[ 也可以 ]

Oh Crap! The Value of Perspective!

The highlight of today's interaction with my tuitee was our digression when we talked about food wastage.

Me: So how can we reduce food wastage? 

Her: The school canteen stall can encourage students to buy one less dish, so that they do not waste food that they cannot eat. 

Me: What is the stallholder's incentive? Since it means less income for them? 

Her: The stall will have more dishes on display, so other students will be attracted to buy, since usually by afternoon, there is not much dishes left and we will buy from stalls with more dishes left. 

Me: Since the stall auntie has a fixed unit of dishes per day, wouldn't she be happier if she sells more units to each customer, finish selling earlier, than to leave more food on display, and assume the next customer will be attracted to the stall (whom may or may not buy from her)? 

Her: Oh... She will be selling to more customers.

We took rounds of diagrams and thinking aloud to figure out each others' perspective. 

And I concluded, I was talking from the point of revenue in a shorter time span, while she was taking the perspective of securing customer base. LOL

Some financial literacy during Chinese tuition. 

A gathering, finally!

A warm weekend  at Pauline's place catching up with some of the ex-4E1 students. It was heartening to see the students are doing well in their field of studies. The exchange of information was pretty enriching for me too, especially when discussions span from school to entertainment, dating life, who would get married first, what they really like or dislike when they were in SGS. And Pauline's cheerful baby girl was the highlight for me! There comes this age, one sees the joy (and toil!) of motherhood; and the pressure that body clock puts on women.

Oh well! Let nature take its course for nature knows best! :) Meanwhile, let's ride on the joy of day to day connections! 

Save $200 - $1600 on your income tax NOW. Only 2 weeks left!

For years, I had been really careless with money, negligent even. C'mon, with the hassle of work during term time, the calm respite during the holidays are sacred! Yet bills will shock us when we receive our income tax come June 2017.

We have to equip ourselves with financial literacy! Did some reading up these past week to start getting myself back to financial health. Mental and emotional health has been taking a toil for pretty much of 2016, so has financial health in the past... 6 years of working life! Time to bounce back, one step at a time. Really, while everyone's busy holiday-ing, take a long hard look at the impending taxes that will come your way in 2017.

#1 This is how we are going to be taxed for this year's earning: 

Via IRAS Website

Depending on the income bracket that you are in, you'll effectively be giving the the government $200 (If you are the starting out working), $550 (If you have slogged for some time), $3350 (If you you've worked almost a nearly a decade in civil service, or you are qualifying for any remuneration packages at specific years) and you get the drift. So really, check out your taxes for 2015 to get a reference point of how much you have been paying.

#2 Top-Up your Medisave or your loved ones' Medisave to get tax relief. 

CPF Medisave Account can be used for payment to many different medical and outpatient bills. Recently, I have paid for my wisdom teeth extraction through Medisave and it cost about 1k.

I also use my Medisave to pay for both my parents and my own hospitalization rider, which amounts to a yearly total premium of about 1k. (These premiums qualify for tax relief.)

On top of that, my mum uses Medisave for her diabetic outpatient bills, capped at $200 a year, sufficient to pay off her medications and consultations.

So you see, Medisave can be utilized more flexibly compared to CPF Ordinary account and Special Account (where your money is locked away until you are 55 years). The amazing thing is:

You get the same 4% interest for Medisave, same as what you get for Special Account, but it gives you flexibility of utilizing for healthcare!

If you top-up cash into you Medisave Account - capped at $7000, you will get $7000 tax relief for 2016.

And you can also top up for your parents' Medisave Account - capped at $7000, for another $7000 tax relief.

For me the equation is plain, if you top up for yourself and your loved ones, you could potentially be saving from tax amounting to:

$200, $350, $980, $1600 etc. (That is a lot the government draws from our hard earned money!)

On top of saving on your taxes, you earn 4% p.a interest for the cash-up for CPF. Well, topping up my mum's Medisave gives me a peace of mind should any health-related crisis happens. And even when she passes on (before me) it goes back to my CPF, and if she passes on after me, I can be assured she is taken care of with the annual CPF top-up. And of course, for sure these money will go to my family members instead of flowing back to the government. (别让羊毛出在羊身上！）

# Cash-Up soon!

In order to qualify for the tax relief, you have to settle the cash up before 31st December. And there is a daily withdrawal limits so you might have to do so over a span of few days. You would also be required to log into your CPF account to perform the Cash-up. This means you have to get your Singpass and 2fA ready. (If you have neither, it can take anyway from 2 days to 2 weeks to obtain both)

With so much to learn and discover. I am getting moving!

