Save for a better future

Hobby - Singapore International Coin Fair 2012

2012-02-14T16:44:00.002+08:00

Singapore International Coin Fair is here again. I was there last year in which it is held in Suntec City and it was an nice fair. I ended up buying a couple of NGC graded Panda Coins.

It seems that we have more exhibitors than last year(10 mints and 50 over dealers) taking part this year, coming from all over the world. I am sure it will be a great event for all coin collectors in Singapore as well as all over the world.

One thing to take note is the location of the event. Last year, the event was held in Suntec City. But this year it have to move to another location (Marina Sand)

Please click here for more information of the event. Hope to see you guys there....

Singapore International Coin Fair 2012, March 30 - April 01
Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, SINGAPORE

Hobby - 2011 China S10Y Panda Early Releases MS69

2012-02-14T11:14:00.000+08:00

2011 1 oz China Early Release MS69

General - Nutrition.com.sg - Making Sense of Healthy Eating

2012-02-14T10:36:00.002+08:00

Food... Every person like to eat good food but the problem is that most good food is quite harmful to the body with high calories, high fats, etc. I know it is hard to resist the temptation of good food such as Laksa, Nasi Lemak, etc. Personally, I am overweight as it is really hard to say "No" to all the good food when I go past the hawker centre.

I am now on a diet to reduce weight to more healthier levels. I have done some research on the internet to find out more on the calories contents of the food we are eating and tried to maintain a more stable and low calories food intake.

Knowing what you are intaking daily is vital to maintain a healthy lifestyle and ensure that you have a healthier body. Nutrition.com.sg - Making Sense of Healthy Eating is one of the good website that I will recommend especially to Singaporean or people staying in Singapore as it have detail information on the common food that we have in Singapore hawker centres and coffee shops. It also have some advise on how we can have a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, etc..

Hobby - 1994 China S5Y Panda MS69

2012-02-08T16:46:00.002+08:00

1994 1/2 oz China Panda MS69

General - Clixsense Tips

2012-02-08T12:04:00.001+08:00

Clixsense's users now have to make the ads page active in order for the timer to run down which is now so nice if you don't really want to see the ads. For the timer to run down even when the ads windows is in the background is to use Google's Chrome. By running clixsense on Google's Chrome, users now can still surf like normally on Internet Explorer while the timer in clixsense run down in the background.. Hope this little tips can help you guys out there...

For people who don't know what is clixsense, please click here to join this website which pay users for looking at ads for free.....

Hobby - 1993 China S5Y Panda MS68

2012-02-05T16:32:00.000+08:00

1993 1/2 oz China Panda MS68

Hobby - 2003 China S10Y Panda MS66

2012-02-05T00:30:00.001+08:00

2003 1 oz China Silver Panda MS66

Hobby - 2006 Laos Buddha 15k Kip 20 gm 999 Silver Proof Coin

2012-02-03T11:18:00.003+08:00

Mintage : 6,888

Weight : 20 gm

Material : 999 Fine Silver

Saving Tips – Saving Deposit

2012-02-02T12:42:00.003+08:00

How many of you guys have this question in your mind? Where should I place my money? Investment fund? Equity Market? Forex? For some people those instruments are just too risky for their likings. So how about placing your saving in fixed deposit/saving account? So we go to the 3 major bank in Singapore asking about the interest rate, then you will say “oh my god”, how come the interest rate is so low now? Presently, the 3 major banks in Singapore (UOB/DBS/OCBC) is paying an interest rate of 0.05% for ordinary saving account and less than 1% for 1 year fixed deposit. Those rates are just too low when you start thinking of the high inflation rate recently. At 0.05%, a 10k saving deposit will yield just $5 a year. That is enough for a plate of vegetable rice and a can of drinks at the coffee shop.

