A moment of sharing.

Inspired by our local blogger MoneyHoney , i had donated part of my dividends to Singapore Children's Society .

 

Christmas is a time of feasting and gifts exchanging as well as a moment of sharing to people who are in need.

Wishing All a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ! 

3Ds Plan . No more no less !

Do you find yourself  at times no plan ( bo chup? ) or over plan ( chup ka liao ?) Both would create results that are undesirable in reality .

Here are the 3Ds to guide you along

Dream it 

Having an idea of what you need/want is always important.For a warrior to start a journey to the destination , you need food , weapons  and know what kind of situation a warrior will face during the journey. Now the warrior is set to go !

Design it 

On the journey , the warrior faces a dragon and he is going to fight it . The warrior needs to know not only the weakness and strengths of the dragon , but also his own weakness and strengths. Then coming out with a strategy to fight the dragon to his advantage with the arsenals he had on hand . 

Deliver it 

Of course , the dragon is not a wood dragon that is going to let what the warrior do what he wants. The warrior is facing the reality of the dragon is much bigger size than him , just a hit from the dragon will take him down , just a puff and the warrior will turn into ash . The warrior needs to deliver what he can inorder to kill the dragon.

Similarly in life , we need to deliver what we ought to deliver . No ? See this. 

Can't beat Market ? Just stay faithful .

Goh Eng Yeow came out with an article on September 28, 2014  with Dollar-Cost Average  investing through plans offered by POSB , OCBC , POEMS for long term to reap returns that can outpace inflation.

What is Dollar- Cost Average ?

In my context  , Dollar -Cost Average means purchasing shares with certain fixed amount of money on a regular basis ( every monthly and almost the same date ) regardless of share price. Thus more shares are bought when share price is low and less shares are bought when share price is high .

An example would be Capitamall Trust (CMT) which i have been accumulating  with POEMS Share Builder Plan  as shown :

You could see the shares difference bought  between April and May 2013. Highlighted yellow would be the dividends reinvestment made with purchase. ( Do note that Poems Share Builder Plan makes the purchase every 18th of the month, if the date falls on a weekend or public holiday , it will be on the next working day . You will normally be able to see how much you shares bought given a few working days ( 2 to 3 working days.)  after the purchase has been made.)

For Dividends Reinvestment wise , it will be added with your fixed amount onto your next month of purchase . One example would be the recent Aug 2014, the Dividend payable date for CMT on Aug 2014 is 29th . Share Builder Plan activate its buying on every month 18th , Thus the Dividends Reinvestment will accumulate on with the next buy , which shows the sudden increase of shares on Sept 2014.

What are the Pros and Cons of Dollar-Cost Average ?    

Pros

• You do not have/need to time the market, just leave it to your brokerage or firm. 
• You can invest with minimum of $100 per month to accumulate you shares. 
• You may amend your amount of money  along the way.
• You may reinvest your dividends to accumulate more shares thus compound effect.( DRIP)
• Your average price are likely not to be highest compared to the highest point of the share. 

Cons

• You can't time the market. ( the job becomes  your brokerage or firm.)
• You need lots of patience, stay faithful to your conviction and ignore scaremongering from news , friends and family.
• Your average price are likely not to be lowest compared to the lowest point of the share.
• There are  administrative , dividends or other charges normally for such plans .
• The account is normally held by brokerage /firm/banks custodian instead of CDP ( The Central Depository) which you may not be able to attend AGM ( Annual General Meeting ) , receive ARs ( Annual Reports ) , Dividends may not be credited on time ( share payable date) into your bank account.  

  

What is DRIP ? 

Drip means Dividends Re-Investment Plan. It is a plan that is offered by corporation , firm that allows you to reinvest your cash dividends to get additional shares on the payment date.

Drip is like a pail collecting drips of water. Though it is a slow process , but for every drip of water into the pail , the pail becomes fuller . You want to make sure the frequency of drip is constant or more , so that the pail becomes fuller with lesser time . There comes with the quality of water drip which is another story. 

Bruce Lee mentioned in his quote " Empty your mind . Be formless , shapeless . Like water . You put water into a bottle , and it becomes the bottle . You put into the teapot , it becomes the teapot . Water can flow , or it can crash . Be water , my friend ! " 

What i say ? " Drink more water , my friend ! "     

 

Crash got sound . Sex also got sound ?

This post contains "expletive" contents. You are responsible for your own thoughts and actions after reading this post .The writer bears and assumes no responsibility for the aftermath of your thoughts and actions .  

If you are below 18 years old or is uncomfortable or offended with it . Please do not continue reading it .   

Either wise , please continue to read more and let your thoughts run "wild " and "free " through this post.

Well was inspired by SMOL's post to come out with this. 

Coming out from Warren Buffett quote :  " A bull market is like sex . It feels best just before it ends ."

Crash got sound . Sex also got sound ? 

Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked . 

