C40's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
1taskaday
Posts: 463
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:45 am
Location: England

Re: C40's Journal

Post by 1taskaday »

Loving the journal.

No travel for me at the moment... beginning to pinch a little now with the thought of winter coming soon.

Solvent
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 3:04 pm
Location: กรุงเทพมหานคร
Contact:

Re: C40's Journal

Post by Solvent »

Gilberto de Piento wrote:
Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:20 am
I remember talking to someone that thought the vietnam war was caused because the US wanted vietnam's natural resources. I just let it pass but I regret not asking if that was taught in schools and whether they thought it also had to do with communism vs. capitalism.
This is definitely my experience - i.e., most Vietnamese are taught that the American war was a result of imperial powers trying to control Vietnam's resources. And as far as I know, if you were to look specifically at the French and then Japanese imperial conquests, it is to a reasonable extent true. But it's not as true if you consider specifically the American war.
ertyu wrote:
Tue Jul 14, 2020 12:58 am
Last but not least, it's not in the experience of many people from that part of Asia that their government is something they can change, impact, or do anything meaningful about. Trying, for an ordinary person, would mean courting trouble more than effecting change. People keep themselves safe and avoid the frustration of trying to rage against an immovable force.
For what it's worth, this also rings true in my experience of that part of the world. There's a certain kind of person that gets involved in politics, and it's a one-party system, so they get involved from within the system and work that way. But for your average person, they tend to accept it as it is and ignore it to the extent possible. It feels like politics is not the sort of everyday concern that it's made to be in Western countries, with the media always pushing political debates to the fore.

I love the ubiquitous coffee shops all over Vietnam. They're a great place to chill out and people watch. I actually also like Vietnamese coffee, but it's definitely not the same as the arabica varieties more appreciated in other countries.

The observations about your girlfriend and the spider are interesting. After my parents-in-law (southern Vietnam) had their new house built, birds were nesting in the eaves and fouling their rainwater, which was collected off the roof. They didn't want to do anything about it, because they considered that the birds nesting there was a sign that the building was a good place. I guess you couldn't perfectly translate the concept. The building was 'blessed' in a sense by the presence of the birds.

zarathustra
Posts: 172
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2012 11:15 pm
Location: VEGAS, BABY

Re: C40's Journal

Post by zarathustra »

Solvent wrote:
Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:23 pm
I love the ubiquitous coffee shops all over Vietnam. They're a great place to chill out and people watch. I actually also like Vietnamese coffee, but it's definitely not the same as the arabica varieties more appreciated in other countries.
I also remember enjoying the coffee in Vietnam quite a bit, but I also love bitter. I'm a bitter woman, heh.

Glad to see you thriving in Vietnam, C40!! I would love to go back. It is one of the most surprisingly beautiful places I've been.

RMcD94
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:04 pm

Re:

Post by RMcD94 »

RMcD94 wrote:
Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:46 pm
Is it even possible to make those in Google Docs? What happens when you upload a blank version of the spreadsheet to Google, does it still work (also, if so, can I use it? It looks fantastic).
Still going, fantastic to see.

I'm in awe of your graphs and consistency and wish I'd copied you way back then.

You seem to be living the ideal life, that's good planning

rube
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:54 pm
Location: Europe (NL)

Re: C40's Journal

Post by rube »

It has been 4 months, any interesting updates or experiences since your last update C40?

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: C40's Journal

Post by C40 »

rube wrote:
Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:58 pm
It has been 4 months, any interesting updates or experiences since your last update C40?
I knew I had missed some months, but I didn't know it was THAT long. After that trip to Ha Noi in late July, there was a Covid outbreak. It hit at a hospital, and a lot of old and sick folks got it, and some died. I think the total counts for Vietnam are around 1,500 people who've had the virus (most of those are people who flew into Vietnam from elsewhere and tested positive upon arrival. All those people were quarantined). And about 30 deaths.

We had a ~lockdown in August. I think that lasted about a month. My girlfriend lived with me during that time. We didn't specifically talk about living together, it just happened. But I could tell she expected to, when on the first or second day of lockdown, she brought over her rice cooker. I think that is the asian symbol that a woman has moved in with you :D. This happened because her kids were staying with family, and the kids got stuck there during the lockdown. So she had a very different life for that month, just working and otherwise always at home relaxing.

