and thus i knew of 3 pending weddings~
2 confirmed, 1 in the planning heh~ excited and happy for them la

From my conversations with various friends and from observations i made from people around me
i concluded:

Dating for long period of time iscan be dangerous/unhealthy for a relationship

and that gauge IMO is around 4 yrs and beyond, things might not look rosy anymore, people might get resistant to changes, improvements, blinded by "routine" or "companionship", blinded to alot of positive influences/people or just blinded to the bad habits and also be weary of the "commitment" issues.

But luckily for some dating couples around me, plans to settle down are already in the planning, congrats again.

Sometimes its not just a matter of "whether the heart is strong enough", there's alot more other factors too.. emotionally, financially, peer pressure, family pressure, societal pressures etc
Reality hits home. Hard.
Unless you have been living in self-denial all along and dont feel a thing.

*****
(added on)
But some might prove otherwise
If both parties made the effort to.. Isnt it better to be able to "have it all" when the couple finally decide to tie the knot? Some may like to take one step at a time, some may like to do all at once.. it depends on different couples again.

sadly, I have counted at least 4 long term (4yrs+) couples gone in a span of 2 yrs
i hope i dont see anymore casualties

*******

anyway on another note, I fetched mum from work on Saturaday, waiting at her workplace for almost 2 hours before we went for lunch at the prata place near bukit timah plaza lol
i ordered murtarbak, naan, mutton masala and chicken tika for the two of us LOL.
then accomapanied her to jurong point for alittle shopping.
I bought the Jack Neo's " Ah Long Pte Ltd " for some laughter and in the meantime, i got a CJ7 plush toy around 6inches tall with my dvd purchase?

Anyway, I decided to pop by the bf's place to surprise him, with the dvd, plush and some muffins I got. well kiddish as it may sound, he likes the plush. LOL and muffins too
All to cheer him up while he mugged away.

Sun was spent meeting and catching up with my secondary school friends.
What type of friends you have influence the type of behaviour and thinking you have I believe.
And I like my friends alot, although they are not the "crappy" or "joker" types, they are realistic, positive and they provide meaningful and analytical insights to alot of things and I feel they are motivated individuals as well. Thus I feel, yet again the least "significant" with the least "acheivements" YET even MORE motivated.
Well..is not that we cant joke, we joke the more "sensible" way LOL :P


here's looking at u~

Qi zai sitting on dear's bed :P


take 1

take 2

looks can be deceiving

Magic bra pad
G cup magic! ⊙⊙
C cup today, D cup tomorrow! Press the pumping device to desired cup size.
It is made of cotton and comes in a pair. Each piece is 10.8cm. It is washable and can be used when swimming.
Place it at different positions in your bra for different effect.
There is a little button at the side for you to deflate after use.

more "efficient" than maximizers LOL
the things we have in the beauty/cosmetics market nowadays

Taiwan Itinerary(edited)

For anyone who had been to Taiwan, especially for MZ
These are the places confirmed for TAIPEI :


Any recommendations of other places in Taipei that I can include for the first day?
I should reach Taipei around 12+ in the afternoon, weekday. Then I can start planning my travelling schedule and routes.

thanks to MZ N WY:recommendations(food) as listed

WuFenPu
:Lu Rou Fan
YuRenMaTou
:BBQ stuff,Da chang bao xiang chang
XMD
:Ba fang yun ji dumpling/guo tie, Modern Toilet, BBQ stuff, Guan cai ban, Steak, ya rou bian
JiuFen
:Fishball
Dan Shui
:ah gei
Jiu Fen
:huang li shu/tai yang bin

any more recommendations? :)


and other places in other parts of Taiwan that most prob be included.

Every fourth Saturday of May is 'Family Day Out'

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/343445/1/.html

SINGAPORE: Starting this year, every fourth Saturday of May will be designated as Singapore's 'Family Day Out'.

This is the latest initiative by the National Family Council to encourage Singaporeans to spend more time with their family.

63-year-old Teresa Quah, a retiree, said: "It's a very good idea to bring the family closer... help them communicate with each other."

