Tried to quit smoking? This is how your cigarette will taste like

This humor may be a bit crude but so is the government's attempt to make you quit smoking with all the fanciful pictures of decomposing organs on display.  I have always wondered if you combine all those pictures together, they'll make a pretty solid movie poster for the next hollywood blockbuster SAW XXII. But still, crude but true.

The Singapore Taxi Guide

This post was originally from GreatDeals .

I’m not a frequent passenger of taxis in Singapore, even before or after the price hike. But when I do, I never really bothered with the peak or off-peaks, ERPs or whatever surcharges.

But this morning while traveling in one, I realise it might be useful to put up some guides on the variable surcharges to our readers, especially when the lunar new year is just around the corner and everyone is busy shopping or sending gifts or foodstuffs. So here we go!  

Peak Period Premium (Extra 35% of metered fee)
Mondays to Fridays: 7.00am to 9.30am
Mondays to Saturdays: 5.00pm to 8.00pm
*Not applicable on public holidays

City Area (CBD Area) Surcharge (Extra $3.00)
Mondays to Saturdays: 5.00pm to Midnight
*Applicable for cab hired within the CBD area and at the time of boarding.

Public Holiday Surcharge (Extra $1.00)
 - From 6.00pm on the eve of a Public Holiday to 12 midnight of the day of the Public Holiday (i.e., the five major public holidays, New Year’s Day, first and second of Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas Day)
 - From 6.00pm on the eve of Chinese New Year to 12 midnight of the second day of Chinese New Year.
*Applicable at the time of boarding. Where the public holiday falls on a Sunday and the following Monday is a holiday, the Public Holiday surcharge will be payable up to midnight of Monday.

Late Night Surcharge (Extra 50% of metered fare)
Any day - Midnight - 5.59am

Normal Cab Booking Charges (Not advance booking)
Prime Time ($3.50) Mondays to Fridays: 7.00am to 9.30am / 5.00pm to 11.00pm
Non-Prime Time ($2.50) All other times (including Saturdays, Sundays and all Public Holidays)
*Applicable at the time booking job is confirmed.

Moral of the story + Interesting facts:

• No other taxi companies in Singapore charges differently
• Try not to take taxi on peak periods or in CBD area unless neccessary.
• Useful to remember take taxi from 10am-4pm and after 8pm. (Off-peak) (10-4-8 rule)
• If you are shopping late night and there’s a long queue in the taxi stand, shop a bit later and book a taxi after 11pm.

Above all in case of an emergency, forget everything here and just flag a cab when you see one! 

Taxi Booking Numbers
Comfort Citycab Dial-A-Cab   (65) 6552 1111
Comfort Premier Cabs (65) 6552 2828
Premier Taxis (65) 6363 6888
SMRT Taxis Skytrek Bookings / Premier Cabs (65) 6555 8888
6-DIAL CAB (63425 222)  LTA portal for all taxi companies (thanks MH!)

10 Signs you are addicted to debt

This post appeared originally here [masteryourcard].  I've made some amendments for local context.

Slowly but surely, many Singaporeans are getting into the habit of rotating their minimum payments amongst their cards.  Coupled with the recession, it is simply too much risk to be playing around with these debts, especially if you could barely even remember what you spent on.  Top of the list, I believe for most Singaporeans has got to be their credit cards.  The statements are flying in so fast they could barely remember which statements they missed/payed/incurred late charges.  It's a huge mess.

With that in mind, let’s look at 10 warning signs that could mean you’re addicted to debt, and make no mistake, there are those out there who are.

# 1 - Unsure of your financial state

If you have no idea what’s in your account, what your interest rates are, or where you stand with retirement income you definitely fall into this category. Not having a plan for your finances could mean that you’re in denial about your situation. And like most other addictions, admitting there’s a problem is the first step. Getting your finances in order would be the second.

# 2 - Terrible savings habits

If you don’t even have a savings account, I’m genuinely worried. But, if you do and you’re NOT saving, you should be. This includes planning for recurring expenses like taxes or daycare (if you have them). If you’re not planning for these things and then habitually act surprised when they come around, you have a problem. If this recession has taught people anything (besides that big banks are the spawn of all evil), hopefully it’s that we need to be saving for a rainy day.

# 3 - Shop-a-holic

Here’s another rehab and anonymous group we need. If you shop when your happy, bored, sad, depressed, or any other emotional state you can think of, then you have a problem. Habitual shopping for things you don’t even want, or need for that matter, just leads to a shortage of money and a pile of useless junk. I’m not talking about your needs-based shopping folks. I’m talking about those people who wander from store to store, picking up whatever strikes their fancy. Step away from the stores and give yourself a 24-hour cooling off period. You’ll be surprised how much less “stuff” you have.

# 4 - Always buying on credit

Ok, this one alone isn’t all negative. I use credit for everything just to get the points, but then I pay it off at the end of the month. If that’s your pattern, then fine. But what I’m talking about here are those who buy useless junk on their credit cards with no intention of paying it back at the end of the month. If you think nothing of whipping out a credit card to purchase what you want, right now, then you may have a debt addiction.

# 5 - Using credit to pay off credit

If you’re having to use one credit card to pay off the other every month, then you’ve got some financial troubles and need to reevaluate your situation. There are plenty of people who don’t pay off their balances every month but are working to that end. However, if you’ve got a nice game of ’round robin’ going on, your intention is to clear enough off of one card to allow you to spend on another. That’s an addiction, like a crack addict trying to figure out where their next fix is coming from.

# 6 - Living paycheck to paycheck

This is another that, by itself, isn’t completely telling. This could be due to a lack of financial education. Someone may not know how to budget, etc. But, for those where this is just one in a long line of warning signs, it’s a pretty good one to take into consideration. Living paycheck to paycheck usually means that you have no savings and no plans to establish one, and if we were to look into your finances, we’d find you probably don’t have a clue what’s going on. See the pattern? Most of these signs build on one another. So, if you don’t have a savings plan in place and you’re living paycheck to paycheck, start paying attention because you may have an addiction. And like any other addiction, getting rid of debt is tough.

# 7 - Spending just to spend

This is in line with number three, shop-a-holic, but goes beyond just emotional shopping. This is the junkie getting their fix. This is where people spend money because that’s what they’ve always done. It makes them nervous or anxious when they don’t spend. Extra money burns a whole in their pocket. If you get a Christmas bonus and instead of saving it, you blow it just because you feel like you should, then you’re spending just to spend. You’re getting your fix.

# 8 - Buying a bigger house/car

Both are fairly large debt payments and if you’ve got an addiction, you may not even think twice about it. Spending money comes naturally and since you live in the moment, you buy what you want now, not what’s economical for your situation. People are constantly doing this and it’s one of the reasons we’re in the mess we’re in - not that it’s all their fault, but there is a level of responsibility to our debt addicts as well. If you’re just starting out, a smaller house may be more practical, hdb are fairly decent these days with a bigger area for less money. Cars in Singapore are exorbitant.  Counting fuel, insurance, ERP and parking, you're possibly paying 2 times of the repayment on running cost.  With the new MRT lines coming up, are you positively sure you need the car?. Living beyond your means will keep you in debt and your constant decisions to do so are a big red flag that you’re an addict.

# 9 - Borrowing more money to pay the money you already owe

This sign isn’t about those who consolidate their debt as part of a “debt reduction” plan. No, this refers to those who live in a continuous cycle of borrowing to cover their borrowing. Those who will borrow to pay down their credit cards, but then run them up again, and borrow more to pay them down yet again. This is a vicious cycle that is difficult to maintain, and definitely one that will catch up with you before long. If you’re doing this, STOP. I don’t know who you are, but I’d be willing to put money on the fact that it’s affecting your health, your relationships, and your job performance, none of which is going in a positive direction. Seek help and end the cycle.

# 10 - An uncontrollable urge to keep up with the Joneses(beat the face swollen, posing as the fat-man)

And last but not least, if you have the overwhelming feeling of materially one-upping your friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors then you’ve got a complex known as ‘keeping up with the Joneses.’ This condition is causing you serious financial distress and may be affecting your ability to be reasonable about your finances and your addiction to debt. If you feel yourself in this position, the best thing to do is take stock of what is important in your life and worry about that, not what trinket or gadget your neighbors just picked up. The reality is, the Joneses are probably in the same boat as you and may even think of you as the a Jones they‘re trying to keep up with. There’s some food for thought.

Ok, so this article is a little ‘tongue in cheek,’ but the signs are real enough. If you can relate to several on the list, you may have a problem with debt and it’s best to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. If you don’t exhibit any of these warning signs, then you’re well on your way to being financially secure.

5 Tips on Cheaper Life Insurance

Life insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the insured individual’s or individuals’ death or other event, such as terminal illness or critical illness. In return, the policy owner agrees to pay a stipulated amount called a premium at regular intervals or in lump sums. (Source: Wikipedia)

Do not confuse term insurance with life insurance, term is like a "use-and-throw" option, meaning you won't get your money back; whilst whole life insurance accumulates value.  For a better understanding, read this .

In this quest post we look at the question what we can do, to get a better and foremost cheaper Life Insurance :

Tips on Cheaper Life Insurance


For most people, life insurance is there to lift a financial weight off your soldiers. It will pay out a fixed sum if you were to die, meaning your family wouldn’t have to struggle when you pass away. This assurance comes at a cost, and many factors effect how much your policy is going to be, including your age, sex, weight and even your diet. To get a lower quote on your life insurance, follow these tips…

1. Get quotations.  All businesses do it, so why shouldn't you?  Do not just buy form the first person who approaches you, or a very close friend.  Remember your friend might not be in the trade for long but the policy's gonna stick around forever.  If you are dealing with an independent financial advisor, ask them to produce different Benefits Illustrations for your comparison.

2. Change your lifestyle. If you are a smoker, your insurance is likely to be significantly more expensive than a non-smoker, as you are more likely to develop diseases caused by smoking, for example, lung cancer. To save money on your life insurance the best thing for a smoker to do is to quit. For this to effect your premium you have to have quit smoking for over a year to prove that this lifestyle change is permanent.

3. The same goes if you are overweight. Insurers are more likely to charge higher premium rates to those who are obese, who again are more likely to develop related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. By losing weight you are likely to cut your life insurance by a third. This change of lifestyle will not only benefit your wallet, but also your quality of life.

4. Change your diet. In the past year, insurance providers have started to charge vegetarians up to 6% less on their policy than those who eat meat. Even if you are of a healthy weight, eating too much red meat is related to strokes, and general meat-eating is related to becoming overweight or obese. Vegetarians are on average more slim than meat-eaters, and are far more likely to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables in their diet, therefore are less likely to become obese. This may seem like an extreme change of lifestyle, but could prove to reduce your life insurance policy and better your health.

5. Look at your career. Certain careers paths can seem more risky to providers, for example, jobs which create more stress are more likely to create a higher premiums. A change in career is certainly extreme just to lower a life insurance quote, but may be one of the factors which are causing your premium to be higher than the average.

Are you having the right asset allocations?

This image on asset allocation pyramid was created by the oblivious investor and I'll share my views on it.

This represents what might be called a “healthy” asset allocation in most cases. Now, of course, everyone is different, base on your risk profile, and your individual situation (child education, marriage etc) may call for a different asset allocation. But, for the most part, you are likely to do fairly well if you pay attention to this asset allocation template.

Bottom of the pyramid: Stock funds. As you can see diversified stock funds are the base of a health investing portfolio. This is because, over time, the stock market offers the highest, most solid returns for the money. Any long term investing plan should include stocks in the form of funds.  Unit trusts, ETFs should also be included in this sector.  Any amount invested using your CPF funds or SRS account should constitute to this as well.

Level two, pyramid: Bond funds and real estate. As one might expect, more people are focusing on the bond funds right now, since they are safer. Indeed, these “safe” investments should be one of the ways that you are able to get some small returns (even though they don’t quite beat inflation right now) — the main idea, though, is to protect principal. Real estate is on this level as well, since it can be a good investment if you hold on to it for the long term.  I would not be keen to add "land banking" into this sector as this industry is not sanctioned by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Level three, pyramid: I like that the emergency fund is included in this level. I would go so far as to add a CD, FDs ladder in this area as well. An emergency fund in an interest bearing account is, in fact, an investment — after all, it does yield returns. And this level also includes individual stock picks. Be careful of these, since they mean that there is less diversity, and less room to pick wrong than in stock funds. A typical size of the savings account is around 3-6 months of your monthly income. CPF not invested should also come under this.

Top of the pyramid: Finally, the top of the asset allocation pyramid consists of the speculative and volatile investments like commodities and collectibles. I put futures and currencies in this category as well, since they can be equally risky. You should devote only a small portion of your investment portfolio to these volatile investments.(unless you're doing dollar cost averaging as opposed to lump sum investment)  Wine and land investment should fall into this category.

Following the asset allocation pyramid probably won’t make you wildly wealthy in a short amount of time, but it increases your chances of a comfortable future.  The template forms a good basis to be tweaked according to your risk profile as well.

A picture of 1 billion dollars

This is how one billion dollars looks like.  Makes a wonderful wallpaper too =)

Save money on gym membership

Now that we know such muscles can be trained from these free public facilities (pull up bars, monkey bars etc), why would we still bother with doing weights at the gym?

Excerpts from a Japanese tourist Brochure for Visiting America

These tips are from a pamphlet of helpful tips to make a Japanese's overseas travel less of an anxiety-filled social minefield riddled with white people and guns. I got such a kick out of these that I wanted to share. (I picked most of the fun ones. There are a lot of boring tips too.)

* The yen is very strong against the dollar right now. This will make goods in America seem very cheap -- an excellent opportunity for shopping! However, remember to be polite in your use of money -- America is in the middle of economic malaise right now, and Japanese people with wads of money in their hand might be looked on with envy. Besides, if you are obviously wealthy in an American city, you may be robbed.

* For our valued customers who work in the automotive industry [#1 employer where I live], we advise discretion. If you must say where you work, the preferred phrasing is [English] "I work at the car company".

* Most Americans are very polite, particularly outside of the big cities. However, outside of the big cities, everyone owns guns. Inside the big cities, almost everyone owns guns. Let's be polite together!

* If you go shopping at an American department store, they will ask you if you want to open a credit card account. They are *not* asking whether you want to use a credit card. This may seem strange but it is an American custom to offer customers a credit card, in order to make them spend more money. We suggest politely declining offers of credit cards. You may have to politely decline several times. Don't think of this as rude, the Americans have to do it too.

* Most Americans think we look like Chinese or Koreans. Try not to be too offended.

* Most Americans will think that a Japanese person standing on the street is an American, unless they are holding a camera. If you are not comfortable speaking English, you might try bringing along a camera to say "I am a tourist, please don't expect me to speak English." Except, don't try this in the big cities -- tourists get mugged in big cities.

* Americans have a social institution called a "gratuity". Basically, the price on the menu at any place which serves food is not the real price. The real price is 20% higher. You have to calculate 20%, write it under the subtotal, and sum to arrive at the real price. Taxis work the same way. It is considered very rude not to pay the "gratuity".

* In general, Americans consider it impolite to discuss politics. However, this January Obama will become the new president, and many people are excited! If they ask you what you think of him, a safe answer is [English] "Obama is really cool." or [English] "Obama speaks so well. Not like me. Hehe." Be very careful when pronouncing his name. O BA MA, just like Obama City. [Ask me later. Hilarity abounds.]