I got used to staying at home and, really, haven't done a whole lot since then. I started a garden on my roof, and that is going pretty well. I will post pictures at some point. Plants are a lot cheaper in Vietnam. Growing season here can 9-10 months long. I started playing a lot more video games during that July lockdown, and have continued since.
RMcD94 wrote:
Sat Dec 12, 2020 4:38 pm
Still going, fantastic to see....
Thank you :-)
CS wrote:
Sun Aug 09, 2020 7:59 am
Can you get a RO system for your place? I've got one for about $130 that hooks up to the sink and is portable. Used to travel with it.
Yes, I could. But I'm just renting here and I don't want to. And because of the layout of my apartment it would make less sense for me than others. It's cheap to get RO water delivered. $0.20 per gallon.

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: C40's Journal

Post by C40 »

——————————————————

2020 SUMMARY

——————————————————

As I have done in my posts at the end of years, I will throw a lot of charts in here. Many of them are showing the same information as others, just looking a little different. I also ramble quite a lot and the post is not organized very well…

A very brief summary of the year:
  • I lived in Vietnam the entire year. I like it here. I live in a medium sized city near the coast, and it is pretty nice. It’s also comfortable, safe, and has a nice beach and some mountains nearby. It is really easy to spend little money here.
  • I have felt little desire to go out traveling, on adventures, etc. I’ve been happy to relax in the city. I spend time with my girlfriend, go out for coffee, go to the beach, ride my motorbike around the city and up into a mountain, play video games, and garden on my apartment rooftop area
  • I’m thinking I will stay out here for (at least) one more year


Financially, things were decent.
  • Spending under $10,000
  • Sold ~$70k of stocks to set aside house money, in January. I wish I had reinvested it in April. I thought about it at the time, but wasn’t sure I wanted to reset capital gains in case I did end up wanting to use that money soon.
  • After price drops, bought $51k of stocks in my IRAs. This money came from selling other stocks before, from selling some gold around January, from dividends piling up over the last year. I bought REITS that had dropped in price. Average yields at purchase were a bit over 10%. A couple cut their dividends by 40% or 50%, but even if they only come back gradually, they were good deals.
  • Net worth is back up to a new high
  • I’m seeing that my investing performance is still significantly worse than if I had just dumped the money into VTI and TLT. More on this at some point. In short, I think it is because I buy more conservative income type companies, and nearly no companies with focus or potential for huge growth. I will probably buy some more growth companies in the future. I bought some MTCH in 2019 and sold it after it nearly doubled. But I only put a few thousand into it.

There are a lot of ramblings below which you might want to skip..


——————————————————
SPENDING
——————————————————

The cost of living is really low in Vietnam, and you get a lot for your money. It was very easy to spend under $10k, and if I really wanted I could have spent quite a lot less. For me the lower end of spending would be around $6,000 to $8,000 per year. But a difference of ~$3k per year or so is small for me, so I won’t be trying to reduce my spending.

I did get some reductions near the end of the year, which will reduce some of my spending for 20201. I signed a lease for my apartment for all of 2021, and my rent went down from $194 per month to $150. I also paid for an entire year of daily coffee at my favorite coffee shop, which reduced the daily price from $3 to near $1.

My spending in Vietnam includes a fair mount of fun things:
  • Vacation to Ha Noi (~$150)
  • Buying a decent motorbike (~$200 !!)
  • Buying a PC for gaming, and then upgrading it later (~$750)
  • Going out for coffee almost every day, buying coffee equipment for home. ($800)
  • Gardening (maybe $100?)
AImage

(same but shown as monthly averages)
BImage

Shown by month, in broad categories
CImage

Shown by month - in more detailed categories
DImage

Shown by month - just ~Essentials vs. Extra stuff
EImage
(Note - of course, each category could be reduced. The essentials are not bare minimums. They are my actual spending on things like food, rent, residence visa, etc.)


