How I spend my retirement and Stay Healthy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Happy & Healthy Retirement

“Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to.” – Harry Emerson Fosdick

I stopped my part-time work and call it a day in March during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was 72 and I decided not to continue working and avoid being infected with the coronavirus.

I still spend time productively even though I have retired.

I usually get up at around 6.00 am. while I am still in bed awaken I perform several stretching exercises such as knee hug, child's pose,  knee raise, and kegel. The first thing I do when I get up is to have a cup of warm water. After that, I tapped the lymphatic points of my body, swing my arms up and down 100 times, and walk on the spot for 100 steps.  The next set of stretching and breathing exercises is done at the car porch. This is to warm up my body before I perform tai chi. The taichi movements take about  15 minutes to perform. I feel calm and fresh upon completion. I wash up and brush my teeth. Next, I go for a walk and jog for 2km for about 30 minutes around the Kemunting field in front of the Indian temple.  I feel good breathing in the fresh air and basking in the morning sun

 Upon reaching home I prepare my own breakfast, I have mee hoon soup with broccoli and minced pork meat and one tomato or Maaggi curry mee mixed with broccoli, one tomato, and minced pork. Sometimes I have poa in the morning. My morning beverage is black coffee without milk or sugar. I love to eat breakfast at one of the hawker centers or coffee shops, However, during this critical period, I eat at home.

 At around 8 am I am ready to start work in front of my PC. I check emails and look for surveys to participate. If there are more surveys to answer it can take up to one or two hours. Answering surveys is a productive way to spend my time and make some pocket money at home. The next task is to review and check my previously written articles using Grammarly It is a fantastic tool to check spelling, grammar, and punctuation. After checking I upload the articles to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Scoopit

I have a good nap for about an hour in the afternoon from one to two o'clock.  Teatime is around 3 o'clock  I have a pao (a Chinese steamed bun). or wholewheat bread spread with peanut butter. I check emails for more surveys and upload more articles in the late afternoon.

At around 4pmm I do another set of stretching exercises and also push-up to strengthen my body. 

Dinner time is around 6pm. I help in the washing-up after eating

 In the evening this is the only time I watch TV. It is from 8-9 pm watching TV8 news. It is also a time to relax and ready to end a day peacefully. I have a cup of  Oat drink after the news. Reading a chapter or two is my routine before going to bed. I read until my eyes are tied and so it is easy for me to fall asleep.

I try not to go out and I connect with friends and relatives by WhatsApp and  Facetime. The only time to go out is to purchase household items and fresh goods.

I am happy with my life:

It is a healthy lifestyle and a simple life.

I am active daily to keep my body and  brain healthy and fit

I eat nutritiously with more vegetables and fruits and less meat

I sleep well and under no stress

I occupy my time fully and productively by blogging, reading, and answering surveys

I contribute to the world by sharing my articles about life, happiness, and money that are beneficial to everyone on the Net 

I have a pet dog Peanut the Poodle to share my life

If you enjoy reading my articles on my Facebook page please like, share, and join my group.

7 Ways to Be a Productive Senior Citizen

The United Nations (UN) International Day of Older Persons is celebrated annually on October 1. It is stated on their official website that the theme of the 2012 commemoration is “Longevity: Shaping the Future”. Aging and health were also the themes of this year's World Health Day on 7 April. These themes focus on how healthy behaviors throughout life can help older men and women lead full and productive lives and be a resource for their families and communities.

What can you, as a senior citizen, do to be productive? I can think of the following effective ways:

1.      Share your wisdom: Be a resource, as the message clearly states. Share what you have learned in your life and your experience. The best way is to start a blog so that your messages can be reached far and wide.  

2.      Stay healthy: Taking preventive measures to stay healthy and fit is the best way to avoid burdening the government with burgeoning health care costs. An active lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle. Move your body and enjoy the great outdoors. Eat nutritiously and keep hydrated by drinking water throughout the day.

