Being fallible in dieting and investing.

Added (15 Dec 2016)
I made lunch.

Egg and cheese prata. 
Pan fried with butter.
Lots of black pepper.

Now, read the rest of the blog.

One year ago in December 2015:

Regular readers probably know that AK is on a special diet by now and has enjoyed some early success.

Dieting, like many things in life such as being frugal, requires discipline. Often, people give up after a while because they get too extreme and feel deprived. This applies to both dieting and being frugal. 

What do I mean by feeling deprived? 

It is like meeting a Dementor (as in the fantasy creature from Harry Potter) and having all the happiness sucked out of us because we were denied all the food that made us happy. 

Dieting shouldn't be like that. 

Dieting should be a happy process of discovering ourselves with a healthier body weight.

I shared in an earlier blog post that I find it hard to have zero carbs and zero sugar in my diet. It is especially hard because I have a sweet tooth. 

So, I go for as little carbs and sugar as possible. That is the best I could do.

My weight loss process might be a little slower, as a result, but I am still losing weight. Dieting is not a race. 

Of course, it would be good to be able to lose weight faster but if I must become unhappy to do so, then, the diet can go where the sun never shines.

After several weeks, today, I cheated big time on my diet:

Hot chocolate, cakes and cookies.

It was a real treat! It was also free of charge and that made me feel less guilty about cheating. LOL.

If we are following a diet, being too extreme is not a good idea. A gradual weight loss is better than a drastic one. 

We shouldn't have to be too concerned with being right with what we eat all the time.

This brings to mind what Peter Lynch said about how being right 6 times out of 10 times would make us better than most investors. 

We cannot be right all the time as investors and dieters. We should just aim to be right most of the time and that should make us quite happy.

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Added on 24 April 2016:
I find this a pretty good compromise for my diet:

Just another egg omelette with coconut oil and olive oil?

It is filled with curry potato and cheese!

Protein, good fats and good carbohydrates. Yummy too!

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Added 17 Jan 17:

Related posts:
1. My food bill grew in size.
2. Life is about many things.
3. Is it bad to sit on cash?

My food bill grew in size but my weight reduced.

Not too long ago, I blogged about being on a new diet. So, have I noticed any changes since starting on this diet?

The thing to hit me quite quickly is the increase in expenses when it comes to food!


Salad is very expensive and it takes more to fill me up too. $4 for a bowl of salad in the food court compared to $2.30 for economic rice, for example. 

Salad is cheaper in the supermarket but it is still rather pricey. Animal protein also costs more than carbohydrate.

Got this at a food court. $4.00.

I think that my food bill must have at least tripled or, maybe, even quadrupled in size. I don't know exactly how much because I no longer keep track of my expenses. Has been the case for a few years. So, this is just a feeling.

$5.00 from NTUC Fairprice.

Pan fried in butter. Powdered with black pepper.
Romaine lettuce on the side drenched in salsa sauce.
The tangy salsa sauce goes well with the salmon too.

When I talked to a friend who is a doctor, he said that the diet does make sense. Cut down on carbohydrates and sugar and we will probably be healthier.

Many overweight people are overweight because they take too much carbohydrates and sugar which are what comfort food is packed with.

Roasted chicken on lettuce. About $4.00.

Pan fried Batang and ginger. About $4.00 too.

Being on this diet, I do miss ice cream which is one of my two biggest weaknesses in the world of food. As for chocolate, the other weakness, I am allowed dark chocolate but not too much.

I also miss fish ball mee pok dry, char kway teow and chye tow kway. I also miss eating sandwiches which I used to make frequently and, definitely, my daily bowl of oatmeal.

Greek yogurt, banana slices and lettuce.

Pan fried Batang steak in garlic salt and turmeric powder.

Well, I do look a bit trimmer without having increased my level of physical activity. In case you are wondering, I do plan on doing something about this.






In fact, I lost more than 3 kgs in almost 4 weeks. I also seem to have less gas (if you know what I mean).

I will continue with this diet and see if I manage to gradually lose more weight over the next month or so. I would be quite happy to be another 3 kgs lighter by then.

Added (6 Jan 17):

Antioxidants attack!

Added (5 Sep 17):

Added (10 Sep 17):

Added (12 Sep 17):

Added (10 Oct 17):

Related post:
Something AK wants to lose.

Extra 1% interest for CPF savings and MSTU.

The following is contributed by a reader:

 

The CPF Board's response is appended below. I've edited the questions and part of the response to mask personal information hence, the flow of CPFB's reply may not make sense but I trust that the key points of interest are in there. Feel free to reproduce it:
 

Question: How would the extra 1% interest earned on OA + SMRA be earned? 

 

The extra 1% interest per year is currently paid on the first $60,000 of a member’s combined CPF balances.

 

The priority of the accounts that make up the $60,000 is as follows: 

 

1. Retirement Account (RA), including balances used to pay for the annuity premium under CPF LIFE

2. Ordinary Account (OA), up to $20,000

3. Special Account (SA)

4. Medisave Account (MA)

 

In general, CPF interest is computed monthly, and will be credited and compounded to your respective accounts yearly.

 

Any excess of the FRS will remain in the OA/SA which the member can apply to withdraw.  

 

There are no restrictions on when a member, age 55 and above, can make the withdrawals throughout the year. Now, they can apply for withdrawal at any time as long as they have the withdrawable monies and the Board will assess their applications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question: Assuming FRS of $X and MSTU of $(X + Y) including interests. At age 55, can $Y be withdrawn? 

 

No, the top-up monies of $Y cannot be withdrawn as these are meant for recipient’s retirement needs. Hence, the member cannot apply to withdraw the top-up monies:

(a) for payment of education, investments, insurance, housing, etc;

(b) by pledging his property in lieu of the Full FRS; and

(c) via exemption from the Retirement Sum Scheme.

 

Related posts:

1. Retire with a bond and an annuity.

2. CPF MS Top Up and interest computation.

Investing or gardening, be ready to go to war!

Several years ago, I tried to grow cherry tomatoes on my balcony. 

I had three pots and they were all growing well. 

They flowered and eventually I had some fresh cherry tomatoes. 




Unfortunately, the good times didn't last very long because the plants were infested by white flies and eventually died. 

White flies are nasty insects and usually cling to the undersides of leaves in large numbers. 

Once infested by white flies, the fruits from the plants are not safe to eat either. 

Well, the important thing is that I had a lesson in gardening which I remember. 




So, when I decided to renew my efforts at gardening in the last one year, I decided not to grow cherry tomatoes despite suggestions by some people to do so. 

Instead, I decided to grow plants that would ward off all sorts of nasty insects. 

I have a pot of Basil, a pot of Rosemary, a pot of Lemon Balm and two troughs of Catnip. 

These ward off mosquitoes, house flies and other nasties. 

Rosemary.

Basil.

Lemon Balm.

Catnip.

I am also trying to grow Rosemary from seeds. 


Here is a photo taken today:

The one on the right is ahead in the race.

I am also pleased to share that my Alliums have flowered today:

Waiting for them to bloom fully.

Alliums (the onion family) repel many insects, apparently.

I also recently tried to grow some Nasturtiums which are originally from South America. 

The whole plant including the flowers are edible, apparently. 

Peppery in taste or so I read. 

Got the seeds from NTUC Fairprice Xtra.

The main reason for planting Nasturtiums is not for eating although I could try. 

What I really want is their ability to ward off those cherry tomato plant murderers, those white flies!

Today, I see the first Nasturtium seedling emerging from the soil:

Hope the rest of the seedlings follow soon.




Once the Nasturtiums are fully grown, if I should try my hand at growing some cherry tomatoes again, I wouldn't have to fear those nasty white flies!

Whether investors or gardeners, our chances of success would be higher if we are ready for war!

Related posts:
1. Be prepared for war!
2. Life is about many things.