Considerate Analyst

Knowing oneself is a key to improving yourself. No wonder I like to do solutioning. :)

Considerate Analyst

about you

You are an Analyst

• Your attention to detail, confidence, sense of order, and focus on functionality combine to make you an ANALYST.
  
  
• You are very curious about how things work, delving into the mechanics behind things.
  
  
• Along those lines, how well something works is usually more important to you than what it looks like.
  
  
• You find beauty and wonder mainly in concrete, functional, earthly things.
  
  
• You are very aware of your own abilities, and you believe that you will find the best way of doing things.
  
  
• Accordingly, problems do not intimidate you, as you believe in yourself.
  
  
• You trust yourself to find solutions within the boundaries of your knowledge.
  
  
• You don't spend a lot of time imagining how things could be different—you're well-grounded in the here-and-now.
  
  
• It is important for you to follow a routine, and you prefer the familiar to the unknown.
  
  
• You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.
  
  
• You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
  
  
• You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.
  
  
• You do your own thing when it comes to clothing, guided more by practical concerns than by other people's notions of style.
  
  
• Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

If you want to be different:

• Try to embrace the imaginative, creative part of your personality more often.
  
  
• Try moving beyond the things that you find comfortable—open yourself up to a broader range of experiences.

how you relate to others

You are Considerate

• You trust others, care about them, and are slow to judge them, making you CONSIDERATE.
  
  
• You value your close relationships very much, and are more likely to spend time in small, tightly-knit groups of friends than in large crowds.
  
  
• You enjoy exploring the world through observation, quietly watching others.
  
  
• Relating to others so well, and understanding their emotions, leads you to trust people in general, even though you're somewhat shy and reserved at times.
  
  
• Your belief that people are generally well-intentioned contributes to your sympathy regarding their problems.
  
  
• Although you may not vocalize it often, you have an awareness of how society affects individuals, and you understand complex causes of people's behavior.
  
  
• You like to look at all sides of a situation before making a judgment, particularly when that situation involves important things in other people's lives.
  
  
• Your close friends know you as a good listener.

If you want to be different:

• Because other people would benefit immensely from your understanding and insight, you should try to be more outgoing in social situations, even when they make you uncomfortable. Others will want to hear what you have to say!

The Prayer

The first time I heard this song "The Prayer", Mich and LS were singing it. I heard it again today, but this time sang by Andrea Bocelli and a girl (not sure who). Just surfed around and found this version by Andrea Bocelli and Heather Headly. I find that both matched each other quite well, and I like the orchestra that supported them.

Somehow since I first heard Andrea Bocelli, I like the way he sings even though I totally do not understand Italian. Somehow, you can hear the emotion and what he wants to convey just by listening to him sing. Heather Headly is quite amazing too, with her powerful voice.

I find it amazing that you can enjoy music without totally understanding the lyrics. Just by listening to the emotion, and the music, you can somehow get a general feel of what the song is trying to convey. A hallmark of a good song?

This is the version I found:



This is roughly the lyrics:

G:
I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise, in times when we don't know.
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way.
Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace.
To a place where we'll be safe.

B: La luce che tu dai
G: I pray we'll find your light
B: Nel cuore restera
G: And hold it in our hearts
B: A ricordarci che
G: When stars go out each night
B: L'eterna stella sei.
G:................................eeehh
B: Nella mia preghiera
G: Let this be our prayer
B: Quanta fede c'e.
G: When shadows fill our day

B: Lead us to a place
G: Guide us with your grace
Together: Give us faith so we'll be safe.

Together:
Sogniamo un mondo senza piu violenza,
Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza.
Ognuno dia una mano al suo vicino,
Simbolo di pace...di fraternita.

B: La forza che ci dai
G: We ask that life be kind
B: E desiderio te
G: And watch us from above.
B: Ognuno trovi amor
G: We hope each soul will find
B: Intorno e dentro se.
G: Another soul to love.

Together: Let this be our prayer,
G: Let this be our prayer
B: Just like every child.
G: Just like every child.

Together:
Needs to find a place, guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe
E la fede che hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salverai...

Practicing 1 hour a day

I remember reading somewhere last week about a couple with 2 kids, who owns 2 companies. They are also musicians and they played in a group regularly. What caught my eye is that they were still able to squeeze in time to practice 1 hour a day.

I remember a long time ago, I was still able to practice guitar at least 1 hour every day. Now, it seems that I can only practice an hour before my practice officially starts. I was talking to a few people these past 2 weeks and it seems that my timing seems to be abnormal to them. They always seem to have time to do stuff. :(

Oh well... I have to go back to that stupid place again later. On a Saturday! Disrupts all my schedule.

Any surprises for Singapore budget?

Singapore's budget day is coming on the 22nd of Jan 2009. I guess it's the most awaited day for most Singaporeans. How the government will help Singapore or at least alleviate some of our sufferings.

Based on what limited time I had recently, it seems that the government is tight lipped on the details of the budget. Based on Singapore's "track record", I can only think of the following perks that seems to be feasible:

1. Subsidising the employers' CPF contribution temporary for a year.
   
2. Giving a tax break across the board for employers to keep their costs low.
3. Cutting the property tax temporary for a year.

There would be of course the usual spending for public works, and maybe addition of more training programmes. I would think that's about it. The icing on the cake would be a cut in the ministers' salaries.

There's basically nothing the government can do to restore the economy. This is the result of relying on others.

Be prepared for hardships till 2010 at least.

Problems of speed reading

I've been reading a bit the past few weeks and I have found a big problem that I've not realised till now.

