It's been almost a month since I first started recording my trading activity. In the current volatile market, a month is like a lifetime. The biggest change in my strategy stems from a friend introducing me to the concept of short ETFs. Short selling has been in the news a lot, especially when it was temporarily banned for financials. I'd always thought I needed special features enabled with my broker, but these ETFs allow you to short a wide variety of asset classes.
So my new strategy is that while I still believe the market is fundamentally undervalued and will go up significantly in the next 2-5 years, I have also adopted the strategy of using shorts to speculate on the volatility and reap some profits on the way down.
The strong rally in the last week of October also allowed me to pare down my portfolio to my core holdings, as listed in my previous post. Given the unexpected strength of the rally, I also took the opportunity of reducing some of my holdings, with the intention to repurchase them at a lower price since I expect the market to plummet.
Recent Movements:
POSCO: Sold half holdings at $70
NVidia: Purchased at $7.1, sold at $8.9 and repurchased again yesterday at $7.01, closed at $7.9.
Chesapeake: Sold at $21.5, it went quite a bit higher but too bad, I don't feel I understand it well enough to hold
Short Plays:
I started shorting Russell 2000 (TWM) on Oct 28, way too early. But since then, I think I've made good.
TWM: Bought at $125, bought at $105, cut loss at $94, bought again $98, halved holding at $133, closed at $106 on 13 Nov
Then I decided to be even more adventurous and play with emerging markets.
EEV: Bought at $81, bought at $92, bought at $93, halved holding at $99, closed at $75 on 13 Nov.
Having reduced my short positions, I'm just going to sit on the rest and see what the weekend brings. Last week the China stimulus package turned my portfolio red, I'm concerned that this weekend wither a bailout for the car industry or some agreement at G20 will do the same.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
some singapore advice for obama
This is pretty random, but I always feel pride when Singapore reflects well in the global media:
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/nov2008/ca2008117_893589.htm
Invest in the political positions as well as in the permanent professional staff.
Too many politicians overvalue the former and undervalue the latter. But you just can't build lasting greatness without staffing the Administration with competent professionals at all levels, including young staffers with potentials who will continue strengthening the country long after the Presidential mandate is over. At the time of its independence, Singapore's founding fathers realized that without natural resources or scale its only way to grow was to invest in talent. They systematically have attracted the best people, both to key political appointments and its exemplary civil service, for over four decades now. As a result, since 1965 Singapore's gross national product per capita multiplied by a factor of eight in real terms (constant dollars), while that in the U.S. multiplied by a factor of less than three.
From Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, "Obama's First Priority: Hiring the Right People", BusinessWeek, Nov 7 2008http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/nov2008/ca2008117_893589.htm
Sunday, November 02, 2008
belt tightening is here
For dinner today, we went to have crabs at Uncle Leong's Seafood at AMK Ave 3. Instead of waiting at least half an hour, as is customary on a Sunday, we were shown to a table immediately. Strange.
Then coming back to Serangoon Gardens after dinner, we had no trouble finding parking. That is nothing short of amazing.
So I conclude that consumer spending has begun steep decline. We are surely in recession now. I'd better go eat crabs more often while there is no line at Uncle Leong's.
Then coming back to Serangoon Gardens after dinner, we had no trouble finding parking. That is nothing short of amazing.
So I conclude that consumer spending has begun steep decline. We are surely in recession now. I'd better go eat crabs more often while there is no line at Uncle Leong's.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
stock market stocktake
The past few months have provided me lots of excitement in the stock market. I was initially very gleeful at successfully avoiding the spectacular sub-prime crash earlier in the year. But since I started putting money back in the market, the subsequent declines have been no less significant. I am constantly reminded of one piece of wisdom that stuck in my mind from one of the market research reports I read quite a while back:
Gold (STI: GLD.SG)
Of all my holdings, I am most bullish on Gold in the short- to mid-term, and have been trading (mostly accumulating) since June. There are a lot of reasons for this:
Posco is a South Korean steel company I have become quite attached to, having made quite a bit on them over the last 2 years. The have a proprietary steel-refining process that is supposed to be the most advanced in the industry.
Alexco is an American silver mining company, with large operations in Canada.
Chesapeake is one of the largest natural gas producers in America. The price has fallen sharply lately, but I think the price of energy will remain high in the long term.
NVIDIA is the leading maker of computer graphics chips. I've been toying with it for a while, and will probably look to buy in over the next few days.
I first bought this expecting the price of oil to fall in the short term. The price of oil fell, but so did everything else! I've since reduced my holdings (contrary to popular sentiment that this is a good stock to accumulate) because I think the airline industry will be hit hard by less travel (esp on the major carriers) in the short term. In the mid- to long-term, bankruptcies and mergers within the industry may improve the buying proposition. So for now, I'll just hang on to a small stake and watch.
UBS (NYSE: UBS)
When I first bought UBS, after GIC had already lost tremendous amounts of money on it, I was optimistic on a quick recovered. Since then it has dropped much further, although the government interventions in both US and Europe have helped stabilise the price. I'm just going to hang on until more positive signs emerge, or perhaps I will diversify by financial holdings with another American bank.
Well, these are my core holdings for now. Most of them are in America, because I figured the American market was a lot closer to bottoming out (although the STI has since caught up significantly). I'll just continue to shop around for now.
