Tisdale Merlot - Cheap and Good?

Bought a bottle of Tisdale Merlot and drank it over the week.  The Californian wine was on offer at Cold Storage and was selling at slightly less than $14.  So I grabbed it without hesitating though I know that those in the U.S. can probably get their hands on this Merlot for probably less than US$10.

Overall, I think the wine is a good everyday table wine.  Taste of spices and some berry taste.  It isn't particularly sweet but it is overall a good value wine for under $15.  Seriously, I am no sommelier, so any wine under $15 is probably a steal for me.

Cold Storage is having some offers right now.  So I bought another few bottles to try.  Looks like I will have lots of wine to drink over the next few weeks.

In vino veritas.

More Money, Less Stress

Lately, I have taken a more laid back approach to my investing.  I have been focused on funds/ETFs that give dividends and have taken the approach of just buying regular amounts each month.  There is less impetus to check the stock market, so very much less stress involved.  Some of these funds also give monthly dividends and thus, I get the benefit of having some passive income.  In short, more money and less stress.

This is just a short post to let everyone know that I am fine.  I hope to go back to regular posting soon. This blog is still marching its way slowly towards 600,000 pageviews without me doing anything.

Life is simple.  I eat 3 meals a day.  Enjoy my time at home.  Been reading.  Sleeping early and waking up early.  I feel totally blessed.  Savouring each moment of the day.

Two words in my mind:  Blessed and Passion.

I feel so blessed to be where I am, living the life that I want to.  All the comforts that I enjoy today were probably not around 100 years ago.  In fact, these comforts are not available to many people in different parts of the world today.  So I do feel supremely and amazingly blessed with everything that I have.  A bed to sleep in, food to eat, water to drink and a beautiful/peaceful country to live in.  Our generation in Singapore is perhaps so blessed that we forget to give thanks for it.

Passion.  What is my passion?  This is the thought that has been bugging me.  Can I live off my passion?

One Question That Will Change Your Life

If there is one question that can change your life, it will probably be whether you are passionate about whatever you are doing in life.  Steve Jobs sums it up real nicely in this short video.  People who succeed are those who are passionate in what they are doing.  Why else would they be able to keep doing things at their peak level on a sustained basis?  And therein lies the secret of success.

As he also sums up nicely in this quote:

"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something..almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.  Remembering that you are going to dies is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

For the past few days, I have been asking myself what am I really passionate about in life.  And I think I have drilled it down to three things : Travelling, reading and writing.

Travelling because this is the activity that makes me feel alive.  My sense are keener and more aware of my surroundings.  I feel excited about every single sight and sound that I experience.  It is only during my travels that I truly feel alive and living.

Reading because through reading, I get to experience the viewpoints of others.  I get lost in their world.  I learn from the experience of others.  I share their joy, mistakes, pain, etc.  Things that I will never have been able to experience for myself.

Writing because it is the only creative expression of myself.  I am not talented musically or with any other kind of handicraft.  Yet, I have always viewed myself as someone who likes to create things.  And writing is something that I enjoy doing.  It allows me to consolidate my thoughts, reflect on my innermost fears and desires.  And to express them into words concretises whatever I am thinking. 

Use Your Brains!

Dividends for July 2013

Received 4 cheques in the mailbox for this month.

Cheque #1 = $13.03
Cheque #2 = $50.59
Cheque #3 = $87.54
Cheque #4 = $69.07

All the cheques were from U.S. stocks that I own.  Have not been keeping a good record of all the dividends that I have been receiving each month so thought that I should just log this down before I forget.

Overall, my portfolio has changed quite a bit. Many of the higher yielding stocks that I bought have had bad news lately which has affected the value of my portfolio.  At the same time, I am fortunate to have exited quite a fair bit of my stocks during their recent highs.  So there is quite a bit of free cash left to invest.

Financially, I will like to think that I am progressing fine.  There are surpluses each month to invest/save and that is sufficient.  Have been spending more time reading, reflecting and living each day to the fullest.  Life is too short to worry about tomorrows.

Hopefully all readers had a very good long weekend.  It was a well deserved break for me too.

Card Trick That Fools Penn and Teller

Penn and Teller are great magicians.  So when a card trick leaves them stunned or mystified, you can be certain that it is a really good trick.  See how this magician leaves both of them puzzled in the Penn and Teller show.

How do you think this trick was done?

Cut In Half Magic Trick

This is the cut in half prank done by a magician.  See how he scares everyone.  Believe that the first one who invented this trick was David Copperfield.  But I could be wrong.  Anyone knows how this trick is done?  It is actually quite simple.  The person is basically in a sitting position and the clothes are specially made.  At least that is what I think.