I got an e-mail from Abe. She said sorry for something that i thought not really necessary to be sorry anyway. What was it all about? She was sorry for singing my song with her Thailand friend in Boston! -wait- So, again, why would she be sorry again?
I replied, and i said it's okay. I was actually flattered! Ahaha.. My song in the US? it's kinda cool uh?
I wrote that song for my band, which at the time was a bit hopeless. A band? Yep, a band, my band, a girls band. We've been trying to find a recording company to just - at least - listen to our music, but uh it was just the past. The band is still exist but the personnel are completely different - except the guitarist, we leave the band to her. The other four, well, one leave for US dream, one leave for a better life and career, one prefer to be a designer than a musician, and the last one is the keyboardist who no longer feel comfort with the -brand new- band. The past, and i did enjoy my time. Now, I don't actually sing anymore, i don't write any songs neither.
The song titled 'Just Fine'
well i have the record file, but i think this one is even better:
http://www.youtube.com/user/duangponofthailand#p/a/u/2/yVrlhDW3BQc
Feb 17, 2010
Feb 15, 2010
Foodie with me!
One more thing that is pretty interseting after you're becoming a housewife.
You cook!
This is my home-made black pepper-melted cheese burger! I cook this one every Sunday. My husband loves it very much!
The funniest part. When me and my husband go to some restaurants, for example: Korean. He would asks at least one of the recipe that i might be able to cook at home. Usually he asks me this:
Mah, bisa bikin Sundubu Zige gak?
Mommy, can you make Sundubu Zige?
or
Nih, ini nih enak. Bisa gak ya kalo bikin di rumah?
This is delicious. Can we make it at home?
sometime..
Bumbunya pas banget. Ini apa aja coba, Mah? Bisa dicobain ya di rumah?
The spice is just perfect. Can you telll me what it contains? Can we try it at home?
The craziest part. Everytime my husband asks me about food i got challenged and motivated to try it at home!!! I will suddenly go to the market and make some grocery shopping, pick up some minced meat, chicken, shrimp, veggies, and some spices, hillarious!
Next time i will put my Blackpepper Ribs, Fried Oxtail Soup, and Tom Yum Gung Soup pictures here. You may try my recipe at home (my husband always says they're bloody delicious!)
You cook!
This is my home-made black pepper-melted cheese burger! I cook this one every Sunday. My husband loves it very much!
The funniest part. When me and my husband go to some restaurants, for example: Korean. He would asks at least one of the recipe that i might be able to cook at home. Usually he asks me this:
Mah, bisa bikin Sundubu Zige gak?
Mommy, can you make Sundubu Zige?
or
Nih, ini nih enak. Bisa gak ya kalo bikin di rumah?
This is delicious. Can we make it at home?
sometime..
Bumbunya pas banget. Ini apa aja coba, Mah? Bisa dicobain ya di rumah?
The spice is just perfect. Can you telll me what it contains? Can we try it at home?
The craziest part. Everytime my husband asks me about food i got challenged and motivated to try it at home!!! I will suddenly go to the market and make some grocery shopping, pick up some minced meat, chicken, shrimp, veggies, and some spices, hillarious!
Next time i will put my Blackpepper Ribs, Fried Oxtail Soup, and Tom Yum Gung Soup pictures here. You may try my recipe at home (my husband always says they're bloody delicious!)
Happy Chinese New Year
Happy Chinese New Year! and
Happy Valentine!!
I don't actually celebrate both of the above holidays. I'm a half chinese, but i never had any Gong Xi Fat Choi day in my life, i barely speak chinese but i do speak sundanese (how strange..), But, i do enjoy the celebration!
