What’s the point?

I’m glad SM Goh had the sense to say that the reserves have to be drawn down. I used to ask what would constitute THE rainy day that the gov said they were saving for. If they didnt do it now, i have no idea how they will justify it. Then again, do they ever need to justify anything?

But i dun understand the approach of the “Resilience Package”. Just look at this article. It is now the turn of the employers, banks and retail landlords to do the right thing. They have a moral responsibility.

WTF?!

It may be their way of minimising interference so that market forces can find the balance. But seriously, doesnt it look like they are absolving themselves of responsibility? If things dun get better, in theory, it is the fault of the employers, banks and retail landlords. They have no qualms about interfering in every aspect of our lives. But when it is time to actually interfere, they leave it to market forces ala let the banks which sold the complex derivatives like minibonds and high notes settle complaints of mis-selling themselves.

I wonder if we are paying them so much because it is harder to do nothing than something.

On the other hand, i am glad that we have reserves that we can draw down in these times. Credit goes to the gov for that.

Wanted to bring your attention to the article "Small investors go DIY" on ST.

I never really knew anything about the stock market or investing. Despite reading up some, i admit i still know next to anything. One thing i have learnt thou is that the trading fees are generally exorbitant and utterly erode the returns from your sells & buys. Hence, Index funds are the rage now. I read something about how i still need to open an account to trade Index funds. But, yes, still haven gotten down to it yet.

Now, as i ponder investing in Index funds thanks to the low base, i am toying with the idea of investing in property instead. Did my calculations and learnt that even if, for the next yr or so, i never eat or drink or buy a roll of toilet paper, i still wont be able to afford a pte apt. But, am doing my sums on a daily basis and trying to see if i can jump on the bandwagon when prices dip a lil more.

If, with a stable job in the worst recession ever, i cant buy pte property, then i guess i will have to wait for 2021 to buy when the market is down. [Theory has it that our bear market cycles seem to take 12 years ie. 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 … and 2021? This of cos ignores the recessions of 2001 (dot com bust & 9/11) and 2003 (SARS).]

Fyi, today is the Indian Harvest Festival (Ponggal). It is significant due to the large agricultural sector in India, and thou it isnt directly relevant to Sg, Indians here still celebrate it.

The big thing about this festival is that it is supposed to herald hope. The 3 days of it are dedicated to 3 things: Thanks to Sun, thanks to cow and hope for singles. Sun for sunlight that is essential for farming, cow for all its hard work in farming and supplying milk, and it is supposed to be the time of hope when singles start getting marriage proposals.

This used to be a very, very big thing for my family in the past. It was the only other time (apart from Deepavali) when everyone in the extended family gathered, cos we doubled it as a time for offering prayers to our ancestors (sorta like the Indian Qing Ming, thou i dunno how it was rationalised). This was on the second day, when we could be non-vegetarians . On the 1st day, we were vegetarian and my sis used to cook 9 (!) side dishes to represent the 9 flavours of Indian cuisine. I miss those days.

Nowadays, none of it matters. Hope isnt so big in my life at the moment.

On an unrelated note, Affenpinscher, Lhasa Apso, Miniature Pinscher, Shih-Tzu or Yorkshire Terrier? Or maybe just a mongrel? *wink wink*

"Your problem is, you’re so quick to think nobody wants you, you don’t even give ‘em a chance. I couldn’t reject you if i tried. You’re too fast for me." Arlene to Reuben

Arlene, let’s "face" it, there’s a reason why Reuben thinks nobody wants him.

This article on ST is very urgent: Singaporeans ranked lowest.

While i am nowhere near retirement, i realise the importance of planning for retirement. Among other things, i realise it will be especially hard for me as i will have no other support network. No kids, no partner, no family. All i will have to rely on will be my savings. Hence, have been reading up quite a bit on improving my financial situation. With this crisis, more opportunities (rather than threats) arise for me, since i can invest at a low base (thou i still haven started).

Of cos, the big issue is how we can be among the world’s highest savers and yet have too little for retirement. Culprits include liberalising use of CPF for housing, absence of state sponsored medical care, high cost of living, absence of a minimum wage, longer life expectancy, low rate of return from retirement savings in CPF, low interest rates for saving accounts and the list goes on. The thing is, with Sg’s defined contribution plan (vs defined benefit plans in the US in the past), the state will not be bankrupted, but you can be.

I agree with Dr Kanwaljit Soin, who in another article on caring for the elderly, had said that the govt did not prepare the current older generation for this retirement-planning and that there is too much emphasis on individual responsibility. Seriously, if all of us were capable of being responsible for ourselves for such a thing, dun need govt right?

Saw this article on ST: Laptops dominating sales.

Almost 5 years ago when my desktop crashed, i decided to switch to a laptop for home use. While it was a part of my fantasy of hanging out at cafes surfing the net on a lazy weekday afternoon (which never materialised), it was practical as it took up much less space than a desktop (with its bulky CPU and extra wires which make it hard to sweep the floor) and would be easier to carry to a service centre if it were to crash (which has happened several times). The only downside was that it was relatively more ex. Convenience, compactness, carry-ability outweighted cost.

Now, the rest of the market is catching on. Sooo slow.

I thought i would provide a marketing tip to those companies still selling desktops. They should focus on the relatively low price for greater storage capacity and speed and market it as a family bonding tool. Show pics of parents with young kids sharing a desktop (anything marketed as good for young children’s devt will sell). Also, the element of supervision so that parents are able to monitor what their young kids are accessing on the net. With a laptop, the user can surf whatever they want in the privacy of their bedrooms (i know i do) but a shared desktop in the living room or study will work like a real-time censorship board.

Do let me know if sales increase (and i wont complain if you pay me commission)

Knowing the whiney-me, arent you surprised that i haven whined about my resolutions in greater detail? Partly, that is cos not whining about resolutions is linked to my resolutions.

I know i am gonna fail miserably whenever i set out on anything. And that is something that was highlighted by that personality profile thing i did. And i am trying to psych myself to learn something from the findings.

I have set a few goals for myself, broad and flexible. They say one should start with the end in mind but i have difficulty doing that cos, being bi-polar, it is difficult for me to settle on such stuff. One moment i want to be a well-loved personality and another i just want to disappear off the face of the earth.

While the goals are broad, there are some obvious simple steps to getting there. Those too, i will not list here but rest assured i have them in writing. Wish me luck in keeping to at least a few of them.

Ok, ok, so i am gonna start whining about my goals/resolutions/aspirations etc.

I want to be a better man.

Yes, i know, that says nothing. And is paraphrased from a movie. Which one?

Ok, it is from Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets.

Major themes will be Health and Wealth.

Those are the easy bits. When it comes to how i want my personality / character to shape up, i am still at a total loss.

But, this year, i am giving myself time to figure out stuff for the longer term. Is it cos i think i should really put time and effort to figure out this life-changing moment?

Actually, no. It is cos i was ultra lazy last year end and only got round to doing it this week

But whatever the case, i hope i can get a better idea of what it is i want, be disciplined enough to work on those, rest easy at the end of each day and live this year to be …  a better man.