Monthly Expenditure and Cost of Living

As I was walking to the nearby coffeeshop to get my breakfast today, I could not help but wonder how much my expenditure has increased over the years.

As a primary school student, I was only given like $5 to $10 pocket money per week.

In secondary school, that was increased to $50 per week.

In junior college, the amount rocketed to around $80 per week.

I was so-called "financially independent" from my parents after JC and paid for my way through university. My expenditure per week then amounted to around $150 to $200 per week.

Today, without doing anything...my expenditure is easily $700-800 per week because of all my loans, bills and stuff.

So I was thinking to myself....AMAZING!! My expenditure has increased by so much over the years.

THEN I CAME TO THIS SUDDEN REALISATION....

Actually, my expenditure has not increased dramatically.

What happened was that my parents were footing the bills for me in primary school. The things that I used and enjoyed, like a roof over my head and food on the table were actually costs that were borne by my parents. I was only thinking of the money that I spent in terms of pocket money but failed to realise that my parents were actually paying a much higher cost for all my other miscellaneous expenses.

The only conclusion I have come to is this : The cost of living in Singapore is really high.

One generation pays for the next generation and the next generation pays the bills for the next-next generation. When it comes to the time for them to retire, parents who do not have enough retirement money (because they have spent it all on their children) will look to their children for support. By then, their children themselves will already have children of their own and will have no choice but to shoulder the burden of feeding three generations (their parents, themselves and their children).

How to retire in Singapore?

The World is Flat

I have been reading The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman the past few months. It seems like I just cannot complete reading it. Too many distractions in life and too may things that crop up whenever I pick up the book to read.

There are 635 pages and I am only at page 207 now. Because of my start-stop start-stop reading habit, I often forget what I have read before that and have to go back to reading the previous portion again.

Anyway, Thomas Friedman suggests that the world is flat and the flattening of the world is enabled by certain flatteners. These flattening forces worked together to create an almost flat world where people are interconnected together.

Lately, I experienced this flattening of the world personally. Here is my story:

I was trying to set up a wireless network at my place. After fiddling with it for sometime, I had no choice but to call the help line from the router company. I was directed to a call center that I believe is located in the Philippines!

After giving verbal instructions for close to half and hour, the operator decided that the problem was not being solved and directed to me to hand over control of my computer to him for him to fix it. Wow! So there was I sitting in my living room while I watched the mouse cursor moving all around the screen as the operator from Philippines gave an account of what he was doing to fix it.

The problem was fixed in the end and I can only say that I am amazed at how flat our world is today. Years ago, the solution would have been for a technician to come down to my place personally to settle the problem. Today, everything can be done online. Even the person fixing the computer can connect to your computer online. Simply AMAZING!

I can only concur with Thomas Friedman. The World today is indeed flat. Very FLAT indeed.

My View on the Jack Neo Scandal

I give my view on the Jack Neo scandal firstly as a Christian, secondly as a man, thirdly as a married person and lastly as a father.


Firstly, I must say that as a Christian, I do not condone adultery. Adultery is wrong. However, I do not know the reason why a person's religion should be brought into light when he has committed an offence. Is a Christian supposed to be more holy than a normal person? I doubt so. As a Christian, I believe that I am the worst sinner on earth. That is the reason why I am a Christian. I need a savior because I cannot become good by my own will or works. After becoming a Christian, there should be a change in the person's life. Yet, the bible tells we will still struggle with our flesh. And at the end of every defeat, every succumbing to sin, I become more aware of my need for a savior.


Secondly, as a man, I must say that we are open to all sorts of temptation. Think about Tiger woods, John Terry, etc, etc. Every man can fall into the danger of adultery especially when he has risen in terms of stature, power and wealth. It is easy to stand at the sidelines and say we will never do the thing that Jack Neo has done. It is quite another to actually go through it and say NO. As a man, I can understand the temptations tthat exists. Every day is a battle and I would rather not cast stones at those who have fallen. Instead, I can relate to why they have fallen. We men, are only human. Is Jack Neo a worse human being than me? Definitely not.


Thirdly, as a married person, I would like to think that marriage vows are important. We swear to be faithful to our partners and I intend to honor those vows. Yet, we all know that marriage does not automatically transform a man (whatever his religion may be) into a person who cannot face temptation.


Lastly, as a father, I would say that Jack Neo was wrong in the sense that his actions have caused much grief to his children. Again....I think that a father at the end of the day is still a human being. Is a man less likely to do wrong because he is a father? I don't think so.


The truth of the matter is this: As humans, we all make mistakes. Some mistakes are big, some are small. Some go unnoticed, some become published for the whole world to see. The most important thing after making a mistake is to realise our mistake and confess it. That is what Jack Neo has done and I admire his courage. If it were me, I would have flown away to hide in some foreign country instead of having a press conference.


The way the media has lashed out at Jack Neo makes me feel sad for him and his family. A mistake is a mistake.


Jesus when confronted by some religous leaders who had brought an adulteress to him to be judged said this:


"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Time to Buy a Car?

With the recent announcement last Thursday that the number of COE available in Singapore will drop sharply, is it time to buy a car?

Afterall, if a person has $50,000 in spare cash now, he could easily afford a Jap car. After the rise in COE prices, he might not be able to afford the same car one or two years down the road.

The Straits Times reported that Singaporeans are most probably still not in a hurry to buy cars before the rise in COE prices as most will probably adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

The rush to buy cars will take place once people see that COE prices keep increasing. That is when the panic will set in.

Are you planning to buy a car in the near future? It might be wise to actually bring forward your decision now before COE prices rise.

Cheapest Petrol in Singapore

I read a news article that says petrol prices have been increased again.

Well, that sounds like bad news to all drivers.

But the truth is ....there is a petrol station which has not increased its price of petrol yet!!

Cheapest Petrol in Singapore

Based on the information given, it seems like Singapore Petroleum Company is offering the cheapest petrol in Singapore right now. The rest of the petrol stations have already increased their pump prices by 4 cents recently.

Know of any cheap petrol around in Singapore?

Free Movie - The Great Train Robbery

The weekend is almost here and many people are perhaps looking through the cinema guides to find out what to watch.

Well, since it is still early... I am posting a short 10 minute movie here for your viewing pleasure. This movie will definitely make you more appreciative of the kind of movies we have today.

Titled : " The Great Train Robbery", it was filmed in 1903 and is full of funny scenes that look really fake and stuff. But when it was first screened, the audience was actually so afraid as they thought it was real! I find that almost hard to believe. But maybe it's because they were watching a narrative like movie for the first time in their lives.

Enjoy!

Things I Want to Buy

Here are a few of my wishlist items that I hope to get for Christmas this year:

These include:

1. Handphone
2. Wallet
3. Wii
4. Guitar
5. BMW 3 or 5 series

Any sponsors, please kindly leave a comment okay? =)