The National Family Week was launched 22 years ago, but not many people seem to be aware of such a campaign, going by a straw poll conducted by Channel NewsAsia.

To raise the profile of the National Family Week, organisers have decided to give their month-long campaign a new name. It is now called the National Family Celebrations, and campaign activities will be launched on 24 May at a carnival at the Singapore Flyer.

Organisers will be giving away 15,000 free tickets for rides on the Singapore Flyer as well as other attractions. There will also be special family packages at other places such as the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park.

Yeo Chuan Hong, a father of two, said: "This year, families can get together in their own time and take the extra effort to be closer."

Over the years, activities organised for the family campaign have been expanded to last for almost a month.


*************

its good that National Family Council is doing more to raise awareness about the importance of family bonding but it also mean that the family unit/bonding has deteriorated to such extend that an external agency HAS TO DO SOMETHING to entice or encourage people to bond which seems so primitive or instinctive or maybe I am wrong.

Are you guilty of neglecting your family?
and i mean quality bonding, you can just eat with them over dinner but do you actually talk to them? Bring them out? Go on outings together? Do something together?
DO you FEEL the bond?

And.. I think mum will like the idea too, not that she has any lack of "bonding sessions" with us :P

You might say that there are so many other commitments thus cancelling out time for bonding with family, but the thing is ... bonding sessions doesnt always require alot of time.

For me.. usually my weekends, I'll divide out between bf and my family, even if i do go out on both days, I make sure I'll see my mum for half a day, accompany her to the market or breakfast before I leave the house or we just walk Snoopi LOL.

She might not say she likes it, but I can see it from her face.
That is "happiness" shown to me.

you might say "why the bf doesnt follow me all the time or I dont follow the bf all the time, still can bond with family what?"
But the question is, if I follow him or he follows me all the time, bond with WHOSE family?
Sometimes i think, its good to leave the bf and his family to have their own personal space, sometimes I join them for dinners and outings, sometimes I want our own personal space, just the two of us and sometimes I want my own personal space with my family.

time is fixed. human minds' are not.

well that is me :)

*********

on another note, yesterday morning dear said, "i will give you surprise later"
thus i waited and waited and fell asleep at night when dear suddenly appeared at my door LOL
"Like the surprise?"
"I wouldnt want it any other way"

Dear came over after his study session with his friends then accompanied me before he left for school to take exams this morning.

and I felt a tinge of sadness in me.. to send dear off to school, waiting to see his bus going into the distance..

nevermind.. shall see him after exams! which is next friday hee and another 3 more weeks to Taiwan!

"Talk is cheap"

Talking about an "ideal scenario" is not the same as talking about "how to achieve that ideal scenario"
Everyone can go on and on about how they want the "ideal scenario"
But its pointless/no sincerity if they are clueless about the steps and preparation work needed to achieve the "ideal scenario"
Worse, they wait for people to plan it out for them and they just busk in its glory or fruits of others' labour.

And I am still waiting for my application result .. zzz when can I ever go onto the next phase?
I know i cant hurry some stuff, at least dont make it stagnant.
I feel so inspired by people around me by their hard work, their planning or their achievementsand I seem so ... "not productive" tsk tsk
I think I must looked like I have bummed around for a long time.. which is not good..

This is not envy. This is motivation

Are you being humble regarding your criteria for "happiness" or are you made to eat the humble pie?
There's a difference in what you think and what actually works for you, habits have to be cultivated, criteria has to be tweaked to individual needs.
If the norm doesnt work for you, dont be the norm then.
If changing the surroundings and people around you doesnt work, its the mind that needs to be refocused.
IF that cant work, then your mind is not focus on the norm.
Adapting and forcing your mind to adapt is different.
Be Honest about what is "happiness" to you.

and some phrases from my book today

"Our thoughts make us what we are"

"The only problem we have to deal with is to choose the right thoughts"

"You are not what you think you are, what you think, you are"

