AVATAR: Hitler Learned The Movie Sucked (Funny)
Dec 28, 2009 General
In the words of one of RDA’s gun-totting guy during the opening few minutes of the Avatar movie, “That is just so wrroh-ong!”.
You wouldn’t want to enrage the man like this:
LMAOSFSVVFLLL!!! (Translation: Laughing My Ass Off So Funny So Very Very Funny La La La!!!)
The Irony of Being Financial Smart
Dec 26, 2009 General
There are 3 types of financially smart people in this day and age of the world. There is the thrifty smart, leveragingly smart, and the value smart.
Let’s unhinge a little more info on the value smart people. When you’re value smart, you understand and appreciate how much a given item values and you’d break limbs to ensure that whatever you’re paying, you’re getting the most out of it. You’d pay a hundred dollar for an item that you feel should cost a hundred dollar, and nothing more, even if that was your only hundred dollars for the month. If there was a hire purchase deal that lets you get 5 of that items for that hundred dollar that you possess currently, you staunchly decline as the interest rates that rack up overtime aren’t beneficial for you. Though you get more items and paying a much lesser amount, albeit in installments, hire purchase deal breakers are the last thing on your mind. Paying interests on these products are wasteful and you believe that spending more in the long run is an unwise form of return on investments. See, you’re smart. You’re value smart.
And then there are those that chooses to leverage their hundred dollars per month. These are the ones who articulate in getting the best deals as much as they can, even though the interests racks up in the long run. To them, it’s worth it that you’re able to utilise more tools and applications as soon as possible, thus gaining much ground in productivity, while reasoning that the accumulated interests pays off by itself, thanks to an early start in productivity. But of course when things go wrong, they go really wrong, as seen recently with the recession where Dubai World, leveraging on huge debts, got hit hard. Then again, you could argue that it has transformed and cemented the emirate as a luxury hub for financial, entertainment and lifestyle services. If it didn’t leverage on debts, it would never have achieved this much. So when you’re leveraging, and unless you’re unlucky (like having a recession hit you), you’re still smart. Leveragingly smart.
This is one of those rare and highly unlikely posts where I dig deep inside the troughs of my eccentric mind and harvest, using whatever infant and primitive tools that my collective brain possess, and set out stall for a topic where many opinions and possibly deliberations get their fuel from.
The irony of being financial smart — which smart are you?
There are 3 types of financially smart people in this day and age of the world. There is the thriftily smart, leveragingly smart, and the value smart.
Let’s unhinge a little more info on the value smart people. When you’re value smart, you understand and appreciate how much a given item values and you’d break limbs to ensure that whatever you’re paying, you’re getting the most out of it. You’d pay a hundred dollar for an item that you feel should cost a hundred dollar, and nothing more, even if that was your only hundred dollars for the month. If there was a hire purchase deal that lets you get 5 of that items for that hundred dollar that you possess currently, you staunchly decline as the interest rates that rack up overtime aren’t beneficial for you. Though you get more items and paying a much lesser amount, albeit in installments, hire purchase deal breakers are the last thing on your mind. Paying interests on these products are wasteful and you believe that spending more in the long run is an unwise form of return on investments.
You’re value smart. You’re smart but you may lose out on getting more out of what your dollars can. Perhaps you’re uncertain that paying off a monthly amount bears too much of a financial stress. Nevertheless, smart is smart.
And then there are those that chooses to leverage their hundred dollars per month. These are the ones who articulate in getting the best deals as much as they can, even though the interests racks up in the long run. To them, it’s worth it that you’re able to utilise more tools and applications as soon as possible, thus gaining much ground in productivity, while reasoning that the accumulated interests pays off by itself, thanks to an early start in productivity. But of course when things go wrong, they go really wrong, as seen recently with the recession where Dubai World, leveraging on huge debts, got hit hard. Then again, you could argue that it has transformed and cemented the emirate as a luxury hub for financial, entertainment and lifestyle services. If it didn’t leverage on debts, it would never have achieved this much. So when you’re leveraging, and unless you’re unlucky (like having a recession hit you), you’re still smart.
