Friday, October 31, 2008

Why locks on 7-Eleven

If the 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why does it have locks on the door?




economist in me:-
It does not make sense to buy or produce special doors without locks just for 7-Eleven.
It is more economical to install standard doors with locks.

the business thinking in me:-
Not all 7-Elevens are 24hours, especially those in foreign countries.
In singapore, some 7-Eleven in hospitals are not 24hours.

the operator in me:-
in case of emergency, can lock and go.

There are actually many various reasons why 24/7 shops have locks.

One of them from WikiAnswers.
Doors are made that way. They are are manufactured with locks. You can't buy an exterior door that doesn't come with a lock.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Food Security

Food Security?
I saw an article in The Straits Times about ensuring food security for Singapore, by investing in agriculture farms (i think, vegetables and crops) in China.
They would be led by SFI (Singapore Food Industries), a Government-Linked-Company.

Furthermore, SFI would study the feasibility of setting up pig farms in China.

I can't find the exact article about the argicultural investment by Singapore, but I found a linked article regarding the SFI feasibility studies.

"The long—term objective is to provide supply of food, not just for local consumption, and export to Singapore, which is in line with the overall objective of ensuring food security in Singapore," Mr Mah said.


Generally, if you want food security, you probably mean you want food security in uncertain times, where food supplies are limited and the market is disrupted.

In normal times, you can easily purchase food from the market. Even if prices are high, as long as the market function normally, Singapore, as a relatively wealthy country should not be facing food security issues.

So the grip of it is that countries want to ensure food security in abnormal times. Where money alone may not secure food for your population. This fear was stroked recently with competing demands of food supplies (bio-fuels), and dwindling supplies (droughts in Australia, for example), and many countries restricted the export of food crops. Some countries such as India, Vietnam limited the export of rice, even with adequate supplies for their home countries. These unnecessary restricted stroked panics and created disruption in the market supply, inducing even more exporting countries to exercise caution and importing countries to fear.
(note: thank the credit crisis for putting a stop to inflation and fall in price of your fragrant rice)

So we are worried of food security in irrational times. I am not sure of the wisdom of putting Singapore food farms in the world's most populated country. China has vast amount of mouths to feed, and limited agricultural land. As it is now, it is a net importer of food. Furthermore, as an authoritarian government, the right to rule rest on the responsibilities to take care and feed her citizens. In times of crisis, I believe that the China government would take every opportunity to ensure food security for her own citizens. And I would not blame them for that.

So what kind of a food security is this, investing farms in China?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Gwen - the primary school teacher



This is the picture on the pages of our local tabloids. No no, NOT the New Paper. The real tabloid, our evening chinese papers LianHe WanBao 联合晚报 (another famous tabloid- Shin Min Daily News 新明日报)

Actually its just another ordinary lady in a rather nice luminous green bikini. No big deal.
But the newspapers make a big fuss out of it because she is a primary school teacher.
They call her "ah-lian primary school teacher"

My first reaction, or rather, my 2nd reaction, uh-hm, is "so?"

So what if she is a teacher? Does it really matter? One should be judged by how professionally you conducted your work, not by how you lead your private life. A primary school teacher cannot wear bikini, nor flock to the beach? This is insane.
And wearing a bikini does not make a girl "ah lian"!!

No wonder MOE is having a hard, uh-hum, time looking for teachers.

To me, as long she does her work properly, her private life should not be an issue.
As I understand it, there are people concerned that she is setting a bad example for students. Although I do not see how can a bikini reflects one's moral values and ethics, I do realise that there are many conservatives and other people around.

So what about you? Should a teacher be allowed her own private saucy life? Or is she expected to mind her attires, even in her personal activities?




Anyway 1 serious topic for you to ponder, and many less serious questions below....



She has a very very nice....pair of tattoos on her back.
At the bottom, look at that......tattoo..such elegant winged design.




What a gorgeous, wonderful, attractive HAT!
I wish i can have that hat. Its really simple and nice.




Ok I'd have to be honest here. I am really attracted at the belly jewellery.
I think belly jewellery is one of the coolest and feminine accessories.



Oh gosh! Look at that elephant.
Such nice water feature.





