tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26895862984188416802024-03-13T06:54:59.058-07:00Budget BabeAchieving a financially free lifestyle in Singapore.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-49311689992837967162019-11-06T23:00:00.000-08:002019-11-06T23:00:02.497-08:00Act fast to get $300 cash from SingSaver this 11 November<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Get $300 if you're the first 50 to apply for a relevant credit card with <a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">SingSaver</a> this 11.11.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you're intending to get any of the following credit cards soon, you might as well wait until 11 November to apply.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">Citi PremierMiles Visa</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Card</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">UOB One Card</a></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reason being, <a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">SingSaver's 11.11 Mega Rewards Campaign </a>will be live then, and the promotions offered are too good to ignore.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HqKmSP3j9Y/Xb6VE-pXhZI/AAAAAAAAbYE/pRBWbdguwOEVSdkTW1GCNeBpfpo-wm8HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SS1111_FBPOST_STATIC.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5HqKmSP3j9Y/Xb6VE-pXhZI/AAAAAAAAbYE/pRBWbdguwOEVSdkTW1GCNeBpfpo-wm8HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SS1111_FBPOST_STATIC.png" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Be among the first 50 credit card applicants, 50 travel insurance buyers and 11 personal loan applicants to qualify. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you're fast enough, <b><a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">the first 50 approved applications</a> </b>then for 3 particular credit cards <b>will get $300.</b> This is </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">for both new and existing customers, so if you're the latter, this is your chance to grab.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New-to-bank customers get at least $100 - $280 too, guaranteed. You're considered a new customer as long as you don't currently hold a card from the issuer or i<b>n the past 12 months. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And if you're travelling overseas anytime soon, you can <b>get $30 from being the first 50 successful applicants for <a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">any travel insurance from MSIG, AXA or Allied World</a></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simply apply through their 11.11 campaign page <a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">here</a> to get your hands on the cash. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDxoZ1NbQkU/Xb6U-OqYOXI/AAAAAAAAbYA/n5RRBV9d3q8kpriU_ixpwrC9x7usyUBMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screenshot%2B2019-11-03%2Bat%2B4.50.54%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1558" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDxoZ1NbQkU/Xb6U-OqYOXI/AAAAAAAAbYA/n5RRBV9d3q8kpriU_ixpwrC9x7usyUBMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Screenshot%2B2019-11-03%2Bat%2B4.50.54%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Make sure you complete and <b>have your application approved </b>by the respective providers by 30 November 2019 latest, and <b>complete the Rewards Redemption Form</b> on SingSaver to get your cash prize.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You will only receive one promo prize, regardless of how many applications you make. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SingSaver's partners, vendors and employees (and past employees) are also not eligible for this promotion. For all other T&Cs, please refer to the campaign website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The promotion runs on 11 November from midnight to 23:59 hours.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By now, regular readers should be familiar with how I almost always apply for any new credit card directly through <a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">SingSaver</a>, because if you're savvy enough and apply at the right time with them, their promotions is among the best for any new sign-ups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is one of those times. So go ahead and <a href="https://singsaver.link/sgbb-1111deals">start camping here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">May the fastest fingers win. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />With love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dawn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/milelion.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/20084529/SS_FlashSale_Social_Launch_18052019_Telegram.png" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #219182; font-weight: 700; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-91960963334281771352015-05-13T09:56:00.000-07:002015-05-18T01:36:23.082-07:00Thinking of Getting Married in 2015/2016?<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 14px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKdeoZQ9of4/VVNqvde9lWI/AAAAAAAANIc/kZunB6p18r4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.15.20%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iKdeoZQ9of4/VVNqvde9lWI/AAAAAAAANIc/kZunB6p18r4/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.15.20%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">"I do!"</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">With these 2 words, every Singaporean's nightmare begins.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The cost of holding a wedding in Singapore has increased exponentially in the last decade, and many of my peers are really starting to feel the pinch now that we're reaching the "marriageable age" and plans to get hitched are underway.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">My boyfriend has also raised this issue with me, and I thought it'll be interesting to explore what exactly happened to the state of weddings in Singapore. Aren't weddings supposed to be a celebration of joy over a couple's union? Since when did it become a contest to see who has the most picturesque / Instagram-worthy / most hashtags generating / my-wedding-is-grander-than-yours event?</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Today, this obsession with making things perfect for our guests has eclipsed the personal significance of this momentous event in the couple's life. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">We were arguing over the type of wedding venue, and the boyfriend was talking about how he's in favour of holding it at a restaurant as long as there's good food to <u>satisfy the relatives</u>. I, on the other hand, wanted a place where <u>my friends could entertain themselves</u> by taking photos of the gorgeous food and environment.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">STOP! I suddenly realized, why were we debating over this based on what will guests get out of our wedding? Isn't our wedding supposed to be <u>for us, instead of making others happy?</u></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Budget Babe is still trying to figure out how she can best plan her beautiful, memorable and yet inexpensive wedding under $20,000, so I'll leave that to a later post. But for now, here are some wedding traps I've discovered:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>1. Cost of the average Singapore wedding today is INSANE</b></span></span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H78V98Az4G4/VVN5q0eTKPI/AAAAAAAANJA/HFjObSkysuA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.19.21%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H78V98Az4G4/VVN5q0eTKPI/AAAAAAAANJA/HFjObSkysuA/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.19.21%2Bam.png" width="200" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I read about <a href="http://news.asiaone.com/news/diva/dream-110k-wedding-ends-debt">a couple who spent $110,000 on their wedding last year and ended up in debt</a>. (Funny thing is, the groom is an insurance agent. Now you know why I don't trust insurance agents to advise me on my money?)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">We looked around to gather a rough idea of the budget we needed to save up, and this was what we got:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Pre-Wedding package</b>: $3,000 - $6,000</span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Banquet</b>: $20,000 - $50,000</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Photography & Videography</b>: $11,000</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Wedding gown</b>: $900 - $15,000</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Bridesmaids & "Brothers" outfit: </b>$500 - $2,000</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Proposal ring</b>: $1,000 - $6,000</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>Wedding bands</b>: $800 - $4,000</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Seriously?!</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>2. Restaurant banquets and void deck weddings aren't as cheap as you think</b></span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRRNr-ylW7s/VVN714H61qI/AAAAAAAANJU/1XjIKYza2x0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.28.31%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRRNr-ylW7s/VVN714H61qI/AAAAAAAANJU/1XjIKYza2x0/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.28.31%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Some money-saving ideas we got were to hold a lunch banquet vs. dinner, look at weekday options, and consider restaurants instead of hotels. But after researching and looking at quotes, we realized they're not that much cheaper.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">For approx. 200 - 300 guests (we both have big families and a wide circle of friends), <u>hotels ranged from $30k - $40k on average.</u> Furthermore, we calculated based on 30 tables, but 4 or 5-star hotels usually require you to book a minimum of 40 tables!</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWVgOa6MaSI/VVNoxi0d7DI/AAAAAAAANIA/9i3Vf1oUbFA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.07.17%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWVgOa6MaSI/VVNoxi0d7DI/AAAAAAAANIA/9i3Vf1oUbFA/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.07.17%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a><br /><u style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Restaurants were much cheaper at $15k - $28k,</u><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">but still painful on the wallet.</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T99OQRpt_6A/VVNqH6t-23I/AAAAAAAANIQ/6HHSyPHRWXM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.13.12%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T99OQRpt_6A/VVNqH6t-23I/AAAAAAAANIQ/6HHSyPHRWXM/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.13.12%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">You can check out more rates <a href="http://www.kiasubride.com/hotel-wedding-banquet-price-list-and-packages-2014-2015/">here.</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">We considered a void deck wedding as we thought it'll be pretty cool, and it should be cheap. Right? Apparently n</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">ot. I found out the average Malay void deck wedding costs $30,000! So that option went out of the window as well.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Some asked us not to worry, saying that we'll "recoup from ang paos", but I refuse to spend money I don't already have. It makes me uneasy.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>2. Say the word "WEDDING" and you'll get charged a premium</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OA9px1Rchak/VVNq9-BatdI/AAAAAAAANIw/E1HtXTkaTCA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.16.57%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OA9px1Rchak/VVNq9-BatdI/AAAAAAAANIw/E1HtXTkaTCA/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.16.57%2Bpm.png" width="200" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">If you were to book a venue for a birthday party / gathering / corporate event / wedding, the price quoted also increases in that corresponding order. When I sourced for quotes for my 21st birthday bash vs. my clients' corporate events vs. my upcoming wedding, the costs were unbelievably different! It is no secret that the word "wedding" or "solomnization" will cost you a premium these days. Does that make financial sense to you?</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Which brings me to my next point...</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>3. Blame the media for glamourizing this big once-in-a-lifetime occasion</b></span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oQalFAaWzqw/VVN5-IGFM_I/AAAAAAAANJI/5oUcFrdt2ho/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.20.51%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oQalFAaWzqw/VVN5-IGFM_I/AAAAAAAANJI/5oUcFrdt2ho/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.20.51%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I agree that marriage can be one of the biggest milestones in one's life. But at the expense of debt? No way.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">The media has bombarded us with messages throughout the years about the "dream wedding", and tells us that we cannot afford to skimp on our wedding costs or we'll regret it later on in life.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Bullshit. I don't know any couple who ever wished they had spent more on their wedding day. But I do know of many other couples who have regretted the exorbitant prices they paid, admitting that many expenses were actually unnecessary on hindsight.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Stop buying into this trap. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>4. Unnecessary expenses?</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">According to a local wedding planning service, some clients spend up to $50,000 on floral decorations. One couple spent $12,000 on a gorgeous tulips bridal arch. Another more common practice is for couples to spend on overseas wedding photography packages that range from $8,000 - $30,000 inclusive of airfares and depending on your shooting destination.</span></span><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S45h44_yUmY/VVNowiA-dqI/AAAAAAAANH8/sSOfPdQdUxY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B4.24.57%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S45h44_yUmY/VVNowiA-dqI/AAAAAAAANH8/sSOfPdQdUxY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B4.24.57%2Bpm.png" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Unless you can afford to spend, these luxuries honestly will not be missed too much at your wedding.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b>5. There ARE cheaper ways to hold a wedding in Singapore</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I'm still planning mine so I don't have much conclusive information to share yet, but some of <a href="http://www.herworldplus.com/weddings/updates/singapore-weddings-i-do-my-way">these real-life Singapore weddings under $10k </a>really inspired me and showed that getting married in Singapore doesn't have to cost a bomb.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">This couple hosted their wedding at their newly-renovated flat and spent just $900.</span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/---e7I7bKx4I/VVN-Y1p7sxI/AAAAAAAANJg/bvi5-dRNtD4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.39.14%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/---e7I7bKx4I/VVN-Y1p7sxI/AAAAAAAANJg/bvi5-dRNtD4/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.39.14%2Bam.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">This couple held theirs at a bakery-cafe and spent under $1,600.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MdrALSYKI98/VVN-Y7KbnvI/AAAAAAAANJk/-XlLP1ephi8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.39.41%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MdrALSYKI98/VVN-Y7KbnvI/AAAAAAAANJk/-XlLP1ephi8/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.39.41%2Bam.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">A dreamy wedding at Fort Canning Park was accomplished with $10,000.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-01xFErQk_lE/VVN-hOKd0lI/AAAAAAAANJw/l9nsVQ3xg88/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.40.25%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-01xFErQk_lE/VVN-hOKd0lI/AAAAAAAANJw/l9nsVQ3xg88/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-14%2Bat%2B12.40.25%2Bam.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">If you're willing to go the extra mile to plan properly, look at alternative venues and DIY your decorations yourself, having a beautiful and memorable wedding need not be the expensive wedding trap that many Singaporeans fall into.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">I want my wedding to be beautiful and memorable, but I don't see the point of spending the equivalent of my annual salary on just </span><u style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">one day</u><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> in my life. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tscl040C3QE/VVNqvVqj7XI/AAAAAAAANIY/qYFbVtfKspo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.14.03%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tscl040C3QE/VVNqvVqj7XI/AAAAAAAANIY/qYFbVtfKspo/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B11.14.03%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Don't feel pressured to have a fairytale wedding that you cannot afford. Frankly, after the wedding, nobody really cares what happened. Who is going to remember about your food or venue decorations a few years down the road? How often will you look at your wedding video and photographs?</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Yes, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event, but spend within your means. Save the money on your wedding, but spend on your marriage instead.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">It's more worth it.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">With love, </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Budget Babe</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-44437169091152139862015-05-13T00:16:00.003-07:002015-05-13T00:18:22.132-07:00Transition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi guys!<br />
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I've received a few emails and messages from concerned readers asking where my blog went - apologies if you were affected by the downturn in the last 12 hours! That happened because I screwed up my HTML and the problem has since been fixed.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGWaHzJmFLY/VVL6tq8bXmI/AAAAAAAANHA/TZUb8mNyV64/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.17.56%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGWaHzJmFLY/VVL6tq8bXmI/AAAAAAAANHA/TZUb8mNyV64/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.17.56%2Bpm.png" /></a></div>
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On a another note, I'm also working on a few exciting upcoming initiatives to further push out better financial tips and lifehacks for you guys! I just wanted to say that I'm really thankful for all your support and am super humbled by how <b>Budget Babe</b> has grown since I started it in December.<br />
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Currently in the midst of moving to a new domain - <b><a href="http://sgbudgetbabe.blogspot.sg/">http://sgbudgetbabe.blogspot.sg</a></b> - so do subscribe and bookmark the new link.<br />
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See you on the other side!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-81547350828392509642015-05-13T00:02:00.000-07:002015-05-18T01:36:23.099-07:00Work in Progress<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpMRm3mscpM/VVL3ZRfn1EI/AAAAAAAANGY/sKFsvs7ikXM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.03.51%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpMRm3mscpM/VVL3ZRfn1EI/AAAAAAAANGY/sKFsvs7ikXM/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.03.51%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the process of migrating over. Stay tuned!</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-38645940386534302372015-05-11T04:26:00.003-07:002015-05-13T10:50:50.496-07:00Why Money is Not A Priority For Most<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nu4sQ5QdEB4/VVIRv8Nx2NI/AAAAAAAANFk/Em1nmdRgNhE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-12%2Bat%2B10.43.48%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nu4sQ5QdEB4/VVIRv8Nx2NI/AAAAAAAANFk/Em1nmdRgNhE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-12%2Bat%2B10.43.48%2Bpm.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The topic of why people don't care for personal finance has been brought alive through active discussions in the financial bloggers community recently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really liked <a href="http://www.xeolye.com/2015/05/why-dont-people-care-about-personal.html">this post</a> by a friend of mine, Xeo, where he offers insight into why people don't care much for this topic at different stages of their lives, until a turning point (typically in their late 30s or 40s) where they wake up one day and realize that it is time to take charge of their personal finances.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem can be distilled down to <b>PRIORITIES.</b> Life is all about priorities and trade-offs, isn't it? Given how hectic life can be in Singapore, most of us struggle to even juggle our multiple priorities at the same time, much less add on one more - personal finance. Here are a few common priorities as we go through life:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Priority #1: Studies</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQd0pWz7PTw/VM_F4dw9lSI/AAAAAAAAMTk/STUhcsRcCUg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-03%2Bat%2B2.45.31%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQd0pWz7PTw/VM_F4dw9lSI/AAAAAAAAMTk/STUhcsRcCUg/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-03%2Bat%2B2.45.31%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our parents commonly tell us to study hard so we can get a high-paying job later on in life. They tell us not to worry about money; just study hard, and the money will come later. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reality isn't that fantastic though. With so many degree-holders today, these paper qualifications aren't prized as much as they used to be. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, if you're joining the private sector, they barely care for what class of honours you graduated with. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nor will they offer you a higher pay just because you're a straight-A student. You may think this is important, but they don't. I learnt this through experience - you would think that a scholar with a higher class of degree honours ought to get higher pay, but my employer still offered me the same pay as every other fresh graduate anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You don't have to prioritize money so much at this stage of life, but simply putting some cash aside each month for savings isn't too hard to do, is it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Priority #2: Friends</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KV442PGTvuU/VVCQGnYY7UI/AAAAAAAANEA/tuC6w7eUwkM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-11%2Bat%2B7.18.33%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KV442PGTvuU/VVCQGnYY7UI/AAAAAAAANEA/tuC6w7eUwkM/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-11%2Bat%2B7.18.33%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A common question I get asked is <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2014/12/how-i-saved-20000-in-year.html">how to save when your friends are always wanting to hang out and spend money.</a> Too many people hang out with their friends at cafes and expensive activities, and then complain that they find it difficult to save, lest they lose their friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is not that difficult to maintain a balance between your friends and your money. My JC clique likes to hang out and eat at hawker centres together, and we have great fun doing it. If your friendships are costing you too much time, money and effort to maintain, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">then perhaps you should start choosing quality over quantity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had this one friend who was honestly tiring to keep, as it required constant messaging on Whatsapp and hanging out once to thrice a week, often at cafes and the clubs. We were pretty close, to the extent that we talked about being each other's bridesmaids, but yet whenever I got busy, our friendship would die off due to the lack of regular interaction. A few months later, I found out unexpectedly that she blocked me on Instagram. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not sure what to think, but while I did value her as a friend, I decided that such a friendship was not worth the tremendous effort to keep, so I just left it at that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">True friends will always understand if you can't always spend while out with them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Priority #3: Boyfriend / girlfriend</b></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jl6NZ-Xes2c/VVCHR8HU46I/AAAAAAAANC4/KiHGeyADLIU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-11%2Bat%2B6.38.18%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jl6NZ-Xes2c/VVCHR8HU46I/AAAAAAAANC4/KiHGeyADLIU/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-11%2Bat%2B6.38.18%2Bpm.png" width="286" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frankly, I feel t<a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/01/guys-are-you-spending-too-much-on.html">oo many people spend too much on their relationships</a>, and the guys feel the most pinch as they're usually expected to pay for the girl. If your partner is costing you too much time and money, at the expense of your financial health and other social relationships, then perhaps it is time to have a good talk on achieving a balance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Priority #4: My looks and figure</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guys, you're equally guilty! There's no denying that each of us wants to look good, and for those of us who aren't blessed with good genes and a high metabolism, we go to certain lengths to achieve the same results. Spending tons of money on our hair, skincare and makeup, going for IPL to remove unwanted hair, paying for frequent manicures and pedicures, exercising albeit too often...the list goes on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not a huge fan of daily makeup, but I do spend time taking care of my complexion so that I still look acceptable even without having to apply foundation and concealer. My secret? Using mostly organic beauty products on my face, so my skin remains clear and I don't have to spend time on makeup to conceal my imperfections.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRpg75Ce5EM/VPX_1LuMxQI/AAAAAAAAMgg/49fkEZTTLGA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-04%2Bat%2B2.30.49%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRpg75Ce5EM/VPX_1LuMxQI/AAAAAAAAMgg/49fkEZTTLGA/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-04%2Bat%2B2.30.49%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Asians countries tend to work the longest hours, according to BBC. Many of us would have OT at least a few times - I remember staying until 10pm once and bringing my work home to finish only at 2am. It was insane.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Climbing up the corporate ladder is important, but when you prioritize your work at the expense of your health and social relationships, it is only a matter of time before you burn out. Moreover, no one ever wished they had worked more on their deathbed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another common mistake young working adults make is that they choose to focus solely on building up their career in their early years, instead of balancing that with active personal finance management. For instance, some of us spend on expensive work outfits and taking a cab to work in order to reach on time and still look good (compared to squeezing in the MRT and perspiring by the time we reach office)...all to create a lasting professional impression.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is important to spend effort in building up your career especially when you've only just joined the workforce. But the problem comes when we assume our hard work now will pay off in higher wages in the future, therefore we don't really have to save or manage our finances that much right now. What if you don't get that pay raise? Or what if you lose your job?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we're a student, we're too busy saving up so we can <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/02/a-guide-to-paying-off-your-dreaded.html">pay off our tuition fee loan</a> or take our graduation trip to Europe or the US. Once we've started working, we save up for our annual vacation trip. In our mid 20s, we have to save up for our wedding, or in order to buy a house or a car.