You’re leveragingly smart. You’re smart, but there’s a liaibility on your shoulders and unless you’re aptly covered, you’re tackling plenty of risks heads on. The bigger the risks, the greater the rewards eh?
Finally we come to the thriftily smart. They scrimp, they save, they find alternatives and they make sure that they absolutely only get the things that they need, and not just the things that they want. Why spend hundreds on a branded jeans when there’s a bargain cheap option? It’s not that they don’t possess desires but their thrifty ways ensure that they face less risks, carry less liabilities, and ultimately spending less while saving more. Being thrifty is excellent, and it is a sure way of ensuring that you’re able to survive whatever ominous onslaught the future may bring. Best of all, there’s very little to worry about financially and life’s a breeze.
You’re thriftily smart. You’re smart and trading peace of mind for luxuries is never your lifestyle choice. But though it brings you lesser gains and affordability, you’re in it for the long, comfortable run. There’s more to invest within life than mere financial or material products, right?
These are topics which I enjoy deliberating upon, open ended and with plenty of angles to tackle with. Anyway my point being that even if you think that you’re smart (whereby you’re an advocate of one of these three characteristics), it’s never a complete/perfect solution or advocacy. There are always holes in any given situation and I suppose the best way to describe a financially smart person is when he or she possesses all three characteristics and is able to react proactively to any situation and conditions.
And then this is one of those rare and highly unlikely post where I end it abruptly just because I’m not smart enough to come up with a smart quote. Bite me.
Sadako: Why She Won’t Crawl Anymore.
Dec 12, 2009 General
You know who Sadako is, and you truly know what she is all about and how she glamourised the crawling out of tv scene with ‘The Ring’ movie.
Apparently she has made it clear to any would be directors that any crawling-out-of-tv scenes, well she’s not going to do them anymore.
She said that she’s sick and tired of watching youtube video parodies of her signature moves, which are clearly not as good as hers.
Anyway, I wish her luck for her next feature film, but here’s a quick question:
Why won’t our lovable Sadako crawl out of TVs anymore?
..
..
..
..
..
Because she saw a 100inch LCD and really, she only has to practice her catwalk from now on.
= )
20Litre Fuel Cap For Foreign Cars Within 50km Of Malaysian Borders
Dec 10, 2009 General
They are even trying to impose a rule where they will not allow any foreign cars with more than 20litre of petrol in their tanks to leave the borders.
Isn’t this great that now there is a perfectly legitimate reason to tell your teacher (or your boss) that you can’t come to school (or the office) because you’re being held up in another country.
Anyway the main reason that this rule went into their heads is to curb the petrol smuggling, where petrol is heavily subsidised by the Malaysian government.
Though I find the idea of going all the way up there just to fill up my tanks as sort of a lost cause (going there and coming back takes time and uses up petrol at the same time), I wonder just what the ‘lawmakers’ there, or whoever it is that came up with this idea, were thinking of.
The Sun reveals a bit more about the petrol issue, while the Malaysian Insider gave up more inside information, like how the Malaysian Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Affairs feels that the proposed move probably won’t eradicate the root of the problem, but rather minimise it.
Though I’m not affected by the proposed ruling, I do feel compelled to mention the myopic vision of it all.
If foreign vehicles come in and PAY to fill up on petrol, isn’t that still commerce for the nation?
And lets not forget that most foreigners don’t just go there for petrol — they shop, they eat, and they get themselves entertained, like going to Redbox Karaoke to sing and eat at the same time.
I secretly wonder (but not a secret anymore if it’s revealed eh???) if there’s more to it than meets the eye, like why not remove the intensive subsidy instead — this surely WILL eradicate the problem.
“Removing subsidy will definitely solve the petrol smuggling issue, but backlash and outcry from the public will be inevitable, but we can manage by providing free meals at pump station instead.” the Minister did not actually say at all.
