Gap Month 2023

The Gap

Between my last two jobs, I barely took any time off. Looking back, I've been working continuously for almost eight years. There were trips scattered in between, but this time I gave myself one to two months of gap month to rest and reflect. Still, going an entire month without any work — full-time or otherwise — was genuinely a first. Here's what I hoped to accomplish, and what actually happened.

Did I Have an Emergency Fund Before Quitting?

I planned on one to two months off while job hunting. Most advice says to line up your next job before quitting, but my personality doesn't handle the split focus well. Either way, having a sufficient emergency fund before any income gap is non-negotiable.

Monthly baseline expenses include insurance, loan repayments, phone bill, subscriptions, installment payments, rent, and average living costs. Most personal finance books suggest at least three months if you're highly employable, but six months is more comfortable and removes the psychological pressure. If you're not actively investing, twelve months is recommended.

Planned Goals

• 1. Solo trip abroad
• 2. Trip to Japan
• 3. Exercise three times a week for two consecutive weeks
• 4. Become a morning person — early to bed, early to rise for a week
• 5. Improve English reading, listening, and speaking — one hour a day for a week
• 6. Build out my personal website — four hours a day for a week
• 7. Interview at 10+ companies (4/10)
• 8. Read five books (5/5)
• 9. Watch five movies or series (3/5)
• 10. Read ten yuri manga
• 11. Spend time with 🐱 Tiao Tiao
• 12. Spend a week in Taichung with ✨
• 13. Go out with mom
• 14. Review investment coursework
• 15. Reassess portfolio allocation
• 16. Declutter and organize room (50%)
• 17. Learn TypeScript

The quantifiable goals had a fairly high completion rate. The habits — early rising, exercise, English practice — were another story entirely. I'll try harder in the final weeks.

One unexpected disruption: right after the 228 holiday following my resignation, I tested positive for COVID. After a week of recovery, I flew to Japan for five days — and tested positive again, this time worse than the first. It lingered for nearly two weeks. In practice, half of this gap month was spent inside my room. The silver lining: I received a pandemic insurance payout.

What Actually Happened

1. Solo trip abroad

   I went to Singapore in mid-February. See Singapore Trip Prep, Arrival, and Transit.

2. Trip to Japan

   I went to Tokyo, Hakone, and Kawaguchiko in mid-March. Travel notes to come.

3–6. Exercise, morning routine, English, and personal website — all of these were ongoing in some form.

7. Interviews — 5/10

   • Bluestar
   • Chuanghuei
   • Wang Yi
   • Rixin
   • Jingmi

8. Books — 5/10 (ended up reading 9)

   • A Fresh Start at 40
   • What's Exhausting You Isn't Work — It's Your Work Method
   • Find Your Good Feelings About Work
   • Want Out of Poverty? Start with a Stock
   • The Psychology of Money
   • Gray-Scale Thinking
   • 21st Century Value Investing
   • Design Patterns
   • People Who Mistake Work for Life

9. Movies / series (3/5)

   1. HBO (unnamed)
   2. Hospital Playlist — which led me to also watch Navillera

10. Yuri manga

    I've always been a bit of an otaku who occasionally goes on binge-reading streaks 🌸
    I even started an IG to keep track.

    • New finds this time around:
      1. My Girlfriend and I Are Getting Married / Ama Miu (ongoing)
      2. Crescent Moon and Doughnuts / Ama Miu (ongoing)
      3. I Can't Resist the Lonely Girl / Kashikaze (ongoing)
      4. My Sister's Best Friend, My Lover / Fujimatsumei (ongoing)
      5. A Love Song Like a Whisper / Chikushima Eku (ongoing)
      6. The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady / Karasu Pierrot (ongoing manga + anime from novel)
    • Old favorites I'd already read:
      • Hana ni Arashi / Furuhachi Ruka (ongoing)
      • Monthly Rent with Yard and Landlord / Yodokawa (ongoing)
      • Living with My Brother's Wife / Kuzushiro (ongoing)
      • Cheerful Amnesia / Oku Tamamushi (complete)
      • Adachi and Shimamura / Iruma Hitoma (complete)
      • Sasameki Koto / Ikeda Gakushi (complete)

11. Time with 🐱 Tiao Tiao

    Tiao Tiao seemed happy every day. Appetite up, sleeping great. Currently 15 years old, 4 kg.

12. A week in Taichung with ✨

    Spent most of the week after the 228 holiday in Taichung — which is also how I ended up getting COVID again.

13. Go out with mom

    Still pending ==

14. Investment coursework review

    Spent a week reviewing the BOS course materials and redoing the research list for 50 companies. Hoping to document those company reports here eventually.

15. Portfolio reassessment

    In early March, swapped out some weaker growth stocks at the peak for relatively higher-yield dividend-growth stocks.

16. Declutter (50%)

    Finally cleared out the clothes I hadn't worn in a year and donated them. Went through my bookshelf and sold off books I won't reread through the second-hand platform Dushu.

17. TypeScript

    In progress.