And lastly, stare hard at this photo.
What do you see?

Yup. One monkey riding a dolphin.
Wherever this place is, I am having a talk with their sculptors.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Singapore, first to dip into recession

I missed this article, dated 10th October'2008 earlier but here goes...



AFP - Friday, October 10

SINGAPORE, Oct 10, 2008 (AFP) - Singapore has become the first Asian economy to fall into recession, analysts said Friday, after the government revised downward its full-year growth estimate and eased monetary policy for the first time in years.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry lowered the city-state's full-year growth forecast to around three percent, citing a slowdown in the global economy and key domestic sectors.

The move came as the ministry released preliminary data showing that real GDP declined by 6.3 percent in the third quarter after contracting 5.7 percent in the previous quarter, the ministry said.

While it did not describe the economy as being in recession, a technical recession is generally defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction in economic output.

"Singapore will be the first Asia economy to fall into a technical recession," DBS Group Research said in an assessment of the data.

In a move to confront the downturn, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) -- its de facto central bank -- said it was easing monetary policy for the first time in more than four years.

"The Singapore economy has weakened over the course of 2008, alongside an escalation in the turmoil in financial markets and a more severe deceleration in global economic activity," MAS said.

These developments meant new uncertainties for the Singapore economy, while slower Asian growth would restrain activity in a range of service industries such as transportation and tourism, it said.

"The risks to external demand conditions continue to be on the downside, and a more severe global downturn cannot be discounted," the bank said.

The MAS conducts monetary policy through the local currency rather than by setting interest rates.

The Singapore dollar is traded against a basket of currencies of its major trading partners within an undisclosed band known as the nominal effective exchange rate (NEER).

In its semi-annual statement, MAS said it had maintained the policy of a modest and gradual appreciation of the NEER policy band since April 2004 but is shifting to zero percent appreciation.

Singapore is Southeast Asia's wealthiest economy in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita but is heavily dependent on trade. This makes it sensitive to hiccups in developed economies, particularly key export markets the United States and Europe.

Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter rise in GDP, the value of goods and services produced in the economy.

Compared with the third quarter of last year, the ministry said Singapore's economy contracted by 0.5 percent in real terms, against 0.8 percent expansion foreseen in the Dow Jones poll.

In August the government had revised down its full-year GDP growth forecast to 4.0-5.0 percent but since then, external economic conditions have deteriorated more than expected, the trade ministry said.

Analysts said the key drag on third-quarter growth was manufacturing, which contracted by 11.5 percent year-on-year, and the surprise was a sharp decline in growth of what has been a booming construction sector.

Construction growth slowed to 7.8 percent from 19.8 percent, while service industries grew by 6.1 percent, marginally down from 7.0 percent in the second quarter, the data showed.

"Services deceleration should get more severe from here on," the US bank Morgan Stanley said in a report.

In a speech Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that although growth is slowing, the financial system is sound and the economy remains competitive.

He said that in recent years Singapore has upgraded and diversified its economy.

"This will mean new and better jobs, even if some old ones are lost," he told a conference.

Morgan Stanley said it expects things will only get worse for Singapore, and the recession will likely be more than just a technical one.



Weeeee....Another FIRST for Singapore. First Asian economy to dip into recession.
Sometimes, aint you proud of us?
With world trade, finances, tourism, and electronics as the bulk of our "diversified" economy, we are usually the first to be affected by such a major downturn.
But honestly, I wonder how can you diversify more against bad economic times? I thought of agriculture but we are limited in land.

Lets hope that we will be the first Asian economy to recover and boom soon.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Happy Deepavali

Today is Deepavali, or Diwali, a major festival holiday in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism.

Here, read more about it from wikipedia


Deepavali, also known as the festival of lights, marks victory of good over evil and uplifting of spiritual darkness. Symbolically it marks the homecoming of goodwill and faith after an absence, as suggested by the Ramayana.

Well well, we should hope for some homecoming of goodwill and faith now, after the huge void of it in the stock markets in recent months.

With the recession, the huge drop in value of national wealth, what are you planning to prepare for the absence of boom times and good life?

