Shelter, by Corrinne May

What's wrong, what's getting you down?
Was it something I might have said?
You're walking around with your head to the ground
And your eyes are watery red

I know you've been through tough times
Kicked around, thrown to the ground
But you've always been the strong one
So don't tell me that nobody gets you
'cos I'm standing in your corner
Knocking at your door
You don't have to be alone

Just call my name, let me be an answer
'cos it hurts me to see you this way
I wanna ease your pain, help me understand
Let me be your shelter my friend

We share a bond, you and I, we belong
We're like coffee and morning trains
You strip my defenses, I catch your pretenses
The same blood runs through our veins

I swore I'd be your lifeline, made a vow 
That I'd surround you with love at every milestone
I'll listen when nobody gets you
I'm still standing in your corner
Waiting by your door
You don't have to be alone

Just call my name, let me be an answer
'cos it hurts me to see you this way
I wanna ease your pain, help me understand
Let me be your shelter my friend

It was not too long ago
You sought to understand
You helped me mend
Remember when

So promise me you'll call my name
Let me be an answer
'cos it hurts me to see you this way
I wanna ease your pain, help me understand
Let me be your shelter my friend

Posted by ericb34r at 09:03 PM on November 28, 2008. | leave a note

Tanpa NPWP, Pajak Fiskal = 5 Juta

Recently, it comes to my attention that Indonesian Citizen has to register NPWP (sth like Tax Register Number) starting Jan 2009. Without which, they have to pay Pajak Fiskal (Fiscal Tax) of Rp 5 million (around S$625) when flying out from Indonesia. But if you do have NPWP, you don't need to pay single tax. Even so, due to uncertainty,  irregularity and inconsistency, most Indonesian don't register the NPWP. It's not clear how Indonesian working abroad can register their NPWP and has to prove that they already paid tax abroad (In case you don't know, Indonesia and Singapore has Double Taxation Agreement, meaning if you already pay tax in Singapore, you don't need to pay in Indonesia, vice versa)

I still remember one time, during discussion with friends.... asking me why would I take pink IC. One of the reason is of course, the stupid Fiscal Tax that only 'punish' their own citizens. The amount was Rp 1 million before and blue IC can have up to 4 times per annum free of fiscal tax. Now, it will be raised to 5 times. Of course, during that time, I was rebutted that even without pink IC, I can still enjoy 4 times free fiskal. Even so, I did=dn't know for sure that Indon Gov want to increase their taxes for travelling abroad. Looking on hindsight, it further reinforces my view that taking pink IC is much better off.

Now that the rule change, it is uncertain whether blue IC need to pay fiscal tax or not. NPWP is required if you work in Indonesia, but what about people working abroad? The regulation is not very clear on this one. With all the recent policy changes, it signals to public that Indonesian citizens are discriminated by their own government. How can Indonesia Government commit to ASEAN Open Sky Policy if there is so many 'tax' involved for their own citizens?

Source: http://www.pajak.go.id/index.php?view=article&catid=72&id=8146

Correction: Previously I said 2.5 million Rp, but it seems like it is 5 million Rp instead

Posted by sentosa at 06:24 PM on November 28, 2008. | leave a note

End of 'free' financial advice

I would like to see this happening in Singapore soon. MAS, take a look!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/3518909/End-of-free-financial-advice.html

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has outlined new guidelines that effectively outlaw commission payments, which have been seen by many consumers as a way of getting "free" advice.

The FSA has made it clear that it is concerned that these payments are used to disguise the cost of financial products, and may create bias in an adviser's recommendations.

A spokesman for the FSA said it hoped its proposals would restore consumers' trust in the financial services industry at a time when many "need real help and advice with their retirement and savings planning". The changes are due to come into force in 2012.

The regulator's review contains three key proposals. Probably the biggest change is to the way advisers are remunerated.

For the first time all advisers, whether they are independent financial advisers or sales agents, will have to declare and agree with the customer in advance exactly what the advice costs. Consumers will then have the option of paying for it in advance or opting for the cost to be taken from their savings over a period of time.

A spokesman for the FSA said: "Commission as we know it will disappear for ever. We want to sever the providers' involvement with the advisers' fees." The FSA has not ruled out banning commission completely at a later date.

