I don't have a lot of big audacious goals for 2018 but 2017 has given me a solid base to build up a life beyond my previous life.
a) Time to return to the Workforce
For six months, I will still be a trainee and I hope to have the resilience and drive to get it completed so that I can complete my transformation into a full fledged lawyer.
Thereafter, I remain flexible for any career option open to me.
The headhunter which worked quite extensively with me last year (and then got unceremoniously rejected even after I had a super successful first interview) gave me a courtesy call before the year ended and expressed an interest to talk to me again as the demand in IT Governance is super hot.
So nothing beyond July 2018. If the money is good, I will go back to IT and find ways to retain my legal knowledge by establishing some kind of tie with SMU/NUS through IT/Compliance/Legal courses.
b) Financial goals and predictions
Just for the sake of the new year and to facilitate some retrospective in December 2018, I think markets will grow a little in 2018. from 0-6%. 2017 was fantastic and I doubt we will have another crazy year. I also predict that in spite of several crashes that will occur this year, cryptocurrencies will see double digit gains in 2018.
My margin account can only pay for 75% of my monthly mortgage payments and is incomplete. 2018 has to be the year that it must be done. If my core portfolio does well in January, I can easily finish this work for a quick win. Otherwise, it will be a hard slog that will rely on setting aside my meagre earned income.
If I do not get this done by July, I will have to start selling off my CPF-IS counters to pay off my monthly mortgage.
c) Need to maintain my health in 2018
One of the biggest issues I faced the last time I worked was my weight gain as I worked near Maxwell Hawker Centre. I gained 2 kg which I lost quickly once I got back to the Part B programme.
I hope I have the will power to gym and maybe even swim along with a work schedule. I've not had such discipline for quit a while.
d) No new book buying in January 2018
This is probably the hardest resolution for me to meet. I'm going to limit purchases of books for January to attempt to clear my KIV book list. My habit of buying books faster than I read them is creating a crisis at home as I run out of space. I spent one week clearing my books during the holidays.
There are simply too many books on crypto, deep learning, workplace productivity and corporate law that I need to clear.
e) BIGSCribe to grow further
I remain committed to the efforts of BIGScribe. The company is still growing and I look forward to participating in more events this year. My engagement is really up to the company directors but if I can called to perform, I will do my best as I have done so in 2017.
f) Something must be given up in 2018
One of the things I need to do in 2018 is to give up what I previously tried to enjoy but no longer have the luxury of time to do so. I have accumulated too many time wasters during 4 years without a day job.
The most obvious thing to give up is board/card games. I have been pretending for months that I can play board games with my friends. I even bought Legend of the Five Rings but had zero game sessions because I had no time to build a deck. This is not so bad given that I will never give up my D&D hobby.
The next thing is to taper off binge watching. I will possibly continue with Game of Thrones, Man in the High Castle and Rick and Morty but otherwise, this is a a guilty pleasure that I need to minimise.
It may be time to start unloading my board games on Carousell.
Also, as my son is growing up, my family will not see a lot of holidays in the next few years beyond the occasional trip to Malaysia. I will be very absentee dad if I want to build a strong primary income again.
Hopefully it will not take too long to achieve a debt-free status with a five digit portfolio monthly income.
We can always have better holidays after that.
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