多寻欢乐少寻烦之寺

As created by a friend.

人生在世本不易
世上愁事有万千
开心的事常回忆
痛苦的事早忘记
人生短短几十年
多寻欢乐少寻烦
别跟自己过不去

Erm.. I will need weeks or months to write a short one myself.

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Fengshui forecast for the Rooster in the year 2010

The ROOSTER - Good year

Intro: There are 2 lucky stars and 4 bad ones.

The combination of bad stars will create obstacles for you at work though there are the presence of some good stars. Luckily, most roosters are positive looking and hence they would be able to clear whatever hurdles. Work hard this year and the year will pass, smoothly. There is a possibility of a hidden enemy at work.

Health:

Your health is average and you may catch a flu early in the year and can be quite bad. Take care of your bones and lungs. Go jogging or do deep breathing exercises each morning to circulate the qi in your body.

Money & Work:

There is money luck for you but they tend to fluctuate, sometimes have windfall sometimes nothing. This is not a good year for you to change job.

Surprised one's memory can be that good

I am surprised how good the memory of a friend of mine is.

Million times superior than mine.

Felt betrayed today

:(

Secured NOL at $1.87 per share

Hopefully Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) will not disappoint me.

Research on stock brings me no conclusion

Sigh.. Many seems to have risen quite a lot.

Types of Insurance and Coverage (Part 1)

Explanation on the types of insurance and coverage in layman terms. This first part focuses on Term Insurance and Endowment.

Types of Insurance and Coverage (Part 1) [via]

Singapore government donates US$50,000 for Haiti

The Singapore government is proud to announce donation of US$50,000 for Haiti earthquake victims.

Mr Brown is quick to highlight an article on the Straits Times on the donation.

He pointed out the very thin red line in relative to the obviously longer ones, that represented the Singapore Government's donation to the earthquake victims of Haiti. I wonder if this is Straits Times' subtle way of criticising the government. LOL!

Singapore Government donates whopping US$50,000 for Haiti relief efforts [via]

信心回来了！

我终于找回自己的信心了吧。

2010年的第一天，我告诉自己再也不能像这几个月懒懒散散，失去人生目标的我了。以前富有自信上进心的宏俊在哪了？

虽然给自己的第一个任务考PMP文凭实现了成绩不是说很理想，但这已能给失去方向的我一个很好的开始。成绩平平就满足了吗？不！

人生如果没有起有落就不是人生了吧。每个人都会有低潮的时候。世界一直都在变不是吗？回想看看这世界有更多千千万万的人过得比我辛苦的，我真的算很信服了。例如，海地（Haiti）的大地震而留下万人无家可归，失去亲人悲惨的命运，我算什么嘛。有什么比生死更大？

如果要过一条河，因该想办法如何过还是去逃避呢？与其绕个大圈走冤枉路再倒退建桥过河，不如现在就做好决定面对吧。

前几天，我托一位朋友帮我查在柔佛新山哪里有可靠的租车公司，我真的想一人在没有忙忙碌碌城市生活的空间好好的反省。我那位朋友说了一句 “let me be your passenger” 感动了我。回想那时的我真的很冲动很可笑。是我吗？

这句《自己的路是自己走的》老套的话大家都知道，可是真的去应用它不是件容易的事。我一向来都相信一人若是有决心，有目标并能胜任。以前的我是这样，将来的我也一定做得到。

我已铺好我该走的路了。除了刚快把书念完，我也想考几张门课，为我很有可能转行当理工学院讲师或中小学老师的心愿前进。当然理工学院讲师还是首选的选择吧。

放马过来吧！

You are a PMP in good standing

I am still so so happy :)
But the certificate will only reach me 8 weeks later.

Dear Hon Chun Loh,

Congratulations on obtaining the PMP credential.

You will receive your certificate package within eight weeks. At your earliest convenience, please verify that your preferred mailing address is correct by visiting our website at PMI.org

Your examination score report is available at https://www.pmi.org/certapp/. Until you receive your certificate package, you may use this score report to validate your credential status. You may also access the policies and procedures necessary to maintain your credential in the credential handbook.

Please contact us at customercare@pmi.org if you have questions or concerns.

Thank you,

PMI Customer Care

The next step will be how do I maintain my credentials and make sure it is renewable every year. Erm..

One-time lucky today

I have to admit it was sheer luck to pass today's exam paper. Without luck, I wouldn't have passed two papers in as many weeks.

All in all, I spent only less than 24 hours preparing for today's 4 hours 200 MCQs paper. My preparation hours were clocked on trains while travelling and a full night before the lucky day.

The paper is categorised into six domain areas and out of the six, I scored "Moderately proficient" (average) for five and "Below proficient" (below average) for one of them.

Phew!

Improving my Chinese - First Step

My first step in improving my Chinese.

1. Google Translate

To translate English to Chinese vice versa.

汉语拼音 > Bopomofo
http://translate.google.com/#zh-CN|en|%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E6%8B%BC%E9%9F%B3

2. Chinese Pronunciation Tool

To come out with hanyu pinyin of Chinese characters.

汉语拼音 > hànyǔpīnyīn
http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/pinyin.html

Madness in the stock market today

WOW! There seems to be a correction going on in the stock market today. An opportunity coming?

Google threatens to leave China after attacks on activists' e-mail

Google threatens to leave China after attacks on activists' e-mail [via]

Short getaway?

