I've had a fantastic 18 days away from the office. I've walked through the canals of Amsterdam, spoken in a conference in Paris to a group of European bankers, travelled to London to make important contacts with business people that will help me achieve my goals.
I've visited Le Catacombes beneath the streets of Place Denfert-Rochereau, seen the little house where Anne Frank and her family lived in for a few years, walked along The Seine River (river that cuts across Paris) late at night, where the pavement is lit with classically designed lamps. The temperature in Europe is mostly just nice; between 12 to 25 degrees. In the evening in May and June, it never gets uncomfortably warm at night. I could dress up in the evening, head to the Latin Quarter area for wine and have Kebab for supper. Then I could catch the midnight train back to the hotel.
In Amsterdam, the city doesn't sleep even at 2am. I could party until then, mostly drinking beer with the youngsters from all over Europe who come here for stag or hen nights. I could visit some very nice Jazz pubs and chill out. In the day, I could visit the Museums of Rembrandt or Van Gogh... http://www.amsterdam.info/sights/top10/ Europe is a very large playground and there is much to roam.
In Singapore, if you are bored, you head up north into Malaysia where sometimes policemen ask you for money. Crime is rampant in JB and if you're unlucky enough to be robbed, I don't think the police will be bothered to help you, especially when they find out that you're a Singaporean. Indonesia is no better. Bantan and Bintan are not places that allow you, a foreigner that obviously looks different from the locals, to roam freely on the streets.
I have solidified some life goals that will enable me to achieve financial freedom and I know how to get there. It does depend on a stable job. But the "DELTA" does not come from my job. Rather, it comes from investments. I intend to invest worldwide. I mentioned in my previous post that I think the real estate in the US will have the most upside. Today's data vindicates my point http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-home-prices-jump-13-in-april-case-shiller-2012-06-26
I should achieve my objectives within 10 years, if not 5. I do not think much opportunities exist in Singapore because it is in the wrong part of the cycle. So because of my international investments, I have to travel frequently overseas.
