Bro's Big Day!!

Woke up @ 545am.. did all my preparation & now waiting for everyone.

Chinese tradition, there's so much of rules & regulations for wedding!! just a lighting of Wedding Candles, there's so many version of wat time to light them.

• the uncle selling the candles told my bro to light them just b4 gng over to the ladies side.
• Mum's version is to light them after they have come back from the ladies side.
• Chee Xia's Family Version is to light them str8 after the hair combing.

OMG.. there is still such a long day to go & everyone is like gng crazy & scolding each other juz bcos of what is the 'RIGHT' time to light the candles?!?

i told bro... maybe the uncle selling the candles, his wife is staying the unit beside his house?!? or maybe some of the candles are made so big to last 1 whole day?!? tats why there is so many version of wat time to light the candles!! its just some Traditions that were planned by the earlier Businessmen.. of cos different businessman have got there own style!! OMG..

Gonna go get ready liao!!

Cream Rose for Bro's big day 31/1/2010

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Recent Projects...

Pri Sch Name Tags

LTA General's Pilot Helmet Bag

Gold Thread wif 3 Stars

TKD Belt Embroidery wif Silver Thread

Customisation Jobs!!
Polo T-shirt Embroidery

Logo on caps Embroidery!!

Ikea Towels Embroidery

Church Garments Embroidery

New NCC & SAF Badges @ HockGiftShop.com

SAF RSAF C3 Wing

NCC Camp Sapphire Badge

SAF Long Service Pin (5 Years)

SAF Long Service Pin

SAF Long Service Pin

NCC Air Badge

SAF RSAF Pilot Wing

NCC Precision Drill Squad Badge

Finally there is HOPE for my BABY!!

after waiting for more den 1 week, finally we have got a reply from USA, the manufacturer of my engraving machine!! I've call QT this afternoon to check on the status & he has confirmed tat the fabrication board of the machine is GONE!! cant be repaired!! the solution is to change a new board as i've expected.. Costing us est $900 to change a new main board!!

this round i shall share this cost wif mum.. she understood that im not having a good start for 2010 & she noes im into starhub recently.. yesterday, she bought me half a lot of starhub, thanks mum :)

Customers pls note: Currently Hock Gift Shop can only do the basic engravings for SAF Dog Tags & the US Style Dog Tags using our traditional Hand Engraving Machine. Digital Engraving Services will resume in 2 weeks time. Sorry for the inconvenience causes.

Thanks Everyone for your Continuous Support :)

Maserati!!

Recently happens to see many many maseratis in Singapore!! Very beautiful cars!! More n more Singaporeans getting richer & richer!! The gap bet the rich & the poor is getting wider & wider.. The so called middle class is disappearing!! OMG..

We are gng back to ancient times when there is only 2 classes. The royalty class n the peaseants. Very scary things are happening nowadays...

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Hock Gift Shop will be closed on this sun 31/1/10

Dear Customers,

Hock Gift Shop will be closed on this coming sun 31/1/10. Pls come down on sat afternoon to make your purchases :)

Thank you for shopping with us.

Cheers!
Tot


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Finally got a new Neighbour :)

For almost a yr without a Neighbour, finally an uncle came to open a cafe beside us :)

Hopefully he can bring us some good food!! Den I dun need to eat my dad's salty noodles anymore!! Haha...

Wah this week I really feel like a factory worker!! Everyday just focus on embroidery work n nothing else. After work, need to do drawings for cpy's logos & chinese names for TKD belts.. Lucky thing my customers are all very understanding :) allow me to have comfortable lead time to complete their orders. Thanks to everyone for your kind support!

5 Tips for Investments!!

1) Do your research
It is very surprising to find that many investors do not put in adequate time into researching their investment opportunities. Instead they rely on what “the experts say". Doing so may not be a bad idea at first, but in order to become a better investor you need to do your own homework and become very familiar with terms, theories and the numbers in the wonderful world of investing. Furthermore doing good solid research into an investment makes you more confident in your investment and takes away some of the worry that many people have with their investments.

2) Look to the long term
If you don’t feel comfortable in an investment for a long period of time then don’t bother investing in it. Look for long term value in an investment, and stay clear of “get rich quick" investment opportunities. Furthermore as a bonus, long term investing allows you to save a little on taxes. In most countries you get taxed on the capital gains you make on your investments. With careful planning and long term holding you can minimize the taxes you eventually have to pay on any gains you make in your investments.

