Rubbish is getting very valuable!

a raided store

a "vulture" at work

Cost of living is going up. Prices of everything are going northbound. Including our "rubbish".

My old newspapers stacked neatly outside my home were stolen in the wee hours of the morning. Even my beloved old Adidas sneakers were stolen too.


The recycling bin is constantly raided by "vultures". While the public spirited residents dutifully placed items into bins prepared our town council during daylight, we got "vultures" who come out in the middle of nights on bicycles with a big basket attached to the back seat to hold any salvaged items. They would then sell their harvests for a few bucks.


One good thing that comes out of all these is that the human race in Singapore, as a whole, is getting more and more environmentally aware. Even a young student of mine displayed her displeasure when I use a blank piece of paper to answer her question.

Count our blessings... in a way

my personal mini Chingay

The good news is that Ms SUN Yuanping skipped her college graduation ceremony for a job interview armed with degrees in marketing and botany from a well-regarded school in this central Chinese city and ranked in the top fifth of her class.

The bad news is that Ms Sun never heard back from that prospective employer, nor from dozens of other companies and government agencies where she has applied since she graduated last June.

She is one of the 1.45mio unemployed new graduates from a total 5mio graduates each year in China.

Recently, after tearful self assessment in many sleepless nights while living off a US$100 monthly allowance from her parents, she has decided to cut her expectations and began sending her resume to small businesses asking for salaries as low as US$140 a month, a third of what she had hoped to make.

Compared that image in China with the image of our graduates in Singapore which I saw on tv recently. I heard this guy said, "I will probably wait till the right job comes along..." or something along that line.

Greetings or Extortion?

During this Chinese New Year period, you will see or at the very least hear the roaring drums and piercing clanging of the cymbals.

Some of them were invited by the business owners or homeowners to give their premises a roaring start to a brand new lunar year. They would then be duly rewarded with a BIG angpow.

BUT I noticed there were some of them who were NOT invited to the business premises. The team, I saw, was wearing bright coloured baggy trousers with off-coloured t-shirts trying to distract me from their unkempt hairs. They sort of hang around banging their drum placed on a trolleyand wriggling the lame-looking "lion" at your premises UNTIL an angpow was handed over to them...

Greetings or extortion?

While we celebrate our CNY, ...

...I know of a family with a "cher char" business in financial trouble.

Just two days before CNY, PUB cut the water supply to the coffee shop they are running. They have been behind with more than $7,500 utilities bills unpaid over last few months.

I was told it was not the first time PUB had tried to cut the supply. Warnings were given but I guess the family just couldn't come up with the money.

This being the peak season to make some monies, their opportunity loss would be tremendous!!

It is certainly not easy to run a business.

Just pray that everyone will have a good, happy and healthy year ahead.

P/S - I will take a walk to the coffee shop later to check whether they have resume business.

Amazon to buy Audible.com

reflection of my life

When Amazon, the largest online bookstore, first announced its e-book reader Kinder, I said it would not be enough. Why would I buy a gadget for a few hundred dollars just to read from it? Can't I do it from my laptop?

Then Amazon added the volume button on its e-book reader. Amazon then went out and bought Audible.com, a major online distributor of audio books, for the contents to put into Kinder. The price paid is $300 millions. (peanuts by M&A standard in US)

What is my reaction to this new move?
It would not be enough again. Why would I buy a gadget for a few hundred dollars just to read and/or listen to a book from it? Can't I do it from my laptop or from my Nokia handphone?

If Amazon is going to do a-la-Sony ie. putting a security feature on the audio files, it better thinks twice.

Bottomline - Is Amazon scrapping at the bottom of its barrel for ideas?

Motorola is having trouble with its HP business?

Motorola, the good people who invented the mobile phone, is having trouble coming up with another killer idea since the first Razr phone was introduced a couple of years ago.

They are so troubled that Motorola is actually considering selling off its HP division.

Morals of the story

• One good idea every few years is no longer enough for a modern company today.


• Nobody is going to guarantee your lunch everyday just because of your past reputation.


• You must constantly evolved. To stand still is suicidal.

National Lifelong Income Scheme

my Sat morning escapade

Did I hear wrongly on the news last night? The government is going to unveil a national lifelong INCOME scheme. I am all ears to any schemes that will ensure my income for life!!!

So what is this National Lifelong Income scheme?

It is the ANNUITY plan for those who live beyond the age of 85 - will be rolled out as soon as 2013.

Prof Lim's National Longevity Insurance Committee suggested the scheme should provide a basic and steady income for life; allow refund of the capital sum on early death; and start at age 80 instead of 85, but allow for options on the starting payout age.

The scheme sounds fantastic. Compliments to the brains that have gone into it and the hardwork of consulting more than 600 people from all walks of life.

But....

Why is it called an Income scheme when it is actually an annuity scheme funded by my CPF's life saving? Or did I get it wrong.. is it going to be funded by the government?

Who came out with all these wow wow names? The National Longevity INSURANCE committe???? The National Lifelong INCOME Scheme????

I didn't know insurance is equal to income. Branding gone awry?