What a farcical evening

It was raining heavily this evening. When I left work, I had no idea how bad my evening was going to be. I arrived at Queen St Mall bus stop just before 5:40pm. Due to the heavy rain, there were major delays with the buses, so the bus I was waiting on, that was meant to come at 5:45pm, was majorly delayed. Fair enough, that can’t be helped. But everyone at the stop was kept waiting & waiting. By the time 6:20pm arrived, our bus still had not arrived! Then a few minutes later, I heard a splash & turned around. An Asian guy in wearing a white t-shirt had vomited. He was seated 20m away from where I was standing. His group of friends (all Asian) helped him clean up. One of them was a guy in an orange t-shirt (read further down for his contribution to the evening). The vomiting incident hardly improved my mood (nothing against the guy, though). Fortunately, the vents at the Queen St Mall bus stop prevented me from smelling the stench.

Then a while later (around 6:35pm), our bus finally arrived. Sooooo late!! Once it filled up, the bus took off & ventured along Coronation Drive, but then the bus driver decided to stop at the stop across the Regatta. Quite why the driver stopped mid-way, I don’t know. But all passengers had to vacate & board another bus that was already at the Regatta stop. Oh, well, let’s just get on with it. So once everyone boarded the second bus, it was hoped that we could get home sooner rather than later without further dramas.

But guess what? There was more drama. The bus had only travelled no more than 100m away from the Regatta stop when a couple of people from the back yelled: “Someone threw up” & “Yuck! Someone at the back spewed”. A few passengers at the back were covering their noses. Some left their seats & all the standing passengers had to push forward to make space. Fortunately, I was seated at the front – but the front was now overcrowded by people moving away from the vomit scene. I never saw the vomit, & just as well. Nevertheless, I quickly took out my white flower liniment & placed it in front of my nose to prevent the vomit smell from reaching my nose. I looked around & saw Belinda Hong standing in the middle of the bus (& closer to the vomit than I was). Belle gave a sheepish smile & shrugged as if to say “what’s going on”. I nodded, then pulled a long face & shook my head as if to say “this is horrible”. I then motioned Belle to come closer to where I was seated, & Belle shrugged further as if to indicate she wasn’t able to – the bus was packed.

The bus was thus forced to stop at the stop outside a pub just across Toowong Village. Everyone got out quickly. Belle somehow disappeared, so I never got to talk to her about it. It turns out that the person who vomited on the bus was the orange-shirt guy from the Queen St Mall stop. So now, I had to wait for a third bus to get home. That duly arrived 10-15 minutes later, just past 7pm. Everyone boarded the bus, including the orange-shirt guy. Before the bus took off, one of the passengers, a rather feisty young lady, asked the bus driver to eject the orange-shirt guy as he had vomited on the previous bus (she obviously did not want a repeat performance). The driver duly obliged. Though he was polite to the guy, he was crankier to subsequent passengers coming on board as he was already 1-1.5 hours late due to bad weather. Finally, we got going. And finally, I managed to arrive at my stop & eventually home around 7:30pm.

Bad weather. People throwing up. Taking 3 buses to get me home on a route that would normally only need just 1 bus ride. Arriving home at 7:30pm when I would have done by 6:20pm. What a farcical evening! One that I hope would never be repeated ever again.

Good, better, best

GOOD
A policeman was watching for speeders and was surprised at how few he was catching. He then discovered the problem - a 12-year-old boy was standing up the road with a hand painted sign, which read 'RADAR TRAP AHEAD.' The officer then found a young accomplice down the road with a sign reading 'TIPS' and a bucket full of money. (And we used to just sell lemonade!)

BETTER
A motorist was mailed a picture of his car speeding through an automated radar post in the Manawatu with a fine of $160 included. Being cute, he sent the police department a picture of $160 The police responded with another mailed photo of handcuffs.