So what should we do with our money then? If saving into the bank is your only option, maybe you can start looking at other banks other than the 3 major banks in Singapore for higher interest rate. But one thing to take note is to ensure that your saving is protected by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Scheme. Banks such as Maybank, SBI, Standard Chartered, NTUC Plus account give better interested rates. So maybe before depositing your money, it will be good to visit the website of different bank for the best rates before deciding where to place your cash….

General – Clixsense

2012-01-05T09:46:00.002+08:00

How many hours do you spend every day in front of the computer and surf the internet? Internet had become an important part of our life. Have you even though of earning some extra cash while surfing the internet? Of course, I am not talking about big money like what some website normally does to attract the attention of users. What I am saying here is totally free of charge. Just spend less than 5 min a day browse web clicking on ads and earn more than USD10 per year. I know it is not a lot but what do you lose? You are going to surf the web anyway… You don’t need to pay a single cent… So why not get a bit of extra bonus the end of the year.

The website that I am going to introduce is Clixsense in which uses just click and view ads and get paid for doing that… Totally free of charge… Of course, they do have some premium plan that need users need to pay around USD14.95 to get more ads and referral bonus. But I feel it is not used unless you want to help them find referral.

Presently, I am earn around 3.6 cents per day from Clixsense excluding any winning from their Clixgrid game which all user have 25 free play every day to win a maximum 5 dollars. 3.6 cents per day will work out to be more than USD13.00 per year. Not much but a small bonus at the end of the year for your "hardwork" in front of the computer surfing web..

Please click here to visit Clixsense to know more about how you can earn money by surfing ads…

Saving Tips – Alternative way of getting to Shanghai from Singapore

2012-01-02T16:00:00.001+08:00

With the new budget airlines in our region, travelling around have become more affordable. Consumers now have more choice on which airlines to take. I will like to share my experience in traveling from Singapore to Shanghai through Jetstar and the massive train system of china

It is quite expensive to fly from Singapore to Shanghai through the main airliner with ticket price ranging from S$600 to S$1000+. Below is the method that I have used to travel to Shanghai

1) Singapore to Shanghai

a. Take Jetstar flight from Singapore to Ningbo which takes off from Singapore at 1120hrs and land on Ningbo airport at around 1700hrs. (Around 4.5 hours) (Normally around S$)150
b. Take a taxi from Ningbo Airport to Ningbo East train station (Around 1 hours) (Less than 100 RMB)

c. Take a D* train to Shanghai Hongqiao Station (Around 3 to 4 hours). You should be able to reach Shanghai at around 8pm to 9pm (Less than 100 RMB)

Please click here to see the train schedule

The whole journey will take around 9 hours to 10 hours. The total cost of the journey will be around S$180

2) Shanghai to Singapore

a. Take a train from Shanghai Hongqiao Station to Hanghzhou Station (1 hours) (Around RMB 80)

Please click here to see the train schedule
http://www.chinatrainguide.com/ningbo-railway-station/stntostn.php

b. Take a taxi from Hangzhou Train Station to Hangzhou Airport (1 hours) (Around RMB100)

c. Take Jetstar flight from Hangzhou to Singapore which takes off from Hangzhou at 0035hrs (5hrs) (Around RMB950

The whole journey will take around 8 to 9 hours including waiting time at Hangzhou airport. The total cost will be around S$230

The total cost of the round trip will be around S$400 which is at least 30% to 70% cheaper than regular airliners discounted ticket price which will only be able to get if we book the ticket early.

If you have other cheap way of travelling around, please feel free to comment below..

Hobby - Singapore 1980 $1 Proof Sterling Silver Lion

2012-01-01T13:58:00.005+08:00

Hobby - 1989 Canda Maple Proof

2012-01-01T13:55:00.001+08:00

Hobby - Singapore Coin Set

2012-01-01T13:46:00.002+08:00

This is a old Singapre Fish Coin Set It really brings back the memories of my childhood times...

General - Free Top 10 Proxy Software

2012-01-01T09:31:00.001+08:00

How many times have to travel to an oversea location and wish to access website such as Facebook but was unsuccessful. By using proxy software, we will be able to access most of the website no matter where we are. Most importantly, those proxy software are free of charge...