Any budget place to visit during the Chinese New Year short break? Erm.. Thinking of planning one from 13 to 16 Feb 2010 if there is a place somewhere that is affordable.

Short ones: Bali, Ho Chi Minh, Siem Reap, Hanoi, Bangkok, or ...? Hmm... But all look ex.

Unsubscribed 19 out of 45 subscribed RSS feeds

Made a decision to unsubscribed several RSS feeds to reduce the number of articles to read everyday. That's the first thing I did early in the morning. I admit my curiosity and information hungry nature are making me really tired.

• 3 out of 7 from Information Technology category
  
• 5 out of 5 from Information System category
• 1 out of 6 from Investment category
  
• 4 out of 8 from Misc category
• 2 out of 3 from News (Business) category
• 0 out of 3 from News (General) category
• 0 out of 2 from Personal category
• 1 out of 1 from Sports category
• 3 out of 10 from Blogs I'm following category

I am now left with only 26 RSS feeds :)

Cleaned.

Why is an ILP considered inferior/ a time bomb?

An interesting and straight to the point article related to Investment-linked policies (ILP).

Why is an ILP considered inferior/ a time bomb? [via]

The magic Six-ers

1. Today's date

20100111
= 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 1
= 6

2. Module code for today's lecture

5258
= Abs(5 + 2 - 5 - 8)
= 6

OR

5258
= Abs(52 - 58)
= 6

Mr Brown reply to McDonalds omitting of zodiac pig character incident

Fast food giant, McDonalds, has omitted Chinese zodiac pig character from their new Doraemon set to avoid offending Muslims but ended up upsetting Chinese customers who are keen in collecting the full 12 zodiac characters. In place of the pig character, a cupid is used instead.

In reply to this incident, Mr Brown posted a podcast on it.

JAL likely to undergo some form of court-led restructuring

Japan Airlines (JAL) is said to undergo some form of court-led restructuring similar to a Chapter 11 filing in the US. JAL is seeking government support to keep it flying amidst debts. It is also reported that the Japanese government will issue a statement to countries where JAL has operations to guarantee public support for its national carrier.

Will JAL offer knock-down prices on air tickets to boost volume of passengers?

Video on Sri Lankans execution on defeated Tamil Tigers is authentic

Video footage allegedly showing the killing of prisoners of wars of the defeated Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankans military is said to be authentic.

NOTE: Video footage on the execution can be disturbing.

王菲 Faye - 幽兰操 MV《孔子》主题歌 (Theme Song)

Twitter is over capacity again

BTW, follow me on twitter @ http://twitter.com/hongjun

Hate doing server installation

I just hate doing server installation especially when I know the chances of getting the system software working normally on a never-tried-before operating system like Windows Vista or 7.0 is low. It just irks me more when the reason for using Windows 7 is purely for its superior aesthetic improvements. A day was wasted last Friday.

Armed with a possible workaround, I hope all system software will run smoothly on Windows this coming Monday and my effort will not go in vain again.

Sigh.. Server installation isn't in my job scope leh..

GIC at forefront of impending CRE disaster in America: Singapore boleh!

Yet another close to a billion dollar losses.

GIC at forefront of impending CRE disaster in America: Singapore boleh! [via]

The 31 Places to Go in 2010

I am surprised Japan and Hong Kong did not make it to the list.

The 31 Places to Go in 2010 [via]

SpeedPost has a challenger

I particularly like the idea of new challenger Yamato Transport going into shopping delivery services, online shopping delivery and maintenance supply services. Potential partners engaged in the new delivery services are Takashimaya, Meiji and Isetan and Cold Storage.

SpeedPost has a challenger
Business Times - 09 Jan 2010

Yamato launches Ta-Q-Bin service; eyes 50% market share in 10 years

By VINCENT WEE

YAMATO Transport is taking SingPost head on in the local parcel delivery segment, launching its Ta-Q-Bin service yesterday as an alternative to the latter's SpeedPost service.

Muscling in on SingPost's dominance of the 10 million annual deliveries market, Yamato plans to capture 4 per cent of the pie within the first year and 50 per cent within the next 10 years.

Kaoru Seto, president of parent company Yamato Holdings, said: 'Yamato aims to achieve annual delivery volume of 400,000 parcels in the first year of Ta-Q-Bin's operation in Singapore and hopes to increase the number to 8 million parcels in the next 10 years.'

Yamato has invested 3.1 billion yen (S$46.6 million) initially in the new service with five distribution centres - in Ang Mo Kio, Pasir Panjang, Ubi, Penjuru and Anson Road - and some 40 employees and 26 vehicles.

The company expects to take in 201 million yen in revenue in the first year, break even in three years' time and recover its investments within six years. It expects to be turning over four billion yen from the business within 10 years and is aiming for annual profits of 400 million yen within the same timeframe.

The Ta-Q-Bin service in Singapore will initially start off with three services: basic parcel delivery, chilled and frozen package delivery, and payment on delivery. The latter two services are not offered by current parcel delivery providers, and Yamato aims to price its parcel delivery service very competitively to break into the local market.

Yamato offers a much wider range of services in Japan, which it is working with partners to set up in Singapore as well. These include shopping delivery services, online shopping delivery and maintenance supply services.

Potential partners that it is negotiating with in Singapore are mainly Japanese chains such as Takashimaya, Meiji and Isetan, as well as Cold Storage, said Yamato Transport (S) managing director Naoki Toda. He estimated that it would take 1-2 years to launch these services here.