BEST
A young woman was pulled over for speeding. As a policeman walked to her car window, flipping open his ticket book, she said, "I bet you are going to sell me a ticket to the Policemen's Ball."
He replied, "Policemen don't have balls."
There was a moment of silence while she smiled and he realized what he'd just said. He closed his book, got back in his patrol car and left. She was laughing too hard to start her car.

An Australian, a Kiwi and a South African

An Australian, a Kiwi (i.e. New Zealander) and a South African are in a bar one night having a beer.

All of a sudden the South African drinks his beer, throws his glass in the air, pulls out a gun and shoots the glass to pieces.

"In Seth Efrika our glasses are so cheap that we don't need to drink from the same one twice," he says.

The Kiwi, obviously impressed by this, drinks his beer, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the glass to pieces.

"Wull mate, in Noo Zulland we have so much sand to make the glasses that we don't need to drink out the same glass either," he says.

The Australian, cool as a koala, picks up his beer and drinks it, throws his glass in the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the South African and the Kiwi.

He turns to the astonished barman and says, "In Strailya mate, we have so many bloody South Africans and Kiwis that we don't need to drink with the same ones twice."

Article: Eat less meat to fight climate change

I saw the article below on NineMSN website a couple of months ago. And ok, I might be overlooking something big, but I still just can't get my head around it. So the article seems to be saying that getting rid of our steaks & sausages can save our planet?? Pfffhhh. Hello....there is a reason why God give us animals - so that we can get our meat from some of them. And so, I'll keep enjoying my meat. So there.


****************************************
'Eat less meat to fight climate change'

People should cut their consumption of meat to help combat climate change, a top United Nations expert told a British Sunday newspaper.

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told The Observer that people should start by having one meat-free day per week then cut back further.

The 68-year-old Indian economist, who is a vegetarian, said diet change was important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental problems associated with rearing cattle and other animals.

"Give up meat for one day (per week) initially, and decrease it from there," he said.

"In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity."

Other small-scale lifestyle changes would also help to combat climate change, he said without elaborating.

"That's what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy."

Dr Pachauri is due to give a speech in London on Monday under the title: "Global Warning: the impact of meat production and consumption on climate change".

Dr Pachauri, who was re-elected for a second term six-year term as IPCC chairman last week, has headed the organisation since 2002 and oversaw its seminal assessment report in 2007 which gave graphic forecasts of the risks posed by global warming.

The IPCC warned then that without action the planet's rising temperatures could unleash potentially catastrophic change to earth's climate system, leading to hunger, drought, storms and massive species loss.

The organisation also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with former US vice president Al Gore.

Dave & Jim

Dave and Jim were a couple of drinking buddies who worked as Aircraft mechanics in Melbourne. One day the airport was fogged in and they were stuck in the hangar with nothing to do. Dave said: "Man, I wish we had something to drink!" Jim says: "Me too. Y'know, I've heard you can drink jet fuel and get a buzz. You wanna try it?"

So they pour themselves a couple of glasses of high octane booze and get completely smashed. The next morning Dave wakes up and is surprised at how good he feels. In fact he feels GREAT! NO hangover! NO bad side effects. Nothing! Then the phone rings. It's Jim.

Jim says: "Hey, how do you feel this morning?"
Dave says: "I feel great, how about you?"
Jim says: "I feel great, too. You don't have a hangover?"
Dave says, "No that jet fuel is great stuff -- no hangover, nothing. We ought to do this more often."
"Yeah, well there's just one thing."
"What's that?"
"Have you farted yet?"
"No."
"Well, DON'T, 'cause I'm in Perth."

Work conference in Sydney; colleague left :(

Just came back last nite yesterday from a 2-day PKF conference in Sydney. I flew to Sydney on Sunday afternoon with some colleagues. We stayed at Rydges North Sydney for 2 nights (Sunday & Monday night).

