Good for thought.

Is something good because everyone practices the same thing, or is it good that's why everyon does so?

Book: Rich Dad Poor Dad

Title: Rich Dad Poor Dad
Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki

Robert tells his story of how it was like growing up with two fathers, his biological father (Poor Dad) and his best friend's father (Rich Dad). Poor dad teaches the same things as most parents do - "Work hard, get good results, get a good job", while Rich dad tells him to "not work for money, let money work for you". Torn between the advice of both adults, Robert tries to look deeper into what both are teaching him, the main ideas and logic behind them, and finally finds an answer of his own.

The book places a strong emphasis on the need for everyone to be 'Financially Literate', that is, to understand how to manage your wealth and finances such that you keep yourself in a decent level of financial security. The cncepts in the book are easy to grasp, and are definiely easy to follow, as long as you learn the difference between 'asset' and 'liability' as covered in the book.

This book would serve you well if you are looking for advice on how to improve your financial standing, especially if you find yourself barly coping with your finances. Also, Robert introduces his educaitonal board game, 'Cashflow 101', and explains how it has helped a number of people understand the tips behind building a strong financial foundation for the later part of your life.

However, this is not a get-quick-rich book that teaches you 101 ways to get a million dollars in the fastest possible means. This book is about improving your concepts about finance, about managing your wealth so that your assets can one day grow by itself without you having to worry - the stage which many people term as 'financial fredom'.

You woulnd not require a strong background knowledge in any topic as the book is written in a way such that there are almost no technical terms - and if so, are explained clearly. A short and simple book for almost anyone to read. Defintitely worth your time.

Working to impress.

I abhor working for the sake of impressing. Worse, we are forced to do so, only so that one person gains the credit he needs. How absurd.

I'm really relieved that it's ending soon.

The art of being a victim.

I have always been amazed at how people can victimize themselves while ranting incessantly, praying that a miracle will come solve every problem of theirs. Put down your textbooks, children, because the number one lesson you all should have learnt - but never did, was about how to not shove a problem in your own face and wait for it to disappear by itself. If I were a problem, I'd gladly sit still and screw around with your life, and watch you squirm with that pitiful face on - it really brings pleasure, I promise.

It is YOUR problem.

How many times do I need to remind people that the problem is theirs. There isn't much the world can do for you if you have an unreasonable colleague or partner. You don't expect Kofi Annan to come with a proposal for conflict resolution, do you? And neither should you expect your best friend to solve your problem, simply because it's your problem, not his.

Sitting on the fence only gives you a sore butt.

No, it's not purely about opinion, but not havin any opinion on what is happening to you is only going to make things more difficult for you - and the few listening ears. Do not approach anyone for help without any idea in mind because seriously, if you are too lazy to even think of a solution, what makes you think others should offer their minds to your problem.

Sitting on the fence waiting for an answer only gets you ****ed.

If you called for help while sitting still, I'd gladly help you down. Downwards that is. Stop thinking that everyone in the world is as nice as the kid who helped you up when you fell off the swing at the playground when you were 3. The world might not be an absolutely evil place, but from what I have seen, it isn't very much helpful. How many times have you seen a crowd around a bloodied cyclist? Recall that it usually takes awhile before one idiot yells "Someone call the ambulance!" We humans are downright curious, but downright unhelpful at that.

Why me?

Why you? Because someone from above saw you leaving the toilet without flushing and decided to punish you. Please, stop thinking that you are the only one who doesn't flush. Everyone gets their shares of ups and downs, and it's just that you had a problem on hand while your friends are happy at home watching Desperate Housewives. No one decides that it's you who quarrels with your spouse on Valentines Day, no one plans to crash your computer the night before your presentation - it just happens. And oh, if you think it isn't fair, remember that you might be complaining to a friend over the phone while little kids in Africa are too hungry to even mutter a word. Now, who's the lucky bas***d?

So, Mister-Wise-Guy, what should I do?

Sit down, have a cup of tea, and think things through. Look at your problem again at hand. See what is it you are unhappy about. Then look at the possible causes - that's one hell of a problem actually, the diagnostic portion - and see what you can do to solve the problem or minimise it's impact. There is always a way out. Even losing a game is a way out of it. It is just how you want to exit your current situation that matters to you. You can leave a happy/sad, winner/loser, either way. You can be a happy loser for all I care, and the world would still be like it is today.

Off you go.

Okay, enough of my crap. You still have your problem at hand. So go do what you need to do. Remember, do not call for help unless necessary. Go on, get your butt off the fence.

A new toy.

Adrian has gotten himself yet another toy. This time, it's a Vaio laptop. Okay, he didn't quite get it himself - his dad did.

Went down to Funan today to take a look. There was this display at the ground floor and we decided to head there first. I ended up buying the very first model I laid my eyes on. Thin enough, light enough (1.76kg with battery). I opted for a 14" so that it would not be too bulky. Definitely satisfied - who wouldn't when your dad was offering his credit card for use, right?