Other potential areas for growth in Singapore are in the broader business-to-consumer (B2C) market, mail order services and the e-business market, Yamato Transport Co president Makoto Kigawa added.

Yamato is also using Singapore as a springboard to expand into other parts of the region. Potential targets are Malaysia and Thailand, Mr Kigawa said. It is starting a similar service in Shanghai on Jan 18 and will expand to Hong Kong and Beijing from there.

The group plans to invest 10 billion yen on expansion in the region within the next two years. 'We would like to think of Asean as a whole market,' Mr Kigawa said.

While reiterating that Yamato's projections are 'just an ambition', he believed that the group has a 'high chance' of achieving its 10-year forecast.

要开学了：（

可怜我的学生

我真是恐怖。
Must be cursing and swearing.

哈哈哈！

McDonalds omit zodiac pig character from their new toy set

Fast food giant, McDonalds, has omitted Chinese zodiac pig character from their new Doraemon set to avoid offending Muslims but ended up upsetting Chinese customers who are keen in collecting the full 12 zodiac characters. In replace of the pig character, a cupid is used instead.

I wonder why must the Muslims be accommodated. Since many Buddhists do not take beef, then should the ox be excluded too? I believe McDonalds has overreacted and should not have focused on trivial things and letting go of more important things in life.

McDonalds pulls pig toy [via]

UOB selling life assurance unit to focus on core banking business

United Overseas Bank (UOB) having sold off its non-core life assurance arm to UK's insurer, Prudential, UOB is set to yield a one-time gain of $85 million. Looking at UOB's current share price of over $19.92 and many brokerage houses targeting it to be around $23, is there really room for growth? To fork out almost $20,000 for UOB is a huge sum of money for me and so, better not.

The deal between UOB and Prudential is a sound one. Instead of succumbing to competitive pressures from larger life insurers, the group's alliance with Prudential in Asia offers new growth opportunities for its bancassurance business. UOB’s life insurance business was "sub-scale", making small losses in accounting terms, and needed to be either sold off or have more investment ploughed in to make it work. It is reported that the deal between UOB and Prudential is a 12-year one, allowing the former to distribute latter’s products in three Southeast Asian markets for initial 12 years.

Prudential having bought over UOB's life assurance unit, all existing UOB's policies will be under the custody of Prudential. As part of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)'s guideline, all life insurers must have at least a minimum Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 120% to be considered "healthy". I believe this CAR will be abide even after the acquisition.

DBS introduces Singapore’s first Internet banking guarantee

Good news.

DBS introduces Singapore’s first Internet banking guarantee [via]

In Year of the Tiger, look out for black swans

Insightful.

In Year of the Tiger, look out for black swans
Business Times - 08 Jan 2010
By WILLIAM PESEK JR

IF many of us could have turned around the moment we entered 2010 and made obscene gestures at 2009, we would have.

After the wreckage of the past 12 months, 2010 has to be a good year, right? Good for governments staving off financial chaos, good for households struggling to stay afloat, good for investors wondering which rules of economics and markets still apply.

It really is hard to see this year outdoing the last one in the doom-and-gloom department. Yet the Year of the Tiger might live up to its name and be a fierce one. Here are five reasons why it may come with its share of sharp teeth and 'Black Swans'.

1) The bill for 2009 is coming due

Look no further than Japan, which has little to show for the hundreds of billions of dollars it's throwing at the economy. Deflation is intensifying, unemployment is worsening, the ranks of the working poor are growing and Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is anything but focused on these fast-mounting challenges.

Now, he faces the hangover from the 2009 borrowing binge. His 2010 budget won't rein in deficits that threaten Japan's Aa2 rating at Moody's Investors Service. The plot thickens when you add a shrinking population and tax base. That's why the cost of a five-year contract to protect US$10 million of Japan's sovereign bonds has climbed to US$68,650 from US$37,000 in August, when Mr Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan won power.

Japan is hardly alone. Governments are pouring untold trillions of dollars into economies financed with fresh bond issuance. The debt glut is as unprecedented as it is unsustainable. Expect credit-rating companies and investors to be sniffing around for potential debt crises, be they in China, Greece, Japan or Vietnam.

2) Global demand remains elusive

Singapore, where gross domestic product shrank in the final three months of 2009 - the first time in three quarters - tells the story. It's on the front lines of global trade and the annualised 6.8 per cent drop in growth last quarter is an ominous sign.

China's almost 10 per cent growth is helping commodity exporters such as Australia. Not so for the rest of Asia as it tries to fill the void left by a hobbled US$14 trillion US economy. An undervalued currency greatly limits the spillover benefits of China's stimulus efforts.

Scepticism is being voiced by leading economists on different ends of the ideological spectrum. Conservative Martin Feldstein, of Harvard University, and liberal Joseph Stiglitz, of Columbia University, say growth may falter as stimulus wanes. Just ask Singapore how US frugality is working out for Asia.

3) Trade tensions will explode

Expect China's peg to the US dollar to become even more of an issue as unemployment rates rise from Washington to Berlin.

The recent breakdown of climate-change talks in Copenhagen dispels any optimism about multilateral cooperation. It's beggar- thy-neighbour time as global growth limps along, and no one plays the game better than China.

