I promised to play for you, and here it is. Hope you enjoy.

P.S. I enjoy the sweet memory the most. Didn't know that I had a recording of such a lovely moment.. :)

Ballade pour Adeline

Nocturne in E Flat Major (Chopin)

Sweet Memory

FT.com / Companies / Financial Services - Buffett warns on derivatives legislation

FT.com / Companies / Financial Services - Buffett warns on derivatives legislation

"In comments to reporters on Sunday, Charlie Munger, Mr Buffet’s long time business partner, said that the regulators, not the bankers, were to blame for the financial crisis for because they did not control the banks properly.


“When the tiger gets out and starts creating a lot of damage it is insane to blame the tiger,” Mr Munger said. “It is that idiot tiger keeper that … caused the problem and our solution is not to just beat the tiger but efforts to improve the tiger keeper.”

His point of argument is: if a terrorist successfully bombed a place (luckily it didn't happen recently), the police or national security is to be blamed. It would be nice to imagine what if the former CEO of RBS defended himself by pushing the blame to the regulators instead of apologising. "It is not our fault for the collapse of the financial institution. The regulators should have prevented us from making risky investment (Imaginary quote)." If Charlie Munger insisted on his view that regulators were to be blamed, then he should applaud the step to introduce the finance reform bill. Will this bill be passed? It will not be an easy one, considering that US is a strong supporter of free market. 

The maturity, or lack of it, of some Malaysians

The maturity, or lack of it, of some Malaysians

"Furthermore, the ISA is a preventive law. It is no use punishing someone only after a crime has been committed. The government needs to detain a person to prevent that person from committing a crime even while he or she may just be thinking of committing a crime."

This statement made me recalled a movie featuring Tom Cruise: Minority Report. The morale of the story is: a person is not guilty before committing a crime, as he has the choice to not do it. Law, just like any weapons, is a double-edge sword. It can be used to safeguard peace and prosperity or punish individuals for personal interest. There is no fault in the ISA system itself. It would be a lot faster to catch an international terrorist via ISA rather than seeking an arrest warrant from the court.

Communism isn't a bad idea. The idea of a classless society, free from exploitation from the bourgeois (upper class group, or capitalist) is desirable. However many countries have distorted and misused the very concept of communism into something far from the utopia of Karl Marx. Soviet Union is a very good example. The state of North Korea is another modern example. Even China is rampant with corruption. 


End of post.


P.S. Posted after being urged by Mel, :p

4.6bn savings on avoidance? Is it possible? - Insider

4.6bn savings on avoidance? Is it possible? - Insider

There are two ways to reduce your taxable amount: (i) tax evasion and (ii) tax avoidance. Tax evasion could be done by lowering your income or by increasing your expenditure through FALSIFYING your accounts. Which is illegal. Tax avoidance is merely exploiting the loophole in the tax law, and it is completely legal to do so. It annoys the government though as they cannot penalise you for the lost in revenue, while they have to spend time covering the never-ending loopholes.

Nick Clegg mentioned that it was possible to cut the budget deficit by cracking down on tax avoidance. Is this true?

"In 2008 the Budge laid out a number of measures which the chancellor claimed would save £1.7bn over three years. In 2009 similar savings, though for different measures, would amount to £1.1bn over threes year and the Budget this year said measures against avoidance would save £1.6bn, once again over three years.

That's a total of £4.5bn. Not far from the number the Liberal Democrats estimate they can save. But the savings come over a period from 2008 to 2013 - five years."

If tax avoidance was so easy to crackdown, why hasn't the UK government done so? If the lib democrats were able to crackdown on tax avoidance, the Labour party would be able to do so as well. Not to forget, there are tax consultants who know more about the tax law than the government itself. Tax avoidance cannot be eliminated as loopholes would continue to persist in the system. Consider this example.

UK income tax rate: 40% (50% for high income earners)

UK dividend tax rate: 32.5%

If I set up a company I could pay myself in the form of: (i) salary or (ii) dividends. Just by knowing the tax law, I will pay myself FULLY in dividends and save 7.5% in tax. What I did is known as "tax avoidance", the very thing Nick Clegg wanted to eliminate. So what can he do? Setting the dividend tax rate to 40%? I'm sure this would be an unpopular move as some individuals survive on dividends alone. Not to forget that dividends are only received once a year (twice or more if the company pays interim dividends), which leads to lower disposable income for the 'poor' individuals. Second solution: enact a law to prohibit managers from receiving dividends instead of salary. I'm sure that most directors in the company are major shareholders for the company itself.

The conclusion is: it is very hard. End of post.

P.S. Courtesy to Mel as well for urging me to write this.

Car Steered With Eyes : Discovery News

Car Steered With Eyes : Discovery News

Oh come on, who needs this. Car steered with brain power sounds better. When an accident happens, where do we look? "The idea is that the car is autonomous, drives you anywhere, but a handicapped driver can give commands just by looking into the streets or direction he/she would like to take next." Everyone who drives knows where they are looking when an accident happens. Imagine a fleet of cars heading towards the accident site, or maybe, to a hot guy or girl. End of post. 


P.S. This post is written with encouragement from Mel C.. :p

My Rant

Omg.. Why is it when I have work to do then I'll be disturbed by others? With reference to my post: time management, it is sad that it happened again. Today after my seminar, Baby T pulled me and asked me for help:

Baby T: Please come and help me for my book review presentation later. Very fast. 
Me: What is wrong with it? Just critically analyse the book in terms of advantages and disadvantages. 
Baby T: I don't know how to do it. Very fast, just do it at the com lab. 


At the com lab:
Me: What do you know about the book? Tell me what is it about. 
Baby T: bla bla bla (not really in-depth explanation). 
Me: Have you finished reading the book? 
Baby T: Of course. Not. 
Me: (Stunned but not surprised). How many chapters have you read? 
Baby T: Only chapter 1. 
Me: ...

For your information, I finished one chapter of that book on the spot in 10 minutes. That book is such an easy read compared to mine. Maybe my mind is in coherence with the author's thoughts (since I had been arguing that idea for some time), but you should at least read the book. I'm not some genius who can just tell you all the points for your presentation. If I remember correctly, you were watching some movies or playing some games last night. You were even talking to your friend this morning (which you always do, and so loud. Maybe I should be the 3rd disappearing flatmate soon.).

Please try to do your work in time. I don't know what are you so busy at, but I think you should be free apart from your money making effort. You may have made it through with your assignments now (you are one very lucky person), but there is still a final exam coming up. Put in more effort into your work, and don't complain that things are 'stupid' before doing it.  

Love

"What if I said I like you?"

(Stunned face for 30 seconds)

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Let's try going out.." (a hug at my hand)

Love.. What a wonderful yet painful thing it is. "What do you think you are doing? Don't you know you're treading on the path of suffering? You hypocrite." I know I am one.

"Beautiful, slim, caring, cute, soft-spoken, loyal, willing, loving.........." The never-ending list. Truthfully, I would be happy if half of those conditions are met. A tick. However, deep in my heart, I only wish for one thing. It isn't a demanding one. Rather, it is sweet. Yet, it may not happen.

"Open your eyes dear, there are so many out there. Do not fix onto one, mix around more and you'll find a better one." So, when would the search stop? I am a contented person. As long as she doesn't give me a headache, I am happy. A tick.

一日不见，如三秋兮。Love, what a dangerous thing it is. You cause suffering, drive people insane; but without you, I wouldn't have tasted the sweetness now. I made a vow once, and I keep my word. All I wish for is just one thing. You are the very first girl who made me crazy. You successfully tore down the wall I had all my life and made you mine. I love you.

Love,
Calvin