What do you think and How have you learnt ?

A trip to Ikea .

It has been a long time since i made a trip to Ikea , and yesterday was a trip down with a friend to run his errand . As you know , Ikea's layout is a "strategic " maze as depicts  below shown .

Well the above picture is solely for entertainment purpose. What amazes me was the infrastructure of Ikea .

Lighting

Ikea brilliantly used lighting as a direction guide ( arrow sign reflected on the floor ) to guide the crowd instead of the usual board and signs .

One of the lighting products featured were auto sensor dimmer lights that can be installed into your wardrobe. The lights were be automatically dimmed once the sensor senses the closing of wardrobe and lighted on opening/sliding of wardrobe .( Girls would love this added on feature when they are in their walk in wardrobe.)

Another important component that lighting constitutes to Ikea would be the Open Concept of Warehouse to the public.

It is important in this case , as having a good lighting in the Open Concept Warehouse means big safety .

Open Concept Warehouse

Let's come to the Open Concept . Other than the Open Concept  display area of different furniture themes.
The second last stop would be the Open concept Warehouse.( Last stop of course would be the cashier to bill your purchase.)

The Open Concept Warehouse to public ensures 2 things : Clear wide path and Easy access to regular items purchased .

Clear wide path without obstruction is the basic aspect of safety to the Open concept Warehouse.

Items that are regularly purchased are segregated in the racks and shelves with lighter/portable items on the bottom to ensure easy access and heavier items on the top (  If you intend to get the heavier stuff , you could engage the help of the transport service staff .)

The racks and shelves are clearly labelled with rack no and section no as well for each particular item.



Now let's made payment at the cashier counter !

Other than Meatball , how about beer for you before we leave ? 

*Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post or under any form of advertisement . This is my personal view after a trip to Ikea that inspires me to write.  

The life story of paper boat

A young man asked an old man : " What can we do to achieve our dreams and goals  successfully in a one's short life span ? "

On the ground , the old man picked up a white piece of paper and folded into a paper boat .

The paper boat was then gently sailed along with the flowing direction of the river bank.

On the paper boat's journey , there were glittering flowers along the side of bank breezing with the wind seemly to catch the attention of the paper boat . The paper boat ignored and continue its journey .

The old man said : " There are too much temptations in one's life ...money ...woman ..power and status.Through the process of reaching goals , engaging into unethical and illegal because of money , obsession into beauty that causes the fall of a man ,to abuse because of power and becoming inpatient along the way of gaining status.That is why some people are unable to be like the paper boat ignoring all the temptations and quietly sailing towards its destination !"

"Rough Analysis " on CMT .

This would be a "rough analysis" on CMT ( Capital Mall Trust )  , the main focus would be on the portfolio lease of CMT which would also be "rough " . Below are only small part of Citi Asean Investor Conference 2014 .  More info and fundamentals could be found here

For the next 2 years ( 2015 , 2016)  as you can see , CMT would face the most number of  leases expiry .

The income per month compared to past and forecasted years is more than 10 % . 

I am quite surprise that Tampines Mall , IMM Building  and Lot One Shoppers'  Mall attributes quite an amount to the Mall income . The 3 locations are considered to be located at far end of Singapore respectively.  

Respective AEI phases would be going for IMM Building and a proposed AEI to Tampines Mall. The Tampines Mall , IMM Building  and Lot One Shoppers'  Mall are the "pioneers " of CMT Portfolio and certainly attributes to a heavy core of CMT . 

With upcoming further enhancements to the "pioneers " , it is assuring that the performance of portfolio would be brought to another level with all else remains equal . 

Small-Time Interim Portfolio

Stock Portfolio Tracker is courtesy from http://www.investmentmoats.com/

Market Price and Value is as of 9/6/2014

It is mid of year and thus Small Time have came out to update the portfolio as an interim of half yearly basis .

Small-Time total market value for portfolio is about 13k plus ( Where is the other 5-6k plus ? )

Small-Time has been accumulating a "secret " counter since October 2012 which adds up of 5-6k plus as of now through the Poems SBP ( Share Builders Plan ) .

What is Poems Share Builders Plan ?

You can go here for more information .

Valuetronics have been Small-Time best performing stock so far with unrealised profit of 100% as of now.

Small-Time may invest more on Valuetronics ( Strong Cash Flow with Positive ICM Business outlook ) if price drops to nav price or more . A Dividend of 0.16hkd + Special Dividend 0.04 hkd  would be paid on August .

Small-Time would like to do nothing as of now .

Think out of the box ?

How many of you had heard this phrase over again ?  Be it from your teacher or boss asking you to " think out of the box  ? "  I wondered how many preached what they say anyway .

So what do you do if you cannot "think out of the box ? "

You either can think of what to do " within the box "  or "get rid of the box " . There are always alternatives.

Hear the say or say the hear ?

Past week back while walking with a friend after a good old lunch .

