The Unsung Heroes

As we are enjoying our holidays, it is good to know that there are many out there sacrifing their time to keep us safe at home. :)

Movie Show: Night At The Museum 3

It's Christmas eve and it's been a long time since we last watched a midnight show and so there we are, booking a 1 am slot for this movie 'Night At The Museum 3'. 

The movie is about the corrosion of the tablet in New York and help is needed from the British Museum to decipher and restore the tablet or the characters in the museum will turn to wax forever. (If you had followed part 1 and 2, you would know that the tablet brings all wax figures in the museum to life ya.) We are then taken on a roller coaster ride with barbarians, cavemen, dinosaurs, Sir Lancelot and a muti-headed snake to name a few. 

The captivating part of this movie that made us catch all 3 editions is its ability to translate its fantasy into real life. These are the things you would not have thought possible in reality but then again with a little bit of magic, it just might happen. And Ben Stiller never fails to entertain. Oh Hugh Jackman made an appearance as well. 

Oh ya, Chloe doesn't know about our movie date. Shh..

Blood is thicker than water

Check it out! What are the chances of your cousin addressing you as "biao ge" instead of the usual "hello" or simply "cousin"? Especially in the modern age of ours where everything gets simplified. Well my cousin from Sabah just did, though it did sound weird but the realisation that we are close relative related by blood suddenly dawned on me into thinking that we are actually connected closer than we think. The saying  "blood is thicker than water comes to my mind. Hmm...

The New Paper Big Walk 2014 @ Benjamin Sheares Bridge

It's the big walk. This is probably one of the earliest walking event in Singapore as far as i can remember and the first walking event i participated back in my schooling days. 

This year, the walk will be held mainly at the Benjamin Sheares bridge starting from Nicoll highway and ending at the floating platform. 

The day started at 5am. After ah may finished with feeding Chloe, i gave Chloe a mini bath with hankerchief and dressed her up as it was too early in the morning and fearing she might catch a cold if we gave her an actual bath. 

Time was never in our control with Chloe around as although we had planned to reach the start point before 7am. Her hunger for milk ensured that we are still stuck at home at 6.30am. We finally managed to reach at around 7.30am

Chloe says i am still in the middle of my beauty sleep

Rare chance to pose with expressway signboard. 

Chloe still not in the mood for Photo

The Singapore Flyer!

Couple shot

Great feeling to be walking through ERP without paying. 

Now that's cool!

Yay completed my first big walk!

Alive Museum

UOB Painting of the year 2014

I would never have thought that UOB being in the financial industry would be linked to the arts scene. And in actual fact, the UOB painting of the year competition held by UOB has been going on since 1982 and is suppose to recognise Asia's budding artist and showcase their work to the world.

This year, the winning entry is from Singapore based Korean who did this 'oil on canvas', whatever that means.. won S$32,000.

Well this piece of art which seems like a big black square to me is actually a painting with 57 layers of colouring. Is this like the Emperor's new clothes? The judges all agreed that 57 layers is REALLY impressive and chose this piece to show their deep level of appreciation for art work.

Looks like my 2 month old daughter might have a future in the art industry..hmm..

What were they thinking? Jersey Design Fails

The columbia ladies cycling team were in the news recently but for all the wrong reasons. And it makes me wonder what were the jersey design team thinking when they came up with this weird looking jersey that made these poor girls look like they are naked in the bottom. In fact, who approved this design?

Found some other interesting jersey designs from the web below....

Hello Kitty is not a cat!

Whaaaat!!!!???? Why???? Then???? Many people around the world must be wondering the same thing as me. We have all our lives been thinking that this character with whiskers and no mouth is a kitten as she is called 'kitty' right? Wrong! According to Sanrio, Hello Kitty is actually a British schoolgirl named Kitty White, is a Scorpio, has a twin sister, and their parents are George and Mary White. She also has a pet cat of her own called Charmmy Kitty.

How interesting is that? Why then does this British schoolgirl have whiskers, no mouth and has a name called kitty. Feels like we have all been taken for a ride by Hello Kitty. LoL. 

