Rainbow on FI

I have been missing in action for a while here cos I have been busy investing in... learning! I have gone back to studying, doing project and sitting in lectures just like in uni days, all while working part-time for 6 months from Jan followed by a new full-time job in August. Life has become more fulfilling, I would say, than if I had stayed on in my previous dreary job. Through this change, I have gotten to know more people both inside and outside of my profession. Good to meet new people! After the final exam on 29th Oct I will be officially "liberated" from my course. On one hand I am glad that the course has come to an end so I would have more free time to read up on those clinical stuff for my 'continuous education' that I have been neglecting and possibly engage in a regular sports to increase my fitness level. On the other hand, I will miss the times of going-back-to-school, brainstorming of case studies and non-work chitchats with my classmates. I do no

If you have just moved house and find that your PC doesn't start up after the 'shake'. Fret not. Instead of sending it for a $20 troubleshoot, you can try troubleshooting it by yourself in 10 minutes. My PC has been cranky since moving house and one fine day upon booting the CPU, it gave a long beep sound with the monitor remaining blank (black). I was contemplating whether I should bring it for repair because re-plugging in of the cables and restarting did not help. However, my PC is already long past warranty. So I decided to give DIY a shot with nothing to lose. Ok, here we go. First look for the key screw, unscrew and slide off the back / side panel casing (depending on your PC model, mine is side). Long beep refers to problem with some cards or the hard disk. So check them out. I took out the memory module seated somewhere in the middle of the motherboard beneath the ribbons, dust it a little and put it back.  Putting it back is a little tricky because after slidin

See my previous post - Saying "no" This time is saying "no" to friends. I am talking about serious requests and times when they ask a favour from me. One of the most difficult part of saying "no" to family and friends is that it kind of puts an awkward kink in the relationship. The moment you say the magic word it is as though you don't trust them. Sometimes it is not a matter of how much you trust them or how deep the friendship is, it is that I don't believe in putting blind faith in a person's actions even he/she may appear to have a good character, personality or has exceptional IQ. Being a very rational person, I will weigh the pros and cons of my subvention. "Help within our means" this is what we should be telling ourselves. When it is clear that by agreeing to a request or favour, one is going to be weighed down by risks, conscience or responsibility beyond one's ability to handle, there is no better choice than