It’s almost the end of 2025! I think about what has yet to be done and don’t feel as anxious as what I used to be. I know that I will get around to doing tasks in their time.

I have faith in myself. I am proud of my growth.

I have learned to be more in-line with my North Stars that are written in my journal when I write my journal.

I have dana-ed (given) more, even when I didn’t feel that I had enough to give. Then, I have received more back.

I started testing “happiness is my choice”, and I’m surprised at how simple and effective that has been. It doesn’t happen 100% of the time la.

I am grateful for the people that are/were in my life in 2025. I feel so blessed to be challenged and uplifted.

𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ ♡𓏧𓂃𓍯

Ending 2025 and starting 2026 by doing Susannah Conway’s Unravel Your Year 2026 workbook.

There’s many ways to reflect on 2025 and plan 2026. After noodling around so many, paying for some, joining online workshops, downloading SO MANY, I realised that the best one… is the one that I do to the end. Then execute.

Execute. There is no perfect one.

Here’s to encouraging you to start. Reflect on 2025 in order to plan 2026.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

I realise how much I learned (and remembered) from streaming on Twitch when I recently had to scramble to get into a semi-professional call.

I wanted to use a better camera than the laptop one and opted to use my phone’s camera. It took some slight technical wrangling, but it worked!

The dual-light setup, one light from Twitch days, is casting a fantastic glow.

Trying not to overdo this whole setup as it’s so easy to start spending money on bells and whistles. Focus on low hanging fruit and what’s important. Delivering value in the calls.

⊹ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ˖

Massive shoutout to the spouse for publishing a spreadsheet to calculate how much you would need to earn and invest for your retirement. It takes into consideration adjustable factors like age of retirement, salary, savings, CPF (for Singaporeans), etc.

I personally use it and have given strong feedback.

Go check it out!

Had and recovered from food poisoning on Boxing Day. Savage. Was so weak that I couldn’t even use the phone as I lay on the bed. Could only stare at the ceiling and wonder when this sickness would end.

As the “poison” exited me (I’m trying to be less graphic), I was very grateful that the spouse wasn’t mortified by whatever was coming out. He rushed from the other room, stood nearby and patted me. I’ve had stomach flu before and that was much worse. He had to help to clean me up.

That’s when I recalled a single friend asking me, “when do you know that he’s The One?” I think I muttered vaguely about, “there’s no The One, it’s a journey with a lot of work.” My current answer would be, “when he doesn’t flinch seeing you at your absolute worst or sickest, and still stands there to help and support you.”

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!

It’s been a wild ride these past few days. But with hindsight, it led to me now. I laughed a lot, cried a lot, and entered 25 Dec with a glimmer of hope.

Today was a very chill day at home with the spouse and furkids. We woke late, had a slow morning, and very late lunch.

I cleared some certifications and did some finance planning. I love that working with finances doesn’t scare me as much now. That took many many years of mindset change and actually executing.

Since the US stock market is closed today, off to bed hopefully earlier!

⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

I’ve been thinking about this post A Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About by Morgan Housel. Quoting a few things that he mentioned that I want to ponder more about:

You don’t have to know exactly what the future holds to know that some people will handle it better than others.

It’s easy to mistake getting attention for being right or being admired, especially on social media.

The most valuable personal finance asset is not needing to impress anyone.

A bigger problem than price inflation is expectations inflation: A constant increase in what you need to be satisfied.

I have no interest in anything that’s not sustainable. The key to success in so many areas of life is endurance and longevity.

The proper financial mindset is to be scared enough to save for the short run and brave enough to invest for the long run.

Projection is one of the most powerful forces, so be careful around those who tell you how honest and trustworthy they are.

Any amount of intelligence can be overridden by: ego, insecurity, immorality, bad incentives, or impatience, usually in that order.

Everyone hates a spoiled child and knows that child is socially ruined, but they themselves want easy money. Do you see the irony? Money you didn’t earn or work hard for quickly becomes a social liability.

The four most dangerous financial traits are: FOMO, an addiction to the appearance of certainty when none exists, impatience, and laziness.

Not caring about temporary things, and obsessing over permanent things, is underrated.

