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Showing posts from June, 2013

Hello Kitty Craze? More Like Herd Mentality

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Source The article mentions the S$126,000 black Hello Kitty bid on ebay. I don't think anybody with a functioning brain would pay for that, more like the seller was a victim of fake bidding. I did a search on ebay sorted by highest price first, I laughed at what was presented in front of me... Ridiculous Now let's sort by lowest price first... Still ridiculous The lowest price is S$12.50, the toy was originally priced at S$4.60 by McDonald's, it is now 171% more expensive, ultra-inflated pricing, but still, there are 9 bidders, it might even go higher since there's still about 2 days before the bid ends. Look at this, S$155.50 with 3 bids... Would you pay S$155.50 for a soft toy? I wonder if the bidder will honor the deal since there are cheaper deals available. Let's be realistic, there's really nothing attractive about this soft toy, obviously profiteers have a good reason, but why the heck then would everyone else queue for it? Ever no

Foreign Spouse Support Group (FSSG) - Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants & Itinerant People (ACMI)

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Source FSSG was formed by ACMI on Jun 15 2013, and ACMI is a catholic organisation powered by volunteers and donations and their aim is to help foreigners in Singapore; yes, they also provide assistance to foreign spouse of Singaporeans. First thing that came to my mind after I read the article was, do we need to convert to catholic before we get help? So I went to ACMI's website and saw this section, ACMI TRAINING CENTRE COURSES & REGISTRATION (TERM 2) 2013 Submitted by acmi on 5 June, 2013 - 11:56 Our training centre centre provides skills training and re-integration courses for foreign domestic workers with valid work permits, regardless of nationality and religion . Location: Blk A, 98 Hougang Ave 8, S’pore 538791 Phone No: 6284 8797 or email: tc@acmi.org.sg So they are providing courses regardless of nationality and religion, so how much does it cost? So I read through their course brochure, ACMI Course Fees So the courses are around S$90 to S$100, th

Interesting IQ Test

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QuickIQTest.net - IQ Test You have reached  10  points and your IQ is:  117   IQ Score Table Points Level IQ Range Description 20 Genius 140+ You are probably a genius. 16 - 19 Gifted 130 - 139 You have a unique imagination and logical mind. 10 - 15 Above average 115 - 129 You have a good imagination and logical mind. 6 - 9 Higher average 102 - 114 You have an average imagination and logical mind. 3 - 5 Lower average 90 - 101 0 - 2 Below average 70 - 89 You have a below average imagination and logical mind. I got 117 according to the website, guess I'm not as stupid as I think I am haha... Go ahead and try, but don't take it too seriously, if you get a low score it doesn't mean the end of the world, the website says that IQ can be improved, I think maybe lazy people would get low points, but it doesn't mean that they are stupid, some smart people are just lazy to think, and I know such people.

Going Well at The Gynaecologist

We went to see the gynae today, he said the pregnancy is looking very good, he did a ultrascan for my wife and I can see that the egg is much bigger now, it's about 8.5 weeks old and I can see the heartbeat, it's a white coloured patch and it's pulsating, I was happy at that moment when he said "very good". Then the doctor arranged for us to see a blood doctor on 26 Jul, not really sure what it's for but no harm getting more checks, I just want everything to go well. Finally the doctor prescribed more Enoxaparin and that's about it, can go home. Today's spending: S$69.55 for repeat consultation under consultant. S$105.90 for 7 days of LMWH; 14 syringes.

Degree Holder Earn S$1000 More, Maybe

Source The poly grad is saying a degree holder earns S$1000 more, at least in the financial industry. Looking at my own salary, I think it don't just apply to financial, I'm in the IT line. If I didn't have a degree, my salary now would probably be S$2300, but I'm now drawing S$3300. But it really depends on which industry, which company and the company size, and if your working in a big company, a degree is a must have, and it makes a lot of difference in terms of salary, and it also helps a lot with promotion, but of course I'm not saying it's a sure win ticket, work performance is important too, can't expect the employer to employ only the paper. For small companies, I don't think they really care much about your qualification as long as you can solve their problems, but of course, don't expect a high salary. I think it's good to think hard before going for that degree, and if money is not a problem, no harm having it, but if you are like