Friend : Awaiting for news from tharman regards to global economic recovery policies  in IMF.  I don't think the economic will be good in the upcoming .

Me : Where do you hear the news from ?

Friend : From one of my friend working in bank . I intend to withdraw out from my investments /ILP . I think you should too.

Me : / keep quiet .

Hear the say or say the hear ?  My plan ? Do nothing , react accordingly .

10 Life Lessons to Excel in Your 30s

All right i still got 2 more years to go before reaching 30.. but hey ..start early my friend :)

Below is an article by the author who turned 30 years old weeks back  asking for advice what would they give to the 30's year old selves . 



The response was spectacular as shown : 

A couple weeks ago I turned 30. Leading up to my birthday I wrote a post on what I learned in my 20s.

But I did something else. I sent an email out to my subscribers (subscribe here) and asked readers age 37 and older what advice they would give their 30-year-old selves. The idea was that I would crowdsource the life experience from my older readership and create another article based on their collective wisdom.

The result was spectacular. I received over 600 responses, many of which were over a page in length. It took me a solid three days to read through them all and I was floored by the quality of insight people sent.

So first of all, a hearty thank you to all who contributed and helped create this article.

While going through the emails what surprised me the most was just how consistent some of the advice was. The same 5-6 pieces of advice came up over and over and over again in different forms across literally 100s of emails. It seems that there really are a few core pieces of advice that are particularly relevant to this decade of your life.

Below are 10 of the most common themes appearing throughout all of the 600 emails. The majority of the article is comprised of dozens of quotes taken from readers. Some are left anonymous. Others have their age listed.

1. Start Saving for Retirement Now, Not Later

“I spent my 20s recklessly, but your 30s should be when you make a big financial push. Retirement planning is not something to put off. Understanding boring things like insurance, 401ks & mortgages is important since its all on your shoulders now. Educate yourself.” (Kash, 41)

The most common piece of advice — so common that almost every single email said at least something about it — was to start getting your financial house in order and to start saving for retirement… today.

There were a few categories this advice fell into:

• Make it your top priority to pay down all of your debt as soon as possible.
• Keep an “emergency fund” — there were tons of horror stories about people getting financially ruined by health issues, lawsuits, divorces, bad business deals, etc.
• Stash away a portion of every paycheck, preferably into a 401k, an IRA or at the least, a savings account.
• Don’t spend frivolously. Don’t buy a home unless you can afford to get a good mortgage with good rates.
• Don’t invest in anything you don’t understand. Don’t trust stockbrokers.

One reader said, “If you are in debt more than 10% of your gross annual salary this is a huge red flag. Quit spending, pay off your debt and start saving.” Another wrote, “I would have saved more money in an emergency fund because unexpected expenses really killed my budget. I would have been more diligent about a retirement fund, because now mine looks pretty small.”

Gee whiz! Saving is so easy and so fun!

And then there were the readers who were just completely screwed by their inability to save in their 30s. One reader named Jodi wishes she had started saving 10% of every paycheck when she was 30. Her career took a turn for the worst and now she’s stuck at 57, still living paycheck to paycheck. Another woman, age 62, didn’t save because her husband out-earned her. They later got divorced and she soon ran into health problems, draining all of the money she received in the divorce settlement. She, too, now lives paycheck to paycheck, slowly waiting for the day social security kicks in. Another man related a story of having to be supported by his son because he didn’t save and unexpectedly lost his job in the 2008 crash.

The point was clear: save early and save as much as possible. One woman emailed me saying that she had worked low-wage jobs with two kids in her 30s and still managed to sock away some money in a retirement fund each year. Because she started early and invested wisely, she is now in her 50s and financially stable for the first time in her life. Her point: it’s always possible. You just have to do it.

2. Start Taking Care of Your Health Now, Not Later

“Your mind’s acceptance of age is 10 to 15 years behind your body’s aging. Your health will go faster than you think but it will be very hard to notice, not the least because you don’t want it to happen.” (Tom, 55)

We all know to take care of our health. We all know to eat better and sleep better andexercise more and blah, blah, blah. But just as with the retirement savings, the response from the older readers was loud and unanimous: get healthy and stay healthy now.

So many people said it that I’m not even going to bother quoting anybody else. Their points were pretty much all the same: the way you treat your body has a cumulative effect; it’s not that your body suddenly breaks down one year, it’s been breaking down all along without you noticing. This is the decade to slow down that breakage.

The key to salad is to laugh while eating it.

And this wasn’t just your typical motherly advice to eat your veggies. These were emails from cancer survivors, heart attack survivors, stroke survivors, people with diabetes and blood pressure problems, joint issues and chronic pain. They all said the same thing: “If I could go back, I would start eating better and exercising and I would not stop. I made excuses then. But I had no idea.”

