Fireflies

Lyrics | Owl City lyrics - Fireflies lyrics

So you think you're smarter than a kid?

A riddle for you to keep awake... 

Eighty percent of Kindergarteners solved this riddle, but only 5% of Stanford graduates figured it out! 

Can you answer the following questions in one word?

1. The word has seven letters.... 
2. Preceded God... 
3. Greater than God... 
4. More Evil than the devil... 
5. All poor people have it... 
6. Wealthy people need it.... 
7. If you eat it, you will die. 

Did you figure it out? 
Try hard before looking at the answers 


Did you get it yet?



Give up? 



Brace yourself for the answer.... 

The Answer is: 





NOTHING!
NOTHING has 7 letters. 
NOTHING preceded God. 
NOTHING is greater than God. 
NOTHING is more Evil than the devil. 
All poor people have NOTHING. 
Wealthy people need NOTHING. 
If you eat NOTHING, you will die. 

From a Student to a Rat Racer

Money advice for new graduates

1. Define your financial goals. What do you want to have in the future? Write down your goals and a general timetable so you can remind yourself of your goals later on. Some good goals are: having a car in three years' time, enrolling in graduate school in five years' time, establishing an emergency fund within a year. By having a timetable, your goals become more realistic and attainable. 2. Look for a job that will use your skills, give you room for growth, and will give you steady income enough to meet your needs and allow you to save. The job market is very competitive but that does not mean that you should grab the first job opportunity that comes by. Weigh the pros and cons of each job offer and choose wisely. If the job offer comes with additional benefits such as car plan, subsidy for further studies, and profit-sharing, that's even better. 3. Once you have a firm job offer, draft a budget to help you plan your monthly spending. With a new job, you will have a steady income coming in. Start by saving first (see next item below), then allot amounts for regular expenses such as food, transportation, clothing, and others. Live within your means. 4. Open a separate bank account for savings, different from your payroll account. This will be for your savings. Ideally, you should deposit money here regularly and make the money grow for future consumption. Ideally, too, you should take out the money meant for your savings (at least 10 percent of your income) as soon as you get your pay, so you won't be tempted to spend all of your income. 5. Save up for an emergency fund. Make this your priority for saving. Build up a fund equal to three to six months' worth of your expenses so that if anything happens-you lose your job or get sick-you can have a fund to dip into to help you in your day-to-day expenses. Don't touch this fund unless there's an emergency (thus the name). You can put this fund in a time deposit or money market account for easy access. 6. Once you have saved up enough money for an emergency fund, tackle your other savings goals. Save for that car or dream home in the future. Don't forget to start saving for a retirement fund because the earlier you do it, the better as compound interest will make your money earn even more without you doing anything. To give your savings a kick (in terms of growth), look into investing them in instruments or accounts that may give you more interest or yield than what a savings account may offer. Talk to your bank for more details. 7. Get insurance coverage. You'll never know what's going to happen, but it pays to be prepared always. Take out a life insurance policy if you have dependents. Buying life insurance while you are young also means paying for lower premiums. If your company does not give free health insurance, make sure you get one for yourself. With health care costs escalating and more so as you get older, it will do you good to have some form of coverage in place. 8. Read up on financial matters. Sharpen your financial IQ by reading more about personal finance and attending personal finance seminars. You can learn from experts to help you stay on the right track financially. Good luck and we hope all your financial dreams come true.

For those who are buying a Flat

Buying an HDB flat - Resale or brand-new?



By Goh Mei Yi (Compiled by Chew Hui Min)
There are two methods through which one can buy an Housing Development Board (HDB) flat: Either purchase a new flat directly from the HDB, or a resale flat on the open market.
A new flat from HDB tends to be much cheaper than resale flats in the same area due to subsidies from the HDB.
For example, a four-room flat in the recently announced Senja Gateway development in Bukit Panjang is priced at $242,000 to $306,000, but the median resale price of a flat in Bukit Panjang in the second quarter of 2010 was $340,000.
However, there are more eligibility guidelines for new HDB flats, including citizenship, and a household income ceiling. If you qualify, it is definitely a good investment for your family.
Direct from HDB
There are four ways you can buy a new flat from the HDB:

1. Quarterly sale of three-room and smaller flats
   Three- and two-room flats as well as returned studio apartments are sold on the first day of January, April, July and October.
2. Sale of balance flats
   Most of these new flats are surplus units in an established estate or town offered for sale through balloting.
3. Build-To-Order (BTO)
   HDB will launch a BTO site and invite applicants to book a flat. When most of the flats are booked, HDB will call a tender for the construction of the flats.
4. Design, Build & Sell Scheme (DBSS)
   Plots of land are sold to private developers who are free to design and price the flats as long as they work within the rules of public housing.
5. If you are in a hurry for a home or picky about the location, this is the method for you.
   
