rice bowl » thinkin’ loud

Eric Tan — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:29:11 +0000

Had a coffee break with Kitchi yesterday. She summarized it quite precisely. 哲學啊~~

Kitchi：“今天我在我报看到一�?版，2005年有一个人骑脚车撞上路上的A Frame，全身瘫痪…Koh Brothers (contractor) 赔了800�?�给他…�?
TSB：“Ei？�? 为什么是contractor赔，�?是LTA咧？�?�?
…�?略…
Kitchi：“哦，我在想噢，800�?�咧，差�?多是工作20几年的总薪水…�?
TBS：“Er？�?所以你是说工作20几年就等於瘫痪啦�?�?
Kitchi：“Ei？�?真的，�?这样讲应该也是�?�以。20年，大概就瘫痪了。�?

Summary for non-Chinese readers (Do I have any?) – A cyclist met an accident, paralyzed and received compensation of 800K. If you make 30K ~ 40K a year, 800K is about 20 years. So, 20 years of working = paralyzed?

TSB：“我之�?在报纸看到�?税的�??大方法，例如和父�?�?��?，供养父�?etc …结果�?�现回扣最多的是第二个孩�?�?
Kitchi：“…�?
TSB：“如果你有第二个孩�?，税务局给的回扣是20�?�，是需�?交税直接扣掉20�?�；而�?是从你的income里�?�扣20�?��?�?�算该付的所得税�?
Kitchi：“是么？�?
TSB：“�?供养父�?，好�?�?��?�以从income里�?�扣8�?��?算该付的所得税�?
Kitchi：“Ei？�?�?
…�?略…
Kitchi：“所以hor …两个�?�亲的价值竟然低于第二个孩�?�?

Summary: If you stay and take care of both your parents, you get 8K relief from tax. If you have 2nd kid, you get 20K rebate. So 2nd kid is greater than 2 parents?

A quick check bring me to a more precise number, 10K (for both parents). and 10K for 2nd kid, 20K each for 3rd and 4th kid.

Well, you might think, looking after 2 parents worth half of your 2nd kids (not my point of view, purely based on IRAS relief and rebates), I’m sorry you are wrong.

Case A: no relief nor rebates: annual income 20K or less pay no tax.
Case B: looking after 2 parents: annual income 20K + 10K = 30K or less pay no tax.
Case C: Give birth to 2nd kid: annual income 120K or less pay no tax

tax – rebate = 0
tax = first 80K tax + next 40K tax = 4300 + 5700 = 10K (check here for actual rates)
rebate = 2nd kid rebate = 10k

i.e. 120K or less pay no tax.

Hmm… 30K… 120k.. hmm.. so parents worth 1 quarter of 2nd kid?

Think again… 20K is the no tax zone…

30K – 20K = 10K
120K – 20K = 100K

Maybe, from tax relief point of view, your parents worth just 1/10 of a second kid…

Well, that’s not my point of view. Just some stupid calculation.

懷念? Getting old?

Eric Tan — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:37:35 +0000

�?原的�?弟寫了個 post, 是從�?原那裡看到的. 寫的是�?齡花園 & 新山. 蠻�?錯的.

�?弟眼里的�?家，写得蛮有�?�早味, 怪怀念的。

在我看的時候, iTune 放的是張懸的”兒歌”, 滿�?�的, 就也把 youtube 加了進來, 讓你�?��?�, 看看.

The music and article, remind me of the good old days. (No, not that the current life is not good.. )

But it reminds me more than that…

Not too long ago (maybe), I never thinking about my past. I mean, what’s there to think? Future, beautiful future, keep coming. There’s so much to hope and dream. Why bother the past?

Yesterday, Siew Mei met her neighbour, a boy about 16.

“wow.. you are so tall now.. which year are you studying now?” she said

She told me “Last time, the boy was just such a small boy!!”

“Girl, those words only come from aunties, seems like you are getting old.. ” I told her jokingly..

And today, I’m reading a post reminiscing his good old day.

The post written by my “old” friend’s little brother, the boy who was such a small boy.

Awww… does that mean I’m super old now?

reminiscing = old
seeing small boy growing big = older
seeing small boy growing big and reminiscing = OLDER THAN OLD!

What’s your contribution to this world?

Eric Tan — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:21:51 +0000

“What’s my contribution to this world?”

This question pop up in my mind, on and off. Why? I’ve gone through the standard procedure of “birth, grow up, be educate and make some money“, and inherited the standard goal (or is it not?) from a simple Chinese family: “be someone useful”.

But, if you ask me this question, I’ll tell you: “nothing”.

Why? I don’t know.

Maybe you need to know “what” is useful, before you can do something useful?

Or, maybe “�?�懂�?�錢的地方長�?出好男人”? (好男人)

I don’t know. Hope I can do some project like this..

Saw some comments criticizing the project.

Well, I don’t think it’s that silly after all. At least I know the idea is way better that One Laptop per Child. why? Who need a laptop when survival is a problem?

I know this will not be the solution, but at least this sounds like some kind of solution? At least I think distributing filters monthly seems a lot more feasible than distributing clean water daily. Just like giving fishing rod is better than giving fish, maybe?

Fifteen bucks for an article

Eric Tan — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:34:09 +0000

I love magazines, I read almost any magazine I found. One of my favourite columnist is 佘宗明 (I found him from 《號外》). I’ll buy a magazine just for his article. That’s equivalent to about SGD15 and article. That show that I never control my financial expenses properly. But, that also show how good he is.

集体生活的人会想�?�脾气，一个人生活的人会想哭。

集体生活的人会当自己一个人时�?想哭；一个人生活的人�?会独自�?泪，但当�?到人，他们便会�?也�?�?�?了。

集体生活的人都把说�?收在心里，一个人生活的人都�?��?得�?�以把内心的说�?尽情地释放出�?�。

集体生活的人�?�以�?�?�家里乱七八糟，但一个人生活的人便无�?�奈何地�?把家居料�?�得整整�?�?。

集体生活的人上厕所时会关门，一个人生活的人会赤�?��?�地在屋里走�?�走去。

集体生活的人哭了便会好一点，一个人生活的人�?�会愈哭愈伤心。

~ 一個人在床上

Maldivian Dream

Eric Tan — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 15:55:36 +0000

Merry Christmas my friends. I had a good holiday with my family and friends. Hope you had a great holiday too!

Got a mail from Alvin, titled “Maldivian updates”… and he sent us some photo. Damn good photo, even thought they are taken by a noob like him. (ok, ok Alvin, I know you always dream to be a professional photographer.)

imagine in e mornin you are greeted by e bluish seaview at your balcony that you can simply take a plunge into the sea at your dorstep… well not realy a plunge actualy… mayb a dip since it is only abt waist level…. hhaha…. in addition, the stingray and black-tipped shark photo me tok it behind e water bungalow…. who said that we nit 2 go great depths 2 c these creatures? gues wat… me oso saw a big blue puffer fish!!!!!!

Well.. At first, I though I should save some money, so I put my Maldives trip on hold. Now, the ideas revived. And what’s worse? I’ll not even accept cutting the cost and stay in some beach hut. IT MUST BE A SEA BUNGALOW!