Related post:
Baby Boomers – The 7 Ingredients of Happiness

3.     Stay connected: Don’t isolate yourself and get depressed. Stay connected with people who care for you. Avoid negative people who discourage you in what you intend to do.

4.      Stay financially independent: One great way to enjoy peace of mind is getting financial freedom. You are self-sufficient and you avoid being a burden to others.

5.      Stay happy: Be cheerful and smile at people you meet. Stay positive and look at the bright side of things. Live in the present and enjoy what you do. Stop whining and stay energetic and confident to face challenges in life.

6.      Contribute: What are your skills? What can you do to offer services in the communities? Be a useful and valued senior citizen and lead a fulfilled and satisfying life as long as possible.

7.      Continue to Learn: Be alert and understand things that are happening around you; stay ahead and stay up-to-date especially in technological advancements. Read books and learn new things to stimulate the mind.  Learning is the way to live an interesting and rewarding life. 

       Taking proactive action is the way to stay productive in the golden years.     

7 Ways to Retire with Financial Freedom

You are now able to live longer than before because of better health care. It means you need to have more money to spend and cover inflation as well. According to data compiled by the Social Security Administration:

A man reaching age 65 today can expect to live, on average, until age 83.

A woman turning age 65 today can expect to live, on average, until age 85.

And those are just averages. About one out of every four 65-year-olds today will live past age 90, and one out of 10 will live past age 95.

Here are seven wise things to do for those who are about to retire:

1.      Be debt-free: The biggest enemy of financial freedom is debt because you are going to pay more than what you have actually incurred. The longer you delay, the more interest will be added to the outstanding amount and it will be more difficult to clear as the amount grows bigger over time. 

2.      Continue to work and earn: If you enjoy what you do, it would be prudent for you to continue working. When you work, there is a source of regular income and you and your employer will continue to contribute towards your retirement fund. Another point is that you are not touching your retirement fund and it continues to grow.  The longer you work your retirement years will be shortened and the less money you will need.     

3.      Focus on sources of passive income: It is a smart move to build a constant stream of regular income during retirement. One such source is shared which are making regular dividend payments. When one regular source of income stops, another one takes over.     

4.      Build new sources of income during retirement: Another wise move is to start a second career during your retirement. What is your expertise? Can people pay you for your services? While you can continue to earn during your retirement, it is more important to keep your mind active and alert. 

5.      Spend less: You will never know how long you are going to live. It is prudent to adopt a frugal lifestyle so as to last your retirement fund as long as possible.

6.     Save as much as you can: Save your bonuses, if any. Don’t spend your tax refund check. The more you save, the bigger will be your nest egg.

7.      An emergency fund:  It is also good to set aside an amount to cover unexpected expenses such as a major car repair or illnesses. Such expenses, more likely than not, are excluded in your retirement fund.   

Take action now and enjoy financial freedom later.

10 Effective Ways to Secure the Well-Being of Baby Boomers

Baby boomers have started to retire from active employment. A drastic change in your daily life may impact your well-being adversely. Consider the following ideas to live a meaningful life during the golden years:

1.      Embark on a new career: Look into your personal interests. Do something that you enjoy and at the same time provide a new source of income. Blogging is an excellent choice. It is a platform to showcase your expertise by writing about what you know best. When you are able to attract a lot of followers to your site, you will attract business opportunities such as getting ads on your blog or get paid to write for other blogs.     

2.      Preventive health care: Adopt a healthy eating habit and maintain a regular intake of nutrition because you are what you eat. Avoid injuries and maintain an active lifestyle. Engage in regular exercise to promote energy and alertness. It is a better way to fight chronic diseases than health insurance. Prevention is better than cure.

3.      A source of passive income: When you are no longer working it is important to open up more sources of passive income and avoid depleting your retirement fund sooner than expected. One good way is to focus your equity investment on those which pay regular dividends. 

