would 2008 be as rosy as wat some ppl said??

[gilagila100]

From what I have observed and experienced, no matter it's an economic downturn or uphill it is always the people at the bottom of the food chain that suffers.

Downturn => layoffs, less pays, less benefits, have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet etc.

Uphill => rising prices, inflation, rising cost of living, rising housing prices / rents, still have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet etc.

It is only when the economic boom has been on for several years, only then you would see some of the benefits trickling down but by then better lookout for the "economic burst" which might wipe out whatever you gained assuming you have been able to survive all this while.

Anyway, it is just a matter of preparations and self-cultivation in order to survive any economic upturns or downswings.

I still remember the advice from a wise wealthy elder. He said life in general is similar to the African plains.

You have the herbivores or veggie eaters, the cows, antelopes, buffaloes etc. They are the majority and survive by "working" every day n nite to eat watever little nourishments they can get from the soil.
Their best survival strategy is to remain vigilant to avoid being preyed on and to be frugal in their spendings.

Next, you have the carnivores or meat-eaters, the lions, cheetahs n leopards etc.
They are the minority, ferocious and aggressive. They have to prey on others; predominantly the veggies to fill their tummy. Each hunt is risky and they could get hurt badly but if they are unsuccessful in their hunt they starve.
Their best strategy is to keep hunting and be as aggressive as possible. They could lose a lot of money but they must keep "hunting" and preying no matter what.

In the middle are the omnivores or general feeders (eat both plant and meat).
They are the opportunists, feeding on boring plants while taking advantage of easy meats that came their way to supplement their diet.
They best strategy is a hybrid, remain vigilant because they are prey themselves but to be alert for new opportunities and to evaluate the risks of the opportunities because they can't take on high risks stuff unlike the true predators.

Each strategies has it own merits and problems but each is a viable strategy on its own depending on your own personality. The worst scenarios are plant-eater pretending or thinking he is a predator or a predator stuck in plant-eater role or an omnivore eating meat laced with poison (a trap).

So what are you ? I believe I am an omnivore coz I have a stable job while maintaining a small side biz.

[84gunner]

SG newspapers / media announcements oso can believe? As mentioned by another brudder, the negatives are censored, only the selected positives are published, if the poll / interview really took place.

The economic problem in the US is pretty serious. In fact, some pple consider the US in recession for the past 2 years oredi! The recent downturn in the US didnt happen overnite nor recently, it's accumulated. In some parts of China, the property bubble has oredi burst. Again, I believe SG wouldn't hear this news, partly cos of news filtering / censorship in SG, oso partly the same in China (being a Communist country), for face reasons or prevent frenzy. But, as many are oso speculating, what's gonna happen after Olympics? That is a real big question mark!!!

[tOmAski33]

Originally Posted by Kyser Soze

Nice read on your ways to 'cut-cost'.
Yeah, I got my increment letter already. Cos my company is a US MNC, so increment usually get in Jan. This time I'm getting 3.8% increment. With a 6.4% inflation in Nov, surely I can't counter it. Also, my stock and investment portfolio not making money. Perhaps I have to take up a side-line.

Bro you are better than me.
Just calculated my increment i only got 1.836%
My Co. is very in the private sector but salary-wise 20-30% lower than market rate.
I guess this is life no good for me.
Jump ship may not be better cos me may not get used to the other Co. work ethnics and ppl.

[84gunner]

Originally Posted by tOmAski33

Bro you are better than me.
Just calculated my increment i only got 1.836%
My Co. is very in the private sector but salary-wise 20-30% lower than market rate.
I guess this is life no good for me.
Jump ship may not be better cos me may not get used to the other Co. work ethnics and ppl.

typical SGPean, wanting the best of every world! typical kiasi, worry about this, afraid of tat, end up stuck in the same shit hole, then keep complaining with no action? NATO!

[frolick]

Originally Posted by tOmAski33

Bro you are better than me.
Just calculated my increment i only got 1.836%
My Co. is very in the private sector but salary-wise 20-30% lower than market rate.
I guess this is life no good for me.
Jump ship may not be better cos me may not get used to the other Co. work ethnics and ppl.

Aiya, how old are you, if still young better change job now, dont get exploited ... after bonus, beginning of year, should have musical chairs for jobs now ..

[jng1103]

Originally Posted by tOmAski33

Bro you are better than me.
Just calculated my increment i only got 1.836%
My Co. is very in the private sector but salary-wise 20-30% lower than market rate.
I guess this is life no good for me.
Jump ship may not be better cos me may not get used to the other Co. work ethnics and ppl.

Typical local bummer... *LOL* Cant help it but despise them

[obnoxious]

Regardless whether rosy or not, it is always prudent to not overspend.
For bros here spending on WLs, make sure you have some savings first, we never know when economy turn bad .... no amount of cyrstal ball watching can tell you that ....

