Dividends and Passive Income for Feb 2010

(Image by kwerfeldein)

While it is not the end of February yet, I think it is possible for me to record down all my dividends and passive income for the month.

Dividends (from Ascott REIT and Suntec REIT) = $455.58
Trading Income = $39.31
Interest from Savings Account = $7.35

Total dividends and passive income for Feb 2010 = $502.24

I also expect to increase my earned income as I have started taking on some tutoring assignments. This is not so much for the money but more for the experience of teaching students in a one-to-one context and basically because I like to teach. I have enjoyed it thus far.

On the job front, I am still on the look out for jobs that might interest me. Still waiting for the replies from several job applications and hopefully I get a reply by March 2010.

The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

The grass always seems greener on the other side. Doesn't it feel so?

Where you are right now in life, you always feel that someone out there probably has a better life than you.

That's perhaps the reason why people change jobs, migrate, get divorced, have children, move houses and more.

The greener grass syndrome can perhaps be accounted for because of the following:

1. We fail to see how green the grass is on our side.

2. There is perhaps more shit on the other side, and that is why it looks greener.


Failure to be Contented

We fail to be contented as human beings. We always want more and more. God gave Adam and Eve all the trees to eat from in the Garden of Eden. Yet, they chose to eat from the one tree out of ALL the tress that they were commanded not to eat from. The rest is history.

As a man, the failure to be contented can be due to many factors like peer pressure, ambition, wanting to look GOOD infront of others, and many more. Society places a lot of pressure on us and if parents or parent-in-laws are not understanding, they might place this pressure on you to "succeed" in life by getting a bigger house, nicer car and perhaps a better paying job.

Driven by these pressures, we fail to be contented with the little that we have and start to strive and focus our attention on the things that we do not have.

This is one of the reasons why the grass is always greener on the other side.

There is simply more fertiliser...

The reason why someone else has a higher paying job is perhaps because the job has a lot more stress, pressures and work that comes with it. This in turn results in companies willing to pay good money for people to fulfill the role.

So even though the grass is indeed greener, it simply comes along with a lot more fertiliser or should I say crudely, shit.

And with this greener grass comes the added responsibilities, the need to have your handphone on 24/7, the mindless churning of papers and reports, responding to emails during the weekends or simply working OT. There are sacrifices to be made and we all must be aware of it.

The Lesson

I guess the lesson is simple. We must learn to be content with what we have yet continue to strive to become better human beings. Knowing that with a bigger house probably comes greater stress and responsibility should make us think twice before jumping at the next job offer or migrating to far away countries just to chase after some idealism.

Singapore Holland Village

There are some places that will almost remain special to each one of us. For me, Holland Village is one of those places.

Apart from having lots of watering holes and eateries, Holland Village has a certain laid back feel to it. Perhaps it is the number of expats who can be sighted there.

The thing about this place is that it always gets me thinking. Whenever I observe the sights and sounds there, I become slightly more contemplative about life and become more acutely aware about the enjoyment of life. The place reminds me that I have to enjoy life while it lasts.

Rich people also seem to like to frequent this place so there must be a certain charm and attraction to it which they are clearly drawn by.

My Favorite Haunts & What to Eat

I like Provence, Yakun and Crystal Jade that can be found there. When I was dating, we used to go to Coffee Bean that was located at one secluded corner. Every now and then, we also visit the laksa stall that can be found just opposite Provence. The Sushi Tei outlet has now moved and can be located at the cross junction just opposite Crystal Jade.

Provence - the bread of course.
Crystal Jade - dim sum or porridge
Yakun - Kaya toast, french toast and a cup of coffee
Breadtalk - the bread here is good too. Their breakfast set is made fresh on the spot!

Where to Walk

Go to Cold Storage or browse through magazines at Thambi's Magazine Corner which sells all kinds of magazine. At the building which houses Cold Storage, there are lots of shops that sells really cool antiques and furniture. One can walk amongst it and be amazed at the wide range of household accessories there are. The only problem is that the escalator leads up and you will have to take the stairs back to the ground level.

