Mood: *grumble*
Currently listening to: Pink - Aerosmith

(Note: My MOTHER - of all people - figured this would make an interesting blog post)

Spent most of the day finalising arrangements for my Singapore trip and taking care of some financial matters when i get THIS phone call at 4pm:

Al: Dude? I just found out that i only have 4 months before my passport expires...

Me: So?

Al: Erm... apparently you need at least 6 months to enter Singapore

Me: Nnnnnggggg... Call you back.

Yup. The fates love ole Pat Pincon.

Time for a little analysis:

Problem:

Albert might not be able to gain entrance into Singapore due to the aforementioned problem.

Knock On Effects:

1. The bus tickets cannot be returned. The 24 hour cancellation deadline has passed.

2. The hotel that i have booked is for two people at $35 each. In addition to this, given my locational restrictions this time around, a single room will set me back about $60-$70. Dormitory style accomodations are not an option this time around. My primary objective of accomodation cost reduction is in dire peril, what with the Singapore Dollar hovering around 2.3 to the ringgit. It is too late (48 hours too late to be exact) to ask for assistance from the only close relatives i have in the country for lodging.

3. Al might very well be stranded in Johor Bahru for a night since we arrive at 7-8pm.

4. Being 4pm, renewing or extending the passport is not an option (since the bus leaves at 2:30pm the following day). Such things usually require a full 24 hour period, but a certain someone i know (thanks CSA!) could potentially reduce this to a 10 or 12 hour period. This extraordinary option is, unfortunately, impossible as well since they close at 4:30pm.

5. A quick phone call to an acquaintence whose profession consists of looking after immigration issues for expatriates allows me to determine that there is a 70-30 chance that they will let him through with a slap on the wrist. Assuming he's not a pregnant woman. However, another person near the border informs me that some sort of immigration operation has been occuring on the Singapore side during the last two weeks with potentially sterner action being taken by authorities there.

Proposed Solution:

1. Odds are still favourable. Since the bus ticket is non-renewable, the trip should still be made. At the immigration check the following should be done:

- feigned ignorance at the expiry date of the passport ('stupid white[ish] man' tactics are a plus)
- Underlying the importance of the trip - his 'attendance' at the wedding.
- Preperation for 'extraordinary measures' should the opportunity present itself (the going rate has been established, albeit caution should be taken throughout)

2. Should this not succeed, i have arranged for JJ to pick him up. Assistance in purchasing a return ticket and/or lodging have also been arranged.

3. Should i find myself going it alone i will simply move to my pre-arranged Plan B. A seperate booking at a $50 motel a little further out has already been arranged beforehand as a previous alternative. No deposits were required for either placement. Not a very nice gesture, but... hey, too bad.

4. The additional monetary reserves that i have should suffice for any protracted stays in the country for up to another 2-3 days.

Well, that should take care of THAT. Not to mention plans C and D - but those are mainly for the wedding... *crosses fingers and toes*

Heh.

Right-o, time for the filler...

Blogshares.com

And there i was at Tedy's blog when i spotted this...

so all of you would have blogs by now....(most of you at the very least)... but do you know that your blog might be indexed by the BlogShares and there are around 5000 shares initially issued for your blog and possibly being traded around??

Its a very interesting idea. By becoming a member, you will be issued with an initial B$500 (blog dollars) and you can use the money to purchase some shares in different blogs... and who knows you can be instant billionaires/trillionaires....

this blog is currently valued at B$2987.37 and there are three shareholders... i plan to buy more shares on my own blog as time allows (you can only purchase once in one blog within a 6 hour limit i think).

wondering how much your blog worth?? (and my investment in your blog :P) - here is a summary

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Owner.....Value (B$).......No of Shares i bought.....% owned
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Itt............B$1,060.41............1250...................25%
Fon............B$1,245.70............1250...................25%
Huey Soo.......B$2,559.09............1250...................25%
Naomi..........B$1,582.62............1250...................25%
Felicia........B$1,000.00............1250...................25%
Adrian Wong....B$1,157.14............1250...................25%
Patrick P......B$9,307.56............1250...................25%
Tiffany Soh....B$2,111.13............1250...................25%
Arturo.........B$1,000.00............1250...................25%
Jacky Teo......B$1,517.37............1250...................25%
Zamil..........B$5,653.26............1250...................25%

So those are my blog buying so far.....If your blog is not listed there, that means I have a hard time trying to find your blog there (possibly not indexed yet).. this is especially true for those Xanga users....:P

Anyway, this is really cool.. coz there are graphs for the price movement, analyst's report, PE ratio etc (those who do finance/commerce, will have no trouble at all understanding)... and there are bond market, lbo, etc....there is even BSEC (BlogShares Exchange and Securities Commission) which regulates, resolves disputes and issues case pronouncements :P

See how cool it is?? So join now >> click here to register and claim your blog today! (you will get 1000 shares in your blog by claiming it)...and u got to put the button (listed by blogshares in your blog) - just like mine on the bottom right hand side....

gd luck!

Not sure if i've ever brought this up before (because it seems familiar... that and i already seem to have an account there!) but like Tedy has explained above its an interesting concept, no?

Its pretty frigging detailed too so some knowledge in finance should come in handy here... not to mention that its a great way to virtually experience an actual shares index! Ever wondered how it works in real life? ;)

A quick check and my blog was listed on the index like this...

Whooooaaaaa... so much detail...

Hrmmm, valued at $9,666.88? Hey thats pretty good (at only $12.49/share?)... but, wait... what's this?

TEDY OWNS 75% OF MY OWN BLOG'S SHARES!!!???

*outraged (and a little flattered)*

Oh, and hey, check it out - almost all of you guys are listed as well! ;)

To check, just type your site's details here. I know its a claim thing but it also acts as a search engine (since the actual search engine seems to be down at the moment). If your blog is listed it should say and display the link 'This blog is already on BlogShares: (Found via primary lookup).'

Go on, give in to your vanity.

Interesting... maybe i'll give it a whirl... My portfolio could do with a little sonofacow and bitterasianman... ;)

I... need to sleep now.

Singapore HO!!!




Wait. That just sounds a tad wrong...

Meh.

posted at 2/23/2005 11:19:00 PM by burn666