I told hubby that he MUST go for the audition for the Alpha Double Exposure - a photography reality show organized by Sony. For a start, he’s an amateur in photography and this will be an excellent opportunity for him to sharpen his skills and hopefully, be able to get the first prize - which is an assortment of Sony products. Since he is already so into Sony, with his purchase of the Sony DSLR and now already telling me that he’s going to get the latest full frame Sony A900, I thought that this will be an excellent opportunity for him to be even more into Sony. 
I searched on YouTube and found this tv advertisement of the Alpha Double Exposure show :-
Whether he will actually go for the audition this coming 18 October, or make a pass - I’m not sure. But I insist on him going for it. There will be some sacrifices to make, I believe - taking time-off and leave, which I think will be the hardest for him as he’s currently in his 2nd month in his new job. How many times does an opportunity like this come by anyway? But its all up to him whether or not he will take it up.
alpha double exposure, marketing, marketing gimmick, sony
At a ripe age of 31, I’m starting to think deeply into my financial goals and my planning for retirement. You see, I have approximately 20 working years left, and I must maximize whatever I can earn & save so that I can live comfortably after retirement.
For many of us, there are a few sources of money that we can rely on during old age :-
1. Savings in bank
2. Insurance Plans - whether investment linked or endownment policies
3. EPF - this one contributes 33% (or more) of our monthly savings till retirement
4. Investment Vehicles - shares, precious metals, gem stones, currencies
5. Property
6. Others
Once, a friend of mine told me that I should have a minimum of 10% of my salary as cash savings monthly. I notice that a lot of young people these days spend all they have, or even beyond what they earn, let alone have any savings. However, with age, people usually start thinking of the future and start planning for financial freedom.
To ensure that I meet my financial goals, I take these below steps :-
1. Never spend unnecessarily
2. Refrain from instant gratification
3. Try to maintain the same frugal lifestyle
4. Save more
5. Buy less
6. Increase new income streams
I’m still thinking what others to add to the above list. And I’m sure that financial independence is achievable through better life choices.
I ordered 10 units of Asus Eee PC 701 recently for my office usage, and they came nicely boxed up in little mooncake-like boxes yesterday. I opened one unit up for inspection and am surprised at how tiny and lightweight it is. A very good notebook to carry around, if you are a frequent traveller. Additionally, if you are the type who likes to hang out at Starbucks - this is definately a good one to have. Because it runs on energy efficient Linux, the Asus Eee PC claims to be able to last for 7 hours in one charge!
My boss told me to reserve one unit for him - he wants to bring it along with him when he travels. Haha.. he will like it for a while, and then forget all about it when he gets a more ‘canggih’ version.
Hubby was busy this weekend - he went to take snapshots of the yet-to-be-launched Renault Clio Sports. I am equally excited about it because my car (the Malaysian made Proton Savvy) uses the older version of Renault Clio’s 5-gear engine. Above is some of the pictures of the Renault Clio, Sports version. The price tag? An amazing above RM200,000!
I didn’t get a chance to see the car in real, but I grabbed the photographs from hubby :) I love the car’s sporty look and the cute fierce look. The car will be launched in Malaysia next month. Below are some pictures to feed your curiousity!
More pictures on the Renault Clio Sports here
These few days, the weather has been surprisingly cold - raining non-stop in the day & night. And this has caused the traffic to swell, partly because of flash floods and increased minor accidents & car breakdowns.
I reached office at slightly after 8am today, because of the heavy traffic at Phileo Damansara, as usual. Then at about 9am, boss called me to ask if I could send some brochures over to Menara TM as he is in a meeting. After making a journey there, I only reached office at close to 11am. That’s how fantastically crazy the traffic congestion is in town these few days. Even a journey that will usually take 10 minutes will take an hour to reach.
I went home at 10pm today - and surprisingly, the traffic is heavy at LDP. 10pm!! Goodness…. Usually at 10pm, I’d be half asleep at home Its very tiring today… and all I want to do now is sleep…. zzzzzzzz….
