A Foretaste of Retirement Life?

Today is the fifth straight day on a stretch that I have been away from work since last Saturday, Monday being a public holiday (Memorial day) and the next two, my own leave. The two off days were not planned, but just kind of being carried along by the momentum of the holiday mood, perhaps a foretaste of what a retired life would feel like.

I would have to say it's a nice, relaxed feeling, one not burdened by work but entirely driven by one's volition. We spent the first two days on Dharma matters, attending two Dharma talks on consecutive days. Both have been Dharma bliss-filled occasions, granting us serenity and uplifting us spiritually. The next two were more mundane affairs, but physically soothing nonetheless.

We watched the latest Indy's flick that deals with crystal skulls. Harrison Ford is, well, Harrison Ford, a vintage performance. And we were introduced to Shia LaBeouf, the pretender to the maverick archaeologist's crown. He made a grand entrance reminiscent of the young Marlo Brando, a prompt we learned in today's movie review. But some of the scenes remind me of the Raiders of the Lost Ark, if one were to replace the mysterious forces of the remains in the gold casket with those wielded by alien beings. While the first Indy movie stopped at Area 51, this one started from there, with a ten-year hiatus. But that's as much as I would say about the movie.

Personally, and entertainment-wise, I would rate Iron Man a better cinematic experience. Somehow a human superhero aided by human ingenuity is more believable than the supernatural forces whose provenance would need more than a leap of faith to comprehend.

Then yesterday, we watched the first DVD (out of seven) of a Taiwan-made TV series entitled It Started with a Kiss. It was adapted from a Manga series involving the evolution of puppy love between two teens that blossoms into a lasting marital relationship, preceded as always by the infatuation stage that is decidedly one-sided. It may be an old theme but I would grant the cast for some refreshing angles that involve nothing more than good old fun, nothing in the league of the back-stabbing, blood curdling sagas of the daytime soap operas that thrive on scheming protagonists and carnal knowledge. According to CE, this is the Taiwan edition, which is cheaper than the Japanese edition that has better packaging. Incidentally, CE has served as an English consultant to provide the English subtitles for an online group, with occasional tips from us, rendered gratis. We are proud of her initiative, kind of taking after the father, don't you think?

It lasted three hours into the wee hours of the morning, a luxury that I have not indulged since maybe watching the Japanese series GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) starring Sorimachi Takashi several years back while we were still in Malaysia, a record yet to be beaten. But these days there seem to be more kissing scenes, perhaps a reflection of the more liberating atmosphere in Asia, but nothing bordering on indecency.

Talking about the DVD set, it was delivered by USPS, supposedly a birthday gift for CE, but self-ordered online and self-paid, with our blessing. It came wrapped in a cardboard box that is just small enough to fit into our pigeon hole mail box placed outdoor at a central location typical of apartment complexes.

If you are not familiar with the mail box system here (or perhaps they are the same everywhere), just bear with me. Now, these mail boxes are arranged in a regular array of regular openings that span vertically and across. Each is accessed through an individual door opened by a key that is unique for each resident. But the postman would access the individual boxes differently. He/she would open a single panel large door that comprises all these individual mail-box doors to expose the mail boxes all at once. Then all he/she would need to do is to slot the mails into individual boxes, bypassing the trouble of opening individual doors and closing them after each delivery.

So the box went snugly into our mail box. But little did the postman realize that an individual door is actually crafted slightly smaller than the mail box itself to allow for side hinges on one side and for the bar lock on the other. That's where the trouble started, I simply could not slide the box package out, and being of cardboard construction, it can't be squeeze either. This is actually our second experience of the same whence we had to use a pair of scissors to cut open the box side so that it could be bent to offer a smaller sectional area for extraction. And that worked, but at the expense of the scissors the handle of which broke due to the brute force approach.