4.      Buy and hold your gold: The present financial system is weak. An article in the Time magazine (July 23, 2012) has this headline: The LIBOR scandal threatens to bring on a global financial crisis. Why Britain’s banking culture needs fixing. It just confirms its vulnerability. It is the best time to buy gold because the price is at its lowest in a year. Gold will sustain your purchasing power when all your other investments fail in a worldwide financial meltdown.    

5.      Be debt-free: Settling your mortgage and getting out of credit card debt are the two wisest things you can do. The saddest thing in life is without a roof over your head when you are old and fragile. Financial freedom is the key.

6.      Hold on to your job: Are you still employed? Do you enjoy your work? If so, continue to do what you like and delay dipping into your nest egg, and prevent exhausting your retirement fund earlier than anticipated.  

7.      Sustain your positive outlook in life: When there is something to do, you will be hopeful and you look forward to each day with excitement. This is why you need a new career to keep you going on in life enthusiastically. 

8.      Be happy: Happiness promotes good health and good health attracts happiness. Choose happiness in whatever you do. Live in the moment, appreciate what you have, be grateful, and fill your heart with love.

9.      Continue to learn new things: Learning new things is the best way to stay youthful while you grow old. It is effective to keep your mind active and be aware of what’s going in your life. 

10.  Be connected: Avoid loneliness and isolation. Stay close to love ones and get in touch with people you care about. You need the support of others spiritually and emotionally to stay mentally healthy. 

Take proactive steps to face challenges ahead of your twilight years.

Related posts:
Baby Boomers – The 7 Ingredients of Happiness
7 Advantages to Continue Working When You Retire
10 Effective Ways to Stay Young While You Are Growing Old

10 Effective Ways for Baby Boomers to Live a Meaningful Life

As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open. ~ Clint Eastwood

For baby boomers, you may have retired from work, but you don’t have to retire from life. Fill your life with new opportunities and fulfillment by staying active. Here are the things that you can do to be productive and happy:

1.       Stop complaining: First of all, avoid negative thoughts such as life is unfair to you or you are neglected by your children living far away. Complaints lead to resentment and it is no good for your well-being and peace of mind.

2.       Change your mindset: You decide the way to live and not influenced by what others do to you. If you want to be happy, be it. If you want to enjoy life, just do it. Be yourself and do the things you like the most.

3.       Be active: Don’t just sit around all day. The key to a happy life is activities. It is the best way to avoid emptiness during your golden years.

4.       Socialize: The best way to fight loneliness is to reach out to people. Have fun, go places, share jokes and laugh out loud.

5.       Take up hobbies: What do you like- gardening, pottery, carpentry, or bird watching?  Develop an interest in something you like and indulge in it.

6.       Be active in the community: The most fulfilling activity is to help others. Join community projects and serve humanity. You light up people’s lives and you feel good yourself.

7.       Continue to work: It has many advantages when you decide to continue working.   You will have less worry about finance and working life will keep you busy and useful for many years to come.

8.       Learn a new language: One of the ways to keep your mind sharp and alert is to learn a foreign language. Do it slowly as you have all the time in the world. Better still, join a class and get to know many more friends.

9.       Take time to exercise your body: It is important to move your body and keep fit. Walking, by far, is the best form of exercise. Do it daily at the park or in the field. You take in the fresh air and bathe in the setting sun. It is the best thing you can do in the world.

10.   Spend time outdoors: It is the best time to go slow and appreciate nature. Go up the mountain, down in the valley, or by the beach. Mother Nature is awesome.  Be observant and feast on your sight.

You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. ~ Michael Pritchard

Are you living an active lifestyle? Be active, be happy.

Related posts:

10 Effective Ways to Stay Young While You Are Growing Old

10 Effective Ways to Stay Young While You Are Growing Old

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent that is to triumph over old age. ~Amos Bronson Alcott

 Don’t worry about your age, you can always stay young. Here are the things that you can do to stay youthful and feel great about yourself:

 1. Live life fully: The most important thing is to occupy your time with meaningful things to do such as taking up a new hobby, participating in a community project, or starting a blog. Avoid emptiness and find new challenges in life.