3. Don’t Spend Time with People Who Don’t Treat You Well

“Learn how to say “no” to people, activities and obligations that don’t bring value to your life.” (Hayley, 37)

After calls to take care of your health and your finances, the most common piece of advice from people looking back at their 30-year-old selves was an interesting one: they would go back and enforce stronger boundaries in their lives and dedicate their time to better people. “Setting healthy boundaries is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself or another person.” (Kristen, 43)

Gently let go of those who are not making your life better.

What does that mean specifically?

“Don’t tolerate people who don’t treat you well. Period. Don’t tolerate them for financial reasons. Don’t tolerate them for emotional reasons. Don’t tolerate them for the children’s sake or for convenience sake.” (Jane, 52)

“Don’t settle for mediocre friends, jobs, love, relationships and life.” (Sean, 43)

“Stay away from miserable people… they will consume you, drain you.” (Gabriella, 43)

“Surround yourself and only date people that make you a better version of yourself, that bring out your best parts, love and accept you.” (Xochie)

People typically struggle with boundaries because they find it difficult to hurt someone else’s feelings, or they get caught up in the desire to change the other person or make them treat them the way they want to be treated. This never works. And in fact, it often makes it worse. As one reader wisely said, “Selfishness and self-interest are two different things. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.”

When we’re in our 20s, the world is so open to opportunity and we’re so short on experience that we cling to the people we meet, even if they’ve done nothing to earn our clingage. But by our 30s we’ve learned that good relationships are hard to come by, that there’s no shortage of people to meet and friends to be made, and that there’s no reason to waste our time with people who don’t help us on our life’s path.

4. Be Good to the People You Care About

“Show up with and for your friends. You matter, and your presence matters.” (Jessica, 40)

Conversely, while enforcing stricter boundaries on who we let into our lives, many readers advised to make the time for those friends and family that we do decide to keep close.

“I think sometimes I may have taken some relationships for granted, and when that person is gone, they’re gone. Unfortunately, the older you get, well, things start to happen, and it will affect those closest to you.” (Ed, 45)

“Appreciate those close to you. You can get money back and jobs back, but you can never get time back.” (Anne, 41)

“Tragedy happens in everyone’s life, everyone’s circle of family and friends. Be the person that others can count on when it does. I think that between 30 and 40 is the decade when a lot of shit finally starts to happen that you might have thought never would happen to you or those you love. Parents die, spouses die, babies are still-born, friends get divorced, spouses cheat… the list goes on and on. Helping someone through these times by simply being there, listening and not judging is an honor and will deepen your relationships in ways you probably can’t yet imagine.” (Rebecca, 40)

5. You can’t have everything; Focus On Doing a Few Things Really Well

“Everything in life is a trade-off. You give up one thing to get another and you can’t have it all. Accept that.” (Eldri, 60)

In our 20s we have a lot of dreams. We believe that we have all of the time in the world. I myself remember having illusions that my website would be my first career of many. Little did I know that it took the better part of a decade to even get competent at this. And now that I’m competent and have a major advantage and love what I do, why would I ever trade that in for another career?

“In a word: focus. You can simply get more done in life if you focus on one thing and do it really well. Focus more.” (Ericson, 49)

Another reader: “I would tell myself to focus on one or two goals/aspirations/dreams and really work towards them. Don’t get distracted.” And another: “You have to accept that you cannot do everything. It takes a lot of sacrifice to achieve anything special in life.”

A few readers noted that most people arbitrarily choose their careers in their late teens or early 20s, and as with many of our choices at those ages, they are often wrong choices. It takes years to figure out what we’re good at and what we enjoy doing. But it’s better to focus on our primary strengths and maximize them over the course of lifetime than to half-ass something else.

“I’d tell my 30 year old self to set aside what other people think and identify my natural strengths and what I’m passionate about, and then build a life around those.” (Sara, 58)

For some people, this will mean taking big risks, even in their 30s and beyond. It may mean ditching a career they spent a decade building and giving up money they worked hard for and became accustomed to. Which brings us to…

6. Don’t Be Afraid of Taking Risks, You Can Still Change

“While by age 30 most feel they should have their career dialed in, it is never too late to reset. The individuals that I have seen with the biggest regrets during this decade are those that stay in something that they know is not right. It is such an easy decade to have the days turn to weeks to years, only to wake up at 40 with a mid-life crisis for not taking action on a problem they were aware of 10 years prior but failed to act.” (Richard, 41)

“Biggest regrets I have are almost exclusively things I did *not* do.” (Sam, 47)

Many readers commented on how society tells us that by 30 we should have things “figured out” — our career situation, our dating/marriage situation, our financial situation and so on. But this isn’t true. And, in fact, dozens and dozens of readers implored to not let these social expectations of “being an adult” deter you from taking some major risks and starting over. As someone on my Facebook page responded: “All adults are winging it.”