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There will always be big purchases in life. But when you're saving solely for these big purchases alone, and do not give heed to your long-term financial needs, that's when your priorities obviously become messed up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Balancing our priorities</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the day, there's nothing wrong with these priorities, but the trick is in balancing them and not compromising on our other aspects of life. Too often, though, we put personal finance as the least of our priorities (or even not at all!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not saying you have to make money your biggest priority now, but you should never neglect it in favour of your other priorities. And if you don't make your own money a priority, no one else will. Certainly not your financial advisor!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We shouldn't wait until it is too late before we start saving and investing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-60133832467407398022015-05-03T22:31:00.000-07:002015-05-12T07:46:03.332-07:00Utility Cost - What Is Worth Spending On?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fz-FKhXmTwc/VVISIsOOzRI/AAAAAAAANFs/nNJFEJ1Tmg0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-12%2Bat%2B10.45.44%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fz-FKhXmTwc/VVISIsOOzRI/AAAAAAAANFs/nNJFEJ1Tmg0/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-12%2Bat%2B10.45.44%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my last post, I shared with you my real secret and mindset that has helped me chalk up my savings easily - <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/04/to-buy-or-not-to-buy-introducing.html">the concept of utility cost</a> which I use before I make any purchases.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been a lot of critics and haters alike on my <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2014/12/how-i-saved-20000-in-year.html">viral post of how I saved $20,000 in a year</a>, where many chastised me for being cheap, not spending enough, etc. But there is a huge difference between being cheap and being frugal (which I'll write more on next time). Contrary to what some people think, Budget Babe does indeed spend on certain stuff. So today, I thought I'll share more on what I find worth spending on, while demonstrating further my concept of utility cost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What is worth spending on?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. A good mattress </b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uviXqEGiRYA/VUb24X-g6AI/AAAAAAAANBQ/LUc90spZ8Ak/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.27.29%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uviXqEGiRYA/VUb24X-g6AI/AAAAAAAANBQ/LUc90spZ8Ak/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.27.29%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I personally feel spending on a good mattress is a necessary investment, as it is really important to get a good night's sleep. Furthermore, a good mattress can give you ample support and rejuvenate you for the next day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Skimping on a mattress frequently leads to back problems, disturbed sleep, discomfort, and many other problems. The biggest cost though, comes when you have lack of a good rest at night. Health issues aside, the reduced concentration that comes with a bad rest would affect our work performance and slow our productivity down. We may even end up spending more on coffee in order to fuel ourselves to get through the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not worth it, if you asked me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Insurance</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdJkPVK54W8/VUb24U9LWvI/AAAAAAAANBM/yWOYjI5MQXo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.30.39%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdJkPVK54W8/VUb24U9LWvI/AAAAAAAANBM/yWOYjI5MQXo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.30.39%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I'm generally careful in selecting my insurance policies and tend to avoid overpaying for my insurance, I would not skimp on my insurance coverage, particularly for hospitalization.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hospital bills have skyrocketed in the last decade, and with our modern lifestyle today being exposed to so much toxins, chemicals and radiation, there has been a higher incidence of illnesses commonly associated with a developed society such as cancer. These fees are no joke either. I got a wakeup call when a friend of mine was hospitalized last year and her bill came up to $10,000. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RVBcaJGqDA/VUb9ABo1I-I/AAAAAAAANCI/jlcNvm2Q_lo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B1.00.15%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RVBcaJGqDA/VUb9ABo1I-I/AAAAAAAANCI/jlcNvm2Q_lo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B1.00.15%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RVBcaJGqDA/VUb9ABo1I-I/AAAAAAAANCI/jlcNvm2Q_lo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B1.00.15%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frankly, my biggest worry now is of my dad, as he does not have ample insurance coverage and I learnt about the importance of it too late (after he crossed the maximum policy enter age) to be able to get him enrolled in a good policy. Now, I can only hope that his Medishield and my savings will be sufficient for whatever happens, and pray for the best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Healthy foods</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXOfLw51toA/VUb3KcodAZI/AAAAAAAANBo/DrrHkmc2i0k/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.35.01%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LXOfLw51toA/VUb3KcodAZI/AAAAAAAANBo/DrrHkmc2i0k/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.35.01%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I don't see the need to purchase Boost juice drinks every other day, I make an effort to ensure I get sufficient protein, (good) fats, carbohydrates, fibre and other essential vitamins from my food. Perhaps I'll share more on some easy and healthy meals I make every now and then for work in a future post, but for now, the emphasis is on eating clean and healthy whenever you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, chips, instant noodles and canned food are cheap, easy to make and delicious too. I love them as much as everyone else, but I find that the savings are not worth sacrificing my health. If, like me, you find time a key challenge in trying to eat or prepare healthier food, do look out for my post next time on what I do to overcome this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A poor diet can lead to more health issues later on, which means spending even more money. Considering that I'm stuck with this body for life, I rather try to take good care of it as much as I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Organic skincare</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know about you, but my face is one of the most important things to me. Considering it's the first thing people see when they look at me, and how presentations are a regular part of my work, I value having good skin and looking presentable most of the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to suffer from chronic acne, and the amount of money I blew while trying to treat it was quite ridiculous. The makeup was another thing, as having bad skin meant I had to spend more money on concealer as well as more time in front of the mirror to hide the blemishes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever since I switched to organic skincare, I've been able to go out more frequently with light or even no makeup at all. As my bare skin is no longer severely tarnished with pimples, blackheads or blemishes, I'm able to skip foundation most of the time now (and only use it when I have a major presentation or meeting a new client). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Skimping on good skincare --> bad skin --> spend more on makeup to cover up --> worsens skin conditions --> more makeup..... It can be a pretty vicious cycle, so I rather forgo all that fuss and anxiety and ensure I have a good skincare regime to prevent all that instead. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Comfortable underwear</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPG-WEt7zPs/VUb3wjNX-GI/AAAAAAAANB4/qJQqRHQesV0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.38.04%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPG-WEt7zPs/VUb3wjNX-GI/AAAAAAAANB4/qJQqRHQesV0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.38.04%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given that we wear this daily, I find it important to get good-fitting underwear which makes me feel good and comfortable while wearing it. For work, I have a few classic nude and seamless underwear to ensure no lines show up under my work skirts or dresses. As a dancer, I have plenty of sports bras for proper support. For everything else, I have a few pieces in different colours to match my outfits as well as a few different designs that I tend to wear often due to certain cuttings of my clothing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't spend on <u>branded</u> underwear though. Just comfortable ones made of long-lasting, quality material.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Essential work outfits</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyNX5SM8zUU/VUb25B3tRHI/AAAAAAAANBU/QxvzPA_FvfU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.33.23%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyNX5SM8zUU/VUb25B3tRHI/AAAAAAAANBU/QxvzPA_FvfU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.33.23%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without my job, I would have no income, so it is important for me to ensure I have chic work outfits that communicate my professionalism. Since I generally wear my work clothes for long hours in a day, I make sure they are comfortable as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tend to go more for basics and classic outfits that will never go out of trend, particularly those that will allow me to mix and match with my other wardrobe items to form new looks. In this way, the utility value of each item increases the more I'm able to wear it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7. Comfortable shoes</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my pet peeves is having to wear uncomfortable heels for work while walking long distances. I realized I get cranky more easily and am much slower due to the reduced speed of walking from the painful shoes. Thus, it is really important to spend on good shoes, especially if you're going to be walking in them a lot.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CTvkPoPV3vY/VUb3c_ohUbI/AAAAAAAANBw/qxAz0qxGUZU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.36.51%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CTvkPoPV3vY/VUb3c_ohUbI/AAAAAAAANBw/qxAz0qxGUZU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.36.51%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I generally spend on my work heels and dance shoes as I use them the most often. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8. Good soap and kitchen tools</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I once tried skimping on dish soap and washing sponges by buying cheaper ones...it was a terrible mistake. The sponges tore easily whereas the dish soap was not powerful enough to clean it thoroughly, so I ended up washing and rinsing the dishes multiple times before they were clean enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kitchen tools are another area I would think twice before skimping on. The cost of replacing them if they break down too often is simply not worth it. Instead, I try to go for multi-purpose kitchen tools and spend more on the ones I use often.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are some other things you find worth spending on? Do share with me your list, and I would love to add them here if they make sense! </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9-vwC3RVp0M/VUb24XsTkNI/AAAAAAAANBI/KJCvBLna0gQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.25.45%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9-vwC3RVp0M/VUb24XsTkNI/AAAAAAAANBI/KJCvBLna0gQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-04%2Bat%2B12.25.45%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-76418811014970315482015-04-29T10:59:00.003-07:002015-05-12T07:48:35.486-07:00To Buy Or Not To Buy? Introducing UTILITY COST<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S86g0IYERWE/VVISttQV08I/AAAAAAAANF8/JVjkzsVQxd8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-12%2Bat%2B10.48.11%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S86g0IYERWE/VVISttQV08I/AAAAAAAANF8/JVjkzsVQxd8/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-12%2Bat%2B10.48.11%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It amazes me how up till today, the post you guys seem to like reading the most is still </span><a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2014/12/how-i-saved-20000-in-year.html" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on how I saved $20k last year.</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Seriously, what about the other posts?! Are they boring :( </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I wanted to share a little more on my <b>#1 philosophy and mindset towards saving</b> that really helped me to chalk up that $20,000. Contrary to what many readers think, it is <u>not about having a fixed budget or saving huge chunks of money</u>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is about saving all the little excesses that accumulate over time to become quite a sum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is about being smart on what you spend on.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KApwIm8rmV8/VUEOAcaG4oI/AAAAAAAAM_8/XqdAFc4bKF0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B12.54.04%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KApwIm8rmV8/VUEOAcaG4oI/AAAAAAAAM_8/XqdAFc4bKF0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B12.54.04%2Bam.png" /></span></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Introducing: <span style="color: red; font-size: large;">UTILITY COST.</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Disclaimer: I came up with this concept since young, when money started becoming a problem for my family. While I don't think this concept is new (surely someone else had pioneered this before!), it might perhaps go by another name? If someone knows about this, please tell me! :)</i></span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BacqY-L3YfI/VUEN_Z_nyzI/AAAAAAAAM_s/jrYtr7g2HIk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B12.49.26%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BacqY-L3YfI/VUEN_Z_nyzI/AAAAAAAAM_s/jrYtr7g2HIk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B12.49.26%2Bam.png" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I spend, I don't just look at price. Sure, cheap prices will entice me, but they are not the defining factor in my decision whether to spend or skip. Instead, I try to think about the <b>practicalities </b>of buying that item.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uy17l4CLBEE/VUEN_sm6psI/AAAAAAAAM_0/SOVAubUWUuo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B12.53.12%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uy17l4CLBEE/VUEN_sm6psI/AAAAAAAAM_0/SOVAubUWUuo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B12.53.12%2Bam.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we look at price alone, it will never be a good gauge. After all, if something is expensive, there must be a reason for it. However, it is up to us to discern these reasons behind the price, and decide if it is something that we find worthy to be paying for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Some reasons why things are expensive:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. High advertising / branding costs</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In building a brand and its image, companies often spend huge marketing dollars on publicity and promotion. As a result, they have to mark up the price of their goods in order to earn back these costs. (I've personally dealt with and seen brand's marketing budgets, and they're not small sums.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For instance, have you ever wondered why Victoria's Secret lingerie are so expensive? Fans will argue it is due to good quality materials and fashionable designs, but I personally don't believe in those reasons. I own 2 bras from Victoria's Secret, and they're not any more comfortable / trendy / longer-lasting than some of my other bras from less-expensive brands. But hey, did you know Victoria's Secret spends millions of dollars each year to produce their fashion shows, hire their Victoria's Secret "angels", the high-profile entertainment acts (Taylor Swift sang for them once), food and drinks, event set-up, videography, etc....</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2-dsGuYbMZ0/VUEVMdnQbsI/AAAAAAAANAw/8Wa20tpWwnM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B1.29.57%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2-dsGuYbMZ0/VUEVMdnQbsI/AAAAAAAANAw/8Wa20tpWwnM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B1.29.57%2Bam.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's why I don't believe in paying $70 - $100+++ for a Victoria's Secret bra, because I suspect maybe as much as $60 goes towards paying for such branding and advertising fees. The real cost of the bra (material + design + labour) is probably much lesser.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Limited edition / trends</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I suppose everyone is familiar with economies of scale. When certain things are made in limited quantities, economies of scale might drop. For instance, a special range in collaboration with a top-notch designer usually has limited pieces produced. Since demand thus exceeds supply, prices tend to be higher for those who want to own them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly, there is a price to pay for popularity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Customized / handmade</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such artisan products usually charge more due to their business nature which requires long hours of service and skill to produce each batch of products. They also tend to be limited in quantity and usually more unique, which can justify their high prices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Practical</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Uniqlo is a good example of this. They sell comfortable and trendy basics, which are a classic wardrobe staple and can be worn in many different ways. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PI7imMczCuo/VUET04RD2yI/AAAAAAAANAk/6ueo7k4Q7ZU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B1.24.13%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PI7imMczCuo/VUET04RD2yI/AAAAAAAANAk/6ueo7k4Q7ZU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B1.24.13%2Bam.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imagine if you bought one of their camisoles for $19, which you wear every week because it's so darn versatile. Wear it with a blazer and smart pants for work, a long skirt for going out, a short skirt for clubbing, or shorts for running. Imagine it lasts for 2 years before the colour fades recognisably after 104 uses (once a week). This is equivalent to paying 18 cents for each time you wore it out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Compare this to that fancy gown you bought for $599 to wear to your cousin's wedding 2 years ago, which has been sitting in your wardrobe since. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which makes more sense?</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kKRd8i2JGeU/VUEOX3NbVYI/AAAAAAAANAU/2kQRJbEVgqw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B1.00.43%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kKRd8i2JGeU/VUEOX3NbVYI/AAAAAAAANAU/2kQRJbEVgqw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-30%2Bat%2B1.00.43%2Bam.png" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Made from good quality ingredients / material / long-lasting</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things worth paying for are those that are made from better ingredients or material, as they tend to also last far longer. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is always better to pay for a expensive appliance which can last for ages, rather than a cheap one that breaks down every few months (requiring you to either spend on repair fees, or buy a new replacement).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend's mother bought a good quality toaster for $100 - one of the more expensive versions 20 years ago - which has lasted her well until today! My mother, on the other hand, bought a relatively slightly cheaper model for about $70...and it broke down after 5 years. It couldn't be fixed, so a replacement was the only solution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who made the better choice?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In other words, the next time before you buy something, think about the item in terms of its utility cost.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How often will you wear it?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How often will you use it?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How long will it last you?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to the materialistic culture we live in, we tend to buy too much into branding and advertising these days, which is why costs are going higher and higher. It doesn't have to be. While we cannot escape from inflation and rising prices of necessities, there are many other things which we don't have to necessarily pay for. Trends, external packaging (which you throw away after opening the item) and advertising are generally things I don't believe in paying for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How can I calculate utility cost?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> <u> PRICE </u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> USAGE</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've given you the mathematical formula I occasionally use, but it doesn't always have to be a specific figure. Instead, think in general terms of how often you reckon you would use it, and then decide if the price is worth that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is NOT about paying for the lowest price, but about<b> paying for value</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is NOT about paying for trends, but <b>paying for the number of times you will wear them.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is NOT about buying the cheapest item, but about <b>paying for the item that will last you the longest / break down the least often.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try looking beyond the price and at value instead, and you'll start to make better spending decisions, leaving you with more money to save.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish you all the best.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-33784338937760472342015-04-22T09:24:00.002-07:002015-05-13T00:30:13.621-07:00Singaporeans Losing Jobs to Foreigners with Fake Degrees?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUqj2_mzpAU/VVL9fNSXR6I/AAAAAAAANHo/fruFem3I-j8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.29.43%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KUqj2_mzpAU/VVL9fNSXR6I/AAAAAAAANHo/fruFem3I-j8/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.29.43%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of you might have heard the breaking news recently about IDA having hired an employee with a fake MBA. Combining Singaporeans' unhappiness over losing jobs to foreigners with our struggle with high tuition fees in education, it is no wonder the locals are unhappy with this matter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Locals losing jobs to foreigners is bad enough, but losing jobs to foreigners who have faked their "superiority" to us?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I highly doubt that IDA's response was crafted by a PR professional, or if so, then that person must have been not that good at his/her job. A good PR response is supposed to help you mitigate the crisis, not escalate it further. But take a look at what happened:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. IDA defended their hire by claiming they hired her based on her degree, which they stated was from a "reputable university"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not very wise, because this happened next.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cObO9xfkACo/VTe7s5Z9FxI/AAAAAAAAM9A/SWp54IC2MFU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.12.29%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cObO9xfkACo/VTe7s5Z9FxI/AAAAAAAAM9A/SWp54IC2MFU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.12.29%2Bpm.png" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ul5WEAhx_Xk/VTe8DQyARfI/AAAAAAAAM9Y/-RaJ8NPKOIQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.19.23%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ul5WEAhx_Xk/VTe8DQyARfI/AAAAAAAAM9Y/-RaJ8NPKOIQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.19.23%2Bpm.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Credits: <a href="http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/04/17/ida-says-univ-of-mumbai-is-a-reputable-university/">TR Emeritus</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe they forgot to do their due diligence before they searched (not a good PR practice), or were they trying to get away with it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. IDA angered more netizens when they announced they would "actively moderate comments" on their Facebook</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5fryfYMBPY4/VTe7s1Tm0-I/AAAAAAAAM84/F-cp7ohFBHg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.11.16%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5fryfYMBPY4/VTe7s1Tm0-I/AAAAAAAAM84/F-cp7ohFBHg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.11.16%2Bpm.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were many ways this could have been phrased better, but I won't give out free advice here. After all, I was informed by a reader previously that <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/03/what-gushcloud-and-its-influencers-did.html">one of Gushcloud's top influencers, Eunice Annabel, used my remediation advice without permission nor giving due credit</a>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Now while I have no evidence to claim this, but trust me when I say my article went up hours before her apology was posted. I can also assure you, that if said blogger wishes to sue me for this, I have screenshot evidences with timestamps to prove this :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IDA is not the only one. NUS also drew flak not too long ago for having hired Associate Professor Anoop Shankar, whose false credentials came under fire when he was handpicked by West Virginia University to chair their epidemiology department which would spend taxpayers' money - tens of millions, in fact.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w66Y-2K7I0o/VTe92ZSsD9I/AAAAAAAAM9k/-Z8RO32_KEw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.22.43%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="71" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w66Y-2K7I0o/VTe92ZSsD9I/AAAAAAAAM9k/-Z8RO32_KEw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.22.43%2Bpm.png" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Credits: <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ivory-tower-phony-sex-lies-fraud-alleged-w-va-university-n199491">NBC News</a>. It is a pretty interesting read if you have the time.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RW9qX5GCCeo/VTe-roE25NI/AAAAAAAAM90/ZAz4YMNkBk8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.30.31%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RW9qX5GCCeo/VTe-roE25NI/AAAAAAAAM90/ZAz4YMNkBk8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-22%2Bat%2B11.30.31%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, you know Budget Babe isn't going to leave you without some advice, so here goes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In short, what can you do to stand out from the foreigners?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Be more realistic about your salary expectations.</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TDu1b4yRCkY/VM_EQc5s4lI/AAAAAAAAMTA/66DbKRMM2qg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-03%2Bat%2B2.25.02%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TDu1b4yRCkY/VM_EQc5s4lI/AAAAAAAAMTA/66DbKRMM2qg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-03%2Bat%2B2.25.02%2Bam.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many Gen Y graduates tend expect high pay right from the start. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Foreigners, on the other hand, are fine to work with less.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we grouse about our take-home pay after 18% deductions, don't forget either that your employer also has to pay additional 16% CPF contributions whenever they hire a Singaporean. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Financially speaking, it makes more sense to hire a foreigner, doesn't it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I personally feel it is better to go in with a competitive rate, and then rise up the ranks accordingly. I've also shared on this before (which you can read <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/03/what-should-starting-pay-for-fresh.html">here</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Demonstrate an open heart and a willingness to learn.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too many Singaporeans like to go on and on about their achievements, but hey! The job interview is NOT a one-way pitch, it is meant to be a <u>two-way dialogue</u> on what HR is looking for and how you can fit that role. Most foreigners, on the other hand, are quieter about their achievements, and let their results speak for themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we need to of course strike a good balance between that, remember the age-old classic that empty vessels make the most noise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, some Singaporeans are dreadfully hard to teach, because they've grown up as the darlings of their family and are therefore convinced that they are truly a gem. Singaporeans also tend to be a little more arrogant sometimes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Foreigners, on the other hand, tend to demonstrate a more earnest attitude in many interviews. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my previous bosses hired foreigners to assist me, and they were seriously amazing. Their responsiveness and hard work was something I didn't see compared to a Singaporean worker. Although sometimes their work had more mistakes, but I felt happier correcting them and guiding them because they were so eager to learn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contrast this to when I try to teach my sister, and she shows me attitude instead, or even argues with me and insists she's right, I'm wrong.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JDD0lCivdPo/VTfIwYzOG7I/AAAAAAAAM-c/ToAqVmkIK8Y/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-23%2Bat%2B12.13.38%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JDD0lCivdPo/VTfIwYzOG7I/AAAAAAAAM-c/ToAqVmkIK8Y/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-23%2Bat%2B12.13.38%2Bam.png" width="196" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Become an expert in your subject matter.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's tons of books and courses out there so there really is no excuse. If you speak smart, you come across as smart too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too often HR managers encounter candidates with a brilliant resume, but who fare badly in a face-to-face interview context. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Continuously upgrade yourself.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With more money being allocated in this year's Singapore Budget for education, please make full use of it and upgrade your skills before they become outdated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're living in a very fast-paced society. Those who can keep up, win. Those who can't, lose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />That's how these foreigners with fake degrees got hired, don't you think? They were smart enough to recognize that Singapore, as a meritocracy, values paper qualifications, and so while us locals were busy studying for our degrees, they went ahead to buy "fake" degrees instead. After all, our educational certificate is the first step to the door, isn't it? </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their HR managers didn't bother to check, nor did the company, and so these people managed to build a flying career based on these false credentials. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, their time is over now.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-58635359608218248772015-04-20T22:02:00.001-07:002015-05-13T00:29:24.395-07:00Why This Heat is Causing Us Skin Problems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O1xr_Erv9xg/VVL9SkY2T0I/AAAAAAAANHg/B13rDu3UuNs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.28.55%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O1xr_Erv9xg/VVL9SkY2T0I/AAAAAAAANHg/B13rDu3UuNs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-05-13%2Bat%2B3.28.55%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you ever travelled to another (cooler) country and realized your skin becomes so much better? Then when you're back in Singapore, your skin flares up all over again?</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nfia3dZsInI/VTXGzCWVVFI/AAAAAAAAM58/yjAgCCjOL08/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B11.39.17%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="66" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nfia3dZsInI/VTXGzCWVVFI/AAAAAAAAM58/yjAgCCjOL08/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B11.39.17%2Bam.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Somehow, my skin becomes clearer and softer when I travel to cooler countries like the U.S., and even in Korea and Hong Kong (in 18</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">°C - 26</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">°C weather). </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Unfortunately, home is in Singapore, where the weather is among my skin's worst enemies.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br />Furthermore, given how the past few days have climbed to temperatures of </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">33</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">°C - 35</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">°C, Singapore's heat is becoming increasingly unbearable. I love Singapore, but i</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">f I were to ever move to another country, the main reason would be for the weather - Singapore is far too hot!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUo93pHLIWo/VTXGzVfYI0I/AAAAAAAAM54/YVGLDT6Je9s/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B11.39.32%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUo93pHLIWo/VTXGzVfYI0I/AAAAAAAAM54/YVGLDT6Je9s/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B11.39.32%2Bam.png" width="476" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Considering how important our complexion is to most of us, this weather is doing absolutely no favours to our skin. In fact, I did extensive research and realized this is exactly why our skin sucks in this heat:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>1. Shiny, oily faces</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MF6bZzjyDoQ/VTXReKUAC-I/AAAAAAAAM6U/pxY_AAszmnY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.26.12%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MF6bZzjyDoQ/VTXReKUAC-I/AAAAAAAAM6U/pxY_AAszmnY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.26.12%2Bpm.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Angelina Jolie's oily face - this would be a permanent occurrence if she lived in Singapore</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">As Singapore gets hotter, the air also becomes more humid, which intensifies your skin's oil production. Furthermore, whatever oil produced by your skin tends to sit on the surface longer. When you perspire, the oil mixed with sweat and gives you an even greasier, more shiny look. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>2. Makeup does not stay all day</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KUS8RK3RkYw/VTXSOKm5jqI/AAAAAAAAM6c/8FGIqt2snkE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.29.26%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KUS8RK3RkYw/VTXSOKm5jqI/AAAAAAAAM6c/8FGIqt2snkE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.29.26%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">A lot of makeup today are heavy and oil-based, which look awesome on people in the U.S. but do not wear well in Singapore's hot weather. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Our initially-dewy foundations melt, eyeliners and mascara smudges, cheeks look too red even though we only applied till a little rosy...it's so hard to keep makeup looking good in this kind of weather! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">I've stopped applying mascara a few years ago as it kept smudging in the humidity. While I can't live without my eyeliner, I find myself having to reapply it twice or even three times in a single day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>3. More pimples / breakouts / acne</b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bNsmj3r3oB8/VTXU_JRqDhI/AAAAAAAAM6o/1hRfuxe86xA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.41.17%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bNsmj3r3oB8/VTXU_JRqDhI/AAAAAAAAM6o/1hRfuxe86xA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.41.17%2Bpm.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Even Hollywood celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Britney Spears struggle with acne.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Many acne-sufferers find that their complexion becomes worse as the weather gets hotter, whereas those with otherwise-clear skin find themselves breaking out more often than usual. Why is this happening?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Acne essentially is caused by the bacterium proprionibacterium acnes, one of skin's natural protective microflora. But when there is excess of dirt and oil, the bacterium feeds on this and get out of control, leading to inflammation and breakouts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>4. Larger, more visible pores</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W-lc8QM14n0/VTXVmM7vFpI/AAAAAAAAM6w/E1vqF58i6P8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.43.53%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W-lc8QM14n0/VTXVmM7vFpI/AAAAAAAAM6w/E1vqF58i6P8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.43.53%2Bpm.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Strip away the makeup, and this is pretty much how our pores look.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">You're not imagining things either. Pores do get bigger in hot weather, as the heat increases perspiration and causes our skin to produce more oil, all of which comes out from our pores. Depending on how much stuff is coming out of our pores, they can change size by up to 20 percent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>5. More clogged pores and blackheads</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P8GlpV_SJDs/VTXWPn3z6xI/AAAAAAAAM64/o9lslIluaxg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.46.39%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P8GlpV_SJDs/VTXWPn3z6xI/AAAAAAAAM64/o9lslIluaxg/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.46.39%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Many of us also find little bumps appearing more often in the heat, especially on areas like our forehead, cheeks and chin. These are clogged pores, which result when there's build-up in our pores, typically from dirt, oil, bacteria, or dead skin cells. When the weather becomes hotter and causes our skin to sweat more and become oilier, the frequency of clogged pores increase.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>6. Worsened eczema and rashes </b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upMCso877-Y/VTXXL7UKg-I/AAAAAAAAM7E/4gn6Tpw5SEo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.50.29%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-upMCso877-Y/VTXXL7UKg-I/AAAAAAAAM7E/4gn6Tpw5SEo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.50.29%2Bpm.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Eczema usually gets worse in hot weather as the heat and humidity causes us to sweat excessively, which in turn makes our skin itchy and more flaky. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>7. Redder skin</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7jPqIspQ94k/VTXXoCxTCVI/AAAAAAAAM7M/MJ-7jU9-XJo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.52.36%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7jPqIspQ94k/VTXXoCxTCVI/AAAAAAAAM7M/MJ-7jU9-XJo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.52.36%2Bpm.png" width="245" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The heat and harsh sun also causes our skin to become redder and more flushed. Sometimes it looks like I overdosed on the blusher when I didn't even apply any!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it looks like Singapore's weather is on an upward climb, so we just have to learn how to deal with it and take care of our skin in this heat. I'll share more on my next post some cheap and easy solutions I use to still look my best even in this weather.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-89luTqNP31k/VTXGzHT_x-I/AAAAAAAAM50/H9ujs16DjK4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B11.40.02%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-89luTqNP31k/VTXGzHT_x-I/AAAAAAAAM50/H9ujs16DjK4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B11.40.02%2Bam.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Photos and chart are rightfully credited to their original owners, including NEA and The Strait Times. I do not own any of the images posted here.</span></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-84711732266588178992015-04-20T21:56:00.001-07:002015-04-20T23:16:34.922-07:00How to Beat Oily Skin in Singapore's Heat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aP7rrmut8FE/VTXe9OAAyXI/AAAAAAAAM7k/gi9oX5ua384/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.23.40%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aP7rrmut8FE/VTXe9OAAyXI/AAAAAAAAM7k/gi9oX5ua384/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.23.40%2Bpm.png" height="172" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My job requires me to look good almost all the time, so whenever my skin isn't in tip-top condition, I get really self-conscious and try to postpone meetings to a later date if I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the crazy weather recently (especially from last week onwards), my biggest issue is with a shiny face and increased breakouts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I shared earlier about how <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/04/why-this-heat-is-causing-us-skin.html">the recent heat is causing us more skin problems</a>, but wanted to do a follow-up post on solving the #1 problem I'm sure many of us are facing now: oil-slicked faces.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MF6bZzjyDoQ/VTXReKUAC-I/AAAAAAAAM6U/pxY_AAszmnY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.26.12%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MF6bZzjyDoQ/VTXReKUAC-I/AAAAAAAAM6U/pxY_AAszmnY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B12.26.12%2Bpm.png" height="147" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Sometimes even Meitu Xiuxiu and beauty filters cannot save our shiny faces.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I do:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Use an organic oil-control, mattifying powder.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To get rid of my oily T-zone instantly, I simply pat a good mattifying powder. Not only does it reduce shine, but also helps to make my pores less visible. Now that's killing two birds with one stone!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 years ago, I used to apply Dr. Young's pore eraser powder, which was my holy grail until I got a good look at the ingredients in the product. There were too many chemicals for my liking, and so I stopped using it as I decided it might do more damage to my skin in the long run.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-buqkRW5g7dk/VTXh8Xc6PzI/AAAAAAAAM70/Aa3BEWPm6OA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.25.54%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-buqkRW5g7dk/VTXh8Xc6PzI/AAAAAAAAM70/Aa3BEWPm6OA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.25.54%2Bpm.png" height="151" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a fan of organic and all-natural skincare (my face HAS to get the best and only the best), I got really excited when Lush arrived in Singapore. This was one of the reviews I came across on their Emotional Brilliance powder, which is said to be great for oily skin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjgmWSyt9uY/VTXh8WMYx2I/AAAAAAAAM7w/QQDj_HC0wcI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.32.04%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjgmWSyt9uY/VTXh8WMYx2I/AAAAAAAAM7w/QQDj_HC0wcI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.32.04%2Bpm.png" height="320" width="214" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I saw that Lush's organic claims seemed to me like mainly marketing talk. Their ingredients for this particular powder are: </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Talc, Mica, Organic Jojoba Oil, Iron Oxides, CI 77947.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people are probably unaware that talc, a common ingredient in many powders today, has actually been linked to cancer. A 2010 Harvard study concluded that the talc in baby powder is carcinogenic to humans. Just last year, two lawsuits were filed against Johnson & Johnson, claiming the company is responsible for giving women ovarian cancer through its talcum powder products. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CI 77947 is actually just another name for zinc oxide, which is another potential carcinogenic agent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While there is still insufficient and inconclusive evidence regarding these ingredients, I rather play safe and avoid them, rather than put myself at risk of cancer which could easily deplete <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2014/12/how-i-saved-20000-in-year.html">my $20,000 savings </a>overnight. Although difficult to find, it is better to look out for organic pore powder rather than risk your face and health for talc-based powders. Remember to also <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/04/harmful-ingredients-to-avoid-in-your.html">look out for these ingredients to avoid.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Avoid oil-blotters. </b></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PzfvorWRHMo/VTXmnBmy__I/AAAAAAAAM8E/Ifkex2fBe2E/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.56.27%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PzfvorWRHMo/VTXmnBmy__I/AAAAAAAAM8E/Ifkex2fBe2E/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B1.56.27%2Bpm.png" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Honestly, it can be quite <i>shiok</i> seeing all the oils absorbed by your oil-blotting sheets. I remember in JC, my classmates and I used to have silly "competitions" to see who could produce the most oily sheets (gross, but fun). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, oil blotters are generally not good for your skin, because it works by stripping away your skin's layer of moisture. To compensate, your skin ends up producing even more sebum, which results in oiler skin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't believe me? Try using oil blotters for an extended period of time, and watch how much faster your skin becomes oily again after you've blotted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are times when I really need to instantly get rid of shine and don't have my trusty pore powder on hand, so I use tissue paper to blot off the excess oil instead. But generally I try to avoid blotting as much as I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Apply moisturizer.</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BW3280nrTtE/VTXnmibzZoI/AAAAAAAAM8Q/Yr1Qv0HdkRc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B2.00.38%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BW3280nrTtE/VTXnmibzZoI/AAAAAAAAM8Q/Yr1Qv0HdkRc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B2.00.38%2Bpm.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I use a light moisturizer to keep my skin soft and hydrated. It helps my makeup to glide on easier, and also prevents my skin from producing too much oil. I like using water or gel-based ones in the day so they do not add shine, and reserve moisturizing balms for at night which contain organic oils and has helped reduce my skin's oil levels over time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Cleanse and exfoliate often.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hot weather recently has been causing my skin to break out more often, so I've increased my frequency of exfoliating to thrice weekly to get rid of clogged pores from excess gunk and oils. On particularly hot days where I perspire more, I exfoliate on alternate days. This has helped to reduce those tiny bumps and prevent new ones from popping up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Go naked.</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXLEuZUwdDg/VTXpYo-zXLI/AAAAAAAAM8k/32-J3L-jSGw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B2.08.21%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JXLEuZUwdDg/VTXpYo-zXLI/AAAAAAAAM8k/32-J3L-jSGw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-21%2Bat%2B2.08.21%2Bpm.png" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish I looked this gorgeous when I'm bare-faced.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I still cannot avoid putting on makeup for work, I've been trying to go barefaced as much as I can. On days where I have fewer meetings, I try to put on less foundation and sometimes even skip the eyeshadow. In the evenings, I generally go barefaced except for eyeliner and lipstick, so that my skin can breathe and recover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you really need to apply makeup, try using lighter makeup in this heat as well so you're less likely to have clogged pores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Use a hydrating face mist.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like to spray myself with a face mist at random intervals during the day, to keep my skin moisturized and thus avoid excess oil production in the heat. It is not only cooling and refreshing, but also feels super good on my skin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most commercial face mists contain alcohols though (which causes that cooling effect as it evaporates), so try to avoid them and look for water-based ones instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good luck with battling oily skin in this heat!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-15704647834526239882015-04-18T09:15:00.002-07:002015-04-18T09:16:07.956-07:00Harmful Ingredients to Avoid in Your Skincare Products<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you know that your skin absorbs up to 60% of what you put on it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's funny that while most of us understand the importance of eating clean (the organic food industry has boomed in the last decade), fewer of us take concern of what we apply topically on the biggest organ on our body, our skin.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you thought the FDA (or HSA, in Singapore's case) does a good job in regulating our cosmetics and skincare products, you'll be surprised to find that this is not really the case. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taken from the Health Sciences Authority website.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">Apart from the fact that skincare products are not assessed or approved by HSA before they're allowed to be sold in Singapore, you should also know that the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive stipulated by HSA is generally just a guideline for product packaging. The truth is, few companies even follow these regulations, if any at all. For instance, did you know all product ingredients need to be stated on the product itself (or on its packaging)? But just take a look at most of the Korean brands being sold here where you barely even understand the ingredients they use <i>(yet these products are selling like hotcakes, if I might add. Etude House just opened their largest flagship store in Asia at Wisma Atria not too long ago).</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">The truth is, the skincare industry is highly unregulated, and the problem is not just in Singapore alone. There are hundreds of thousands of synthetic chemicals used in cosmetic products, many of which your body absorbs without you realizing it. Many of these chemicals are known skin irritants, linked to cancer, can interfere with pregnancies and cause birth defects...yet we continue to apply them on our skin! Scientists have found such cosmetic ingredients like phthalates and fragrance compounds in human tissues and breastmilk.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;"><i>"Did you know that substances placed on your skin or scalp are actually absorbed into your system up to 10 times faster than substances you eat?" </i></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Credits: Soboskincare </span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3c3c; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">In fact, U.S. studies have found evidence of 287 toxic chemicals (out of the 400 screened) present in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies. They included toxins like mercury, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and many others, which are known to cause birth defects. However, these study results have largely been ignored by the mass media. <i>(Study conducted in 2005 by the Environmental Working Group)</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">Of course, most of us average folk will not be able to completely avoid chemicals in our daily lifestyles. Yet, there are certain areas where we might want to exercise greater caution in. Budget Babe recommends being picky about the ingredients found in:</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">1. Stuff you apply and do not wash off</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">2. Shampoo and conditioner</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">3. Any product you put on babies and children</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">4. Anything you soak in for an extended period of time</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19.5px;">There are too many toxic chemicals out there for me to list, but here's my list of common ingredients I personally avoid:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are some toxic ingredients you generally avoid?</span> </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-58072125555608011672015-04-18T08:14:00.001-07:002015-04-19T07:52:56.840-07:00The Lies We Believe in the Skincare Industry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've a confession to make: I'm a huge skincare junkie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My obsession started when I was 12 and my previously-clear skin became fraught with pimples...which soon escalated to teenage acne. It was so horrendous that I Photoshopped pretty much every picture I took up till age 18, where my skin started clearing up, so I don't really have photos of how disastrous my skin was back then to share (even if I did, I wouldn't post here!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Previously, I wrote about <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2014/12/top-beauty-traps.html">top beauty traps that we, as consumers, commonly fall for (and end up spending tons of unnecessary money on).</a> With greater access to information and people becoming more educated today, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe it will not be long before we become more aware about the potential dangers present in our skincare products as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's quite a bit of information I want to share on this topic, so I've divided it up into a few sections for easier reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part One: The lies we're led to believe in the skincare industry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/04/harmful-ingredients-to-avoid-in-your.html">Part Two: Harmful ingredients to avoid in your skincare products</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part Three: Budget Babe goes skincare shopping</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part Four: What you should look out for in your skincare products</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part Five: How I cured my acne after struggling for 6 years</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, let's first talk about the truth behind the common lies we believe about our skincare products.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lie #1: Products on the shelf are safe to buy / use</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credits: Beautycounter. I do not know this brand nor am I endorsing them.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We usually think that just because an item hasn't been taken off the shelf yet, it means it is safe for us. After all, harmful products would be recalled back the moment there are problems associated with it, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Contrary to what most people think, there are little regulations governing the skincare industry today. Even in the U.S., where many groups have been lobbying for safer cosmetics and more honest product claims, the FDA still has limited powers to deal with cosmetic companies. In Singapore, you only need to notify HSA of what products you're selling - this counts as being allowed to sell the notified products thereafter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, don't just assume that just because it's still for sale means it's safe to buy and use it. Always make a habit to check the labels and read the ingredients before purchasing, or buy only from tried-and-trusted brands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lie #2: Products that are "hypoallergenic", "dermatologist-tested" or "non-comedogenic" are better.