For further reading on reducing taxes, click here.  

Sayonara, Wisdom Teeth!

The fear of extraction is greater than the pain itself.

Went for the first round of wisdom teeth extraction today. If you are going for yours too, be ready to take about 2 hours in the hospital.

My surgery was done at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Prior to the visit, I have spoken to friends, read up online about the process. Many painted a gory picture. I suppose the level of pain when the anesthesia was administrated is akin to ant bite. Apt comparison by Weiying. Very manageable. I happened to be lucky to have Dr Sylvia Tay conduct the surgery. Woman of few words and we had so little face time, I think altogether I get to see her for merely 10 mins, other times, my eyes are covered with surgery cloth.

Everything was smooth and swift. I highlighted my fear of pain and needles. She applied numb cream and throughout the process of injection I left my eyes closed. It was almost painless. Both the wisdom teeth plugged out within about 15mins.

After collection of medications, I took the pain killer immediately. I could still feel numbness from the anesthetic, but up till now, 8 hours later, everything was painless.

The impacted wisdom tooth had a terrible decay, and I am more than glad it has been removed. Paving the way to healthier oral hygiene!

For those who are considering wisdom teeth extraction, doing it in private clinic will set you back by about $1200 for extraction of 2 wisdom teeth. It's completed in one session, fuss free.

For those who prefer a lower cost, here is a breakdown of the processes.

Visit any Singhealth dental clinic for consultation to get referral letter: ~$20
Referral letter has a validity period of 6 months.

Head to NDC or KTPH for consultation and x-ray: ~$20 + $35
Appointment has to be booked 1-3 months in advance.

Visit for surgery, extraction of 2 wisdom teeth: ~$500 - $600
Full sum can be paid through Medisave

Total cost of extracting 2 teeth: ~$600 - $700

That is effectively half the price of private dental clinic, but it takes about 3 months or more from consultation to extraction.

And the working time of Dr Sylvia Tay is every Monday and Thursday. Although one cannot choose the surgeon, but you may try your luck by aligning your appointment to her working time. She seems to have a solid reputation in the dental field, and definitely delivered a swift and painless extraction and recovery process!

On Funeral

On my way to meet a friend, a thought strike me. In the event that I die before my parents do, I don't want a funeral possession. It would set them back by at least $10k. Just bring whatever remains of my body to Mandai to burn. 

This also brought about the discussion of grief. After all, funeral possessions are for the living, an interim which helps them cope and transit from grief. Or rather, through it. And I think it would be utmost meaningful if my organs are donated for medical purposes, to save lives, or empower the medical field rather then simply reduced to ashes. 

Today, Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 21 and above, and are not mentally disordered, are included under the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). Unless of course, one opts out. 

And so I pondered, how do we convince our parents about the decision for a complete donation when they are dealing with the grief of a loved one's death. How can they bring themselves to deal with the knowledge that their kid's body is going to be all cut up into pieces?

Guangfeng offered an emotional and spiritually empowering suggestion: Just tell them your child lives on, in someone else's body. 

The Money Decision

Every year, our money loses its value to inflation. And to ensure its value does not depreciate, it has to work against 3% p.a inflation. Think about this, for every $1000, we lose $343 in 10 years; for every 100k, one loses 34k to inflation!

Hence it is definitely useful to work around making our hard earned money work for us. Having talked to Eugene, it boils down to two options: work with risk, or work with time.

Lower risk = Longer Time

Shorter Time = Higher Risk 

These following options looks workable with low risk, yet bears restriction on flexibility of cash flow.

# Putting Savings into Savings Account 

With OCBC 360 Account, one earns up to 2.2 % interest by fulfilling criteria such as $500 expenditure/mth; crediting salary and paying 3 bills with the account. And 1% for me, since salary cannot be credited into the account, which means missing out on 1.2% interest rate. 

# Putting Money into Fixed Deposit 

While it gets more returns than some Savings Account, with 1.2%  to 1.8% interest p.a, it locks the money away for 5 years, which kills the possibility of property purchase or car purchase in the short term.  