Next question. Is Doraemon a cat? Is Snoopy a dog? How about Mickey Mouse, Pooh Bear, Pink Panther? Are they what we think they are? Hmm...

MRT Trains Chartered for ACS Students to watch rugby match

5 trains from SMRT were chartered for Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) staff and students to watch the ‘C’ Division rugby championship final between ACS and St Andrew’s Secondary School at the Singapore Sports Hub. 

This is the first of its kind in Singapore and must have been an awesome experience for everyone in ACS. However, another piece of news puzzled me, LTA is considering taking action against SMRT for allowing this to happen and not seeking approval from them. 

I feel that such action is totally uncalled for and instead of 'considering taking action', LTA should consider applauding SMRT for adding some style to its way of transportation. From the view point of ACS, this is an innovative and most cost effective way of transporting so many students as it would have cost a lot more to charter buses. As for SMRT, as long as normal services are not affected to a great extend, there is no reason to reject ACS. 

This goes to show that Singapore is still a long way from breaking free of its tag of being a "fine" country and also a "law by law" culture where we are an approval seeking society.

Oh, about the rugby match they all went to watch. Well ACS beat St Andrew who were the defending champions by a scoreline of 28-8! 

Winning The TOTO

This is one interesting piece of news on the front page today. The most difficult prize to win in Singapore just got more difficult! The winning combination of six numbers have been increased from 45 to 49. I once read that the odds of winning the top prize in TOTO is about 1 in 8 million (i.e correctly pick 6 winning numbers). With 4 more numbers being added, i would say the odds will be well over 1 in 10 million. 

The minimum prize has been increased to at least $1 million from the previous amount of $500,000. And each row of numbers now cost a minimum amount of $1, up from 50 cents previously.

There will also be a new category where $10 can be won by just correctly picking three numbers. 

There is a saying "buy lottery is like buying hope" and although this hope has become more out of reach, i am sure there will be no drop in the number of people queuing up at Singapore Pools betting stations.

When It's Not Your Time

When It's Not Your Time

A breathtaking clip of close shaves with death. Shows us how fragile our lives can be and why we should treasure our loved ones more.

5 Life Lessons Learned From Goalkeepers

Unlike previous World Cups, this year has been a highlight for goalkeepers. We are so used to goal scorers and goal creators hogging the headlines that it is actually quite refreshing to see goal stoppers leading the news.

There are many outstanding keepers this World Cup like Guillermo Ochoa of Mexico, Tim Howard of USA and Keylor Navas of Costa Rica probably stands out from the rest. Most notable mentions are for Tim Krul of the Netherlands and the ever consistent Manual Neuer of Germany who also won the Golden Glove award for being the top goalkeeper at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. They have all made significant contribution to their team's chances of getting through to the next round. 

As we talk about the goals and saves of the World Cup we should note that there are some important lessons to be learnt from it too. Here are some things we can learn from goalkeepers;

1) There is always that one friend that will back you up

Manual Neuer of Germany won the Golden Glove award for being the top goalkeeper at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. He produced many crucial saves throughout the competition. His ability to control and pass the ball with comfort at his penalty area with his feet as well as timely runs out from his box to clear danger has enabled his teammates the confidence to roam forward searching for goals. 

Look around us. Do we have a friend or someone who will back us up no matter how many times we may screw up or when we need a back to lean on?

2) Life is not always fair 

Jasper Cillessen was Netherlands's number one goalkeeper throughout the World Cup but was being substituted by Tim Krul when the game against Costa Rica went into penalties. Tim Krul went on to save 2 penalties and became a national hero for bringing Netherlands to the semi finals. 

Cillessen's performance had been consistently good throughout the tournament and made a few crucial saves during the match. But to be substituted in such a manner is in a sense, insulting to him. 

Do we sometime find ourselves being overlooked no matter how much effort we put in?

3) No risk, No gain

Based on the above example, taking out your number one choice goalkeeper and replacing him when he is on form takes a lot of courage and a huge risk as well. For whatever reason, this gamble paid off in huge dividends as Netherlands successfully gained entry to the next round. 

There are many major decisions each of us has to make in our lifetime, whether it is based on calculated risk or just plain luck. The idea is to just stick to it and follow through and we may just get what we wished  for.