 2. Physically active: To stay lively, alert, and energetic is to stay active. Exercise regularly and walk often. A sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health and makes you lazy. Go outdoors; get the sunshine and fresh air.

 3. Get connected with younger people: Young people are full of zest and enthusiasm. Get involved with youngsters and be influenced by their liveliness and behave like one. You are instantly young again.

 4. Sleep well: A good night’s sleep is able to rejuvenate your body, regain your energy, release your tension, and repair damages are done to your body during the day. To sleep well is to sustain your youthfulness.

 5. Be happy: The best thing to do is to tell yourself to be cheerful when you wake up in the morning. Start a new day on a bright and sunny note. Greet people you meet, smile at them, and laugh often. When you want to be happy, just be happy.

You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. ~ Michael Pritchard

6. Eat right: Be strong and energetic by eating nutritiously. Have more fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Avoid junk food and give up bad habits like drinking and smoking.

 7. Positive mental attitude: Be confident and feel good about yourself. Be hopeful and optimistic about life. Look to each new day eagerly and anxiously.

 8. Live now: One effective way to live life fully is to live in the moment. Like what you do and enjoy the process of doing it. Happiness is living here and now, not in the past or the future. Do not allow your mind to wander about, be here and now and involved fully in what you are doing.

 9. Keep learning: Learning new things in life such as blogging is to keep your brain sharp, active, and alert. Be flexible and welcome changes in life. There is never a dull moment when there is always something new every day to learn.

 10. Peace of mind: Fill with heart with love and be loved. This is the way to get peace of mind. Peace of mind is also about counting your blessings and be contented. Live the way you want, and like the way you live. Just be yourself.

 You are growing old in age but you can always stay young at heart and in spirits.

10 Blogging Benefits for Baby Boomers

Technology is changing our life and the way we live. As a baby boomer, you can take advantage of the technology and reap the benefits in many ways and bring you more happiness in life. Blogging is a new platform for you to express yourself freely which is not available before. You write what you like and post it on your blog and your work is noticed by everyone in the blogosphere when you have optimized your site for search engines. What do you get when you blog?




1. Self-esteem – A blog is an avenue to showcase your talents and share your thoughts and interact with readers. You write and share your knowledge on topics that you know very well. It is a wonderful way to boost your confidence and proof of your usefulness to the world when you retire.



2. Exhibit your personal competitiveness in the blogosphere: The Internet is a level playing field. You survive when you can get ahead and stay ahead among many other bloggers. It is thrilling when you make daily progress as shown by your Traffic Rank, PageRank, Technorati Authority Rank, and the number of subscribers you have.



3. Find new meaning in life: You reach a new milestone in life when you start blogging. You can do things you have never done before without technology. Things take a new turn and you look at life with a brand new perspective. Blogging transforms you and you look forward to life with hope and enthusiasm.



4. A challenging way to make money: Your earnings are correlated by the amount of energy you put in. Hard work and perseverance is the key to success in blogging. AdSense allows you to earn money, but you have to invest time and effort by writing useful articles for your readers over a long period of time. When you have more and more readers, it is more likely for them to click on your ads.



5. Sharpen the mind: When you embrace technology, there are always new things to learn. Your mind stays alert and you react quickly. You will be flexible and adaptive to constant changes.



6. Positive outlook in life: You will develop a positive mindset when you blog because when you do good you can expect good things to happen to you.



7. Stamp of approval of what you do: When writing is a passion for you and what you write is beneficial to readers, you will be rewarded with trust and authority in the long run. You gain higher Traffic Rank, Page Rank, and Technorati Authority.



8. Good feeling: Blogging brings you excitement and satisfaction in life. Looking at your ranking statistics every day is an interesting and delightful thing to do.



9. Productive use of time: There is never a dull moment in your life when you blog. You write articles, you do research on the Net and you interact with others. Every day is different. There is always something to do, something to learn, and something to look forward to.