“I am about to turn 41 and would tell my 30 year old self that you do not have conform you life to an ideal that you do not believe in. Live your life, don’t let it live you. Don’t be afraid of tearing it all down if you have to, you have the power to build it all back up again.” (Lisa, 41)

Multiple readers related making major career changes in their 30s and being better off for doing so. One left a lucrative job as a military engineer to become a teacher. Twenty years later, he called it one of the best decisions of his life. When I asked my mom this question, her answer was, “I wish I had been willing to think outside the box a bit more. Your dad and I kind of figured we had to do thing A, thing B, thing C, but looking back I realize we didn’t have to at all; we were very narrow in our thinking and our lifestyles and I kind of regret that.”

“Less fear. Less fear. Less fear. I am about to turn 50 next year, and I am just getting that lesson. Fear was such a detrimental driving force in my life at 30. It impacted my marriage, my career, my self-image in a fiercely negative manner. I was guilty of: Assuming conversations that others might be having about me. Thinking that I might fail. Wondering what the outcome might be. If I could do it again, I would have risked more.” (Aida, 49)

7. You Must Continue to Grow and Develop Yourself

“You have two assets that you can never get back once you’ve lost them: your body and your mind. Most people stop growing and working on themselves in their 20s. Most people in their 30s are too busy to worry about self-improvement. But if you’re one of the few who continues to educate themselves, evolve their thinking and take care of their mental and physical health, you will be light-years ahead of the pack by 40.” (Stan, 48)

It follows that if one can still change in their 30s — and should continue to change in their 30s — then one must continue to work to improve and grow. Many readers related the choice of going back to school and getting their degrees in their 30s as one of the most useful things they had ever done. Others talked of taking extra seminars and courses to get a leg up. Others started their first businesses or moved to new countries. Others checked themselves into therapy or began a meditation practice.

A friend of mine stated that at 29, he decided that his mind was his most valuable asset, and he decided to invest in it. He spent thousands of his own education, on seminars, on various therapies. And at 54, he insists that it was one of the best decisions he ever made.

“The number one goal should be to try to become a better person, partner, parent, friend, colleague etc. — in other words to grow as an individual.” (Aimilia, 39)

8. Nobody (Still) Knows What They’re Doing, Get Used to It

“Unless you are already dead — mentally, emotionally, and socially — you cannot anticipate your life 5 years into the future. It will not develop as you expect. So just stop it. Stop assuming you can plan far ahead, stop obsessing about what is happening right now because it will change anyway, and get over the control issue about your life’s direction. Fortunately, because this is true, you can take even more chances and not lose anything; you cannot lose what you never had. Besides, most feelings of loss are in your mind anyway – few matter in the long term.” (Thomas, 56)

In my article about what I learned in my 20s, one of my lessons was “Nobody Knows What They’re Doing,” and that this was good news. Well, according to the 40+ crowd, this continues to be true in one’s 30s and, well, forever it seems; and it continues to be good news forever as well.

“Most of what you think is important now will seem unimportant in 10 or 20 years and that’s OK. That’s called growth. Just try to remember to not take yourself so seriously all the time and be open to it.” (Simon, 57)

“Despite feeling somewhat invincible for the last decade, you really don’t know what’s going to happen and neither does anyone else, no matter how confidently they talk. While this is disturbing to those who cling to permanence or security, it’s truly liberating once you grasp the truth that things are always changing. To finish, there might be times that are really sad. Don’t dull the pain or avoid it. Sorrow is part of everyone’s lifetime and the consequence of an open and passionate heart. Honor that. Above all, be kind to yourself and others, it’s such a brilliant and beautiful ride and keeps on getting better.” (Prue, 38)

“I’m 44. I would remind my 30 year old self that at 40, my 30s would be equally filled with dumb stuff, different stuff, but still dumb stuff… So, 30 year old self, don’t go getting on your high horse. You STILL don’t know it all. And that’s a good thing.” (Shirley, 44)

9. Invest in Your Family; It’s Worth It

“Spend more time with your folks. It’s a different relationship when you’re an adult and it’s up to you how you redefine your interactions. They are always going to see you as their kid until the moment you can make them see you as your own man. Everyone gets old. Everyone dies. Take advantage of the time you have left to set things right and enjoy your family.” (Kash, 41)

I was overwhelmed with amount of responses about family and the power of those responses. Family is the big new relevant topic for this decade for me, because you get it on both ends. Your parents are old and you need to start considering how your relationship with them is going to function as a self-sufficient adult. And then you also need to contemplate creating a family of your own.

Pretty much everybody agreed to get over whatever problems you have with your parents and find a way to make it work with them. One reader wrote, “You’re too old to blame your parents for any of your own short-comings now. At 20 you could get away with it, you’d just left the house. At 30, you’re a grown-up. Seriously. Move on.”

But then there’s the question that plagues every single 30-year-old: to baby or not to baby?