One major strategy I've adopted is to decrease the size of my lot purchases. I used to buy about $3000 of stock at a time to minimise the % impact of brokerage fees, but with the ridiculous fluctuations I've decided it is a lot wiser to buy smaller, more frequently. Fortunately, the volatility also makes the brokerage fee less significant as a percentage of expected gains.
So let's see how this goes ...
A stock that drops 90% is a stock that drops 80% and then halves.Many of my stocks have halved. Nevertheless, I am still very optimistic in the long term, and I thought that for once I would take stock of my key holdings, and review my reasons for holding on to them and averaging down, or whether I should consider cutting losses on some of them. I want to capture a snapshot of my logic so that in another few months from now, I can look back again and laugh or cry.
Gold (STI: GLD.SG)
Of all my holdings, I am most bullish on Gold in the short- to mid-term, and have been trading (mostly accumulating) since June. There are a lot of reasons for this:
- With the announcement of the bailout plans, the US government will reach unprecedented levels of debt. I expect the US dollar to go down, and historically this will drive the price of gold up.
- If the bailout plan is successful, I expect high inflationary pressure in the US to increase demand for gold.
- If the bailout plan is not successful, the impending recession will also cause people to retreat to gold.
- Recent weakness in the price of gold is attributed to fund managers being forced to liquidate their holdings to pay off other margins
- The other interesting fact is that there is a huge shortage of physical gold. I'm not exactly sure how this relates to the price of futures and ETFs (since the disconnect has existed for quite a while), but the natural inference is that high demand should bring prices up somehow.
- The price is down 25% from its high in Mar 08.
Posco is a South Korean steel company I have become quite attached to, having made quite a bit on them over the last 2 years. The have a proprietary steel-refining process that is supposed to be the most advanced in the industry.
- My investment in this company is premised on the continued demand for steel from the developing countries.
- The stock dropped sharply this year, firstly due to high oil prices and then the global economic decline, but I expect this to recover in the mid- long-term once growth in China, India and Asia resumes.
- Warren Buffet has called this the best steel company in the world and he owns a 4% stake.
- The price is down 70% from its high in Oct 07.
Alexco is an American silver mining company, with large operations in Canada.
- Silver is supposed to be the poor-cousin of Gold, and the two usually trend together although Silver fluctuates more. Currently, the price of Silver has been beaten down much more relative to Gold.
- Unlike Gold, Silver also has industrial applications, hence demand is also affected by the general economy. Hence, the longer-term outlook is also optimistic similar to steel.
- The price is down 80% from its high
Chesapeake is one of the largest natural gas producers in America. The price has fallen sharply lately, but I think the price of energy will remain high in the long term.
- The stock has dropped substantially with the falling price of oil
- The company has cash flow problems in the current tight credit market
- The CEO had to liquidate his stake to cover other margins, leading to further price drop
- The price is down 70% from its high in Jul 08
NVIDIA is the leading maker of computer graphics chips. I've been toying with it for a while, and will probably look to buy in over the next few days.
- It is strengthening its dominant position in the graphics industry
- The company has a very strong cash position, although the importance of this has lessened slightly
- It has a strong historical annual ROE of 24%
- It has been incorporated into the latest line of Apple computers, which will likely increase demand greatly
- However, the company is facing recent lawsuits over GPU failures, which could be costly
- The price is down 80% from its high
I first bought this expecting the price of oil to fall in the short term. The price of oil fell, but so did everything else! I've since reduced my holdings (contrary to popular sentiment that this is a good stock to accumulate) because I think the airline industry will be hit hard by less travel (esp on the major carriers) in the short term. In the mid- to long-term, bankruptcies and mergers within the industry may improve the buying proposition. So for now, I'll just hang on to a small stake and watch.
UBS (NYSE: UBS)
When I first bought UBS, after GIC had already lost tremendous amounts of money on it, I was optimistic on a quick recovered. Since then it has dropped much further, although the government interventions in both US and Europe have helped stabilise the price. I'm just going to hang on until more positive signs emerge, or perhaps I will diversify by financial holdings with another American bank.
Well, these are my core holdings for now. Most of them are in America, because I figured the American market was a lot closer to bottoming out (although the STI has since caught up significantly). I'll just continue to shop around for now.
One major strategy I've adopted is to decrease the size of my lot purchases. I used to buy about $3000 of stock at a time to minimise the % impact of brokerage fees, but with the ridiculous fluctuations I've decided it is a lot wiser to buy smaller, more frequently. Fortunately, the volatility also makes the brokerage fee less significant as a percentage of expected gains.
So let's see how this goes ...
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Wedding Tips
It's wedding season. When you have one wedding(or more) each week for the month, you know it's definitely wedding season. So here are some of the most useful cost-saving tips, not for the guests (too bad) but for the wedding couple.
Charge the Banquet to a Good Credit Card
If your hotel/restaurant allows, it is always better to charge to a card than pay in cash. This allows you to get the points, and it means you don't have to rush to count the gifts to pay the bills. Obviously this will exceed your credit limit, so you can either ask the bank for a temporary increase, or pre-pay the cost of dinner so you don't exceed the limit, or you can do a combination of both.