10. You receive when you give your best: Blogging is fair. When you blog and give your best in what you write, the best will come back to you. Readers will post positive comments and write favorable reviews about you and your blog.



You never know what you can do. Start blogging to unleash your capabilities.

Related post: 10 Advantages of Blogging

7 Advantages to Continue Working When You Retire

According to an article, As First Baby Boomers Retire, Many Facing Personal Finance Disasters, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day have turned 65 since January 2011, a pattern that will continue for the next 19 years. However, 60% of baby boomers don’t have enough for retirement. What can you do to fortify your financial independence and make ends meet? The only viable solution is to continue working. There are several benefits when you delay your retirement:

1. Work longer, less time to retire: When you continue to work, you trade off your retirement years. It means you will need less money to spend when you finally retire.

2. A Source of income: There is a source of income when you work. It means you can continue to live the usual lifestyle without dipping into your retirement fund.

3. More savings: When you work, part of your income will go to save as budgeted. The longer you work, the more you will save and the more interest you will be able to earn and accumulate. This will be a new source of a fund when you do retire.

4. Less retirement fund is required: Since you have shortened your retirement years, you will need fewer funds for your retirement and you also have additional funds to cushion future inflation.

5. Meaningful life: Work gives you meaning in life when you enjoy what you do. You are confident of yourself and look at life with a brighter perspective.

6. Happiness: You feel good about yourself because you are leading useful life-giving useful services and at the same time you are self-supporting.

7. Better health: A change in lifestyle may be bad for your health. There will be emptiness if you do not fill your time with useful things to do. When you work, your mind is working and alert. More likely than not, your working life will be good for your health mentally and physically.

It is a blessing when you have reached your retirement age and you still can hold on to a job that you like and enjoy because the unemployment rate in America is still very high today at 9.2 in June 2011

Baby Boomers – Tips for Brain Fitness

Baby Boomers

According to an article in the New Sunday Times, there are ways to maintain your mental agility at old age. Here are the findings:


• A panel of 30 experts from the United States and Europe recently issued a consensus statement on what we do know about maintaining brain fitness (which includes not only memory but also reasoning, attention, and speed of processing). The verdict was that three things are crucial: physical exercise, mental challenges, and good health habits in general.

• A trail in the journal Nature by Dr. Arthur Kramer, a neuroscientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, found not just slower declines but actual improvements in working memory, attention, and executive skills in older adults (average age 72) after six months of aerobic exercise programs – specifically, 45 minutes to an hour of walking, three times a week

• Exercise increases blood flow, encourages the formation of new synapses, and reverses some of the age-related declines in brain volume.

• As neuroscientists like to say, what’s good for the heart is good for the brain. That would include maintaining healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels. A study last December in the Annals of Neurology showed that controlling blood sugar, even in non-diabetic adults, can help prevent deterioration in a part of the brain that’s necessary for memory formation

• Another paper published in the Archives of Neurology in February by scientists a Columbia University found that eating a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet – rich in fish, vegetables, whole grains fruits, legumes, and unsaturated fats – lowered the risk of mild cognitive impairment over 4 1/2 years by as much as 28 percent.

• The brain is a use-it-or-lose I type of organ. Synaptic connections that aren’t firing will weaken. “If you want lots of improvement, you have to do mental cross-training,” said Dr. K. Warner Schaie, a professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University. In short, engage in many types of mental activity. Do crosswords, Sudoku, acrostics, play bridge, read books, join clubs, get into debates – anything to keep the mind alive and engaged in new and interesting tasks. If the activity includes social interaction, so much the better. Or take up a new hobby, a new language, or a new instrument that will challenge the brain in an entirely different way, preferably for years.


How about participating in a Tai Chi group and joining a Chinese language class?