#Getting an Endowment Plan

This usually involve shelving away savings for a decade, earning about 2.5% interest rate. Singles like me would be strapped. Neither can I get a car, nor a property with ease should I gets married within ten years. 

#Putting Money into CPF Ordinary Account 

One can top up to a cap of about 20k per year into Ordinary Account. These money earns an interest rate of 2.5%, more than many of the savings account. Drawback: it cannot be withdrawn. Winning factor: It can be used to buy property. 

#Putting Money into CPF Special Account (Retirement Fund) 

Money earns 4% interest rate currently, and can only be withdrawn after 55 years old. To qualify for a monthly payout of $1750 - $1900 after 55 years old,  one must have at least about 241k in the Special Account. Money that will sit and beat inflation, all the way until about 3 decades later. It means, I may be restricted with reducing mortgage, and have to lose more on housing loan interest. 

The Awkward Late 20s

Single. Possibility of getting a property at 35, or within the next 5 years. Possibly of getting a car within the next decade. Wants to beat inflation, yet adverse to risk taking. Needs liquid cash on ultra big ticket items within the decade. This portfolio is really a tough nut to crack. 

How to strike a balance, really?

Getting Ready for 2017!

2017 will be a horrendous year for the Fire Rabbit, so says the Chinese Horoscope. Health will take a toil, there will be a huge outflow of money, couples will break easily. No wonder I am feeling anxious! :P

It's also times like this, one has to stay in control of expenses and consciously gear the mind towards the positive direction. 

Spent the day budgeting for 2017. The new year will see no extra cash, coupled with measly savings, possibly bleeding on my CPF ordinary account if I cannot secure a scholarship to take up my desired Masters Course. All ready for these. 

Hence, I have projected 2017 to be the YEAR FOR LEARNING!

The first project to kick in will be my driving course. And then looking forward to a China Trip with friends in July. The greatest investment/risk I am taking has to be the intent to take up Masters of Arts in Contemporary China, costing a whooping 22k if I cannot secure the scholarship. Possibly the sole relief, I can  opt to tap on CPF Education Scheme and defer payment until after finishing the Course. With these 3 major events for next year, the year ahead seems to be happening!

The decision to upgrade was fraught with confusion. Initially, I couldn't decide on what to study. I would definitely like a break from work cycle in school. The only course I could think of, which will be useful for future employment and taps on my niche, would be translation. Yet the idea of it turns me off, and I certainly wouldn't want to drag myself though it for a year. MACC was a Masters Course my previous mentee updated me about. The curriculum is definitely something which could be useful in Public Service. Area studies about China, ain't that the future trend?

With all the learning planned, I will also see some income from tuition. I do still find joy interacting with youths. Browsing through language books with sound and interesting pedagogy leaves me stimulated to no end. So, the few tuition lessons for the first half of the year will help ease my expenditure, before school term starts at the second half of the year. :)

PS: Having explored various budgeting template, I find this to be the most useful. Hope it benefits you too!

2017 and beyond will undoubtedly be plagued with some uncertainty,but it left me room to step out of my comfort zone and start exploring my life for the decades to come! 

Rite of Passage

I have just signed up for driving! Well, it's part of the bucket list which I have not got around doing. Because I am prone to giving excuses.

"No, how can I take a week of MC twice, when 100 kids under my care during curriculum time?!" "Oh no, surely I can't have it extracted now? It's Chinese New Year and I don't want a swollen face when I do visiting." "Ouch, June hols, only 2 weeks protected time, I'm flying overseas! No time to do it!" Hence, my wisdom teeth never got around being extracted.

And then come the driving license, probably a decade late. "Can't do it first half of the year since you hardly get the time out of school without feeling shacked." "Can't do it second half of the year since the kids are going for N Levels." "Can't do it now, since it will cut back on my savings." Get the drift? For me, there will always be a hundred and one excuses for not doing something. And I have a way of talking myself out from doing. Almost always.

In any case, I am pretty excited about learning driving and signed up for all the necessary procedures towards my driving license! Hooray!

It almost feels like university days, with the IDEA of freedom to do things which I have put back doing for a long while, simply because there are so many things going on at work. However, living frugally takes getting used to.