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry to burst your bubble, but these terms are quite meaningless. You're basically just buying into advertising lies. Brands use them because they know it's what consumers want to hear, and companies continue to use these claims because there's no regulations stating they can't!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've drawn up the table below as a quick guide to debunk these common claims:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lie #3: It was recommended to me by the cosmetic salesperson, so it must be good.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Remember when Watsons / Guardian used to have pushy Avene salespeople trying to sell you their products, claiming that it worked for many customers to solve acne problems, wrinkled skins, pigmentation and what not?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I fell for it when I was 16 and bought 2 items from the Avene Cleanance range. Did it work to cure my acne like what the salesgirl said it would? Obviously not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, these salespeople are there to make sales so they get a commission whenever you buy at their "recommendation". They are trained to sell you the products, not certified skincare experts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next time someone tries to sell you a skincare product, question them and see if they truly know what the ingredients are and how they work. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just last week someone tried to sell me an "organic facial wash" - I indulged her by following her to the shelf where the products were displayed, let her say her sales pitch, then I took the box from her hand and started reading out the ingredients which were definitely not organic and asked her nicely why she would try to convince me that it is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lie #4: It won beauty awards, so it must be good!</b></span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nh9bX_vCj30/VTJx9UNj0vI/AAAAAAAAM30/cPm5diUzbJA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-18%2Bat%2B11.01.47%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nh9bX_vCj30/VTJx9UNj0vI/AAAAAAAAM30/cPm5diUzbJA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-18%2Bat%2B11.01.47%2Bpm.png" height="320" width="310" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I don't doubt that sometimes these awards do recognize great products, but often times, the awards go to companies who give these magazines tons of money in advertising.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not convinced? Look at this:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_XDK5pVmuQ/VTJx9Lh_LBI/AAAAAAAAM3w/NUplBO1DcfM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-18%2Bat%2B11.00.05%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_XDK5pVmuQ/VTJx9Lh_LBI/AAAAAAAAM3w/NUplBO1DcfM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-18%2Bat%2B11.00.05%2Bpm.png" height="136" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lie #5: If they say the product is "natural" / "organic", it means it is better and safer.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I believe organic skincare products are better, my issue with the skincare industry is that I've picked up one too many "organic" products excitedly, only to find that it contained synthetic ingredients and known preservatives related to cancer and other health issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, there is no specific industry definition for such terms. "Natural" can mean it was grown or derived from natural sources, whereas "organic" largely refers to plant-derived substances. Anyone can make this claim, and only the USDA has a recommended guideline (which isn't followed by most companies) to help consumers understand what is truly organic and what isn't. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4fH26F-YJ8M/VTJiE7V18TI/AAAAAAAAM2s/yk0XWLhskiA/s1600/NOPbags.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4fH26F-YJ8M/VTJiE7V18TI/AAAAAAAAM2s/yk0XWLhskiA/s1600/NOPbags.gif" height="320" width="266" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If there's one key takeaway from this whole post, I hope you've understood how important it is <u style="font-weight: bold;">not to believe cosmetic claims, beauty awards or salespeople.</u> Your skin is one of your most important assets, so trust no one but yourself (or a few good and ethical brands). Learn how to read labels and learn how to identify potential toxins and chemicals in my next post, and start making wiser, more informed choices about the stuff you put on your skin from now on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-9348753108843049202015-04-18T05:59:00.001-07:002015-04-18T05:59:11.343-07:00A Creative Way to Impress a Girl?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw this on a friend's Facebook post this morning.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been quite some time since I last did a full-page newspaper ad placement for a client, but I vaguely recall our last 1/4 page ad cost us about $700. (Correct me if my figures are outdated!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/01/guys-are-you-spending-too-much-on.html">Guys, are you spending too much on Singaporean girls?</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, I'll concur that it is a pretty sweet and innovative gesture. If this guy can afford it, good for him! But to guys who complain that dating Singaporean girls are costing them a hole in the pocket and yet laud this move, that's quite an irony, isn't it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can think of far better (and cheaper) ways to express your love and sincerity to a girl without having to break the bank. But that's a post for another day ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-88309626489598558232015-04-17T01:26:00.002-07:002015-04-17T01:26:43.826-07:005 Common Job Interview Questions Fresh Graduates Should Expect (and How to Answer Them)<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a few friends graduating soon, I thought I'd write this as a guide to how to excel in answering some common job interview questions. While there are tons of "model answers" out there, remember that your aim is to sound genuine and not have your answers<u> sound rehearsed</u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my day job, I also deal a lot with HR and hiring managers in Singapore, so I've highlighted the questions I've encountered from them before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Tell me about yourself.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a common opening question that HR usually asks, and I've done a fair amount of interviewing where this is my favourite opening line...yet somehow most candidates still fail to properly prepare their answers to this one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people usually launch into answers like who they are, their age, where they studied, their hobbies or interests....BORING! Note that this is not an invitation to start rambling about your life story. Leave out the facts - those are already in the resume that the interviewers have in front of them. The real purpose of this seemingly innocuous question is to try to know the "real" you rather than their perception of you from a paper resume. So be just that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />One of the answers I gave previously (it landed me an offer made <u>on the spot</u>) was:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Sure! I'm a fresh graduate trained in public relations, and am a passionate go-getter who wants to find a role where I can truly make an impact in."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another great answer I used when I was being interviewed for my second job was:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Certainly. Well, I've been an account executive in three different agencies by now, and my current role requires me to handle some of our newest clients in the region. In fact, half of the company's current clients were brought on by me within the last year itself. While I really enjoyed the work I did, I'd love the chance to handle bigger projects in other countries, why is why I'm quite excited about this opportunity. [Interviewer's name], could you tell me more about what other topics and regions [company] is planning to go into?"</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The above answer threw the ball back into my interviewer's court, and it made for a very smooth interviewing experience. More like a chat than an interview, if you asked me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. "Why are you applying for this job?"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though the question seems like it is asking for your reasons, don't be fooled. I used to give answers like "Oh, because I've always dreamed of working with Company XX" before I realized the interviewers didn't care for my personal reasons at all. The key here is to BALANCE - your personal reasons and a reason as to why the company would benefit from you being there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A sample answer could be:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"I've always wanted to work in a company where my skills can make a real difference, and I believe I can achieve that here. This role seems like an excellent match for my skills and experience, and yet challenging enough for me to keep improving. I already have extensive experience in account management gathered from my stint in 3 different agencies prior to this, and enjoy working in an environment where I get to interact directly with clients and where projects are varied. This role seems to fit that, and I am confident I'll be able to make a major contribution."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. "Why should I hire you?"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Probably the most intimidating question of all, but also the one that may just land you the job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most people get this right by answering about their strengths, however, this is NOT for you to rattle off a list of 10 - 12 strengths that you are convinced makes you the best candidate for the job. The risk of talking too much about yourself is that you might just come across as arrogant instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rather, focus on 3 - 4 unconventional qualities that not every other candidate may usually possess, and elaborate on them in sufficient detail to make a lasting impression on your interviewer. Use anecdotes and examples to support your points.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For instance, you could say:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Honestly, I feel like your job description was written with me in mind. You're looking for someone who is [insert qualities or job requirements here], and I've accumulated these skills through [my prior experience in school / previous job]. For instance, one occasion was [that called for these skills, and how I handled it]."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. What is your greatness weakness?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most common answers to this question is "I'm a perfectionist" (I'm guilty of having used that before). Stop!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be sincere about what you genuinely perceive to be your weaknesses, but choose weaknesses that are not too major or not of vital importance to the job. Interviewers are looking out to see if you're someone who can recognize your own shortcomings, and how you make an effort to deal with them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, you could say something like:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"I tend to be too hard on myself. Once I presented my team's strategic plan to our client, after two long weeks of late nights and long hours. Initially I thought the presentation had gone well, but a few days later, the client decided to cancel the job order. Although they said it was due to a cut in budgets, I couldn't stop wondering if it was due to something I said wrong during the meeting or the way I had handled the whole presentation. While I do not let this become an over-obsession until it interferes with my work, it does still affect me personally when something fails or does not do well."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. How long do you intend to stay?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Uh oh. This question is starting to come up more frequently in job interviews due to our generation's bad rep for having a tendency to job hop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No company will want to hire someone who's going to leave after a while. Imagine putting in all that money and resources to train someone, only to have them leave after a while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But having said that, you don't have to feel pressured to commit or give a definite time period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a great answer I came across:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"I intend to stay as long as I'm engaged and sufficiently challenged with my job. It is not my intention to apply for this role and then leave after a while."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are tons of other questions out there that may come up during a job interview, but I'll leave you to read up on your own. A key piece of insight I'll share before ending off would be to </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N3207vDpmPE/VTDDDA3otwI/AAAAAAAAM1k/2i7EwT_bspQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-17%2Bat%2B4.23.27%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N3207vDpmPE/VTDDDA3otwI/AAAAAAAAM1k/2i7EwT_bspQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-17%2Bat%2B4.23.27%2Bpm.png" height="200" width="167" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite what it sounds like, HR managers</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> aren't there to make your life difficult, or to screw you up so that you don't get the job. That's a waste of their time! In fact, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HR managers go into each interview hoping they'll find the ideal candidate for the job. <b>Be that ideal candidate</b>, which you can get some idea of by studying the job description in detail and reading up more about the role that you're applying for.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are some other common questions you've encountered? How would you answer the above 5 questions? I'd love to hear from you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-71243801712342306782015-04-07T11:20:00.002-07:002015-04-07T11:20:42.207-07:00Should You Buy Direct or Through Your Insurance Agent?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday, I woke up to exciting news which I've been waiting for quite some time now.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JHt0yywX0Ec/VSQTfOYvsUI/AAAAAAAAMzw/Vj-wV_-aFSs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B1.27.08%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JHt0yywX0Ec/VSQTfOYvsUI/AAAAAAAAMzw/Vj-wV_-aFSs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B1.27.08%2Bam.png" height="320" width="275" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MAS finally launched their Direct Purchase Insurance (DPI) initiative, allowing consumers to buy basic life insurance products directly instead of having to go through an insurance agent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is great news for people like me, who are generally distrusting of financial advisors (and a little more financially savvy than your average Singaporean). I'm not certified, but after reading and evaluating plenty of resources on the topic, I already have a good idea of what I need and what I don't need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, most insurance companies are not very helpful in providing product (brochure) information and price quotations online. You usually have to go directly through an agent to get these details. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem I found was that almost all the agents I spoke to still tried to <strike>"recommend"</strike> sell me investment-linked policies. And every single one of them tried to push for a meet up before sending me the information I wanted. Didn't work out too well for me, because I'm <u>genuinely busy.</u> Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you how hard it is to meet up with me because I'm forever busy with either work or dance.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3EQYbAnv9A/VKT6EbWQXRI/AAAAAAAAL-k/yktFgh63TNA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-01%2Bat%2B3.40.52%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3EQYbAnv9A/VKT6EbWQXRI/AAAAAAAAL-k/yktFgh63TNA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-01%2Bat%2B3.40.52%2Bpm.png" height="143" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what does this DPI initiative mean for us as a consumer?</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PROS: You can now compare insurance products by different companies </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbY9_RxwN2I/VSQTPd5zi6I/AAAAAAAAMzo/ADIpWwEeTaU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B1.25.38%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbY9_RxwN2I/VSQTPd5zi6I/AAAAAAAAMzo/ADIpWwEeTaU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B1.25.38%2Bam.png" height="100" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As part of the initiative, they've created an online portal compareFIRST where you can compare the different products available. You're able to set the coverage period (we usually want to look at either up to 65 years of age, or longer) and sum assured. It will then generate the different estimated quotes from various insurers for you to compare side by side before you decide which you want to go with!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PROS: Skip the insurance agent and avoid paying hefty commissions!</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's admit it, most of us know of those insurance agents who always try to hard-sell us certain products (usually ILPs, which gives them the most commissions) that may not be entirely suitable for our needs. This is not surprising, when you consider how most agents are NOT paid a basic salary and are almost completely dependent on commissions for their monthly income.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also no secret that <u>life insurance pays the most commissions</u> (I generally group ILPs under life insurance as well). Some insurance companies pay up to 90% commission to the agent on whole life policies, which means if you're paying $100 a month, $1,080 goes to paying your agent!<br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_FTNnNK6N0E/VLd3CVeIO8I/AAAAAAAAMKE/lF5-cn9KR5s/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-15%2Bat%2B4.14.48%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_FTNnNK6N0E/VLd3CVeIO8I/AAAAAAAAMKE/lF5-cn9KR5s/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-15%2Bat%2B4.14.48%2Bpm.png" height="153" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">I don't know about you, but I don't think anyone should deserve to earn my money that easily. Especially if my agent only sees me once a year, or even lesser.<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have two acquaintances in this line - one earns $5,000 and another earns $7,000 a month in <u>passive income</u> from recurring customer payment plans alone. This means that if they woke up one day and decided not to work for a month, that's the amount they still get paid!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ask yourself, do you want to pay for the COVERAGE or your AGENT?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Of course, it's worth paying your agent fees if they're a good agent who truly looks out for you. But how many of us are lucky enough to find such genuine agents?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CONS: Limited insurance products </b></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dOKSXOoEtu8/VSQbnFBcGKI/AAAAAAAAM0A/0k4MlXBIrU4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B2.01.49%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dOKSXOoEtu8/VSQbnFBcGKI/AAAAAAAAM0A/0k4MlXBIrU4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B2.01.49%2Bam.png" height="208" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given that this is a new scheme, there are certain limitations at the moment. The main one is that it covers only limited products, namely:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Term life insurance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Whole life insurance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Critical illness cover rider</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Endowment plans</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're looking for other plans such as accident or auto insurance, this portal won't be of much help to you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CONS: You cannot buy directly through the portal</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have to go directly to the insurance company offering the product we're interested in, either at their customer service centres or via their websites. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, this is already a huge step forward considering the amount of work we had to do in the past! To give you an idea of how much legwork is required, let me share with you what happened when I was trying to compare a few term insurance products. I had to speak with a total of 4 different agents before I finally got the brochures and quotes that I needed to do my comparison. This took me MONTHS because I obviously did not have the luxury of time to meet with each of the agents, and it took a while before I was finally able to meet all of them and gather the quotes and documents to mull over. (This included meeting an independent financial advisor too.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CONS: Not everyone may know what to buy</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trust me when I say buying insurance is not as simple as your agent will have you believe. For one, there are tons of factors to consider. Even comparing coverage benefits are not as clear-cut as you might think. Furthermore, with so many different insurance products to choose from, how do you know what's best for you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Insurance tends to be a long-term (or even a lifetime!) commitment so you will want to make sure you don't buy into the wrong products, only to have to cancel it afterwards and forgo the premiums you've already paid. (Like what I did on my ILP, sigh.)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lnv87rQV3FE/VSQdlq1YHaI/AAAAAAAAM0M/2m71rhM5M1I/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B2.10.17%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lnv87rQV3FE/VSQdlq1YHaI/AAAAAAAAM0M/2m71rhM5M1I/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-08%2Bat%2B2.10.17%2Bam.png" height="295" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credits: DIYinsurance</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The above is a general table of what type of protection needs you may require at different life stages, but take note that this is only a general guide. Frankly speaking, I disagree with some of the recommendations made here (and will blog more about this next time) but it provides a decent overview for someone who is clueless about insurance to consider.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CONS: You may still need to speak to a financial advisor after all</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because not everyone is properly educated about insurance, and because there are so many terms and conditions to understand, you may not know what product to buy, much less which quotes to look at.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As such, you may still need to speak to an insurance agent who has been trained on insurance products and are able to identify the ones most suited for you. For this to work, though, the agent needs to FULLY understand your circumstances and GENUINELY look out for your interest. He / she needs to be aligned with your needs, instead of being commissions-driven instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In reality, I'm skeptical that such an agent exists. There's also a difference between REAL and PERCEIVED NEEDS. My theory is that the only person who knows your real needs is yourself, and the agent mostly understands your needs as he perceives it to be so. Since I believe that no one knows my needs better than I do, I'd rather skip the agent and do it myself, thank you very much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be drafting a post soon on term vs. life insurance, so keep a lookout for that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-66463605638479403892015-04-02T02:39:00.002-07:002015-04-02T02:39:31.512-07:00My Stock Analysis: Keppel DC REIT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keppel DC REIT has been getting quite a bit of attention since its recent IPO in December 2014,<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently I spent a considerable amount of time analyzing this company after my broker tried to convince me to buy it. I already made a mistake on one counter under his recommendations (lesson learnt: take what your broker tells you with a pinch of salt!) so I wasn't going to repeat the same error. So here's my take on this stock:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: I am not an expert, and the views contained in this post should not be taken as an indication to buy or sell. I will not be held liable for any gains or losses incurred as a result of one's individual investing decisions after reading this post.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Since its IPO, the counter has risen 0.05 in 3 months (+)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Not a lot, but if you put a huge amount of cash into this one stock, presuming the trend continues and it rises by 0.20 by the end of the year, you would have made $4000 from a $20K investment! That's a pretty good return! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Market sentiment seems to agree on this, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, the fact that is is the first data centre REIT of its kind to be offered on SGX also makes it even more appealing to investors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keppel DC REIT themselves are also forecasting a yield of 6.8% for FY2015 and 7.1% for FY2016. Pretty attractive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Understanding the rise in demand for Data Centres (+)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my previous post, I mentioned about the importance of <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/04/10-questions-to-ask-yourself-before.html">doing your homework and understanding your investments before you pump in your money.</a> In this case, we would need to understand the landscape of data centres first.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are data centres?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KY3nVfxLWxI/VRz2N7cMoqI/AAAAAAAAMw8/Yd-OKTPYxYA/s1600/Screen-Shot-2014-12-08-at-9.08.34-am-600x463.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Keppel DC REIT prospectus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply put, data centres are a facility housing a large group of networked computer servers, typically used by companies for remote storage, processing or distribution of large amounts of data. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, data centres are the backbone of a company. Imagine a bank for instance, when it comes to all the consumer data and records they have to handle and keep. Rather than build their own in-house facility, it may make more sense to outsource and store this information in a data centre instead, where they can easily access whenever they need to.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s9XTe0S8D-8/VRz_DAQuJrI/AAAAAAAAMx0/jbSZ5ArtVDk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.33.54%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s9XTe0S8D-8/VRz_DAQuJrI/AAAAAAAAMx0/jbSZ5ArtVDk/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.33.54%2Bpm.png" height="320" width="297" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the rise of data in today's information society, this brings good news to data centres.