“You don’t have the time. You don’t have the money. You need to perfect your career first. They’ll end your life as you know it. Oh shut up…
Kids are great. They make you better in every way. They push you to your limits. They make you happy. You should not defer having kids. If you are 30, now is the time to get real about this. You will never regret it.” (Kevin, 38)

“It’s never the ‘right time’ for children because you have no idea what you’re getting into until you have one. If you have a good marriage and environment to raise them, err on having them earlier rather than later, you’ll get to enjoy more of them.” (Cindy, 45)

“All my preconceived notions about what a married life is like were wrong. Unless you’ve already been married, everyone’s are. Especially once you have kids. Try to stay open to the experience and fluid as a person; your marriage is worth it, and your happiness seems as much tied to your ability to change and adapt as anything else. I wasn’t planning on having kids. From a purely selfish perspective, this was the dumbest thing of all. Children are the most fulfilling, challenging, and exhausting endeavor anyone can ever undertake. Ever.” (Rich, 44)

What do you want kid?

The consensus about marriage seemed to be that it was worth it, assuming you had a healthy relationship with the right person. If not, you should run the other way (See #3).

But interestingly, I got a number of emails like the following:

“What I know now vs 10-13 years ago is simply this… bars, woman, beaches, drink after drink, clubs, bottle service, trips to different cities because I had no responsibility other than work, etc… I would trade every memory of that life for a good woman that was actually in love with me… and maybe a family. I would add, don’t forgot to actually grow up and start a family and take on responsibilities other than success at work. I am still having a little bit of fun… but sometimes when I go out, I feel like the guy that kept coming back to high school after he graduated (think Matthew McConaughey’s character in Dazed and Confused). I see people in love and on dates everywhere. “Everyone” my age is in their first or second marriage by now! Being perpetually single sounds amazing to all of my married friends but it is not the way one should choose to live their life.” (Anonymous, 43)

“I would have told myself to stop constantly searching for the next best thing and I would have appreciated the relationships that I had with some of the good, genuine guys that truly cared for me. Now I’m always alone and it feels too late.” (Fara, 38)

On the flip side, there were a small handful of emails that took the other side of the coin:

“Don’t feel pressured to get married or have kids if you don’t want to. What makes one person happy doesn’t make everyone happy. I’ve chosen to stay single and childless and I still live a happy and fulfilled life. Do what feels right for you.” (Anonymous, 40)

Conclusion: It seems that while family is not absolutely necessary to have a happy and fulfilling life, the majority of people have found that family is always worth the investment, assuming the relationships are healthy and not toxic and/or abusive.

10. Be kind to yourself, respect yourself

“Be a little selfish and do something for yourself every day, something different once a month and something spectacular every year.” (Nancy, 60)

This one was rarely the central focus of any email, but it was present in some capacity in almost all of them: treat yourself better. Almost everybody said this in one form or another. “There is no one who cares about or thinks about your life a fraction of what you do,” one reader began, and, “life is hard, so learn to love yourself now, it’s harder to learn later,” another reader finished.

Or as Renee, 40, succinctly put it: “Be kind to yourself.”

Many readers included the old cliche: “Don’t sweat the small stuff; and it’s almost all small stuff.” Eldri, 60, wisely said, “When confronted with a perceived problem, ask yourself, ‘Is this going to matter in five years, ten years?’ If not, dwell on it for a few minutes, then let it go.” It seems many readers have focused on the subtle life lesson of simply accepting life as is, warts and all.

Which brings me to the last quote from Martin, age 58:

“When I turned forty my father told me that I’d enjoy my forties because in your twenties you think you know what’s going on, in your thirties you realize you probably don’t, and in your forties you can relax and just accept things. I’m 58 and he was right.”

Thank you to everyone who contributed.

http://markmanson.net/10-life-lessons-excel-30s

What are your advice to your 30's years old selves if time could be turned back ? 

Being rich is not about how much you have ... but how much you give .

Son : Why are we not rich ?
Dad : Who says we're not rich ?
Dad :Being rich ...is not about how much you have , but how much ...you give .
Dad : Somehow when you give ... you'll be happier .

Small-Time would like to share with all this video :

Take care of your equipment , and your equipment will take care of you .

For males who had gone/going  through the national service in Singapore would most probably know this famous quote by their enciks " Take care of your equipment , and your equipment will take care of you . "

During the briefing session that Small-Time went last week to prepare for his upcoming reservist . The encik ( Regimental Sargent Major )  strongly emphasized on the preparation of FBO ( Full Battle Order ) .

This is how a FBO looks like

Why is it so important to be in FBO during your combat mission/training ?

Imagine yourself in a field camp without the proper items that were supposed to be in the field bag such as the extra uniforms . Are you going to wear the same attire  where training drills and on-going mission with dirt , sweat and perhaps blood for the whole week of field camp ?  Talk about wear and tear , Talk about health where you can easily fall sick if you do not take care of your personal hygience.

