Arrived from city of possibilities on 14 July 2007 . Just before boarding the aircraft the manager announced that they are looking for 4 volunteers to forgo the seats for 4 emergency passengers who needed to be on the flight urgently . Yes we volunteered and was offered $500 per person and some $250 Duty Free shopping voucher .While walking out of the final departure hall the manager received a call that the "emergency" passengers has changed their mind . So We have to rush back to clear the custom all over again and the last to board the plane. What a bloody mess when our kindness was rejected. Instead the manager offered us 4 complimentary pens and apology for the confusion .
Took a cab driven by a New Zealander via Brunswick onto Eastern Freeway .The ride cost us $75.00 and was greeted by Uncle Lim as he has to open the door from inside due to the malfunction of out Garage Auto system . The weather was unbearable 4 degree .
My feet are tingling and my fingers are stiffening up ! It is the Australian winter .Well, it did fals below zero last night and embarrassing enough my "dick" was shrinking .
239 Blackburn Rd Doncaster East, VIC 3109
Daily 5:30pm-11:00pm Tel: (03) 9841-9977
OK.. Gerald got his long time pal here chatting away and Uncle Steve and I finally got the wireless network fixed . Somehow Vista way of getting wireless going was quite different from Windows XP . Microsoft designed Vista to ensure maximum networking security thus the time wasted tweaking the dammed system .
Sunday 15/07/07 had lunch at David & Camy and dinner with R&F at All people . OK Folks end the blog here as it is too cold to continue .
Here an interesting article for fellow bloggers :-
10 tips to retire comfortably
1 Don't buy a car
Why, oh why, would you buy a car in Singapore? A vehicle, unlike property,never appreciates in value, petrol prices are astronomical, and parking is often a waste of time and money. Besides, Singapore has a world-class public transport system.
2 Rent to live, Buy to invest
With property prices hitting the roof and interest rates soaring steadily,buying a home now has never been riskier. Rent the house you intend to live in and only buy property when the economy is mired in recession. Surround yourself with liquidity when the going is good, because cash truly is king when going gets tough.
3 Don't drink or smoke
There's a perfectly good reason for all those heavy duties on alcohol and tobacco - they're bad for you. Liver cirrhosis and lung cancer are not pleasurable - and it's not cheap to treat them. Quit now.
4 Don't gamble
It may not seem like much every time you place a wager. But consider this: Instead of blowing $500 a month on gambling, saving that amount in your CPF Special Account at 4 per cent per annum would yield a total of $350,000 at the end of 30 years.
5 Credit cards
With interest rates of 24 per cent per annum, credit cards spell disaster when they fall into the wrong hands. If you use a credit card because of the perks and privileges, make sure you can afford to pay off the debt in full. If you find yourself only paying the "minimum sum", you're in
trouble - so switch to using a debit card or Nets.
6 Own a business
If you have the right idea, relevant expertise and helpful partners, no other investment can match the kind of returns that owning a business can give you. If you don't have the inspiration to be an entrepreneur, then buy a piece of an existing company from the stock market.
7 Avoid unit trusts
Unit trusts have always marketed themselves as these glorious bastions of out-performance, run by dedicated professionals. But a Wall Street Journal study showed that, on average, professional fund managers are not any better at stock picking than chimpanzees throwing darts at a newspaper.
After taking sales charges, management fees and so on into account, you are almost always better off buying a benchmark index-tracking Exchange-Traded Funds, or ETFs.
8 Don't buy insurance unless you really need it
Insurance is an undoubtedly useful instrument. But think carefully again when your insurance agent starts saying that you should start early to "lock in low premiums" (because they will only get higher as you age).
The facts: At 5 per cent per annum compounded annually, a 30-year policy will cost you twice as much as a 20-year one, all else being equal. This means that buying an insurance policy 10 years earlier than necessary will cost you dearly, even if you do pay marginally lower premiums annually.
9 Have three or more? You can't afford it!
I adore children but, let's face it, kids really are financial black holes. Consolidate all your expenses, from hospital bills to tertiary education, and you realise that the baby bonus does little to alleviate the epic costs of raising a child. And parents regularly pass up
promotions and raises for the sake of their young ones.
10 Live simply
Perhaps the most crucial point. Michael Jackson was worth over US$1billion ($1.5 billion) at his zenith, but the spendthrift frittered his fortune because of his decadent lifestyle. Remember that income is only half of the wealth equation. A lack of fiscal discipline can still spell financial ruin.
Migration is also an option, but plan carefully, because amenities like healthcare are appallingly inefficient and/or expensive in other countries.
Money may be a terrible master, but the mastery of money makes many things possible. Even early retirement.