Hopefully it will last long enough to make it worth it.

Another white lie.

Is it me, or is it that all high-tech stuff I lay my hands on tend to disintegrate within a year or so? Thinking of it, besides my mouse, my earphones have already made a trip to the factory. Yes, the Creative Aurvana In-Ear Earphones I bought somewhere in 2006.

I just collected them from the outlet in Plaza Singapura after sending them for 'repairs'. What happened was that the connecting wires at the base were loose, and I could hear no bass in my earphones. Just in case you were wondering, listening to any music with no bass is like eating prawn noodles without prawns and noodles. The song sounds more like a minus-one, or worse, all you hear is a faint echo of the vocals.

So I decided to make a trip down to the care centre despite knowing that my warranty was supposed to have expired. I thought they could do a repair for me at a decent price. I thought.

"Sir, we do not do repairs. What will happen is we will give you a replacement. And since you do not have a proof of purchase, we will have to levy a charge."

"Wow!" I thought, glad that I would get a brand-new set. That was until he explained that the total cost of replacement and whatever else would add up to the cost of buying a brand-new one - a whole hundred plus bucks.

And my one-year-long warranty expired for less than 5 months. I already sent it for replacement once back in early 2007, and that set broke down this year - less than 12 months since I got hold of that set.

It was stupid to argue with him and so I lied. (Gosh, I really lie a lot.) I claimed that it was a birthday gift from a friend last year - you don't expect a gift to come attached with a receipt, do you? Seeing how desperate I was to get the 'oomph' back for my ear-phones, he relented and decided to let me have it my way.

I admit that I feel bad for lying to them, but look at it this way: I paid a $139 for a set of wired magnets, and you promise me it won't disintegrate within 12 months. It did, just around 6 months into using it. So I got a replacement, and now, less than 12 months into getting that new set, it breaks down again. I really would not bother to pay another $139 just to get another pair that would probably go kaput while I'm studying overseas, would I?

I'm not complaining that their products are lousy - in fact, I'm totally pleased with the sound quality. But fact is, if they insisted I pay another hundred plus bucks to get a set, I'm gladly walk out and pay $200 for a higher-end pair from another brand.

Anyways, I got my Aurvanas back, and I'm happy with it now. Just to keep it in it's optimal shape, I have decided to use the carrying case provided, less the wires get damaged again. Troublesome, yes, but it really beats having to cook up a story on how I do not have a receipt as proof for warranty.

Back to my iPod to test my new Aurvanas.

The mouse that wouldn't click.

I can vividly recall the excitement and ecstasy within me as I carried my new toy home. It was a year and a half ago, and I just blew a hundred bucks ($99 to be exact) on this new little gadget (I was still on an allowance of $300). I've heard plenty of good reviews on it, and it was as if buying one of them gave you a passport to the exclusive club of "Pro Gamers".

Sure, it was a whole third of my monthly budget, but I just couldn't resist the on-sale offer and the temptation of owning one. The Razor Diamondback's body's sleek, with a nice transparent back for it's deep-blue light to shine through. Thinking of how my computer looks like in the night with no lights on, I could see the blue light shining right through the mouse, giving the desk an eerie but cool feel. That's it, I whipped out the NETS card and made my purchase.

When I got home after a train ride that felt like forever, I was greeted by a seemingly harmless question from my mom.

"Hi son, what did you buy?"

I had to lie, I swear. Admitting that I threw a sizable chunk of my monthly dough on a stupid mouse would only draw a reaction that I wouldn't in my life dare to imagine. They weren't total tech-dummies and it was rather obvious from the packaging that I was holding on to a mouse. So okay, opt for the truth - a partial one at least.

"Hi mom. Oh, I got a new mouse 'cos the current one's a little old and faulty."

I then quickly strode into my room, in an attempt to avoid further questioning. Fortunately, she didn't ask of the price. Unfortunately, my dad did.

I quoted a price that anyone would offer to buy my brand-new new-age high-tech pro-gamer mouse for - a slightly under-priced $59. That already drew the attention of 4 wide-opened eyes, staring curiously at my brand-new new-age high-tech pro-gamer mouse, hoping to find value in what seems to be just another mouse.

Thankfully, they took it rather well. My dad was no tech-dummy, neither was he a tech-guru (thankfully so). I guess he believed that $59 was considerably reasonable. At the same time, I witnessed first-hand how the psychology of product-pricing worked.

As for my friends, some questioned the value of the mouse, some questioned the need to spend a third of my pay, and some just asked if they could my brand-new new-age high-tech pro-gamer mouse - smart. My explanation to those who ask of the cost was that if I used it for an entire year, the cost per month wouldn't even be sufficient to buy me a "Portobello Mushroom Burger, switch to Chilli Cheese Fries, please." And if I used it for two years, it would be well worth the money.