* Most big cities have Japanese food available. You may have to look hard, though -- ask your hotel for some place to eat tempura. Restaurants which say they serve sushi probably only serve makizushi, like California rolls. (Americans think California rolls are [English] "sushi".) If a restaurant says [English] "Asian" they really mean Chinese. They are probably not really Chinese, either.

* Ladies: if you shop for clothes, ask for where to find [English] "petite". It means normal sized. Ladies who are petite may have difficulty finding clothes which fit in America, except at specialty shops.

* McDonalds: Has no teriyaki burger in America. Portions are bigger and food is cheaper. Sometimes the person taking the order does not speak English. Please relax! They probably understand the set menu, although it is called [English] "combo", and you can hold up the number with your hands as shown. [Snip of chart for how Americans count on their fingers, which is actually different than how Japanese people count on their fingers, hence the need for a chart.]

The man who made too much

Interesting story about the man who made massive bets that the banks would fall even before the crisis and the subprime hits. It's like buying a 100 million insurance policy for Hotel New World before it collapses.  His 3.7 billion USD payday in 2007 broke every record, even the all time record held by George Soros.  Story here .

If the world were a village of only 100 people, there would be...

click to enlarge

My views on "platonic" friendship

A woman has a close male friend, or a "godbrother"(I never really understand why girls need a godbrother or why guys want to take on additional sibling responsibilities ). This means that he is probably interested in her, which is why he hangs around so much. She sees him strictly as a friend. This always starts out with, you're a great guy, but I don't like you in that way.

This is roughly the equivalent for the guy of going to a job interview and the company saying, You have a great resume, you have all the qualifications we are looking for, but we're not going to hire you. We will, however, use your resume as the basis for comparison for all other applicants. But, we're going to hire somebody who is far less qualified and is probably an ah beng or alcoholic. And if he doesn't work out, we'll hire somebody else, but still not you. In fact, we will never hire you. But we will call you from time to time to complain about the person that we hired.

US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs

I know US is rich, but looking at this chart really put things into prospective.  The approximate gross domestic product for US is 14 trillion USD.  Click to enlarge.

States of America

How Porsche hacked the financial system and made a killing

[source: Radian ]

Adolf Merckle, one of the world’s richest men, committed suicide yesterday by throwing himself under a train, Bloomberg reports. Financial difficulties, and particularly great losses he suffered on Volkswagen stock, are being cited as the key reason he ended his life:

[Merckle's company] VEM was caught in a so-called short squeeze after betting Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen’s stock would fall. Merckle lost at least 500 million euros on the bets on VW stock, people familiar said on Nov. 18. VEM lost “low three-digit million euros” on VW stock, the company said in November.

A “short squeeze” sounds inconspicuous enough; you wouldn’t tell it by Bloomberg’s language, but Merckle’s Volkswagen bet lost out to one of the most masterful hacks of the financial system in history.

For those of us who don’t live and breathe finance, this is that story.

● ● ●

In 1931, Austro-Hungarian engineer Ferdinand Porsche started a German company in his own name. It offered car design consulting services, and was not a car manufacturer itself until it produced the Type 64 in 1939. But things got interesting for Porsche long before then.

In 1933, he was approached by none other than Adolf Hitler, who commissioned a car designed for the German masses. Porsche accepted, and the result was the iconic Beetle, manufactured under the Volkswagen (lit. “people’s car”) brand. Today, Porsche’s company is one of the world’s premier luxury car brands, while Volkswagen (VW) is itself the world’s third-largest auto maker after General Motors and Toyota.

Three years ago, Volkswagen found itself fearing a foreign takeover. Porsche, the company, decided to step in and start buying VW stock ostensibly to protect the landmark brand, widely fueling market expectations that it would eventually buy Volkswagen outright. Of course, this isn’t quite what came to pass.

For three years, Porsche kept accumulating VW stock without telling anyone how much it owned. Every time it purchased more, the amount of free-floating VW stock would decrease, driving the stock price up slightly; your basic supply and demand at work. Eventually the share price became high enough that, to outside observers, it wouldn’t have made any sense for Porsche to buy Volkswagen. It would simply have cost too much.