4) There is a thin line between being a hero and a villain

It's tough being a goalkeeper at any level and especially at such a big tournament like the World Cup. A goalkeeper can make 9 saves out of 10 shots and nobody notices, but the 1 shot that he lets in will invite the whole world's condemnation. This is in total contrast to being an outfield player or even a striker whose job is to score goals. 1 shot that ends up being a goal against 9 misses he make and still he will be adorned like a hero.

5) Keep trying and you'll succeed

Tim Howard made a record of 16 saves and was outstanding in a match against Belgium and it was not until extra time that the Belgium managed to score against him. Although both teams did not deserve to lose, it also shows that perseverance will get you through if you try hard enough.  The Belgians succeeded on their sixteenth try.  How many tries are we willing to make in order to achieve our goals? That is the question we have to ask ourselves.  

6 Jars To Financial Freedom

The 6 Jars To Financial Freedom

Since young, we have all been taught on the importance of saving, saving and saving. Our parents advised us, our teachers educated us, society warned us. But many questions are still not answered. What is savings, how much to save, where do we save in, when do we save?  

A very big contributing factor as to why people tend to save intermittently is that there is no system for their savings and also the lack of discipline, succumbing to our inner devil to use up our savings for some better stuffs in our life. 

Why is having a system important? I used to save by putting excess coin each day in my piggy bank. Another person might simply save what they have left at the end of each month in their bank account. Insurance policies might be a better way though, but all the insurance jargon like endowment, guaranteed payouts, premiums, deductibles and non deductibles leaves me wondering how much i have actually saved. 

And often, the avid saver will wonder if he is missing out on the good stuff in life. One reason why people are dissatisfied with their savings or are completely devoid of it is because most people don’t have a system for saving. Some save by putting in their excess coins in a jar, while others save what’s left of their monthly salary after all expenses have been covered (and yes, that includes shopping).

So all such queries leave me wanting a system where i can track my savings, and such a system is what i found from T. Harv Eker, a millionaire motivational speaker who is the author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind and i had the chance to attend one of his talks on this savings system called the “Jars Money Management System”, and it is to apportion your earnings by percentages and placing them into 6 different jars for 6 different purposes.

The Jars Money Management System were all taken from this amazing eye opener book i read "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind". It provided an insight to a great money saving system



1) Financial Freedom Account or FFA (10%)

Every month when you receive your salary, immediately take 10% from it and place into this FFA account. This account should only be used for the sole purpose of growing your money and should never be reduced except for investment. Any gain from investment should immediately be placed back into this account.

You should NEVER NEVER EVER EVER take money from this account.


2) Necessity Account (55%)

It will be interesting to note that one person's necessity is another person's want. Example, a car would be a luxury to me as i can travel to my workplace or any place of my interest by Bus or Mrt as i stay near such means of transport. It would be good to have but not a must for me. For a person whose livelihood depends on the urgency to reach his destination, i would say it's a need to have a car. Probably like in the case of housing agents.

It would be a matter of some lifestyle changes if we are to stick to this 50% necessity spending habit.
We can choose to dress simpler by buying new clothes or shoes every other month rather than every month.
Movie watching shall be reduced to a every blockbuster affair instead of a monthly one.


3) Long Term Savings (10%)

Similar to the FFA account, this is also a savings jar. However, the difference is such that we will be saving for a specific purpose. Its could be a long awaited holiday, or perhaps an item of desire like the state of the art notebook. Set aside 10% of your income to cover such expenses.


4) Education (10%)

I find this jar rather weird but on second thought, educating our self is one area we should not neglect. You can use this account to buy self-improvement books, attend seminars on wealth strategies or simply take up a course to learn something you always wanted to but never had the time or excuse to do so.


5) Play (10%)

I love this jar the most! The best thing about this jar is that i can spend the money from this jar on whatever i want without feeling guilty. The general rule is to empty this jar every month. Go to the most expensive restaurant, get the top range massage, go first class on everything.

