November 9, 2011
by Hownottoshop
4 Comments

The Curse of the Wandering Eyes

The Girl Next Door’s Guide to Finance wrote an interesting post about owning a quality designer bag and loving every minute of it.

I agree with her that good quality bags do have an edge over their cheaper high street replicas i.e. their ability to withstand wear and tear, in addition to of course, a respectable amount of prestige when you have to send them to the cleaners.

My experience with designer bags has, unfortunately not been as good.  As I speak, there’s a Burberry tote ( a gift, thank you rich aunt J)  and a Kate Spade bag that I just HAD to have ( in my defense it was on 50% off on KateSpade.com when they still allowed shipping to Singapore!) , on top of an average priced Fred Perry bowling bag, (that was way cheaper in Hong Kong), just sitting in my wardrobe.

The Fred Perry has been well used, but the Burb and the Kate Spade haven’t really seen the light of day.

I’m blaming a personality disorder on my part.

In addition to being easily bored of my possessions, I tend to love to store ‘ valuable stuff’ and leaving it in its pristine condition for as long as possible. And that usually means I forget about its existence, until I no longer have a need for it!

So for me, variety without the quality (and price tag) might be an appropriate solution to ease my wandering eyes but, as you may guess, not necessarily the best treatment to the pocket.

(As I’m writing this, I’m salivating over this Fred P Laurel Wreath Camera bag. See what I mean?)

I should see a psychiatrist soon for the ‘fetish of preservation of new- ness’,

But to make myself feel better, please share, what’s your bag habit like?

October 30, 2011
by Hownottoshop
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Can you measure success?

Size of Success

October 28, 2011
by Hownottoshop
1 Comment

You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one

Today a  (rather direct and often quite irritating) friend told me that my dream of one day owning a house in some picturesque area in Spain cannot be counted as a dream, rather, it can only qualify as a daydream.

You know, like those along the lines of kissing frogs which turn into (real) princes, of having your own magical unicorn, of, I don’t know, making a machine that actually flies? Oh wait, a dreamer made that dream a reality.

Which begs the question, who draws the line between dreams and reality?

But before you group me with the doormats who allow people to trample them with harsh words, I have to make a disclaimer that this friend is one of those tolerable irritants with a a heart of gold, which unfortunately comes with a tongue of sarcastic steel wit.

This pic pretty much sums my retort.

 

But to spice it up further, we made a pact.

In 10 years time i.e. 27th October 2021, if I did achieve it, I’m gonna throw one hell of an, “I told you so,” party.

October 26, 2011
by Hownottoshop
0 comments

When I grow up

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Or are you all grown up and not sure where life is headed to next, in this life anyway?

If this speaks to you, you know something’s gotta change somewhere.

Are you ready to take the first step?

October 24, 2011
by Hownottoshop
0 comments

Occupy Wall Street – Its about time?

Did you take note of the protests against Corporate Greed that have been going on? If not here’s a glimpse.

A less rosy, yet more accurate picture is summarized by Sgpolitics,

“At the heart of these protests is the deep-seated anger of the common man against the blatant excesses of government-sponsored capitalism and the unwillingness of their respective governments to level the playing field.”

I have to admit, I’m one of those who didn’t turn up at the protests in Singapore. Not because I didn’t agree with their objectives, but because I come from a culture that doesn’t place much emphasis into public protests. Some might say that its because I’ve been brainwashed by big brother, but place yourself in my shoes, the shoes that have never stepped into a public protest, and maybe you’d see the point.

That being said I have to admit, I do agree its about time that the masses spoke up against the corporates.

Don’t you think that the pay divide is crazy? Nonsensical? Absurd?  I could go on.

And if only, a majority of the public could know all the tools to get there as well? For example, buying into a share of their companies so that their profits become our profits too?

I’m an advocate of financial education this would be my way of protesting.

If I could envision a solution for “occupy wall street”, it would be for someone to speak out in support of financial education.

If we knew what got the CEOs up there, learn how to think like them and not get fooled or deceived into thinking that financial matters should be handled by those who knows best, and at the same time be the ones ethical enough to share the information with the masses i.e. raising the level of humanity, wouldn’t that be one step closer to a proper solution?

October 22, 2011
by Hownottoshop
0 comments

Spanx-ilicious

I <3 reading about entrepreneurial success stories, especially when the brand is one, when worn, is something literally close to my heart.

I can’t remember a time when Spanx didn’t save me from unseemly bulges, and founder Sarah Blakely knew it enough to drag the buyer from Neiman Marcus, a shopping chain in the US, into the bathroom for a sales pitch.

Talk about a smooth delivery right?

Slim Cognito

Like all entrepreneurs, her journey to success was defined by her own determination and unwavering belief which brought her through 6-8 months worth of rejections by manufacturers, challenges that crop up along the way, and her oh so novel marketing tactics.

Read about her fabulous journey here.

The cherry on top : Sara has established her own Sara Blakely Foundation to empower and support women entrepreneurs around the world.

Catch her detailed yet candid presentation here.

I love a happy ending, don’t you?

October 16, 2011
by Hownottoshop
0 comments

The Myth of the Modest Saver

Its been a while, the neverending flu bug and the recent hit of food poisoning has made me realize I’m human after all :) .

One plus from feeling under the weather, the catch up reading.

An excerpt that hit me hard this week ( apart from the flu meds of course).

The Myth of the Modest Saver

” Thrifty individuals would stash small sums of their money in coffee cans, under mattress and in personal savings accounts, believing that this would achieve financial freedom. In more modern times this modest saver has evolved into the modest investors.” This is the person who takes a small percentage of his or her annual income and invests it in his or her company’s pension plan, a 401(k) or a mutual fund.

In this time when many people don’t save or invest at all, these modest savers and investors are actually ahead of the game, but their investments almost never amount to true financial wealth. All the modest savers of old and the modest investors of today actually build is a small financial nest egg to provide for their most basic needs. When most people stop to do the math, they are shocked at how little income their current investment plan will provide when they quit working. ”

                                                                                                    – Gary Keller, The millionaire real estate investor.

Scary huh, how in your old age, what you think can last you through the last of your years might not be sufficient after all.

Excuse me while I go measure my net worth.