It seems everyone is getting in on this thing called Earth Hour. It was a stunning participatory success when it was tried in 2008. But did it really hit home? Did it change people’s attitudes? I wonder… I got a lot of comments from people who asked me why I was not participating in it… [Read more…]
January 31, 2009
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This is my personal credit card report which highlights my spending for this month. In fact, I have two credit cards: One of which I use primarily for online transactions courtesy of Shanghai Bank, and one for general use courtesy of Taishin Bank. Be CAREFUL with your Cards With the second one, we had a… [Read more…]
November 25, 2008
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With Christmas just around the corner, it’s getting tough in this economic environment to justify spending a lot of money on anything other than the essentials: rent, food, fuel and clothes. With Christmas just a short month of shopping days left, parents everywhere are scratching their heads wondering what gifts are affordable and desirable for… [Read more…]
November 25, 2008
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When we were away on our travels, we really had a good time, and we found that Taiwan is really a place for enjoying yourself. For better or worse, we used our credit cards to pay the hotel fees. It was just so much more convenient and we’ll earn the points. But I failed to… [Read more…]
November 7, 2008
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Well, it is true,… all good things must come to an end, and just as I ended the summer in Hyde Park in London, then came back to Taiwan… so the last of my summer trip bills are coming due. And the total damage isn’t pretty. So here goes… The bill can be divided into… [Read more…]
October 27, 2008
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Having two or more systems We’ve all been using one system as our main tool to play, work, do banking, write reports, … etc.. for a number of years now, but slowly I’m coming to the realization: this is not the most secure way to handle things, if you download a new game or driver,… [Read more…]
October 15, 2008
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Ah! I have to share with you my biggest failing… it has to be ‘carelessness’… And I’ll share with you why I think so… When I bought my little portable PC, the Aspire One in the UK, I was very careful to make sure that I had all the documentation for a tax refund. The… [Read more…]
October 10, 2008
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Yes, after all the turmoil in the markets, I reached a decision. I have decided to blog about my finances in more detail. While the exact extent is uncertain at the moment, I have decided that I need to track the performance of my investments more regularly. A step back in time! In truth, I’ve… [Read more…]
October 10, 2008
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There are many reasons why the markets are tumbling right now, and poor lending choices are one of the culprits. If your credit ratings have been affected by the turmoil, you may need to spend quite a bit of time, money and personal energy restoring your credit record through credit repair efforts and renewed borrowing.… [Read more…]
October 6, 2008
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Hi, Dear Reader! If you haven’t already heard about Kiva, then read about it here. I want to recruit you to my lending team, Taiwan Gives, on Kiva, a non-profit website that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur in the developing world. You choose who to lend to… [Read more…]
February 15, 2009
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