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Captain's Log - Chapter 16
Weather: Sunny
Mood: Good

Investor Talks
This has been a hectic day for me. Was as busy as a bee looking at financial and other investment websites. Yeah, my investment momentum has begin to move from its inert state. Just glad that I was able to overcome the inertia.

As you can see above, the title investors talk is in reality an introduction, or simply, an introduction to my new discussion forum. I have created a forum here for like-minded investors in the Singapore market (other markets are also welcome) to share their thoughts, tactics and strategies on investing in the stock market. I hope the forum will generate fruitful discussion for you and me, and perhaps with the added bonus of making some profits. So, do actively share your comments and views if you have any.

I am currently looking into the Singapore Airlines shares, and Hyflux too. Comments?

 
Captain's Log - Chapter 15
Weather: Cool
Mood: Flat

Money Money Money
Today, I took the first step towards financial independence. An account with the Central Depository was opened with one of the main stock brokerages in Singapore. Have been thinking of getting an account a long time back, just did not find the time to do it. Studying really hard now to spot the best shares.

Yet more people are down with SARS in Singapore. My cough is pretty ok now. Looks like China is beginning to inform the world that SARS is a really bug problem there.

 
Captain's Log - Chapter 14
Weather: Sorta cool
Mood: GREAT!

Paranoia Sweeps into Office
Following the first mention of SARS in record 12 (format has changed wef today to chapter - Singaporeans can be extremely fickle-minded), 2 Singaporeans have since succumbed to this disease. All schools - from kindergartens to junior colleges (US high schools) has been closed from today till 6 Apr. The students must be shouting out with glee upon hearing such wonderful news, or at least I would. However, things are not as rosy as it seems, 5-6 more people have been diagnosed as being infected with SARS, and should anything signify this troubling time, it has to be the fact that face masks are selling like hot cakes, and people are starting to remember the benefits of popping the Vit B pills.

Coming to a more personal level, something interesting, or should I say, bizarre took place in my workplace today. While I was happily (if you would believe me) working away the hours, my trusty email alert beeped. A new mail has came in, one that bore terrible news. A senior officer has reported that a staff under her charge has visited one of the SARS patients in the hospital around 2 weeks back. Wait till you hear the next part of the mail. It really sent a tingle down my spine. The officer had in fact visited one of the patients who died today!!! Call me a "scardie cat" but the thought of having a SARS carrier walking around the office as if everything is fine is horrific if not surreal development!

My lunch buddies and I had a great time trying to understand the psyche of that moron (kids - do forgive the use of such strong language) who actually kept the knowledge of this visit secret till today. As food began entering our systems, the conspiracy theory that was emerging became really thick! There were actually calls made by a colleague of mine to "BURN HER"!!! These two words brought up an image of a witch being burnt at the stake at a time when we humans are not very much enlightened. But well, I was pretty pissed (kids - need I say more) with the moron, and my voice joined the chants of "BURN HER"! I still cannot phantom what went through the tiny, microsopic, subatomic... brain (I am sure the moron's brain is smaller that those of my 3 drawf hamsters) of hers. She should have thought better than to risk the lives of those in the office. I rest my case.

Have started coughing 2 weeks bad. A little paranoid myself. Now pumping myself with fluids and rest whenever possible. Do watch this space.

 
Captain's Log - Record 13
Weather: Warm
Mood: Good

Home Sweet Home
My sweetheart and me started looking for a house over the weekend. This was the first time that I was looking at purchasing an item that costs more than S$500,000!!! Quite a big leapt since my most expensive purchase never exceeded anything more than S$3,000.

Owning a private property has always been a dream of mine. However, I have to tamper this dream as we (my sweetheart and me) decided that we do not have the means to afford one. So, we have our sights set on a public property. In Singapore, good quality public housing are built by the Housing Development Board (HDB). However, due to lack of creativity, all the public housing developments often end up looking like factory blocks - one reason why I wanted a private housing.

However, things changed over the weekend as my sweetheart suddenly suggested that we get a condo! In Singapore, all Singaporeans are fixated at getting the 5Cs in life. They are Cash, Credit Card, Condo, Country Club membership, will have to check up on the last one. :P To continue, I was elated with the change in her decision. thus, we started visiting certain showrooms of new developments.