(╭ರ_•́)

Currently learning something that has frustrated me for ages. Starting from scratch and I’m reminded what it feels like to be a beginner all over again.

What keeps me going is knowing that this has upsides for me. The inner motivation that I have to do this for myself.

Telling myself to persevere as this will be a long and patient game.

I’m realising that the time needed to really get good at this requires a lot of focus and time. Dropped some priorities to find the time.

I’m reminded how that there is a finite number of hours in a day. The solution isn’t to work more, it’s to reallocate the time.

Once I decided to shift my environment, I feel motivated and joyful letting go of items. Previously there was this fear of, “it’s so wasteful to let go”, “what if I need it again”.

After three months, when I’ve had time and space to pause, reflect and think about what I want, then I know that I have to let go of the past in order to move forward.

I also acknowledge that letting go is a gradual process. So I give myself grace to move slowly. To celebrate the small wins with a selected tribe. When my critical internal voice comes out and chides myself for progressing slowly, I’m better able to dim the chatter.

I realise that when there is light and joy, instead of dread, in doing an action, then repeating the action is much much easier.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

All the things that I posted on Olio yesterday were grabbed within 30 minutes of posting. Speechless.

Today and tomorrow, people will come collect their items and that’s it! Contactless pickup and at a time convenient to them.

Best way to reduce waste.

Excited to find more things to give away.

Today, I decided something had to change. I decided to do tasks at home that future me would appreciate and benefit from.

1. Put up decorative cards and photos on the walls (I’m not a decorator, so this is huge for me)
2. Post items to give away on Olio (decluttering let’s gooo)
3. One more thing that’s too private to share, but I’m glad to start this process of healing and moving forward

Sunshine.

The best-est light.

I really dislike having artificial lighting in the daytime. It’s glaring, harsh and jolting to me.

If I could, I would wake by sunlight and end my day slightly after the sun sets. Circadian rhythm suits me great.

But because my life intertwines with others, I have to make do with artificial light in the daytime at home and in office environments.

I realised how much my body enjoyed the circadian rhythm when I travelled to Taiwan. There, the sun rose shortly before 6am, and set shortly after 6pm.

In Singapore, where I live, the sun rises shortly before 7am and sets shortly after 7pm. This is because Singapore adjusted its timezone.

In Taiwan, I relished how much more restful I slept and woke. How much I enjoyed sleeping and waking earlier. The days and nights felt longer, even though, it’s still the same 24 hours.

☀︎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚

This is going to sound angsty, so bear with me.

Have you kept sending text messages (it could be via email or any messaging service) with someone and felt so exasperated? It’s usually because the messages are administrative and clarifications seem to be going nowhere. There’s not random chit chat going on here, it’s messages to complete a task.

An added layer of exasperation is when the person messaging me is within walking distance. We could have had clarified and ended this conversation in a matter of minutes, but the person prefers messaging.

Also, I’ve received reasons like, “oh I didn’t know you were busy, so I message you first.” Valid. Until 10 messages in and my replies are immediate, so… for sure you’ve interrupted what I was doing and now have my undivided attention. My “busy-ness” is now you.

Admittedly, I should have gone over to speak to that person. After 10 back-and-forth messages, I don’t want to talk to the person anymore and have decided to be busy with something else.

Until I calm down, then I’ll re-engage, or ask for a call.

So if this happens to you, now you know.

¯_(ツ)_/¯

Spent some of my SkillsFuture money on a RepairKopitiam one day workshop, Handyman: Home Repair & Maintenance.

Practical skills that I learned:

1. Change two types of locks, one usually used on bedroom doors and deadbolt, usually used on main doors.
2. Make cement and cement tiles down.
3. Make grout and grout tiles.
4. Safely drill through tiles, metal, wood and concrete.
5. Adjust cabinet hinges (crucial as hinges will loosen over the years).

It was fun! My first time handling a drill and learning how to handle it safely made me more comfortable using it.

Class size was 24pax, and we did some group work. I was thankful to have only 3pax in my group and the two guys in my group were very supportive. The instructor was a very chill retiree, so class moved at a pretty chill pace.