3) Diversify
Diversifying your investment portfolio is a great way of reducing risk and the possibility of loosing money. But beware that diversifying too heavily can strip away potential return on investment that you may have enjoyed. Reasonably diversifying your investment portfolio eliminates some of the turbulence and makes for more consistent returns in your investment portfolio.

4) Use your extra money to invest
Don’t use money that you need to live. If you want to get into investing, it is wise to use your disposable income to invest. As you mature as an investor, then you can start using some more money from personal savings to invest. But never use money that you cannot live without to invest. In other words don’t use your rent or food money to invest, because these are things you simply cannot afford to loose.

5) Set your investment goals
An important step in investing is setting your goals. What kind of money are you realistically expecting out of your investments? Some people invest for their retirement. Some invest for their kid’s college. Different people have different reasons why they want to invest money, knowing exactly why is very important. The knowledge of where you want to end up with your personal finances makes it easier to choose the right type of investment and the way to go about it.

Reference: http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/36190/investment/top_5_investment_tips.html

7 Rules for Building Wealth

1. Start early
More than any one stock or mutual fund pick, the age you start investing will determine how much wealth you build. To illustrate: Employee A starts putting away $100 a month when she's 22. Her money grows at 8 percent a year, and after ten years she stops contributing - and lets her stake grow. Employee B waits until he's 32 to set aside $100 a month, also growing at 8 percent a year, and he keeps it up until he hits 64. When they both retire at 64, she will have $234,600, and he'll have only $177,400. Need we say more?

2. Don't try to beat the market
Even the best fund managers have trouble beating the S&P 500, so give up the chase. The most straightforward way to avoid this trap is to diversify your assets and then rebalance your portfolio at least once a year. Check your asset breakdown with Morningstar's free Instant X-Ray tool (www.morningstar.com). Essentially, rebalancing means selling some winners that are taking up too big a share of your portfolio and redeploying that cash to bulk up in areas that have lagged. (Buy low, sell high - get it?)

3. Don't chase trends
You want to grow your money for the long haul, so you can't switch your strategy every time you read the headlines. If you see an asset class that's catching fire - like real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the late '90s or commodities this year - ask yourself some basic questions: Can I describe how it works in plain English? If not, start your research at Investopedia.com. Why is it so popular right now? If the answer is "Paris Hilton bought some," best to stay away.

4. Make saving automatic
No one wants to think about saving - so don't. Already more companies are making 401(k) enrollment automatic (34 percent of big companies, vs. virtually none ten years ago). If you're already maxing out your 401(k), see whether your company can transfer money directly from your paycheck into your Roth IRA or a taxable account. Or ask if your bank can transfer a set amount (even $100 a month) from your checking account into a high-interest-bearing online savings account (check out HSBC's and ING's offerings).

5. Go heavy on stocks
The more time you have, the more risk you should take. If you're just starting out, 80 percent to 100 percent of your assets ought to be in stocks. The simplest trick? Subtract your age from 120: That's the percentage you should have in stocks; the rest should be in bonds. "If you have, say, 30 or 40 years, what happens over the next three months or even three years doesn't matter. If you need the money in two years and it drops 40 percent in one year, that's a problem," says Stuart Ritter, a certified financial planner with T. Rowe Price.

6. Hold down fees
Be wary of any mutual fund charging a management fee higher than 1 percent (a few stellar managers may be worth it; most are not). A manager with a high buying and selling rate (called "turnover") should also set off warning bells. If you aren't interested in watching your fund manager like a hawk, stick with an index fund, like one from Vanguard, where expenses are typically around 0.2 percent. And if you're trading stocks, don't be fooled by low commissions: They add up.

7. Ditch credit card debt
All debt is not created equal, so rank yours by interest rate and pay off the bad stuff first. That usually means credit cards, which can carry interest rates as high as 30 percent. (Compare your card's APR with others at Bankrate.com.) On the other end of the scale are student loans. Those rates are generally between 3 and 6 percent, so consider making the minimum payment and investing in your 401(k) instead. Hey, even Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was still paying off his school loans when he joined the bench.

To read more, Pls visit: http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/buildwealth/index.html

Laup Chai Day for Bro!!