Related articles:

Baby Boomers – The 7 Ingredients of Happiness

Baby Boomers – The 7 secrets of Joy and Happiness in Continuous Learning

Baby Boomers – The 7 secrets of Joy and Happiness in Continuous Learning

According to Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company,” Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Learning something you are interested in and you apply what you have learnt in your daily life is the most delightful thing in life.

What are the joy and happiness in learning? These are some of the wonderful things that can happen to you when you continue to learn and practice what you have learnt:


1. Attending classes: When you go to a class, you meet new friends to enrich your social circle. Connecting with people is a great source of happiness.

2. Leaning a foreign language: You can communicate better with others when previously you wanted to, but you couldn’t. For example, you are able to talk more effectively to your doctor to describe your condition. When you are sightseeing in a different country you can put to good use your language skills.

3. Learn to use the computer and surf the Net: When your grandchildren are living far away, you can write on their walls and get closer to them when your profile, like your grandchildren, is also on Facebook and Friendster. Your grandchildren will be surprised and happy to chat with you over the Net.

4. Looking forward to more things in life: As an example, when you think of going to class the next day you are excited because you can learn new things and meet up with your friends.

5. Use the mobile phone more efficiently: Learn to use SMS faster and send messages to your grandchildren and friends. Be gadget-savvy.

6. Occupy your time meaningfully: Instead of doing nothing at home you learn new things to activate, stimulate and broaden your mind

7. Learning is a wonderful source of happiness: The ability to absorb new ideas makes you feel proud of yourself. Your self-respect and your self-esteem are boosted and a feeling of joyousness and happiness fills your heart.


I have fallen in love with blogging ever since I started writing and posting articles more than a year ago. The learning process is a great source of joy and happiness for me. It's mind-opening, fun, exciting, rewarding, and motivating. I want to be a great article writer/blogger and I look forward to being one.

“What skills will be required for tomorrow? Nobody knows. The important thing is to keep acquiring new ones. We’re in an environment where education - for life, for everyone - in the game.” These are the wise words of Tom Peters, a business writer, and speaker.


Related article: Baby Boomers – The 7 Ingredients of Happiness



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Baby Boomers – The 7 Ingredients of Happiness

Baby boomers have special needs. However, it is still possible to have lasting happiness with the following ingredients:


1. Health: This is the time for the baby boomers to enjoy the carefree years. However, life is only enjoyable when you are in good health. Live a healthy lifestyle. Eat a balanced diet, breath in a lot of fresh air. Be physically active every day.

2. Companion: Life is more fulfilling when there is someone to share your happiness and sadness and a shoulder to cry on when the need arises. It is more meaningful when you can communicate with each other about the ups and downs of life.

3. Money: Money may not bring you happiness but without money, life is going to be miserable. Make sure that the retirement fund is sufficient to last as long as you live and the fund is also able to generate passive income for you.

4. Shelter: Ascertain that the house that you live in is owned by you. Do not be too happy to sell your own house and move in to live with one of your children. How sure can you be that you will be able to live there until the end of your life?

5. Friendship: A healthy relationship is a thing that keeps the baby boomers occupied in mind and in spirits. Enjoying an afternoon tea with your friends and making a trip to somewhere together are some of the wonderful things to do in life,

6. Lifelong learning: Keep yourself meaningfully occupied by learning new things. Blogging is one of those things that you should take up. There are a lot of things to learn every day when you surf the net. You can tweet, write on the wall, and post your articles, get comments about your posts and you can look at your Traffic Rank every now and then. It’s exciting and there is always something to look forward to every day.

7. Positive mental attitude: Be cheerful and look at the bright side of things. Life may not be a bed of roses, but when you decide to be cheerful and look positively at the years ahead of you, you will be happy.


According to a Chinese newspaper, it refers to baby boomers as the age of sunshine and happiness (阳光乐龄yang guang le ling). Enjoy your sunshine years and be happy!

Related article: Happiness and a More Satisfying Life - The 7 Ingredients
Baby Boomers – The 7 secrets of Joy and Happiness in Continuous Learning