Imagine yourself  contacted by the enemy forces ? You engaged the enemy forces but found out nothing came out from your rifle though it's loaded with bullets. The enemy forces would be smiling and gunning their way towards you . Best is you without your helmet . High chance of Headshot ! Have you do a proper weapon check drill ? Are you well-equipped ?

The quote by encik definitely is there for such reasons.

Small-Time would too like to end with a quote " Take care of your financial , and your financial will take care of you . "

Is best really the best ?

As an avid reader on articles written by Senior Correspondent Goh Eng Yeow , today section on small change was on " In Investing , stick to the best companies ."

Mr Goh Eng Yeow cited in any successful investment strategy , the key rules are buy into only the best companies and stick to business sectors which enjoy predictable earnings and higher than average growth , and pay a fair  price for the investment .

He gave an example on CNBC Jimmy Cramer who enthralled with Florida orange grower which he knew next to nothing about the business , bought 10 shares of it , made a loss due to frost hit that wipe out the crops .Cutting his loss , he invested into another clothing firm which further halved his capital when the company reported a set of poor earnings.

Jimmy Cramer reflected and came to conclusion that he does not know much about the business which he invested . This perhaps struck it off as chasing the " best sexy hot " stocks for immediate gains and helping the brokers with their commission income effortlessly .

To summarise  , the quality of earnings growth over long term will determine the company's fortune , not the quarterly profit figures that send analysts high nine . Some of the best investment ideas may came from observing the habits of consumer , or things near round you . ( This maybe something we tend to overlook when we focus on things too much that we do not know and forget about things we knew) .

Best is rather subjective on individual aspect , as different investors valuate differently.  

More importantly is ....

Survival of S$5 per day in Singapore

How is it like if you were jobless and had to survive on S$5 or less per day for at least a month ?

What is the value of living S$5 per day in Singapore ?

Let me share with you an article on MoneySmart by a foreign expat " Steve " with his experience .



"With inflation continuing to rise along with the cost of housing and private transportation, there are genuine concerns about the affordability of life in Singapore now and in the future. While some of us might think that expatriates coming to Singapore to work have an easy life, one of our readers has experienced otherwise. He kindly shared his story with us:

First of all, I’d like to thank MoneySmart for giving me the opportunity to have my story told.

After reading Yahoo! Entertainment’s article a few weeks ago about being able to survive on $5 a day for food and transport, I couldn’t help but share my own $5 a day experience. While I applaud Bobby Tonelli and Rosalyn Lee for going through the experience for a day, I don’t think their experience even comes close to showing what 105,000 low-income Singapore families have to go through.

I’m not saying that I do either. Only those who live like that on a day-to-day basis really know what it’s like. But I can truthfully say (from the unlikely perspective of an “FT”) that I at least have a much better idea of what they go through after living on $5 a day for a month and a half.

Before the Arrival 

I’ll admit that I was barely surviving as a junior designer with a small agency in California back in 2010. Times were tough, especially after the financial crisis. So yeah, that kinda had something to do with wanting to move overseas. That and my idiotic belief that finding a better job in Asia would be easy.

I’ll also admit that I suck at foreign languages. I took 4 years of Spanish in High School and another year at university and I barely managed to squeak by with a passing grade each time. So finding out that most Singaporeans spoke English was enough to convince me to move there. At least I would be able to spare locals the indignity of butchering their native tongue with my hopeless language skills.

After buying my ticket, scrounging up my savings (about $1,200 US dollars), receiving my EPEC, and booking a hostel, I was all set to go!

Enemy at the Gates 

Contrary to popular belief, most “ang moh” foreigners don’t arrive in Singapore on First Class, walking through the terminal wearing an Armani suit with an SIA stewardess in each arm. Not me anyway. I arrived on a packed China Eastern Airlines flight that had so much turbulence, I was actually praying that it wouldn’t crash.

And when I finally passed through customs, I was wearing an old pair of cargo shorts and a Green Day t-shirt. And the only thing accompanying me was a damn ugly secondhand suitcase I purchased from a pawn shop the week before.

After changing money and taking a cab, I finally arrived at the hostel I booked online the month prior. At $18 a day for a 6-man room, it was the cheapest place I could find. $500 dollars later (for a month’s booking), I was lying on my bed, ignoring the burping Pakistani above me and the horny French couple making out on the bed across from mine.

I was SURE it wouldn’t take more than a month to land a job here…

Well hey, at least sleeping is free.

Idiocy Kills 

As the days went by, I got to know the people around me. Many were Filipinos looking for work just like me, but most of them ended up leaving within two-weeks empty-handed. I struck up a friendship with an Indian national named “Kumar,” who slept on the top bunk opposite mine.

Here was a guy coming from a completely different situation than mine. While I was dealing with a bad economy, he was dealing with a hyper-competitive homeland where top professionals are more or less forced to look elsewhere for employment that pays them more fairly.