Happy Deepavali to all Hindus and citizens of the world =)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Critics do not need solution

Being able to criticise does not make me an expert. Not being an expert does not make me unable to criticise.
-cherub' 26th october'2008

Why must one provide the reason why one is unhappy over something, and then provide the solution or alternative?

One view people misunderstood is that they believe that one has no right to criticise anything unless he has an alternate way. If you are not able to provide constructive suggestions, then please do not hold the high ground and criticise.

I disagree.

This view is held by many, uneducated and educated, by professionals like lawyers, teachers, and our favourite politicians.
How many times have our own local politicians lambasted the opposition for criticising the government, arguing that the oppositions has no alternate solutions?

You see pal, you are the government. I pay you your salary to do your job right. And if the majority of your taxpayers said you are doing it wrong, you need to justify your salary and change your policies.
I can't possibly do your job for you.





To generalise this:
I may not be a chef, but I can tell whether a chicken rice dish is done properly.
If it is not tasty, I can simply criticise it.
I have no idea how to brew the sauce, how to cook the chicken or the steam the rice, but that does not mean I can't criticise or reject the dish.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Gold hits lowest level


"Gold hits lowest level in a year"

Straits Times, Money Page Headline 24th October' 2008

One of the example how the crisis unfolding is making irrational events, or rather, distorting conventional wisdom.

In moments of crisis, gold is traditionally seen as a safe asset class. In bad times, gold usually benefits in times of uncertainty.
we all know the value of gold as a stable mark of value.



Why the break in wisdom? One reason is that the greenback, after suffering from months of low value, has surged and become a strong and dependable asset class, taking gold's position as a safe asset to park value.
2ndly, fall in gold prices was led by the downfall of commodities prices, including the prices of precious medals such as platinum and silver.

So where can u park your money now?

Friday, October 24, 2008

What recession?

Are you affected by the financial downturn in America?


Think about it.
How many friends / relatives of yours that is affected severely now?

The latest grapevines revealed that even those in the financial sector remains relatively unscathed. Sure, bonus outlook is probably down, but most jobs are secure.

In most unrelated sectors, the factories are still humming, though expectations of lower output and bad times are here.

The construction sector is having a helluva booming time. They will probably welcome the recession for the cheaper prices of raw materials, and cheaper labour.

The property market is calmer and less active. But prices are still holding steady.



I have heard that this is possibly the biggest recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. (i believe it myself too)
If so, how come the bad news arent coming yet?

When?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

How much is 1 life worth?

Would you cause the death of an innocent person to save the live of another person?
How about causing the death of an innocent for the 10 lives?
20 lives?
100 lives?
1000 lives?



Say you are walking on a track and you realised the approaching train's brakes are faulty. If you push the friend next to you onto the track, you can stop the train and save the passengers' lives.
Would you sacrifice an innocent life for the 10 passengers? 100? 1000?

How do you judge the worthiness of lives? by quantity? by how close you are to him?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Defend your rights

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Paraphrase from Voltaire, "Essay on Tolerance"

Original phrase- "Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write."

There are so many different people, with strongly held beliefs and opinions. It would be counter-productive to prove anyone's worth. I guess that is the real strength of true democracy, which is so lacking in many political systems and religions.
To assert oneself is right and has no room for any deviation is arrogant and simply backwards.

When you argue, do remember to put yourself in the other's shoes and consider all facts. Life would be educating.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Beliefs and differences

"While you are 100 percent certain that your preferred candidate's stance on issues such as foreign policy and the economy would appeal to any human being with half a brain, there is, in this very same country, an equally large voting bloc which believes that you and your candidate of choice are absolutely insane"

Article from The Onion, a satire website from America.
The Onion is a newsletter with a long history of satirical articles which no holds barred.



The irony aspect of satire is that sometimes it reveals more information and insight than what you can glean from normal news report and commentary. Especially political incorrect information and very simple facts that gets overlooked by over-analysed data and eager journalists.


Many people make up this world, and its really amazing how different beliefs and opinions can be held, and fought over. People who believe in a particular belief, say political party 1, cannot understand why are there so many people supporting the other side. "Isn't this obvious", I've heard this lamenting countless of times.