Spending Pareto, comparing many years. You can see this year I was low in most categories.
FImage




———————————————————————————
RAMBLINGS: about buying ‘equipments’ while living somewhere for an unknown duration:

A thing that I have - I won't say struggled with - but felt annoyed while contemplating is - I am here in Asia. I have a lot of stuff stored in my sister’s basement in the U.S. That stuff is pared down to things that are very useful, important, or things that I like a lot. Many of my hobbies and the things I enjoy doing are ‘equipment heavy’. To do them, I use tools, machines, devices, etc that are basically one-time purchases. I like it that way. Once I have the equipment, I can use it any day I want without needing to spend more money.

But, not I am here in Asia with very few possessions. I have settled into living in one place quicker than I expected - mainly because of Coronavirus, but also because I like it. So.. the problem is that as I try to feel more settled in here, the things I’d like to do require equipment. I already have good equipment for most of these things back home. Three bicycles. Coffee equipment. Tools. Some computer hardware. So as I’ve wanted to start doing some of those things here - like bicycling and making coffee - I consider whether I should purchase equipment for it.

I have a mental hangup with the idea of buying something that I already own. I looked into shipping things here, and it is complicated, risky, and maybe not worth the actual cost or the headache involved. I feel ok buying something that I don’t currently have in storage - like a nice gaming PC. I would really feel strange about spending $500 to buy the same coffee equipment as I had in the U.S. Buying used and then reselling is of course an option, but the market is smaller here, and trickier for me as a foreigner.

This line of thinking would be a little simpler if I had a specific timeline. If I was planning to go back to the U.S. in 6 months, I wouldn’t buy much of anything. If I knew I would stay here for 5 or more years, I’d buy more things. But I don’t know what I’ll want to do later. And, staying in Vietnam is not a sure thing in terms of Visa or residence card.



———————————————————————————
RAMBLINGS: About the effect ‘staying put’ has on my spending.

See the chart below. I’ve had periods of low spending for a year or two, and then suddenly periods of higher spending.

GImage

The numbers here are rolling averages. The individual monthly numbers have more of sudden jumps and drops corresponding to start of some new way of living, or starting a new hobby or focus.

Notes:
  • High in 2013 - I bought a house, and various ‘house’ stuff
  • High in 2015-2016 - Bought van and converted it to live in
  • Low in 2017-2018 - Lived in the van. Then lived with my friends and my mom in non-permanent ways, while still expecting to live in the van after, so I did not buy much.
  • Higher at end of 2018 - Lived in an apartment, and then with my friends again. By this point I felt finished with the van traveling. I was buying ‘home’ stuff, and starting new hobbies. I also started a hobby in 2019 that would have made decent money, but I left and stopped that before the money started coming in.
  • Low in 2020 - lived in Vietnam in a fairly simple way
In all the cases oh higher spending, the increase was at the start of that phase of life. If I had kept doing that, my spending would tail off to a lower amount. Sometimes my decisions to change things was in part because I could have lower spending while doing that new thing (which I knew would be at least as fun).


———————————————————————————
RAMBLINGS: About feeling like I left some places or living arrangements too soon.

I probably wrote about this before. Looking back, I’ve felt at times that I left a place or living arrangement too soon. (for reasons of fun, fulfillment, etc. - aside from money).

I have enjoyed all the ways I lived, so it would not have been a problem to continue in that way (other than that I felt done living in the van, and after the second time, felt I should not keep living with my friends indefinitely). So, the result of me thinking about this is that I now remind myself regularly that I should probably just keep doing what I am, relax, and enjoy it.



———————————————————————————
RAMBLINGS: Self trap - getting overly excited about new beginnings.

At various times, while life was good, I started thinking about some kind of change. Basically, just considering my options, as I should do from time to time. But then, I zero in on one that somewhere in my gut I feel like I will do. Then, I start to focus my thinking on it… and then brainstorming, planning… and then I do it. I suppose there are also plenty of changes that I consider but do not do - either within a group of options that I consider and then choose one, or also times where I think about it and don’t change anything. But as you can see, I have changed a lot - about once every year or two.

