Dividends from Singtel, Cambridge, Suntec and Mapletree

Great month ! I didn't even realise I'm getting dividends til i login to my i-banking statement.

Here are the stats in August 2011 :

Suntec : $50


MIT : $31.20


Cambridge : $62.16


Singtel $190


Total dividends received : $ 333.46

Dividends time

Received some dividends in May and June

latest being SP Ausnet with a total of 49 cents.

Also had received from MIT $19,  Sabana $30 , Cambridge $40, Aims $20, Suntec $24, CWT $25, totalling up to $208.

Hope to acquire more dividend stocks in the days to come =)

Investments update 11 June

AIMS 8 lots
Cambridge 6 lots
CWT 1 lots
Epicenter 2 lots
Genting 1 lots
MIT 1 lots
Sabana 1 lots
SP Ausnet 1 lots
Suntec REIT 2 lots

Total $15,410

A message on living well

A MESSAGE THAT HOLDS GOOD FOR ALL TIMES, ALL AGES AND ALL FAITHS. LET US TRY TO FOLLOW AS MUCH OF IT AS POSSIBLE…..

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Go to bed on time.
2 Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
3. Say 'No' to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

4. Delegate tasks to capable others.
5. Simplify and unclutter your life.
6. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
7. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

8. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
9. Take one day at a time.
10. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
11. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

12.. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
13. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
14. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

15. Carry a book with you to read while waiting in line.
16. Get enough rest.
17. Eat right.
18. Get organized so everything has its place.
19. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
20. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
21. Every day, find time to be alone.
22. Having problems? Talk to someone. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed.
23. Make friends.
24. Laugh.
25. Laugh some more!
26 Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
27. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
28. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
29. Sit on your ego.
30 Talk less; listen more.
31. Slow down.
32. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe..
33. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. IT MAY HAVE A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

Update on Investments

AIMSAMPREIT 8 lots
cambridge reit 6 lots
cwt 1 lot
epicenter 2 lots
MIT 1 lot
Sabana REIT 1 lot
SP Ausnet 1 lot
Suntec Reit 2 lot

Total value : $10, 975

Trip to HK ( 8 days )

A brief breakdown of costs :

flight to hk : $125

flight to sg : $97

Total including accomodation : $600 per pax

Amt spent : $700

Total spent for the trip : $1400

Mac vs Pc

I just got myself a new Macbook recently. A Macbook Pro to be exact. Looks cool doesn't it ? Its a 13-inch model dual core i5.

One of the first thing I noticed was how sleek it is. glass panel display instead of the usual lcd monitors on laptops which are prone to dead pixels. Had a couple of them on my IBM laptop... yeah really old one.

And then i happily logged in and got lost. was not used to the system at all. shortcuts that worked in windows are totally different in Mac.

instead of Ctrl or Alt keys I find myself using Command a lot more.

From a user perspective it is a lot more friendly compared to windows. the total setting up is a lot easier and intuitive.

installing programs or rather applications is just click and drag into the application folder.

the trackpad is a lot winder and more interesting to use with its multi touch scrolling and navigation.

But hey don't listen to me watch this video below to see a review of the Macbook Pro which introduces more of the cool features.

My Networth for March 2011

Its been a while since i updated. getting lazy these days.

Savings  $8918

Emergency cash $2017

Current $700

Total : $11635

slowly but surely mysavings acct is steadily growing while my own savings acct is quite stagnant. I also put some of my cash into investments. hope they will do well and give more dividends !

just bought something extravagant this mth which is my macbook pro !
cost me $1648.

hopefully it will last me at least 3 yrs =) so far its been a good experience using it but still gotta really explore its functionalities.

Boyzone : Air That I Need

Heard this song on radio a few days back and felt really nostalgic. Nice song but I forgot the title and singer until my good friend Google helped me find it haha.

Do not multitask

Focus on one or 2 things to do each day which are of high priority. U will find that you are more focussed and less distracted hence finish what u have to do in a shorter time.

U will be amazed at how much more u can accomplish.

My portfolio

 

My stocks consist mostly REITS.

Stock	Lots	Price bought
AIMSAMP	8	0.2243
Cambridge	4	0.533
MIT	1	1.117
Suntec REIT	1	1.537
Citi group	10 shares	6.26
Sabana	1	1.9

Market value : $7511. ( as of 1 march 2011 )

Put on your thinking cap

 

Ever thought about how do you think ?

How do you evaluate a problem to come up with a solution ?

 

I never thought about these until recently.

I attended a course recently on how to think or manage thinking processes in decision making.

It defines thinking into 6 types of thinking basically, white, black, blue, yellow, red and green.

White – thinking abt information; No evaluation

black – judgement, must have a reason

yellow – positive, must give reason

green – new ideas, no killing of ideas allowed

red – gut feeling or instinct, no reasoning

blue – choose which hat to put on, one at a time

blue is the hardest hat to use because we need to consciously think about which hat we are using when we think about the idea or give our comments.

yellow and black hats are logical hats which helps us to give a reason to why this decision is good or bad.

This allows us to understand ourself better in how we think and also know which type of thinkers we are.

I try to be a yellow hat thinker most of the time because it focus on the positive aspects and what you focus on expands.

 

generally most people will use the red hat to make decisions because of lack of knowledge or simply because we follow our feelings more than our logical mind.

ICT 2010

Feels great to be back though its been v tiring and I collapse into bed every nite, really fun to see everyone back together again.

Just like NS days again. Although its been 5 years since I met up with most of them, they look almost the same as before, like nothing has changed, though many has got married and some with children. Some grew fatter, some became thinner, but generally still like before. I wonder if it means that people fundamentally do not really change on the inside once they reach a certain age. perhaps 5 years is not that good a gauge for it isnt that long.

Maybe when we reach another stage of our lives, we will be able to see the differences in everyone then. Perhaps we would just be older and still the same person on the inside still.

Back to work again tomorrow. Same old shit again. I’m just glad its a short week this week.

Money Saving Tip : Student Rate

 

 

I recently went for a haircut. Paid $25 for it. The stylist asked me if i am a student. Being curious, I asked “Student got discount ?”

Turns out there is. If I brought my student pass, I would be only charge $15 instead of $25. a whooping $10 off ! I really regretted not bringing it around.

There are also many dining places with student discounts like fast food and some restaurants.

For those who are still currently studying, or still look like a student, do keep your student pass handy. you never know when it would save u money.

I will definitely be bringing around my old discoloured student pass around from now on.

Bought more shares

 

- Bought Suntec REIT 1 lot at $1.51

- Phillips money market fund

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