But if you are going to all this effort, you should definitely use a good card to maximise the points on tens of thousands of dollars. The obvious choice would seem to be a rebate card like Citibank's Dividend Card, which gives you 2% cash back on spending on F&B. Unfortunately a check with the bank revealed that they do not consider hotel weddings to be F&B, so they would only give the 0.5% general rebate. Since it was just a week before my wedding, I was limited to the cards I have on hand, and eventually chose the DBS Amex Black card which gives double points. For those with the luxury of time, it is worthwhile to explore the whole gamut of options, I suspect that the real American Express charge card (which charges an annual fee of $200+) may actually give the best deal on rewards.
Minimising Losses on No-Shows
Every couple's nightmare is to see a room of half-empty tables, with each seat costing more than $100 per head. Some people have the nasty habit of telling you the day before, the day of, or not at all, that they cannot make it. It is ridiculous to rearrange tables at this point, so what can you do about it?
Firstly, check if your venue allows you to seat more than 10 per table. Planning an extra person or two per table is useful, since last-minute withdrawals are inevitable. (As a courtesy to guests, it is preferable that they actual serve extra portions too, rather than just serving smaller portions.) Even better, some hotels like Shangri-La allow you to take portions from a table of 9 and give it to a table of 11. All this helps create substantial savings.
The second way is a little more brawny than brainy. You just have to shamelessly remind your guests that you are getting married about a week beforehand (find some polite excuse, maybe by re-sending the details since many people misplace the cards too), so that they will also be prompted to inform you if they cannot make it. It is amazing how many people forget about weddings, especially wedding lunches.
Well after getting marries and helping and several weddings over the past year, these are the best tips that I hope will be useful for other wedding planners.
Charge the Banquet to a Good Credit Card
If your hotel/restaurant allows, it is always better to charge to a card than pay in cash. This allows you to get the points, and it means you don't have to rush to count the gifts to pay the bills. Obviously this will exceed your credit limit, so you can either ask the bank for a temporary increase, or pre-pay the cost of dinner so you don't exceed the limit, or you can do a combination of both.
But if you are going to all this effort, you should definitely use a good card to maximise the points on tens of thousands of dollars. The obvious choice would seem to be a rebate card like Citibank's Dividend Card, which gives you 2% cash back on spending on F&B. Unfortunately a check with the bank revealed that they do not consider hotel weddings to be F&B, so they would only give the 0.5% general rebate. Since it was just a week before my wedding, I was limited to the cards I have on hand, and eventually chose the DBS Amex Black card which gives double points. For those with the luxury of time, it is worthwhile to explore the whole gamut of options, I suspect that the real American Express charge card (which charges an annual fee of $200+) may actually give the best deal on rewards.
Minimising Losses on No-Shows
Every couple's nightmare is to see a room of half-empty tables, with each seat costing more than $100 per head. Some people have the nasty habit of telling you the day before, the day of, or not at all, that they cannot make it. It is ridiculous to rearrange tables at this point, so what can you do about it?
Firstly, check if your venue allows you to seat more than 10 per table. Planning an extra person or two per table is useful, since last-minute withdrawals are inevitable. (As a courtesy to guests, it is preferable that they actual serve extra portions too, rather than just serving smaller portions.) Even better, some hotels like Shangri-La allow you to take portions from a table of 9 and give it to a table of 11. All this helps create substantial savings.
The second way is a little more brawny than brainy. You just have to shamelessly remind your guests that you are getting married about a week beforehand (find some polite excuse, maybe by re-sending the details since many people misplace the cards too), so that they will also be prompted to inform you if they cannot make it. It is amazing how many people forget about weddings, especially wedding lunches.
Well after getting marries and helping and several weddings over the past year, these are the best tips that I hope will be useful for other wedding planners.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
weekend in hanoi part ii
Food
Ok, I shall skip to my favourite section. One of the top items on the travel agenda was eating well, and we wanted to sample food across various budgets. Hanoi is of course famous for Pho, and we tried two Pho restaurants. We also tried a variety of other cuisines.
Pho Truang
We picked up a brochure for this restaurant from the tourist info centre, which boasted as having the best authentic Hanoi-style pho. Overall the pho was cheap and good, no complaints. We had our great first bowl of pho here.
Pho 24
Located near the Temple of Literature, we recognised this from some of the travel guide recommendations and popped in to try it. Prices were comparable to Pho Truang (about 28,000VND-39,000 VND for a bowl of Pho), but Pho 24 also had meatballs which were missing from Pho Truang menu. We also felt the broth was superior, although the noodles were slightly less flavoursome. Overall, this was our preferred pho joint. (An interesting note, apparently Pho 24 is actually Southern Vietnamese style, which explains why they provided the accompanying dish of beansprouts and lime wear familiar with in Singapore, whereas Pho Truang did not.)
Bobby Chinn Restaurant
We passed by this restaurant on the way in from the airport, and recognised the name from cooking show fame. We came back the next day to try it for dinner, and had an excellent meal. The food was mainly western style, although they used many Asian spices. Bobby Chinn's quirky humour added to the overall great ambience, which also included red hanging drapes, lovely lighting and two complimentary morsels from the chef. Those certainly added to the experience! Overall the main courses were pretty good, desserts were chocolaty superb, the presentation was excellence par none, and the experience was one of the best I have ever had. (Of course, the great company helped too.) Total cost came up to about 30USD per person.
