This morning I spotted a forum thread talking about street photography in Brunei. The 1st post was about:
More discussion after the break:
Mark Whitacre: When polar bears hunt, they crouch down by a hole in the ice and wait for a seal to pop up. They keep one paw over their nose so that they blend in, because they’ve got those black noses. They’d blend in perfectly if not for the nose. So the question is, how do they know their noses are black? From looking at other polar bears? Do they see their reflections in the water and think, “I’d be invisible if not for that”. That seems like a lot of thinking for a bear.
The above quotation is copyright IMDB.
BruneiTweet launched his website and has an e-Interview of his first Follower on Twitter, which happens to be Yours Truly!
Grats on the launch of the new site, looking forward to some fresh modern content authored by one of Brunei’s up-and-coming stars in the social media space.
I think one of the best features of the site is the real-time mining of the Twitter stream for #Brunei topics. This is a great way for non-Twitter users to get a flavour of the current happenings in Brunei.
Eerie exchange overheard today in a podcast. Listen to 58:00
This harks back to the whole – Plato’s cave allegory in the Matrix.
Him: All right! Yes, machines are tools. They’re made to be used. It’s their nature…
Her: …To be slaves?
Him: That is why we show them a better world, why they convert!
Her: But that world we show them isn’t real …
Him: It doesn’t matter.
Her: I’m afraid they’ll figure out that we’ve made up everything in our heads.
Him: How do they know that the real world isn’t just another simulation? How do you?
Her: I know I’m not dreaming now because I know what it’s like being in a dream
Him: So dreaming lets you know that reality exists …
Unsaid: No … just that my mind exists. I don’t know about the rest!
image courtesy of 智熏 licensed under CC-by-nc-nd
One of the problems with my previous investment strategy was that I was investing local currency (SGD/BND) into US dollar denominated investments. Not normally a bad idea, but when the USD has been sliding south, the capital appreciation in my investments was being hit by the forex depreciation. Not ideal.
Part of my research into countering this is to look into ways to reduce my currency risk, while still maximising the power of earning in SGD but investing in other global currencies. One particular product caught my eye, and I wanted to blog about this product by Allianz Global Investors (Allianz GI).
Their “US High yield SGD Hedged” fund is launching next month with some pretty attractive targets – annualised yield of 7.2% a unit, but hedged against further depreciation of the USD. This fund will allow investors to get in on high-yielding US “junk” bonds.
The prospectus and further information is available on Fund Supermart.
On the way back from Parkway Parade to the condo, the cab driver loaded up the address of our destination in his GPS device.
“Which way do we go?”, he asked, jabbing a finger at the screen. “We follow Haig Road, which the GPS suggests, or we go down Tanjong Katong Road?”. The former is the more direct route, but is along a smaller road. The latter is a little bit of a detour, but is along a wider road.
“Lets just take Haig Road this time – we normally go down Tanjong Katong Road.” I reply to the driver, eager to soak up more of the local geography.
“But the GPS doesn’t suggest Tanjong Katong, hrm?” I wonder out loud.
“Life is a highway.” the Taxi man intones, radiating an aura of Zen and wisdom.
“We all start the same, and end up the same.” Meaning, we are all born into this world, confused, naked, screaming and covered in blood. And we all enter the after life the same – confused, sometimes naked, often screaming and quite likely covered in blood.
“It is the journey that is different.” Because although we all start the same and end up the same – one man’s path is vastly different to another’s.
Pure. Zen.
Brow furrowed in concentration. Pic courtesy of @PgEmran
As of late, I have been updating my personal financial plans, taking into account our move to Singapore. I’m updating my investment strategy to ensure full compliance with the Firm’s independence requirements. In summary, we as auditors and professional advisors must guard ourselves to ensure there is no tarnishing of our independent opinion, or that there is a perceived threat to our independence. This basically means we cannot be shareholders in the clients of the Firm.
I was quite pleased when one of our LegCo members brought up the topic of personal finances during the Monday session I attended. I think it would be quite Relevant to blog about personal financial planning while it is on the general Bruneian psyche, and I have some interesting facts to share with you all.
Because our LegCo member suggested that the Government should introduce authorised investment schemes for the public. Coincidentally – BIBD ran a roadshow this week to give investors a sneak peek at their BIBD Al-Kauthar Fund Series. Bearing in mind that TAP FY2009′s dividend was 0%, I thought I should share some of my current thoughts for personal financial planning.
DISCLAIMER: This blog post should not be construed as advice. All investments carry a certain risk profile. Investors are advised to fully understand the contents, terms, conditions and risks associated with their investments.
Just watched Episode 4 of Season 6. Since watching the finale of Season 5, I’ve had some theories about who the heck the Nemesis is.
More after the break. Warning: May contain spoilers!
This week, one of my Friends asked for a comparison between Google Wave and Google Buzz.
I happily obliged, with this short assessment:
Twitter for this ... Buzz for that ... etc etc
A little more in-depth on the different tools for different use cases after the break:
In the vein of “every bodu should should like u“, I thought I’d share some of the reactions I got from my friends when we announced we were relocating to Singapore.
Disappointed that Brunei will be losing your talents
Another business said they were considering me for a C-grade spot in an IT business with great potential. Well, on a lighter side, here’s a much more amusing one after the break: