Inflation hits dental fees.

I spent $87.50 this evening at the dental clinic. Scaling and polishing. Ouch! Yes, painful. Don't misunderstand. I meant the bill.

I remember my last visit cost me about $60.00 only. Well, maybe a bit more. OK, to be fair, that was about two years ago. OK, to be more accurate, maybe it was a bit more than two years.

Still, takai des ne.

They would advise me to visit once every six months. When I was younger, I did that but I cannot remember when I stopped and, now, I would visit once every two or three years. I am terrible. I know.

However, I really take care of my teeth very well. I brush properly twice a day. You would be surprised how many people don't know how to brush their teeth properly. I only use Colgate Total toothpaste. I floss. I use Listerine mouth gargle.

Although it is more than two years since my last visit, the dentist gave my teeth a clean bill of health. No decay and not too dirty either. Just had some stains in places I could not reach normally.

Not smoking and not drinking coffee probably helped as well. Another reason to give up smoking and Starbucks coffee for those of you who are addicted. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

After thinking a bit more, I guess it is OK to pay S$87.50 since I saved $240.00 by not seeing the dentist every six months in the last two years, assuming that the price was still $60.00 per visit.

Reminder to myself:
Try to see the dentist at least once a year.

Related posts:
1. Inflation: What to do?
2. Inflation hits fried bee hoon.
3. Inflation is not going away.

Old Chang Kee: Lessons from Mr. Han.

Added on 12 April 2017:

OLD CHANG KEE DI INDONESIA
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I enjoyed an article on Old Chang Kee today in The Business Times.

Mr. Han Keen Juan acquired Old Chang Kee in 1986. He tried blending cultures and introduced croissants but these did not take off. 

Apparently, it was the norm to hold a curry puff and eat it on the go but people preferred to eat French pastry sitting down! It also created some customer confusion as to what Old Chang Kee represented.

To me, Old Chang Kee is the King of Asian finger food in Singapore. Their menu has expanded to include, for example, XL size fishballs which they call "footballs" and you have to trust me when I say they are delicious especially with the special chilli sauce made just for them!

Some of my other favourites are spring roll, yam cake, carrot cake and fried chicken wings (Sedap!). For sure, I cannot go without at least one of their signature curry puffs every once in a while.

The success that is Old Chang Kee today is very much about keeping to a theme that is familiar to Singaporeans. It is about sticking to a formula which has worked well for years.

Similarly, it could be a good idea for us to stick to what we know best when we are investing in the stock market. 

If we were to expand our investment portfolio, it could make sense to look at industries we are familiar with or industries which are related to what we are familiar with. 

If a strategy works well for us and is reliably replicable, why not stick to it?

Mr. Han also ventured into the dining arena by starting a small kiosk that sold authentic Hainanese dishes. It became a hit! He quickly opened another outlet without first ensuring that the kitchens could maintain the quality of the food. Diners were disappointed and the business folded within four months.

Old Chang Kee's mobile kitchen!

This holds a precious lesson for investors at large too. Don't be too hasty to take the plunge. Make sure we have a strong foundation and the necessary resources before we try growing our investments.

If our portfolio size is beyond what is the optimum (and this is probably a subjective notion), we could be increasing the probability of something nasty happening along the way. Shudder at the thought.

Related post:
Old Chang Kee: Almost 70c a share.