Money Diary #36

Morning: 

• Mom wakes me up at 6 since we're heading to our local Koreatown which is 1.5 hours away. I stumble out of bed, brush my teeth, and lie on the sofa. Drink a cup of tea and have a croissant and a fried egg for breakfast. Go shower, get dressed, and then we leave around 7:15. Stop for gas, drive to Koreatown, and the first stop is the local supermarket. Mom wants to buy fish & Dad is hesitant since the fishmonger isn't wearing any gloves. Mom asks the fishmonger to put on some gloves and ends up getting three kinds of fish (perch, carp, and butterfish). I also spot some pre-packaged goatmeat, so we get that as well along with lots of veggies. At the counter, the cashier gives my dad a rewards card, and since we spent over $60, we get a free package of boba ice cream as well. 

• Drop the groceries off in the car, and head to the Asian bakery next door for 3 garlic cheese toasts and 2 milk toasts. I don't want to sit at the table outside the bakery since it doesn't look super clean, so we go back to the car and I immediately bite into a milk toast. Ahh, heaven, so tasty. I also take a couple of bites of the garlic cheese toast. Decide to walk around since the Thai place that we want to do for lunch doesn't open until 11, and Dad spots a place that has freshly-squeezed sugarcane juice. He's really excited about it and we'll come back once it opens later in the morning. 

• Head to a Japanese store where they buy sandals, and back to the grocery store to walk around a bit more to waste time. I spot some Pandan extract that I'm interested in trying and get that along with coffee crackers and coconut crackers. After paying, Mom wants to sit so Dad and I go to the Thai place and order 2 veggie fried rices (medium hot) and one veggie panang curry (medium). We then head next door and get the sugarcane juice. After grabbing the Thai food once it's ready, we're back in the car and try the sugarcane juice, which is so yummy! Last stop is the ethnic grocery store that's nearby where they get lots of snacks and veggies. Start the drive back home and I fall asleep in the car.

Afternoon: Once we're back home, eat Thai food for lunch and surf the web for a bit. It's around 2:30, and I'm feeling tired so I close my eyes with golf playing in the background on TV.

Evening: And . . . 2.5 hours later, I wake up, LOL. Damn, that was a good nap. Eat a very late snack of the leftover slice of garlic cheese toast & some coffee crackers and drink tea. I don't want to take sneakers on this work trip, and my original plan of black flats isn't going to work since they are unfortunately on their last leg. Find a pair of Puma ballet flats that I had forgotten about! Walk around in those for a while to break them in. Watch TV, decide to do the "easy" part of the work project today, and then an at-home hot water facial. Dinner is the leftover Thai fried rice, and I split a boba ice cream bar with parents. Read for a while, and bed around midnight. Here is what I learn:

• Tip when traveling for work: "When I traveled for work and wanted to see a city, ask work to pay for your flight to get in the weekend before and/or leave the weekend after. So fly in on Friday but you don't have to be there until Monday, and you can pay for the hotel for the weekend."

• On the benefits of WFH: "My stress level is near zero, there aren't any office politics, and my meeting load is way down compared to when I was in the office."

• When you're FI and are offered a job at 3x your current salary: "You have a high net worth, and you've been offered a 3x increase. I can't imagine why you'd stay since you haven't shown any need for the 'stability' that staying would offer. The stability of your current job is a handicap for you here."