"The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a Heaven out of Hell, Hell out of Heaven"

wedding bells in the air~~
a good friend of mine is gettin married! lol i love the jovial occassion and the mood that comes with it
BUT the bf.. it seems is so uninitiative.. to me that is tsk tsk
wake up wake up! help your wife-to-be leh

and he is so "reserved" that he wants to do away with the guest list.. how can? this calls for celebration!
but she said something like "before u judge him and say he is not good, he did something to make me decide"

ah!! the suspense is killing me.. and she is not tellin.. YET.
anyway congrats to her again hee

though it will be a simple one, a chalet after ROM, it still calls for celebration ... till later when there's dinner it will call for even bigger celebration lol
at least both are working towards their goal of achievin their dream and she is busy sourcing her supplies.

and i am starting to NOT like UNISIM.
they are not upfront with alot of conditions and they took the opportunity after government announced the 40% subsidy to jack up the price till around 10% more and then NOT giving applicants the full subsidy.Then in the end it doesnt really make any difference whether i get into UNISIM or RMIT if the fees gonna be similar, frankly speaking, the fees was the main factor which got me interested in UNISIM then saw the course which they came out with this year and thus i applied that.

from a forum i read

"I wanted to apply for an education loan at the bank, so I got UniSIM to send me an official payment schedule. The school quoted me $22k (even after getting 8 module exemption). I'm eligible for the 40% grant. After some calculation, I think the grant is about 20% only leh...And if you have been watching UniSIM course fees, you would have noticed that they increased $100 per module (That's like 12% increment, from $850 to $950) the week after the 40% govt grant was announced.Effectively... - 20% + 12% = less than 10% discount lah... Haiz...BTW, I emailed to ask UniSIM why it is still $22k when the grant is supposed to be 40% but they never replied me.I'm not able to study anymore due to money + child minder is ill. Luckily, I have not paid the $500 non-refundable deposit they requested I need to pay before 14th April.Oh, I was offered a place in Bsc (Hon) Business and IT which is 170 credit units."

"This afternoon UniSIM called me to ask if I was still interested in persuing my degree course with UniSIM. I took the opportunity to ask her about the interest-free installment payment plan for those with financial difficulties (people who are unable to obtain an education loan or credit card since income is way below 30k). This was actually the 5th time I asked UniSIM staff the same question, the hotline staff said no such scheme was available, the online customer service staff replied my email 2 out of 3 times to say they have to wait for reply from "Student Admissions Department" and "Management" in 2 separate emails. My 3rd email was ignored totally.The lady who called me this afternoon was the only one who could answer my question. Anyway, just to share with everyone who requires financial assistance, her answer was that I will have to pay the $500 deposit first, apply for up to 4 modules and receive billing before I can apply to the school for interest-free installment payment plan. It is on a case-to-case basis, no income guidelines are available and therefore there is no guarantee I can get on the interest-free installment payment plan. According to her, even if I manage to get on the interest-free installment payment plan, the fees is still payable in 2 or 3 installments.After answering such a long explanation and after I told her I do not have the funds to commence my studies this year or next year, the lady sounded really frustrated so I didn't bother to to frustrate her further by asking why the fees quoted to me was still $22k after 40% govt subsidy."

though they have the course i wanted, thinking of it, the name is too new, the cert is too new, no reputation, no "realistic statistics"
though approved by MOE, it just meant MOE accepts the cert, which is beneficial to teachers or those already in NIE and who wishes to pursue additional cert.
and lastly, its longer than RMIT, taking 3 yrs instead of 2.5 yrs... tsk tsk
i would like to get over and done with FAST so as to proceed on with my life's other plans.. dont wanna waste my time waitin and mopping around, head buried in studies and work for so long..

i wanna advance too.then we can make other plans too.

someone said my blog is boring.. kinda bimbotic and too predictable and bragging too.
i am NOT braggin
i so happen to do what i did and i so happen to blog about it.

ok back to the main point, i can comment alot of things that do not involve me but what's the point? as stated by another
they dont affect me so why bother to even be bothered... or maybe till i get more inspirations to write LOL which i did sometimes but i always sound opinionated but what to do? its MY opinions of course sound opinionated, if not why i write out if i sound like everyone else or someone else?
another said he rather read about things that dont involve beside the nitty gritty stuff that i do

ok fine lol cause if i do comment, u know the extent.
and some words is targeted at some people i know so yup being tactical is the word.
like i said before my blog=online dairy
i like to see my blog and read about what i, we did over the years
what i did as a gf, a colleague, a friend, a daughter and as an individual and now snoopi's mummy

anyway if anyone wants to talk or know more can msn me or call me
u know the email, u know i listen more than i talk, u know u can talk to me LOL
i let u know more juicy details :P
and the last thing i want to be known as is an "airhead"

air·head 1
A silly, rather unintelligent person.
a flighty scatterbrained simpleton

and anyone for some cocktail sipping session soon? i am itchin for some live bands

ramblings at the beginning

Horoscope for the week
Seeing the Light

You will see the light at the end of the tunnel this week, GERALDINE, so it is time to celebrate, now that you know you are going to come through with flying colors! On Monday, the Moon in Scorpio in your sector of self trines Mars and Uranus, and you are ready to rock and roll. You took the hard path, and emerged a winner. Yes, that means you can take a break and enjoy yourself! After all, you have earned your rest and relaxation. Adventurous Mars is in your sector of travel, and you may be ready to take a quick mini-vacation someplace fun, and let loose. You do have a wild side, even if you keep it under wraps, and now may be the time to show it to the world. Of course, you will only jump out of a plane if you have a parachute, which will enable you to have a soft landing. On Sunday, Mercury in Taurus sextiles Uranus in your sector of amusements and you will spend a lot of time thinking up fun activities you can participate in. You may learn a new sport or sign up to become part of an athletic team, as a way to both have fun and make new friends.

--------------------
i feel optmistic already :P

and something i read.
Why We Wear The Wedding Ring On The Fourth Finger

Have you ever wondered why its on the fourth finger and not others? Recently I came across this mystical, beautiful explanation.

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?

There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese…..

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back.
Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip
(As shown in the figure below)


Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents Yourself
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your Children

Now, try to separate your Thumbs (representing the parents)
–> They will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you forever, and have to leave you sooner or later.

Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)
–> They will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)
–> These will open too, because your children also will get married and settle down with their own families some day.

Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT!
–> BECAUSE Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!

--------

and dear said he wants to fatten me up.. -_-" and relatives thought i underwent some strict diet.. hmm.. maybe Snoopi makes a good exercise companion (and dumbbell) lol cause of the everyday walking and chasing him around and also the carrying..(he's hefty 6+kg ><)
he loves being carried, head on my shoulders, looking out of the windrow grilles.. his everyday routine as started by mum to "see car car" outside. :P

First Trip on SIngapore FLYER

Fri

Went over to find dear near his school after work to have supper with him. His friends were there too and they seem to have some secret among themselves .. which of course i know "no head no tail" over what they were talking about.
They kept going about in riddles and that made me feel kinda alienated when i was with them.
They just refused to tell me what it was.. tsk tsk oh well oh lol we had lots of meat, mutton masala and naan and chicken tika for supper lol

Sat

In the morning, dear and i brought Snoopi down for a walk and we made new friends again lol with a westie, a shitzu named shelly and another maltese named jojo. Friendly doggie friends and friendly owners lol they even gave us tips and offered to drive us to meetings together with them :)
AND Sat was dear's Dad's birthday! his sis had booked us tickets on the Singapore FLyer! for the evening slot
the view was gorgeous! 42 storeys high! BUT the queue before that was as long as the ride itself tsk tsk ..
and dear's dad wanted to eat steak so we went to Tony Ramas for dinner LOL
another meaty session again.
and yes, the roma feast in front is ours, just two of us LOL.

Sun

Reached home in the afternoon and bought lunch for family then went to grandpa's place in the evening, a monthly rountine and saw my cousin's dog too heh
snoopi made new friend again, a big sister.. she's a mixed breed.. a papillion and another. and she's so hyer that i couldnt take a clear pic of her.

the Singapore Flyer! let the pics do the talking~

most of the pics with dear's sis though.

and at grandpa's place and Coco

Next two weeks will not be meeting dear as much as dear's having exams.
BUT its alright, i am eagerly counting down to taiwan!! In Mid-May heh
but before that, ganbatte dear dear! me will be patient with u..
and there's always Snoopi, our handsome boy. Dear's being very firm with him as he always dashed around even when on leash, tsk tsk
that naughty boy BUT today when at grandpa's place, he's being receptive to everyone~ no barking and also willing to let others carry him.
Uncle asked, "when are you letting your dad carry grandchild"
i replied, "he has a grandchild now to carry"
LOL
gosh, when will the elders ever stop talking about marriage, its not as if it is such a simple affair, everything needs money and lots of preparation. when its time its time tsk tsk.

last but not least, a recent pic of him...fur growing out .. need to get trimming tools soon.

dear said he likes this pic of me carrying snoopi :)

snoopi is teething.. again and biting on dad's furniture but he cant help it cause he's growing his adult teeth.. so now i have a "bo gei" dog while his new teeth is slowly growin out..
seriously need teething toys for him tsk tsk
but really ah.. his beard is always stained yellow.. and like a mop whenever he drinks water from the bowl as his beard will be dipped into the bowl and dripping wet lol maybe should get another type of water bottle for him already
dear seems excited that snoopi is "bo gei" and growing new teeth.. he was exclaiming
"our boy is growing up" LOL
dont forget my boy is still 4mths only :P
disciplining him and teaching him the correct behaviour is hard.. but me/family will try our best.
no room for spolit brats in my house.

********
a nice song
Collective Soul


Shine

Give me a word
Give me a sign
Show me where to look
Tell what will I find ( will I find )
Lay me on the ground
Fly me in the sky
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find ( will I find )

Oh, heaven let your light shine down (x4)

Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to go
Tell me will love be there ( love be there )
Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there ( love be there )

Oh, heaven let your light shine down (x4)

Im going to let it shine (x2)
Heavens little light gonna shine on me
Yea yea heavens little light gonna shine on me
Its gonna shine, shine on me
Its gonna shine, come on in shine

fallen

saw a baby bird in the drain today when i brought snoopi out for a walk... must have fallen off from somewhere.. such a sad sight.. and it was still alive.

anyway
i think my motto for now will be "do not be bitter, instead be better" LOL
and it motivates me in life more, for anything.

and i seem to be clingy to dear again. tsk tsk
must change must change..

what does a guy mean when he said, "if you can find a better man, you can leave me"
How will YOU reply?
what does that show about the guy?
confidence issue?
inferiority issue?
feelings faded?
lack of committement?
just a deploy for a gal to leave the guy?

**********
accompanied sis to SIM to hand in her application, dear was there studying with his friend and he met us for awhile before heading back to study again..
that brief moment, that brief encounter.. just made me miss him more.
cannot always take dear's time for granted but at least we treasure the weekends together more :) just us alone.
looking forward to another possible cooking session with dear this weekend again!

2.4m S'poreans to get $3b in benefits this year

http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_227154.html?vgnmr=1

Singaporeans who signed up for the GST credits last year will automatically receive their GST dues this year.

They will get letters from the CPF Board by Tuesday informing them of the amount of Growth Dividends, GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus they stand to get.

They will automatically receive the following:


-First installment of Growth Dividends by April 30.

-2008 payout of GST Credits and Senior Citizens' Bonus by July 1.

-Second installment of Growth Dividends by Oct 11

Those who did not sign up for their GST Credits in 2007 and those who newly qualify for GST credits in 2008 (123,000 in total), can sign up for their payouts from Tuesday. They have until the end of the year to do so.

Structure of Growth Dividends

Structure of GST Credits

Have you calculated how much you will be getting?

hope this helps. :)

Dad's birthday and day out at the beach!