To explain what happened next, I’m going to first tell you about a financial maneuver called shorting.

● ● ●

At any given point, only a certain amount of a publicly traded company’s stock is floating freely in the market. The rest is held in various portfolios, funds, and investment vehicles. Now, everyone’s familiar with the basic idea behind the stock market: you buy stock when it costs little, and you sell it when it costs a lot, profiting on the difference.

But that assumes a company’s value is going to increase. What if, instead of betting a company will go up, you want to make money betting the company will go down? You can — by selling stock you don’t own.

Say you borrow a certain amount of stock from someone who already owns it. You pay a fixed fee for borrowing the stock, and you sign a contract saying you will return exactly the same amount of stock you took after some amount of time. So, you might borrow a thousand shares of Apple stock from me (I don’t actually own any, but play along), pay me $100 for the privilege, and sign an obligation to return my stock in 3 months. At the time, Apple stock is worth $10 per share.

After you borrow the stock, you immediately sell it. At $10 a share, you get $10,000. Two and a half months later, another rumor about Steve Jobs’ health sends AAPL crashing to only $6 per share for a few hours, so you buy a thousand shares, costing you $6,000. You give me back those shares. Because you successfully bet the company would go down in value, you earned $4,000 minus the borrowing fee. This is called short-selling or shorting the stock, and the downside is obvious: if your bet was wrong, you would have lost money buying back the shares that you have to return to your lender.

● ● ●

Now things get kinky.

When Volkswagen’s share price exceeded the point where it made sense for Porsche to buy the company, a number of hedge funds realized that Volkswagen shares have nowhere to go but down. With Porsche out of the picture, there was simply no reason for VW to keep going up, and the funds were willing to bet on it. So they shorted huge amounts of VW stock, borrowing it from existing owners and selling it into circulation, waiting for the price drop they considered inevitable.

Porsche anticipated exactly this situation and promptly bought up much of these borrowed VW shares that the funds were selling. Do you see where this is going? Analysts did. According to The Economist, Adam Jonas from Morgan Stanley warned clients not to play “billionaire’s poker” against Porsche. Porsche denied any foul play, saying it wasn’t doing anything unusual.

But then, last October 26th, they stepped forward and bared their portfolio: through a combination of stock and options, they owned 75% of Volkswagen, which is almost all the company’s circulating stock. (The remainder is tied up in funds that cannot easily release it.)

To put it mildly, the numbers scared the living hell out of the hedge funds: if they didn’t immediately buy back the Volkswagen stock they were shorting, there might not be any left to buy later, and it isn’t their stock — they have to return it to someone. If their only option is thus to buy the VW stock from Porsche, then the miracle of supply and demand will hit again, and Porsche can ask for whatever price it wants per VW share — twenty times their value, a hundred times their value — because there’s no other place to buy. They’re the only game in town.

And that, my friends, is called a short squeeze.

● ● ●

Porsche’s ownership disclosure sent the hedge funds on such a flurry of purchases for any Volkswagen stock still in circulation that the VW share price jumped from below €200 to over €1000 at one point on October 28th, making Volkswagen for a brief time the world’s most valuable company by market cap.

On paper, Porsche made between €30-40 billion in the affair. Once all is said and done, the actual profit is closer to some €6-12 billion. To put those numbers in perspective, Porsche’s revenue for the whole year of 2006 was a bit over €7 billion.

Porsche’s move took three years of careful maneuvering. It was darkly brilliant, a wealth transfer ingeniously conceived like few we’ve ever seen. Betting the right way, Porsche roiled the financial markets and took the hedge funds for a fortune.

Betting the wrong way, Adolf Merckle took his life.

Obama's new ride

Ever wonder what's kinda of security it takes to protect the most powerful man in the world?  It's a car that think it's a tank.