Another major change is that all advisers will now have to take advanced qualifications, equivalent to the first year of a degree course, if they are offering full advice to consumers. At present 80pc of advisers do not have these qualifications.

Andrew Fisher, the chief executive of Towry Law, a firm of financial advisers, said: "This is brilliant news for consumers. The smoke and mirrors, lies and obfuscation that have been used to disguise consumer fees will be stopped.

"Individuals thought that commission meant 'free' advice but it was always paid for, either by raising product charges or by reducing the value of a consumer's investment. For the first time, any commission charge will now explicitly be linked to consumers' savings and will have to be agreed upfront."

The FSA said its framework would provide a mix of services, so "less sophisticated" investors who could not afford to pay for full advice were not excluded. Many companies are expected to offer "guided sales", where consumers are given basic financial information.

If this led to a recommendation to buy a certain product, however, the sales person would still be required to have the appropriate professional qualifications and be upfront about any product charges. The FSA said: "It must always be made clear at the outset whether consumers are paying for independent advice or a sales service."

Trevor Matthews, the president of the Chartered Insurance Institute said these proposals should "kick-start" the process "of moving to higher levels of competence and and professionalism". He added: "The biggest challenge for the long term future of this industry is to restore trust in financial services, which has been dented for too long." He said today's proposals go some way to addressing this issue.

David Elms, the chief executive of IFA Promotion, said he welcomed the proposals but was awaiting details on how they would be implemented.

He added: "We want to see the same standards applied to all advisers, whether they are recommending products from across the spectrum of providers or selling just one company's products.

"This should enable consumers to understand the choices available to them."

Posted by sentosa at 09:04 AM on November 26, 2008. | leave a note

Setting your own custom domain

In the past, you've had to contact me to set your own custom domain. This is no longer the case - I've added a new page in the control panel (Settings > Set Custom Domain) which lets you set your own domain name. I've updated the documentation page with instructions on how to set-up your Tabulas to use a domain name.

Posted by tabulas at 11:35 PM on November 23, 2008 in General News. | 1 notes

with COE of $2, what is recession? :)

With the recent $2 COE, the price of small car is getting very cheap... Showroom is flocked, and people forget about recession for a while

Hafei Lobo	1100cc	$25,999	$13,999
Kia Picanto	1100cc	$29,999	$12,999
Honda Civic	1600cc	$67,800	$50,800
Toyota Corolla Altis	1600cc	$55,488	$37,310	*
Toyota Vios E	1500cc	$46,488	$29,339	*
Nissan Sylphy	1500cc	$54,000	$36,800	*
Nissan Latio	1500cc	$46,000	$28,800	*

 *Automatic Gear
Cheaper price indicates the price for Off-Peak Car

 

Posted by sentosa at 02:55 PM on November 22, 2008. | 1 notes

Sunset View from Marina Barrage

if you haven't been there, it is a must go place

 

Posted by sentosa at 09:13 AM on November 15, 2008. | 4 notes

Cleaner mauled by provoked white tiger

The incident happen yesterday at Singapore Zoo

For more information... refer to this: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_302154.html

Posted by sentosa at 09:39 AM on November 14, 2008. | 1 notes

If GM and Ford is bailed out, US is certainly a communist country now

Think about it.... all the capitalism idea is a bu11 sh1t... when private company is making money, it is capitalism, but when GM and Ford indicates they might be running out of money before year end, they seek for government bailout... What a mess? And they are using and excuse of millions of workers in risk of retrenchment. Let's face it, with or without goverment bailout, GM and Ford are doomed to fail, and this millions of workers will still out of job eventually. The difference is, if bailout is approved, the US goverment is worse off 50 billion dollars, compared to no bailout.

Why not, use that 50 billion dollars to help those millions of workers to cope with downturn? And quickly direct the resources to do other things? The CEO is rich enough eventhough the company is bleeding money every day... why must they be helped? It is even worse than communist country, because the bailout is only for rich guys, the workers are still worse off anyway...

 

 

Posted by sentosa at 05:08 AM on November 10, 2008. | 9 notes