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November 10 Money TalkFor people who know me, it is no secret that I am a HUGE money fan, then again who isn't right?
But I am a little obsessed with it so much so that friends actually say that I stressed them out talking about this topic. And actually, this includes my husband too.
This has lead to many disagreements and has gone to a degree that talking about money in the household will make one of us annoyed and the other sleepy. Both my husband and I have grown up in households which did not have the best of everything and money was always an issue. The result is that we have our own ideas about money - although it can be very different.
I tend to be very positive where money is concern, prefering to believe that money is everywhere and we just have to figure out how to get more of it. My dear husband on the other hand believes that money is a scare product, there is only so much in the market and one cannot possibly get more of it.
Yesterday, I sat my husband down and went through with him some financial questions from a Personal Finance Workbook (yeah, they really do exist!). Although it was a very short questionnaire, it helped revealed some eye-opening insights. One of it is that (assuming he has a windfall), his priority will be to repay all his debts before he invests anything. Yours trully here will choose instead to invest to the max while repaying the the minimum amount. Thus, the problem lies herein. No right or wrong way, just which way to max your current position. One is very conservative, one is just the opposite. One is very careful and the other very daring.
However, once we understood this, we had a chance to explain ech others viewpoint and hopefully, we will be having more "calm & less stressed" money talk in the household.
Either way, hubby still thinks I am a little nuts about this whole obsession with money. Woo-hoo!!
October 11 My IQ is 122!I just spent 30 minutes online doing this IQ test. Long time never do this already, so it was quite fun.
The results?!
Congratulations, May!
Your IQ score is 122 This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others.
Your Intellectual Type is Word Warrior. This means you have exceptional verbal skills. You can easily make sense of complex issues and take an unusually creative approach to solving problems. Your strengths also make you a visionary. Even without trying you're able to come up with lots of new and creative ideas. And that's just a small part of what we know about you from your test results. It was quite fun doing it although it seemed as if it would never end. September 01 Some horrifying history!As a follow-up to my previous entry, I had a chat with my parents about safety on a motor bike.
I found out to my horror that when I was young, we used to go on my dad's Vespa with NO helmets on! Not even for my parents - dad said it was because it was not mandatory yet!
And guess where I was when on the bike? Standing right in front holding on to the handle of the bike! Dad said it was safe cause his legs will hold me in place - can you believe that?
I was so horrified and accused them of not loving me enough to protect me!
Miraculously, nothing ever happened to us ... probably that is why people nowadays think of their safety so lightly - it will never happen to me.
Thankfully things have change now - well, superficially anyway. Although the law says helmet is mandatory, they did not say that fastening the helmet properly is mandatory, hence the high numbers of people dying because of a head fracture etc.
Hopefully people will learn over time and realised that their safety is their own responsibility and not other people's. August 24 Interesting sights in the morningI have always hated traffic jams and used to swear off working in KL city centre. And as fate would have it, I got my current job right in the heart of the city. Therefore, traffic jams are a norm while getting to work and when I go home in the evening.
Two mornings ago, I had a very interesting observation at a junction when I stopped in front of some motor cyclists:
1) There was a father at the motor bike with the wife, both with fastened helmets, but their daughter sandwiched in between did not wear a helmet!
Perhaps they thought their heads were more fragile compared to the child's and therefore needed more protection.
Or maybe they thought that an accident would never happen to them.
Either way, it tugged a string in my heart knowing that the poor child is so innocent sitting there, enjoying the scene, all the while not knowing that danger is just lurking around the corner.
2) There was a motor cyclist who was talking on the handphone. The handphone was in his left hand and the right hand held his helmet. He was talking and talking and then I heard him shouting and then the next thing, he started banging his helmet on his bike!! I was shocked! His poor wife was trying to calm him down, but no such luck cause he shouted even louder!
3) There was another motor cyclist there who was just frowning ... probably thinking of when the policeman was going to ask him to go!
What a way to start the morning ... oops, here I go, the policeman has started to wave me on!
August 01 Pleasant surpriseSurprise surprise!
I just discovered that I am able to log into MSN Spaces and leave comments and even enter my own blog in the office!
I was previously barred and felt terribly frustrated not being able to leave comments and add an entry.
Wah, suddenly feel so inspired ... but it is time to go home, so maybe tomorrow then.
May 25 A little updateOk, just so you know ... I have been rather good at keeping my little book.
Summary of my expenses since last Saturday when I first started....
Saturday - RM140.88
Sunday - 58.65
Monday - 26.30
Tuesday - 104.90
Wednesday - 12.50
Wah!!! See .. I told you my money keeps disapearing!
A friend remarked that she tried it once and was rather depressed when she looked at the entries, so decided not to continue.
Me? Well, I must say that I am motivated by it. At least it will make me think twice before I spend now!
The golden question - Will I continue? Well ..... I would think so, for the sake of my wallet!
May 20 Where has my money gone??Aiyo, I tell you...money in my wallet never stay put.
I never usually have money in my wallet, I believed that the plastic cards are better and safer.
However, it can be painful if you need to buy something and the credit card machine breaks down and you just have to buy that thing in your hand!
So, recently, I have made it a habit to put some money in my bag.
Guess what?!
The money disappears very quickly!
I find myself having to replenish my wallet at least twice a week and it has gotten alarming.
So, today, I went to one of those Indian book stalls and bought myself a little notebook .... to record my expenses and track where my money go.
I don't think it will be easy to do this but I will try ... will update you on where this is in a month's time then ...
May 18 My retirement needsToday I have a very interesting conversation with my boss. We talked about retirement needs …. And I did an estimation on how much I would need for my retirement – it was staggering!!
With reasonable assumptions on inflation rates, investment rates and income earning rates, my estimated monthly expenses when I retire at 50 years old is RM19k … with a ready lump sum of RM4.8m by 50 years old to sustain this lifestyle. And how am I supposed to achieve that? Well, simply save RM10k on a monthly basis to achieve this number.
Wah! I almost fainted when I saw these figures. 5 years back when I did this, my retirement fund needed was RM3mil … now it has increased to close to RM5mil. However, I was being more conservative in today’s calculation … but what a change in 5 years!
Clearly, I need to re-evaluate my lifestyle and my investment strategies (like I have any!). But then when you come to think about it … why sacrifice when you have reached your golden years when you are suppose to enjoy your fruits of labour?
So what to do? Start planning now! February 11 Interesting statistics on Valentine's DayHow did Valentine's Day begin? If you are a cynic, you likely think someone at Hallmark or in a chocolate factory came up with the idea, but according to legend, Valentine's Day originated as a Roman fertility festival to commemorate the anniversary of the death of St. Valentine. Who was St. Valentine? He was a Roman priest who was executed for marrying couples in secret in defiance of orders from the emperor of Rome, who wanted young men to remain unmarried, thinking they would make better soldiers.
Some interesting facts about Valentine's Day in the USA: ...... the average American eats 24.6 pounds of candy each year, with a large amount of it eaten around Valentine's Day. ...... over $425 million worth of cut flowers are sold in the United States each year, with roses coming in second to lillies. ...... there are 23,094 florists and 28,914 jewelry stores in the United States
Here are the most romantic sounding places to live:
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