Well, since we have already set aside money for our other purposes, we can spend this jar without worries. Most importantly is to get that feel good factor in ourselves. The idea is to let loose and to relieve us from the restrictions on our spending as one day our inner devil may break free and we might just make a wrong decision due to that and lose all our savings based on a wrong judgement.


6) Give (5%)

This might not come across your mind, but we are always spending and giving to other people. Whether it's for a birthday, housewarming or even attending a wedding, we do spend a good amount every month for such purposes.

Having highlighted the allocation for the 6 jars, keeping these jars in a place visible to you is one way to help maintain this habit and a constant reminder about your spending habits. However, if you feel insecure placing money in jars at home, an alternative is to keep the money in a bank account as long as you know exactly how much money is to be in each jar your have.

The habit of saving is more important than the amount saved. At the end of the day, whatever money saved is still yours to keep and spend. Having implemented on this method for close to 8 months, I personally find this method effective and will continue to stick to it. The amount i saved using this method probably equates to the amount i would have saved my entire life.

Oh, if there are others ways out there, feel free to share with me. :)

Visiber is the number of life

VISIBER is derived from the words "Vision" and "Numbers".

The Chart of VISIBER consists of: Date of Birth V-Formula & numbers or blocks Having the birth date and year of a person, and using a self discovered methodology and summing up all the number into 1 single digit number (Greek method of calculation of Numerology) one derives all the numbers of the entire diagram as seen below. So what Character Number have you?

CHARACTER 1 '1' is a master of wisdom. This person has the flair in acquiring wisdom. Possesses strong analytical power. Being analytical, he/she becomes a learned person. But if the person analyses incorrectly, it will lead to 'greed'. '1' is also a person who is very detailed on all matters. He/she is also strong in creativity and is very mindful. If such creativeness and mindfulness are activated, there is Wealth for the person. An entertaining person and good in public relations. Wealth usually comes around the age of 34 to 42. He/she’s a born leader and has strong authority. Has a spirit of righteousness. A lot of attraction from the opposite sex.

CHARACTER 2 Skillful and a pleasant personality. Very calm and friendly. A very hardworking person and matured in thoughts. Usually mixes with others who are older. He listens to what others say but may not follow the advice given. Given a task, this person has the ability to direct. This person is usually good at P.R. work. Achievement in life is after the age of 45. The other bad side would be, the person attracts a lot of 'bad-mouthing'. This person loves to carry tales too. A very stubborn person at times. 

CHARACTER 3
Active and forward looking. A very focused person who knows what he/she wants. Able to differentiate the good and the bad things. Has the ability to be very talented in many areas. Can be wealthy and prosperous. This person will do well in society before 30 years of age. The negative side would be aggressiveness, impatient, and has a quick but short temper. This person can take things lightly and is not firm (not grounded) and is mischievous at times. His/her speech can be blunt and there are ups and downs in relationships. If such relationships are not handled well, it may lead to disaster and violence may rule. 

CHARACTER 4 A learned individual. Artistic and excels in exams. Trustworthy and easy to get along in society. Compassionate and charismatic. Outgoing, loves to travel and leads a carefree lifestyle. A very able person at a very young age. If this person is of the female gender, she is the 'pampering' type, good in P.R. and friendly. This person gets up fast after each encounter of failure in life. This '4' is weak in accumulating wealth. Has to be cautious in a relationship or in marriage, otherwise it may result in uncalled for situations. 

CHARACTER 5 A very strong character. Born with strong leadership qualities. Charismatic and able to lead. Usually in a position above many. Has a strong instinct of things. Very hardworking and will achieve success in the later part of life. A realistic person and firm (very grounded) and not a dreamer. If this '5' belongs to the lower and poorer end, this person is stubborn and hardheaded. This '5' should relax and not be picky on small issues. By relaxing their principles and eradicate stubbornness, this person can be respected by all.

CHARACTER 6 This is a survival number. '6' controls wealth and prosperity. Well-mannered but has a high taste for good things in life. '6' will do well in careers such as education, artistic works and religion. This person can be a popular figure in society. The negative side is that this person is proud in nature and doesn't take on simple jobs. He/she doesn't listen to others especially his/her superiors but looks after his/her subordinates. Luck comes after 45 years of age.