While I was acting more like a tourist instead of a serious job-seeker, sending my resume and portfolio to only a few companies in the morning, and sightseeing the rest of the day, he was sending them out nonstop.

After about 3 weeks, that’s when I started to get worried. I had only received one email back and my wallet was getting much lighter. I had completely underestimated how difficult it would be find employment here.

If I could compare my idiocy to anything, it would be to how the British completely underestimated the Imperial Japanese Army during the Battle of Singapore (something I learned from a history-loving cab driver who was kind enough to enlighten me about Singapore history).

The only difference was that my ass was the one getting kicked – by the tough Singapore job market.

By then, I figured that I probably wasn’t going to get a job unless I started being more like Kumar. So I booked another month, leaving me with about $150. I panicked! But Kumar helped me get my act together so I could plan my spending with the money I had left and put my job search into overdrive.

There would be no more food court, fast food, beer, soda, sightseeing, or slacking until I found a job.

But until that happened, my reality turned from tourist/job-seeker, to “Hunger Games” participant. It’s pretty appropriate really, considering I was fighting against hundreds of people for every job posting.

Here’s what I learned from my $5 a day experience:

1. You Will Suffer 

At the time, I was a young, 25-year old in good shape. But making the switch from a lifetime of eating 2 or 3 meals a day to one meal a day at the Indian vegetarian stall downstairs ($2.50-$4.50) was pretty traumatic.

You never really get used to the stomach pains and constant growling that comes from not getting enough to eat.

I would actually buy bread to snack on if I wanted to quiet my stomach temporarily. If I ate particularly cheap one day, I would get myself a jar of jam or kaya to make snack time more flavorful. Kumar would also offer me some of the snacks he had (even though he was on a tight budget too), but I was too full of pride to accept more than half the time.

One thing is for sure, I was definitely was not getting the 2,000 calories nutritionists recommend for daily health.

I wouldn’t say I was starving, but I was losing weight. By time time my hard efforts finally landed the interview that got me my first job in Singapore, I had gone from about 72kg to 65kg.

2. You Will Need Support 

That $150 dollars I had leftover barely lasted me the month. But by then I still had not landed a job, even though I was diligently searching for one.

I was broke. I was hungry. I was f****d.

My foolish hubris had put me in this situation. And I had to find a way to dig myself out of it. I was too far invested in my job search to turn back now. To borrow a line from my least favorite U.S. President, who got us involved in some unnecessary wars; I had to “stay the course.”

I had no choice but to pawn the only other thing of value besides my laptop, which I needed to continue my job search, my beloved Nikon D90 kit. To a designer, having to part from a high-quality camera is like having to eat your precious pet dog to keep from starving.

I guess I should put this under “suffering” too.

Unfortunately, I still had little money to pay for food after using the $500+ I got for my camera to pay for another month at the hostel. That’s when Kumar handed me $100, refusing to take it back because he felt I needed it more. At that moment, $100 had never meant so much to me in my entire life.

He just did what any decent human being would do – no, what any real friend would do.

Luckily, Kumar had just landed a job with an MNC, but was still living in the hostel while he searched for a room to rent. Even luckier, I managed to land my own job a little less than two weeks later.

When I say that you need support, I’m not just talking about money, I’m also talking about having good friends who can see you through tough situations.

3. You Will Change Your Perspective 

My perspective on what needy individuals in Singapore have to endure is different from most because I wasn’t playing a $5 a day “game” that trivializes the experience. I actually went through it long enough to experience the real pain that comes with living at the “poverty” level.

When I look back, several things about living on $5 a day in Singapore become very apparent:

• The Cost of Living is Ridiculously High: If you’re living at the “poverty” level, your daily expenses are already so tight that any small rise in the cost of food, housing, or transportation will have major consequences on your finances.

• Everyday Purchases Become Luxuries: Many of the purchases you make on a daily basis such as that cup of Starbucks, Big Mac combo, potato chips, bubble tea, or even a $1.00 can of Coke become luxuries that you cannot afford.

• Your Food Choices are Limited: Fish and meat go from being daily meals to only being served on “special” occasions. Rice, bread, and noodles make up 90% of your diet and price becomes the major determining factor in choosing what to buy.

• Your Clothing Choices are Limited: Branded clothing becomes a thing of the past. Even plain, mid-tier brands are out of budget. You either have to rely on used clothing purchased from Salvation Army or on low- to mid-quality clothing from Geylang or Bugis Street. 

It’s been almost 4 years since I went through the experience. But the lessons I learned from it continue to influence my financial decisions and perspective on life in Singapore, especially when you consider that there’s a world of difference between living on a $5 a day budget and doubling it to $10 (which is my everyday budget).

But the sobering fact remains that while getting a job was all I needed to get out of my situation, there are many people out there who don’t have the choices or opportunities I had. And they’re stuck with $5 a day not for a month and a half like I was, but a lifetime.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read my story.

-Steve "

http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/think-surviving-5-day-easy-160000547.html