After visiting several showrooms, we were impressed by a particular development - somewhere in Bt Batok. After this, we started to calculate our finances to see if we can afford the place. After a few days of optimism, we finally agreed that we did not have the cash to afford the place. I was pretty disappointed, but I haveto agree that we will be leading a hand-to-mouth existence if we went ahead.

So, my goal in life now, well one of my many goals, is to save as hard as I can, and wait for the next opportunity! Austerity will be a key word in my daily expenditure. So, gone will be the days of decadence in cafes, good restaurants, CDs, DVDs and books. In will come, MP3 music from the net, books from the library, meals at coffeeshops (low priced eateries serving good food) and coffee at each other's place.

Perhaps I will adopt the title of a Singapore book as my maxim, a little sleazy though...

"No Money, No Honey"

Or perhaps the title of a local movie production is more apt...

"Money No Enough"

 
Captain's Log - Record 12
Weather: Warm - as always
Mood: Not too bad

SARS on the Roll in the Hospital Next to MY OFFICE!!!
Before I launch into an explanation of what SARS is all about, I would like to bring your attention to the change in the format of how I record my updates here. Gone is the number of days that I have updated the blog... in the first place I found it stupid as Day 11 is not the eleventh day I am here (stupid of me huh). Instead, I have adopted Star Trek's manner of using the Captain's Log. Not a Trekkie here, more of a Star Wars fan. Anyway, just imagine a voice reading out Captain's Log... and you will be beamed into my world. "Beam me up Scottie!"

Let's get to the issue of SARS. You must be scratching your head and thinking what SARS is all about. You better sit up and listen to this... SARS will be as synonymous as AIDS in the coming few days. SARS - anonym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a viral pneumonia strain that is making its rounds around the globe now. From last coutn, I think it has been reported in all continents, barring Africa (I could be wrong though).

SARS is highly contagious. Symptoms are high fever, body aches, persistent coughs, breathelessness, etc. So, do go and see a doc if you have any or a combination of these symptoms. Yes, the hospital located across the street of my office block has been designated the medical institution to quarantine all SARS sufferers. Thus, I would be in the high risk group of catching it as I jostled and mix with all the nurses and hospital staff as I transit to and fro from work using the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) or "mert" as some S'poreans call it.

A little song for your guys, do sing it to the tune of the X'mas song...

"You better watch out.
You better not cough.
You better not sneeze.
I'm telling you why,
cos S A R S is coming to Town!"

 
Day 11
Weather: Cool
Mood: Sleepy

Reds Go Marching On!
Liverpool won Leeds United 3 - 1 at Anfield. A wonderful finish against a side that has proved to be its boogeyman time and again. Liverpool played wonderful football for periods before its Jerkyl and Hyde character reared its ugly head again. At times breathtaking, Liverpool will degenerate into a bunch of amatuers not sure of what they are supposed to do on the field. Thankfully, Michael Owen, Danny Murphy and Stevie G knew better and scored the goals to seal a hardfought victory in a match which Leeds threatened to come back after pulling a goal back to 2-1 at the 44th min.

Let me share a quote my colleague gave me during lunch time. The quote captures the screwed up condition of the world right now...

"... the best rapper is a white, the best golfer is a black, and the French is accusing US of arrogance..."

Chew on that.

 
Day 10
Weather: Hot!
Mood: Tired

Mother of All Wars 2
The world has changed radically since my last update. While a Third World War is not upon us, the world is difinitely deeply divided. Personally, I think Iraq needed a regime change. But coming from a small city-state like Singapore, the unilateral decision by US to attack Iraq without the sacred UN blessing was something that got me thinking. It is institutions such as the UN that protects the interest of small states like ours, if the US could just do anything it wishes, what's there to stop our northern neighbour (Malaysia) to cut off our water supplies (70% plus of Singapore's water is imported from Malaysia), and forcibly occupy Pedra Branca (an islet whose sovereignty is contended by Singapore and Malaysia).

Being only one, I can only offer a prayer for the mothers, fathers, sons, wives and husbands of all the Iraqis, coalition soldiers that this war will not dash the dreams they have. Whether it is a just or unjust war, is nothing but a moot point now. Hopefully, the war will be a short one with not too many casualties. May GOD bless his children no matter what their faiths are.