I am personally using a proxy software called Freegate . This software is small in size and good to use.. You can download it using CNET website... All you have to do is to double click on the software after downloading, and it will start and open an IE. That is all you need to do to use this software to access website such as facebook, etc...

Below is the URL that shows a list of other good proxy software.

Top 10 Proxy Software

If you have other good proxy software that is not in the list, please comment on this post so that other bloggers can also know.... Cheer...

Saving Tips - Airport Lounge Part 2

2011-12-31T15:51:00.003+08:00

Just want to share with you guys in Singapore. For all ANZ Platinum Card holder, you will be able to access the SATS Airport Lounge at Changi Airport for free. Just another saving tips....

General - Watching TV Series Online

2011-12-31T15:49:00.000+08:00

The price of Starhub TV and Singtel's Mio is quite expensive. Normally we will need to pay $20+ to $50 per month for their service. A good way to save on this expenses is to watch TV series online.. They are a couple of online website which we could watch TV series for free... For example 奇艺 is a new website that I have recently found that offer a wide range of latest TV series from Hong Kong, China, etc... They even have iphone/ipad application for iphone/ipad so that we can watch TV online on the move.. But of course they are other website and application which allow us to watch TV free online... Maybe readers can suggest some to other readers. By placing a comment on this post....

Investment - Update

2011-01-15T14:12:00.000+08:00

Finally, I have the time to sit down to write on the blog. I have sold off all my holdings in last Dec before I go for my holiday (You feel so relaxed with no holding in hand). But anyway as the new year starts, I will planning to buy in some of the counters that I always hold back at a lower price. Counters such as Cambridge have drop to 52 cents which will be a good bargain again. I am still waiting and will be doing some studies first before I decided what is the price that I should buy in again.. That is all for now.. I will keep you guys updated again..

Investment - Portfolio Summary Update

2010-09-30T07:39:00.000+08:00

I have change my porfolio to a pure dividend-based porfolio. Presently in my porfolio are counters that distributes stable dividend. As the third quarter ends, it will be another round of divdend distribution from Cambridge and Cityspring which gives out dividend quarterly.

List of Counters

Cambridge - 9.228 lots (approx yield = 9%)
Comfort Delgro - 2 lots (approx yield = 3.4%)
CitySpring - 4 lots (approx yield = 7%)
CapitalComm - 2 lots (approx yield = 5.6%)
Digiland - 100 lots (approx yield = 0%)

Hobbies - 1989 China Panda Proof

2010-08-07T08:44:00.004+08:00

1989 China Panda Silver Coin Proof (Obv)

1989 China Panda Silver Coin Proof (Rev)

Investment - Portfolio Summary Update

2010-08-07T08:36:00.002+08:00

I have applied for the DRP for Cambridge for the recently dividend distribution of 1.238 cents per share. I feel that this will be a good way of reinvesting the dividend I get from Cambridge as I will not have to pay agent fee and the price of the counter is lower than market price. CaptialComm have also announced a dividend distribution of 3.9 cents per share and I am now waiting for the report and dividend announcement from Comfort Delgro and CitySpring which will be coming next week.

List of Counters

Cambridge - 9 lots
Comfort Delgro - 2 lots
CitySpring - 4 lots
CapitalComm - 2 lots
Digiland - 100 lots
Noble Group - 2 lots

Total Capital : $19,000
Total Cash : $492.23
Total Value : $20,086.65
Gain/(Loss) : $1086.65

Saving Tips - Airport Lounge

2010-07-11T15:27:00.000+08:00

I was at Hong Kong Airport recently and was waiting for my flight to Shanghai Pudong. I was introduced to the airport lounge to rest as I still have to work for 6 hours for the flight. For normal passenger, you have to pay around HK400 for a 2 hours rest in this lounge. But if you have Amecian Express Credit Card, BOC Credit Card, etc, you will be allow to access the lounge Free of Charge. I do have a BOC Credit Card but I never bring it this time with me thus I have not choice but to pay HK400 for my stay in the lounge.