Semb Corp Industries Lingered at S$4.8x

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I was thinking maybe it would go down to S$4.7x, well it did but the lowest was S$4.79. Then something else caught my eye, I saw SATS at S$3.11, was thinking maybe I should get 1 lot since they are going to give out a S$100 dividend in Aug 2013, and I was busy at work, came back and bam, S$3.20, what the heck. Anyway, the federal stimulus thing is really annoying, I think the fed people wanted to stop the stimulus because the US economy is improving, it's like taking life support off a person who no longer needs it, which sounds like a good idea, but it's a bad idea to the stock market so that's why most investors reacted negatively to that and caused most markets to tumble. I don't know why but I keep getting the feeling that it's mostly american investors that are selling off stocks, I think by the time they finish with their selling, it would be a good time to buy, which I don't know when. I'll see how, I have the cash now, I can take my own sweet ti

Should I Buy Stocks With My Spare Cash Now?

Nowadays the market seems to always close low, seems like a good chance to buy, I am especially looking at Semb Corp Industries, since I bought 1 lot at S$5.15 earlier, it's been devaluing and today it close at S$4.80, seems like a good chance to average down. I think I can spare S$5000, maybe I should start queuing tomorrow, maybe aim at S$4.70.

Got a Great Bonus and Increment

I was expecting at most 2 months of bonus and 3% salary increment, and I got 3.2 months of bonus and 5.4% increment instead. Our company had a good financial year, and I think it's really nice of them to give back to employees. I also think it's nice of them to answer the government's call to increase employees salary, although I don't really fall under the low-income bracket, but I have my wife dependent on me, furthermore she's now pregnant, and she's a foreigner so everything is going to be very costly. I was still worrying about the coming medical bills so this big "ang pao" is really going to help. Finally a load off my mind, I think I can focus more on my job, it's not easy having to worry about things at work and at home. And since I have 1.2 months extra, probably see what stock I can get with it, always invest the extra cash!

Indonesia Says Singapore Behaving Like a Child Over Haze

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I woke up this morning and it's back, checked the PSI reading and it's 292. Yesterday night was ok, back to the 100 mark, wonder what happened this morning while I was asleep. I checked the news and saw this article heading that can seriously piss off any Singaporean. Source Indonesia says S'pore 'behaving like a child' over haze "Singapore should not be behaving like a child and making all this noise," Agung Laksono, the minister who is coordinating Indonesia's response to the haze crisis, told reporters in Jakarta. "This is not what the Indonesian nation wants, it is because of nature." The minister for people's welfare also said Jakarta would reject any offer of financial aid from Singapore unless it was a large amount. "Unless (Singapore) wants to give us a large amount, we won't consider accepting it," he said. "If it is only half a million, or one million dollars, we don't need that. We would rather

Didn't Get Any Notice to Pay Income Tax

I remember last year around the month of May, I received a notice to make payment for income tax but this year, it's already June and I haven't got any notice. I just logged into mytax.iras.gov.sg and I can see that my income tax is S$0.00, which is good. Last year I paid about S$117 or S$107, can't remember. It was annoying because I already paid so much GST, transport hikes, price inflation of goods, just about the price of everything went up last year. I wish my salary can grow as fast as our inflation but it will never happen, never ever, that's why everybody is complaining. I think the biggest inflation is at housing and cars. Now that they have changed the loan rules, cars have suddenly become unaffordable for many people, but I think it's ok because Singapore is not a big place, it's very possible to get around without a car, but note that it's not because our public transport system is awesome, it's simply because Singapore is tiny. If you put

Too Hazy, No Mood to Post...

Sigh, when will it ever end... at first it's still kind of interesting, we haven't got any big thing going on for a while so the record-breaking haze was really quite fresh, but it gets really irritating fast, my eyes feel so dry, I had to try to breathe as little as possible, maybe a mask would help but still it hurts my eyes. At least rain a bit...

Singapore Urged Indonesia to Provide Company Names That Allow Slash-And-Burn Farming

Yesterday I read on a blog or Facebook post, can't remember where but it was saying that Indonesia was blaming Singapore and Malaysia for the haze, they were saying that it was companies from both countries which started the fires due to slash-and-burn practice in farming. The following news seems to prove what I read was right because I thought it was ridiculous to blame other countries for fires in their own country, I thought it was just another troll post because it sounds so stupid. Source Singapore's worst air pollution sparks tension Updated  2013-06-19 16:53:36 Singapore's worst air pollution in 16 years sparked diplomatic tension on Tuesday, as the city-state urged Indonesia to provide data on company names and concession maps to enable it to act against plantation firms that allow slash-and-burn farming. Don't you think it's stupid? Even if it was companies from other countries which started the fires, they are still within Indonesia's legis

PSI Reading Flew Through The Roof!

