Since I love steak so much, Li Xiang proposed we start my birthday month with a weekly casual steakhouse visit. The steakhouse cannot sell only beef, as Li Xiang doesn’t eat beef.
Week #1
On the first week of March (Saturday, 6th March 2026), the first steakhouse we visited is The Feather Blade. I ordered the Feather Blade Steak (S$25) while Li Xiang ordered the Portobello Burger (S$22). For Sides, we ordered the Mac & Cheese (S$14).
2025 is the year when Artificial Intelligence (AI) went mainstream, causing two significant shifts: layoffs and a shortage of memory chips.
Any company that wants to conduct layoffs will use AI as a reason. And since AI empowers individuals to do more, hiring has also slowed down. The company may no longer need as many workers as it once did.
I am officially above 40! It’s time to take it slower, but I still can’t speak or walk slower.
As mentioned in my 40th Birthday post, quality of life going forward should be my number one priority. I am focusing more on quality instead of quantity. I find myself getting Japanese produce at Donki more often, even though they are more expensive.
2024 is the inflation year and is the year I turned 40. Everything went up this year. GST went from 8% to 9% in Singapore. In 2023, GST was increased from 7% to 8%. In hindsight, it might be better to increase from 7% to 9% straightaway rather than break it up into 2 years. The increase in GST twice worsens the inflation.
Gadget
Probably the most interesting gadget I bought in 2024 got to be the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer.
I wanted to share what is in my gadget pouch when I travel. Usually, when I travel, I am with Li Xiang, so I always pack gadgets for the two of us.
I just bought myself the Peak Design Small Tech Pouch from Lazada so I am using it as my travel gadget pouch.
Four years have passed since my last Our Play & Work From Home Setup 2020. COVID-19 came and passed. I have moved to a more central location in Singapore as commuting from my previous home is horrendous.
So, I wanted a post to update our play and work setup at our new home.
I celebrated my 40th birthday yesterday with my family as I reached the mid-point of my life. The average life expectancy for males in Singapore is 80.7 in 2022. So, in gaming terms, if you started the game with 100% health, you are now down to 50% health remaining.
This phase of my life is to enjoy life as much as possible. Travel when I can walk, eat while I have teeth, and buy things I like while still working.
2023 is the “back to normal” year when most countries ended their COVID-19 restrictions. It feels like we lost three years, all thanks to COVID-19. I hope we will never experience something like that ever again in our lifetime.
Coffee
I jumped onto the coffee-making bandwagon and got myself stuck in the rabbit hole. Here is my setup:
The last birthday before my age starts with the number 4. Looking back, I have blogged for more than 22 years. The first post on this site dates back to 24th March 2002, which is my 18th birthday.
Bedrock Bar & Grill
On my actual birthday (yesterday), I went with Li Xiang to Bedrock Bar & Grill at Somerset.
After almost two years plus on-and-off restrictions due to COVID-19, Singapore finally opened up slowly in the year’s second half, and mask-wearing became optional for most places. Finally, we are almost back to normal. I hope in 2023, mask-wearing will become optional on public transport.
Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Thanks to my ex-colleague, JayJay, for the link up, I got into Roborock’s Public relations (PR) list. They have sent me two Roborock cleaners for review, the Roborock Q7 Max and Roborock G10.