From Morning 8am.... all the way till 10PM!! We were rushing from Hse to Hse!! Luckily Uncle Ng volunteered to help us!! Drove us touring the entire Singapore for more den 8 Hrs on the Road!! Million of Thanks to Uncle Ng again :)

1st place: Wei Xiang Hse
2nd place: Uncle Jason's Hse
3rd place: Dua Yi's Hse
4th place: Uncle Ah Tong's Hse
5th place: Dua Gu's Hse
6th place: Uncle Ah Hui's Hse
7th place: Auntie ah Tin's Hse
8th place: Biao Gu's Hse
9th place: 3rd Uncle's Hse
10th place: Dr Eugene's Place
11th place: Auntie Ah Poh's Hse (Went down 2 times, 1st time nobody's Home)
12th place: Cousin' Hui Wen's Hse
13th place: Cousin Jia Shun's Hse
14th place: Er Gu's in-law's Hse

str8 after giving off all the wedding cards & cakes, bro gave me a lift down to LH's ROM Celebration @ Loyang Aloha Chalet.

left Shawn, KK, LH & his wife. Everyone has left! Had a little chat with them & my bro came back to give Shawn, KK & me a lift back home.

Here are the Pics for my Bro's Laup Chai / Gift Xchange Ceremony for new couples

Many Many boxes of Butter Cakes. Total of 40 boxes for both sides if im not wrong.

Family Photo for Chee Xia's Family & Bro

The Pandan + Kaya Cake

After everyone finish with the Cake, time for Gifts Xchange!!

The Long Feng Candles

Lucky thing was Er Gu volunteered to help out @ this Ceremony, Everyone doesnt really know wat to do!?! Thanks to Er Gu :)

The Wedding Invitation Card!

Teo Chew City Seafood Restaurant @ Orchard Ctr Pt.

Things to be brought back to Bro & Chee Xia's new hse

Car boot is super full & Messy!!

Me waiting for Bro & Er Gu @ the Car..

Car plate Number never ever open b4!! 4 yrs liao!!

Some Random Shots @ some relative's place & neighborhood

Dua Gu's Hse!! Beautiful Home :)

Koi Pond in Dua Gu's Hse

Dr. Hui's Hse.. All went Golfing.. only maid is Home.

Dr. Hui's Neighbour is Repairing his Car

High End Cars @ Peach Garden.
Jaguar.. Mecs... 7 Series BMW is everywhr in the carpark!!

Can see Singapore Casino from Auntie Tin's Balcony

Dr. Eugene's Hse Visit

Auntie Poh's Hse Visit.. Nobody's Home in the afternoon.
End up to be our last stop @ 8+ 9pm
Don't see this Hse so Old.. Price is Equivalent to 8 Units of 5 Rooms HDB in Tampines!!

Auntie's Poh New Neighbour

Beautiful Hse!!

There's another neighbour ops Auntie Poh's Hse.. Very fierce Ppl!! i think all ABC Gangsters.
Hse oso damn Big!! Shouted some Vulgarity to this 5th unit owner when he horned twice to ask Uncle Ng to shift his Car. Its blocking his drive way.

Very Fierce Ppl..

After Visiting so many distant relatives (All Age 70 & above), I've learn lotsa experience from them :) Everyone of them were very Rich!! but they were living so simply. Playing Golf or Majong with their friends.. Doctors are still teaching & helping out in Hospitals & their own Clinics. Those over 80 Yrs old were still very Alert in everything they do & say!! They speak slowly, Humbly & don't mind sharing their Stories of how they actually got so wealthy!!

Esp. Auntie Poh!! She is Already 82-83 Yrs old. She is very good @ her investments!! Although she's a Multi millionaire, Owns lotsa Real Estates, Buy Gold, Invest heavily in Stocks, she living so simply. She shared her Stories of how poor she was in WW2... How her family survived thru during those times..

Last Nite, i was reflecting my tots with my Brother after seeing these Successful Uncles & Aunties. Although they are mostly Doctors, Architects, Lawyers & Owners of Big Businesses, they actually invested heavily in Real Estate & Stocks. This is the common thing that all of them did & become so much wealthier than the rest of my relatives. They understand the simple rule of investing!! Buy Low & Sell High!! No matter whether they are dealing with Precious Metal, Stock, Real Estates or other's Businesses.. that's all they did!! they dun gamble 4D or Toto.. All of them dont even talk about 4D & Toto @ all.. They Dun believe in lottery!!

They talk about their friends, siblings, relatives & happy things.. they talk about their success stories.. they talk about helping others.. they talk about simple but meaningful things in Life!! It's a very rare opportunities to see & listen to so many of my Senior Distant Relatives in 1 Day :)

I'll never forget 23/1/2010!!

Wish them Good Health & Happy CNY in Advance :)
Thank You Aunties & Uncles!!