Babies

Our government finally decide to get tough on our baby problems.

It's approach?

1. Encouraging marriage and parenthood
2. Engaging and bonding with overseas Singaporeans
3. Attracting foreigners to become Permanent Residents (PRs) or Singapore citizens.

Strangely enough, the 1030 words article had 80% of it on point 3.

I guess they had given up on point 1 after cracking their head over it for so many years. Point 2, well if someone had decided to undergo the tedious process of uprooting and move away I think it must have came with a lot of thought and planning. So most likely it won't be repeated to reverse the whole thing. (Any idea how many Singaporeans migrate out per year?)

So new intake it shall be.

Personally I have no issues with foreigners. Our ancestors all were and even if the current ones are here merely for stepping stone purpose, their daily expenses would concertedly contribute somewhat to our economy.

But just look at us. Our ancestors were immigrants. They copulate like nobody business(My grandma had 10 children and I heard this is only quite average) and gave birth to our parents. (I only have one sister).

See the funnelling effect? Now that it's my turn, I can't even fathom the thought of having even one child.

So hypothetically, the son's and daughter's of these new immigrants would eventually adopt my current mindset.

A vicious cycle.

So point 1 is really the symptom that should focus on and correct the cause, whereas point 2 is more of a sustaining issue. No point giving birth to a dozen with 11 of them opting to migrate out.

Is it so hard to realise why people are not giving birth? It's not that we don't want to. It's that we can't afford to.

No point in giving incentives to breed. Just like raising the bus fares permanently and give us a paltry ERS or NSS to pacify. It will only distract us but the problem of higher travelling expenses won't be solved. And if you don't do your sum right, it will smack you right in the face in time to come.

And giving more birth incentives ain't going to make people suddenly go," Oh man! I gotta quickly have 4 kids! Must.earn.that.incentives."

If so, then I think we have a bigger problems on hand. Stupidity.

Back to School

Urgh~~!

Tonight is my 2nd lesson of a year long accounting diploma programme. My first lesson was two days ago and I had to kick it off by entering and even sitting down in the wrong classroom. So paisay.

Retaking econs and financial accounting again sure ain't fun. It didn't seemed that bad when I submit the application form but actual thing always suck 10 times. Which is the main reason why I opt out of the upcoming Safra half-marathon.

Had wanted it to be a personal milestone but I thrash the forms. But still, it represent a baby-step for me coz I actually ask for the form this year. Next year I might even *gasp* fill it up!

2 years ago during my, I was one of the youngest in the classroom. And always depend on those older uncle, auntie to help us with the notes photocopying, etc.

Come to the present, I became those uncle! *face-palm*. I think minus me, the average age of my class is 21 perhaps? I shall keep my age a secret from the rest. If anyone asked, er.., I just turned 22.

National Day Rally's Speech

Did anyone try to catch this year's NDP Rally's Speech? Oh man, this must be the boring-est NDP Rally speech I have ever endured.

I had to flip over to the match between Man U and Fulham to keep myself awake.

The reiteration(or nagging) of what we already know. Invite foreigners, make more babies, take whatever jobs we can come across. I'm surprised he didn't rally for more Singaporeans to become entrepreneurs.

Maybe he did but I was distracted by Rooney's 2nd goal.

And like what most people predicted, yes no freebies this year (The GE was just over, what you expect). We might be having free internet but you gotta wait a few years.

It reminds me of the motivational speech we had from this speaker during high school. Oh he's good. Really make you reflect and think about making changes to your life. But just like orgasm, it lasted only so long (or til he steps out). Then it's business as usual.

And I think the same problems were mentioned last year which makes me wonder what were the government doing last year.

Before I be labelled another whiney Singaporeans who doesn't provide constructive suggestions, here's one. Rental is way too high. Even hawker has to raise prices. Add ripple effects, everything also become expensive. Everything but our salary (strangely).

And those people that they interview about their feedbacks on the speech:

Oh, I didn't know this or that was so important/existed until the speech.

Hmmm. Must they interview people who just wake up after the speech and gives just brainless replies. It's like they never read the news at all for the past year.

Or their mind was still on that Rooney's 2nd goal....

Marriage Quotes

Many a man owes his success to his first wife and his second wife to his success. - Jim Backus

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste. - David Bissonette

I've sometimes thought of marrying, and then I've thought again. - Noel Coward, 1956

A man is incomplete until he is married. After that, he is finished. - Zsa Zsa Gabor

I'm an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house. - Zsa Zsa Gabor

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. - Sacha Guitry

Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside desperate to get out. - Montaigne

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together. -- Hemant Joshi

Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering.

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.

Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.

Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. After marriage, the 'Y'becomes silent.

Easier credit may not lead to overspending? Sure?

Easier credit may not lead to overspending

Aug 15, 2006
The Straits Times

I REFER to the concerns expressed in the letters by Mr Leong Sze Hian and Madam Chan Wai Han on the proposal to lower the minimum pay for bank loans (ST, Aug 11).

The proposal to lower the minimum income requirement for personal credit from $30,000 to $20,000 may not necessarily lead to overspending.