On Jan 1, a free-trade agreement between China and Southeast Asia came into force. It consolidated a sixfold surge in economic activity over the past decade between countries representing a quarter of the world's population. Yet countries such as Indonesia are already concerned about lowering their guard against Asia's rising superpower. Expect fireworks.

4) Central bankers will be on the ropes

They must find exit strategies for their monetary largess as asset bubbles inflate.

Tap on the brakes too much and markets might crash. Apply them too timidly and inflation may accelerate.

India is one case of monetary policy being behind the curve. Officials from Seoul to Hanoi also face balancing acts.

Central bank independence is a concern. It's impossible politically to put rates back to reasonable levels any time soon.

They must try, though, and those efforts will make for a volatile year in Asian markets.

5) Black-swan risks abound

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's attempt to blow up a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day is a reminder that terrorism can shake markets any time. The assassination of a major world leader also would be an unexpected event with great impact.

Sovereign defaults can't be ruled out, and troubles in small economies such as Iceland or Dubai have a way of spanning the globe. A huge US dollar rally or yen plunge could upset so-called carry trades and bring down a couple of hedge funds. A crash in gold or oil prices would do the same.

Perhaps Japan will get its act together and recover for real. Or maybe things will go the other way: a debt crisis in Japan, the US or the UK.

Markets are hardly discounting hyperinflation, hyperdeflation, a global pension crisis, a collapse of North Korea's repressive regime, social unrest in China or Iran, major earthquakes in Tokyo or California, or Somali pirates getting their hands on more than oil.

And, more basically, what if optimism that we dodged another Great Depression is hubris and markets tank anew? Treating the symptoms of the financial crisis isn't the same as removing the causes.

We have seen how the impossible has a way of becoming possible these last two years. The one ahead may hold its own surprises as the Chinese zodiac's tiger roars. -- Bloomberg

Modules selection for coming semester

It is very likely that I may take the below 3 modules for the coming semester provided I manage to ballot for them next week.

CS5258 - Information Security Policies (Mon) - 3.5/5.0 difficulty
CS5322 - Databases Security (Tue) - 5.0/5.0 difficulty
CS4236 - Principles of Computer Security (Wed) - 3.5/5.0 difficulty

Difficulty levels shown above are purely based on my subjective judgement and feedback from my seniors. The only reason as to why I am taking one 5.0/5.0 level is there aren't many choices available. Many "manageable" modules happen to fall on Monday.

I will survive.

Epure and Mapletree Logistics UP again

Share prices of both Epure and Mapletree Logistics ended higher by 6.06 per cent and 3.164 per cent today to extend their uptrend climb.

Mood : Down

CEO of YOG says SingPost's intent of "acts of vandalism" on mailboxes is right!

I couldn't believe hearing CEO of Singapore YOG Organising Committee, Goh Kee Nguan, saying SingPost intent of vandalism is right. He also hope all of us to let this matter slide.

What message is he and SingPost trying to convey to the youths in Singapore? This is distasteful!

Goh Kee Nguan, CEO, Singapore YOG Organising Committee, said: "The intent is right. They wanted to engage youths and wanted to link youths and sports and more importantly (provide) a platform for youths to express themselves."

SingPost apologises for "acts of vandalism" on mailboxes [via]

Monty Hall problem

Bookmarked it. Shall review it when free.

Monty Hall problem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem

AXS D-Pay service to accept more ATM cards including Maybank

Come December 2009 onwards, AXS D-Pay enabled stations will start accepting more ATM cards including Maybank other than just cards from POSB/DBS bank. This is definitely something to cheer for.

http://www.axs.com.sg/phpweb/consumer/dpay_main.php

陈绮贞 -- 西风的话

又是一首陈绮贞台湾限量发行。

陈绮贞 -- 送别

陈绮贞演唱经典歌曲《送别》。台湾限量发行。

送別

作詞：李叔同/可樂王 作曲：約翰奧德威

長亭外 古道邊 芳草碧連天
晚風拂柳笛聲殘 夕陽山外山

天之涯 地之角 知交半零落
一觚濁酒盡餘歡 今宵別夢寒

美麗的 燕子啊 哭泣泥娃娃
蜻蜓飛過夾竹桃 神仙不見了

小斑馬 薔薇花 牧羊的原野
群鳥翱翔的天際 歲月靜流逝

韶光逝 留無計 今日卻分袂
驪歌一曲送別離 相顧卻依依

聚雖好 別雖悲 世事堪玩味
來日後會相予期 去去莫遲疑

Google Nexus One Phone

Visit 3D tour of Google Nexus One Phone now at http://www.google.com/googlephone/tour/.

Google Nexus One Phone
http://www.google.com/phone/

Li Shengwu's winning speech

Li Shengwu, the grandson of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and son of Fraser & Neave chairman Lee Hsien Yang and corporate lawyer Lee Suet Fern, is ranked the top debater at the world’s biggest debating tournament, beating more than 700 others to be ranked number one. Mr Li, who turns 25 this year, is currently pursuing graduate study in economics at Oxford University.

The below is Mr Li's winning speech.

United Overseas Bank request trading halt

It is reported that Singapore's local bank, United Overseas Bank (UOB), is selling its life insurance unit to UK's biggest insurer, Prudential Plc.

United Overseas Bank requests trading halt in Singapore [via]

Li Shengwu is the World's best debater

Mr Li Shengwu, son of Fraser & Neave chairman Lee Hsien Yang and corporate lawyer Lee Suet Fern, and the grandson of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, is named world's top debater.