Where to Park

I used to park at the HDB multi-storey carpark and walk across to Holland Village. This is recommended especially during weekends and peak periods (dinner). Otherwise, the carparking at Holland Village itself should suffice.

Holland Village = Starbucks Inspiration

The reason why I am writing so much about Holland Village is because many of the inspirations for my posts in this blog comes when I am there eating my breakfast or just walking around.

It is the same kind of inspiration that I get when I visit Starbucks and smell the aroma of coffee and the buzz of the coffee machines.

This place always remains on my list of favorite haunts. I however do not like to visit it during the weekends. Weekday breakfasts are the best times for me especially when there are no crowds and the carparking is readily available.

What is the one place in Singapore that gives you the most inspiration whenever you get a writer's block?

Best Blog in Singapore

I have always wondered who owns the best blog in Singapore.

Singapore afterall is a tiny island with only 5 million people living on it. Out of this, I reckon that less than 10% of the population has a blog.

And out of this 10%, perhaps only 1% update their blogs regularly.

Based on my very crude estimates:

The number of people with blogs in Singapore = 500,000
The number of people who update their blogs regularly (once a week) = 5000

That should place the number of "good" blogs out there at a figure less than 5,000. That is not alot if you ask me. Afterall, the internet was supposed to be the NEXT BIG THING.

If there are only 5,000 good Singapore blogs out of the millions of blogs out there in the world, it means that Singaporeans are not making their voices heard in the blogosphere!

Bloggers are changing the world & Singapore should not be left out.

Bloggers are changing the world. As a whole, they provide an unregulated form of media that seeks to inform, entertain, educate the public. Other bloggers simply view their blogs as a place to rant their private thoughts and feelings (ironically for the whole world to see).

In this sense, bloggers do not view their works as pieces of art. But that perhaps is what separates the BEST blogs from the NORMAL blogs. The BEST blogs are those that are always striving to keep their content fresh, always interacting with readers, always looking for ways to improve their blogs. They view their blogs as more than just personal diaries or online journals. In a certain sense, they see their blogs as tools to change the world. Some unwittingly change the world by just ranting their private thoughts.

Afterall, we are all easily influenced by the thoughts, words and actions of other people. Everything that one reads will influence the person to a certain level and sometimes this influence even transcends the conscious level. FOR EXAMPLE, because a blogger is making money from stocks using fundamental analysis, we might become more inclined to view fundamental anlaysis as a stronger tool than technical analysis.

Enough said about blogging. Who do you think has the best blog in Singapore?

How To Help the Poor?

I just watched the show where Christopher Lee and Quan Yifeng (two Singapore based presenters) visit really poor people in Singapore and give their homes a complete makeover.

The episodes are always so heart wrenching.

Today's episode was about an 81 year old granny who had children who had various mental illenesses and sickness.

She has been eating leftover rice for God knows how long, often keeping the left over food in the fridge for days at end. All her children do not work and she has to support all of them. I can really feel the pain in her as she is the sole breadwinner of the family and has been suffering all her life.

Her family also lived without lights for close to 15 years because her daughter set fire to the cables and burnt it.

This TV episode reminds me that there are still a lot of poor people in Singapore whose stories are probably untold.

How can we help the poor? Is the solution simply donations or do they need more support and help from society?

When I think about the money that I spend on a single meal and how that money could actually tide this poor people through, it makes me feel ashame of myself for spending that kind of money on frivolous stuff.

Yet at the same time, I don't see how I can contribute as my income is simply too little.

7 Investment Sins

In making any investment decisions, there are often things we do or fail to do that results in disastrous investment results. This can be called sins of commission or omission. Either way, the result is a bad investment decision. I gleaned this of from a book that I have been reading and tried to contextualise it into our current context.

Here are seven common sins that are made in investment decisions:

1. Buying risky penny stocks without any fundamentals.
2. "It will be different this time".
3. Falling in love with the stock.
4. Panicking when Market crashes (remember 2008?).
5. Thinking you can time the market.
6. Ignoring valuation.
7. Relying too much on price-earnings ratio. (Cash flow is what matters).