This time, though, we were better prepared. So I used a paper cut knife, you know, the sliding type, and sawed open the end of the box, revealing the DVD box set within. Luckily, the actual DVD box is smaller than the door dimension (but not much) and I was able to slide it ot. The rest was easy, the cardboard, minus the contents, was then easily collapsed and removed.

I'm not sure when the postman will learn about this size disparity and do the right thing, i.e., place such boxes in another larger common mail box (not assigned to anybody) specially designed for these odd-sized packages. The postman would then leave the key to that common mail box in the mail box of the resident concerned for later retrieval. I guess we may have to tell him/her one day. But we will give him/her another chance.

So that brought us to today, which we have not yet decided how the holiday mood should continue. Perhaps the second DVD, so that we could continue to laugh heartily at the silly antics therein, which at times would bring a chuckle or two as we were young and possessed with the same impulsive tendencies once.

Anyway, it is good to relive some old fond memories, vicariously notwithstanding, especially with wify by my side. A mere squeeze of her hand would bring up a knowing smile and a loving gaze from her. Such is the experience shared by two who have traveled this far in life together whereby a lot can be exchanged without having to say anything.

A Sampling of Life in Retirment

We were invited to view the paintings of wify's Arts teacher, Mrs. Fan, yesterday. And that's what we did, via a huge detour by way of I-275 and then northwards along Dale Mabry Highway, discarding a much more direct route that I would find out later while going homeward bound. However, I am the only one to be blamed on the wasteful, both in time and in energy (fuel), trip, dismissing as it were wify's prompting in the belief that I know our way around best since I'm the only one in the house who drives. Serve me right! But I took my lesson well, the folly of being overly self-confident and dismissive of others, another human foible surmounted.

Mr. Fan and Mrs. Fan, both retired, greeted us at the door, and we soon settled into the living room. While wify and Mrs. Fan shared more arts tips, Mr. Fan gave me a useful lesson on gardening, especially planting orchids: terms like genus, species, hybrid, naming conventions and concepts like triggers for blooming and pigmentation (for example, a blue orchid is a relatively rare one), and thresholds for frost. I learn that the orchid is quite a robust species, able to withstand both torrid (up to 100 degrees F) and near freezing temperatures (32 degrees F), albeit for a short duration.

The three pots of flowers that have been moved indoor when they bloomed. The ice-cream stick in the lower right image bears the name of the plant following a standard convention.

There were several oil paintings up on the wall of the living room, which they bought from one of the many street artists that line along both sides of a river bridge in Paris. They are of very high quality in terms of the arts content, but I'm no arts aficionado and have to defer to him. That reminds me of my only trip to Paris in the late 90s as part of the fact-finding mission sponsored by the Government of Malaysia to gain insight into the design, testing, and application of the so-called Accropodes units (a kind of patented armored stone with a definite shape cast from concrete) that are arranged into a solid embankment called breakwaters for coastal protection (see image below for those who are scratching their heads).

From top left going clockwise: an Accropode unit; a river-mouth breakwater made from accropodes, Kuala Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia; a cast Accropode unit ready to be lifted into position (images courtesy of the marketing company, Concrete Layer Innovations.)

I remember sauntering along one such river bridge (Seine, I think) and marveling at these artists going about their business of manifesting an image in their mind on to the canvas on a propped easel.

But I digressed. Then it was time to be shown around the house to look at the paintings and calligraphy hung on the walls. Some are the works of Mrs. Fan while some are arts pieces bought or received as a gift. Our graceful hosts provided full narration on each and everyone, seemingly able to recall any details at will, a testament to the fact that these are their prized collections and that they have left a lasting impression on them. It took her about a month to complete one especially elaborate painting, reflecting the perennial truism in the saying that no pain, no gain.

Because of the lack of hanging space, most of her drawings of elegant Chinese ladies in traditional dresses are still rolled up and tied into a neat bundle. Mrs. Fan unrolled everyone of them for our benefits, the exquisite strokes, the impeccable color contrast, and the harmonious overall blending of the various elements, be it the lotus flower, the rock, the vertical column of the structure, the leaves of the pine trees, and the intricate design on the dress. These were all done back in her student's days in Taiwan. And now she laments that while she has the time, her eye sight and eye-hand coordination both work against indulging in the same.