The 2 day conference was held in one of the conference rooms in the Rydges hotel. On the whole, was quite fulfilling. The materials covered were not really new, but the conference taught me to take a different perspective on things. All together, about 12 people, from various parts of Australia, attended the conference. The presenter was the head of tax, or one of the heads of tax, in PKF Sydney. The conference gave me & my colleagues an opportunity to get to know other people from the other PKF offices in other major cities in Australia - Sydney as host, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide & Gold Coast. The guys from Perth, in particular, were friendly & talkative. All of us stayed at Rydges, except the Sydney people. We ate a lot. Rydges North Sydney provided buffet, all-you-can-eat breakfast & lunch. So I ate as much as I could, & I think I gained some weight during my stay in Sydney.

Dinner was not paid for by work, so we ate out on Sunday & Monday nights.
On Sunday night, just a few hours after arriving at Rydges North Sydney, I had dinner with my Brisbane colleagues at a nearby pub. We saw the Perth guys at the pub, but at the time we didn't know who they were because the conference would only start on Monday. It was after I got back to the hotel, that I saw my room-mate & recognised him as one of the guys at the pub!
On Monday night, as a group, we (minus the Sydney people, who had homes to go back to) headed out on Monday night for dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants at Kings Wharf. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but will recognise it the next time I'm in Sydney. I had the BBQ ribs, & it was tasty. Monday nite was fun - one of the highlights of the Sydney trip.
Rydges North Sydney, while not 5 stars, was reasonably good. But come yesterday evening, it was time to say goodbye, so we all headed to the airport together. The PKF conference finished early yesterday, & that gave us a chance to leave the hotel early to avoid the rush hour traffic en route to the airport. We did just that that, & had time to burn, so we hung out at the airport for a few hours. We chat for a bit, before heading our separate ways.

I don't know when I will get to attend another such conference inter-state - this thing doesn't happen often. But I would certainly welcome it. I'd be happy if it was once a year. Now that would be good.

Unfortunately, when I returned to work today, I found out that one of my colleagues, Chris, had left yesterday. It's sad that someone whom you see every morning, whom you greet & sometimes have a chat with, will no longer be around. It happened so suddenly & unexpectedly - the decision to leave was apparently a mutual decision on both sides. But anyway, life goes on, I guess. I will try to get his email & keep in touch in some way. Hope he's well & all the best with finding a new job.

No, Obama, noooooo...........

Politicians worldwide are often lamented & criticised for their failure to keep election promises. In the wake of Obama's big win in the US Presidential Elections (huge celebrations & all that), many will wait & see whether Obama does or does not keep his election promises.

I, for one, hope that he does NOT keep some of his promises. I say that after stumbling on this blog: http://whynotobama2008.blogspot.com/
As well-written as it is, the blog does make for disturbing reading. Are all that really Obama's policies?? *wince* If it's true that those are indeed his policies, then goodness gracious me!

Now, let me say that before I read the blog, I was sort of aware of Obama's leaning towards abortion. But that was based on loosely hearing things being said about Obama. I was definitely not aware of Obama's marriage policies (approving same-sex marriage, etc), until I read the above blog. After reading the blog, it looks like what people say about Obama being pro-abortion is true! Ohhhh dear!

But I thought Obama is a Christian??!! Yet he favours abortion? Yet he thinks same-sex marriage is alright? But why??? Personally, I am opposed to abortion, simply I believe taking a human life, or denial of the right to live, is wrong. I am pro-life. I've never supported abortion, & never will. I just can't. Same-sex marriage??? Pfffhhh, well, that is unbiblical & is not proper marriage at all. It just isn't, & it just can't be.

Anyway, what I have to say is: No, Obama, noooo! Don't implement those policies! Don't do it! Don't be a bad BO (get it, BO? Obama's initials?! haha). Sorry Mr Obama, nothing personal. But I'm not in favour of those policies, & in no way can I support it. One can only hope & pray that Obama & his ilk will come to their senses & abandon all plans to implement those pro-abortion & same-sex marriage policies. That's right, pray. Pray really hard.

