And yes, we crossed into the new year and survived a horrible 2020 which we will all remember for years to come. The great vaccination exercise has started as humankind races to stop the virus while winter is coming. What lies ahead as we enter into the first week of the brand new year?
Today is 02 Jan and it has been raining cats and dogs non-stop for the last 48 hours since we entered into the new year. Everyone has been trying to celebrate the traditional holiday festive period in a subdued way, wary of the ongoing virus still surging in the Western world.
As each country’s vaccination program is being kick-started slowly, we will surely see it accelerate over the next few months. It is a race against time as the virus had mutated into a more contagious strain in the UK. Cases are also reaching record highs in many developed countries. As more vaccines get approved and come online, getting into a herd immunity situation is looking to be more likely now.
The problem at hand is on the execution of this program and convincing everyone to take it. Choosing between life/normalcy and death: surely this is a no-brainer?? The vaccine will not change your DNA or cause you to become a zombie. Haven’t we been taking vaccines since we were born?? Influenza, flu shots etc…
Meanwhile, America is set for an explosive week ahead, courtesy of the orange one. He is probably doing his last-ditch effort to overturn the elections. Telling his Proud Boys supporters to gather for a 06 Jan fireworks gathering, right after the Georgia elections. The way he is sabotaging GOP every day, how can the 2 Republican candidates win? But then again, this is America we are talking about. They prefer a lousy opposition rather than a one-party rule. Having a one-party majority is a no-no for them. But everyone seems to have forgotten that GOP did control the House, Senate and White House in 2016 though…
This may not be the last we will see of the chaos as we head into the 20 Jan inauguration. More wacky pardons will be issued and his survival strategy is to deny Biden and still make himself relevant after leaving office. This will give him a perceived protective shield against the multiple legal lawsuits that will rain on him once the presidential powers are taken away from him. It is crazy days ahead!
Now is the time to set my new year resolutions again. I have been doing this on my blog for the last few years and it has been effective to help me stay focused for the next 12 months. By also declaring them so publicly here for all to see, it also forces me to make action plans in order to achieve the goals.
Before I state my new 2021 New Year Resolutions next week, perhaps it will be good for me to reflect on my 2020 ones first. I will then have a week to chew over them and set new ones for the rest of the 51 weeks. I will now look at each of the 8 resolutions I had set for myself in Jan 2020 and do a post mortem on them, to see whether I had been able to accomplish them.
(1) Read 15 books
I managed to only complete 11.5 books, which is less than 1 per month. The best book I read this year was the one on Elon Musk. I should have read this earlier to understand the genius behind the madness. I would then have held Tesla as a long term investment and not just trade it away. There were also a few books on financial matters and AI which I reread again to better appreciate the contents.
(2) Do my family videos
Completed. I was a bit behind by a few years and managed to complete editing them, right up to the end 2019 period. Had to do all of them in MPEG4 format as the auto video editor Muvee does not support MPEG2 anymore.
(3) Do 10 courses
This was a big fail for me. I tried to start a few online MOOC courses which I did not complete for various reasons (ie. laziness). COVID19 should have been a strong push for me to do so during the lockdown periods. Totally no excuse not to do so.
(4) Fly my DJI drone.
Another big fail for me. It was the birthday present I requested for 2 years ago. Flew it less than 5 times and was discouraged each time when the drone video output was less than satisfactory. Coupled with the short flight time of 21 minutes for each required battery change, it was off-putting for me. I simply lost interest in this hobby.
(5) Have more consultancy jobs
After my Deloitte/Grab 3 months project late last year and my Myanmar ALCO role since 2018, I thought that I was ready to pivot to more consultancy projects in 2020. As luck would have it, the founder of the local consultancy group that I had joined decided to jumpstart his company aggressively this year. He managed to acquire a project with a government board which required expertise than I had. It was a 3 months work to help set up a certification module for the financial sector from Jun to Aug period. Towards the end of 2020, I am in the midst of a discussion with 2 other partners for a new consultancy project with the parent holding company of the Myanmar microfinance company I have been working on for the last 3 years. Hopefully, it will develop into a live project in 2021.
(6) Start a new hobby
Nada. Zip. Big fail. Watching too much YouTube videos does not qualify as a new hobby. It should have been easy to do this one since we had to be confined in the house due to the virus. Interestingly, Baking was one of the top new hobbies for most in 2020.
(7) Restructure my portfolio
I would give myself a B+ on this. I could have done better though. It was a year of surprises where the window of opportunity came in Mar as markets crashed when the realization of the virus impact slammed us in the face. I got investment bullets prepared, ready to shoot at least 2 rounds when levels were reached. I chickened out after the first bullet was shot as the meltdown unfolded. It was a battle Royale between COVID19 and the central banks. Would liquidity or the virus win? With too much liquidity chasing too few assets and too many Robinhood traders emerging, the K recovery pushed tech stocks to the moon. Fiat currencies were cheapened by the uncontrolled printing machines of the lender of last resort in a desperate attempt to salvage the economies ravaged by the virus.
I managed to restructure my portfolio accordingly in a more active manner by dumping those that I don’t like and getting into more promising ones along the way. My investments recovered and exceeded my expectations. I could have done better though but it would have taken more aggressive actions which I may not have been prepared to take.
(8) Staying happy and healthy
Surprisingly, due to the Mar-Jun lockdown, I managed to lose 3 kg of fat. I did not weigh myself during that period and started a daily regime of a run in the morning of the same route to keep sane. The 4 weeks in the UK staying mostly alone in the 2 apartments resulted in more runs via the scenic Oxford countryside and more self-awareness. That prepared me for the 2 weeks of hotel lockup when I returned to S’pore in Oct. In 2020, I learnt not to take things for granted and to enjoy/count my blessings every day. Looking forward to many small happiness every day and to smell the roses while the whole world changes daily, the virus impact notwithstanding.
Overall, my 2020 Resolution achievement grade result looks like a B- to a C+ handle. Time now to contemplate my 2020 resolution achievements as the new year lies ahead and plan for new ones into 2021. Every soul on earth have had a life changing year where the impossible had happened. It makes one rethink our priorities and value the moments past as we look to the new normal. We cherish the simple moments and have a greater appreciation of simple pleasures like quality family time. 2021 should be an easier year with the rollout of the vaccines as we can see some light at the end of the tunnel now.
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