Our hosts and us in a comfy setting, and CE did the rest.

Outdoor, we were shown more of Mr. Fan's hobby, which to me seems like a full-time devotion. The mountain tea flower, the staghorn hung from the tree, and other ferns in muck (see right image) or just a small wooden crate hung from tree branches. Some of these have thick roots that wind through the openings in the crate from which moisture and nutrients are gathered from the surrounding air for their sustenance.

On the way home, I can't help but thinking that both Mr. and Mrs. Fan have their retirement lives nicely cut out for them, each indulging in their hobbies and sharing them (Mr. Fan volunteers twice a week at the Arboretum in USF). That keeps me mulling on my own retirement plan, which is not exactly light years away. But when it comes, I think I will be ready.

Watch, Listen, Learn, from Robert and Kim Kiyosaki

Last night, while I was blogging in front of the computer at one corner of the living room, my wife hollered from the other corner (the TV corner), alerting me to a TV program being delivered by Robert Kiyosaki of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame.

I have heard of Robert while still back in Malaysia. I even own two copies of the aforementioned book by him, the other copy being the Chinese translation. But I have never actually read the book, either one.

I remember those days there was even a game in the genre of Monopoly called Cashflow 101 designed by Robert for players to learn basic financial management and accounting principles. And for a while my brother/sister-in-law and my nephew were actually hosting the game on weekends.

I did not go over and join my wife immediately, but continued blogging until it was done. Entitled Rich Dad’s Guide to Wealth, the TV program was part of the March Membership campaign for the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) telecast by a local TV station affiliated with the University of South Florida, WUSFTV.

I only caught the last half hour of the show, including an appearance by his wife, Kim. This is the first time I was seeing Robert and Kim on TV and they came across as very passionate about achieving wealth and financial freedom and were eager to share their experiences.

While growing up, Robert was not doing great in schools. But he believes that every child is born a genius. Using the extended form, Genie-in-us, he stressed that there’s magic in us and all we have to do is to "have the courage to find the environment that lets your genie come out". For him, he learned best on the street.

For most of us, our careers span the period from the age of 25 to 65. Dividing that into quarters, each one a decade long, he asked the audience how many were in each quarter. I could see that the majority was in the first two quarters, signifying perhaps a relatively young audience. The first two quarters are separated from the last two by what he called the half time, or mid-life crisis, he added jokingly. After the second half, where ideally we should have been financially independent and enjoying our retirement, there are two more periods he termed as overtime, and out of time.

These are apt descriptions to me, and I hope to avoid charging headlong into overtime, and God forbid, out of time. While I have successfully navigated through the mid-life crisis, I’m still building my retirement nest, while spending more time doing the things I enjoy, like being with my wife, children, and blogging.

Citing a Japanese friend who called the social security the so-so security since it is just plain ho-hum, Robert said that the biggest problem would-be retirees face is not social security, but medicare. Paraphrasing him, most of us spend a greater part of our health looking for wealth, but then in our later years spend a greater part of our wealth hanging on to our health.

Kim actually achieved financial freedom while still in the first quarter. But the journey was not easy. She recalled the purchase of her first property, a house in Portland, Oregon, her first investment in 1989. Come closing time, she was so scared to death of the many what-ifs that her signature could not be recognized as her fist was clenched shut so tightly. But then as they say, the rest is history. She proudly proclaimed, “I want Robert, but I don’t need him.”

Both engaged the audience enthusiastically, and were repaid by the rapt attention displayed by the audience, even a TV audience like me. A favorite refrain from Robert is, “Does that make sense to you guys here?” which appears to be a crowd puller.

Will I read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad now? Maybe. But I certainly recommend it to everyone else.