Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Z0uk
Then he told us again this morning.
Poor C@thleen, who was down with flu, had no chance to appeal.
The 3 of us left br@nch at 7 and headed Z0uk. There was the buffet spread, which wasn't that fantastic. The party was held by B@rcl@ys, in celebration of the success of the launch of the Str@tegic Select Inc0me fund.
There wasn't the expected huge turnout. In fact, only 1/3 of my M@nagement Tr@inee batch turned up. There was the usual cheers, and the c0mparison of s@les perf0rmance. Irene @ng was not the saving grace of the evening.
The beer and vodka is.
This is the very first time I felt so compelled to enter Z0uk.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Members
These are just some of my mates from the Management Trainee batch, taken at the recent D&D.
Tomorrow's event would be at Z0uk, celebrating the success of B@rclays' Str@tegic Select Inc0me Fund.
I l0ve free flow.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Cosy Bar
It's been a long time since I heard him sing.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Oopx
After working from 830am to 9pm today, it's back to work in another 8 hours time?
Gosh.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
M0ney Matters
I believe in investments. Period.
With inflation rate set at 2.9%, it's scary to know that the value of money is dropping.
I see myself as a gr0wth invest0r and favour equities more than b0nds. I map out my first tier of retirement planning by investing a very small sum into unit trusts every month. I practise that for my cpf funds as well.
My second tier would come from insurance. Investment-linked plan, that is. On a very conservative note, the returns would be over $280k on a 9% returns.
I realise that sum of money is not enough to retire. I'm faced with 2 alternatives: take up another insurance plan, or continue to invest.
At this juncture, I chose the latter.
Within one week, I got myself a br0ker and purchased 12 lots and 5 lots of two different stocks.
Morale of the story: Investments are a necessary evil. But deposits are fundamentally important. That's why we need to have 3-6 months of emergency funds and do insurance-planning.
I myself b@nk with 3 l0cal and 2 f0reign b@nks, H5BC still being my favourite.
In my course of work, I come across people from all walks of life. There are many who are investment-saavy, then there are those who are really scared of risks, and of course, there are people who have no idea how investments work.
There are many lessons drawn from each and every communication. But at the end of the day, learn to re-balance your p0rtf0li0 and diversify your allocation.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Work & Drinks Mix
I was at one of their's restaurants today and was so tempted to order a pint of Hoegarden for myself.
No drinks during working hours, I told myself.
I ended up spending $6 on a glass of cranberry juice.
She was super nice to offer me a ride back to office in her BMW. No need to wait for a cab in the rain. Lol.
The wedding dinner was held at Sheraton hotel. Very nice set-up, but the food was of average quality.
Nevertheless, I'm happy with the red wine, which was aplenty to go around.
I love my drinks.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Celebration of Life
We sat by the waters. It felt as if we were looking at the city in another perspective. Housed in a double-storey glass building, we were right smacked in Orchard but yet disengaged from the hustle and bustle. The night invested the waters with a dreamlike quality and the tranquility was almost surreal.
The restaurant sits on a raised glass platform with water flowing beneath your feet. Everything about this place shouts modern chic. Dinner was completed with a complimentary plate of bread, ribeye, steak, deserts and two glasses of wine.
The food was fantastic, and the service was excellent. We left the place satisfied, despite the meal being costly.
It was as good as having breakfast at Tiffany's.
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Earlier on, I was asked to go for a free trial at True Spa. Knowing it was some kind of marketing gimmick and as a non-believer in massages, I still went ahead with the appointment.
Located at Taka, it occupies the entire 16th storey. The place was done up tastefully and the people were well-mannered. I was led to a private room to have my eye massage. It was nice to have someone pampering all over you. After the treatment, we had a discussion with one of the consultants and decided to take up its package, despite the hefty price.
Another commitment.
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Tonight's dinner was really good. Been such a long time since the family had crabs.
Hope you enjoyed yourself over the weekends.
Happy birthday.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Cheers, Mate
Two other nights were spent with colleagues at Cosy and DF. It felt strange to be at DF, reminded me of Sparks and CB.
Sparks - cus of the crowd.
CB - cus of the music played. In some instances, I thought of Venka and rice.
I'm thankful for the PH. Rest time.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Life
Back to chasing numbers tomorrow.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Monday, October 01, 2007