Absolutely tiring BUT absolutely loving it!

we went to the beach today! with family dear and snoopi!
snoopi's first trip out to see the big big world

a sneak preview lol
brought family to fatty weng at bugis to celebrate dad's birthday and we cut the cake over there too lol
watch out for more pics

my boy

Huh?

chey

whatcha looking at

bath time~

scrub scrub

outing with sharon

met sharon after work at clementi and had dinner at the sarawak koo lo mee at bukit timah
.. not very nice in my opinion.. and costly too like over priced - wanton mee
ooh.. we had some cocktails and beer at liquid kitchen.. i love my liquor hahahhaa
and we talk about everything under the sun, from studies to economy to jobs to parents' naggings lol and yar the ever present "marriage" issue.
tsk tsk some things cant be hurried, some things cannot be compared. some things cannot be forced. Proactive is the word.
so next best thing is to "do something about it" and "work towards it", things dont just happen.

and.. I am waiting to see a remake of the scenario again.

some phrases

next on my list.

thinking of getting some skirts? lol around 10bucks each only.

our 56th mth anniversary

Me and You :)

i sound long-winded and mushy.. counting even the months we have been together but it's alright and as long the bf rememebers and with him wishing me whenever the 8th comes around, i'll be happy. .. this month in particular, really means alot to me...after all that we had been through.. the unhappy episodes, the various mood swings etc its been so much more peaceful nowadays..

I was busy in lab the whole day so managed to get him a card and did some photo collage and wordings for him

It's a "Believe in Yourself" card.
I believe in..If you BELIEVE, that's the first step to success, beyond the toughness, the tiredness, the setbacks, the distractions, you will get there in the end.

You believe thus i believe in you.

I wan to let You know, i will always be Your support regardless which phase of Your life You are at now. Studies, NS and now studies again.

His friend came up with this phrase
"having a gf is a liability, a depreciating asset"

I wont allow that to happen.

We can take this time to upgrade ourselves then make it a more lethal combination next time LOL
I like to think it that way.

I will want to move forward too.. not just depending on the guy for everything, its suppose to be a UNION.

and pics for from our mini celebration
i love u lots lar lol

******

and and.. i ordered this for dad LOL

coming to 50yrs! and still as naggy -_-

Snoopi's Present

looking out for pet ids for the "fei zai"
and new toys too.. read up that soft toys are not good for him tsk tsk .. my soft toys have been "sacrifized" for his entertainment.. -_-
some stuff i am looking out for

these are designed to be chew toy + treats dispenser.. to train their agility and thinking cause they need get the treat out

the reason why i need to get new chew toys for him... he's starting to chew on dad's furniture

"gong gong scold"

so need to get him teething toys

Pet IDs

some desgins lol aint it pretty~

i'm feeling excited already

to beat the blues

To beat the monday's "lethargicness", was reading up on these few articles.. now it DOESNT pay to just deposit all your money in normal saving plans.. there's a variety of saving plans out there to cater to different amounts and for different period of time... but those banks with seeming higher interest rates like Maybank's Isavy and Citibank's StepUp accounts are decreasing their rates too... tsk tsk .. but even saving plans are not enough to safeguard your money..

Time to do a recheck.

anyway some tips i copied from the Straits Times.

10 ways to overcome the shrinking dollar

It takes discipline and a sound investment strategy to combat the corrosive effects of inflation, say financial experts.

1 Cut down spending, live within your means

IPP Financial Advisers investment director Albert Lam's advice is to review your lifestyle and consumption patterns.

For instance, you can substitute a branded item with a no-frills one, or switch to a cheaper mode of transport like the bus.

2 Try to save 20% of your pay or more

This is a useful tip especially for those just starting their careers, says head of ipac financial planning's advisory team, Mr Bill Castellas.

Establishing a disciplined pattern of 'money behaviour' will go a long way towards building surpluses for long-term investments.


3 Do not be overly conservative

Invest your money instead of leaving all of it in savings deposits or fixed deposits, said Mr Lam.

New Independent's financial advisory manager Stanley Sim also suggests that instead of parking spare cash in savings deposits, investors can place it in money market funds that have zero sales charges and offer better rates.


4 Don't rely solely on guaranteed products

Mr Castellas feels that such products, like bonds, might provide peace of mind but only marginal protection against inflation over the long term.


5 Save regularly via an investment platform

The earlier you start investing a small amount that you can afford to set aside, the quicker your investment will grow till it builds up into a significant sum in later years.

'Set aside an affordable sum from your daily expenses each month via a regular savings plan,' said Mr Castellas.

'You can put it into growth-oriented assets like equities and or real estate investment trusts.'