It seems that I've been unconsciously speed reading and I've been reading faster and faster. I guess it is due to the lifestyle that I currently have, which requires me to read quickly as I have many things on hand.

However, there is one big problem with speed reading, at least with mine. I can always only get the gist of the content, but not the details. And to my dismay, I can no longer read slowly.

I've spent the past week trying to slow down my reading again, so that I'm able to catch details. Speed reading is good if you just want an overview, but it is hazardous if you're reading something important with many details.

I believe I have made some progress on slowing down my reading. I wonder if it is a lifestyle problem. :(

HKMA vs Singapore MAS

I've been out of touch these past 2 weeks, but I've managed to have a glimpse of the newspapers here and there. One thing that caught my eye though was something about Hong Kong.

The following are some of the measures that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) will be implementing after the Lehman fiasco.

1. Attaching warnings to retail structured products
2. Separation of risk assessment and sales process
3. Audio-recording of sales process
4. Mysterious shopper programme

Comparing to Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the gist of what MAS has told us is:

1. Please read carefully before signing any document

Thank you very much Singapore.

Why you should not sell your HDB flat below valuation

It seems like many people do not know what happens to the money after the sale of your HDB flat, and why you should not sell your HDB flat below valuation.

First, some definitions:

• Outstanding HDB/Bank Loan - The amount that you still owe HDB or the bank due to the purchase of the HDB flat.
  
  
• Required CPF Refund - The principal amount withdrawn from CPF that is used to pay off your loan, plus the accrued interest of that principal amount. You can see this amount when you login to CPF.
  
  
• Accrued interest - The interest that is charged to the amount you have withdrawn from your CPF to pay for your HDB flat. The interest equals to the CPF-OA interest rate. This amount can be substantial, and can go up to even 20% of the principal amount withdrawn to pay for your flat.
  

The proceeds from the sale of your HDB will be used to pay off the following, in this order, depending if you have taken the HDB or Bank loan:

HDB Loan:

1. Outstanding HDB loan
2. HDB resale levy (if any)
3. Required CPF Refund
   

Bank Loan:

1. Outstanding bank loan
2. Required CPF Refund
3. HDB resale levy (if any)

For HDB and Bank loan, you will not need to top up the shortfall for the Required CPF Refund if you have sold your flat at market value. Market value is the valuation of your HDB flat.

If you have sold the flat below valuation, you will need to pay CPF the full amount of the Required CPF Refund, even if your sale proceeds isn't enough to cover the amount. You will need to come up with the cash and pay CPF. Translated: You will not receive any proceeds from the sale of your HDB flat, and instead, you will need to cough up cash to refund CPF.

Click here to see examples provided by CPF.

I'm surprised few people know about this rule. I remember reading about this when I was looking around for HDB flats.

Where to find help

Times are going to be hard. Singapore will be hit by its hardest recession ever since independence. I did some surfing around and found a list of useful sites if any Singaporeans is in need of help. Will update it if I find any others.

• CDAC - Chinese Development Assistance Council
• SINDA - Singapore Indian Development Association
• SIET - Singapore Indian Education Trust
  
• Mendaki - Yayasan Mendaki
• CDC - Community Development Councils
• PA - People's Association
• NCSS - National Council of Social Service

Do not award to lowest bidder II

Just last month, NTUC has already made a statement in the newspapers not to award projects based on lowest quote. I've written about it here. Today again, they made the same plea. What they said, again is pretty much common sense.

Vendors need to eat. You know what you want (supposedly). If you word your RFQ/Tender ambiguously so as to get a better deal, in the end both sides loses. This is simple common sense, and yet ignored. If you do not know what you want, then pay someone to write your RFQ/Tender requirements. And when things go wrong, it's always the vendor's fault. The mentality here seems to be it's never my fault. It's always your fault.

Mark my words... Sooner or later, no respected vendors will take your project and you will end up with solutions that doesn't resolve your problem if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, it will cause more problems for you.

I'm tired of all these squabbles.

Access Windows Machines using the Finder

I've always been wondering why do I only see Mac machines in my Finder, and my friend could see both Windows and Mac machines. I've finally realised that it is because I've set my Mac firewall to Allow only essential services. That was why I could only see Apple machines/devices.

I dug a little deeper and I've finally managed to see the Windows machines in my network in the Finder. To do that, you have to set 2 settings.

Enable File Sharing:

1. Click on System Preferences
2. Click on Sharing
3. Ensure the checkbox next to File Sharing is checked
4. Click on the Padlock on the bottom left hand corner to enable your administrator rights (You will need your administrator password)
   
5. Click on Options
6. Ensure that Share files and folders using AFP and Share files and folders using SMB checkboxes are checked
7. Click on Done.
   
8. You can adjust the File Sharing settings if needed (optional)
   

Set Firewall:

1. Click on System Preferences, or Show All if you are already in the System Preferences
2. Click on Security
3. Click on the Firewall tab
4. Click on the Padlock on the bottom left hand corner to enable your administrator rights (You will need your administrator password)
5. Make sure you do not select Allow only essential services as your setting for the firewall
6. You should be able to see File Sharing (AFP,SMB) in the big textbox in the same screen.
   

That's it... For me, I've set the firewall setting to Set access for specific services and applications. Any services you have enabled in the Sharing settings will be seen here automatically. This setting also basically means that for every application that is executed, it will ask the user whether to allow the application to receive connections, if the Mac detects that the application uses the network. I will be able to change the settings later at the above screen if I change my mind.

You should be able to see your Windows machine immediately in your Finder under the Shared section after you have set these settings. At least I did.

Hope this helps...