I have a special kind of enjoyment when planning a new way of living. I sit down with my pens and notebook, and draft out various options.. ideas.. designs and drawings.. potential hobbies.. sources of income.. ways to link things together in a web-of-goals. I think about the optimistically - usually including the idea that I might boost up my hobby income to fund much or all of my spending, and I will build a better social circle.

In the midst of that, I kind of forget that I could be doing that life design work for how I was living at the moment. And that I could or should focus more on doing [whatever new thing I’d think of] in simpler ways within my current life arrangement.. Or perhaps I forget and of that and just relax. So, around 2019 I started a hobbit of reminding myself that I should just stay where I am, relax, and focus on the things I like doing. I still decided to leave my friends and come to Asia. A big part of that was that there were some issues of living with the friends and I didn’t want to keep doing it too long and damage the friendships.

While here in Vietnam, I have done a good job of recognizing how much I enjoy living here. And of staying put and relaxing. The virus has helped that decision, as far as staying in Vietnam goes, but I think I’d still be here without it.

I have always had a long-term vision that I will live permanently settled in a home somewhere. I still spend significant chunks of time thinking about doing that - about where I want to live, what motorcycles I want, hobbies, work, etc. But I do also think regularly about the good things here, and there are many things that I’d miss or feel nostalgic about if I were back in the U.S.

If I’d found city like this in the U.S. (really cheap, pretty nice, near beach and mountains, cozy, cute women all over, safe, warm), I would have already decided to settle down there indefinitely. But that is a trickier decision here. I still expect to go back to the U.S, possibly in about 1 year.




——————————————————
INCOME
——————————————————

My income is mostly from dividends. In 2020, my spending was low enough that my post-tax investing account (1/3 of my net worth) supplied all my spending money. In previous years, I sold some stocks to get money for spending.

Starting in 2022 or 2023, I can pull out $10k per year from my Roth IRA. (and then more as the standard deductions went up). I’ll need that if/when I spend a big chunk of my post-tax savings on a house.

HImage

This one is a longer time-frame. The large jump in 2016 was when I retired and converted my 401k to dividend stocks in my IRA.

IImage


I made some changes that increased the dividend income this year. The drop right after that is from some companies that suspended or reduced dividends this summer.

I could still make more changes to increase income, and will do some of these at some point:
- Reinvest the house money (70k)
- Get my work pension money into my Traditional IRA and invest it (~$60k)
- Reanalyze stocks and make some changes
- Convert more of my money from ETFs I own to individual stocks

If I remember right, doing all these would move my income to $30k per year. I’d be fully invested in stocks, though the stocks I own are mostly conservative/defensive and don’t go down as much as the broad stock market. For however long I keep my spending around $10k per year, the risk of being all in stocks would be pretty low. I’d be reinvesting the extra, and saving more than most people who are still working.



——————————————————
INCOME Vs. SPEND
——————————————————

For 2020:
  • INCOME - $23,080
  • SPEND - $9,760
  • SAVINGS RATE - 58%
I’m happy with that savings rate. I intend for this time in Asia to boost my capital and that will help me prepare for buying a house.

JImage

KImage

LImage

MImage

NImage


These charts are also including the difference between spending and income - showing the savings amounts building up over time, mostly shown since I retired in mid 2016

PImage

QImage

RImage


This one is showing the spending compared to the total of my investment performance - both dividend income, realized capital gains, and unrealized capital gains.
SImage





——————————————————
NET WORTH
——————————————————

Took a Covid dip, and then a magic bounce back.

TImage
Turns out, my net worth projections have ended up being correct.

Image

UImage

Smoother:
VImage

WImage




——————————————————
WEIRD YEARLY SUMMARY CHARTS
——————————————————

These may be difficult to interpret, but include quite a lot of information on single charts.

