I miss Blatage cafe in Shanghai.

It is located in the Pudong new area, approximately 30 minutes by taxi (off-peak) door-to-door from where I usually stay in Shanghai (on the Puxi side).

The small cozy cafe is along Binjiang Avenue (滨江大道), twenty minutes by bicycle from Superbrand mall or a 40-minute leisurely walk along the river. This is an extremely therapeutic exercise especially on the spring and autumn weekends. The indoor seating capacity is no more than ten and they serve an excellent flat white for CNY 30. Although situated close to some private homes in the vicinity, there isn't a morning coffee culture where people get up early to grab coffee. I am the cafe's first customer on most days when I arrive at 8 in the morning.

View of the 黄浦江 from Blatage Cafe

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Back home in Singapore, "Blatage" is 40 Hands cafe at Tiong Bahru.

A lot of people ask me why I spend so much on coffee when I can use the Nespresso machine and enjoy a cuppa from the comfort of home. Just as people sign up and spend their money on regular yoga classes, I spend mine on 'coffee yoga'.

While yoga enthusiasts do stretching exercises to feel good. I indulge myself with sipping coffee. Case in point: a single yoga class ranges anywhere between $15 to $25 while an artisanal coffee is about $6. Just as people find inner peace and tranquility in an hour or so of meditation, I find mine through sitting by the street or in a quiet corner where I am able to reflect and declutter my inner thoughts.

Not everyone understands this but everyone do need their own version of Blatage coffee - yoga, religion, travel. Sometimes, there isn't a need to architect a pricey escape into the Himalayas to seek private retreats. A lot of these can be found at your doorstep.

40 Hands - Street View

You don’t need to fine-dine in order to enjoy good food. My favourite local hawker fare is the bak chor mee at Tiong Bahru market. You don’t need to own a car to have convenience. Even if I use Grab everyday my traveling commute expenses will probably never exceed $500 a month. And sometimes all you need is to buy a house in the right place with good access to public transportation.

You don’t need to stay in a private condominium or landed property to enjoy your spatial environment. You just need the right renovation decor at home.

What is the use of real estate if you wear it with a huge financial burden and/or can’t share it with your closest friends and family?

You don’t need lots of money to be wealthy. In fact, you don’t even need to prove to anyone that you are wealthy.

The wealthiest people are those who are comfortable in their own skin and do not give a f&*k about opinions from the rest of the world.