WOW! Top grade genes are running in the Lee's family.

World's best debater [via]

Stock prices started this year bullishly

Stock prices started this year bullishly with most counters ended higher and volume exchanged significantly higher too.

Two particular stocks I would like to highlight are Epure International and Parkway Holdings. Both rose 6.578% and 4.436% just today, to close at $0.81 and $3.06 per share respectively. Of these two, Parkway Holdings has returned a higher percentage gain of 42.99% as compared to Epure's 28.57%.

I should not forget Mapletree Logistics Trust for its overall 24.91% gain inclusive of dividend gains, and ST Engineering (excl employee shares) for its 21.56% gain. Long term but slow gain growth of SMRT has returned me a small but reliable 9.71%. The only surprisingly weak Koh Brothers, hovering my buy price for months, has since only returned 1.92% gain.

Remain bullish and stay invested.

2010: 'Twenty ten' vs. 'two thousand ten'

Year 2010 is here but how should we pronounce 2010? Should it be "Twenty-ten" or "Two thousand ten"? The National Association of Good Grammar (NAGG) has decided to step in and decree that 2010 should officially be pronounced as "twenty ten".

Let's use proper grammar from now on :)

2010: 'Twenty ten' vs. 'two thousand ten' [via]

Hackers cracked two-factor Authentication

The initially thought very secure two-factor authentication (2FA) security measure commonly employed by banks on Internet Banking sites has cracked. Hackers have shown how 2FA can be defeated.

It now looks like enterprises have to come out with an even stronger three-pronged approach to beef up security net. The billion dollar question is "Will there ever be a security foolproof method?".

Hackers Conquer Two-Factor Authentication [via]

陈绮贞 -- 九份的咖啡店

Spam private messages or mails going around in Facebook

I heard there spam private messages or mails are currently going around in Facebook, impersonating the sender . So, please ignore them especially if these messages refer you to a suspicious unknown website. If unsure, always confirm and verify with the "sender".

I am yet to receive any myself. Waiting.. LOL.

Epure secures Saudi Arabia Contract

Epure International booked a CNY620 million boost as the China-based water treatment company lands its first overseas contract, to construct plant for Saudi Arabia's state-linked utility firm Marafiq. Project is slated for completion in 2011. Contract value equivalent to almost two-thirds of Epure's revenue for first nine months of 2009.

This deal should help Epure, already a household name in China's water treatment sector, to diversify earnings.

I am holding onto Epure for the long term.

Canada's Chinese immigrants assimilate quickly, easily

What about Singapore's Chinese immigrants? I thought so since many in Singapore are Chinese oriented and well versed in Mandarin.

Canada's Chinese immigrants assimilate quickly, easily [via]

Nothing is impossible for a willing heart

Nice quote and the Chinese equivalent of it is definitely not from myself. 哈哈！

Nothing is impossible for a willing heart
心之所愿，无所不成。

想念旧家的菜贩

真的好想念旧家的菜贩。旧家菜贩好吃多了。

新家菜贩缺需多我爱吃的。例如煎蛋，蒸碎猪肉和炒猪肉。惊讶的是新家菜贩甚至连豆干都没有。

宏茂桥大牌555菜贩快快搬过来吧！

Betting on an auspicious 4-Digit number

I am betting on an auspicious 4-digit number and hopefully this can fetch me some winnings. This set of numbers, my hotel room number for my recent Bangkok's trip, should follow me and be remembered for life. As for why the significance, I am too lazy to elaborate on.

And the number is ..... Don't tell you!

Skybridge at Pinnacle@Duxton opens for non-residents

From Jan 1 onwards, non-residents can access the Skybridge at the Pinnacle@Duxton, which straddles the 50th floor of the buildings, by paying S$5 per person.

In a realistic society like Singapore, privacy costs money too. I wonder where does all these money go to.

Skybridge at Pinnacle@Duxton opens for non-residents [via]

One of my top resolution for 2010

One of my top resolution for 2010 is to get back the mood to study proper. The mood was half lost in 2009 and I required double the usual time to digest anything.

SHINGZ...

Definition of truancy

A new word learnt today.

Truancy - The act of shirking from responsibilities and duties.

Thoughts for 2009

Year 2009 is over very soon in less than an hour before we usher in the year 2010. Having spent some quality time taking stock on the goals set for in the beginning of year 2009, it looks like many goals remain unmet.

An analysis on the unmet goals seem to indicate dependencies among them -- an unmet goal can result in another goal not met.

With 2010 drawing near, it's time to list out new resolutions. I guess the basic rule in doing anything is to do whatever you think is not against your conscience.

Places I visited in Thailand from 25 - 31 Dec 2009

Decided to jot down my Thailand (25 to 31 Dec) itinerary so I will never forget it again. All in all, the experience was fantastic with the far beyond my expectations of Thais' warm and friendliness towards tourists. This is the first time I ever had the chance to interact with the local strangers that much.

THUMBS UP!

My memory dump

25 Dec 2009

• Check in to Somerset Lake Point service residence.
  
• Dinner at Took Lae Dee.
• Sukhumvit night market.

26 Dec 2009

• Standing Buddha at Wat Indrawiharn.
• Lucky Buddha (reached there but did not manage to visit it because of an on-going ceremony). There is no Lucky Buddha in Bangkok.
• Erawan Lapidary (a scam but we were not conned and so please do not visit it).
  