Ok, I shall skip to my favourite section. One of the top items on the travel agenda was eating well, and we wanted to sample food across various budgets. Hanoi is of course famous for Pho, and we tried two Pho restaurants. We also tried a variety of other cuisines.
Pho Truang
We picked up a brochure for this restaurant from the tourist info centre, which boasted as having the best authentic Hanoi-style pho. Overall the pho was cheap and good, no complaints. We had our great first bowl of pho here.
Pho 24
Located near the Temple of Literature, we recognised this from some of the travel guide recommendations and popped in to try it. Prices were comparable to Pho Truang (about 28,000VND-39,000 VND for a bowl of Pho), but Pho 24 also had meatballs which were missing from Pho Truang menu. We also felt the broth was superior, although the noodles were slightly less flavoursome. Overall, this was our preferred pho joint. (An interesting note, apparently Pho 24 is actually Southern Vietnamese style, which explains why they provided the accompanying dish of beansprouts and lime wear familiar with in Singapore, whereas Pho Truang did not.)
Bobby Chinn Restaurant
We passed by this restaurant on the way in from the airport, and recognised the name from cooking show fame. We came back the next day to try it for dinner, and had an excellent meal. The food was mainly western style, although they used many Asian spices. Bobby Chinn's quirky humour added to the overall great ambience, which also included red hanging drapes, lovely lighting and two complimentary morsels from the chef. Those certainly added to the experience! Overall the main courses were pretty good, desserts were chocolaty superb, the presentation was excellence par none, and the experience was one of the best I have ever had. (Of course, the great company helped too.) Total cost came up to about 30USD per person.
Scallop on Shell
Green Tea Duck
Crab Trio (Soub, Cake, Salad)
Chocolate Mousse
Assorted Brulees (Vanilla, Lemon, Chocolate)
Bobby Chinn's Irreverant Menu
Emperor aka Club De L'Oriental
Emperor was the only Vietnamese restaurant in Hanoi given a 3-star rating by Frommers, so we had to hunt it down. And it was quite a hunt, because the restaurant had relocated to 27 Tong Dan St., Hoan Kiem District (Tel: +84 4-826-8801) as of early 2008. This just goes to show the pace of change in Hanoi now, because the 2007 Frommers review said it was under renovation at the time of writing!
The food there was excellent, with variations on familiar dishes such as chicken in lemon leaves, fried codfish and grilled squid in lemongrass. One interesting dish was the beef wrapped in the local equivalent of betal nut. Another superb dish were the summer rolls, supposedly rated "Best Summer Rolls" by the NYTimes. The best part was the price, which came up to only about USD20 per person, for probably the most delicious meal we had on the trip. The decor and ambience was also lovely, living up to the old name of Emperor with a very old majestic feel, although it didn't quite project the unique experience of Bobby Chinn.
Prawn Summer Rolls
Fried Cod Fish
Beef in Betel Leaves
There has been much raving about Fanny Mae Ice Cream on the web. I just thought I'd state for the record that it was ok, but I didn't find it particularly outstanding.
to be continued ...
photos will be updated as travel partners' pictures become available
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
weekend in hanoi part i
The weekend in Hanoi was filled with memorable food ventures, although other explorations were slightly dampened by the city sauna. To pre-empt the inevitable "how was Hanoi" questions, as well as "what is good in Hanoi", I am putting down all my travel tips and recommendations here for posterity.
Flight and Lodging
We flew to Hanoi via Tiger Airways at a bargain price of about $200 per person, even though the oil price at that time was practically at its peak (Jul 08). We stayed at the Somerset Grand Hanoi, which is a serviced apartment under the Ascott group. It was an excellent apartment with three bedrooms, living room and kitchen, perfect for five people to live in luxury. The price came up to about S$60 per person per night.
Local Transport
Taxis in Hanoi are really cheap, so much so that the exact location of your hotel doesn't really matter. We could get to most places within the Old Quarter for less than 3 SGD, provided we took one important precaution. Ensure that the taxi's meter is encased by tamper-proof acrylic, otherwise a short ride that should be less than 2SGD could quickly become 6SGD. That is probably the most practical travel tip I can give anyone travelling to Hanoi, I'm surprised it wasn't stated in any of our guidebooks.
to be continued...
Flight and Lodging
We flew to Hanoi via Tiger Airways at a bargain price of about $200 per person, even though the oil price at that time was practically at its peak (Jul 08). We stayed at the Somerset Grand Hanoi, which is a serviced apartment under the Ascott group. It was an excellent apartment with three bedrooms, living room and kitchen, perfect for five people to live in luxury. The price came up to about S$60 per person per night.
Local Transport
Taxis in Hanoi are really cheap, so much so that the exact location of your hotel doesn't really matter. We could get to most places within the Old Quarter for less than 3 SGD, provided we took one important precaution. Ensure that the taxi's meter is encased by tamper-proof acrylic, otherwise a short ride that should be less than 2SGD could quickly become 6SGD. That is probably the most practical travel tip I can give anyone travelling to Hanoi, I'm surprised it wasn't stated in any of our guidebooks.
to be continued...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
fat lament
I'm missing the biggest slimming event of the year.
While other Singaporeans are shedding pounts running 21km, I'll be gorging myself on pho and other yummy food in Vietnam, packing on the pounds. This is the great conservation of fats theory.