But.

But but but. Today, this very day, I realised something: After 18 months, my brand-new new-age high-tech pro-gamer mouse is not clicking it it used to. Can you bloody imagine? The nice crispy clicking is GONE. Kaput. Snafued (I just learnt this yesterday - Situation Normal: All Fouled [****ed] Up.). The once-orgasmic clicking sound is now nothing more than a dull thud.

And guess what, I don't recall having any guarantee on this brand-new new-age high-tech pro-gamer mouse. So there goes my "If I used it for an entire year, the cost per month..." mouse. It's not totally wrecked, but the texture's different. The body's a little scratched (probably from my (mis-)handling), and it feels just like any other mouse now - one that most computer-sellers gladly package into their package deals to cheat you of your money. The only saving grace is that it's movement is still as fluid as ever, and it's sensitivity is still more than I could ask for. Admittedly, I never used more than 3 buttons even though the mouse boasts of 7 programmable buttons. Then again, I'm not much of a pro-gamer.

Having said all these, I still believe that once you've used a Razor, it's almost impossible to revert to a non-descript mouse. The grip, the weight, the entire feel of it, all different. I'm not trying to sound like a computer gamer who draws inspiration from Chinese martial arts masters who teach you the importance of 'being one' with your sword, but I swear that holding a Razor really gives a whole new experience. Even if my brand-new new-age high-tech pro-gamer mouse only lasted 18-months before becoming an old out-dated mid-ranged gaming mouse, I'm glad I made the initial choice to even try it out.

Now, all I can do is wait for reply from technical support to see if my poor pet can get it's nice crispy voice back. Poor thing sounds really as if it's gone dumb, only producing desperate whimpers now. Perhaps they can provide the Viagra my old friend needs to get back to shape.

In the meantime, my poor friend will carry on running around his mat, hoping that someone from tech-support can save him.

Loving perfect love.

You can love perfection, but you can never find perfection in love.

Victim once more.

It came back to me.

"I'd rather be a victim of love and lose all rationality then be one of loneliness and lose all sanity." - Previous post.

It now seems like I'm fast going insane; running out of time to decide.

De-privatizing to increase competition?

Singapore's bus industry is about to go through a huge change, with the announcement by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to take charge of all planning of bus routes and bus frequency. Commuters can also expect a change in the fares system, which will allow them to swap buses without having to pay extra charges.

Good news for frequent bus travellers? Probably so. Commuters now pay fares based on distance rather then by number of buses changed, ie. you pay lesser when switching buses to travel alternative routes than before. This would benefit those who currently have to switch between 2 or 3 bus routes to get to work/home/etc.

The LTA further claims that there would be more competition than before, since bus operators would now be invited to bid for bus routes planned by the LTA, and no longer have the right to plan and run routes they think are profitable. It is likely that routes planned by the LTA would provide a wide enough coverage with a higher bus-frequency to serve it's users. Singapore Bus Services (SBS) and SMRT Buses currently run a duopoly with a total of about 3700 buses (2800+ from SBS, 860+ from SMRT).

Transport Minister Raymond Lim said in this speech, "There are limited economies of scale for bus operations above a fleet size of 500 buses. Hence, our current bus industry of about 3,700 buses could potentially support more than the current two operators."

So is this a right move for Singapore's bus industry? Perhaps so, but is it what we would really want? If the LTA had to plan routes all over, does this also mean that many bus routes will change, and some current routes may have to be cancelled? Hopefully the LTA keeps most bus routes that SBS currently runs - I rely a little too much on them myself.

Also, would SBS be willing to give up a portion of it's current fleet just so to accommodate a competitor? SBS currently runs about 75% of buses in Singapore. How many more bus routes can we add to this already comprehensive bus network to support a third operator to run efficiently on the projected 500 buses? Does this mean that the LTA will control the number of buses each operator can run? Perhaps SBS could look at selling some of it's current buses to a new operator if such a scenario happens.

This move would lead to massive changes in current system, and many are eager to see how things would change. This might seem as a de-privatization of the public transport market, but I believe that this is perhaps the best way to introduce competition into the already regulated market - current barriers to entry is simply too high for a third operator to bear.

If there are plans for a decent-sized third operator, my hunch is that it would have to be government linked (again). I doubt a new-comer can afford to run a few hundred buses and fight with SBS/SMRT for the more profitable routes. Otherwise, the new operator would have to settle for a couple of routes with a smaller fleet - like how the newly regulated taxi market sees 4 new operators running a mere 4000 of the 23000 taxis in Singapore.

I guess everyone's waiting to see how this would work out in the future. One thing's for sure, with the new bidding system, you can definitely expect less cries for higher fares for 'unprofitable' routes.

Competition is good only if its existence isn't orchestrated.