• Chin Jewelry Co. Ltd.
  
• Chatuchak Weekend Market.

27 Dec 2009

• Damnoen Saduak Floating Market.
• Maeklong Railway Market.
• Fuji Restaurant at Siam Center.

28 Dec 2009

• Sunflower fields at Lopburi.
• Pa Sak Jolasid Dam at Lopburi.
• Phra Prang Sam Yot at Lopburi.
• Fifth Avenue for dinner at Mah Boon Krong (MBK) Center.
• Mah Boon Krong (MBK) Center.

29 Dec 2009

• Wat Pho.
• Grand Palace.
• Vimanmek Mansion.
• Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.
• Arts of the Kingdom Exhibition.
• Chao Phraya River Cruise.

30 Dec 2009

• Massage at Somerset Lake Point.
• Brunch at Crepes & Co.
• Platinum Fashion Mall.
• Dinner at Je Ngor's Seafood.
• Tesco Lotus for durians.

31 Dec 2009

• Lunch at Suvarnabhumi airport (from 3 different restaurants).

Trip to Lopburi was planned at the very last minute but was made possible with the assistance of two very helpful service staff from Somerset Lake Point whom both deserved a commendation letter from us. I shall not indicate their name here.

Tempted to subscribe mobile broadband?

Can I live life without Internet access? My answer would be a YES or NO. My answer is YES if I do not wish to stay abreast to what's happening around the world. My answer is NO especially when the new semester is coming soon and I need Internet access to ballot for modules.

Having moved to a new residential location, I am yet to get myself a Internet broadband plan. The only reason why I am online and hooked onto the Internet typing this blog entry is because of a USB dongle from a friend. One obvious advantage of mobile broandband service is of course mobile - one can hook onto the Internet anywhere.

Trying my best to resist temptations to subscribe mobile broadband. NO NO NO!

Back from Bangkok

I am finally back from my Bangkok trip but I am beginning to miss the place. I shall talk more on my trip when I have the time.

Track Santa now

Santa's journey has begun! Follow along at http://www.noradsanta.org or http://m.noradsanta.org on your mobile phone.

For Santa most recent location, track him on video at http://www.noradsanta.org/en/video.html now!

View SkyDrive files in Windows Explorer using SkyDrive Explorer

If you are interested to view files on SkyDrive in Windows Explorer, it is now possible.

SkyDrive Explorer Mounts Your SkyDrive in Windows Explorer [via]

Google - The meaning of open

Last week, Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President of Google, Product Management, sent our an email to his employees on the meaning of 'open' as it relates to the Internet, Google, and our users.

Google is withholding its "Do not be evil" motto.

The meaning of open [via]

Bangkok red shirts to stage rally on 27 & 28 Dec

Bangkok red shirts are set to stage rally on 27 and 28 Dec at Sanam Luang. Looks like I am forced to change my planned itinerary and adapt to it.

Christmas and New Year Period - Foreign Market Schedule

Please kindly take note of the following Foreign Markets holidays schedule during the Christmas and New Year period:

祝大家冬至快!

Pleased with my exam results

I am quite pleased with my exam results for the semester that has just passed. Guess my strategy of not "scaring" myself in doing past years' exam papers still works since Poly days.

Long day tomorrow

Tomorrow is going to be a long day for me. I have to reach Changi Airbase by 6.15am. YAWN!!!

Three Reasons To Sell A Share

This week, The Motley Fool shares three reasons in selling a share via podcast. If you are interested, listen to the below mp3 audio.

Principles of Accounts - Which is right?

Secondary school's Principles of Accounts textbook uses Creditors (XXX) instead of Accounts Payable, and Debtors (YYY) instead of Accounts Receivable in their balance sheets. So which is right?

I am 100 per cent sure A/P and A/R are correct since they are used in real corporate financial statements. However, creditors and debtors are not wrong too since they are used in GCE 'O' Levels textbook and guidebooks.

Puzzling.

我是世界最傻

新加坡人口400万，亚洲人口4亿，全世界人口6亿。

但是，我一人可能就很有可能是世界最傻的了。我真是个不折不扣的大木头。真是受不了自己。

Unit trust fees slashed to 1%

A PRICE war seems to have broken out in the unit trust industry in Singapore, with at least three fund distributors now slashing their sales charges to just 1 per cent.

Unit trust fees slashed [via]

Chinese banks hide 'pool of credit risk': Fitch

Chinese banks hide 'pool of credit risk': Fitch
Business Times
19 Dec 2009

Chinese banks are creating a 'growing pool of hidden credit risk' through financial moves that shift loans off balance sheets to comply with government capital requirements, Fitch Ratings warned yesterday.

The ratings agency said in a report that the practice could lead to conditions similar to those which triggered the US sub-prime crisis, in which banks suffered huge losses on mortgage-backed securities when housing prices fell.

Fitch said banks were selling loans to financial institutions or repackaging them into wealth-management products in largely unreported transactions.

'These transactions, which free up space to extend new loans and lessen the pressure on capital and liquidity, can lead to a noticeable reduction in a bank's outstanding loans,' analysts Charlene Chu and Wen Chunling said.

'Fitch suspects this activity was one factor behind the marked slowdown in aggregate loan growth figures in the second half of 2009, which may not have moderated as much as official figures suggest.'