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What the heck! 290! A bicycle almost ran into me when I was walking home just now, vision is poor, my eyes felt dry and irritated, I think everyone out there feels the same. Oh no... I am very curious what is going on in Sumatra, for such a high reading, what exactly is the damage? Let's see if I can find anything... PSI and PM2.5 Readings 3-hour PSI Readings from 12AM to 12AM on 19 Jun 2013 Time 12AM 1AM 2AM 3AM 4AM 5AM 6AM 7AM 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 3-hr PSI 134 - - - - - 77 78 80 84 91 103 Time 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM 8PM 9PM 10PM 11PM 3-hr PSI 124 152 170 172 158 146 144 161 190 290 - - Hourly updates of 3-hr PSI readings are provided from 6am to 12midnight. The 3hr PSI readings are calculated based on PM10 concentrations only. - See more at: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/anti-pollution-radiation-protection/air-pollution/psi/psi-and-pm2-5-readings#sthash.UjfZdrk1.dpuf I managed to find this satelite image from Meteorological Service Singapore website, it wa

The Haze Seems to Have Weakened

But when is it going to go away completely? The reading tonight looks okay, but seems to be increasing, and that irritating smell is still lingering everywhere, I had to hold my breath several times when I was walking home just now. My wife is also developing phlegm, I think she might get sick sooner or later. PSI and PM2.5 Readings 3-hour PSI Readings from 12AM to 12AM on 18 Jun 2013 Time 12AM 1AM 2AM 3AM 4AM 5AM 6AM 7AM 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 3-hr PSI 145 - - - - - 109 106 108 115 121 123 Time 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM 8PM 9PM 10PM 11PM 3-hr PSI 114 104 95 90 85 81 82 88 97 - - - Hourly updates of 3-hr PSI readings are provided from 6am to 12midnight. The 3hr PSI readings are calculated based on PM10 concentrations only. - See more at: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/anti-pollution-radiation-protection/air-pollution/psi#sthash.UsfbYnVm.dpuf I'm wondering when they are burning the forest, do they ever think of the impact, they have got such a huge land area, so much

Markings at MRT Station Won't Work

Source Maybe it will in other countries, but not in Singapore, and I can guarantee that. Most people here simply don't give a damn, when they want to go in, they WILL go in, and it's not like we don't already have markings, yeah maybe people will behave before the train arrives but when it does, look at those animals, hungry for seats or rushing to paradise, be it old, young, professional, blue-collar, the most disgusting are those well-dressed animals, some are even good looking women, just look at how they squeeze their asses into the train, unsightly. But nowadays I do notice people forming queues at Raffles Place, starting to spread to City Hall and Tanjong Pagar, I have to say there are still people who are willing to do everything in an orderly manner, which is commendable, but there are always those few idiots who ruin the whole show, people queue up, these idiots walk into the middle like nobody's business. Or look at our bus terminals, don't we have t

Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) Reading Hits the Roof!

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This morning when I went to work, I noticed that the haze seems slightly thicker than previous weeks and during lunch time, it got so much thicker. The worst part is when I left my office at around 6.15pm, I felt like I was in the movie "The Mist", the burnt smell in the air is unbearable, there's simply no where to hide. When I reached home, I checked the PSI Reading and the result was quite shocking. PSI and PM2.5 Readings 3-hour PSI Readings from 12AM to 12AM on 17 Jun 2013 Time 12AM 1AM 2AM 3AM 4AM 5AM 6AM 7AM 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 3-hr PSI - - - - - - - 56 56 55 57 64 Time 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM 8PM 9PM 10PM 11PM 3-hr PSI 80 95 100 105 111 110 111 117 140 - - - - See more at: http://app2.nea.gov.sg/anti-pollution-radiation-protection/air-pollution/psi#sthash.0UeAxzZA.dpuf Look at the 8PM reading, 140! I better stay at home tonight, that kind of haze can kill people. But I keep thinking where in the world did all this smoke come from, d

Got a Good Performance Rating from My Superior

Our rating ranges from Poor, Average, Good, Very Good and Excellent and I managed to get Good for this year, and it's the same as last year. Good news is, last year I got 2.5 months performance bonus, which was above my expectation. Actually last year I was expecting a maximum of 2 months so 2.5 was really nice. I hope I can get 2.5 again as it will really help with paying for my wife's pregnancy.