I felt guilty about not running the marathon, so yesterday I decided to go run on the treadmill. That's when I realised that for the first time, I can feel my belly flopping up and down with each step. Over the years I've watched my belly go from 8-pack to 6-pack to 2-pack to family pack and now, officially, spare tyre! I must be hitting middle age early :(
The problem is that no marathon means no reason to train, which means no motivation to run; which means get fatter and fatter. And I'm not particularly the most self-disciplined person when it comes to running either.
A casual observer would probably have wondered why yesterday, almost in mid-stride, I hit the stop button and abandoned the treadmill. I hadn't even hit 4km yet. But the truth was, I was just overwhelmed by the thoughts of the pork chop I was going to have after the run, and after a while I just lost patience with the run. Running is boring.
But to be fair to the pork chop, that was at least half my motivation for going to the gym anyway, so I shouldn't really blame him. And he totally lived up to my expectations. I should go to the gym more often!
While other Singaporeans are shedding pounts running 21km, I'll be gorging myself on pho and other yummy food in Vietnam, packing on the pounds. This is the great conservation of fats theory.
I felt guilty about not running the marathon, so yesterday I decided to go run on the treadmill. That's when I realised that for the first time, I can feel my belly flopping up and down with each step. Over the years I've watched my belly go from 8-pack to 6-pack to 2-pack to family pack and now, officially, spare tyre! I must be hitting middle age early :(
The problem is that no marathon means no reason to train, which means no motivation to run; which means get fatter and fatter. And I'm not particularly the most self-disciplined person when it comes to running either.
A casual observer would probably have wondered why yesterday, almost in mid-stride, I hit the stop button and abandoned the treadmill. I hadn't even hit 4km yet. But the truth was, I was just overwhelmed by the thoughts of the pork chop I was going to have after the run, and after a while I just lost patience with the run. Running is boring.
But to be fair to the pork chop, that was at least half my motivation for going to the gym anyway, so I shouldn't really blame him. And he totally lived up to my expectations. I should go to the gym more often!
Monday, August 18, 2008
i miss spontaneous
In a rare moment of rumination, I reflected back on some of my fond memories of spontaneous, care-free school days. One particularly memorable time was my final year spring break.
I can't remember why I had no plans that year, but at the last minute I joined a group of schoolmates travelling down to Daytona Beach and the Florida Keys. My university friends are by far the craziest and most fun group, and we tried everything from exploring old towns, sampling delicious food, and even sampled the MTV spring break experience complete with beach parties and crazy sorority girls getting body-painted for the cameras. What lingers most is the taste of the exquisite Key Lime Pie at Key West.
After a week in Florida, we still had a weekend, so a friend and I drove out to the countryside to ride horses for a day. That was pretty random, and lots of fun. That night, having nothing to do (Masters students do not care about homework), I ended up chatting with a friend in Yale over ICQ. She was rushing to finish a paper due early the next morning. Since I had never been to Yale, and she had no plans for the weeked, I decided it was time to visit. So I left at 11pm and reached about 5am, and spent the weekend exploring New Haven.
Fast forward a few years to working life, I can't decide to stay in bed if I feel lazy, I seldom make appointments in the evening because I don't know when work will end, and between work, family and wedding commitments, my weekends are booked out a month in advance. Life is so crowded these days, I miss spontaneous.
I can't remember why I had no plans that year, but at the last minute I joined a group of schoolmates travelling down to Daytona Beach and the Florida Keys. My university friends are by far the craziest and most fun group, and we tried everything from exploring old towns, sampling delicious food, and even sampled the MTV spring break experience complete with beach parties and crazy sorority girls getting body-painted for the cameras. What lingers most is the taste of the exquisite Key Lime Pie at Key West.
After a week in Florida, we still had a weekend, so a friend and I drove out to the countryside to ride horses for a day. That was pretty random, and lots of fun. That night, having nothing to do (Masters students do not care about homework), I ended up chatting with a friend in Yale over ICQ. She was rushing to finish a paper due early the next morning. Since I had never been to Yale, and she had no plans for the weeked, I decided it was time to visit. So I left at 11pm and reached about 5am, and spent the weekend exploring New Haven.
Fast forward a few years to working life, I can't decide to stay in bed if I feel lazy, I seldom make appointments in the evening because I don't know when work will end, and between work, family and wedding commitments, my weekends are booked out a month in advance. Life is so crowded these days, I miss spontaneous.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
best ndp ever
Since I seem to have a tradition of blogging about NDP every year, it seems fitting to end a long silence with another NDP post. I would never voluntarily attend NDP, but this year I was compelled to go, and fortunately I was lucky enough to get one of the best seats in the house.
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Perhaps it may be because I've avoided NDP for the last few years, so I don't have NDP fatigue. The Black Knights were spectacularly, especially when they dived down on the crowd, and it was really cool how the entire stage backdrop became a huge psychedelic screen. I particularly liked the shadow Silat performance, and the singers were all really good. I liked the dancing as well, probably because they chose to showcase some individual performances rather than relying purely on the standard mass dance routines. Even the parade was great, especially hearing the gun salute in stereo for the first time. And of course, the fireworks were probably the most beautiful even, set against a lovely combination of the city skyline and the water.