If that is what it takes to fulfill my big ticket items, I will budget away, and save away! Just so, to experience these rites of passage at the brink of youth. Call it quarter life crisis if you may, and I will linger in Neverland for just a tad longer. :)

On Startups and Social Enterprises

As many of you came to know, I have recently resigned from my very stable job as a teacher. Having said that, teaching would never be a job one can ever resign from. After all, we teach kids who are born into the family; we teach our pets to behave; we teach ourselves to do crafts or control machines. So I figured I am officially out of an institution, but still very much a teacher. (See the kind of self talking I indulge myself on a daily basis!)

It's ironic. I find my student's words haunting me. At the beginning of this year when the class shared about their goals, a student told me she wants to find herself. I secretly scoffed at such coming-of-age remark. And here I am, trying to gain some perspective on what I want out of my insignificant being, eating my words, just months away.

Anyway, I apologize for digressing. I do however think, in this little breakaway from the planned and secure path, I find myself exploring instead of going through the routine; questioning instead of sitting back and taking in whatever is shoved into my mouth.

It was during Yuching's wedding when I got the opportunity to be seat among-st a group of strangers, running a social enterprise called the thought collective. Well, think Food for thought, a cafe chain which funds their other social work. It really started off as GP tuition for repeat students. Now, it branched into many other side projects which instill social responsibility in youths. It resonates with me, how youths are engaged to contribute to the communities and critically assess notions of community work. They work for sustainable causes, issues they care about. Nope, not the usual VIA or community work in school (Which I shan't make politically incorrect comments). Caring about not just about 'decorating' their environment, but making a difference. Migrant causes, community bonding causes. I am awestruck.

And the other startup I was exposed to constantly was moneysmart. It feeds my facebook threads on a daily basis.

Yet another, which grew from university students was caurosell in which I had an active account. Xiaoyun ever shared that they are still building their database and clientele, with the first few years earning no profit, but pitching fervently to clients and sponsors. Until they are established enough to advertise. That's the spirit of entrepreneurship, with notions of "I have nothing to lose".

You may also want support my de-cluttering efforts by purchasing items you want @ carousell.com/dasaobao  XD


Well, there's departuremag which features travelogue, sleek design with properly curated content. Startup which earns my thumbs-up!

The domestic side of me came to learn about meatman, hardly classified as a startup. Designers who came together to produce cooking videos of local delights, A pet project which caught attention of cookware sponsors, food sponsors etc. See where passion and persistence brought them!

I've never failed to be amazed by these people. Even Xiaoyun.  Heads up if you want to engage her for freelance work, wedding invitations etc. :P

They nourished me with ideas and inspiration in my search of self identity. We can really combine work with passion, isn't is so?

"It's just that sometimes people use thoughts to not participate in life." - Perks of a Wallflower.

给新人献上祝福

这个年龄， 出席的红事特别多。近一个月，就出席了三个婚礼。我常在想，婚礼到底是给新人办的，还是给父母办的。

给长辈办的婚礼，去了无数个，流程八九不离十。这两周我却出席了两个截然不同又颇有新意的婚礼。其中一个仅二十桌，相信来参加的必然是家人与密友。新人毫不忌讳，全场轻松自然地穿着平底鞋。新娘搞音乐，请来了朋友驻唱，搞了个live 音乐点播。同时，搞怪夫妇入场更是有趣，弄了个新娘不见了的短片。结尾部分有各地朋友献上温馨寄语。我觉得是非常温暖的婚礼。

另一个则是堂姐的婚礼。花式、摆桌、桌子上的宾客的照片都是手工制作，小礼品还是自家自制的kaya，亲力亲为。每个环节都很有心意。这是我出席的第一个自助餐婚宴，类似户外派对，舞台甚至不像一般婚宴面对着宾客。对我这个年龄层的朋友来说，能自由走动，到处聊天，颇有一番情趣。然而，一些人可能不以为然，在这个缺乏仪式感的婚宴当中，会让人觉得过于轻浮。

我享受其中。我想婚宴是为父母办的，更是为新人办的。作为宾客，我们的义务是为新人献上最诚挚的祝福，享受他们爱的旅程。对婚礼的环节评头论足，相信在所难免，毕竟讲求面子与排场是华人的潜在特质。能在两者之间取得平衡固然完美，但若只能取其一，追求”真”和“诚”更是难能可贵。

这两个婚宴结束后，我的心是暖暖，因为真爱能够埃个十年二十年风浪，依然迈向婚姻的殿堂。

这便是至真至诚的婚宴了。