This play i attend on Chinese New Year eve was inspired by a chinese epic. Titled Sie Jin Kwei, a hero in white coat and riding a white horse. He was predicted to be the saviour of Tang Dynasty.
http://www.tamanismailmarzuki.com/kalendar/tekom.html
The play was held at Graha Bakti Budaya Taman Ismail Mardzuki. The seat was sold out, thank god we still get a seat even if it's not the best view we got. We seat on the left wings, and my seat was like the most-left seat the theatre has. The worst part was, i only can saw three-quarter stage-view! If i took a shoot (without a flash-light of-course), here what i got:
The play went very well. An outsanding performance. I had to say this one was new wave, it was a perfect blend among the theatrical play, human-potehi puppet act, and Wayang. The wayang was the one i like most! They called this Wayang Tapiv, i have no clue what does it mean ahaha.. I loved the lighting technique, the figure, and the dialogue - in my opinion, was more spontanous, critical, funny, and original!
Overall, i would give ten out of ten score for this play. I just can't wait to see another show by Koma..
Happy Valentine!!
I don't actually celebrate both of the above holidays. I'm a half chinese, but i never had any Gong Xi Fat Choi day in my life, i barely speak chinese but i do speak sundanese (how strange..), But, i do enjoy the celebration!
This play i attend on Chinese New Year eve was inspired by a chinese epic. Titled Sie Jin Kwei, a hero in white coat and riding a white horse. He was predicted to be the saviour of Tang Dynasty.
http://www.tamanismailmarzuki.com/kalendar/tekom.html
The play was held at Graha Bakti Budaya Taman Ismail Mardzuki. The seat was sold out, thank god we still get a seat even if it's not the best view we got. We seat on the left wings, and my seat was like the most-left seat the theatre has. The worst part was, i only can saw three-quarter stage-view! If i took a shoot (without a flash-light of-course), here what i got:
The play went very well. An outsanding performance. I had to say this one was new wave, it was a perfect blend among the theatrical play, human-potehi puppet act, and Wayang. The wayang was the one i like most! They called this Wayang Tapiv, i have no clue what does it mean ahaha.. I loved the lighting technique, the figure, and the dialogue - in my opinion, was more spontanous, critical, funny, and original!
Overall, i would give ten out of ten score for this play. I just can't wait to see another show by Koma..
Feb 11, 2010
family gathering @ TOBAK
i promised to upload some pics from last month family gathering at TOBAK. Well, here they are..
My family and my brother's girlfriend family. The most catchy fellas are these two cute man-to-be, they are my nephew and my bro's GF's brother. Since thye are in the same age, almost the same grade at school, same style, and same interests, no wonder if they caught in a serious conversation on the table!
The topic - i bet - was fun, but he still helped me to take some pictures of the food we ordered (except that he completely forgot to take the Kalbi part...).
Korean food always comes first in my mind (Japanese, Italian, and chinese follows), they are fresh, delicious, spicy, unique, and fun!! You know what i mean: with the charcoal on the table, some leaves, spicy kimchi, IT IS SOOO GOOD!!!
Jap Jae -- clear noodle, the texture just like konyaku-noodle (i'm not sure how they made this kind of noodle), with some veggies, soya sauce i guess, sesame seeda, and black mushroom, served warm and it welcome as appetizer.
What is this?? I don't really recommend this one. But the kids loved it so much. I think it's because of it's simple taste. They made from eggs, seafood, and vegies. Kids loved it because it has a light taste and not too spicy.
Here are Kimchi and veggies...
If you love Korean food too, sometime when you visit Jakarta you should try TOBAK, or if you don't get any seat (or forgot to reserve, i suggest you Han Gang Bon Ga.
My family and my brother's girlfriend family. The most catchy fellas are these two cute man-to-be, they are my nephew and my bro's GF's brother. Since thye are in the same age, almost the same grade at school, same style, and same interests, no wonder if they caught in a serious conversation on the table!
The topic - i bet - was fun, but he still helped me to take some pictures of the food we ordered (except that he completely forgot to take the Kalbi part...).
Korean food always comes first in my mind (Japanese, Italian, and chinese follows), they are fresh, delicious, spicy, unique, and fun!! You know what i mean: with the charcoal on the table, some leaves, spicy kimchi, IT IS SOOO GOOD!!!