6 Take on sensible level of investment risk

Build an investment portfolio with a reasonable spread of defensive and growth assets that suit your lifestyle.


7 Invest for returns that will beat inflation

In order to beat inflation, consider investing in a globally diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds with a long-term horizon, said Mr Sim.

A moderate-risk portfolio, comprising 60 per cent equities and 40 per cent bonds, should be able to generate a 6 to 8 per cent return a year over the long term.


8 Understand the power of compounding

Start planning, saving and investing as early as possible so you can enjoy the benefits of compounding, said Mr Lam.

He suggested investors apply the Rule of 72, a handy tool that illustrates the effects of compounding.

To work out how long it will take for your investment to double in value, divide 72 by the percentage return. With a return of, say, 9 per cent a year, to double your money, you will need eight years, that is, 72 divided by nine.

Mr Sim noted that if you can invest $10,000 in an instrument that gives you an annual return of 6 per cent, that sum will grow to about $32,000 after 20 years.

If you start early, the compounding effects will help you fight inflation by preserving and growing your wealth.


9 Invest in asset classes that appreciate

Both Mr Lam and Mr Sim gave property as an example. But invest in this asset class only if it is within your means.

If rents increase at a faster rate than inflation, your property rental yield will provide a healthy return, they said.


10 Limit exposure to depreciating assets

Such assets include consumer goods like cars.

*************

another article

How to beat inflation
With the rising cost of living and lower bank deposit rates, risk-averse Singaporeans are seeing their savings eroded by inflation. Lorna Tan looks at 10 ways to tackle increasing prices.



dear is urging/encouraging me to read the financial news and economics.. maybe now its a very good time to do so..

Seafood overdose

Friday
Intially wanted to meet dear at Holland Village for dinner then he suggested to find his school friends for dinner due to the theory, "more people more choices" lol
We met them at TURF CITY's Unique seafood market to choose seafood and it was such an eye-opener! and for the first time in my life, i saw ASLAKAN KING CRAB LIVE! lol

The guys chose the seafood and we went over to AH YAT restaurant for dinner.
Dear's school friends seem interesting, some influential too.
While having dinner, overheard them talking about this friend who kept asking "is this real or fake" about their branded stuff like wallets and bags.
-_- i wonder.. does it really matter?
those who can afford might not get any and those who got it might not be that loaded afterall.
having branded stuff serves different purposes for different people i guess, some for status, some just for utility purpose, some for quality and some for appearance.

Seems dear is mixing well, with frequent study sessions and makan sessions to even holiday chalets with this group, and he is making the efforts to introduce them to me too.
Feeling happy for dear and glad that he is trying to update me with his life.





some of the dishes we had for dinner
there were 7 of us in total

Saturday
was spent preparing food for prayer.. dear helped mum prepared curry chicken, fried fish, cabbage soup and cereal prawns.. ah..overdose on prawns.. -_-

Then we went orchard as i wanted to get some cosmetics for myself. I gotten a Shu Umera cleanser and Anna sui white eyeliner LOL
The packaging's real tempting :) with a rose patterned lid for the eyeliner pencil. ...
Though i always say i dont have the knack for makeup, i guess its worth a try to dabble with alittle .. not that i dont like makeup, i rather that i can present myself with AND without makeup :P but not overly extreme for me cause i am a lazy person and when it comes to removing the makeup i am very particular.

At dear's place, we had dinner with his mum and we talked about insurance and housing. We talked about longevity insurance and cpf changes.. i hate the changes.. now i cant invest the balance of my cpf.. but its good in a sense at least the CPF's interest is not prone to market fluctuations.
hmm speaking of housing, was discussing about the property cooldown and locations and there's news of government building "Jurong Lake District". interesting eh? i never knew the west can have this potential.



dear said my top looked sweet :)
crochet bust with flower shaped buttons
from Forever 21

Sunday will be rest day for both of us, for us to spend own time with family and do our own personal stuff and dear's gonna revise too.

Ganbatte!

OH! and dad's 50th birthday is next sat! I have chosen a place for dinner already now left the cake.
Anyone came across a "longevity peach" shaped cake before? DO tell me please. i found it :)