Marriage is good for men

NEW YORK - HISTORICALLY, marriage was the surest route to financial security for women. Nowadays it's men who are increasingly getting the biggest economic boost from tying the knot, according to a new analysis of census data.

The changes, summarised in a Pew Research Centre report being released on Tuesday, reflect the proliferation of working wives over the past 40 years - a period in which American women outpaced men in both education and earnings growth. A larger share of today's men, compared with their 1970 counterparts, are married to women whose education and income exceed their own, and a larger share of women are married to men with less education and income.

'From an economic perspective, these trends have contributed to a gender role reversal in the gains from marriage,' wrote the report's authors, Richard Fry and D'Vera Cohn.

'In the past, when relatively few wives worked, marriage enhanced the economic status of women more than that of men. In recent decades, however, the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men.' One barometer is median household income - which rose 60 per cent between 1970 and 2007 for married men, married women and unmarried women, but only 16 per cent for unmarried men, according to the Pew data.

The report focused on US-born men and women aged 30-44 - a stage when typical adults have finished their education, married and launched careers. The Pew report noted that today's Americans in this age group are the first such cohort in US history to include more women than men with college degrees. -- AP

********

so who said women/wives/gfs are liabilities?
eat that. LOL.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/TechandScience/Story/STIStory_479216.html

Some things

are better left unsaid.
Lest it adds to unnecessary stress and tension

****
meeting sharon this weekend for dim sum and shopping
one more blouse to go and I'm done for CNY shopping.
Two blouses for two days of visiting.
Wearing jeans and shoes from JB

this year super budget LOL.
Cause i dont see the point of buying extravagantly for clothes that i wear for few hrs only -_-
Not as if I dont see my relatives regularly enough

Review

From 14th - 16th Jan


I had paper cut streaks across my arm from shifting boxes in my office zzz
adding to more marks on my arms


Bought this for grandpa for CNY :)





Treated dear to Korean Dinner at KIM'S FAMILY at Bukit Timah ~
He loves it, saying the soup base even better than TOGI.


BEST out of all the dishes we ordered, the porridge itself is cooked in stock and already savoury without all the ingredients in it.



OTAH! there's chunks of fishmeat in it

The sauce kinda too salty but the texture is real smooth and soft..

Dear Brought me to GEYLANG FOR DIMSUM lol
its along those shop houses and so not very eyecatching but the food's absolutely worth it





Dear's sis brought us for BAK KUT TEH Brunch
Opposite Central Clarke Quay..
Its the usual peppery "clear" soup, much different from the Leong Kee that we always eat
the soup can refill too.
So if you prefer something more "clear", this is it.




I bought some sweets for CNY :)
Cute!

Unwell

Dear has been unwell over these few days. Came over to find him last night after work and this morning went out for breakfast when he was better.
His condition took a turn for the worse and he slept at home in the afternoon.
He urged me to go shopping with his mum instead as it was my original plan to go shop with him today and he did not want me to be disappointed.

And I went out and did shop with his mum for awhile..
Then we cabbed back home and I accompanied dear who's sleeping at home again.
Just watched some shows and dear's curled up in his blanket asleep.
Shall monitor his condition.
Hopefully he'll be better tomorrow.

The Big ISSUE

I feel like a sponge in the midst of everyone's discussions hahah
the BIG ISSUE of housing, pricing, location, payment, cpf and other costs..

one word
EXPENSIVE.

So..
Be very sure and well-prepared for the impact if you are joining in the Big ISSUE.

***************
http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/news/2010/1/27118/8-out-of-10-new-hdb-flat-buyers-use-only-cpf-monie

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has maintained its commitment to keep flats affordable, said Minister Mah Bow Tan.

Mr. Mah provided concrete examples and figures in response to a question from West Coast GRC MP Mdm Ho Geok Choo about how the proliferation of housing options will affect HDB in terms of pricing, eligibility criteria and policy.

According to the minister, HDB’s offerings across varied locations, designs, flat types and prices cater to different segments of flat buyers with individual preferences and budgets within the income ceiling of $8,000, which comprises almost 80 percent of Singapore households.

He noted that around eight out of 10 new flat buyers use CPF monies entirely without any cash outlay in servicing their housing loans.

“This is possible due to our generous subsidy system. All new flats come with a generous market subsidy. Households earning less than $5,000 monthly can apply for Additional CPF Housing Grants of up to $40,000. HDB also offers concessionary loans to eligible households. First-timers can also enjoy a CPF Housing Grant of up to $40,000 when they buy a resale flat, DBSS flat or EC,” he said.

For those with higher aspirations and who earn a higher income, the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) offers premium flats. They could also opt for one-off special projects located in mature estates like the Pinnacle@Duxton. Those households with a monthly income of up to $10,000 can purchase Executive Condominiums (EC).

He also asked flat buyers to be prudent and buy only within their means.

“Let me illustrate. A family with a monthly household income of $3,000 who spends 30 per cent on housing can buy a flat of up to $250,000. This covers all the new 3-room flats in HDB's most recent BTO projects in Choa Chu Kang and Hougang in Jan 10. They also have a selection of the 4-room flats, where prices start at about $230,000. At $4,000 monthly income, a family can afford up to $333,000 without spending more than 30 per cent every month,” said Mr. Mah.

*********
define "within their means"
Property's STILL INCREASING. Income's not.

Over the days

Sat 090110

Brought snoopi to the park with mum and sis and had great fun taking photos with a friend.
Went Clementi to find dear after his class and we went John Little Sale at EXPO to shop lol. In the end, we bought mostly food.
After that went supermarket to buy ingredients to make dinner again.
At night went out for icecream with his sis.

Loots from John Little Sale at EXPO!
Stocking up for CNY lol

Steamboat at home again :)

L.I.C.K icecream

Sun 100110

Had late breakfast with dear and his mum at Beach Road and went Arab street to walk around. Lazed at home the whole day and had home cooked food by his mum.
Dear then came back home with me.

simple weekends :)

Leong Kee at Beach Road




Mon 110110

Lesson again...trying to get back into "study" mode..
Dear fetched me home after class as he had stayed late for his work too.

Tue 120110

Met the gals at IMM ICHIBAN SUSHI for dinner and listened to their horror stories regarding work.
tsk tsk
Changing job, you wont know whether it will be for the better or worse.
But never try never know. Maybe there IS a greener pasture out there




my dinner

School ramblings

This sem I have 3 essays and 2 tests.. I hope it'll be better than the 6 essays I had for last sem..

BUT BUT the books will cost me a freaking $200 in total.. zzz
HR textbook cost 80+ already..

well well

like the mastercard commercial..

cost of books: $200
knowledge: priceless

hahahaha

JIA YOU TO ALL who started/starting school

New addition

to my blog.

I added "Remembering 2009" on the right hand side.
For events that left impressions on me, not to say the others did not.

Visited dear after work last night, he seemed better and he can go school today already.

AND

It's our 77th mths anniversary today. :)

First day of sch

for dear and he fell sick ..
anxious for dear.. and he gotten what I had a few weeks ago.. gastric problems tsk tsk
hopefully I can rush to find him after work..now can only wait for his occassional sms.

Start of new year

and I started work and studies.
Had lessons two days in a row..slept almost at 12 for both days and now brain is not functioning well.

but on a happier note, bringing snoopi to the park this weekend to meet a friend :)
hope we will have a good time.

DBS coin deposit machines

Thought of emptying my piggy banks into my saving account

But THIS kinda puts me off

Are there any charges levied for coin deposits?

Coin deposits through the coin deposit machine are levied fees based on $0.0075 (0.75 cents) per piece, and total charges rounded off to the nearest 1 cent. Coin deposit fees will be waived for deposits into Children's accounts (age 15 years and below). To enjoy this waiver, you will need to drop the coin deposit receipt in our Quick Cheque Deposit box. Refunds will be processed by the next business day (Mon-Fri).

****
In short, I think only $1 are worthy of this service

imagine

500 $1 = cost $3.75 (debited from $500 worth)
500 20c = cost $3.75 (debited from $100 worth)

heartpain lei.. deduct for using coin deposit when the other cash note deposit do not incur charge
oh well...

