Month of October 2024

Updated finance page.

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

It was the youngest son's birthday and he chose to have dinner at Haidilao. Throughout the 1.5 hours, just about every surrounding table had a celebration as well. The vibrant atmosphere was kept high as the birthday song got repeated every ten minutes. Meanwhile, a Face Mask Changing performer made his rounds and when the last mask came off, he joined other staff as they danced to the tune of Ke Mu San. There was a funny moment as I saw the noodle guy flipping his dough in the air and trying hard to avoid the dancers. It was nice to see many happy young and old faces. My son, however, declined to have the cake as he's rather shy and didn't want the loud music blasting towards him.

But that wasn't the end of the celebration. Two days later, the wife planned a surprise outing. It was to be a mini golf activity near Boat Quay. We arrived at noon and there was an element of puzzle as the game area was decorated like an escape room. There were 18 holes with various degrees of difficulty and as we passed through, clues were scattered around. In the end, the kids had much fun and didn't focus on solving the mystery. After a late lunch at Publico, everyone got home full and contented.

Once in a while, things happen. The car battery died while the wife was at a mall. It's my fault as I wanted it to last another two months before replacing, so the delay cost me an additional $80 for onsite assistance. My helper needed a loan as her son's agriculture business collapsed due to persistent unfavorable weather. We agreed to advance her salary by six months. To end on a positive note, I finally convinced myself to purchase a putter and set of second hand golf irons to hopefully play better. With proper maintenance, they should last a lifetime so I take it as a long term investment. 

Tip: Domini Veneti Amarone 2020, fresh blackberries, inviting nose, good value