It was only when it came to the singing of the national anthem that I realised, with a twinge of guilt, that I did not feel particularly proud to be Singaporean, or on some patriotic high. I felt bad, because I figured it was just cynical me.
But talking to many other people since, the main comment seems to be "no feeling". Some people attributed it to the jaded Singaporeans around them who refused to participate. Another said it was too artsy and the common person couldn't appreciate it. "They even took everybody's favourite song 'Home' and translated it into Tamil, how to sing along?? Why they do that??" So I guess it's not just cynical me then.
But despite all that, this was still the best NDP ever!
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Perhaps it may be because I've avoided NDP for the last few years, so I don't have NDP fatigue. The Black Knights were spectacularly, especially when they dived down on the crowd, and it was really cool how the entire stage backdrop became a huge psychedelic screen. I particularly liked the shadow Silat performance, and the singers were all really good. I liked the dancing as well, probably because they chose to showcase some individual performances rather than relying purely on the standard mass dance routines. Even the parade was great, especially hearing the gun salute in stereo for the first time. And of course, the fireworks were probably the most beautiful even, set against a lovely combination of the city skyline and the water.
It was only when it came to the singing of the national anthem that I realised, with a twinge of guilt, that I did not feel particularly proud to be Singaporean, or on some patriotic high. I felt bad, because I figured it was just cynical me.
But talking to many other people since, the main comment seems to be "no feeling". Some people attributed it to the jaded Singaporeans around them who refused to participate. Another said it was too artsy and the common person couldn't appreciate it. "They even took everybody's favourite song 'Home' and translated it into Tamil, how to sing along?? Why they do that??" So I guess it's not just cynical me then.
But despite all that, this was still the best NDP ever!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
comfort in affliction
Church Camp 2008 was quite a memorable one for me in a reflective way; I went to camp seeking some guidance, and I got my answers and many other lessons. So I thought I would pen some of my thoughts down for future reference, as well as to share with everyone, whether or not you attended the camp, and if anyone else has more insights to share I'd love to hear to it.
I think I echo the sentiments of many in feeling that this camp was a little bit of lecture overload. I'm not sure how many people could survive 3 talks, 2 workshops and a bible study within a single day. Nevertheless, there were certainly some gems, and perhaps I would have caught more if I had a longer attention span.
For me, the defining theme for the camp was "Comfort in Affliction". The foundation was laid clearly in the intro to 2 Corinthians, when Paul Barker made a clear distinction between comfort and healing. As Christians, we should expect to lead lives of suffering, and Christ will provide us the necessary comfort to make the afflictions bearable. We, in turn, should be open in sharing our afflictions with others, as well as sharing the comfort that God provides us so that others may be encouraged.
I feel I have always led a blessed life, with very little suffering. But the reality of this message, and the fragility of life, was brought home by the other campers. First there was Richard's brain haemorrhage, which took a camper right from our midst and to the doorstep of death. Then there was the sharing of campers, people as young as their 30s who experienced various forms of cancer, or struggles with disabled children and loss of loved ones. Although I could not relate to any of these experiences, their sharing provided a sense of comfort and acceptance of the fact that I cannot take my health and easy life for granted, but I can take comfort in the assurance of God's comfort and continue to be happy with what I have.
Another message that resonated deeply with me was that it is the message, not the messenger that is important in spreading God's work. We are all called to be unimpressive Jars of Clay (now I finally realise the significance of the band name), and we should not be shy about talking to others about our faith. Furthermore, it is not worldly accomplishments or qualifications that matter, but what is in our heart.
There were many other important lessons; comfort in ministry, the importance of Christian leadership, or the love of parents for their children. But these two above were the ones that hit me the most, and I don't intend to recap all 10 talks. (I did type out pretty extensive notes if anyone wants.) Put the two together, and I felt an urgent reminder that time on earth is short, and I should not dither in telling all my friend's about God's promised salvation.
This post is a little overdue, but better late than never!
I think I echo the sentiments of many in feeling that this camp was a little bit of lecture overload. I'm not sure how many people could survive 3 talks, 2 workshops and a bible study within a single day. Nevertheless, there were certainly some gems, and perhaps I would have caught more if I had a longer attention span.
For me, the defining theme for the camp was "Comfort in Affliction". The foundation was laid clearly in the intro to 2 Corinthians, when Paul Barker made a clear distinction between comfort and healing. As Christians, we should expect to lead lives of suffering, and Christ will provide us the necessary comfort to make the afflictions bearable. We, in turn, should be open in sharing our afflictions with others, as well as sharing the comfort that God provides us so that others may be encouraged.
I feel I have always led a blessed life, with very little suffering. But the reality of this message, and the fragility of life, was brought home by the other campers. First there was Richard's brain haemorrhage, which took a camper right from our midst and to the doorstep of death. Then there was the sharing of campers, people as young as their 30s who experienced various forms of cancer, or struggles with disabled children and loss of loved ones. Although I could not relate to any of these experiences, their sharing provided a sense of comfort and acceptance of the fact that I cannot take my health and easy life for granted, but I can take comfort in the assurance of God's comfort and continue to be happy with what I have.
Another message that resonated deeply with me was that it is the message, not the messenger that is important in spreading God's work. We are all called to be unimpressive Jars of Clay (now I finally realise the significance of the band name), and we should not be shy about talking to others about our faith. Furthermore, it is not worldly accomplishments or qualifications that matter, but what is in our heart.