Better than to let it sit idle on my table.

First post of 2010

291209

Met my Sec sch friends for steamboat. Updated one another and glad to know they are doing well and making good progress :)

Kel gave me a Hello Kitty phone stray~ pretty

New Year's Eve

Went to find dear at Parkway Parade, had lunch and walked around before camping at home with shows and had steamboat with his mum at home too.
Did countdown at home with a tub of icecream hahaha for this yr, we decided to NOT get lost among the crowds.
Quiet time at home, soothing for the soul.

New Year's Day

Went Breakfast at Ah Mei Cafe with his family before heading back dear's place to pack fishing gear.
A nice quiet day at East Coast, staring out towards the sea, lying on the mat, hearing sounds of laughter..while waiting.
Had Satay at East Coast lagoon to satisfy our hunger pangs.
Had mini steamboat for dinner at Marine Parade before dear played mahjong with his aunts and sister.

East Coast.. along the coast before we shifted inland due to the weather

020110

Went TionG Bahru market with dear and his sis before she dropped us back at my place.
My parents went wedding dinner so dear and I camped at home with Band of Brothers and Pizza for the night.
Dear's dad gave us a new sound system too hee.. surround sound, perfect for watching my war shows.

TIong Bahru market, Famous FISHBALL stall

030110

Groomed snoopi with dear in the morning.
Had lunch with family at Ichiban Boshi before visiting grandpa and dear went back after that.

looking super reluctant to have his fur trimmed









*******
As long I have my aims and YOU, my dear, I will hang in there!
Whatever new challenges, bring it on!

Last Post of 2009

This year's seems quieter compared to last year
but there are still events worth recapping.

Met my JC friends after a decade!
I learnt to groom snoopi myself hah
Celebrated more birthdays
Attended WY's ROM
Attended my friend's baby shower! twin boys~
Went Kelong
Cooked more often
(especially when parents went Korea)
Bf's Birthday Chalet
(which I organised and paid for.. plus his cake and gifts and dinner treat :P)
My birthday with family and a few close friends, simple but content.
Mum's 50th birthday, which I gave her pearl necklace and earrings
(though costed me quite a few hundreds, nothin beats the satisfaction of her wearing it nowadays)
And we finally went to the "other side of the bridge" for shopping and makaning

Basically I think bf and I toned down alot, less fanciful dinners/presents except for celebrations.
Bf and I made a pact this year.. to DRINK LESSER, I think I drank 4 times the WHOLE year and only a few glasses and that's that. I mean what for getting drunk and suffering hangovers. I think I've enough. Another lifestyle choice that I choose to make.

And NO clubbing for us. Save the hassle and prevention of *misunderstanding* and of course save money.
Used to cost me like 50-100 to drink or club.. gah. I dont believe in getting free drinks/favours.

*******
Resolutions from 2009

I think I fulfilled most of my resolutions set from last year
only my grades suffered for the latest sem BUT it seems that it went down across the board
Savings hit 5 digits in a year too :)

*******
Resolutions for next year 2010

Be Happy
(think I got too stressed over work and studies and it got me all angst)
Maintain close relationships with family
Maintain close/loving relationship with dear
(though we have less time, its the quality that counts :P)
Pull up my grades
(and I left one more year to finish my degree! *prays*)
Better handle work ..need to be more proactive
Keep in contact with more ppl especially those long lost
Save more.. my aim is 40K in 3 years

Hopefully all goes well.
Looking forward to 2010 and beyond!

Post Christmas Family day

271209

Dear sent me back after dinner last night before going back home.
This whole day was spent with my family :)
and of course my darling snoopi
he was so sticky to me tat he napped beside me in the afternoon.

Had a walk around Jurong Lake in the morning with mum and snoopi



Treated the family to Korean dinner :)


11 side dishes!! and its complimentary



pancake

Seafood stew, only one size

Korean Ginseng Chicken, alittle too bland for my taste

overkill -_- we had a trying time finishing the food