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. High barriers to entry (+)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is not cheap to build your own data centre facility. Upfront costs require you to either buy or rent the land, build the infrastructure (lots of wiring, hardware and cooling equipment needed), make sure it is safety-proof to provide your customers reassurance (what if someone wanted to shoot a gun through the server?), etc. Operating costs would be incurred on maintaining ideal temperatures so that the servers do not overheat, electricity costs, manpower costs, maintenance, etc. Let's not forget the necessity of hiring skilled technicians to ensure your data centre is well connected and equipped as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Customers also tend to prefer data centres with proven track records, as they don't want to take the risk of losing their information.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. High switching costs (+)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not too familiar with the numbers when it comes to quantifying the costs of switching data centre providers, but what I do know is that it can be a huge hassle for companies to transfer all their information stored on one data centre's server to another. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Customers generally are not inclined to switch providers once they've found a trusted vendor, as failure or downtime can cause huge losses in revenue and also affect the brand's reputation. What would you think of DBS if their online banking system faced downtime too often?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, unless rental costs rise significantly (or if the data centre gets hit by issues, such as electrical fires or frequent security breaches), it is unlikely for most customers to take the trouble to change providers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Singapore's rising popularity as a data centre hub (+)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Singapore is the hottest and most popular hub for Asia Pacific's data centre market at the moment. Aside from EDB doing a great job in wooing businesses here, much of its attractiveness comes in how we are one of the leading financial and business centers in APAC. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Singapore's high standards and low corruption rates makes it appealing for Fortune 500 to set up offices here, and most <a href="http://www.networksasia.net/article/security-and-disaster-recovery-drive-growth-data-centers-asia-pacific-1366593801">companies prefer to have their data centre in the country where they work.</a> Most importantly, Singapore allows information to be stored in a flood and earthquake-free zone, ensuring that there will be minimal disruptions to operations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most popular locations right now are Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney. Currently, Singapore is home to approx. 50% of Southeast Asia's data centre capacity, and this may grow as many MNCs view Singapore as the gateway for diverse connectivity to other Asian markets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Competitive landscape (-)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although Keppel DC REIT is the first and only one of its kind listed in Singapore, it is not the only such stock in the world. It faces tough competition from Equinix (the current leader) and Digital Realty. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aeYkd6J5lWE/VR0DaosjCXI/AAAAAAAAMyY/b50AWMptz5Y/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.52.26%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aeYkd6J5lWE/VR0DaosjCXI/AAAAAAAAMyY/b50AWMptz5Y/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.52.26%2Bpm.png" height="115" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've met the VP of Equinix for Asia before, and he had ambitious goals to grow the business for this region. Equinix currently owns two existing data centres in Singapore, and <u>just opened their largest APAC data centre at one-north last week. </u></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their clients include Apple, Facebook, AT&T, Amazon and Nokia. AT&T is one of the leading telcos in the U.S. (kind of like our SingTel) and Facebook keeps growing. As long as these companies grow (and therefore their data would grow), Equinix will benefit.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WvWCoPn_SNg/VR0Bx0jTesI/AAAAAAAAMyE/OcUP1HtuETU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.45.26%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WvWCoPn_SNg/VR0Bx0jTesI/AAAAAAAAMyE/OcUP1HtuETU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.45.26%2Bpm.png" height="274" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What about Digital Realty, then?</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPv_sSPgHOs/VR0GOQGATtI/AAAAAAAAMyk/PGgHeLKBUbY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.52.39%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPv_sSPgHOs/VR0GOQGATtI/AAAAAAAAMyk/PGgHeLKBUbY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.52.39%2Bpm.png" height="92" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also another decent player, I've also met their APAC Marketing Director (Jihann) who has no less ambitious goals. Since their purchase of a Singapore data center in 2010, they've been citing the APAC region as their target for its next phase of growth. <a href="http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2013/05/21/microsoft-plans-new-data-centers-singapore-australia/">Their clients in this region include IBM and Adobe</a>. Not as strong as Equinix, but a worthy competitor nonetheless.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oorn1u24OuM/VR0Bx0SdUjI/AAAAAAAAMyI/gOq8ot7P40c/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.45.33%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oorn1u24OuM/VR0Bx0SdUjI/AAAAAAAAMyI/gOq8ot7P40c/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B4.45.33%2Bpm.png" height="288" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some other data centre service providers include</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and even Fujitsu, which announced its establishment of its latest data centre housed in Equinix last week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7. What is Keppel DC REIT's competitive edge?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(All information taken from their prospectus)<br /><br />Their assets look good:</span><br />
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<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RgtU-ySNP2U/VRz2qpCNJkI/AAAAAAAAMxI/12TGmProGmA/s1600/Screen-Shot-2014-12-08-at-9.09.33-am-600x473.png" height="315" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;" width="400" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their occupancy rates are also pretty satisfactory, with most at 100%, save for Singapore S25 and Citadel in Ireland. This means that there is not much redundancy (a data centre with low occupancy means wastage of resources, since differences in operating costs at 75% vs. 100% occupancy can be taken as almost negligible). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Unfortunately, I wasn't able to glean information on who their clients are exactly. However, Keppel is a strong brand locally and in the region. It would therefore be safe to assume that many of their clients could be companies affiliated with them, and together with financial services and telcos, this provides a certain layer of protection and guarantee that the business at least will not go bust anytime soon.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IbKHMG63MAs/VR0HTNZq70I/AAAAAAAAMyw/mXuORoWmYdM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B5.09.10%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IbKHMG63MAs/VR0HTNZq70I/AAAAAAAAMyw/mXuORoWmYdM/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B5.09.10%2Bpm.png" height="298" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet, what competitive edge does Keppel DC REIT have over Equinix or Digital Realty?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Very little, </b>in Budget Babe's humble opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Equinix and Digital Realty are strong, recognizable names in the global and regional business landscape. Keppel DC REIT has done well in securing tenants so far, but in terms of growth, I am not sure if growth will be upwards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a local entity, they have a <u>perceived competitive edge</u> especially considering how Singapore is so attractive as a data centre hub. However, Equinix and Digital Realty also have co-location sites here for customers to choose from. If you owned a Fortune 500 company looking to do business here in Singapore and APAC, which provider would you choose to go with?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's presume rates and service levels are more or less competitive. If the decision was mine to make, my choice of providers would be Equinix, followed by Digital Realty, and then Keppel DC REIT as my last choice. Why? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because like what Keppel DC REIT claims, customers prefer "data centre providers with proven track record". In this case, Equinix and Digital Realty clearly have a much stronger track record to boost of. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8. Conclusion: To buy or not to buy?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the surface, Keppel DC REIT looks like a pretty good stock. As you can see from my analysis, they have 5 (+) factors working in their favour (out of the 7 points I raised).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What will Budget Babe do?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I chose not to buy, because I'm not sure if Keppel DC REIT can stand out against its competitors and ride the wave of Singapore's popularity as a data centre hub successfully enough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nonetheless, for the income investor looking to gain dividends on his stock, this could be a good option. However, I prefer to skip it for now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are your thoughts towards the stock? Do share with me in the comments below!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-5572161836255748292015-04-02T00:37:00.000-07:002015-04-02T00:39:14.719-07:0010 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Investing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9VJ6F1oW8oE/VRzMfFKkfWI/AAAAAAAAMu4/qmK29bFtuLE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B12.58.13%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9VJ6F1oW8oE/VRzMfFKkfWI/AAAAAAAAMu4/qmK29bFtuLE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B12.58.13%2Bpm.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To some people, the thought of investing can be a scary one, whereas to others, it could be a rewarding journey and a way to get rich.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever your thoughts, the fact is that investing is not an easy journey, and definitely not one for the faint-hearted. You need to be intelligent, well-informed, and rational enough when it comes to investing. Be prepared to spend a significant amount of time researching and analyzing...and yet you might not end up buying it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of all these, you also need to be prepared to take a certain amount of risk. Investing is not simply a matter of buying low and selling high, although those are fundamentals all investors try to bear in mind. But the truth is, how do you know when it is "low enough" to buy, and "high enough" to sell?<br /><br />Unless you have insider information, your guess is pretty much the same as mine. There is a certain element of guesswork, luck and timing involved. And that's the risk that you have to undertake.<br /><br />Before you get started, here are some questions to ask yourself:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. How much can I afford to invest?</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rE7J5X_H2H4/VNSKrmhigAI/AAAAAAAAMUU/weAs3oSgHcE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-06%2Bat%2B5.33.59%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rE7J5X_H2H4/VNSKrmhigAI/AAAAAAAAMUU/weAs3oSgHcE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-06%2Bat%2B5.33.59%2Bpm.png" height="121" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After deducting your monthly expenses, loan repayments and <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/03/why-we-need-emergency-fund.html">emergency savings</a>, how much do you have left to invest? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my readers previously emailed saying he had saved $5,000 and was looking for advice on what he could invest in. My advice to him was simple - don't invest just yet. Save more money before you go in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, with just a few thousand, your investment options are limited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Example: </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Let's presume John is a low-risk taker who cannot afford to lose his $5,000. He prefers to buy an established, blue-chip company that is unlikely to collapse, so he picks DBS.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At DBS' current trading price of $22 today, he would only be able to buy slightly ove<span style="color: blue;">r 200 shares</span>. Even if the price rose to $22.50 by the end of the year, he would only earn <span style="color: blue;">$63 in profits </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(after deducting a conservative $25 brokerage fee for each transaction). </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Compare this to if John had $20,000 to invest instead, which would have given him slightly over <span style="color: blue;">900 lots</span>, and thus <span style="color: blue;">$400+ in net profits</span>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The age-old adage of money grows money is indeed true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Do I need the money anytime soon?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Investing generally rewards those who are able to wait out the cyclical swing of the stock market. If you're using almost all of your emergency funds to feed your investments, then when you need money urgently one day, you may find yourself with no choice other than to sell your stocks even if the price is low.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All investors know the best way to make money is to <u>buy low, sell high</u>. But if you're playing with money that you need, you're less likely to be able to wait for such opportune moments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. How much time do I have to spend on research?</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zn-Sg2ytyig/VRzTfA43kMI/AAAAAAAAMvU/je2ddXz0loQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B1.28.16%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zn-Sg2ytyig/VRzTfA43kMI/AAAAAAAAMvU/je2ddXz0loQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B1.28.16%2Bpm.png" height="87" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don't have the luxury of time, then you might want to choose passive investment tools such as ETFs or mutual funds which require less active management or monitoring on your part. The stock market might not be the best option for you if you're too busy to really do the groundwork before committing your money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My broker recently tried to convince me to buy Keppel DC Reit, and when I looked at its prospectus, it did indeed sound extremely appealing. This was from their media statement:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"Keppel DC Reit offers investors a <b>distribution yield of 6.8%</b> in Forecast Year 2015 and <b>7.1% in Projection Year 2016</b> with a distribution <b>growth of 4.5%</b>, driven by built-in rental escalations as well as the renewal or commencement of leases and co-location arrangements"</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of banks and investors felt positively about the stock:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M82wpeWBc6I/VRzX7irlCpI/AAAAAAAAMvo/o4nefLYb6rI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B1.46.39%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M82wpeWBc6I/VRzX7irlCpI/AAAAAAAAMvo/o4nefLYb6rI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B1.46.39%2Bpm.png" height="115" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After spending 2 days of research on this stock, I decided not to buy. Why? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(If you're interested, you may read more about my analysis here.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I ended up spending all that time on extensive research...only not to buy. And this was only for one stock! Imagine the time you need to spend on the rest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Am I prepared to do the homework necessary before investing?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jim Rogers estimates that only 2% of investors even read their annual reports. Where do you stand?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you willing to spend hours and hours learning how to conduct a <u>fundamental analysis</u> or a <u>technical analysis</u> before you purchase any company stock? Do you even know what they mean?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a short introduction, fundamental analysis involves looking at the characteristics and operating model of the company itself in order to estimate its value, whereas technical analysis looks more at price movements in the market, to understand <u>demand and supply patterns</u> together with <u>market sentiment</u> as they try to predict trends of whether the stock price will go up or down in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For instance, ask anyone and they'll tell you the growth of e-commerce is indisputable. But which company will benefit? Will it be Amazon, eBay, Alibaba or JD.com (rising competitor giving Alibaba a run for its money)? Given that JD.com only recently went public and was pretty quiet about it, technical analysts may favour this stock as prices may go up once the public starts noticing them more. On the other hand, fundamental analysts may prefer to wait longer to see if the company truly is able to manage its competitors and own earnings well. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Do I understand how the investment works?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're buying into REITs, do you know how they work, and what are the factors influencing their prices? What about for stocks, ETFs and mutual funds? Do you really know what you're buying into?<br /><br />If you don't, then either take the time to understand it, or perhaps you might want to consider putting your money with a trusted financial advisor to do the legwork for you instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. What do I hope to achieve through my investments?</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some examples of investment goals. Credits: CIMB Principal.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7. How long do I plan to invest?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The turnaround time for your investments is important, as it will influence the types of tools you choose and the stocks you buy. Many investments require time to grow, and if locking up your money for 10 - 20 years sound uncomfortable to you, then you might want to consider something that can generate returns in a shorter time frame. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Value investing, which Warren Buffet predominantly practices, is one such tool that requires patience and time. It operates on the principle that there are under-valued companies out there, and thus patience is a key attribute for value investors to wait for the market to recognize the company's value which they've been ignoring. Even if you spot a great value stock today, you typically need to hold on to it for at least a few years before the price goes up significantly for you to make a profit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8. How much do I expect to earn on my investments?</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WYUAXM0mG2M/VRzd__K-sDI/AAAAAAAAMwQ/gGxHq5ZhT28/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B2.13.02%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WYUAXM0mG2M/VRzd__K-sDI/AAAAAAAAMwQ/gGxHq5ZhT28/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B2.13.02%2Bpm.png" height="200" width="186" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this figure realistic? How much time would you need to reach this level of earnings?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you go in with $5,000 and expect to have $10,000 by the end of the year (a 100% return), I would say you're either crazy, blessed with tons of luck, or have some valuable insider information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most investors are happy enough if they can generate a 5% to 7% returns on their investments yearly. My goal is to get above that. What about you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>9. What are the costs to buy, hold and sell the investment?</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DkbAtWpJO_U/VRzqiwpNZNI/AAAAAAAAMwg/KUAezVhQcRw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B3.06.23%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DkbAtWpJO_U/VRzqiwpNZNI/AAAAAAAAMwg/KUAezVhQcRw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B3.06.23%2Bpm.png" height="257" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Useful comparison table I took off Google. Credits do not belong to me.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're frequently buying and selling, don't forget to factor in your brokerage fees when you calculate your costs. Many people forget about this when they calculate their nett profit / losses. Will you also be paying taxes on the money you earn? All these are "invisible costs" that some of us miss out on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do also note the differences between trading and investing. Investors tend to buy/sell less frequently than traders, and would therefore incur less transaction costs as well. The downside is, it'll take longer to see returns as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>10. Am I prepared to lose my money if I'm wrong?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the day, investing carries a certain amount of risk. Even if you do your homework thoroughly, there's no guarantee that you'll make a profit on your investment, because in a way, you're betting on the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The most any of us can really hope for is to make an educated guess on future price and earnings based on current track records and solid fundamentals. Even good businesses can fail, whereas what seemed like a risky business can rise to fame quickly. Take a look at these 2 case studies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u>Case Study 1: The decline of Laura Ashley</u></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Most females are familiar with Laura Ashley, the much-loved English fashion brand. Its romantic, sweetheart clothing appealed to many women in the 1970s, and the business grew quickly to a major retailer with over 500 shops worldwide. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But in the 1980s, fashion changed. As more women entered the workforce, practical and professional attire became the preferred choice over Laura Ashley's sweet pieces. At the same time, fashion houses started moving production offshore and some even outsourced it entirely to cheaper countries like China and Thailand. Laura Ashley, however, continued to pursue its sweetheart designs which were now outdated, and the expensive manufacturing processes that served them well since they started. Today, while the brand is still around, they are no longer as popular as before.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><u>Case Study 2: Las Vegas Sands</u></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PGMfqe_Yt-c/VRzux1fmVoI/AAAAAAAAMws/JhUzVMRxHeU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B3.23.44%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PGMfqe_Yt-c/VRzux1fmVoI/AAAAAAAAMws/JhUzVMRxHeU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-04-02%2Bat%2B3.23.44%2Bpm.png" height="278" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Las Vegas Sands (which owns casinos) stock price declined drastically from 2008 to mid-2009 when the company was facing a liquidity crisis and various lawsuits. It fell to a historical $1.77 in 2009 where the crisis was so severe that the company was in danger of going bankrupt, because they lacked funds to continue its multibillion-dollar ongoing and planned construction projects in Macau, Singapore and the U.S.<br /><br />Would you have dared to invest in the company at that time? Many thought the company would go bust on its own or driven bankrupt by the lawsuits they faced.<br /><br />But if you had taken a gamble on them then, you would have made almost <b>fifty times return</b> by now! Your 10k could be half a million today (in just 6 years)!</i></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yV0qltj-W38/VOGq0M1SkpI/AAAAAAAAMZs/D5HLJm0Xu_g/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-16%2Bat%2B3.59.37%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yV0qltj-W38/VOGq0M1SkpI/AAAAAAAAMZs/D5HLJm0Xu_g/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-16%2Bat%2B3.59.37%2Bpm.png" height="142" width="200" /></a></div>
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As you can see, there really is no guarantee when it comes to investing. </div>
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So the question is, are you willing to take the risk? Are you prepared to lose your money if you're wrong on your judgment?<br />
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(If your answer is no, you might want to consider other alternatives. Keep a look out for my upcoming post on "types of investment products for different personalities" soon!)</div>
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With love,</div>