Congratulations, Barack Obama

Barack Obama has won the US Presidential elections. That means he's the new President of the US! Wow, congratulations, Obama! His win represents a ground-breaking development - the first African-American president of the US. His win was by a landslide. I guess his rallying phrase "it's time for a change" worked in getting a huge slice of the American votes. Perhaps people really did want a change & plumped for him. I'm no political expert at all, so I can't dwell on too much details.....

Well done, Obama. I'm happy that the US now has a black president. Happy in that regard. All the very best with your reign, Mr Obama. But I must say I do have reservations over Obama's appointment. Nothing against the man, it's just his policies. Read next post for more details.

Melbourne Cup at work, RBA cuts interest rate

We had a huge Melbourne Cup lunch at work today. Everyone at the firm (about 140-160 people) gathered at the main lunch room at Level 6, to gave a meal together before the start of the Melbourne Cup. The food was all catered - chicken, beef roasts, vegetable salad, buns. Reasonable, though nothing out of this world. It was a good chance for me to spend some time chatting with some colleagues & getting to know them a little better. Then "the race that stops a nation", as the Melbourne Cup is known, kicked off. The Cup was won by the horse named Viewed (strange name?). A few colleagues had put some money on some of the horses, & some of them won money. I didn't place any bets (I know nothing about horses), so no pain no gain for me.

is apparently trying to boost the economy & avoid further slumps. The And meantime, today, the Reserve Bank of Australia slashed the interest rate by 75 basis point (i.e. by 0.75%). Good news for those looking to buy a home, but not so for those investors with sizeable cash savings. The interest rate cut comes in the wake of the global financial crisis, & RBARBA's actions raise a couple of questions. Firstly, is the massive correction an admission by the RBA that they made an error when they originally increased the interest rate around the end of 2007 & the start of 2008? Secondly, will the banks pass on the interest rate cut to the consumers? The banks were quick to raise their loan interest rates when the RBA increased the official interest rate in 2007 & early 2008 - but not so quick to raise deposit rates. But now that the RBA has gone the other way, will the banks follow quickly? I doubt it. It's all self-serving behaviour by the banks - which is not good for us customers.

Qld Roar - winless at home, unbeaten away

So far, the story of Queensland Roar's inconsistent season reads: no wins at home, no losses away. I dunno whether to laugh or cry. So far, they have played 4 home games at Suncorp Stadium. The first one was against Adelaide & ended 1-1. I went to that match. I skipped the subequent 3 homes games, all of which were lost. It's a good thing I skipped those matches.

I just cannot understand it. How can a team struggle so much to win a match at home? Aren't teams meant to do better at home than away? Not it seems when your team is called Queensland Roar. Ok, the fact that they're unbeaten away is definitely commendable. Yet, the inescapable lament is that they cannot even win ONE home game. In the European leagues, teams with the same dismal home record as Qld Roar will most likely be around the bottom of the ladder. But hey, this is the A-League & things are different here. That's why Qld Roar's season is not over yet. Not by quite a way. There's still plenty to play for. There's still a chance for the Roar to make the A-League playoffs. But whether they are good enough to take it remains to be seen.

Drunk Halloween

Happy Halloween to those in North America, & others around the world who are into Halloween.

Here is what it might look like if the Halloween celebrations are taken too far:

Maradona is Argentina's new coach!

Newsflash! Football headline of the day, possibly the month, & possibly the whole year: Diego Armando Maradona is now Argentina's new coach! Yes, I cannot believe it either, but it has happened. Argentina's greatest ever footballer, possibly the world's greatest footballer of all time, has just been appointed by the Argentine Football Association as head coach of his beloved national team.