[airbrush]

2. Take less taxi as they are a killer. Access whether u really need a car, if not scrap the idea. If u think getting a car is the only way to get gals, it's time to venture to foreign land.

agree taxi are a killer now, last week when my friend and was discussing about taxi from T1 to home, we decided to share a cab, our flight was delay and we arrived T1 3am when our turn for taxi it was a merc, we check with the driver to make sure there is no different in fare before we board. The journey fro T1 to Dynasty Classic cost us $25.00 taking into consideration there is no ERP.

[joew2005]

still on the sunday times report...........
70% of those interviewed expect pay rise in the new yr,while 30% plan 2 change job.
half of the 70% expect pay increase bet 100~300,23% bet 300~500 & 4 most of the ppl interviewed they expect bet 10%~15%.
domestic economy expect 2 continue 2 look strong.
property market still attracting local/foreign interest.
F1 race & IRs likely 2 booast tourism here.
analysts predict slower growth in 2008(5.7%),07 growth expected at 8%.
but weak US economy plus the US sub prime mortage crisis could hinder growth & affect the financial markets.

Don't knw wat type of ppl they interviewed,10~15% increment???
For the top 20% of sg workforce izzit??

[tOmAski33]

Originally Posted by 84gunner

typical SGPean, wanting the best of every world! typical kiasi, worry about this, afraid of tat, end up stuck in the same shit hole, then keep complaining with no action? NATO!

Bro i am no Kiasi guy...
Just talk about my predicament that's all.
Actually i am thankful that i have a job.
Increment or not is additional reward to me...

Originally Posted by jng1103

Typical local bummer... *LOL* Cant help it but despise them

Do i sound like a loser in the sense that most SGPean are???
Well you are right...
When you are holding a good paying job and getting perks here and there..
Of course you will think low of others who don't do as well as you are...
Just that i would like to highlight is that Our life destiny is already planned for each and everyone here including becoming rich or famous...
No offence just a humble opinion...

[Ducati Corse]

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

Those stupid polls by ST are rubbish. They censored out the 'bad' remarks and post out the good.

Agree on this. No government will ever say the new year is bad. So how can SPH say it in their publications. Better to be careful.

[84gunner]

Originally Posted by tOmAski33

Bro i am no Kiasi guy...
Just talk about my predicament that's all.
Actually i am thankful that i have a job.
Increment or not is additional reward to me...

Then why still complain yr increment is low? Complain yr company paying below market rate, life no good, etc. Jump ship, afraid of this, afraid of that. Not kiasi, then what isit?

Sit there complain, NATO, dun take any actions 2 change watever points make u unhappy, waiting for heaven to change things for u? Or waiting to strike Toto / 4D 1st prize?

Tat's the typical SGPean, dun dare 2 take risk, dun dare 2 move outta comfort zone, dun dare 2 take actions 2 change watever u are not happy wif, sit there complain everyday, hoping things will automatically change?

Tat's why MIW dare to suka suka implement everything! Cos they know most typical SGPeans lan-lan. If more SGPeans got more guts & united, u go see how?

Originally Posted by tOmAski33

Do i sound like a loser in the sense that most SGPean are???
Well you are right...
When you are holding a good paying job and getting perks here and there..
Of course you will think low of others who don't do as well as you are...
Just that i would like to highlight is that Our life destiny is already planned for each and everyone here including becoming rich or famous...
No offence just a humble opinion...

Have u tried taking any actions to change watever u not happy wif? Taking risks? U leave yr life & destiny to MIW, GOVT to plan everything for u, wat else do u expect?

I dont think low of those who dont do as well. I think low of those who dun even dare to take any risk, dun even take any actions to change the situation, but sitting & complaining there, hoping MIW / Govt will change laws / policies, or waiting / dreaming to strike Toto / 4D.

[tOmAski33]

Bro 84gunner,
You are entitled to make your own opinions whereas so am i to mine and the same goes for the general public..
Not taking risks does not mean one is kiasi..
Life is to complain a bit here and there but still goes on everyday...
Thanks for your comments too and nice day to you.
Hopefully 2008 will be fatt for most of us.

[79Guards]

Nothing venture, nothing gain, guess when we reach a certain age like me in mid forties and no cert. wonder which employer will employ us. Sometimes just have to wait for company to retench us and hope they pay us an amount and at the same time try our luck on 4D and toto hopefully we can strike big money.

[jng1103]

Originally Posted by tOmAski33

Do i sound like a loser in the sense that most SGPean are???
Well you are right...
When you are holding a good paying job and getting perks here and there..
Of course you will think low of others who don't do as well as you are...
Just that i would like to highlight is that Our life destiny is already planned for each and everyone here including becoming rich or famous...
No offence just a humble opinion...

*LOL* *LOL* *LOL* Whenever I walk by S11, I hear uncles/aunties grumbling about inflations, MRT fares increased, bla bla bla... I could visualize seeing u sitting with them in 20yrs time... *LOL* *LOL* *LOL* Dont worry, our garment will take good care of everyone, esp the bottom ones

Yes, I stole ur cheese, if u wanna ask *LOL* *LOL*