I have been travelling frequently and noticed that owning some credit card will entitled you to access certain airport lounge free-of-charge. So I will like to gather all this information and post it in this post so that we can share this information. Please feel free to comments on this post if you have any information.

Saving Tips - Taking Budget Airlines

2010-07-11T12:14:00.000+08:00

I will like to share my experience of taking budget airlines (Tiger Airlines). I have recently took a round flight from Singapore to Hong Kong on Tiger Airlines, Singapore's Budget Airlines. The seat are ok just that the gap between each rows of seat is really quite small. For most people, you will not have enough space to move your legs. But the width of the seats is quite good and is similar to the seats that you will be getting on normal airlines. The food and drinks sold onboard the plane is really quite expensive. It cost me $10/- for a small packet of nasi lemak and $3.5/- for a can of coke. In additional, the food is really not very good. But if you are really taking budget airline, I have the following suggestion;-

1) Book early - Budget airlines ticket are cheap if you make your booking like 1 to 2 months before the departure date. If you are booking the ticket near to the departure date, the ticket maybe really quite expensive. So it maybe better to book the air ticket on a normal airlines if the difference is not too big.

2) Seat selection - When you check-in, you will be ask where you wish to sit. My suggestion is to request a seat just one row in front of the last row. Normally the ticketing counter will pack the passenger to the front of the plane and leaving the rear of the plane normally empty. Do not take the last row as it is too near to the back wall of the cabin and you may not be able to adjust your seat backwards.

Investment - Portfolio Summary (14 June 2010 to 9 July 2010)

2010-07-10T19:20:00.002+08:00

After a 2 month overseas trip in Vietnam for work and a short hoilday trip in Shanghai, I finally have some time to update my blog and look at my porfolio.

This short hoilday trip to Shanghai was an interesting one. I saw many of Singapore's big name setting up businesses in Shanghai. For example, Captialland's Raffles City in 人民广场.. F&B companies such as Breadtalk and 美珍香 also have a strong presense in Shanghai. I saw many Breadtalk and 美珍香 outlets in many parts of Shanghai. You also can see DBS Buildings in 陆家嘴..

Ok.. Back to the porfolio, the porfolio did well for the past month when I am not around to go from a loss of around $200/- to a profit of $800/-. I have decided to take profit by selling off CapitalComm and Comfort Delgro. Cambridge will be releasing it report and dividend distribution soon on 15 July 2010. I am also waiting for the report from GIL to see if the new management will be giving out dividend for the first half of the year before I decide whether to hold on to this counter.

At the moment, after selling off CapitalComm and Comfort Delgro, the porfolio is now on 60% cash and 40% equity.
List of Counter

SGX
Cambrigde - $0.500 (9 lots)
Digiland - $0.005 (100 lots)
GIL - $0.190 (14 lots)

Total Capital : $18,000
Total Cash : $11,231.66
Total Value : $18,891.66
Gain/(Loss) : $891.66

Investment - Portfolio Summary (17 May 2010 to 11 June 2010)

2010-06-12T16:03:00.000+08:00

I have been oversea for the last few week so I don't have time to update the blog. The market have been quite bad for the period due to the europe crisis and the portfolio have took a hit and is now in loss. I took the chance to sell off some of the counters and bought in some dividend counters such as CapitalComm and Cambridge. As the end of June comes, half year report will be out soon (So does the announcement of dividend).

List of Counter

SGX
Cambrigde - $0.490 (9 lots) +0.000
Digiland - $0.005 (100 lots) +0.000
GIL - $0.185 (14 lots) +0.000
Comfort Delgro - $1.43 (3 lots) +0.000
CapitalComm - $1.15 (5 lots) +0.000

Total Capital : $18,000

Total Cash : $229.03

Total Value : $17882.73 (Including dividend of $113.70)

Gain/(Loss) : -$117.27