GoodBye PageOne, You Will Be Missed

PageOne closes down.  So another bookshop closes.  First it was Borders at Wheelock, then it was PageOne at Vivocity and now Harris at Great World is also closing down.

It just seems that bookshops are not able to be profitable nowadays.  Or is it simply the case that Singaporeans don't really read anymore?  I mean there are so many things online for us to read that we don't want to fork out the money to buy a book.  I think very little people actually spend more than $100 a month buying books.  We could easily spend that amount in a single day on a good meal.  But not on books.  Sadly.

And so the bookshops all around us are closing down.  High rent is one factor.  But I think most bookshops probably have very low profits.  And it doesn't help that people are also buying books online nowadays.

Bye bye PageOne.  You will be missed.

Maximum Number of Posts for Blog on Blogspot or Blogger

Just found out that Google does not limit the maximum number of posts once can have for a blog.  That's right!  The maximum number of posts for a blog on blogspot or blogger is infinity.  One is entitled to an unlimited amount of posts though there is a limit of 100 blogs per user.

That gets me wondering.  Is it possible to really have 10,000 or even 100,000 posts on a blog.  What kind of blog will that look like?  Is there even such a blog around today (like a world record for most number of posts on a blog)?

I really really wonder.

Fortune REIT

Bought Fortune REIT some days back.  Cannot remember when.  First time I have entered into this .  I like the brand name behind the REIT that's all.  The exposure to retail malls in Hong Kong was also a factor.  Just wanted to diversify out of my Ascott REIT, First REIT, etc holdings that I have.  Well, Li Ka Shing owns Cheung Kong which listed Fortune REIT.  So that is a plus point for just owning a small investment in Fortune REIT.

Also collected my first cheque for Gamco Global Gold Trust.  After deducting withholding tax and stuff, I only pocketed slightly over S$30.  Bleah..

My Day

Personal thoughts.  My day.  Ride the MRT.  Go to work.  Eat lunch.  Work work work.  Eat dinner.  Bath. Surf the net.  Do a bit of reading.  Reflection.  Sleep.

Wow.  Each day of my life passes by so fast.  Simply amazing.

Yeah, this is an entirely lame post =)  But I haven't done such a lame thing for a long long time.  I wonder if I blog like that for the next 3 months, will people still visit this blog and bother to read it..  Maybe i shd give it a try.

Hatched@Evans Road

I am not much of a foodie.  But I do appreciate good breakfasts and am always game for some nice breakfast food whether it is at the hawker centers in Singapore or at the hip and cool cafes scattered around little obscure corners in Singapore.  Over the weekend, had my breakfast at Hatched which is located at Evans Road just near to Botanical Gardens and opposite the School of Physical Education (or is it now NUS?).

Carparking was a breeze as there was space in the open air carpark where a lone mango tree and a jackfruit tree was growing.  It isn't your typical carparking in Singapore so I enjoyed the way it was quite quaint and peaceful.

Verdict on the Food.

Nothing special and nothing especially bad.  The mocha was a bit too sweet.  Tried the Usual Suspect which was basically eggs, sausages, baked potatoes and baked beans.  It also came with a slice of toast and a cup of coffee.  Nothing fantastic really but nothing that will make me complain about it. For $15, I will think the price is slightly on the high side but that is the kind of price you pay for a "Big Breakfast kind of meal" in Singapore cafes.   I like the ambience.  But I think there are better breakfast places around in Singapore.  Of course, unless I want an unassuming place to eat my breakfast.  Hatched basically strikes me as an unassuming place.  It is not an uppety-class kind of cafe.  Down to earth.  Nice place.

Retiring on Dividend Earnings

All investors like to make a return on their investment, and stock dividends give a great return on your investment. There is no guarantee of dividend payment, but it is unusual for most companies not to pay out every year. Investors can use these dividend payments to fund an expansion in their portfolio or just take the money out.

Most companies that are doing well issue dividends to shareholders annually, but this depends on the company being successful. If a company exceeds targets it can pay a larger dividend and if it is struggling it can cancel the dividend payments completely.

What are Dividends?

Dividends are a bonus paid out of profits to shareholders, with a small amount paid to the holder of each stock. For investors with a small stake and few shares it might not amount to much, but it can add up for large shareholders. Pension schemes and other large investors use this income to supplement the proceeds of their investments, and you can use them in the same way to help fund your retirement without having to sell your shares.

In fact, many investors use the dividend yield of a stock to help influence their buying decisions. One trading theory is that a high dividend yield indicates that the stock is selling cheap and might increase in the future. This can make it a desirable investment, but investors should take care to ensure that the company is not falling on hard times.

The size and frequency of any dividend payments are issued to stockholders when the company files its accounts. These should be issued to all shareholders, who can use them to see how their investment is performing.

Using Dividends

While you are working and amassing shares to build a nest egg, it makes sense to invest the dividends back into buying more shares. This is a great way to increase your stock portfolio without having to spend any of your own money.

Alternatively, people use the dividend payments to pay for the nice things in life. They spend the money to pay for a holiday, a new car or anything else they might need a lump sum to pay for.

In Retirement

Once you retire, you can continue to use dividends in exactly the same way as you did previously. However, most retired people are on a reduced income and might even struggle to survive on their pension. For these people, the extra income that comes from the dividends certainly makes life a lot easier. It is important, however not to rely on these dividends as the companies can decide not to issue them at any time. Shareholders should treat them as a bonus rather than part of their income.

For most retired people, it makes sense to hold onto any investment in the stock market for as long as they can afford to. The long term benefit to their income from the dividends might very well outweigh the short-term gains from selling the stock and living off the proceeds.

Valentine's Day and Gifts

Valentine's Day is coming up on 14 Feb and I believe it is the season of gift buying again.  Most couples will probably be wondering what gifts to buy each other. I remember the days of my youth when I had to literally crack my head to figure out what gifts to buy.  I am not a good gift buyer actually.

If you asked me how I will buy my gifts, I will probably tell you that I will buy them online.  Shopping online has almost become second nature to me.  I can surf the net in the comforts of my home and still literally browse through the many online shops like Ebay to buy a gift. And I think this trend of shopping online will perhaps get more and more common to many people.

Another thing I realised is probably that married couples don't really celebrate Valentine's Day in as big a manner as the unmarried couples.  I could be wrong on this but will like to think that my generalisation should be pretty accurate.

So how are you spending your Valentine's Day?  And what gifts are you buying for your loved ones?  Have you stopped buying gifts for your husband/wife because you are married?