Heh, at least it would have solved the smuggling problem eh?
Places Where It’s Wrong To Not Smoke
Dec 9, 2009 General
Signages are good, informative and promotes well-being and should be exposed to as many viewers as possible.
But not this one.
Found greeting male toilet go-ers at West Coast SRC’s third floor, this sign certainly received the thumbs up from Bangau (yes that is his hand, showing you just how big and obvious the sign is), who is a self-confessed voluntary smoker himself.
‘No no smoking prohibited by law’ are the words on display and that simply means if you don’t smoke (no no smoking) then you’re running afoul of the law, right?
A smoker’s haven indeed.
Btw, smoking is bad for your health and your wallets, just thought you should know. Heh.
Tags: Funny Signs, Law, No Smoking, Toilet Signs
The New Friendster.com — Extremely Simplified.
Dec 7, 2009 General
If you have seen the new Friendster.com layout then you’ll be extremely surprise at how different it looks like, compared to just last week.
I remember filling out a survey about its ‘wallet’ feature, and telling them how I didn’t care about it, but now I’d like to tell them just how brilliantly designed the new layout is.
The colours are pleasing, the User Interface is intuitive and simple, and I think the best thing about it is that it is clutter-free!
Just take a look at the brand new login screen, which is what you get when you hit friendster.com.
Very modern, very web 2.0 indeed, and I like it a lot.
I can sense that Friendster is now targeting the younger generation, the hipper and more socially networked younger generation consisting of tweens and teenagers, and whom are largely Asians.
This has to go down as one of friendsters’ critical/major overhaul in its design after quite some time.
From a testimonial powered social networking website, and now into a ‘twitter-like’ social networking website, Friendster has definitely learned from the bigger boys like Facebook and Linkedin.
Upon logging in, you’ll find your ‘twitter’ page and this new layout should accelerate Asians’ acceptance of twitter as a networking form — though unlike twitter, the word limit here is just under 250 characters.
Rest assured the old friendster that you’ve gotten used to is still around, lurking within your ‘Profile’ page, which contains your old wall and stuffs.
Anyway as I mentioned earlier, there’s a new offering on display if you can find it, and it’s called ‘Wallet’, which is like a security feature of Friendster.
Nevertheless it’s not something that I’d use that often, as the games and apps on offer don’t really tempt me much, but the younger generation of kids should be impressed with it.
So what left me the most impression in this new wave of changes?
The Friendster logo — very friendly right? (Saw that smiley at the end?)
Tags: Friendster, New, Web 2.0
They Said, So I Say — Newsworthy of Blog.Mar.Sg
Nov 20, 2009 General
They said: Alcohol helps cut heart disease risk for men: study
So I say: That these men are intoxiated, happy, obnoxious and thus no stress at all. That’s why no heart disease.
… and then …
So I say: And that’s a bad thing? Oh come on!
… next …
They said: Google Offers Peek at Operating System, a Potential Challenge to Windows
So I say: Bye bye M$ campaign. Okay, Windows 7 quite promising and not too bad, but a Chrome OS, based loosely simlar to the Chrome Web Browser, is a welcomed promise for me. I love the Chrome browser for it’s extreme (and unrivalled) speed and usability, but until the OS launches, it’s still just a promise.
… and finally..
if you’ve ever lay in bed and wished that the living room TV could serenade you to sleep, then here’s your wish come true.
Tags: Newsworthy
World’s Most Corrupt N Least Corrupt Government
Nov 18, 2009 General
According to a certain report from an online webby, it is such that…
The world’s most corrupt governments:
1. Somalia
2. Afghanistan
3. Myanmar
The world’s least corrupt governments:
1. New Zealand
2. Denmark
T3. Singapore
T3. Sweden
For the list which says the most corrupt, I shall not venture anywhere near their coasts.
For the list which says least corrupt.. ahhh, a few words, may I and let’s start from the bottom?