Chinese banks issued a massive 7.4 trillion yuan (S$1.52 trillion) in new loans in the first half of the year - including a monthly record 1.89 trillion yuan in March.

The spurt came as banks heeded official calls to pump money into the world's third-largest economy to ward off a slowdown in growth.

But the pace slowed in the second half after regulators told banks to curb lending and step up risk management amid bad-loan concerns and suspicions that stimulus funds were funnelled into stocks and property, sending prices soaring.

New loans totalled 294.8 billion yuan in November, up from 253 billion yuan in October, which was the lowest level of the year. Fitch said it expected loan growth in China to be 'less brisk' in 2010, with new loans growing by 20 per cent year-on-year to eight trillion yuan. -- AFP

Rise and Fall in Dubai

If you are interested to read how inflationary property market can lead to a fall in an economy, read the article below. If you are interested to understand the importance of supply matching real demand, read the article below.

Rise and Fall in Dubai: An Austrian Perspective [via]

Warren Buffett remark on Gold

“Gold gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or some place. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.”

Interesting :)

Are banks getting even bigger?

If we have learned anything over the last couple of years, it is that banks that are too big to fail pose too much of a risk to the economy. Any serious effort to reform the financial system must ensure that no such banks exist.

Even Bigger Than Too Big to Fail [via]

New rules on telco contract duration to benefit consumers

Come March 2010, telcos in Singapore will not be allowed to lock-in consumers for more than 24 months. Also from next March, consumers who sign on a contract longer than three months and who terminate their contract before the end of their contract period will no longer have to pay a fixed early termination charge. Instead, they will see these charges decrease over time on a month-by-month basis as they serve out their contract.

These are new guidelines set out by IDA Singapore.

Consumers to Benefit from New Guidelines on Telecommunication Services [via]

Accounting of Love

ACCOUNTING OF LOVE

I will CREDIT you my love,
If you will DEBIT me your love.
I'll record our romance in a JOURNAL,
And POST it to the LEDGER of my heart.

I'll keep an ACCOUNT of our love,
Based on DOUBLE-ENTRY.
This way you'll know the BALANCE c/d,
And the AMOUNT of love I have for you.

Our courtship,
Is carried out on WORKSHEET.
ADJUSTING ENTRIES are necessary,
To make our love steady.

TRIAL BALANCE shows,
We are meant for each other,
Because the TOTAL of our love,
Is one and the same.

CLOSING ENTRIES are made,
When down the aisle we take.
PROFIT & LOSS statement,
Tells what has happened.

Let's see our BALANCE SHEET,
What are our ASSETS & LIABILITIES?
Oh, my goodness!
It shows a dozen kids!

Stocks mostly gain

At this point in time, all stocks in my portfolio are now above waters except one - Singapore Exchange. The stocks in positive territory are ST Engineering (non employee shares) (18.22%), Koh Brothers (5%), SMRT (6.86%), Mapletree Logistics (13.06%), Parkway Holdings (32.71%), and EPure International (10.32%).

Got a special gift from Experts-Exchange :)

I just collected a gift, all the way from the United States, from Experts-Exchange. Thanks for the early Christmas surprise :)

A guide to privacy on Facebook

A guide to privacy on Facebook [via]

Weekly Address: Learning from History to Reform Wall Street

The President explains that while he continues to focus on jobs, it is also profoundly important to address the problems that created this economic mess in the first place. He commends the House of Representatives for passing reforms to our financial system, including a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, and blasts Republican Leaders and financial industry lobbyists for their joint "pep rally" to defeat it. Obama voiced his displeasure in seeing big banks not learning from past mistakes and repeat giving massive bonuses to senior executives.

Facebook accounts hacked

I was stupefied to read Facebook users actually witnessed their accounts hacked right in front of their eyes. The hacker impersonated to be the actual user to ask for cash. Cyber crimes leveraging on social engineering weaknesses are the trickiest in my opinion.

Facebook accounts hacked [via]

Google launches its own Dictionary service

Google has launched its very own dictionary service. It really looks like Google wants to dominate the universe.

Offline Gmail graduates from Labs

Google has announced that "Offline Gmail", an experimental feature that lets users access their web-based Gmail accounts while not connected to the internet, has finally graduated from being a Google Labs project and is being rolled out to all users.

This is not unexpected after Google announced they will not be upgrading their Google Gears and will move to HTML 5.0 instead to solve their offline mobile woes.

Offline Gmail graduates from Labs [via]

Google Quick Scroll is a browser extension that helps you find what you are searching for faster.

Google Quick Scroll is a browser extension that helps you find what you are searching for faster.

After you click on a Google search result, Quick Scroll may appear on the bottom-right corner of the page, showing one or more bits of text from the page that are relevant to your query. Clicking on the text will take you to that part of the page.

Quick Scroll tries to stay out of your way, and appears only when it is likely to be useful.

NOTE: Quick Scroll works only on Google Chrome 4 BETA browser.

Warren Buffett Investment Advice

"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price."

One–Year Extension of 4% Floor Rate for all SMA and RA Monies to end of 2010

The Singapore government has announced a one–year extension of 4% floor rate on all Special and Medisave Accounts (SMA) monies and Retirement Account (RA) monies for another year until 31 December 2010.

One–Year Extension of 4% Floor Rate for all SMA and RA Monies to end of 2010
http://mycpf.cpf.gov.sg/CPF/News/News-Release/N_09Dec2009.htm

Minister Mentor Lee paid millions for not doing the work

Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew is paid millions but all for not doing the work. He is an exception and is merely just doing the forecasting work.

