, you pay a premium to cover yourself against a potentially greater loss. If you don’t make a claim, you effectively lose your premium; but you do get peace of mind in return. If you do make a claim, then you effectively just won the bet.

Insurance companies are expert number crunchers. They would have taken into consideration all the risk factors and probability figures, such as the chances of you having an accident and the average damage per accident, when deriving your premium amount. Like any casinos, insurance companies are out to make a profit. Therefore, on average, you can expect to make a loss.

Getting a third party insurance cover is a no brainer. If you are somehow unlucky enough to crash into a Lamborghini, at least you won’t have to spend the next 20 years paying it off. That’s like winning the jackpot. The chances are miniscule, but the return is thousand folds.

On the other hand, a comprehensive car insurance cover is more a grey area. Depending on the value of your car, you could potentially be better off saving the money in the bank. In the unlikely event of an accident, hopefully your savings in premium over the years is enough to cover the damages. However, the repair bill could easily run up to thousands of dollars. Can you afford to completely write off your car in the event of a more serious crash? The additional peace of mind may just be worth the extra premium to upgrade to a comprehensive cover.

Custom modifications to the car is going to increase the premium. Keep that in mind if you’re looking to buy a car.