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I wrote one of my expenses to be the X mini speakers. Guess what. I applied for this HSBC credit card, and it actually offered me a free gift. And its another X mini speakers! The same model.

Without hesitation, I immediately took it to my office and sold it off at half the price, by just being friendly. If only I had waited, I could have save that $36. Anyway, it had passed already. This HSBC card indeed gave me what it mentioned; with 3 transactions a month, you get a $5 cash rebates.

My aunt too gave me a $100 voucher for a bookstore, Kinokuniya. I ended up buying $200 worth of books. Well, books are knowledge, and I can read them at a later date, since these information don’t go outdated. (I bought all books related to stocks investment etc)

Here’s this month’s breakdown:
Savings and Earnings

$500/month Citibank Step up Account
$150 - Profit from US stocks trades

Expenses
$100 Kinokuniya books!
$20 Some Audio CDs. Korean ver - Boys over flowers
$12 A couple of bubble teas. They cost $3 per cup.

This month, Great Singapore Sale happens, (I guess it happens every country too), and I had gotten a good deal. Since I am very tall at 186 cm or 6 foot 2, I need proper office shirt that has long sleeves, not too big at the sides and waist, and something not expensive. So I have only 2 choices here locally, Marks & Spencers and G2000 apparels.

So this month, I’ve gotten 2 very good deals, buying 5 shirts priced at $69.90 for only about $31.xx (can’t remember how much), and a wallet priced at $90 for $65.

This was G2000 going at a 40% discount, and on top of that a Citibank Credit card 25% discount, so in total, I had a 65% discount ! We, luckily I waited and waited and finally I gotten in and got all. Since their shirts are all cut the same for all shirts, it’s easy for me to go back, buy and not worry about any misfits.

The wallet, was from a 2 day special by Tangs, a 20% + 10 % discount, so not a bad deal, and too was provided by Citibank’s Credit Card. I guess I found good value in keeping this card!

As for trading, I stopped, because freaked out like what other books had written. A single large failure will cause small investors like us to quit the market, lose moral and confident, and this is so true. I am still human afterall.

Here’s this month’s breakdown:
Savings and Earnings

$500/month Citibank Step up Account

Expenses
5 x $31.xx = $150 - G2000 shirts x 5
$65 - Pierre Cardin wallet

I know cats don’t catch rats and mice, they just love to “play” with them. but this is interesting. By the way I am a rat (the first animal) on the 12 Chinese animals horoscope.

Due to my mistake, or my busy schedule, I missed the due date for my credit card charges payment. I didn’t really paid late, but I paid the bill via one of the bill payment machines after about 6+ pm. To the bank, this is consider “late” because its after their office hour.

So I called UOB Bank, and incredibly, they had an automated call system such that if you are doing a waiver on credit charges, just enter your Identification card no. and your credit card number. After two weeks, an sms was sent to inform me that my charges were waived. Phew…

Here’s this month’s breakdown:

Savings and Earnings

$500/month Citibank Step up Account (I really wondered should I continue with this?)
$300/month POSB MySavings
$8.XX (interest) Passive earnings
+200 from our government

Expenses

$1550 UOB bill (Last December)
$800 Red Sofa (Last December)

As a active online blogger (as well as going on with my life), I wish every reader of DennisQuek.Com and SingWithPiano.com , a Merry Christmas 2008 and a Happy New Year 2009!

I found this image and christmas song cute, so I am posting it here to share with everyone!

Let’s Sing together everybody~~~~
Latest Christmas carol for 2008..

You’d better watch out
You’d better not cry
You’d better keep cash
I’m telling you why:
Recession is coming to town.

It’s hitting you once,
It’s hitting you twice
It doesn’t care if you’ve been careful and wise Recession is coming to town

It’s worthless if you’ve got shares
It’s worthless if you’ve got bonds
It’s safe when you’ve got cash in hand
So keep cash for goodness sake, HEY

You’d better watch out
You’d better not cry
You’d better keep cash
I’m telling you why:
Recession is coming to town!

Finance products are confusing
Finance products are so vague
The banks make you bear the cost of risk So keep out for goodness sake, OH

You’d better watch out
You’d better not cry
You’d better keep cash
I’m telling you why:
Recession is coming to town !

Hope you like it !!!!!!!

Even though with the current recession, the drop in share price of AIG, followed by Lehman Brothers Bank, and now the US recession, the Asia’s economy is still going strong. Currently in the Asia region, we see a slight increase of the impact felt from the US economy downturn.

Bigger companies are starting to cut jobs, restructure, etc. to save cost. Though we are still seeing a huge number of companies hiring, but it is not immediate. When the demand of services and goods drop, which also means a drop in sales and profits, will impact the companies here, say 6 to 12 months.

I have a few friends in the Banking sector, and all they say is that business are “not as usual”. Cost cutting measures take place, and they wonder if they are even needed. It is good if management regroup, reassign resources to other departments, get employees into training so they can be tasked on other work.

Recently, Citigroup announced jobs cut of 50,000, FIFTY thousand jobs, All aroud the world ! ANd I believe a majority are the senior or higher management staff (because you can save more by axing higher paid ones). Now this makes me wonder if my money should remain with them, but I guess it should be. After all they are strong in the Asia market region.

Let’s hope we could survive this period so that things won’t turn out as bad.

Consuming a “huge” Choclate Cake over 3 days, eating bread with thick layers of peanut butter spread and drink an overdose of coffee (being too sleepy) had made me felt uncomfortable.

There were signs of mouth ulcers and sore throat on me. I didn’t feel quite well too. These are caused by eating too much of these “heaty” stuff that cause my body to react. The solution to this? Chinese herbs and fruits.

I am fine, all thanks to what is called “Luo han Guo” in mandarin, or Momordica grosvenori fruit, regularly. A store nearby my house sells them, ready made into a bottled drink. It is “home made”, meaning they get the best of these fruits, process them and make it into a drink on a “on-demand” basis. This includes brewing it with other herbs/fruits too.

Drinking this helps “cool” down your body, treats some common illness well, and best of all it helps directly to the throat. Which is why I am able to maintain a good and clear singing voice through out the year!

I recommend this for it is cheap and good, and for a better, healthier body.

Sources:
http://www.chineseherbsdirect.com/product_info.php?products_id=769

http://www.tributetea.com/herbs_luohanguo.asp

Theres an incident where the Ferrari’s F1 Pit stop had a mistake.

This is all captured in this video here:

Here is another Video form Skyview and In cam View.

And the Ferrari car had almost collided with another F1 Vehicle while coming out of the pit, with a dangling fuel pipe.