This first one is showing my income (from work and dividends, not any capital gains) and how much of it I spent (the green and red columns).. plus my investing capital gains (mostly unrealized) in the blue columns. The grey behind them is my net worth growth. A tricky part here is that I only use a positive scale, and in a couple years the investing performance was negative. So I smoothed out the investing year by moving numbers around between some years, with the total amount correct. The net worth values are actual per year, so if you look close, you’ll see things don’t match up for individual years, but do in the long run.
xImage


This one is showing just the income sources over the years (plus unrealized capital gains). It uses the same data as the chart above, but does not shift numbers around into different years.
yImage

This one is shown more through spending. It shows the source of my spending money. Basically, if the columns are green (and blue), then I am FI. And those grey columns outlined in green are the, well, amount of ‘extra FI’., and those are the amount of net worth growth I will have due to investing performance. These numbers are also shifter around to even out years of gains and losses.
zImage


Some next posts should be:
- Progress vs. my most recent set of goals
- Updated goals
- Plans for 2020
- Garden pictures

rube
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:54 pm
Location: Europe (NL)

Re: C40's Journal

Post by rube »

Great update C40, thanks. For me it has been a long time ago I lived for a (short) period in Asia. Before going, I had heard a lot about "culture shock" etc. but for me that was more an issue upon returning to my home country as it took me a long time to settle in and feel normal again. And I guess the experience has shaped me in some ways I do live my current live and are attracted to the ERE philosophy.
Looking forward to your next posts!

frihet
Posts: 217
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 10:33 pm
Contact:

Re: C40's Journal

Post by frihet »

Nice to see that you found a life in Vietnam and that you are enjoying staying put and relaxing were you are with your girlfriend.

Did Vietnam do the same as India did for my friends who stayed put? They just keep extending your visa because of covid? In that case it sounds like a great place be during the pandemic. Great life, few cases, low expenses, visa solved and maybe best of all far away from the pandemic hysteria in the west......

Having a break myself enjoying Isla Holbox for a few more weeks.
Last edited by frihet on Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Divandan
Posts: 79
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:57 pm

Re: C40's Journal

Post by Divandan »

Awesome update and can't wait to read the next post!

Your journal was one of the ones I read years ago when I was lurking. Also one of your old posts about the web of goals gave me the framework to really think about/ craft mine as well!

J_
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:12 pm
Location: Netherlands/Austria

Re: C40's Journal

Post by J_ »

Thanks for your update C40.

You make interesting remarks about your life. Its is about „changes” versus „chopping wood/carrying water”, I think.
Both are important. I like changes too, it creates the possibility to learn, to stay flexible. It makes life interesting. Being settled has its own advantages, you become part of a community if you are open to it.
The crux is to find the balance.
One of the ways is to stay open for sudden, unexpected happenings.

It can be just a talk you begin with a stranger. Three years ago I was helping to refit a huge trimaran in Hawaii. I had seen an interesting little classical sailing boat in the harbour. One evening I saw that there was some-one reparing the bowsprit and I started a conversation with him. The next year I accompanied him on his sailing boat from Alaska (Seward) to Canada (Victoria on Vancouver Island) It is not that I want every year such an adventure, it is just how a little conversation can grow to a real adventure.

I think on your Van-travels you have experienced a lot of such unexpected possibilities.

It can also be done when you are more settled. Just have always an eye open for…
14 years ago I was cross country skiing in a little village in the Alps, I spoke to some local people about finding a little home, a smal apartment. Now I live there, every winter since.

classical_Liberal
Posts: 2283
Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2016 6:05 am

Re: C40's Journal

Post by classical_Liberal »

...
Last edited by classical_Liberal on Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
jennypenny
Posts: 6851
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm

Re: C40's Journal

Post by jennypenny »

Are you still in Da Nang? Wondering if that's where you are since you seem to like it a lot. DD has a job offer there whenever covid subsides enough.

Glad you're well.

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: C40's Journal

Post by C40 »

I've realized that the 2020 summary post I made really did not have a summary of what the year was like for me. I'm in progress of writing one up.

rube wrote:
Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:19 am
...I lived for a (short) period in Asia. Before going, I had heard a lot about "culture shock" etc. but for me that was more an issue upon returning....
Oh yeah. There are various things that I would not like when going back to the U.S. I already did not like them, but now I've gotten used to life that, in these ways, is more like I think it should be. Two of the big ones that come to mind immediately are:
- How fat people are in the U.S
- How the U.S. is designed for cars and is incredibly spread out.