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Budget Babe</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-69688068863018290202015-03-30T11:22:00.002-07:002015-03-30T18:53:10.935-07:00We Are Singapore and We Will Go On. Rest in Peace, Lee Kuan Yew<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll never forget last week. I don't think any of us ever would. It was a hard week to get by, as the nation mourned together for the loss of our greatest leader ever.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K6wcaMG-1nU/VRfN-jHm2lI/AAAAAAAAMsY/Ar139An_RoM/s1600/lee-kuan-yew-tribute-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K6wcaMG-1nU/VRfN-jHm2lI/AAAAAAAAMsY/Ar139An_RoM/s1600/lee-kuan-yew-tribute-2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funny how Singapore was ranked as the world's most emotionless society just 3 years ago, yet this past week saw an outpouring of grief never seen before. I don't think the world expected us to react this way. What would the people who conducted the Gallup poll think? People wept buckets for this man. I lost count of the number of times I teared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I think for my generation, it was more than just grief. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, we didn't grow up in times of hardship and menial labour, unlike our parents. We learnt about Singapore's history, but for the most part, they were just stories to us. We recited the pledge and sang the national anthem during our schooling years but I don't think any of us quite grasped the full extent of its meaning. To us, they were just words - words we needed to recite and sing lest our teachers scolded us for being disrespectful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But on Sunday, we saw history happen. We were part of a significant event that will be remembered for decades to come. It will be in the stories we tell our children next time: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Mama was there when the whole nation grieved over Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's death. Over 100,000 people gathered despite the torrential rain to send him off on his final journey. We shouted his name in union without any cue or prompt. It was unforgettable."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stood together in a sombre minute of silence, and when we said our pledge and sang the national anthem, this time it actually meant something.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rIYUNXn3dfk/VRmPM_m8qKI/AAAAAAAAMtE/5NhZrMQS4Yw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.00.03%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rIYUNXn3dfk/VRmPM_m8qKI/AAAAAAAAMtE/5NhZrMQS4Yw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.00.03%2Bam.png" height="172" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was perhaps his greatest gift to us. For bringing together the nation despite our differences, a task which many countries still fail at today.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KuvxUr4voHc/VRmPhag9NZI/AAAAAAAAMtM/Ni62ZWm6X5w/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.01.23%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KuvxUr4voHc/VRmPhag9NZI/AAAAAAAAMtM/Ni62ZWm6X5w/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.01.23%2Bam.png" height="320" width="309" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credits: Pillybaxto</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We no longer have to be prompted. Mr. Lee and his government used to have to literally force the different races to come together, but today we stand together unified without anyone else telling us to. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will I miss him? Not really, because I didn't know the man personally. But yet when NDP comes around this August, I know I'll be among the millions of Singaporeans who will be thinking back to last year's NDP where he appeared. Old, frail and sickly-looking, but still there nonetheless. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S9MNp6cNB8c/VRmQd3zcXqI/AAAAAAAAMtY/BoQ8nominv4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.05.26%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S9MNp6cNB8c/VRmQd3zcXqI/AAAAAAAAMtY/BoQ8nominv4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.05.26%2Bam.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But he will no longer appear at NDP. And that, I will miss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tonight I was able to walk home as usual at midnight, noticing the walk through a brightly lit HDB estate for what seemed like the first time, and realizing how lucky I am to be female and be out alone late at night without worrying about getting robbed, molested or raped.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recalled having to make my way home by 7pm back when I was studying in the U.S. because anything later would mean having to trouble a friend to give me a ride home. It just wasn't safe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I looked up at the trees and marvelled how one man pushed for his vision of a garden city despite experts telling him Singapore's climate was not suitable. Because of him, I'm able to take shelter when I walk to the bus stop in the hot morning heat under the lush greenery, and breathe fresh air which I didn't quite have in China and in Hong Kong.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0jKUuPrWKp8/VRmSiNy8k2I/AAAAAAAAMtk/AQd8CcdbFUs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.14.11%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0jKUuPrWKp8/VRmSiNy8k2I/AAAAAAAAMtk/AQd8CcdbFUs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-31%2Bat%2B2.14.11%2Bam.png" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I reached home, I poured myself a drink straight from the tap, thinking about how I wasn't able to do so when I was living in the U.S. and China. The water there was often yellow and undrinkable, whereas here my tap water was clear and odorless, and safe for me to swallow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier over dinner, my friend and I had a conversation about how we get tired after work despite being blessed to be able to knock off on time during most days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"How did our parents do it? They worked long hours, came home, did the laundry and still managed to take care of us"</i> we wondered aloud.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then we recalled the late Mr. Lee once said,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's true. Whereas our parents yearned for and were content to have a stable-paying job, today we want a <u>meaningful</u> job that, ideally one which fulfils our passions or allows us to work from home or with flexible hours. Pay is no longer enough. Some of us in our generation expect more money for easier work, or lesser work hours. It's true. Even I plead guilty to this sometimes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The man had foresight. My generation thinks we're smarter, more capable, and know better than our elders, but do we really? In this past week, I realized how little we actually know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we will wipe these tears and move on. Where we once doubted if my generation would stay together and continue building Singapore, my doubts have now dissipated, for I've seen with my own eyes how this nation can and will stand strong together. I've never been more proud to be a Singaporean.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are people watching to see what will become of Singapore now that we've lost our greatest leader. But we will not fail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Lee, you need not worry about us. We mourned over your passing as a nation, now we will heal as a nation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will walk through this with hope, and with your son leading us, I'm certain that our future will be bright.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you, and rest in peace.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-40128658989658310982015-03-26T22:32:00.002-07:002015-03-26T22:32:10.197-07:00Why Are Singaporeans Queuing Up for Hours to Pay Their Respects to Lee Kuan Yew?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HCvcnjVX71w/VRTqa-2p1SI/AAAAAAAAMpk/2rbHoLBWETY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-27%2Bat%2B1.26.58%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HCvcnjVX71w/VRTqa-2p1SI/AAAAAAAAMpk/2rbHoLBWETY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-27%2Bat%2B1.26.58%2Bpm.png" height="179" width="320" /></a><br />
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A number of people have been asking me if it's worth going to see Lee Kuan Yew's body before he gets cremated on Sunday. Some of the more common questions included,<br />
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<i>"Can you see his face? Cannot? Then maybe I won't go then..."</i><br />
<i>"How long did you wait?"</i><br />
<i>"I don't know if I should go down...there's so many things I need to do."</i><br />
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With all the media coverage and live updates surrounding the sheer number of people queuing up to pay their last respects to the late Lee Kuan Yew, I've also been seeing plenty of critics and skepticism on the whole issue.<br />
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While queuing on Wednesday, many office folks (mostly foreigners) who passed by also looked at us in the queue with amusement. They probably don't understand why we are willing to spend hours in the hot sun to pay our last respects to someone who is no more.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3HnpFStnFKo/VRLuCom8hHI/AAAAAAAAMow/0dde2TKPQZE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.27%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3HnpFStnFKo/VRLuCom8hHI/AAAAAAAAMow/0dde2TKPQZE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.27%2Bam.png" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wanted to write my own response, but then I woke up this morning to read a very moving eulogy by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen which left me in tears, and a sharp retort by a local Straits Times journalist. Thus, I reproduce parts of their speeches here.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: None of the following words nor photos belong to me. Rightful credits belong to The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and the words of Minister Ng Eng Hen and Calvin Cheng.</span></i><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uamo3xnkCyU/VRTqamNGBTI/AAAAAAAAMpg/K5o8ZyFWF5E/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-27%2Bat%2B1.26.32%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uamo3xnkCyU/VRTqamNGBTI/AAAAAAAAMpg/K5o8ZyFWF5E/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-27%2Bat%2B1.26.32%2Bpm.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">Dr Ng said: “Why this deep sorrow for one man? Why do tears flow uncontrollably for thousands on his passing and memory? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">No one moved Singapore as Mr Lee did - not in life, sickness or death. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">He was that bright night star that guided us all, an impoverished and fearful nation through independence. He envisioned, then drove Singapore to become a success story - as he promised, from “mudflats to a thriving metropolis” that countries all over have sought to emulate. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">He coaxed, pushed Singaporeans to do what was difficult, but ultimately right and good for their long-term interests. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">We in Government and as MPs on the ground know how difficult it is to carry unpopular policies, even if they are right.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">In return for the people’s trust and willingness to do what was needed, Mr Lee and his Government promised a better Singapore after these reforms. It seemed an unattainable dream when Mr Lee gave these promises in 1968. Singapore’s per capita GDP then was around Myanmar today. But at the end of it, Mr Lee and his Government delivered. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;">There will not be another Lee Kuan Yew who made us better than we are or could be. Mr Lee Kuan Yew founded, moved and lifted a nation. Because of his unwavering devotion and a life poured out for Singapore, he has made all our lives better and for many generations to come. Few mortals have accomplished so much in their lifetime. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4158506393433px; line-height: 20.1821918487549px;"><i>Read the full speech <a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/a-nation-cries-out-in/1744216.html">here.</a> </i></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-009N0ErqwgU/VRTqa2uA6CI/AAAAAAAAMpo/4elXiYqKYt4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-27%2Bat%2B1.27.20%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-009N0ErqwgU/VRTqa2uA6CI/AAAAAAAAMpo/4elXiYqKYt4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-27%2Bat%2B1.27.20%2Bpm.png" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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Some of my Western friends who have never lived here for any period of time have sometimes self-righteously proclaimed, no doubt after reading the cliches in the media, that they could never live under the "stifling and draconian" laws that we have.</div>
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My answer to them is simple: Are you the sort to urinate in public when a toilet isn't available, the sort to vandalise public property, the sort that would leave a mess in a public toilet that you share with others? Are you the sort who would throw rubbish on the streets for others to pick up, the sort that would stick gum on train doors or leave them on the floor to dry up into one ugly black scar in the pavement? Are you perhaps a drug smuggler? Because we execute those. Or maybe you molest women? Because we would whip you. Are you the sort that would get drunk and then get into fights and maybe beat up a stranger in the bar? Back home you may get away with it but if you are that sort, then maybe this place isn't for you.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 12px;">In short, are you a civilised person who wants to live in a civilised society? Because the things you cannot do in Singapore are precisely the sort that civilised people should not do anyway. If you are, you have nothing to fear.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 12px;">Do you want to come here and insult other people's race and religion? But then again, why would you want to purposely offend others anyway? </span></div>
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So where is the trade-off? How are we unfree?</div>
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I tell you what freedom is.</div>
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Freedom is being able to walk on the streets unmolested in the wee hours in the morning, to be able to leave one's door open and not fear that one would be burgled. Freedom is the woman who can ride buses and trains alone; freedom is not having to avoid certain subway stations after night falls. Freedom is knowing our children can go to school without fear of drugs, or being mowed down by some insane person with a gun. Freedom is knowing that we are not bound by our class, our race, our religion, and we can excel for the individuals that we are - the freedom to accomplish. Freedom is living in one of the least corrupt societies in the world, knowing that our ability to get things done is not going to be limited by our ability to pay someone. Freedom is fresh air and clean streets, because nothing is more inimical to our liberty of movement than being trapped at home because of suffocating smog.</div>
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These are the freedoms that Singaporeans have, freedoms that were built on the vision and hard work of Mr Lee, our first Prime Minister. And we have all of these, these liberties, while also being one of the richest countries in the world.</div>
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There was no trade-off.</div>
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Not for us.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.2000007629395px;"><a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/the-myth-trade-offs-20150327#sthash.ik6Zw2uF.dpuf">Read the full rebuttal here.</a> </span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-65729652851732461362015-03-25T02:42:00.001-07:002015-03-25T10:51:08.953-07:00A Survival Guide to Mourning Lee Kuan Yew<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Singapore's longest queue was possibly born yesterday night as thousands started waiting in line for their turn to pay their last respects to the late Lee Kuan Yew, whose body lies at the Parliament House for members of the public to visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 2pm today, CNA estimated that there might be easily more than 300,000 people in the queue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I saw plenty of people giving up halfway and heard there were some who even fainted, so I thought I'll write this guide on how to survive your trip to the Parliament House from now till Saturday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Read the news before you leave the house.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnGs0XNKCjA/VRLuDwBVAmI/AAAAAAAAMo4/laJ2jGo-Cts/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.18.38%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnGs0XNKCjA/VRLuDwBVAmI/AAAAAAAAMo4/laJ2jGo-Cts/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.18.38%2Bam.png" height="258" width="320" /></a><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: All photos and videos in this post do not belong to me, but were taken from Straits Times and Channel News Asia. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Find out where the end of the queue is and alight at the corresponding station. We initially planned to get off at City Hall, but realized thanks to the Straits Times Twitter feed that to join the queue we needed to alight at Clarke Quay instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 7.30pm, the start of the queue had shortened to New Bridge Road instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Speak to the police officers stationed along the queue to find out where you should go to join the queue.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wrf6ckIJ7h4/VRLuCvWHl-I/AAAAAAAAMoo/YZn6gs1t3dU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.59%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wrf6ckIJ7h4/VRLuCvWHl-I/AAAAAAAAMoo/YZn6gs1t3dU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.59%2Bam.png" height="178" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't be silly and follow the queue from Parliament House to the end - you might end up walking for over 4km instead of using the time to move ahead in the queue. Actually, I would recommend speaking to multiple officers even as there might be a communication breakdown. For instance, many of us arrived at Clarke Quay only to be told to go to Hong Lim Park to join the "new queue". In the end, when we traced the queue from Hong Lim Park to the end...it led us back to Clarke Quay. The officer who had given us the wrong information had not been updated of the fact that both queues had in fact been merged. We wasted 20 minutes of brisk walking under the hot sun as a result. There were also others who alighted at Chinatown only to be told they had to walk back to Clarke Quay to join the queue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Dress respectfully.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5-NV1yZEt7M/VRLuCvEIV0I/AAAAAAAAMos/k-0HVUwXwx8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.18%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5-NV1yZEt7M/VRLuCvEIV0I/AAAAAAAAMos/k-0HVUwXwx8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.18%2Bam.png" height="178" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are heading into Parliament House after all. This means avoiding slippers, shorts, crop tops, or singlets. Avoid wearing bright colours either unless you want to stick out like a sore eye.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The majority of people were dressed in black, white, blue or other dull colours. I didn't see any yellows or red during the 5 hours I spent queuing. The men generally wore formal shirts or T-shirts with pants, whereas the women had an extra choice of formal dresses. I personally wore the dress I wore to work earlier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For shoes, wear covered flats. Ladies, ditch the high heels as you'll be walking on concrete and soil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Essentials you might want to bring:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Water</b> - at least 1 bottle to hydrate yourself. But fear not, there are plenty of water points along the route kindly sponsored by various groups and companies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>(Sidenote: I was telling my boyfriend about how few smart companies would see this as an opportunity to do kind and raise public awareness of their brand. ! I spotted Timbre giving out their pizzas and Song Fa Ba Kut Teh offering free iced water just as we were thinking of buying some cold drinks.)</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Umbrella</b> - to shield yourself from the sweltering sun. Sunglasses optional.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Raincoat</b> - just in case it rains. Optional if you have an umbrella.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Paper or portable fan </b>- to keep yourself cool in the heat. You'll thank me later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wet tissues</b> - to wipe your sweat and refresh yourself, especially right before you enter the Parliament House.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pens</b> - to write your well wishes and gratitude to Singapore's founding father in the condolence book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ipad / book / extra phone batteries</b> - to entertain yourself. It's going to be a long wait.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. DON'T try to cut the queue.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HnpFStnFKo/VRLuCom8hHI/AAAAAAAAMok/gf3vTAYFnmU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.27%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HnpFStnFKo/VRLuCom8hHI/AAAAAAAAMok/gf3vTAYFnmU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.16.27%2Bam.png" height="179" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's not only disrespectful, but also very likely you get caught by one of the many police officers stationed throughout the route. Even if the police officers do not catch you, the public will.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a group of working professionals who cut into our queue at Raffles Green, and they were chided by the public. Don't forget that these people have been queuing for hours together and probably <u>already recognise who's around them in the queue</u>. Your chances of getting away with it are low. I personally saw a young woman in her late 20s (dressed very professionally, might I add) get scolded by the people, and when she refused to leave, they eventually brought in the police to get her and her friends to leave the queue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A quick tip to confront such queue-cutters: <u>ask them where they started queuing from.</u></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CYqJx6qXyeo/VRLuDopFKsI/AAAAAAAAMo0/63X9vYLQLL0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.17.07%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CYqJx6qXyeo/VRLuDopFKsI/AAAAAAAAMo0/63X9vYLQLL0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-26%2Bat%2B1.17.07%2Bam.png" height="181" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How long is the queue?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out the entire queue route, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y2OFEcL0xQ">Part 1</a> and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuPaff-jotk#t=99" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part 2</a> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the best in waiting out your trip to the Parliament House this week! But don't forget, this man gave 56 years of his life to the nation. Surely we can afford a few hours of our day to pay him our respects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it'll be worth your time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-13489062152577471542015-03-23T02:33:00.003-07:002015-03-23T02:34:57.402-07:00In tribute to Lee Kuan Yew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JgpArVYkkbw/VQ_eIGkNUJI/AAAAAAAAMoA/4gKhfs0eioo/s1600/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JgpArVYkkbw/VQ_eIGkNUJI/AAAAAAAAMoA/4gKhfs0eioo/s1600/remembering-lee-kuan-yew-picture.jpg" height="181" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is with a heavy heart as I pen this post about our founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, who left us earlier this morning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I've been reading all the tributes and thought this would be a good chance to consolidate what Singapore owes to this man as we look back on how far we've come.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />While the nation grieves, I try to find comfort in the fact that people are taking the time to remember his legacy and recount how he brought Singapore from a Third World to a First World nation in a lifespan of a single generation. I'm not sure, and I doubt, that there has been any other country quite like us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My generation does not really know Lee Kuan Yew, for we were born after the most trying of times. We didn't grow up in times of war and fighting, and all we know are the stories our parents share about being poor, not always having enough to eat, living in crowded quarters, and wearing tattered, hand-me-downs clothing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, many of us have our own bedrooms (or share with our siblings, but usually no more than 2 - 3 in a single room); we apply for jobs with a starting pay of $2000 and above; live in peaceful times where crime rates are low and even females like me feel safe enough to go out jogging at midnight. We dine at cafes and new meals like "teatime" and "supper" have emerged. We buy clothes as fashion trends change and complain about not having enough wardrobe space to keep all of them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are exceedingly blessed, but we want for more. We </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">complain and argue incessantly for greater freedoms and privileges, but there is one thing few of us will deny - Singapore owes her success to Lee Kuan Yew.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A man who believed in Singapore when others didn't</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JCwIKnOscfU/VQ_XuVC6rrI/AAAAAAAAMno/V3KXAIRXfSA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-23%2Bat%2B4.48.19%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JCwIKnOscfU/VQ_XuVC6rrI/AAAAAAAAMno/V3KXAIRXfSA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-23%2Bat%2B4.48.19%2Bpm.png" height="61" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have defied economic logic and sense to succeed, thanks to this one man who believed so strongly in Singapore and in us. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At a time where people scorned Singapore for our small size and lack of natural resources, he believed that we could be so much more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lee Kuan Yew planted the vision of a successful Singapore and together with his Cabinet Ministers, took on the arduous task of nation-building. He <i>believed</i>, and rallied the people together towards a brighter future with the promise that they would get there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A man who did not give up easily on his country</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />The late Mr. Lee was also not one to be daunted by obstacles. Can you imagine believing all your life in something, only to have your lifelong dream shattered?</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BK3_r4-ETc4/VQ_QTgWc3HI/AAAAAAAAMnY/Z_riB4aM-lI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-23%2Bat%2B4.35.05%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BK3_r4-ETc4/VQ_QTgWc3HI/AAAAAAAAMnY/Z_riB4aM-lI/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-23%2Bat%2B4.35.05%2Bpm.png" height="191" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most normal people may never recover from such a trauma, or at least, take a long while to recover and climb back up on their feet again. But Mr. Lee was different. He wasted no time in rebuilding Singapore. His lifelong plan and belief may have failed, but that only meant he had to work out a new and better solution right away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>World-class transport and infrastructure</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our parents mostly either walked or rode their bicycles. Few had the privilege of owning a car. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, we have Changi Airport which continues to win international awards, and a world-class public transport system of interconnected trains and buses.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><i>But the MRT keeps breaking down! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sure it does, but remember that no system is perfect. In our system where most of us never have to wait any longer than 10 minutes for a train, we already have much to be thankful for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Meritocracy: Equal opportunities for all</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of the biggest reasons why I feel proud to be Singaporean. In our system of governance, a key principle is that of meritocracy, which ensures that everyone (regardless of background, race or money) has an equal chance to succeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In some other countries, if you're a girl, you don't get to go to school. If you're white, you get promoted easier than if you're black, Asian, or any other minority race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a female, I'm thankful to have been born in Singapore where my gender and skin colour doesn't limit me from getting the same opportunities as everyone else. And I am heartened by the fact that as long as I am willing to work hard, I will surely succeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our education system is so heavily subsidized that no matter how poor you are, the government goes to huge lengths to ensure everyone at least gets educated up to secondary school. Even a JC tertiary education is pretty cheap - I vaguely recall paying only $12 a month on average (that was years ago, correct me if I'm wrong today).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Even our local university degrees are much cheaper compared to overseas studies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Strong diplomatic ties</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Lee took efforts to build and maintain close friendships and relations with international leaders abroad. He earned the praise and respect of many. I love this writeup from Today newspaper:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_d1LwoMT-Y0/VQ_cSXehz0I/AAAAAAAAMn0/RKoYvOlhq90/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-23%2Bat%2B5.26.13%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_d1LwoMT-Y0/VQ_cSXehz0I/AAAAAAAAMn0/RKoYvOlhq90/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-23%2Bat%2B5.26.13%2Bpm.png" height="400" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From being a small and isolated city state, Mr. Lee made sure we were surrounded by allies. I like to think that one reason why we've not been subject to all the cross-border conflicts unlike other countries is due partly to the friendships Mr. Lee built.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After all, you would think twice before attacking a friend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Singapore's timeline:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61BSpHL5sN8/VQ_Ks4fFdNI/AAAAAAAAMnA/HorSmkFEYnQ/s1600/SG_The%2BEconomist.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-61BSpHL5sN8/VQ_Ks4fFdNI/AAAAAAAAMnA/HorSmkFEYnQ/s1600/SG_The%2BEconomist.