Maradona replaces Alfio Basile, who recently resigned after a string of poor results & performances by the Argentina football team. Basile has been under fire in recent months, during which Argentina's results have included a large number of draws against opposition that they are expected to beat comfortably, given the enormous amount of talent & potential in the Argentina players. The most recent result, the 1-0 loss away to Chile in a World Cup qualifier, was considered embarrassing & unacceptable enough to sound alarm bells & prompt much gnashing of teeth among Argentinian football fans. That result pushed Basile to the edge & he eventually resigned.

Quite what prompted the Argentinian football fraternity to appoint a man with limited top-level coaching experience, I don't fully know & might never fully understand. That lack of coaching experience is the main reason I'm not convinced that Maradona's appointment is the right move. I wouldn't have gone for him. There are a number of coaches with a lot more experience, who would seem more suited at present for the coaching position.

Carlos Bianchi: He's very experienced with solid track record, won plenty of Argentinian & South American club trophies with Boca Juniors.

Miguel Angel Russo: Like Bianchi, he has led Boca Juniors to become champions of South America. Before that, he won a number of titles with several other Argentinian clubs (Lanus, Estudiantes, Velez Sarsfield), so he knows how to build a side to success. He has also had spells coaching clubs in Spain, Mexico & Chile.

Sergio Batista: He coached Argentina to the gold medal at Beijing Olympics, so he knows how to relate to Argentina's talented young generation, though less experienced than Bianchi & Russo.

Hugo Tocalli: He won a couple of World Youth Cups for Argentina, so like Batista, he also has a rapport with the young Argentinian footballers.

Other names bandied around include Diego Simeone & Gabriel Batistuta, both of whom played for Argentina at the World Cup 1998. And then, some have suggested re-appointing past Argentina coaches like Daniel Passarella, Marcelo Bielsa & Jose Pekerman. On top of all that, there are a couple of other candidates who have escaped me. But Argentina are clearly not short of viable options for the coaching vacancy. Yet they went for Maradona. Nothing against him, but like I said, he doesn't have much coaching experience. Another thing is that his temperament can be questioned - he is never known for his calmness. Can he cope with all the intense pressure & scrutiny? If things turn sour, can he be relied on to make sound decisions?

For all my misgivings, there are some points that would appear to be in Maradona's favour.

One, his passion. He loves the Argentina team & fans can rely on him to do his utmost to bring success to his team. He will ensure his players play with the sort of passion that some feel has been lacking under Basile.
Two, his winning mentality. He has won the World Cup before as a player, so he knows what it's like to win & what it takes to win on a big stage. Yes, I know great players don't always (& often don't) make great coaches. But one cannot help but feel that Maradona's winning experience should be useful to "pass down" to Argentina's young generation.
Three, he will have the footballers respect. Due to his legendary status in Argentina, the footballers will all look up to him. People in Argentina simply will listen to him; he's got that presence about him. They might look to Maradona the coach & think: "He was my hero. Now he's my coach. He won the World Cup, gave a lot for Argentina & achieved much for Argentina. I want that success, too, I want to win the World Cup too & I will give my all for Argentina". Some observers feel that part of the problem faced by Basile was the "generational gap" - he could not relate to the young generation in the Argentina squad. Maradona should not have such issues.

Given the above, perhaps Maradona's appointment is not all bad. Perhaps. Who knows? I still would have preferred someone more experience to have been appointed. Personally, my top 2 choices would be Miguel Angel Russo & Sergio Batista. But we now have Maradona. Of course, as I'm a great fan of Argentinian football, I would love it if Maradona prove my misgivings wrong, & achieve great success as Argentina's coach. I wish Maradona the best of luck! Vamos Maradona, & vamos Argentina!

Women drivers

This morning on the Freeway,
I looked over to my left and there was a

Woman

in a brand new

Holden Calaise


doing 110 kms per hr

with her
face up next to her

rear view mirror

putting on her eyeliner.

I looked away

for a couple seconds


and when I looked back she was

halfway over in my lane,


still working on that makeup.


As a man,

I don't scare easily.


But she scared me so much;

I dropped

my electric shaver,


which knocked

the meat pie

out of my other hand.