Jap Jae -- clear noodle, the texture just like konyaku-noodle (i'm not sure how they made this kind of noodle), with some veggies, soya sauce i guess, sesame seeda, and black mushroom, served warm and it welcome as appetizer.
What is this?? I don't really recommend this one. But the kids loved it so much. I think it's because of it's simple taste. They made from eggs, seafood, and vegies. Kids loved it because it has a light taste and not too spicy.
Here are Kimchi and veggies...
If you love Korean food too, sometime when you visit Jakarta you should try TOBAK, or if you don't get any seat (or forgot to reserve, i suggest you Han Gang Bon Ga.
Feb 9, 2010
Busy January
Been thru a lot of things in the beginning of 2010.
My birthday is on January, and i am 25 years old now, ouch! A quarter century!!! (and i still here..)ahahaha.. But thank God, I have my family around me, my beloved husband who always there to support and loving me, and some friends to colour my days. I think that's the best gift i had in my quarter-century age.
My cousin is getting married this year!! Her BF proposed her and they wan't to make it special this year. Congratz!!
My brother in-law also planed to have a more serious relationship with his GF. Few weeks ago, he introduced the whole family to her and her family. It was exciting! We had a lunch at TOBAK (it was actually my fave), and i thought it was a success, you know what i mean. There were no awkward gestures, silly speeches, and silent mode.
I didn't know how but we're just bonding. It feels like ours and her fams were actually (already) one big happy family. I hope it was a good sign :)
Oh yes, i will upload the pics uhm tomorrow..
Well, there were some bad news too..
At the office i got a horrible assesment result (which i don't really comfort to tell you all, but let me try). My result was unsatisfaction. I realized, sometime i can be careless and lost my accuracy. But, with some uncertainty environment, what can i do?? Well, bad things happens right?
We also plan some trips for the whole year..
Me and my husband enjoy travelling so much. This year we plan to go to Singapore (again!!!). Yes we LOVE Singapore, it is near (only one hour and fifteen minute from Jakarta), it's clean, it's fine, and the flight is rather cheap, so we can go anytime we have spare time. We also plan to visit Thailand this year, i hope we can get more time to travel more often :)
Next stop, maybe US or Europe. I've never been in Europe before, but my husband did several times in few years ago. He's been gone to France, Belgium, Netherland, Italy, and many more countries in EU. Talking about Europe, my friend is going to move to London next April. Gosh.. I will loose a friend again.. But, look at the bright side, more friends to be visited abroad ahaha..
if you plan for a travel too, make sure that the documents required are ready. First thing you should know is: Do you need a visa to visit a country or not?
When you get the travel documents ready, second thing i may suggest is to plan your travel at the best price. The easiest way is too book your flight and hotel few months before your trip, usually hotels and airlines have some early bird price. Uhm.. of course you can always skip this second thing when you have unlimited budget.
Well, enough with the travel. Yesterday, I also planned to take a pastry cooking course. Ahahaha how busy i was on last January. But it always better to get busy at the beginning and you can relax after :)
My birthday is on January, and i am 25 years old now, ouch! A quarter century!!! (and i still here..)ahahaha.. But thank God, I have my family around me, my beloved husband who always there to support and loving me, and some friends to colour my days. I think that's the best gift i had in my quarter-century age.
My cousin is getting married this year!! Her BF proposed her and they wan't to make it special this year. Congratz!!
My brother in-law also planed to have a more serious relationship with his GF. Few weeks ago, he introduced the whole family to her and her family. It was exciting! We had a lunch at TOBAK (it was actually my fave), and i thought it was a success, you know what i mean. There were no awkward gestures, silly speeches, and silent mode.
I didn't know how but we're just bonding. It feels like ours and her fams were actually (already) one big happy family. I hope it was a good sign :)
Oh yes, i will upload the pics uhm tomorrow..
Well, there were some bad news too..