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just imagine, we were so close to being that yellow line. Instead, we've become an economic wonder and one of the world's richest countries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much has changed since then. While our parents hoped for a peaceful country and a stable rice bowl, our generation today wants more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that is the crux of our discontent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Times have changed. We aspire to be rich and successful. We want to chart our own paths. We don't like being controlled. Now that most of us generally have a good life (in the eyes of many, especially those who have experienced poverty), we want much more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's not a crime. In fact, it is always good to strive for higher goals, which can only lead to greater progress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But as we continue to debate over rising living costs and income inequality in hopes for the better tomorrow that we want, let us not forget how incredibly blessed we are to have already come this far.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I quote Stefanie Sun: [Let us] be secure in the knowledge that hard work, good ethics will get [us] somewhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for the privilege, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We owe you. And Singapore owes its success to you. We will strive to become an even better and prosperous Singapore - the Singapore you dreamed of and worked so hard to build.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Rest in peace.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-45584109293198955772015-03-18T03:49:00.002-07:002015-05-13T00:32:56.731-07:00What Gushcloud and Its Influencers Did Wrong (and how Singtel did right)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2NocBQ70Ug/VJ8Bn8h4z0I/AAAAAAAAL4c/9bDrKe9IXio/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-28%2Bat%2B2.59.25%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2NocBQ70Ug/VJ8Bn8h4z0I/AAAAAAAAL4c/9bDrKe9IXio/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-28%2Bat%2B2.59.25%2Bam.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of you may have read <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2014/12/did-gushcloud-just-spend-26000-on-xiaxue-saga.html">my piece on how Gushcloud spent a bomb on a poor response to Xiaxue's expose on their business</a> when Xiaxue wrote about <a href="http://xiaxue.blogspot.sg/2014/12/the-big-gushcloud-expose.html">her investigations into Gushcloud's questionable business ethics last December.</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven't already seen Part 2, you may read it <a href="http://xiaxue.blogspot.sg/2015/03/the-big-gushcloud-expose-2_14.html">here</a>, where local telco SingTel gets implicated as well this time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My analysis this time focuses on <b>what Gushcloud and its influencers did wrong</b>, as well as <b>what Singtel did right</b> in contrast. Due to their actions, we can safely assume that the damage done to SingTel will blow over in a matter of months (or even weeks, perhaps?) whereas I'm not quite sure if Gushcloud and its implicated influencers will ever recover back the trust they've lost.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's take a look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>P.S. If you're lazy, you can just read the bolded parts + the pictures to get the full story</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lesson 1: If you want to defend an accusation, make sure you get your facts right first.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've already explained in a previous post why and how Gushcloud responded poorly to Xiaxue's claims when the whole saga started. Once more, Xiaxue finds a loophole in Gushcloud's so-called defence, and shatters it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vincent Ha said in an official statement:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 27px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">There was never an intention to “inflate” our earnings or to deceive and mislead anyone. Think about it logically. There is no reason to attract needless attention to the financials of the company and to pay higher taxes on income the company never even earned. I am also aware that any plan to make ourselves seem bigger than we actually are would go out the window once our accounts are filed with ACRA.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xiaxue's excellent rebuttal:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxhriaWI-GU/VQk5qhw4Z1I/AAAAAAAAMkA/RkcqpMMmjnI/s1600/Gushcloud%2Bfaking%2Bprofits%2Bresponse.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="110" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxhriaWI-GU/VQk5qhw4Z1I/AAAAAAAAMkA/RkcqpMMmjnI/s1600/Gushcloud%2Bfaking%2Bprofits%2Bresponse.png" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: Xiaxue's blog.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lesson 2: Stop releasing conflicting message</b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">s </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Why get caught eating your own words?)</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We first saw this in December when Gushcloud founders denied the accusations by Xiaxue, and then ended up having to apologize for it once she produced the hard evidence to prove that they had not been telling the truth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">History repeats itself (obviously, Gushcloud did not learn from its mistakes) and this time, Gushcloud releases a statement suggesting that the brief was not what it seemed, leading us to think that perhaps the leaked brief alone is insufficient to conclude whether or not they were indeed engaged in a smear campaign against SingTel's rivals? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've highlighted this below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqLhfAiuDzg/VQk5pipP2xI/AAAAAAAAMj4/93_QhWthc3g/s1600/Gushcloud%2BAlthea%2BLim.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqLhfAiuDzg/VQk5pipP2xI/AAAAAAAAMj4/93_QhWthc3g/s1600/Gushcloud%2BAlthea%2BLim.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps they didn't expect SingTel to publicly admit that they had done wrong on 17 March, as SingTel's initial stance was that "it did not issue the brief". Maybe they thought they could cover it up (just like how Xiaxue pointed out they covered up their inflated earnings along with other things?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uuy_v_5QeeI/VQlCBiefGUI/AAAAAAAAMlk/2xQedu28ous/s1600/Singtel%2Bapology.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uuy_v_5QeeI/VQlCBiefGUI/AAAAAAAAMlk/2xQedu28ous/s1600/Singtel%2Bapology.png" width="386" /></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oops! SingTel apologized! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Now look what happens <u>minutes after</u>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lN4lneb9LOA/VQlDJWLTkwI/AAAAAAAAMl4/1k9XBjdtXME/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B5.19.13%2Bpm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lN4lneb9LOA/VQlDJWLTkwI/AAAAAAAAMl4/1k9XBjdtXME/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B5.19.13%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hmmmmmm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lesson 3: Don't engage in personal attacks </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">(Something Gushcloud seems to like doing! Cos you know...tit for tat right?)</span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along with his apology (after SingTel's move left them with no choice, perhaps?), Gushcloud proceeds to criticize Xiaxue.<b> </b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hfxAPxU62iA/VQlDKPeg27I/AAAAAAAAMmA/Fxkn5wJp1hw/s1600/criticize%2BXiaxue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hfxAPxU62iA/VQlDKPeg27I/AAAAAAAAMmA/Fxkn5wJp1hw/s1600/criticize%2BXiaxue.png" width="400" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uuy_v_5QeeI/VQlCBiefGUI/AAAAAAAAMlk/2xQedu28ous/s1600/Singtel%2Bapology.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, note that it is a different thing for Xiaxue if she wants to make personal attacks on Gushcloud and its people, because she is an <u>individual.</u> She is ultimately accountable mainly, if not solely, to herself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gushcloud, on the other hand, is a <u>professional business.</u> Or at least, they try to be. And corporations do not engage in petty, personal attacks. Co-founder Althea Lim made this mistake in December when she released her rather childish statement against Xiaxue, and fast forward 3 months later, CEO Vincent Ha does the same exact thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is poor practice! Note that none of the 3 telcos engaged in personal attacks against each other in this whole incident. Neither did SingTel (if you take Gushcloud as Singtel and Xiaxue as M1 + Starhub in this case) criticize their competitors after admitting their mistake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's almost akin to this:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John: You are so stupid, your IQ must be terribly low.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tom: What? I'm going to prove to you that my IQ is higher than average. <br />*proceeds to show proof*</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John: Ok, I'm sorry. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>John: But in the first place, you're a terrible person</i> anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does that even make sense to you?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Lesson 4: Don't try to shirk responsibility by talking about altruistic "management beliefs"</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>(especially after you've just been forced to admit you did something wrong)</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gushcloud's CEO Vincent Ha said,</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">"...we had discussions with the client...But as an influencer marketing company, we should have known better and made better recommendations to our client." </span></span></span></span></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't know about you, but it sounded to me like they are shirking the blame to SingTel instead. Cos you know, clients are king and we have to do what they say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-yEm5Z2eQU/VQk5sgD9yAI/AAAAAAAAMkg/iRBl75h1-hU/s1600/Vincent%2BHa%2Bstatement.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-yEm5Z2eQU/VQk5sgD9yAI/AAAAAAAAMkg/iRBl75h1-hU/s1600/Vincent%2BHa%2Bstatement.png" width="335" /> </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then he goes on to talk about their positive, altruistic management's beliefs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you see the problem here? It's just like:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A murderer claims his belief is that all mankind are equal.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>After apologizing for killing a life.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i> </i>I exaggerate, but you get my point.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lesson 5: What's the best immediate response then?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Critics' voices: Ok Budget Babe! After talking so much, why don't you solve the issue then?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I don't like to dish out PR advice and specific actions online for free, considering how my clients actually <i>pay</i> me for advice on what to do. And in this case, Gushcloud is not my client which was why I refrained from posting any ideas on what they should have done last December, choosing to focus on an analysis of what they did wrong instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I'll make an exception this time and will share just a tiny bit, since I pity how poor Gushcloud really doesn't seem to know their PR skills at all. Maybe this will help them (or maybe not, since the damage has already been done).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For this March saga, I would have recommended for Gushcloud to say to the media:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Gushcloud "cannot confirm if the brief was indeed issued by a Gushcloud employee" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- but is "currently investigating internally" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- and "will rectify the situation if they find that their staff is indeed guilty"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why would this have been better? Not denying it straightaway suggests a company that is responsible enough to investigate if it has done wrong. And if it is, being willing to correct the situation will convince people that it is willing to change. After all, we all know human beings are not perfect. People make mistakes. What's more important to consumers is whether you admit and understand the mistake made, and take corrective steps to ensure that this will not happen again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're forgiving people aren't we? Just like how I forgave M1 even though they had no service on 4 February last year and still signed up my line with them anyway when my Singtel line was up for recontracting (even though I miss my 12GB Singtel data plan. M1 only gives me 2GB each month now and that's <u>not enough</u>. I'm exceeding this every single month without fail).</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8d_KIogKscU/VQlM5qD0iOI/AAAAAAAAMmQ/tXWjwwHxpA4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B6.00.53%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8d_KIogKscU/VQlM5qD0iOI/AAAAAAAAMmQ/tXWjwwHxpA4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B6.00.53%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gushcloud ought to learn from M1 how to handle crises when you're in the wrong.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instead, Gushcloud's immediate response was to issue a statement suggesting that they were innocent and did no such thing (instruct its influencers to conduct a smear campaign).</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqL9mZZRACU/VQk5qUSQF-I/AAAAAAAAMj8/vj_hd_yaclE/s1600/Gushcloud%2BAlthea.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqL9mZZRACU/VQk5qUSQF-I/AAAAAAAAMj8/vj_hd_yaclE/s1600/Gushcloud%2BAlthea.png" width="400" /></span></a>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqLhfAiuDzg/VQk5pipP2xI/AAAAAAAAMj4/93_QhWthc3g/s1600/Gushcloud%2BAlthea%2BLim.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then they apologized and ate back their own words (review Lesson 2 again).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;">What did SingTel do right?</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">SingTel, too, was guilty of initial denial and ended up eating its own words a few days later. When the saga first broke out, a spokesperson responded by saying SingTel "did not issue the brief". Fair enough.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">But then they realized one of their staff had indeed made this mistake, and so their marketing VP came in to clarify and apologize.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both Gushcloud and SingTel </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">(i) denied, and then admitted guilty</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">(ii) resorted to using senior management to make the corrections</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">But these are the 2 different impressions we get:</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">(i) SingTel: Responsible, willing to learn and correct its mistakes. I'll give them a chance.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">(ii) Gushcloud: Dishonest? Insincere? I wouldn't trust them again, not in a long time.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, note that Singtel is a much bigger company with a lot more staff than Gushcloud. Thus, if you were to look into the time needed to investigate internally, logically speaking Gushcloud should have found out their mistake first before SingTel. Instead, the fact that Gushcloud apologized (I emphasize) <u>minutes later</u> suggests that they <u>could have already known they were guilty but refused to admit it until otherwise forced to.</u></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">What does that tell you about the brand?</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Responses from the Gushcloud influencers who were implicated by Xiaxue</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a summary of the influencers who were implicated in Xiaxue's expose:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Xavier Ong</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Symone Oei</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Marxmae</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Saffron Sharpe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Lydia Izzati</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Goh Yilin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Eunice Annabel (who received the most severe beating of all)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found it interesting that among these 7, <b>only Xavier Ong has apologized.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FxWTPBSO6YM/VQk5s27zXGI/AAAAAAAAMkk/kARZDXwMWWM/s1600/Xavier%2BOng%2Bapology.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="339" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FxWTPBSO6YM/VQk5s27zXGI/AAAAAAAAMkk/kARZDXwMWWM/s1600/Xavier%2BOng%2Bapology.png" width="640" /></span></a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's only gracious to apologize when you've been caught with your pants down. And when you apologize <u>without / before others demand you to</u>, this move reflects even better on you and the type of person you are.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took Xavier Ong a few days after the saga before he apologized, but at least he did. So fair enough, let's be gracious too and forgive him, shall we?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't say the same for the other influencers though. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Eunice Annabel released a blog post in response, but it did not contain an apology. Instead, it was more of a defense, a justification for the wrongs she had been singled out for by Xiaxue.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read through the whole thing and didn't see a single apology. To be sure, I did a search and you can see in the screenshot below that there were zero results. I also tried other words like "apologise" / "apologize" / "apology" / "wrong" but there were none. Feel free to try it out yourself. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AEy24W6krU4/VQk5pw7uYGI/AAAAAAAAMj0/N0b__U7P3DI/s1600/Eunice%2BAnnabel%2Bno%2Bsorry.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="367" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AEy24W6krU4/VQk5pw7uYGI/AAAAAAAAMj0/N0b__U7P3DI/s1600/Eunice%2BAnnabel%2Bno%2Bsorry.png" width="640" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She also spent some effort attempting to clarify the issue of her LG vs. iPhone 6.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sgw_ERMyA0o/VQk5prjJ9rI/AAAAAAAAMjw/PPjnHUDspRs/s1600/Eunice%2BAnnabel%2BiPhone%2Bno%2Bchoice.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sgw_ERMyA0o/VQk5prjJ9rI/AAAAAAAAMjw/PPjnHUDspRs/s1600/Eunice%2BAnnabel%2BiPhone%2Bno%2Bchoice.png" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it just sounds like a really lousy <u>excuse</u> to me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Why? Because everyone has a choice. If she claims she "didn't switch back to using an iPhone by choice", there were plenty of other options she could have done. For instance, if she really did love her LG / Android so much, then why not sell off her iPhone 6 and buy the LG?</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prices for selling used iPhone 6: $700 - $880</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Price to buy a brand new LG G3: $620 </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I did my price check <a href="http://mobyshop.com.sg/trade-in.html">here.)</a></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eunice Annabel could have even gotten a $80 - $260 profit in doing so! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not sure about you, but once again, I'm not buying into this response based on facts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And what about the other influencers? Most of them just continued with their lives, posting updates about how amazingggg their life currently is (with no mention of the Gushcloud issue or that they've been caught by Xiaxue in an incriminating smear campaign).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some simply took the cowardly way out and switched their social media accounts to private to block off haters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lydia Izzati:</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTAWmrhlBg8/VQlRkGF0txI/AAAAAAAAMmg/lUh0W4CGvYw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B6.20.42%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTAWmrhlBg8/VQlRkGF0txI/AAAAAAAAMmg/lUh0W4CGvYw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B6.20.42%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mxXyJy0ePxk/VQlRj0bNQYI/AAAAAAAAMmc/nd9UUFJP5c0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B6.20.49%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mxXyJy0ePxk/VQlRj0bNQYI/AAAAAAAAMmc/nd9UUFJP5c0/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-18%2Bat%2B6.20.49%2Bpm.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saffron Sharpe (who the heck is she anyway? I've never even heard of her):</span>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqUWgC1ryrU/VQk5rUzESHI/AAAAAAAAMkQ/rYfv-u50DRs/s1600/Saffron%2BSharpe%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqUWgC1ryrU/VQk5rUzESHI/AAAAAAAAMkQ/rYfv-u50DRs/s1600/Saffron%2BSharpe%2B1.png" width="400" /> </span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQ46Af4Lj1U/VQk6-MQHBEI/AAAAAAAAMlU/ElbjgEH3XXk/s1600/Saffron%2BSharpe%2B2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQ46Af4Lj1U/VQk6-MQHBEI/AAAAAAAAMlU/ElbjgEH3XXk/s1600/Saffron%2BSharpe%2B2.png" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marxmae (again, another "famous" influencer whom I've never heard of):</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RoyL2SPT08Q/VQk5rDg-_uI/AAAAAAAAMkI/xPHrmW23msE/s1600/Marxmae.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RoyL2SPT08Q/VQk5rDg-_uI/AAAAAAAAMkI/xPHrmW23msE/s1600/Marxmae.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Symone Oei (same thing, never heard of this girl):</span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvg9yWimS6o/VQk5sMV8SQI/AAAAAAAAMkY/uw2KZAbiRnI/s1600/Symone%2BOei.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qvg9yWimS6o/VQk5sMV8SQI/AAAAAAAAMkY/uw2KZAbiRnI/s1600/Symone%2BOei.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last but not least, Yilin Goh. She's currently on holiday though, so let's give her the benefit of the doubt. Plus, she did apologize rather graciously in December when part 1 of this saga broke out, so I shall choose to maintain hope that this girl knows what's the right move to make.</span>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6JH0baDe2sg/VQk5tkCxjvI/AAAAAAAAMk8/aqLdmdt8SAg/s1600/Yilin%2BGoh%2B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6JH0baDe2sg/VQk5tkCxjvI/AAAAAAAAMk8/aqLdmdt8SAg/s1600/Yilin%2BGoh%2B1.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-heZuOWS-Q5E/VQk5tkD4QKI/AAAAAAAAMk4/OEfP28m5Lvw/s1600/Yilin%2BGoh%2B2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-heZuOWS-Q5E/VQk5tkD4QKI/AAAAAAAAMk4/OEfP28m5Lvw/s1600/Yilin%2BGoh%2B2.png" width="398" /></span></a></div>
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<u><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Final thoughts (a summary)</span></span></b></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Gushcloud has very poor PR.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Damage done to Gushcloud is huge, but was further aggravated by their own actions in response to the saga. They have only themselves to blame.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. My impression of Gushcloud now is that they're not only unethical (which was what Xiaxue set out to prove), but also dishonest (a conclusion drawn from their own responses).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Good job to SingTel in dealing with this whole incident. While I may not switch back anytime soon (unless they entice me with a better plan to solve my data woes), I would still do business with them in the future. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Can't say the same for Gushcloud.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Who are all these influencers and where did they come from? How did they shoot to fame so quickly? Some of them are so young! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. A huge boo to the influencers who didn't apologize. It would have been gracious to admit you made a mistake (and no one would blame you for not knowing about Singapore's clause against competitive advertising anyway) and offer a simple apology, but most didn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Except Xavier Ong. I've never really liked him, but him apologizing makes me want to like him and give him a chance to start anew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. Same for Yilin Goh, whom I've not heard of until last December. She won me over with her unabashed apology after Xiaxue exposed her. I'm hoping she apologizes this time too once she's back from her vacation instead of glossing over the whole incident like the other influencers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. This was one long analysis! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you guys think of this whole incident? (Comments on how Gushcloud/SingTel/the influencers handled it are particularly welcome!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe</span>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-MqLhfAiuDzg%2FVQk5pipP2xI%2FAAAAAAAAMj4%2F93_QhWthc3g%2Fs1600%2FGushcloud%252BAlthea%252BLim.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqLhfAiuDzg/VQk5pipP2xI/AAAAAAAAMj4/93_QhWthc3g/s1600/Gushcloud%2BAlthea%2BLim.png" -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-18253711277385105042015-03-11T05:21:00.000-07:002015-03-11T10:05:42.229-07:00Can Younger Workers Really Save Enough to Retire?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0K7HLy7rR7Q/VQAwpNebQgI/AAAAAAAAMic/W7UDfPuy0aE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B6.41.56%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0K7HLy7rR7Q/VQAwpNebQgI/AAAAAAAAMic/W7UDfPuy0aE/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B6.41.56%2Bpm.png" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The retirement picture for younger
Singaporeans is relatively healthy," said Manpower Minister Tan
Chuan-Jin. "Most Singaporeans who work regularly, and make prudent
housing options, should have no worries building up a comfortable
retirement nest egg within the CPF system." </span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't know about you, but I spotted at least 3 assumptions here:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Assumption 1: The cost of living will not rise. </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">However,
given inflation rates, this is unlikely to happen. 40 years ago, you
could get a plate of chicken rice for just 50 cents. That amount has
risen by at least 400% today. Who's to say the price will remain the
same 40 years from now on?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">He
uses a conservative example of a $165,000 retirement sum to illustrate this
point. But in reality, $165K may not be enough. Presuming a person
retires at 65 and caps monthly spending to under $1,500 (including any
debts, insurance or loans he has to service), this sum will barely last
him 10 years. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Disclaimer: This is a simplified analysis based on the assumption of $165K as a lump sum for retirement. It does not take into consideration your monthly payouts or CPF Life.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With the average life expectancy now at 85, how will having just $165,000 for retirement be enough? Clearly, we can't just depend on CPF alone to support us fully for our retirement. More needs to be done.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xr5d1ArH3cI/VJ8EdMyicUI/AAAAAAAAL4w/4yDweBUn820/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-28%2Bat%2B3.11.22%2Bam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xr5d1ArH3cI/VJ8EdMyicUI/AAAAAAAAL4w/4yDweBUn820/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-12-28%2Bat%2B3.11.22%2Bam.png" height="222" width="320" /></a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When
we're old, we are also more prone to falling sick, which needs even
more money. If we take an average hospital bill for an elderly person as
$30K, this retirement sum may only be able to last us 9 years at most!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also, we must not forget that "comfortable" means different things
to everyone. With rising expectations and materialism, just having a
roof over our head and being properly clothed and fed is no longer
enough; people today want much more.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Assumption 2: You will not be hit by emergencies which require cash.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wrote about some potential situations where you might find yourself needing cash urgently <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/03/why-we-need-emergency-fund.html">here (and the case for why you need an emergency fund)</a>.