There were many other important lessons; comfort in ministry, the importance of Christian leadership, or the love of parents for their children. But these two above were the ones that hit me the most, and I don't intend to recap all 10 talks. (I did type out pretty extensive notes if anyone wants.) Put the two together, and I felt an urgent reminder that time on earth is short, and I should not dither in telling all my friend's about God's promised salvation.
This post is a little overdue, but better late than never!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
american opportunities
This could be the easiest time to get into a top American university. It may also be the cheapest, if they lower their rates. But forget about getting financial aid.
Paying for College Without the Home Equity Option
By M. P. DUNLEAVEY
Published: April 19, 2008
NYTimesWhile the questions are not new, they are particularly difficult to answer in this economically tumultuous year. Traditional and even nontraditional sources of college financing are suddenly in question. Dozens of companies that once provided billions of dollars in student loans have left the market. Other banks are tightening their standards, making student loans harder to get.
On top of which, the continued turmoil in real estate has meant that home equity — a source of security for many families and a fallback for college funds for some of them — is not as easy, or in some cases impossible, to tap.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
malacca music
During our courtship days, my wife and I made two trips up north to eat Malacca food. This weekend, we finally fulfilled a longstanding wish and brought two other couples up with us. More people means more food!
Along the way, we also had some great conversations, as two newlywed couples and one maybe soon to be couple shared their thoughts, struggles, gripes and praise for their partners. Perhaps my new chillibuddy says it best. Anyway, we had a great time.
But one thing went wrong. Dreadfully wrong. For the drive up, I had burned a compilation CD of music to keep us awake and alive for the road. But throughout the ride, I found myself constantly having to adjust the volume control, because the songs were all playing at different levels! My mp3 collection pre-dates Napster, so there is quite a wide range of music, and consequently a great variance in how loud they play.
The solution to this problem is actually very simple, in a nifty little free software I had gotten for my wedding. Mp3Gain is a freeware that uses statistical analysis to normalise the volume on all the selected mp3s. Obviously I would't let such a problem occur at my wedding, so why should I let it bug me in the car? So even as I speak, my computer is processing my collection ... goodbye to changing the volume ever again!
Now if there was only a way to normalise my waistline after all the binging...
And just some random info ... this was supposed to be an entry on its own but like many other ideas it died along the way. Guess how many softwares I used to make one wedding slideshow?
1) Microsoft Powerpoint
2) Cool Edit 2000 (now known as Adobe Audition)
3) DVD Photo Slideshow
4) Windows Movie Maker
5) Mp3Gain
That's the problem when you're too cheap to pay for software ... you have to combine all the free features from a whole collection of sharewares.
Along the way, we also had some great conversations, as two newlywed couples and one maybe soon to be couple shared their thoughts, struggles, gripes and praise for their partners. Perhaps my new chillibuddy says it best. Anyway, we had a great time.
But one thing went wrong. Dreadfully wrong. For the drive up, I had burned a compilation CD of music to keep us awake and alive for the road. But throughout the ride, I found myself constantly having to adjust the volume control, because the songs were all playing at different levels! My mp3 collection pre-dates Napster, so there is quite a wide range of music, and consequently a great variance in how loud they play.
The solution to this problem is actually very simple, in a nifty little free software I had gotten for my wedding. Mp3Gain is a freeware that uses statistical analysis to normalise the volume on all the selected mp3s. Obviously I would't let such a problem occur at my wedding, so why should I let it bug me in the car? So even as I speak, my computer is processing my collection ... goodbye to changing the volume ever again!
Now if there was only a way to normalise my waistline after all the binging...
And just some random info ... this was supposed to be an entry on its own but like many other ideas it died along the way. Guess how many softwares I used to make one wedding slideshow?
1) Microsoft Powerpoint
2) Cool Edit 2000 (now known as Adobe Audition)
3) DVD Photo Slideshow
4) Windows Movie Maker
5) Mp3Gain
That's the problem when you're too cheap to pay for software ... you have to combine all the free features from a whole collection of sharewares.
Monday, March 24, 2008
cng
I've been thinking about converting to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which is supposed to save a lot of money in fuel consumption and also has some tax rebates for being greener. But it's really hard to find info on the web.
Putting "cng singapore" into google doesn't turn up much.
It was only when I saw the URL painted on the back of a car that I knew where to go. http://www.cng.com.sg. It's amazing, everything is there, but obviously they must have done something to piss google off.
Putting "cng singapore" into google doesn't turn up much.
It was only when I saw the URL painted on the back of a car that I knew where to go. http://www.cng.com.sg. It's amazing, everything is there, but obviously they must have done something to piss google off.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
hdb dwelling
It's been about 2 months since the wedding, and while I've been busy, I guess the main reason I stopped blogging is because I lost the habit. So here's a start.
Just over a year ago, we were deciding between living in a HDB or Condo. As usual I approached the issue in a very pragmatic way, also received lots of helpful advice from readers. So now we are living comfortably in a tiny 4-room flat, what's it like?
I suppose the biggest adjustment to make is really taking the lifts, especially since our lift only stops on the 6th and 11th floor. And it will only be upgraded by end of next year, so it means I have to be really really careful to remember everything whenever I walk from car to flat and back.
