My wife and I decided in late 2024 that it was time to officially retire from our careers as our younger son had obtained his university degree and graduated in Apr 2025. We moved excitedly into the next part of our life journey as we crossed into the second part of our Halftime (Moving from Success to Significance), in search of our Ikigai (The Japanese secret to a long and happy life) as we started our retirement.
We strategized to fill 2025 will a lot of projects to keep us busy as we settle down to a new and slower phase of life. Overseas long vacations plus short trips to nearby countries with friends in between the longer dates were planned. Our son’s graduation trip to Portugal for 14 days in April was completed. A 23-day South Korea trip in Jun was made and we returned home last week. A 15-day China trip with friends has been planned for Oct.
A the same time, we embarked on a major home renovation project. We moved into our current home in Dec 2007 and 18 years passed in a flash and the kids have grown up to be young adults now. It was time to upgrade to a more mature adult theme as our boys are young men embarking on their work careers now. We also attended a seminar on how to give back to society and it introduced us to various NGOs that we could contribute our efforts to. That will be food for thought into the rest of the year.
Our Portugal vacation was a pleasant surprise for first timers like us. We enjoyed the laid back charm of the country that had a high quality of life blessed with an abundance of natural resources and lots of wine. The cost of living is low compared to S’pore (of course!). The island of Madeira was also a great experience. Bigger than S’pore but one can encounter the 4 seasons within one day! We had quality family time discovering new places and finishing a bottle of vino for every meal as it was so good and affordable.
Then it was back home to start packing to move out from our home of 18+ years to begin renovation work. This was after more than 4 months of interviewing Interior Designers (10) to narrow down to the final 2 to award to the winning ID firm. Given that the kids were very young when we moved into this house in 2007, we decided to revamp the previous kiddish, functional style into a more chic and modern look.
We moved into my in-laws’ place as our temporary accommodation for a few months, This was to allow the hackers to tear down our place in order to rebuild most of the interior again. Meanwhile, my wife also bought a couples gym package with a motivational trainer to push us to strengthen our core muscles for our ageing bodies in preparation for the next few decades.
Then we were off to South Korea for a long 23-day trip. The original premise for going there was for my wife to see her fav band BTS as its final members were finishing up their national army stints in Jun. We attended 2 K-Pop concerts which was an eye opener for me to see hardcore fans from all over the world converging in Seoul. I must have been one of the few uncles wondering why I was there, in a sea of screaming and adoring female fans. We split our stay into Seoul, Sokcho, Busan and Gyeongju, staying in a total of 7 hotels and apartments.
I think I managed to eat all types of Korean food they have to offer, from KBBQ to Jokbal to the many types of hangover soup concoctions (kimchi, pork and beef rib etc). The Korean people there were genuinely nice and honest. There is zero crime and we feel very safe walking the streets any time of the night. I never even saw a car accident in our 23 days there even though most of the cars are EVs now with powerful acceleration speeds. Some k-pop songs even went into my head as ear worms as I keep hearing and humming them LOL…
South Korea has so much going for it as a country, especially in the entertainment sector. Think K-Dramas, Squid Game 3, Culinary Wars and Physical 100. Its manufacturing sector is actually not doing so well though, as it had to compete with its giant neighbour. The China factory jargonuant is overwhelming everyone in the world with its EVs, any kind of factory manufactured goods and high tech.
Now that we are back home, it is time to continue with the renovation process. We need to conceptualize the interior fittings in the next 2 months as only one third of the work is done. The hacking of the old stuff, laying of new tiles, waterproofing work and false ceiling rebuild have been completed. Next comes the building of new covered shelters for a gym and the wet kitchen, toilet/kitchen items and cupboards are next before the major internal and external repainting works.
Time seems to pass by slowly, day by day when you are in retirement mode. More time to stop and smell the roses and delve into things of interest. Better quality family and friends time get togethers without the nagging worry of what is outstanding at work tomorrow. But too much chilling makes the mind go numb and inactive. I will need to accelerate and deep dive into my interests and perhaps new ones soon to keep the adrenaline pumping.
Reviewing and refining my investment portfolio becomes a full time hobby now. Thank goodness I was on holiday when the US tariff tantrums took off in early Apr. No panic selling and just sitting at the sidelines watching the panicking markets with a glass of vino in hand…
So many more things and activities to do for the rest of 2025 as we crossed the year’s half way mark into Jul. More uncertainty in the markets as stock markets hit all time highs. Time to take some profit and keep some dry powder for dip buying or to stay and ride with the trend?
Rates seems to be softening or is tariff induced inflation around the corner soon? Will the Middle East become a more peaceful area with Israel/Iran tensions calming or awaiting for a new fuse to light things off?
One thing I am sure of. The advancement of AI will continue. I cannot even keep track of the daily advancement and progress anymore. Processes and jobs can become redundant overnight at the speed we are heading, thanks to AI agents. New discoveries and breakthroughs will accelerate in the area of science and medicine.
AI is hungry for more energy generation. The sky is the limit once the energy generation breakthroughs happen. It could be renewable energy (Solar, wind) or unlimited nuclear (Thorium). Quantum computing seems ready for a quantum leap soon (100+ Qubits and counting) and AGI might happen sooner than later.
We live in exciting times where anything is possible. The trend is clear and getting stronger. Humanity is on the brink of a new and golden renaissance uptrend.
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