Songs for Mid-Week Wednesday

1. Athlete - Shake Those Windows (2005)

2. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings (1995)

3. Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair (2011)

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Factory of Faith (2011)

5. The xx - Night Time (2009)

Happy Cosy Wednesday..

GAP #3 - Breakout

After all these defensive GAP measures that focus on cost savings, it's time for some revenue generating ideas.

One idea that I really fancy is equities.

We all know that the stock market is going mad like a woman having PMS, but the volatility is what makes is all so interesting.

It's a bit of gamble, a bit of speculation, but you really need to know some fundamentals and insights to play the game.

As much as people think that analysts are anal-ysts, I still find them the best people to learn from. It's not that they're right all the time, but you have to make your own analysis on their analysis to make sure you don't fall the wrong side of the market.

Being the all lazy person I am, reading the Financial Times and Business Times can be such a chore. And I'm not even going into financial books and all the technical know-hows about stocks.

But one great website I've come across after losing much money to the market over the past 3 years is Yahoo!'s Breakout. (Note: I've stopped losing money during this self-learning period.)

Photo Source: Yahoo! Breakout

It's pretty enjoyable hearing the bald Jeff Macke and his plumper counterpart Matt Nesto talking about equities and bonds. They throw in a fair bit of humour and sarcasm to make the usually 4-5 minutes clip entertaining, if not useful.

So if you're looking to improve the revenue side of your finances, it's probably advisable to just have a listen and start learning.

Do check out Breakout at http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/

P.S. Not earning any commission from recommending the bald dude.

GAP #2 - Anchor the Savings

After a month of GAP #1, there had to be some review of the budget situation. Technically speaking, the 30 days of GAP #1 measures should have yielded cost savings of $78.50.

However, the cost savings in the ministry of eating have been offset by other expenditure in other ministries.

Specifically, the ministry of drinking. I brought my cousins from overseas to a fancy bar called Lantern last week.

A fancy place indeed. Back in Switzerland, I would come here to have a look at the scenery and then drink elsewhere.

With a splendid view like this, you can't expect kopitiam prices

Photo source: asia-bars.com

Indeed, with fancy places comes delicious pricing. $17++ for a bottle of Asahi beer. The night set me back $120, paring all gains the food ministry had made.

A quick comparison with a club nearby, The Butter Factory, revealed that Lantern had really priced most locals out of consumption. Butter Factory charges about $13++ for a mug.

Going further northeast, a heartland pub like Grapevine would take $20++ for a jug of Asahi. This means that the same quantity in a bottle would cost about $5++ at Grapevine. That's a 70 per cent cost savings, disregarding the valet parking of $12 at Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Anyway, I had to consult the guru in GAP measures, Yakki.

He threw my Butter Factory and Grapevine alternatives out of the boardroom.

Good old Anchor

A can of Anchor beer costs about $2++ at Sheng Shiong, he said.

'enuff said.

Seven Days in The Sun

Gone are the days when a rough voice, an electric guitar, a bass and drums made a song.

Auto-tune and synthesizers fill our ray-di-o-s.

Source: sweetlyrics.com

Shuffle through my iPod of goldies, the list goes:

1. Just - Radiohead (1995)
2. Seven Days in The Sun - Feeder (2001)
3. Have it All - Foo Fighters (2002)
4. Trying Your Luck - The Strokes (2001)
5. Homesick - The Vines (2001)

You really light me up.