Even now, those with annual income of less than $30,000 can borrow from other sources, such as GE Money, which charges interest rates as high as 18 per cent.

On the other hand, some banks offer loans at a much lower interest rate than 18 per cent. Hence, borrowers may actually gain from a better rate if the minimum-income requirement is reduced.

In addition, setting the minimum annual income at $30,000 denies a substantial majority of the working population access to unsecured credit granted by financial institutions. This group of individuals may have a legitimate need for unsecured credit which, at modest levels, they would be able to afford.

Also, even at this lower threshold, not all will have access to easy credit, as approximately 44 per cent of those employed full-time will continue to be ineligible for unsecured credit as they earn less than $20,000 a year.

Credit often has a negative connotation but the truth is that credit, while a double-edged sword, can be a useful instrument to manage our purchases. However, before taking up a loan to purchase something, we should ask ourselves the following:

Do we really need it? Or is it something that we merely want?

Are there cheaper alternatives?

Must we buy it now?

If we decide that it is something we really need, we should assess if we need to borrow to purchase it. We will be better off saving up and paying in cash to save on interest charges. Alternatively, we could take a smaller loan so that we do not overstretch ourselves financially.

We should look at the total borrowing costs, including the total interest payable. We should borrow only if we are sure that we can afford the loan payments.

Jag Kuo Soon Yong

I'm not sure where Jag Kuo was when the following article came out in CNA. With min income requirement at $30k, we already have 471 Singaporeans with $34mil. Somehow I can't think of anyway this figure will improve should the min income requirement be relaxed to $20k.

The truth is if you need credit to buy something you can't bloody afford, you shouldn't be buying in the first place. Even if it's on interest-free instalments, it will just make you think that you have surplus to spend on even more things.

Yes, you can blame it on the holders' ill-discipline but the card companies are surely also aware of it by coming up with ways and means to encourage you to swipe their Visa and Cashline.

Our ever materialism social conditioning doesn't help. We are still not taught money management in school.

So what makes Jag Kuo think lowering $30k to $20k would not lead to more overspending???

Title	:	Credit counselling organisation helps Singaporeans restructure debts
By	:
Date	:	27 October 2005 1748 hrs (SST)
URL	:	http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/175597/1/.html

SINGAPORE : Not-for-profit organisation Credit Counselling Singapore has helped 471 Singaporeans restructure their debts amounting to some S$34 million.

But it said this could just be the tip of the iceberg, as rollover credit in Singapore has nearly doubled in five years to S$2.7 billion this year.

Forty-three-year-old "David" found himself drowning in debts amounting to S$200,000 five years ago, after his credit card bills snowballed.

He said, "My work involved a lot of traveling, so I spent it outside. My company does reimburse me, but my mistake was that I sometimes didn't pay promptly."

Not wanting to be declared bankrupt, he started driving a taxi part-time and with the help of credit counselling, restructured his debt with seven banks.

He now has some S$40,000 to repay and no longer carries a credit card.

David represents a typical debtor in Singapore -- male, between 35 and 45 years, with a family, and an average debt of S$72,500.

His average take-home pay is S$2,600, which means he would need 28 months to pay off his debt, at S$1,500, or nearly 60 percent of his income, monthly.

Besides ease of credit, car loans are an increasing problem, as they are cheaper to buy upfront but not cheap to maintain.

Credit counsellors call this group of debtors the "new poor" -- they earn more than the bottom 20 percent but after deducting their loan repayments, their little remaining disposable income sometimes puts them in dire situations.

Some can't downgrade their flats as they can't get another housing loan due to poor payment records.

Others have even pleaded with their banks not to deduct their loans directly from their salaries credited as they would not have enough to feed the family.

But while they acknowledge individuals are responsible for their debt, they say creditors should also go by an ethical code of conduct, and not make incessant calls.

Said Kuo How Nam of Credit Counselling Singapore, "The other practice we would like to see stopped would be letters from lawyers to the debtors' employers asking about particulars. This actually forces the debtor to reveal the state of his indebtedness to the company, and in many instances, companies are rather unhappy over that, and some people have been threatened with termination of employment."

A total of 940 people have been counselled since 2003, but some walk away with debts too huge to be restructured. - CNA /ct

Up, up and away~~~!

I really have no idea why they even bother to check with those commuters. Typically what will happen next is a group of good writers will have their letters published on the ST Forum, voicing their dissent against the price hike.

A few days later PTC,SBS,SMRT will reply and insist that the formular is fair, the oil prices are going up, etc.

Next, everyone still have to fork out that extra few cents. And there will surely be a few(ST will make it seemed like the majority) who actually favour the hike.

I really hope they could just do away with these yearly event. Please, save us the time and trouble. Just one time jia lat jia lat one. Sure, it will be more painful but at least it's only once.

Yah, people will make bigger noise but so? As if our "noise" has ever affected any decision.

Postnote: As I predicted, the first letter came out, titled "No reason to raise fare". Got reason what. The reason is to make more money lor.

SBS Transit and SMRT apply for bus, train fare hikes

It is confirmed. Both SBS Transit and SMRT have applied to the Public Transport Council to increase their bus and train fares.

The application came just hours before the deadline to do so expired at the end of Tuesday.

