Not lost…
By Roxas | March 14, 2008
Sorry for not posting for some time… I’m not lost… Just buried by my Final Year Project (FYP). Kinda miss sharing stuff on this blog… and thanks for all the comments and encouragement given for my previous posts. I guess I can really consider charging advertising fees to the wealth planners and investment managers who may benefit from my last post on CPF investment reforms.
 With the recent handphone theft and loss cases… I thought I might just share my thoughts on this issue. To prevent losing your precious hp, the first thing is to be watchful of your own belongings (plus some nagging so it will be drilled into your mind).
 Before I touch on the technical part of this post… I would like to ask: Have you ever found a hp and returned it? The answer is yes for me… and I did it twice… once overseas in England. I just understand how panicky or depressed the owner of the hp would be when his/her hp is missing.
 IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity)
If IMEI is something new to you… I would say its a technology that we should all learn to harness as it can help reduce hp thefts in our societies.
From Wikipedia’s definition:
“a number unique to every GSM and UMTS mobile phone”
The IMEI can be found printed under your hp’s battery, or by dialling the sequence *#06# into your phone.
The IMEI number is used by the GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used to stop a stolen phone from accessing the network. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to “ban” the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless, regardless of whether the phone’s SIM is changed.
By doing so, the ‘thieves’ can’t benefit from the stolen hp at all. My evil thought of “If I can’t have it… neither can you!” But I’m not that perverted… the sharing of this technology (with those of you who do not know) is just so we can save this IMEI somewhere safe… e.g. on a text file in your computer or a note in your wallet in case we lose our precious phones. When everyone is aware of this IMEI, we can reduce the theft rate as stealing a hp does not benefit anyone while returning a hp definitely makes the day for someone (if you are lucky, you may even get a reward??).
 I have read on IT journals that there may be some technology that tracks location using IMEI… this will become a powerful tool for people to locate their lost phones and a bad news for those thieves out there.
 If you would like to learn more about IMEI, you can visit wikipedia’s link on IMEI at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Equipment_Identity
Topics: Casual Talk, Technology | No Comments »
Time is running out!
By Roxas | February 22, 2008
This post is dedicated to my Singaporean friends.
Especially those of you who have worked for awhile, you should have accumulated at least $2000 in your CPF ordinary account (OA) and special account (SA). To cater for some of my friends (point no fingers and say no names) who have no clue about the financial jargons used nowadays, I will try to speak in laymen terms or provide some definitions.
As of 1st April 2008, the current CPF investment scheme (CPFIS) will be reformed by the government. How it affects us:
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We will not be able to invest the first $20,000 in our OA and SA respectively.
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We can only invest any amount out of the $20,000 in both these accounts i.e. you got to be richer than $20,000 in order to invest. $20,000 is an average working adult’s 2-3 years’ of CPF accumulation.
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If you have invested before 1st April 2008, your invested CPF can continue its investments, but subsequent CPF deposits will need to remain in your OA and SA till it accumulates to $20,000.
Why we should invest our CPF:
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It is something you leave there when you are young and can’t do much to it till you are old.
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The current interest rates for CPF left in the accounts are: 2.5% for Ordinary Account and 4.0% for Special Account.
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Depending on your risk-aversion, you should get around 5-9% returns when you invest your CPF with a wealth planner. Nothing guaranteed of course. But personally, due to lower risk-aversion, I have achieved approximately 7-11% growth in my CPF over the past 3 years.
In a nutshell, since we can’t do much with the funds we have in our CPF account, why not invest it and let it grow faster? It will benefit us when we eventually use it to purchase our dream house or when we withdraw it for retirement. I’m not a wealth planner but I’m sharing the above with all of you out there so that noone is left behind this coming April Fools’ Day. Send me a comment with your email if you are interested in investing and not sure which advisor can help you. Alternatively, you can click on Desmond’s link on the right. He’s the man you are looking for.
 Don’t be a fool this Aprils’ Fool! (and don’t wait till end of March to do this… it takes time to process!)
Topics: CPF, Investment, Planning, Singapore, Wealth | 5 Comments »
Clearing the dust and setting the Goals
By Roxas | February 20, 2008
About time I start something.
Been busy with my Final Year Project(FYP) and pestering my friends and companies to help me complete online surveys for my data collection. Well, it was a good test of friendship and a great way to keep in contact with my friends. In fact, my schedule’s quite packed with meeting these old friends whom I have re-established contact while asking them to fill my surveys.
NATO = No Action Talk Only
Something I learnt during my days in the National Service. In real life, it is true that nothing much can be achieved by just sitting at home, talking and thinking (other than wasting oxygen and producing carbon dioxide). So now I am going to start something while I am in the midst of completing my FYP report to be submitted on the 14th of March.
For those who are interested in what I am doing for this ‘Making a living online’ thingy, here’s the first thing you need:Â a Paypal account to help you make payments for advertising your own site or any administrative costs incurred. Its a fast and efficient way for us to receive payments from advertisers as well. You’ll need to add in your bank code and branch code in order to transfer the Paypal money to your own bank accounts for withdrawal. For the uninitiated, bank and branch codes can be found in this pdf file.
After registering a Paypal account for yourself, you may start by searching for some pay-per-click advertisers for your site first. I am currently experimenting some advertisers and will update everyone once these advertisers are tested and proven efficient. A web counter or at least a site meter to track the number of views and unique visitors is important as some of the advertisers may require you to have a minimum number of views per month before granting you membership.
I am currently using SiteMeter to track my site statistics. I think the statistics report is sufficient for me at this stage as I am still forming my campaign. I’ll keep you guys updated if I migrate to another tracker.
You may notice that I have changed my theme for this blog quite a few times over the past few days (that is if you have been consistently stalking this site) as I am currently testing different themes and their various functions and expansion capacity. If you are new to web designing and all these programming codes that make you dizzy, I will be teaching some basics and providing some online tutorial links which I think will benefit you.
I have fixed the comments function that did not work previously. Feel free to post your comments and stay tuned!
Topics: Making a living online | No Comments »
The beginning of RoxasOnline
By Roxas | February 11, 2008
Ever wondered if you could earn money without having to be involved in the corporate struggle? Without having to persistently bother others to buy your products? Without having to stick to the regular 9 to 5 job? Without having to miss the chance to see your child grow and hear his/her first word just because you are tied down by the work in office?
We have to admit that there are people out there earning a living through the internet… so why can’t we do it too? I am in the midst of reading(gearing) up to launch a campaign online which could just bring me to where I wana be… earning a living through the internet. You may have chanced upon websites showing you the testimonies of individuals who have ‘made it’ through internet marketing but always wondered if it was a scam? Don’t worry, I thought so too. It is just natural for us to be sceptical about such stuffs. It was until lately when a buddy of mine (after months of gearing up) launched a campaign online and sort of succeeded (with gross income of $200+/day currently) that I really think it can work.
The sustainability of this business is up to the individual’s beliefs and persistence. Since I have nothing better to do other than attending lectures in school, I have decided to give it a go. The technology is there for you, the opportunities are waiting for you… so why not give it a try? Watch this space, this is where I will be updating you and telling you how I will do it. Experts are welcomed to share your opinions too!
Topics: Making a living online | No Comments »