I’m going home to adjust some cabinet hinges. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Note: Perhaps because some SkillsFuture money is expiring end 2025, so there’s a rush of people applying for RepairKoipitam’s courses. Getting into Nov and Dec 2025 courses was like rushing to get popular concert tickets, and after talking to other attendees, they had the same experience as me.

Attended AlterCOP30 in Singapore. It’s been awhile since I attended events and I’m glad to restart by attending a sustainability one. My first dip into this industry.

I want to be open-minded, optimistic and practical when attending this conference.

I loved that instead of a buffet with disposables, they served lunch in:

1. Reusable containers and cutlery.
2. Had separate bins for food waste.
3. Cutlery and crockery were collected back in bins for washing and reuse.

Bestest!!

This respite has been really doing me good. It’s taken me three months to really sink into enjoying my time and space. I had to self-soothe myself a lot, especially not getting financially stressed.

I’m finding enjoyment in being reflective and creative. By starting off writing and posting slightly unhinged LinkedIn posts. Unhinged in my opinion. My first post happened in a half-reckless state of abandonment, “aiya who cares, I’m unemployed anyway.” I was shocked at the views and reactions on the post. So I decided to post another the next day, in my own style.

And, a few days later, I am still posting. My aim is to post on LinkedIn every weekday. I have faith in my tornado of ideas continuously swirling in my brain. There will be something to write, without having to resort to some click-bait or trending topic.

Listened to Simone’s Seol’s podcast on The Garbage Post Challenge. 100 pieces of content in 30 days with only TWO criteria: In English and something that you created. So I’m doing it. Let’s goooo!

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Life skills necessary:

1. Distinguish right from wrong.
2. Distinguish who are ethical and moral people.
3. Follow ethical and moral people.

Else, what is wrong becomes right >.<

Sidenote: I acknowledge that there are versions of right and wrong. I’m referring to fundamental issues. Like, no lying, stealing, killing, etc.

Who am I posting irreverent, humourous and heartfelt LinkedIn posts?! Three of them consecutively!

I was feeling quite unhinged when I wrote and posted them. The writing felt like a FLOWWWW. The words had to come out. They were inside me FAR TOO LONG!

It feels good.

The joy of writing.

The coalesce of thoughts that used to pop in and out.

Writing combined with doing some “art” in Canva.

Breakfast has always been such a CHORE! At home, it was easier for me to eat nothing for breakfast. I didn’t like cold food in the morning, e.g. yoghurt with oats (yay fibre!) and I really don’t want to spend time cooking too much aka frying eggs. Nani?!

So I finally settled on pouring hot water into rolled oats (not instant oats) and adding sugar. It’s kinda uninspiring and not very appetising, but it sufficed.

I did feel that rolled oats didn’t keep me full for long, but I thought it was because I ate too little of it. This meant that I was dang hungry BEFORE lunch. Boo. A friend told me that this was true for her too, so I thought, maybe this isn’t the breakfast for me.

When my TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor suggested I eat an egg for breakfast, I groaned inwardly. Hard boiled egg tastes BLEURGH to me and I wasn’t keen on too much cooking effort. Until a Tiktok video showed people cooking cracked eggs in the microwave.

THAT WAS AMAZING! It took some trial and error, and… now I’m happy as a clam eating egg for breakfast. The egg looks like an omelette and is very slightly runny. From egg out of fridge, beating it, adding salt and pepper, microwave, all adds up to 5 minutes. Another 5 minutes for me to eat it. 10 minutes of breakfast and my belly is satisfied!

I can have this before heading to office next time, or even make it in office!

SLAY! *ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Noting down what my TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor has told me to do and the explanations.

1. Drink about 1.5 litres of plain water a day. Why?

• Flush out toxins.
• Will hydrate the body.
• Make skin better.

2. Poop at least once daily.

• Basically if this doesn’t happen, something is wrong!

3. Eat breakfast before 9am. Why?

• Gets metabolism started.
• Breakfast can be as simple or small as one egg.

4. No fruits after lunch. Why?

• I have no idea, but when I did this consistently for 9 days, I fell sick for 2 weeks. Joy.
• Maybe your constitution is different from mine… Shrug.