Hospitalization will probably be the most likely for most of us,
regardless of whether this happens due to an external accident or us
falling sick.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aside
from that, you probably already know about the very real threat of
cancer, especially in developed countries like Singapore where
"lifestyle cancers" have been on the rise. Although the statistics
haven't been updated since 2012, you can probably extrapolate them and
get a rough idea for yourself.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bas8Wr8-emo/VQAwpDhISaI/AAAAAAAAMiY/c3P2rYNFB7M/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.14.55%2Bpm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bas8Wr8-emo/VQAwpDhISaI/AAAAAAAAMiY/c3P2rYNFB7M/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.14.55%2Bpm.png" height="147" width="400" /></a> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To
add on, what about the cost of cancer treatments? While I don't have
fixed figures, you can take the average cost of a cancer pill at $500
and chemotherapy for a few thousand dollars each time. Contrary to what
most people believe (including my own parents), our <u>Medisave cannot be used to foot the entire bill</u> as there are limits to how much we can use from our CPF to pay.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Assumption 3: When you're retired, you no longer have to pay for your child.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Presuming that the whole sum of $165K will all be used for oneself leaves out the possible scenario of us having to still pay for certain responsibilities even when we are retiring.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iCvt_CHvSh4/VQAwp_zN08I/AAAAAAAAMik/iH7U4sImy5Q/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.47.28%2Bpm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iCvt_CHvSh4/VQAwp_zN08I/AAAAAAAAMik/iH7U4sImy5Q/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.47.28%2Bpm.png" /></a> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most
Singaporeans are generally marrying later (males at 30, females at 28).
If you asked me, I would actually project a more accurate age to be 32
for the men and 30 for females today instead.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd9ga7GMqpo/VQAwq9Eqy3I/AAAAAAAAMi0/7l0Ek-Rwq3g/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.53.50%2Bpm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd9ga7GMqpo/VQAwq9Eqy3I/AAAAAAAAMi0/7l0Ek-Rwq3g/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.53.50%2Bpm.png" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>2 of my ex-colleagues just gave birth to their first child. Their age? Above 34.</i></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If
we were to assume 35 as the average age that an educated Singaporean
woman gives birth to her first child, this would mean her child has only
just graduated from university by the time she hits 60. <b>It is
unlikely that your child would be stable in their career by the time you
retire, thus you'll probably still end up supporting them financially
in some way or another for a few more years after your retirement.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Take
my parents for instance. They're both close to retirement age, but
still have a number of years left on our housing loan to pay for. My
sister and I aren't helping to pay, because on my part, my boyfriend and
I are saving up to try and get our own HDB in 2 years time. At a bare
minimum, even if we're working now, our parents are still supporting us
in terms of housing (until we marry).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you decide, will $165,000 in our CPF be enough for retirement in 2060?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s3EQYbAnv9A/VKT6EbWQXRI/AAAAAAAAL-k/yktFgh63TNA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-01%2Bat%2B3.40.52%2Bpm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s3EQYbAnv9A/VKT6EbWQXRI/AAAAAAAAL-k/yktFgh63TNA/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-01-01%2Bat%2B3.40.52%2Bpm.png" height="229" width="320" /></a> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bas8Wr8-emo/VQAwpDhISaI/AAAAAAAAMiY/c3P2rYNFB7M/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B7.14.55%2Bpm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Conclusion: Given current wage levels, I believe the CPF scheme is INSUFFICIENT for our generation (born 1980s - 2000) to save enough for retirement on its own.</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now don't get me wrong. I think the CPF is a great scheme. And I applauded when the government announced that our CPF interest rates would be increased by 1% this year during the SG50 budget. The returns from the money we have in our CPF account are also far more than if we put it in our bank, and has much lower risk than investments (pretty much zero risk actually).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But to say our CPF savings allows us save enough for our retirement? That, I respectfully disagree with. We have to <u>combine CPF savings with more.</u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b>
Uh oh! What should we do then?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More next time. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With love,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Budget Babe</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-45837534514947020662015-03-10T12:11:00.000-07:002015-03-11T04:43:20.691-07:00Should You Buy the New Travel Concession Pass?<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GxsqMKxUABA/VP8_pPjnxAI/AAAAAAAAMh8/FE7HKDKOk5k/s1600/Overview_concessionschemes2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GxsqMKxUABA/VP8_pPjnxAI/AAAAAAAAMh8/FE7HKDKOk5k/s1600/Overview_concessionschemes2015.jpg" /></a> </span></div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've
been lamenting the demise of my student concession card ever since I
graduated from university a few years ago. Gone are the days when I
could pay just $45 a month for public transport! But concession prices
for adults are much more expensive at $120 each month, so I wanted to
take a closer look at whether this would make financial sense or not. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For
the past 2 years, my average monthly fares is about $120, so the
concession didn't make any sense to me. Since paying through ez-link
top-ups entitled me to account for certain months where I may not travel as much (eg. during exam periods where tuition sessions are halted, I can save on up to 40 trips a month!), I decided it didn't make much sense to get a concession at that rate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven't already heard, here's more bad news. </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fares will increase by 2.8% from 5 April 2015 onwards. </b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUeVbDHsrx4/VP8_lMtnvDI/AAAAAAAAMhk/I11LUIDoGrY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B2.59.45%2Bam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUeVbDHsrx4/VP8_lMtnvDI/AAAAAAAAMhk/I11LUIDoGrY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B2.59.45%2Bam.png" height="140" width="400" /></a> </b><br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply put, adult fares will increase by 2 - 5 cents per journey (10 cents each if you pay by cash), while student fares will only rise by 1 cents each trip. This is nothing much to be worried about, because the fare increase is likely to be under $10 per month for you even if you commute often.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But still, I've been finding ways to cut down on my public transport each month. So when I heard that we</span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> can buy an off-peak monthly travel pass (OMTP) for $80 </b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">after 5 July 2015, I immediately set to work evaluating if this would be a good tool to add to my tricks on saving in Singapore. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a catch<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> though.</span> While this OMTP will offer us unlimited travel on bus and trains, we can only use it during certain hours. No problem on weekends and public holidays<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, but<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> during we<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ekdays<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, your travel periods are <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">restricted on the<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> pass.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkEZa20L7Ok/VP8_5D1J1fI/AAAAAAAAMiE/lIlXRQ0Fd8M/s1600/Travel-Pass-21-Jan-2015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QkEZa20L7Ok/VP8_5D1J1fI/AAAAAAAAMiE/lIlXRQ0Fd8M/s1600/Travel-Pass-21-Jan-2015.jpg" /></a> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this worth it? Let's take a look.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(TDLR version for lazy readers: Don't bother buying the OMTP.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Can we use the OMTP to travel to work?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">No.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Unless you're in the shipping line and thus travel before
6.30am. Most of us simply don't wake up that early.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Can we use it at lunchtime?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Yes, but unlikely.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">You can use this during lunch to travel out, but how many of us
actually have time to travel back and forth for lunch <u>within an hour?</u> (Or
2 hours, if your boss is nice!)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Can we use it after work?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Only if you OT.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Only if you stay overtime and knock off after 7.30pm. Or you
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Can I use it if I meet friends after work?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">Yes, but you pay for one trip.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';">You'll have to pay for your first trip, unless your friends are
meeting much later, say at 8pm. But yes, your journey home after the meal
would be covered under the OMTP.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>A Rough Breakdown on Monthly Transport Fares</u></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calculations:</span></div>
<div>
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trips per day<o:p></o:p></div>
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Higher travel / day<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>$100<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>$250+++</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Taking average fare trip as $1.70.</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>If you don't commute much </b>except to and from work, at a minimum of 2 trips a day, <b>your transport fares can reach slightly over</b> <b>$100 / month.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>If you usually have activities after work and on weekends</b> (like me, especially where weekends can be packed with multiple appointments), <b>your monthly fares could easily exceed $250 / month.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, a concession seems to make a lot of sense! Right? Not exactly.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Buy the OMTP</u></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Generally speaking, if you travel much earlier to and from work than the rest of us (eg. 5.30am / 4.30pm), then getting the pass will bring you quite a fair bit of savings. But few of us actually fall into this group.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or if you tend to OT and go home late, the OMTP might be able to help.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On weekends, the OMTP is great for those who have an active social life, as you can then travel as much as you want without worrying about fares.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Don't bother buying the OMTP</u></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But frankly, <b>for the rest of us, the OMTP will not really make a difference.</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you fall into the average working adult in Singapore where your office hours are 9am - 6pm, you'll be paying for at least half of your trips, if not all. </span></div>
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Paid travel during peak hours<br />
(at minimal 2 trips / day)<o:p></o:p></div>
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$50<o:p></o:p></div>
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OMTP<o:p></o:p></div>
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$80<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Total (with OMTP)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">$130<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Minimal travel without OMTP<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">$100</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even if you have activities after work, you're likely to only be saving on 1 trip each day on the OMTP. Using my lifestyle and schedule as an example, this works out to be:</span></div>
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Paid travel <br />
(during morning work hours)<o:p></o:p></div>
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$34<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paid travel<br />
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$34<o:p></o:p></div>
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OMTP travel<br />
(Weekdays: going home at 8 – 11pm and throughout weekends)<o:p></o:p></div>
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$80<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">$148</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My current transport costs without OMTP? $120 </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(FYI: Per day, I travel 3 times on weekdays, 3 - 8 times on weekends)</span></i></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In both cases, <span style="font-size: large;"><b>the OMTP actually increases our monthly transport costs instead</b></span> of decreasing it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I feel so cheated! And to think that the government is claiming this will help us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xxpPiSCbUIk/VP8_leNGg0I/AAAAAAAAMho/A4U9R-egaBc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B1.43.23%2Bam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y_97W7MyUww/VP8_lHZ-HeI/AAAAAAAAMhs/FM8ThbE4-qo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B2.59.48%2Bam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y_97W7MyUww/VP8_lHZ-HeI/AAAAAAAAMhs/FM8ThbE4-qo/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B2.59.48%2Bam.png" height="108" width="400" /></a></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and on another note, did you hear about the increased frequency of SMRT's breakdowns recently in the last 2 weeks alone? (Choa Chu Kang, Yew Tee, Bukit Panjang, Boon Lay, Queenstown, Kent Ridge...) Poor West-side folks!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xxpPiSCbUIk/VP8_leNGg0I/AAAAAAAAMho/A4U9R-egaBc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B1.43.23%2Bam.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xxpPiSCbUIk/VP8_leNGg0I/AAAAAAAAMho/A4U9R-egaBc/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-11%2Bat%2B1.43.23%2Bam.png" height="134" width="320" /></a></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Till then, I'll just deal with having to pay $120 / month for transport while accepting the breakdowns as a common downside to living in Singapore.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget Babe. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689586298418841680.post-30546660138920906462015-03-05T01:49:00.003-08:002015-03-05T01:49:32.831-08:00What Should the Starting Pay for a Fresh Graduate Be? $4000?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bwhPLtGhSI/VPgfujakTGI/AAAAAAAAMg4/skL9tPKRoC4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-05%2Bat%2B5.17.16%2Bpm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bwhPLtGhSI/VPgfujakTGI/AAAAAAAAMg4/skL9tPKRoC4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-05%2Bat%2B5.17.16%2Bpm.png" height="347" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
This morning I read the news on <a href="http://business.asiaone.com/career/news/1-5-graduates-expect-4000-starting-pay-stjobs">how 1 in 5 graduates expect a starting pay of $4,000</a>. It took me by surprise, because hidden in the middle of the article is the fact that <b>70% believe they should be paid up to $4,000</b>.<br />
<br />
It took me by surprise, because my starting pay was only $2,500 when I graduated a few years ago. After CPF deductions, my take-home pay was only $1,999 back then.<br />
<br />
I read on to see what these graduates had to say in order to justify their expected remuneration, and these were some of their defenses:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 12.00119972229px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.0017986297607px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
Yu
Lan, 26, a student from Nanyang Technological University, is one of
them who thinks that her starting salary should be at least $4,000 <span style="color: red;">as
she has "strong analysis skills and trouble-shooting ability</span>".</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 12.00119972229px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.0017986297607px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; orphans: auto; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
On
the other hand, 25-year-old Samuel Tan expects to be paid up to $4,000
in starting salary as other jobs he has applied to offer similar
payouts. Other reasons cited include "<span style="color: red;">I have the required abilities and
good work ethics and experience from my part-time jobs".</span></div>
</blockquote>
I started working a part-time job related to my industry when I was 18. Thus, you could fairly say that what these people claim they have, I had them as well. So why did I accept a starting pay that was almost half of what they expect?<br />
<br />
<b>Because in your first job, it is more important to learn than to earn a high salary.</b><br />
<br />
The experience and demands from a part-time job may be valuable, but they are not quite the same as a full-time job. In addition, office politics is a whole new different ballgame altogether. So here's a word of advice to my juniors and anyone reading this: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>It is better to start with a lower-paid job which teaches you more, rather than going into a higher-paid job where you learn less.</b></blockquote>
I strongly believe that if you are as good as you believe yourself to be, then sooner or later your abilities will be recognized and be paid fair value. I felt I was worth at least $3,000 for my starting pay, but accepted the lower pay anyway. Less than a year later, my skills and achievements had been noticed and a competitor offered me my due value together with a promotion.<br />
<br />
If I had insisted on a role that paid me my expected salary in the beginning, all of these might not have happened. Today, I'm doing far better than most of my peers (and probably earning more). <br />
<br />
On that note, take a look at the results of CNA's latest survey of <a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/higher-salaries-for/1684182.html?cid=twtcna">how much the class of 2014 is earning at the workplace</a>. While many people are questioning if the numbers are truly reflective, I was far more interested in the comments this article was receiving.<br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Georgia, garamond, serif; font-size: 12.00119972229px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18.0017986297607px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
There were a number of older folks leaving surprised comments that the income has not risen since the early 2000s. Take a look.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YywBqpZpc7Y/VPgfu1YghZI/AAAAAAAAMg8/4CFB5lOIeLU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-01%2Bat%2B10.49.10%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YywBqpZpc7Y/VPgfu1YghZI/AAAAAAAAMg8/4CFB5lOIeLU/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-03-01%2Bat%2B10.49.10%2Bam.png" /></a></div>
<br />
According to this Robin Low, an engineering graduate was paid $3,000 - $3,500 back in 1999. While I don't have friends who can attest to that, I do have friends who are engineers today and earned a starting pay in that same range too. But between 1999 - 2015, our cost of living has shot up much higher.<br />
<br />
Obviously, salaries are not catching up.<br />
<br />
But before you start complaining, think about what else has gone up.<br />
<br />
<b>Our expectations.</b><br />
<i>(Read <a href="http://worklivesingapore.blogspot.sg/2015/02/what-do-we-really-need.html">What Do We Really Need?)</a></i><b> </b><br />
<br />
Back in the 1990s, our parents were happy enough to have a roof over their head, enough food to eat without worry, and earning enough to pay the bills. Today's teenagers and young working adults, however, want so much more. We want to travel the world (I'm equally guilty), follow the latest fashion trends, own branded items and go cafe-hopping where we can take Instagram photos to show everyone what a good life we have.<br />
<br />
<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fpce5fRTHuA/VPggCt7JqrI/AAAAAAAAMhI/tnR-7iEhHJY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-15%2Bat%2B2.55.13%2Bam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fpce5fRTHuA/VPggCt7JqrI/AAAAAAAAMhI/tnR-7iEhHJY/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-02-15%2Bat%2B2.55.13%2Bam.png" height="165" width="320" /></a><br />
Am I the only one who sees a problem here?<br />
<br />
Cost of living goes up. Societal expectations go up, along with our own expectations of what constitutes a decent life. <b>We need increasingly more money to survive, but our earnings are not catching up fast enough.</b><br />
<br />
If salaries haven't changed much in the last 16 years, what makes these graduates think it'll hit $4,000 in the next few years?<br />
<br />
This is why I'm not content enough to simply save, but am also actively investing. And why I think you should, too. But hey, that's a post for another day.<br />
<br />
Till then, be realistic.<br />
<br />
With love,<br />
Budget Babe<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10