Personally I feel Obama is the ideal man for the job right now, and the Democratic Party has the greatest potential to right the wrongs and set USA in the correct path. And there is easily another large voting bloc who believe that voting for Obama is insane and nothing less of a Republican victory would do USA justice.

Thats the beautiful thing about democracy.

Monday, October 20, 2008

You need the rabbit


To be a magician, you must catch the rabbit with the hat, first.

This funny comic is from Cyanide and Happiness, a comic strip that is full of violence, sexual references and disgusting stuff. Very unusual.
In other words, its damn well excellent.


This particular strip strikes out at me in a different way.
We all say the political correct phrases:- "hard work is the key to success".

Hard work is indeed important, but sometimes you need the rabbit before you can start practising magic.
Luck plays a very important role.

Luck can be everything.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Once-in-a-lifetime stock buying opportunity

"The market could go a lot lower still, but this is either the beginning of the end of the United States as we know it, in which case it doesn't matter how I invested, or it is a once-in-a-lifetime stock buying opportunity."

Scott Adams, Author of Dilbert Comics, from his blog entry


The market has been falling and stocks are clearly undervalued. Even the blue chips are down, with no fundamental problems.
Yes, a recession is looming, and we may be in for a tough time, but if you have the holding power for 10 years or so, i believe this is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Buy USA equities, stocks, or funds. Hold for the long term.
You can't go wrong on that.

my only regret is i splurged most of my savings on loans and expenses.
damn.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Be greedy when others are fearful

"Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful"

Warren Buffett, from "Buy American. I am"

Monday, October 6, 2008

Stupidest MLM girl in the world

Stupidest MLM girl in the world

This girl, 21years old, thought that the government import and export everything we use!!!!!


Beware of any people dealing with "Imuone"

Its a diamond investment company. Nothing is stupidest than investing money in diamond (different from buying diamonds as jewelleries), I would blog abt it next time, but the sales persons are dumb (next msn conversation in nxt entry will highlight)


Meanwhile, please read this....Bear in mind


1) She havent msn me for 2years

2) I deleted her coz she borrowed $50 and promised to repay in the next day.

3) of course she never replied my sms, nor my calls. took a month plus to repay.

4) basically, i dont like to talk to stupid pple.


2 years never talk to me, then suddenly msn me.....THATS MLM FOR YOU!!!!!!


Jester -

wat abt u?

Stupidest MLM girl

okie..

wad kind of trading??

Jester –

Some goods. wat abt u? doing wat now

Stupidest MLM girl

okie..

i'm dealing with investment

Jester -

which company

Stupidest MLM girl

how do u trade the things??

Jester -

which company are u in?

Stupidest MLM girl -

imuone

Jester -

imuone? wats tat

oh no wonder ur nick (nick changed to save her embarrassment)


Stupidest MLM girl -

yup..

it's dealing with diamonds investment

yup..

Jester -


ooo icic

Stupidest MLM girl -

u havent tell me how u trade ur things

Jester -

import and exports lor

nothing special leh

Stupidest MLM girl -

import and export

to who and where

Jester -

err all over?

Stupidest MLM girl -

who would wan it

Jester -

usa china taiwan

retailers lor

Stupidest MLM girl -

coz i have heard of import and export coal oil steel..

it's smth new

Jester -

huh

err ur computer u using now is imported wad.

the food u ate, mostly is imported

everything u use in singapore.....99% is imported

zzzzzzz

Stupidest MLM girl -

okie..

cause is all done by the gov

Jester -

HUH????

ITS NOT....

errr????

of course its not.

its done by private enterprise..

for wat they call, PROFIT.

Stupidest MLM girl -

i meant mostly..

Jester -

no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wah i got to blog abt htis

put our msn conversation

Stupidest MLM girl -

huh

Jester -

since when has the govt import and export stuff???

the computer u use, the vegetables u eat, of course they are imported and exported by business

why would the govt import and export ur stuff????

Stupidest MLM girl -

temasek holding

Jester -

wah liew eh.

err nvm lah, u cut and copy this conversation show ur fren leh

lol

everytthing u buy in the supermarket, everything u buy in the wet markets

they are from private markets

Stupidest MLM girl -

btw how much u earning now ar

Jester -

free market - do u understand whats that?

sorry i dont reveal income

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