   1. Check out the listing of flats for sale in the Classified section.
   2. Contact the property agent or home owner to view the flats you are interested in.
   3. Get the HDB Loan Eligibility Letter or Letter of Offer from the bank.
   4. Once you find a flat, make an offer and exercise the Option to Purchase.
   5. Submit the resale application and wait for your First Appointment date.
   While a property agent would have a good gauge of the average prices of similar flats in a particular area, you should do your own homework and be aware of market prices. Here is some general information about resale transactions you can find on HDB's website.
   HDB Resale Price Index
   This index tracks the overall price movement of the HDB resale market. It is derived from resale transactions registered across various towns, flat types and models, using the fourth quarter of 1998 as the base period with an index value of 100. By comparing how it changes from one quarter to another, you can tell whether prices on the whole have moved up or down over a three-month period.
   Median resale prices
   This set of statistics provides the median prices for resale transactions of a particular flat type in a given town based on resale cases registered in the quarter. The prices are inclusive of Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) if the flat was sold at a price above market valuation.
   Median Cash-Over-Valuation (COV)
   You can find out what the quarterly median COV is for all flat types in any town. The COV is the difference between the resale price and the market value of the flat.
   Individual resale transactions
   At the HDB's e-Service resale transactions site, you can do a search for the resale transacted prices based on resale applications approved in the last three months. You can search by HDB town or street name, or by price range.
   
   source : http://business.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Property/Story/A1Story20100820-233109/2.html

If you had a bad day

50 Tips for Surviving Your Worst Work Days

OK, you've heard about Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who had a major workplace meltdown last week. It was a classic "take this job and shove it" moment.

[See 21 secrets to getting the job.]

And, sure, maybe he shouldn't have done what he did, but did you catch yourself thinking, "I know exactly how he feels"?

If so, you have a lot of company. It's tough out there. Even if you like your job, even if you are grateful just to have a job nowadays, you probably get stressed out from time to time. It's normal.

But wait. Print out this list now, and on those days when it all feels like just too much, check out these tips before you do anything rash.

[See how to take smart risks at work.]

--Don't promise what you can't deliver.

--Learn to manage your emotions, instead of letting them control you.

--Cultivate a sense of humor.

--Resist perfectionism.

--Resist micromanaging (of yourself and others).

--Get the sleep you need.

--Try getting to work 10-15 minutes early.

--Take regular breaks.

--Take a walk at lunch, or do some stretching exercises, or jumping jacks, or something.

--Don't overdo the caffeine.

--Don't skip breakfast or lunch.

--Learn to recognize symptoms of stress (anxiety, headache, anger) so you can nip it in the bud.

--Make some friends/allies at work.

--Talk about your stress, to somebody.

--Pay attention to your breathing; slow it down, deepen it.

--Post family photos (or other images that make you happy) in your workspace.

--Focus on the now (i.e., don't agonize over the past, don't fret over the future).

--Take some alone time.

--Find harmless ways to vent; e.g., cry, or punch a pillow.

--Vary your routine.

--Stop trying to multitask.

--Remind yourself of what's really important in life.

--Beef up your skills; become better and faster at what you do.

--Make sure you truly know what is expected of you (you may need to talk to your boss).

--Try looking at situations from different points of view.

--Seek work that suits your personality.

--Learn to say "no."

--Always have a fallback plan (a "Plan B").

--Get better organized.

--Clean up workspace clutter.

--Stop procrastinating.

--Make your workspace as ergonomic as you can.

--Wear clothes that are comfortable and that you look good in.

--Try some "positive affirmations."

--Learn to manage your boss.

--Meditate/pray/contemplate.

--Avoid negative people as much as you can.

--Write down the things you like about your job.

--Make a list of all your achievements in the last year.

--Get clear on your life goals and take a step, no matter how small, toward those goals every day.

--Learn to love yourself as you are.

--Put a smile on your face.

--Get a hobby that makes you happy.

--Learn to prioritize. Learn to delegate.

--Stop comparing yourself to others.

--Ask for help when you need it.

--Break big jobs into bite-size pieces.

--Know your limitations and let others know them too.

--Don't try to control what is uncontrollable.