At the office i got a horrible assesment result (which i don't really comfort to tell you all, but let me try). My result was unsatisfaction. I realized, sometime i can be careless and lost my accuracy. But, with some uncertainty environment, what can i do?? Well, bad things happens right?
We also plan some trips for the whole year..
Me and my husband enjoy travelling so much. This year we plan to go to Singapore (again!!!). Yes we LOVE Singapore, it is near (only one hour and fifteen minute from Jakarta), it's clean, it's fine, and the flight is rather cheap, so we can go anytime we have spare time. We also plan to visit Thailand this year, i hope we can get more time to travel more often :)
Next stop, maybe US or Europe. I've never been in Europe before, but my husband did several times in few years ago. He's been gone to France, Belgium, Netherland, Italy, and many more countries in EU. Talking about Europe, my friend is going to move to London next April. Gosh.. I will loose a friend again.. But, look at the bright side, more friends to be visited abroad ahaha..
if you plan for a travel too, make sure that the documents required are ready. First thing you should know is: Do you need a visa to visit a country or not?
When you get the travel documents ready, second thing i may suggest is to plan your travel at the best price. The easiest way is too book your flight and hotel few months before your trip, usually hotels and airlines have some early bird price. Uhm.. of course you can always skip this second thing when you have unlimited budget.
Well, enough with the travel. Yesterday, I also planned to take a pastry cooking course. Ahahaha how busy i was on last January. But it always better to get busy at the beginning and you can relax after :)
Jan 14, 2010
re-launch facebook
last night i got a message on my 'wall' said -almost like this-
"andin kok ada lagi hahaha"
that's right, i'm back, like i said before, i may consider to relaunch. And thanks to Abe who reminds me of how important people's life -and your life of course- to be considered. Why? We don't live alone right? we maybe sometime will meet again or maybe need someone or some friends to count on. That's true. BUT.
I was also relaunching my FB with 'safe mode' hahaha. Yes. I removed some names, make a new safer setting, and make my FB prohibited for non-friends. I don't need some strangers looking through my pictures, reading my walls, tagging me on their picture - when i'm not there- , and -uhm- make comments about my life -and they don't even know me... That's just freakin strange. So, i did some setting that will not allow any unbridled stuffs.
if i have some time tomorrow, maybe i'll re-arranging some pictures. I did remove some names -sorry for that- that i can't recall -who?- when did i met them? and some people with strange names that i barely remember. I apologize to the people i removed from my buddy list. It's just that, i need a space that i really recognize, a place that make me feel comfortable enough to share my life.
"andin kok ada lagi hahaha"
that's right, i'm back, like i said before, i may consider to relaunch. And thanks to Abe who reminds me of how important people's life -and your life of course- to be considered. Why? We don't live alone right? we maybe sometime will meet again or maybe need someone or some friends to count on. That's true. BUT.
I was also relaunching my FB with 'safe mode' hahaha. Yes. I removed some names, make a new safer setting, and make my FB prohibited for non-friends. I don't need some strangers looking through my pictures, reading my walls, tagging me on their picture - when i'm not there- , and -uhm- make comments about my life -and they don't even know me... That's just freakin strange. So, i did some setting that will not allow any unbridled stuffs.
if i have some time tomorrow, maybe i'll re-arranging some pictures. I did remove some names -sorry for that- that i can't recall -who?- when did i met them? and some people with strange names that i barely remember. I apologize to the people i removed from my buddy list. It's just that, i need a space that i really recognize, a place that make me feel comfortable enough to share my life.
Jan 6, 2010
Hunnymoon
Fulfilling some friend's request, i finally can't keep this fotos my self.
BUT. I can't upload too much foto from my honeymoon, it's just too personal and a bit inappropriate for a reading hahaha :p
Well, some pictures from the Singapore and the rest were from Bali. Good places to go when you don't have too much time for your wedding-ceremony escape hahaha!
(P.S. At the time, we only have one week to enjoy the honeymoon-days..)