5. No food after dinner.

• Not even dessert.
• Just drink plain water after dinner.

6. No cold drinks and food.

• Including cold fruits.

7. Is ok to never eat fruits, so as long I eat vegetables.

8. Sleep by 11pm. Why?

• The body has to “repair” itself between 1am to 3am (might have remembered the timings a bit off by an hour), when it’s in deep sleep. The body needs time to get into deep sleep, aka between 11pm to 1am.

This post will be updated as my TCM tells me new things!

The depth of the human connection fuels me. I can meet friends once a year or less, and when we connect, it feels like we were continuing a conversation from the previous time that we met.

That is the real joy and electric connection that I enjoy.

In the meaningful conversations, I laugh so hard and want to hug the other person so tightly.

Quality of the encounter wins frequency all the time.

(っ◔◡◔)っ(•́ᴗ•̀✿)

An Instagram friend, Elisa, opened her house to strangers on her account, inviting them to come and be co-creative. Meaning, do creative things together. I had never met Elisa in real life. We exchanged occasional direct messages on Instagram over the years and I felt like we vibed.

At the first session, two of us showed up. I mended clothes, the other person practiced a cello (loaned by Elisa) and Elisa painted chives.

It was quiet, chill and cozy. I felt like I had front-row seats to a concert. Elisa baked a cake, topped with berries and whipped cream for us. In two hours, I mended a bolster case and tightened beads on a top.

At the second session today, three people showed up. I mended a vintage dress, one person practiced on Elisa’s piano, another wrote and Elisa whittled wooden earrings. We all (except the pianist) commented that the live music was fantastic and applauded at some parts. ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

It feels so nice to have a small ah-hoc gathering of people who are ok to give each other space to do their thing, whatever their thing may be. We didn’t ask about each other’s jobs, instead chatting about creativity, asking what each other were making with our hands and generally being encouraging.

Accompanied by tea, home-baked chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and blueberries, listening to the chirping of birds, I felt so calm and productive.

This is THE life. ‎♡‧₊˚

I love visiting my TCM doc. She’s so wise.

Today I visited her and asked if my Other Half needed to visit her.

She said, “Do not pressure or force others to do what they’re not ready to do. You do it yourself, you get better. Others will see you get better, then they will ask you what did you do. For example, you’re doing acupuncture. Slowly your body will get better, then you will look prettier. Your Other Half will notice that you look prettier and ask you what did you do.”

Facepalm.

This is exactly what I did when I resolve to reduce my usage of single-use plastic bags. I would keep bringing a spare cloth bag out with me to put groceries or whatnot inside. Initially, I would nag the Other Half to bring a spare cloth bag, then later on, I decided to stop nagging. Instead, I would always offer my cloth bag.

Later on (a year or so later), the Other Half started bringing his own cloth bag!

Girlfriends would ask me how did I convince my Other Half to bring a cloth bag along, because they couldn’t convince their Partners to do so. I explained that I had to start first, then he decided to do it later. Then I asked the girls, “Do you bring your own cloth bags?”

(๑ > ᴗ < ๑)

Anyhoo, I forgot my own advice and needed my TCM to remind me.

Onward! ₍^. .^₎⟆

Decided to re-buy the ruiqing.blog domain last night and set this blog up again. I’ve been quietly blogging, and I’m ready to share this publicly. We are all complex beings with differing thoughts and ideas, and I can’t expect others to read my mind, when I don’t share my mind.

So in a way, this blog is part of my mind, my thoughts. A stream of consciousness. A cabinet of curiousities. (´｡• ◡ •｡`) ♡

I love the symbols making faces. So darn cute. Better than emojis.

Ecstatic that today I managed to:

1. Sit and read a non-fiction book for 1.5 hours.
2. Avoid the phone for 2 hours, starting from when I woke up. Not even to check messages.

I used to be a total bookworm when I was a child. Till social media came along, then I’ve been struggling to read for 30 minutes consistently. It felt so good to be completely immersed in a thought-provoking book.

Being screen-free meant that I didn’t record down any thoughts or notes. I’ll have to haul out the good ol' pen and paper next time.

Onward!