Why Are Some People So Oblivious to Their Surroundings?

Why? Is it because they don't give a damn or they simply didn't notice or what, they are on drugs? I don't expect them to grow eyes on their back but is it that difficult to turn your head and take a glance? Just look at escalators, I thought it's a general consensus that if one is not moving, keep to the left and leave the right side free for people who wish to move on faster? Does it even make any sense when your the only one standing on the right and blocking the entire path? Or worse still, there exists some idiots who will stand right in the middle, put their hands on the handrails on both sides, what the heck? And talking about escalators, those at MRT comes to my mind, those of you who have been to Tampines MRT station after office hours should know it's very crowded, when the train doors open, everybody will rush out to the escalators, some even sprint, now my question is, why the rush? I know maybe some of them are really in a rush to settle something, I

Finally My Aircon is Fixed (I Hope!)

Yesterday those Gain City guys came again, did the welding thing, but this time,  they opened up the compressor and took out the mainboard, the guy said there's a leak inside, so he went on to plug it, he took more than an hour. After the servicing, it worked well yesterday night. Today when I came home, I was expecting the worse, I thought the aircon will probably stop working again and to my surprise, it's still alive! I hope it doesn't break down again...

This Gain City Really Cannot Make it

Yesterday they came to fix my aircon gas leak problem, we waited one month just for that, their customer service staff and their technician promised it'll all be fixed once and for all, guess what, yeah we did enjoy ONE night of cooling and tonight, it's not cold again. WOW. So what are they going to say now, they came up with all sorts of excuse to delay the servicing and when the time comes, they didn't really fix it, I thought they said they will order spare part, yesterday they only did welding, what the heck? If anyone reading this is thinking of buying from Gain City, well, we did enjoy coolness for almost two years, but unfortunately it had to break down, and when it breaks down, the after sales support felt like non-existent, yeah they do answer your calls, respond to your mail, but they just cannot fix the problem. So if you want to buy, you better pray hard it doesn't break down. Now I'm going to look at the servicing agreement and see what I c

Appointment at SGH O&G High Risk Clinic Again

Today we went back to the HRC and wow, there seems to be more and more people attending to our case. There were 5 doctors and 2 nurses, seems like a really big deal. Anyway, they did the usual thing, ask how my wife is, so I told them she's feeling nauseous all the time and the senior doctor said it's normal due to hormonal changes and it's a good sign. I also told them about the dark red blood that stained my wife's pantyliner, at first one of the nurses looked worried when I said it happened everyday and I tried to tell them it's not really a lot of blood, it's just one thick red line. I thought it's normal because I did a research on the internet and found that it happened to many pregnant women in their first trimester but I found it difficult to say it out, I mean the pantyliner and blood, just so weird. So they quickly put my wife on the ultrascan, I think they did the usual electronic penis thing but I'm not sure as this time round, I was sittin

How to Properly Dispose Used Syringe

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Source 1. Put it into a used plastic bottle. 2. Seal the bottle when it's full. 3. Mark the bottle with a label stating "Used syringes and needles". 4. Throw bottle into rubbish chute.

Why Do We Have Cash-Over-Valuation (COV)?

Because prior to the introduction of COV, sellers must sell according to valuation price, and this makes them unhappy when the valuation price doesn't match their expectation, so they resort to taking under-table money i.e. whoever willing to pay extra gets the deal. But such practice distorts data, it doesn't reflect actual selling price correctly so our government cannot tax correctly, or you can also say that they will earn lesser. Then some smart person decided to implement COV to stop all the under-table deals and as we know now, it works as intended. COV has been around for a long time now, long enough to drastically bring up the prices of resale flats in Singapore, countless people have been buying and selling, so many change of hands, and with every change of hands, the price goes up, but some people may argue that there were also cases where flats were sold below or at valuation i.e. no COV. But how many such cases? Obviously it doesn't matter, just look at the c

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