I had coffee with an old friend, J, who just quit his job a week before the meetup. Our friendship journey started when he joined the industry and my company was the first client he met as part of his training. We formed a natural partnership due to work requirements and got together regularly, for discussions and drinks. When J got married, I was one of few invited who was neither relative nor colleague. Later on, he had two children. We progressed well within our respective companies and even though I moved on to a new role, we still kept in good contact through sports and meals. So it was a shock when J informed that he tendered his resignation at the beginning of the year. He got stuck with office politics even though he's a middle manager and had a good relationship with his boss whom I also know. Over the years, J was an astute investor and the reward now is that he could afford to leave work without worries. It helped that his wife is in a good paying and stable job. J joked that he's now a full time dad and had no plans beyond the next three months. I have been fortunate to witness J's life, from this first job, to marriage and child, purchasing his first car and property and going from head of hair to half bald. Let's see where life takes him next.
It's been raining much and the weather's cool on most days. There's a chill and comfortable feeling at home, especially over the weekend. Great for hotpot, jazz music and soft conversations. But somehow, I had also been in situations that made me fume on a number of wet mornings. With a continuous drizzle, it's understandable that road traffic may be a little slow. Just this month alone, I encountered several instances of inconsiderate and dangerous drivers. A Honda tried to squeeze (at speed) onto a merging lane, a Benz drove into the yellow box that caused a jam for turning traffic during peak hour, a Lexus made an abrupt lane change on an upslope, an Audi weaved in and out of traffic and the usual BMW tried to do last minute filter out of an expressway. Among these, four of them had a private hire vehicle label though I don't think they were carrying passengers. A while ago, around 630am, I saw an old man (around 70 years) going at 60km/h on CTE lane 2. He was unable to keep his car in line and kept veering to the right before correcting. That's simply an accident waiting to happen. I tend not to dwell too long on such things but some people just shouldn't be driving.
The LA wildfires is a tragedy as the scale of destruction is monstrous. It gained more media coverage due to its celebrity enclave. In the aftermath, crowdfunding to rebuild the area started. That's mainly because most of the houses were non-insured or had been dropped at least six months prior. Why did the residents not safeguard their assets? The excuse of expensive premiums is a lousy one. If one can live in a prestigious neighbourhood, paying that bit more can be expected. Or one could have spent money to fireproof the exterior. Months of dry weather had given them ample warning to take action, yet most chose not to. This incident reminded me of a similar situation happening in Singapore. Senior citizens who live in private houses who couldn't afford to pay property tax. They cite sentimental value and being cash poor as reasons to ask for help. Well, if one does not have a big head, then don't wear a big hat. Every decision has a consequence. These people just got to live with theirs.
Tip: Domaine Thibaud Boudignon Anjou Blanc 2021, lemon, persimmon, fine acidity wrapped in white flowers
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