In all
the confusion of trying

to straighten out the car

using my knees against
the steering wheel,


it knocked

my mobile phone


away from my ear


which fell


into the coffee

between my legs,


splashed,


and burned


Big Jim and the Twins,


ruined the phone,


soaked my trousers,


And disconnected an

important call.


bloody women drivers!!

Stick humour

Stock Market terms - updated for 2008

CEO: Chief Embezzlement Officer.
CFO: Corporate Fraud Officer.
BULL MARKET: A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.
BEAR MARKET: A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewellery, and the husband gets no sex.
VALUE INVESTING: The art of buying low and selling lower.
P/E RATIO: The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.
BROKER: What my broker has made me.
STANDARD & POOR: Your life in a nutshell.
STOCK ANALYST: Idiot who just downgraded your stock.
STOCK SPLIT: When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.
FINANCIAL PLANNER: A guy whose phone has been disconnected.
MARKET CORRECTION: The day after you buy stocks.
CASH FLOW: The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.
YAHOO: What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.
WINDOWS: What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR: Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.
PROFIT: An archaic word no longer in use.

What it looks like to lose control

First home owners grant increase! Game on!

Kevin Rudd (Australia's Prime Minister) has announced today a stimulus plan for pensioners & first-home buyers in Australia. The stimulus for first-home buyers' is this: The first home owners grant will be increased from $7000 to $14,000 and first home buyers who purchase a newly constructed home will receive $21,000 in a bid to encourage activity in the housing sector. (Courier Mail)

But there is one proviso:

The first-home buyers scheme will be time limited. All contracts entered into by June 30 next year will be eligible for the new assistance. (The Age)

The Government will invest about $1.5 billion in the housing market over 2008/09 and 2009/10 through this initiative.

''This measure will provide an immediate stimulus for new housing and help restore business confidence across the sector particularly in the building manufacturing sector,'' said Ron Silberberg, managing director of lobby group, Housing Industry Association.

However, the building of houses needed to be cranked up by 45,000 a year to cover present demand, but this proposal is a step in the right direction, the HIA said in a release.

In its wider support package for families, the Government said about 3.9 million Australian children will receive a $1,000 one-off benefit, also commencing on December 8.

Families who receive Family Tax Benefit (A), families with children who receive the Youth Allowance, Abstudy or a benefit from the Veteran Children's Education scheme will be eligible.

Budget impact

The $10.4 billion spending plan will tap into a budget surplus that the Government had forecast would come in at $21.7 billion, prior to the worst of the market turmoil taking hold.

The Government plans to publish a full budget update in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook within a month.

The accelerated spending will serve as "a buffer" against the likely drag on the economy resulting from the global slowdown, Mr Rudd said.

The Government remains determined to take ''whatever action is necessary in the future'' to maintain stability of the Australian financial system and underpin positive economic growth, Mr Rudd said.

Asked about the effect the package would have on inflation, Mr Swan cited the RBA's view that '"inflation will begin to turn down following a peak in December."

"The risk of inflation is now abating,'' Mr Swan said.

''We trust the government took into account'' the impact the extra spending would have on inflation and on the RBA's ability to continue to cutting rates,'' said Opposition Leader Mr Turnbull.

RBC Capital Markets senior currency strategist Sue Trinh said the overall effect of the package won't stop the RBA from lowering rates.

''Australia is in a very enviable position right now," she said.

Training, nation-building

As indicated in recent days, the Government plans to accelerate its so-called nation building efforts to stoke domestic demand, taking up some of the slack as consumers and businesses cut back spending.

Ministers will bring forward their interim infrastructure report so that work can start in 2009 in the key areas of education and research, health and hospitals, and transport and communications, Mr Rudd said today.

The Government will be seeking pre-referral of the legislation for the nation building funds into a Senate committee this week.

As part of today's extra outlays, the Government will spend $187 million to create an extra 56,000 training places this financial year.