The proposals for the fare hikes, if accepted by the PTC, will be announced next month and will kick in by October.

This year, there has been a slight change in the dates.

The deadline to apply for adjustments was pushed back from May to August because the PTC said it needed time to implement changes to the Act, such as introducing new service standards.

Fuel costs have been rising for the two big bus companies, by as much as over 40 percent just in the last year.

SBS Transit says that diesel is its second biggest cost item after manpower.

So it has decided to ask for a fare increase after much deliberation.

With the formula imposing a 1.7 percent cap, SBS Transit says that most adults travelling on its buses and trains would see a one-cent to two-cent increase in fares.

If the maximum is approved, that will yield SBS Transit almost $10 million a year.

SMRT is also planning an increase averaging two cents, affecting mainly adult and senior citizen stored-value EZ-Link cards.

In many ways, the fare increase was widely expected.

When the new formula for calculating fare increases kicked in last year, the government said small and regular increases were preferred to big jumps every few years.

So, fare adjustments will probably be annual affairs now.

And both SBS Transit and SMRT have already hinted they would do so.

Both companies also say that they are mindful of the problems the fare increase would impose on the not so well off.

Hence student fares and concession passes will be unaffected.

Both companies will also have funding schemes for the lower income groups to offset any burden posed by fare increases.

But will commuters accept these arguments?

"They have the reason for raising their fares. Because of the oil.....they have to have a coverage. So I think it is ok," said a commuter.

"First, it was the oil price increase, and then the bus fares, and then the taxi fares. It all came so suddenly. It's not the amount, it's like all at once. It kind of adds up for us," said another.

"What will be, will be. But when fare increases, there will be upgrading of services and it's useful for upgrading," said a third commuter.

"Students, older people and the poor people would probably need more help," said a fourth.

The new head of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, Cedric Foo, told Channel NewsAsia that the companies should also consider discounted rates for poor school children, off-peak rates for retirees and issuing a limited number of free passes for the unemployed who need to commute for job interviews. - CNA/ir

Naked boss

This is interesting, considering that I chair a sales team meeting every week.

But of all the things that you can day dream about, why your boss naked? What if your boss is a old hag with wrinkled skin? There goes the lunch appetite.

When did you last imagine your boss naked?

27 July 2006 12:21

Nearly half of workers (47%) imagine their boss naked to get through boring meetings, according to research into what staff think about when they should be paying attention.

The survey of 4,000 adults identified the top 10 preoccupations that workers are most likely to have during business meetings. Sex came on top with 57% of respondents saying this was their favourite subject for daydreaming, the poll for Sky TV revealed.

There were notable variations between men and women. While a similar percentage admitted to thinking about sex, more than half of men admitted they have imagined having sex with a co-worker (58%), compared with just 21% of women.

A quarter (26%) of women admitted to staring at colleagues with a discerning eye for fashion, paying more attention to what colleagues were wearing than their sexual attractiveness.

Women were most likely to be planning their next holiday (33%) or their evening meal (29%) whereas men were more likely to be planning their TV viewing (27%) or thinking about household bills that need to be paid (16%).

The survey also noted the concentration levels of different professions. Lawyers rated themselves as the most professional with 100% of respondents reporting that their concentration in meetings was high or very high.

Those working in sales rated their concentration as the lowest with 22% admitting that they pay little attention during meetings and always drift off.

Teachers and those working in the media were the most likely to be thinking about sex, with 27% reliving their most recent night of passion and a further 10% planning a future sexual encounter.

Membersof the Police or Fire Services were the most likely to be dreaming about sex with the boss or a colleague (51%), followed by accountants (34%) and engineers (21%).

Regional differences were also apparent. London workers were most likely to be dreaming about having sex with the boss or a colleague (13%), while those in Scotland were most likely to be planning their next holiday (33%) or preoccupied with office politics or gossip (31%). Nearly half of Welsh workers (47%) daydream about being at home watching TV.

Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University said the research showed that long, boring meetings are neither productive nor inspiring.

“The best way to keep all minds focused is to keep meetings short and to the point, with plenty of interaction between participants,” he said.

Author: Michael Millar

Inline skating

I was at East Coast Park on Saturday waiting for my wife to join me for dinner. I was beside the beginner's rink,  watching & admiring people rollerblading, and there are people blading along the park too.

It was about 12 years ago when I first picked up this sport. Roller blade was just introduced (or invented even) and there was only one brand - Rollerblade. I got my first pair and it cost about 400 bucks.

Yes, it was a killer price tag when one is 15 years old.

But I never regretted it. Whenever I put it on, I just feel so "free". Gliding along places you would otherwise never discover. I had even went blading alone in the wee hours from Tampines to Pasir Ris. Via the highway somemore. Somehow the possibilty of me tripping and rolling down the road never occured to me.

Anyway, it stoked my passion for blading again on Saturday. I realised it is the one sport that I truly enjoy and need not go through the frustration of coordination(football).

So I've decided. I'm going to pursue this to the next level. I'm going to get myself certified.

And this should keep me occupied enough to stop grumbling about how boring my life is for sometime.

Lessons anyone?