Month of April 2021

Updated finance page.

https://drinkingspot.blogspot.com/p/finance-sharing.html

Another 30 days just gone by, punctuated with hot mornings and heavy afternoon thunderstorms. This must be climate change in action. April wasn't a month supposedly like that but the weather patterns have certainly changed. I do get rather annoyed with people who proclaim global warming is a hoax.

Anyway, the Nexo account that I used to stake Eth had shown some nice returns of about 4% p.a credited on a daily basis but strangely, my advanced verification was still not completed hence unable to activate a higher level of staking. A week later, help request was sent and action taken within a day. Pretty impressed with the quick handling. So as I slowly navigate this space, I await to see what kind of risks and returns lie ahead

Just the other day, I added a new recipe to my repertoire of modest cooking for family dinner. This was a traditional Japanese household must-have that's passed down over the generations and it's Nikujaga! Simple ingredients to prepare, short stir fry and then let the cooking sauce complete the job. It warms the heart and the stomach especially for picky eaters. I'm going to try variations next time and hopefully discover something good.

Tip: Bodega Cerron Rabia 2018, good with lightly seasoned meats

Sport On A Rainy Day

The skies started pouring from 11am and I was stuck at home, thinking whether it would clear by 3pm. A little nervous and a little excitement as I planned to play golf after not touching the clubs for almost 1.5 years. For warm up, I went to meet a friend for range practice at 12pm, hoping not to "malu" myself later with a group of new friends. It was very rushed though as I went through 60 balls in half an hour and had to prepare myself for a last minute online meeting. The ball stroking felt familiar even though I had only been playing golf just three years ago. Meeting was over in an hour and we went to have a quick lunch, occasionally looking up to see the drizzly sky. Looks like the game may have to be postponed. But this thought was extinguished by a phone call from a friend who had already reached Mandai Executive Golf Course. There would be no refund for cancellation and no rebooking.

For those in the know, this course is notorious for its sub standard condition. Cow grass surrounds the fairways and the putting green can be uneven. For a rainy day, the condition is worsened by muddy patches and water pools. Worst of all, it is an all walking course only. So the game started on time. In front of a crowd waiting behind, my tee off was decent, a shot to the right of the hole that landed 40 meters away. Today's result should be quite ok. Second hole, I lost the ball after tee off even though I was sure it landed nicely among some trees. Never mind, I wasn't affected as throughout the game, I didn't lose another ball nor went out of bounds while mishitting some shots. Overall score was my usual standard. Even though the weather didn't play ball, I enjoyed a bit of exercise, regained game finesse and had good fun with friends. Best part is, the phone was kept in silo. Now my shoulders are aching and have a blistered thumb.

Tip: La Chapelle La Mission Haut Brion 2014, very approachable with no decanting

Finance Investment Movement 8

After spending much time researching and trying to find a good deal, I finally got into the space of crypto staking. For years, I had held onto minute amounts of Eth via Coinbase and Coinhako. Then slowly converted some to Btc so they were almost equal in value. It was meant as product risk diversification since both were crypto leaders by a mile and I didn't know which to put my faith in. As some profits were made, some Eth were swapped into Xrp and Polkadot. Pleasantly, Coinhako had a special event where they gave free Doge for trades done so I managed to get some. Also, I made use of reward points to redeem for some Bat. Now, I hold these 5 coins and watch intently each morning I wake up to find out the latest valuation. It's just been too crazy as prices climbed relentlessly. I'm simply shocked that the crypto asset seemed to have a life of its own. Though I hope this doesn't stop, the reality is a drop is inevitable.

The next step was to open a Nexo account and place some Eth to gain interest and stake where possible. It's another area that's newly opened to me and I'm excited to see how this fares.

Other things I have done this month was to renew the fixed deposit with DBS at 1.15% pa, observe Syfe portfolio inching up a little and stalking certain local stocks for potential trade.

Tip: Attems Pinot Grigio 2019, slightly nutty and showing signs of going downhill