CHARACTER 7 Very skillful and very detailed in handling matters. This person never forgets those who help him/her. '7' appreciates gratitude. A person full of passion and love. But '7' is argumentative, and has a lot to say. Able to twist and turn their way around. Attracts a lot of 'bad-mouthing'. Loves to go after fame and fortune. A fickle-minded person. Changes decisions very easily. Not a firm person. Will have problems in marriage. This person is good at being entertaining ('after dark' entertainment).

CHARACTER 8 A very quiet, conservative and passive in nature but a lively person among his/her friends. Responsible and full of righteousness. A trustworthy person. This '8' will not simply 'play out' others but at times be 'blurred' in his/her doing. He/she needs to be 'street smart'. Outwardly looks tough but is a soft person. Being too careful and believing strongly in his/her own perspective manner will result in loss of opportunities.

CHARACTER 9 Very optimistic and open minded. Loves to look nice. Very civilized in manner. Intelligent, alert and sensitive. '9' knows when and how to attack and defend themselves. Good at winning one's heart. Does things very fast and capable with their work but not in details. He/she doesn't take care of his subordinates. Outwardly, looks tough but soft inside. An emotional person. Not many friends and lonely in the later part of life. Luck comes during the middle age - 35 years and above. Further, each of these numbers represents a symbolic analysis (this symbolic analysis is not based on the analysis of the western numerology) and each of these numbers too, represents one of the five element in the book of I Ching. With our discovered symbolic analysis in hand and taking into strong, consideration of the “Supporting”cycle and the “Controlling” cycle of the 5 elements (Wu Xing), one starts to interpret these numbers and the “Behavioral Science” of the person and its environment is infolded to an unimaginable paradigm.

Character Number	Positive Traits
1	Leadership skill, independent, goal-driven, righteous, humorous
2	Good communication skills, calm and collected, friendly, matured in thinking
3	Doer, proactive, clarity in thoughts, creative
4	Good in strategizing, intelligent, knowledge-seeker, extrovert, puncture
5	Good sense of direction, curious, good reflexes, loves freedom
6	Wise, artistic, imaginative, strong family values
7	Popular with people, good analytical skills, strong religious faith, lucky
8	Responsible, full of drive, in control of emotions, trustworthy
9	Optimistic, liberal, business minded, loves to dream

Character Number	Negative Traits
1	Stubborn, self-centred, greedy
2	Indecisive, timid, not assertive, day dream, stubborn
3	Impulsive, bad-tempered, flippant, mischievous
4	Insecure, impatient, overly direct, poor in managing money
5	Stubborn, destructive, short-tempered, impatient for improvement
6	Materialistic, egoistic, proud
7	Procrastinate, careless, indecisive
8	Vain, easily worried, oppressed, lack of order when working
9	Emotional, unrealistic, greedy, not meticulous, loner

a) 1,6 - METAL
b) 2,7 - WATER
c) 3,8 - FIRE
d) 4,9 - WOOD
e) 5 - EARTH

Vegan burg @ MBFS

Looking for a vegetarian meal can be quite a challenge especially if you are not a vegetarian person. 

Likewise, the first impression of having fast food is that it will make you fat. But we all like fast food, don't we? 

Interestingly Vegan Burg came up with the idea of combining fast food with the vegetarian concept. We have seen all sorts of meaty lookalikes in the form of vegetarian dishes, vegetarian prawns, vegetarian crab, vegetarian pork and a whole range out there. Now check out these vegetarian burgers.  

Fried potato

Creamy mushroom with vegan patty? Vegan patty actually taste not much different from meat patties. It is in fact very nice in its taste.  

BBQ vegan burger, same patty prepared in the bbq way. Just as good as 

the real thing. 

MARINA BOULEVARD

12 Marina Boulevard #02-05
Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3
Singapore 018982
Mon – Fri: 11:00am – 9:30pm (last order at 9:15pm)
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Phone: 6604 6018
Fax: 6604 6017

Jurong Lake Run 2014 racepack collection

Its race pack collection day! Interesting thing noted at the collection venue at chinese garden is that why are there so many people wearing their t-shirts of previous runs? 