5 Ways to Stop Thinking Your Salary is Never Enough

Speaking with high earners about the paycheck not being enough always turns into an unsatisfying chat.  Even though the reasons are usually common, we always end up feeling sorry about ourselves.  


Let's have a litmus test on your household income.  Is your household earning  above or below “the average income per household in 2007 was S$75,360″ test (source: Singapore Statistics  ).


Why can so many families live below S$75,000 a year while others earning 4 times in Singapore still feel 
poor?  If you are wondering the answer to this question yourself, or if you feel like the paycheck is never enough, here are 5 suggestions for you:


Comparing Yourself to Others

Even if you win a toto of $1 million, you would have still felt poor! The reason was simple - don't compare yourself to the super rich. While you had $1 million dollars, stop wondering why you're not having that condo overlooking the marina bay that costs 3 million dollars. When you want everything, anything without would come as a disappointment!

As soon as you reach the top of a mountain, you will see that there are other mountains that are higher! In fact, some mountains will seem higher even if they are not! Stop comparing yourself to others!


Jumping Your Lifestyle Ahead of Schedule
Affordability is different for people earning $10k, $50k, $100k, $250k, $1 million, $50 million and so on a year. If your salary is $50k annually but you try to live the $100k lifestyle, your salary will never be enough! If you want to get ahead, the opposite (living the $50k lifestyle even if you are earning $100k) is more appropriate.


The glass is half full
I have a kopi machine that pours a set amount of water into the cup. One day, I used a huge mug and the kopi seemed almost non-existent.  The coffee obviously didn’t change, but the container (our expectation) did. It seems obvious that the only way to measure how much we have is by looking at the actual volume of coffee but like many, I looked at how empty the mug was. Counter-intuitive and counterproductive.

Learn to appreciate what you have accomplished and what you possess, not what you want to get because it’s never enough.

Keep Trimming Your Expenses

I’m not talking about cutting off your unnecessary expenses like you’ve read before but actually anything that is not strictly for survival purposes! Periodically cut off your taxi travels or your credit card usage for a few weeks and see if you miss it.  

Make yourself a challenge by never calling for cabs, even on a Friday night in the CBD areas.  Schedule your appointments by factoring in travel time by MRT/bus.  Only withdraw less than a hundred every time you're at the ATM.  The hassle of queuing up again for cash and restricting yourself from plastic should drastically cut down your spending!

Starbucks habits? Movie Fridays? Stop them and see what happens! Not only will this force you to relearn what’s really “necessary”, it will help you inject variety into your life!

Search for Alternatives

You know what? There is always a less expensive option for everything that we do. With the ease of information gathering brought on by the Internet, there is really no excuses not to spend some time researching to see if you can find a better alternative. Like pasta? Cook you own!(really pasta-mani is kinda overrated). Watch movies? Rent!(I know there are free options but I probably can't dwell deep into those means ). Can’t live without soccer channels? Try watching them on the Internet! (yes they really exists, and even live!)

Why can’t people live below their means even if they are earning 6 figure salaries? Because they just choose not to.

Start thinking that you can, and begin putting it in action.  Have fun along the way, and share your tips with other people.  In the current climate, you'll be the hero!

Singapore Civil Servant raises uproar online by giving account of his overseas trip.

As permanent secretary of Ministry of Water and Natural Resources, Mr Tan Yong Soon is probably one of the highest earning civil servants.  If he is given a salary grade of MR4 , that equates to $59,670 per month or probably 12 Japanese sports saloon every year.  [here ]

Apparently the blogosphere is in an uproar over his insensitivity in spite of the current climate where many are expected to be laid off, putting hundreds/thousand of families in distress.  The travelogue was personally written by him [here ] and though the tone of the article was pretty neutral (in my opinion), the devilish details kinda rubbed off the wrong way.  Some include:

1. $50k cooking lessons in Paris (that'll hire a maid for 200 months )
2. 5 weeks of leave (indispensable, ah hah!)

This is probably going to drag for a while in the forums...

Spread the debt around