Sweden ties with Singapore in third place. If only this was the final teams’ positions in the South Africa 2010 World Cup, which some people in Singapore actually made an effort to commercialise it into a Goal 2010 event, which as we all know by know is merely a NATO event — not to be confused with the United Nations army thingy, here it stands for No Action Talk Only.
Anyway, sweet isn’t it that our country’s in third place and being the overly warm and welcomely people that we are, we even share the position with Sweden.
Hello Swedes. Abba rocks.
And then it goes up to Denmark, a country which is known for… wait, what is Denmark known for? Pardon my ignorance but I’ll crack my brains a bit here…. Carlsberg! Lego! Mermaid! Beautiful girls! Free hospitals!
Okay, with such wonderful assets, who’d even think of going corrupt?
But know why New Zealand is right there on top?
Because half the population are living overseas, thus not many people to leech off from being corrupt.
Anyway, whose report? Theirs.
Tags: Governments, Lists
Google, 14th November 2009 — A New Moon?
Nov 14, 2009 General
Usually during festive seasons Google will change its look on its search homepage and today, 14th November 2009, they did it again although I am left scratching my head as to what this means.
What does this mean?
2012? End of The World (cue: hysteria, paranoia screams)? That astrologists discover that the moon has a purple halo all these while?
If anything, the first few words that race into my head are “New Moon”, which is the second installment of the popular novel ‘Twilight’ series by Stephenie Meyer.
I’ve not read it at all, nor am I a fan of the Twilight series, but if you’ve read it all and want to know more about the movie adaptation, then this here is your new shrine.
I Want An Imac 27inch (Festive Present Maybe?) But Not From Bidpax Please.
Nov 9, 2009 General
How can anyone resist this? How can? Or how cannot???
Wait, I know how cannot — cannot afford that is! By not having the money to buy!
So tantalising, so tempting, so… arrghhh! I’ll admit, I’m an Apple fanboy! Bite me!
And then there is the iPhone 3GS! So sleek, so captivating, so smooth, so…. arrrghhhhH!!!
Why must Apple torture me suring this holiday season with all these beautiful gadgets!
It’s not quite an obsession with the brand or anything-but-apple mindset that I possess, but it’s the simple, minimalistic yet functional design of Apple’s products that draws me towards them.
See that iphone above? Ever since its release, how many lookalikes have there been? Or even the imac for that matter.
But you know what’s the down-to-earth thing about apple is? Is that it does have it’s not-so-great moments as well, which it takes on smoothly and moves on.
Remember the Apple Newton? Aha! Not many would realise about it, but it wasn’t the success that Apple then craved for it to be.
In 1998 the Apple Newton was cut off from its production line, due to the lukewarm response for the said PDA.
And to state another, there was the G4 Cube, an award winning product, that was simply out of this world (at that time) and out of everyone’s pockets it seemed. It got stuffed away and despite a few facelift, at least it has driven Apple towards the obsession of slimmer, smaller or lighter, and better.
Thus the imac today.
Thinking about it, the imac, the iphone all perhaps wouldn’t have gained its cult status if not for these duds. It’s the continuous redesign and improvements given to its product line that makes Apple stand out from the rest of its counterparts.
Instead of adding more features and hardware, things are streamlined and simplified, yet functional. The way that good designs should be.
Being a part-time designer myself, I cannot stress how important this simple mantra of mine is: Good designs should make things simple, uncluttered and fully functional.
Keep reinventing, repolishing, reworking on any design before you can call it a final design, and imho there can and never will be a final design, because designs can forever be improved and polished.
And I love, adore, obsessive over good polished designs.
Anyway, since I can’t afford a 27inch iMac at the moment, and sees no reason for me to want to get one either (other than the adoration for having one itself, then I guess I can wait — even if Bidpax offers it to me for cheap!
Now Bidpax.com is one website that is simple, streamlined BUT (sadly) just not functional. Bah~
Tags: Apple