There are the marathon runners, the pioneer run runners, sundown, stanchart and jurong lake run from 2011 to 2013. Are these people trying to show that they did some workout or had some rigourous training before coming to collect their race packs? Or are they just showing off their proud acheivements previously. C'mon, its just a racepack collection, no one really cares what previous race you have comepleted. 

S$1 million gone in one year

It is situation like this that causes people to shun away from giving generously to charity or not giving at all. Makes one wonder what's the point when the beneficiaries spend the money like nobody's business. 

But then again, is it really their fault? 

I believe it all boils down their inability to cope this huge amount of money suddenly. 

So, is money the root of all evil?

"You can only manage what you can measure." 

Wise words from a seminar i had previously attended.
Yes indeed, we can only handle what we know we can handle, anything more would just fall off every time, no matter how many times.

It is therefore very important to set our own threshold and habit for handling money.
Here is a list of money management ideas to share;

1) 52 Week Money Challenge

2) Open a high interest savings account

3) 6 Jars to financial freedom

Once you have decided on a suitable plan, stick to it.
The general rule is "It's not the amount that matters, but the habit."

Peko Money Tracker - Cash Out 7

Cash out 7

This is probably one of my luckiest cashout in a while. 2 jackpots of 7777 and a good load of golds saw me through.

Lunch with Warren Buffet

Forget fine dining! Step aside delicacies. Nothing compares to a meal with the world most famous finance guru. 

Wait a minute, anyone has like $2million spare change? 

Tall And Big And Tall

Reporter A: Who are we interviewing today? I hope we get a good shot this time.

Reporter B: Oh don't worry bout it, you can catch him in any angle.

$40k "shameless" birthday party by blogger

There are many things a person can do with 40k. And it was reported that 1 blogger Sara Shantelle Lim spent it on her birthday bash. But was it shameless? 5 reasons why I think it's not shameless and perfectly alright.

1) She earned and deserves it. 

Like it or not, she probably did something good that made sponsors want to sponsor her 

2) She is doing her job

It may seem lavish to many people but in actual fact, she's just doing her job. Sponsors who sponsored her ultimately need some "air time" based on her popularity or ability. And whether it the food or just her nails, she doing a good job in giving her sponsors exposure. 

3) She's giving out sour grapes 

Yes I am eating one as well. But I guess a lot of haters probably wishes they were in her shoes. 

4) She is smart

There is a saying, "Seek and you shall find", "Ask and you shall receive". 

In this case she went seeking for sponsors and found S$40k worth of sponsors. Well Done! 

5) She works and play hard

Work Hard, Play harder! And true enough she plays really hard and in a grand way. 

Malaysia Pandas Fengyi and Fuwa

It was reported in the news that there will be 2 pandas named Feng Yi and Fu Wa to be loaned from China to Malaysia for 10 years to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries this year and will be housed in Zoo Negara, Kuala Lumpur

Tickets will be priced at RM20 for adults, and RM10 for children and senior citizens.

Only up to 3,000 visitors will be allowed a day and the exhibition will be open from 9am till 5pm.

The Malaysia PM will be deciding on the new names for Feng Yi and Fu Wa and what they will ultimately be named will be anyone's guess. Singapore has Jia Jia and Kai Kai, Taiwan has Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan. Going by this trend, how about Bo Bo and Leh Leh, Ring Ring and Git Git or perhaps Ka Ka and Wan Wan. 

Address :
Zoo Negara, Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

NDP Ticket Balloting

The balloting for the most highly anticipated yearly event in Singapore begins!

We can choose to ballot for 2, 4 or 6 tickets to either the NDP Preview show on 2 August, or the actual NDP on 9 August 2014.

Apply through sms using this format to 9060 0199:

<NRIC No.> SPACE <No. of Tickets> SPACE <NDP/Preview> SPACE <SG/PR> SPACE <NAME> 

Successful applicants will be notified from 5 to 14 June via the contact number provided in their application.

Successful applicants may collect their tickets from 14 to 23 June, between 10am and 10pm daily, at The Float @ Marina Bay.

All successful applicants in the NDP 2013 ticket eBalloting exercise will not be eligible for this year's exercise.