This also led me to an interesting observation about my neighbours. When I get into the lift to go up, more often than not if there is someone already in the lift, they don't bother to ask which floor I want to go to. They just press both 6 and 11. It works pretty well if they get off on the 6th floor, but sometimes they get off on 11 with me, and so the lift stops at 6 for no reason.
This type of behaviour leads me to wonder if there is something so shy about Singaporeans that they just can't just open their mouths to ask what floor I want?
Oh, and people still pee in the lifts.
Just over a year ago, we were deciding between living in a HDB or Condo. As usual I approached the issue in a very pragmatic way, also received lots of helpful advice from readers. So now we are living comfortably in a tiny 4-room flat, what's it like?
I suppose the biggest adjustment to make is really taking the lifts, especially since our lift only stops on the 6th and 11th floor. And it will only be upgraded by end of next year, so it means I have to be really really careful to remember everything whenever I walk from car to flat and back.
This also led me to an interesting observation about my neighbours. When I get into the lift to go up, more often than not if there is someone already in the lift, they don't bother to ask which floor I want to go to. They just press both 6 and 11. It works pretty well if they get off on the 6th floor, but sometimes they get off on 11 with me, and so the lift stops at 6 for no reason.
This type of behaviour leads me to wonder if there is something so shy about Singaporeans that they just can't just open their mouths to ask what floor I want?
Oh, and people still pee in the lifts.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
calamity
A casual conversation with a long-lost friend (today I discovered that gmail can connect to AIM) about my upcoming wedding suddenly brought about a tragic revelation.
Bach: what a story!
well, have a wonderful time, ndru. i'm so happy for you
me: thank u!
Bach: cheers! g'nite
me: and u know what? i found a local donut store that's almost as good as kk
now isn't that wonderful?
Bach: hahaha
you know, in the US the KK is bust ... it's closed everywhere
so it's a good thing you found that chain!
me: WHAT?!?!??! no way?!!!!'
u mean when i come to las vegas there won't be any kk there?
How can Krispy Kreme go bust? That's not possible! But a quick scan of Google News affirms the facts. They should totally have franchised outlets in Singapore, this would never have happened.
Bach: what a story!
well, have a wonderful time, ndru. i'm so happy for you
me: thank u!
Bach: cheers! g'nite
me: and u know what? i found a local donut store that's almost as good as kk
now isn't that wonderful?
Bach: hahaha
you know, in the US the KK is bust ... it's closed everywhere
so it's a good thing you found that chain!
me: WHAT?!?!??! no way?!!!!'
u mean when i come to las vegas there won't be any kk there?
How can Krispy Kreme go bust? That's not possible! But a quick scan of Google News affirms the facts. They should totally have franchised outlets in Singapore, this would never have happened.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
me a model?
A funny thing happened the other day. I was walking down Orchard Road when someone stopped me and offered me a modelling contract. Not strange enough? It gets weirder, let me rewind a bit to the beginning.
The theme for my Youth Camp this year was "Strangers in the World". It was inspired by the verses 1 Peter 2: 11 & 12: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of wrong doing, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Simply put, it explore the theme of how Christians are suppose to lead lives markedly different from everybody else.
So in line with the theme, we did a recap of last year's highly successful Amazing Race with a twist - we called it the Strangest Race and instead of giving participants physical challenges to overcome on Pulau Ubin, we instead gave them emotional challenges by giving them tasks that involved puclic humiliation along Orchard Road. And as one of the organisers, I was tour guide to one of the teams.
And so it was that walking past Orchard MRT in our glaring attention-grabbing-and-utterly-embarrassing red t-shirts, we were approached by one of the many bystanders. He said, "would you all like to sign up with us for a modelling contract?"
I was speechless for a moment. The oldest of us was 29 and the youngest was 12, and none of us was particularly good looking. And after we had brushed him off, it led me to contemplate seriously, how desperate do these people get? I knew all about the scam: they approach you to be a model, and sell you a makeover package in the hope that some agency will pick you up. No guarantees. My fiancee gets approached all the time, and now I'm not impressed anymore. Seriously, how desperate do these people get, just to meet a quota?
The theme for my Youth Camp this year was "Strangers in the World". It was inspired by the verses 1 Peter 2: 11 & 12: "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of wrong doing, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Simply put, it explore the theme of how Christians are suppose to lead lives markedly different from everybody else.
So in line with the theme, we did a recap of last year's highly successful Amazing Race with a twist - we called it the Strangest Race and instead of giving participants physical challenges to overcome on Pulau Ubin, we instead gave them emotional challenges by giving them tasks that involved puclic humiliation along Orchard Road. And as one of the organisers, I was tour guide to one of the teams.
And so it was that walking past Orchard MRT in our glaring attention-grabbing-and-utterly-embarrassing red t-shirts, we were approached by one of the many bystanders. He said, "would you all like to sign up with us for a modelling contract?"
I was speechless for a moment. The oldest of us was 29 and the youngest was 12, and none of us was particularly good looking. And after we had brushed him off, it led me to contemplate seriously, how desperate do these people get? I knew all about the scam: they approach you to be a model, and sell you a makeover package in the hope that some agency will pick you up. No guarantees. My fiancee gets approached all the time, and now I'm not impressed anymore. Seriously, how desperate do these people get, just to meet a quota?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