The ''productivity places program'' will be doubled from 57,000 to 113,000 places, taking the Government investment in training places since April to more than $400 million, Mr Rudd said.

Emissions trading

The federal government is sticking to its plan to start emissions trading in 2010, despite global financial turmoil.

''Our ambition remains 2010,'' Mr Rudd said. ''Climate change is not going to go away.''

''The long-term economic cost to the entire economy, and to the entire global economy, of not acting on climate change remains formidable.''

Business wanted consistency and predictability in the area of emissions trading, Mr Rudd said, adding that it was important to get the scheme's design and rules right, and to map it out early.

The federal opposition and some business figures have called for emissions trading to be delayed in the wake of the crisis.

The opposition says 2011 or 2012 would be a better time to introduce the scheme.

BusinessDay with AAP, Reuters

Mr DT's response to the above: It's game on!

And now, the AUD has crashed to 5-year low :(

Given the fall in my investments & super account (which I ranted about in the previous post), any thoughts that the week can't get any worse have just been swiftly dashed. My brother Ryan just told me that the Australian $ (AUD) exchange rate against the Malaysian Ringgit (RM) has gone down - it's now AUD1 = RM2.23. His announcement completely shocked me & made me dismayed. Then I later discovered on the internet that the AUD has crashed to a 5-year low. The details of the crash made for a depressing reading. Sheesshhhh....

Just a few months ago, it was RM 2.90, even RM3 for every AUD. At the time, I did consider converting some money to RM because I'll be heading to Malaysia at the end of this year. I didn't act, & now I'm furious & feel like kicking myself, because now I have to bring more money with me to Malaysia.

Fantastic, thank u very much. This is just what I need, after my investments & superannuation have devalued. Arrrrrrgggghhhhh! I'm not happy! I'm cursing Lady Luck & I'm waiving my fist at the global financial markets, at all the elements, for causing the AUD to drop. **DT waves his fist harder**

What have I done to deserve all this??? What's going to happen next?? My car get confiscated by the authorities??! Am I going to be placed under house arrest?? Internet ban??

Eeeerrrrrrrrrr, I think I'm going beserk. I really need some wintermelon tea. Hmmmm, where's the nearest Easy Way outlet when u need them? Say, there's a couple in the CBD. Guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow then when I'm on my way to work. Bah humbug.....

My money's going down :(

My investments & superannuation (also known in some countries as provident fund) are not in good shape at the moment. And I'm not happy about it.

My shares & managed funds at the end of September 2008 were only worth little over 80% of their value at the end of March 2008. Yeah, that's effectively a drop of almost 20% in that 6 month period. Fantastic. Arrrgggh!! To be fair, I knew that shares & managed funds have not been in spectacular form of late. For instance, if I recall correctly, my investments in Colonial First State went down by almost $940 during the March 2008 quarter. That was at a time when the stock market was not considered to be in a very bad shape. So if my Colonial First State investments went down by $940 during the first 3 months of the year, I would hate to imagine how much more it has fallen by the end of September 2008. And that is just 1 managed fund institution. I got quite a few more managed fund investments, & as already mentioned, they fell by almost 20% in the 6 months to 30/9/2008.

My super has not been performing much better. My super account balance at the end of June 2008 is about 10-15% lower than the balance at the end of December 2007. In the 6 months to June 2008, my super account has been getting the usual mandatory employer superannuation contribution. But all that money coming in was more than outweighed by the size of the negative earnings during the period. And then, there's the usual administration/management fee that gets deducted from the super balance. Of course, my managed funds also get slogged by management fees. All of them do.

My hard-earned money is going down the drain! Nnnnnooooooooo! Ggggrrrrrrrr! I am officially not a happy man :(

[FFO] Drunk Finalists - 2008

8th place

7th place



6th place



5th place



4th place



3rd place



2nd place



And 1st place goes to......
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