The advice above is timeless. We should be careful not to fall into these mistakes. I know some people will think differently about some of the points listed here.

Nevertheless, I think the advice from the book will go a long way in guiding you when you make any investment decision. So instead of making these mistakes, here are some things that you should do instead:

1. Focus on finding solid companies or businesses with shares selling at low valuations.
2. Understand market history, read past stories.
3. Don't get swept away by exciting new products or businesses. Check out the business model first.
4. Fear is your best friend. The best time to buy is often when people are panicking.
5. The market cannot be timed.
6. Pay attention to valuation. Don't hope that some other investor will buy at higher prices.
7. Cash flow (operating cash flow minus expenditures) is what is important for a company's financial performance.

I hope these tips help.

Lessons from Donald Trump's Apprentice

First of all, I must declare that I not a big fan of Donald Trump's Apprentice.

However, I managed to catch a short glimpse of one episode just now. It was interesting I must say and I believe that there were certain lessons that I learnt just by watching a single episode.

James Sun

I wrote about James Sun a few months back. You can read the posting here. He basically made his first million before he was thirty. Since I am almost hitting thirty soon, I feel that I pale in comparison to him. James Sun appeared in the Apprentice and I observed a few things about him:

1. He was charming. He wore nice clothes and always made it a point to look presentable even when the rest were decked out in their pajamas. He always wore a smile and was very well-groomed.

2. He is an achiever. What I mean by this is that he has that certain aura about him that shows he is out to achieve things in life. This is the aura that most successful people have. In the show, he had to make tough decisions and he executed them brilliantly. Even though he is just a few years older than me, his maturity is well beyond me. I respect him for that.

Just reflecting on myself, I realised that my maturity level does not seem to be on par with him. Somehow, foreigners tend to have a different mindset compared to Singaporeans. Maybe that's why Philip Yeo once blasted Singapore guys for being too "whimpy". It seems that we are trapped by certain social norms that makes growing up hard. We stay with our parents for far too long than is necessary and gain financial independence from them too late in life too. All these actually hampers the process of being mature and independent.

Another thing that I realised was how driven he was. It is just a certain aura that floats around driven people. They seem to have stronger opinions about stuff and issues. They make their stand clear and are not too afraid to offend people just to get the task done. On the other hand, I am not so driven and often am too people-focused such that it stands in the way of me accomplishing great things.

I think I need to find my inner voice that will unleash that giant within me. I know that I am capable of greater things but somehow hold myself back for fear of appearing naive or silly in front of others. I am too afraid of other people's opinion about me.

Ivanka Trump

In the show, Ivanka Trump is also featured beside her father, Donald Trump.

From the way she conducts herself and the way she is dressed, I can tell that she is indeed a refined young lady who has had the benefit of growing up in a well-to-do family.

While she does not seem to be as outspoken as her father, she nevertheless exudes a certain charm. Just by looking at her, you can tell that she is RICH.

I wonder what life would be like for her if her father wasn't Donald Trump. But then again, we will never know and can only speculate about such stuff.

Success is not what you achieve, it's what you overcome

The above saying has been in my head recently. I look at what I have achieved and think that it is not worthy of comparison to others. At the same time, I am not satisfied with the things that I have overcomed. Afterall, it does not seem that I have overcome great odds, hardships, trials and tribulations to be where I am today.

Ivanka Trump might be richer than James Sun. But I respect James Sun much more because he has achieved and overcome greater odds relative to Ivanka.

For me, I am just comfortable. And it leads me to believe that I need to overcome greater things in order to become a better person myself. I am always reminded that life is short and that I might not have all the time in the world to achieve all the dreams that I have set out to achieve.

I perhaps need a more driven mindset to achieve this goals. I need a "heck everybody" approach to attain the goals that I want and to become a better person for myself, for my family and for God. In this way, hopefully I can contribute back to society better.

I have many ideas on how I can contribute to society but have not worked hard enough in making any of these come true. I have made too many excuses for myself. Way too many excuses. From today onwards, I will stop making excuses and go out to achieve my goals at all cost. For I know that the outcome of my goals will benefit more people even when I am no longer in this world.

What do you think?