I always wanted to live in a place that was different in these two ways. It's nice. And it will bother me even more when I go back.



classical_Liberal wrote:
Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:15 pm
I'll be interested to follow along with your attempts to find a permeant home when the time is right. The US is tough...
Yeah. I'm thinking that when I go back to the U.S., I will probably rent a place in Wichita, Kansas and see how I like it. It is definitely not a perfect place. I only need to make 2-3 fairly close friends, and then have other loose friendships/acquaintances, and I'm generally good. I'm sure I could find 2-3 friends there. I keep a fairly close eye on the real estate there. Prices don't seem to be changing much.

If there was a city in the U.S. that was like it is where I live in Vietnam, I'd move there tomorrow and probably stay forever. Of course, there isn't and won't ever be a city in the U.S. in my lifetime with the things I like about this place. There is some chance that I end up staying in SE Asia longer than I expected.


jennypenny wrote:
Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:09 am
Are you still in Da Nang? Wondering if that's where you are since you seem to like it a lot. DD has a job offer there whenever covid subsides enough.
Yep. I like it a lot. There are other good cities in Vietnam. Some of them are nice like Da Nang, but with even lower COL (and, for those who want them, easier to get english teaching jobs).

What kind of job?

Western Red Cedar
Posts: 1205
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Re: C40's Journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

C40 wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:28 pm

I probably wrote about this before. Looking back, I’ve felt at times that I left a place or living arrangement too soon. (for reasons of fun, fulfillment, etc. - aside from money).

I have enjoyed all the ways I lived, so it would not have been a problem to continue in that way (other than that I felt done living in the van, and after the second time, felt I should not keep living with my friends indefinitely). So, the result of me thinking about this is that I now remind myself regularly that I should probably just keep doing what I am, relax, and enjoy it.

--------------------

While here in Vietnam, I have done a good job of recognizing how much I enjoy living here. And of staying put and relaxing. The virus has helped that decision, as far as staying in Vietnam goes, but I think I’d still be here without it.

I have always had a long-term vision that I will live permanently settled in a home somewhere. I still spend significant chunks of time thinking about doing that - about where I want to live, what motorcycles I want, hobbies, work, etc. But I do also think regularly about the good things here, and there are many things that I’d miss or feel nostalgic about if I were back in the U.S.
I've really enjoyed your journal and i am happy that you've found such a good location considering all of the external circumstances. Please keep writing and sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. Your journal has caused me to reflect and dream which is much appreciated.

I spent a couple weeks in northern Vietnam a decade ago (Sa Pa, Hanoi, and Halong Bay) as part of a longer three month trip through SE Asia and SW China. I'm looking to return for some slow travel in the next couple of years.

Later in life I think you'll be glad that you've experienced so many different lifestyles. There is a bit of risk moving on too soon from a good situation, but I think the greater risk is staying in one place for too long, not continuing to challenge yourself, or embrace new opportunities.

One of my favorite things about travel is the tacit reminder to stay present in the moment. I've found that living in another place for a year can even heighten that dynamic as you develop a sense of routine and community, but you know that you'll eventually leave so you still appreciate the little things that are easy to take for granted back in the US.

In terms of the "should I buy stuff" dilemma you mentioned, I experienced this as well when I was living in South Korea. My first year there I didn't buy much for my apartment because I figured I would be leaving so soon. I noticed other foreigners splurged a bit more on things like DVD players, nicer televisions, gaming consoles, or other random things. When I returned for a second year I was more willing to buy a few things to make my experience better. I think the trick is to have a clear idea of what you want (such as a bike), buy it at the beginning of the stay so you get a full year's worth, and then sell it used when you leave. This was all a bit easier with a network of ESL teachers to sell used goods to though.


A couple quick questions as I'm thinking about a trip in 2022 and 2023:

-Do you have additional thoughts or recommendations on acquiring long-term/monthly rentals (1-2 months) after living in Vietnam for a while? I know you've discussed this earlier. I've heard that getting a hostel for the first couple nights and looking locally is better than booking through AirBnB.

-Any specific recommendations on cities to stay in Vietnam for a month or two based on conversations or local insight? I had been eyeing Hoi An, but you make Da Nang sound great. DW and I would like to stay near the beach in a place with decent air quality. I loved Hanoi, but probably want something smaller for a long-term stay. We'll probably have 3-4 months to spend in SE Asia, but could extend that to 6-9 months if we wanted.