"We also have a rule, I'm the exception to the rule, I'm 86.

But I'm not doing the work; I'm just forecasting... The work is being done by younger people in their late 40s and 50s. So there's an energy and a drive, and an understanding of the contemporary world. And they are also linked up with the younger generation of voters"

MM Lee says having younger politicians create better results for S'pore [via]

The "mrbrown and the flood" column that was removed from insing

Warning: Contains satire and jokes but definitely creative!

What happened to my "mrbrown and the flood" column [via]

Gmail Labs finally allows setting default text style

Ever since Gmail was launched more than half a decade ago, Gmail Labs finally released capability in setting default text style when composing an email. This new feature can be enabled from the Labs tab, then go to General Settings and set your preferences just once.

This new feature looks almost perfect if not for Gmail Labs forgetting to set text style for signature to be the same as the 'Default Text Style'.

New in Labs: Default text styling [via]

How HTML5 Will Change the Way You Use the Web

Revolutionary.

How HTML5 Will Change the Way You Use the Web [via]

Google Street View launched in Singapore

Google Street View has arrived in Singapore - making it the first in Southeast Asia to have a virtual street guide based on photographs.

The photo above shows a car by Google travelling around on the streets of Singapore, taking snapshots of the little island.

Google Street View launched in Singapore [via]

Microsoft denies 'Black Screen of Death' is linked to November's security update

Microsoft states that neither its recent November's updates nor the Malicious Software Removal Tool are responsible for the recent reports of the "Black Screen of Death" (KSOD). They insisted the problem is likely due to a malware.

Reports of Issues with November Security Updates [via]

Dubai financial debacle will make Thaksin more desperate

Dubai financial debacle will make Thaksin more desperate
The Nation
Published on December 1, 2009

MUCH has been said about the Dubai debt moratorium, whose ripple effect on other economies and financial institutions has yet to be determined. Thailand might have to bear some negative effects, as the country imports crude oil from Dubai. For goods and services, transactions will have to be adjusted to cope with the latest development.

But a well-known, notorious Thai citizen stands to be affected immensely, either through investment or personal predicament. Thaksin Shinawatra, according to news reports, has left Dubai for a trip to an unnamed European country. His purpose was also not disclosed.

The trouble in Dubai also means a lot of trouble for Thaksin, whose name and passport have been changed - from Thai to a strange-sounding name in his newly acquired Nicaraguan passport. For some years now, the fugitive has used Dubai as his base for investment and political campaigns to destabilise the Abhisit government, with marginal success.

Nobody knows, except for Thaksin, how much he has invested in real estate projects, financial and debt instruments. This is because he is unlikely to admit anything that will cast him in a bad light. But the amount will not be small, judging from the patronage the ruler of Dubai has provided for his refuge.

Going on his ego and eagerness to please the Dubai investment community and make his presence felt as a billionaire, his investments must be sizeable, if not all of what he holds as assets. It could be billions of baht, if not far more, due to his faith in the city state and its future - which resembled gold in the desert, in the eyes of investors.

His abrupt departure to Europe could mean that he must draw on financial resources, if not deposits, in countries that still serve as tax havens. His suddenly depleted resources make him look like an eagle with clipped wings, and one with less room to manoeuvre.

The reason for him calling off a planned rally in Bangkok last weekend must have been partly influenced by Dubai's problems, which could imperil his stay in the city state. If he continues to incite trouble by the red shirts, the Dubai authorities could be pressed by the Thai government to deal with the fugitive.

If Thaksin is forced to leave Dubai, it means that he cannot stay on to look after his investments and other assets, especially if those assets face the risk of being wiped out by the default of Dubai World. That means Thaksin's world will shrink again, especially with the warning from neighbouring Abu Dhabi that he cannot use the UAE capital as his base as he has done with Dubai.

With fewer resources at his disposal, Thaksin will feel more desperate, and that means his assets of Bt76 billion frozen by the Thai government becomes more valuable. It represents a larger stake than ever before.

That's why he will have to redouble his effort to reclaim that amount at whatever cost, including through political trouble by instigating the red shirts and other allies to force out the Abhisit government.

There have been disheartening rumours around town that he has offered up to half of the frozen assets to whoever is able to help him win the court case and reclaim the amount. Such rumours cannot be taken lightly judging by the huge greed of the people who are in a position to share the fortune with him.

That means we can expect more trouble, with revived street rallies this month. His desperate battle to get back the vast fortune from the state will embolden him to do whatever is necessary.

What Thaksin wants now is total freedom from all criminal prosecution, and amnesty from the jail term, so that he can travel to all countries as before. In terms of politics, he can let his cronies take control of the government via the election process. He will use big money and other tricks.

If the above transpires as Thaksin wants it to, it means more trouble ahead and an unpredictable conclusion. It will not be pleasant for us to witness. If street battles erupt, it depends on how the authorities decide to restore peace. This is an unsavoury prospect. Prime Minister Abhisit cannot foresee what will happen, but he must work to the best of his ability to manage the situation for the good of the country.

Yet another interesting video on Mae Klong Railway Market

Maeklong Market Railway

This is interesting. Look at how Maeklong Market turns to Maeklong Railway and then back to Maeklong Market in just a very short time.