--Hang in there!

source : http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/50-Tips-for-Surviving-Your-usnews-650024601.html?x=0

Skip Diamonds, go with Moissanite

5 Reasons to Skip the Diamond Engagement Ring

can you tell which is diamond ?

You're ready. You have the entire scene planned out in your head, every detail plotted and mapped until it's perfect. At the climax of this mini-drama, he will bend on one knee and present to you a beautiful diamond ring -- or, if you're the one proposing, you will watch as her expression changes from surprise to utter delight when she sees the ring. And that's when you'll know: Yes, you're getting married.

[Visit the US News Personal Finance site for more insight and money management tips.]

Or so the diamond industry would like you to believe. The sole purpose of this appealing fantasy is to drum up sales. Once you look past the mythos of the diamond engagement ring, you'll see that it's not much more than a shiny rock. (See also 24 secrets from a 24-year-old happy marriage.) Here are five good reasons to skip the diamond engagement ring.

1. It isn't an ancient tradition -- just marketing. For all intents and purposes, "A Diamond is Forever" and the idea of a diamond engagement ring is Sprite's "Obey Your Thirst" and Nike's "Just Do It." It is Gary Dahl's "Pet Rock." De Beers controlled supply by buying up and closing down any diamond mine discovered, and they controlled demand by making it sentimental. Although the campaign is less than 70 years old, it has made the diamond engagement ring the ultimate symbol of how much the relationship, the girl, and love itself is worth.

2. Diamonds are rare! Or not. It's true, diamonds are abundant. For generations, De Beers had stockpiled most of the world's diamond supply and effectively monopolized the industry. Their dominance has weakened over the last decade, but De Beers and its competitors still control the supply of diamonds entering the market. While most gems are valued based on their rarity, diamonds are different. Their scarcity is artificial -- and so is their value.

[Also see U.S. News's list of The 100 Best Mutual Funds for the Long Term, and use our Mutual Fund Score to find the best investments for you.]

3. Other options look just as impressive and cost much less. Moissanite looks just like a diamond; the difference is undetectable with the naked eye. In fact, moissanite is actually more brilliant. If, for whatever reason, you're stuck on the diamond ring idea, synthetic or "cultured" diamonds are the real deal. They're made in a machine that replicates the environmental forces that make diamonds. They're real diamonds, only with less flaws. A synthetic 2-carat pink diamond costs just a few thousand dollars, and a 1-carat moissanite ring is under $1000.

4. You can invest in something more meaningful/useful/fun than a piece of jewelry. Many women simply enjoy having a beautiful collection -- and that's fine (if you can afford it). For most people, though, a diamond engagement ring is fun to show off for about 30 seconds. But it's special, right? Because it marks your engagement and symbolizes your love? Remember, that's De Beers's marketing campaign talking. Three-plus months' salary would be better spent on furnishing your home, an amazing trip, or your future kids' college funds!

5. It's hard to get around the ethical issues surrounding the diamond industry. Terrorist groups use conflict/blood diamonds to finance their activities. Rebel groups use them to fuel conflict and civil wars. In these conflict zones, children are being used as soldiers. The Kimberley Process is an agreement that was established to prevent conflict diamonds from getting into the market, but the self-policing system is far from perfect. One way to fool the Kimberley Process is to smuggle and mix conflict diamonds with legally traded ones before being certified -- and you, the buyer, would be none the wiser.

 -------------------------------------------------

 I've been thinking about this for a while, and I was wondering how did diamond become the de facto standard in wedding proposal ?

There was no historical writeup around this topic although advertisements have always centered marriage around it.

I mean, its just a tiny little stone that sparkles on your finger. the only useful thing it does is that it makes your lady's eyes light up when you flash it to her and she will know what you wanna do.

Other than that its perfectly useless. there is no resale value or practical use to it. that is why we never heard of 2nd hand diamond ring.

Liar Game : The Final Stage

The Final stage of the Liar Game : Garden of Eden.

Is it really paradise ? Or does temptation prove too great to be true ?

As usual, there is always a win-win situation which is clear however hard to execute.

Does Nao and Akiyama come together ?
Will the Boss of Liar Game be revealed ?

These questions will be answered in the final stage. Really exciting finals with lies, betrayal and a battle of wits.

Net Worth 14 August 2010

Savings : $8463.76
Current : $657
Total : $9120.76

Transactions :
bought 1 lot Singtel shares at $3.05 = $3050
Returned $4500 to dad

Insurance :
GE shield plan : $23.41
 Pru Cash : $71.21
Pru ILP : $150.08
NTUC Income : $19.50
Total : $264.20