-Any travel strategies to deal with or avoid bad air quality? This was a big problem for us in India. Right now mine are as basic as stay away from Chang Mai during burning season, try to stay near the water as much as possible, and limit long stays in larger cities.

Salathor
Posts: 394
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:49 am
Location: California, USA

Re: C40's Journal

Post by Salathor »

C40 wrote:
Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:33 am
Oh yeah. There are various things that I would not like when going back to the U.S. I already did not like them, but now I've gotten used to life that, in these ways, is more like I think it should be. Two of the big ones that come to mind immediately are:
- How fat people are in the U.S
- How the U.S. is designed for cars and is incredibly spread out.

I always wanted to live in a place that was different in these two ways. It's nice. And it will bother me even more when I go back.
Hm. Throw in high health care costs and you've got a perfect triangle for how NOT to plan a modern society.

-We're too fat because we drive everywhere
-Health care costs a fortune system-wide because we're managing an epidemic of obesity-related chronic health issues
-We can't walk far distances because of all our chronic health issues

The Japanese smoke more, drink more, and eater fewer fruits and vegetables than we do and they STILL outlive us by ~7 years on average, because they move their bodies sometimes.

zbigi
Posts: 978
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:04 pm

Re: C40's Journal

Post by zbigi »

Salathor wrote:
Mon Jan 25, 2021 7:10 pm
The Japanese smoke more, drink more, and eater fewer fruits and vegetables than we do and they STILL outlive us by ~7 years on average, because they move their bodies sometimes.
From what I've read (maybe even on this forum?), there's very strong social pressure in Japan to stay thin. To the point of people staring at other fat people on the streets, or co-workers poking your belly fat while laughing.

User avatar
jennypenny
Posts: 6851
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm

Re: C40's Journal

Post by jennypenny »

C40 wrote:
Thu Jan 21, 2021 2:33 am
What kind of job?
She's a linguist so related to that. It would have to be in Da Nang.

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: C40's Journal

Post by C40 »

<whoops>

User avatar
C40
Posts: 2748
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:30 am

Re: C40's Journal

Post by C40 »

—————————

JANUARY 2021

—————————

This will be a brief update.
  • Going through some changes with my girlfriend. Not sure if this will be a good thing or bad
  • There’s another Covid outbreak in Vietnam again. This one might be the worst so far so I’m a little worried it could spread around the country. If they are able to maintain it well, I declare that I will put a Vietnam flag on my roof and do some kind of daily salute to it, preferably during one of the times the military base next door has their trumpet music playing
  • Bought a little bit of GME at $44 before the craziness with it really started. I’ve given myself some stress over washing that closely. This is way outside the realm of my normal investing. I’ve sold enough to cover my initial investment, so I won’t lose any money.
I made a list of books that I want to re-read this year. So far, the list is:
  • Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)
  • Enchiridion (Epictetus)
  • ERE (Lord Jacob)
  • Your Money or Your Life (Robin / Dominguez)
  • How I found Freedom in an Unfree World (Harry Browne)
  • The Way of the Superior Man (David Deida)
  • The Single Best Investment (Lowell Miller?)
  • 3 books about Vietnam and SE Asia
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People (Carnigie)
  • Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (Stephen Laberge)
  • Non-Violent Communication (? I forget the author)

I started a tiny bit of speculative growth investing in January.. so far i have been lucky/correct:
  • Longer-term stocks (Expect to hold maybe a year or so): are MTCH (which I just sold after holding 15 months, up from 74 to 120 share price). Plus QCOM and AMD (which I just bought)
  • Short-term stocks (<1 week so far) have been GME, AMC, BB, NOK. So far I’ve sold some BB, GME, AMC for 87% gain. Still holding some BB, NOK, GME at 175% unrealized gain. Most of the gain is from GME, which I bought at $44.
I won’t put much money into these very short term stocks. I’m buying them 50% for actual investing and 50% for fun.



Image

Image
(That income boost is from a special dividend, it won’t continue that high)

Post Reply