If you wish to go to Singapore, i highly recommend you to choose some hotels at Orchard or near to Orchard, let's say, maybe at Newton, Scotts, Novena or somewhere nearby.. But please prepare for a higher budget for stay, since it will be a bit pricey.. There is no such a thing like cheap-clean-near to town-hotel around Orchard. Well, at the time, we choose Sheraton. It's just great, we only have to walk like 5 minutes to Orchard, 5 minutes to the MRT, and can go anywhere easily from there. The food also great, love Sheraton's buffet so much, their dishes were just excellent! Can't complain anything regarding my stay at Sheraton. Well, saver tips: of course it doesnt always have to be 5 stars, you can always pick-up the lower price if you choose some hotels around Geylang area.
If you love photography, you should visit Santosa, the landscape and Siloso beach are just not to be passed. If you love shopping, well, you can just walk around malls on Orchard (my pick is Tang Plaza and DFS - of course), or Vivo, or budgeted stuff at Mustafa.
If you decided that Bali will be your next stop for your travel experience, you dont have to be worry about where to stay. Both High-end and budgeted hotels are available in every corner. The problem when you go to bali is only one: local transport. I suggest you to rent a motorbike or a city car if you wish to go to another site in Bali (Usually, tourist focused at Kuta, but actually you can go to Nusa Dua, Ubud, or Jimbaran by driving a car).
My last travel advice is, where ever you go, you should go with someone you love. It's just gonna be more and more exciting!
Dec 29, 2009
Season's Greeting!!
Hey it's christmas time!!!! I don't celebrate christmas but i do like it. Reason? First of all, my friends do celebrate christmas and i'm happy for them, 2nd of all, It means day-off the office, and 3rd of all since it always and will always 6 days before the New Year!
I send e-mail to some friends, i'm hoping that they would feel the holiday spirit and as happy as i am now.
A day after christmas, i was attending my best friend wedding party, uh i forgot to bring my pocket cam.. but i will ask my friend to share some of the photos to be publish here.. My friend, Afny, she was in the same class with me when i was in University, we also stayed in the same residence. It was great to saw her in that beautiful white dress. Happy Wedding Afny!
Prepare for next week. I'm going to visit my brother in law's house, he invited us to have a barbecue night. I'm going to bring some snacks and also Starbuks maybe, it's going to be fun! Family time!! I'm thinking about Sirloin, Chicken Fillet, some Shrimp satay, barbecue sauce and blackpepper sauce!!! My husband is gonna love it!
What's your plan?
Happy New Year!
I send e-mail to some friends, i'm hoping that they would feel the holiday spirit and as happy as i am now.
A day after christmas, i was attending my best friend wedding party, uh i forgot to bring my pocket cam.. but i will ask my friend to share some of the photos to be publish here.. My friend, Afny, she was in the same class with me when i was in University, we also stayed in the same residence. It was great to saw her in that beautiful white dress. Happy Wedding Afny!
Prepare for next week. I'm going to visit my brother in law's house, he invited us to have a barbecue night. I'm going to bring some snacks and also Starbuks maybe, it's going to be fun! Family time!! I'm thinking about Sirloin, Chicken Fillet, some Shrimp satay, barbecue sauce and blackpepper sauce!!! My husband is gonna love it!
What's your plan?
Happy New Year!
Dec 7, 2009
Bandung HR gathering
Just got some pictures from last month gathering in Bandung. I actually brought my own pocket cam, but Adit (this is all your fault Dit!!!!) accidentally switched the camera to 'video mode' and as result: all the picture i have was minutes of shaking video..
This was the starting point... (my office)
we took a bus from here to Bandung.
In my bus (since there were actually 4 buses heading to bandung at the time). Please notice, the red uniform we were wearing at that day was not the same with daily uniform we have.
We call this meeting with 'Open space meeting' where we can walk here and there, giving some suggestion, wrote some topics, and let people put some comments on yours, or you can just standing on the corner and enjoying the coffee.
Lets skip the meeting part..
Me and my buddy on the gathering night..
We're staying at a brand new hotel in Bandung named Blahblah.. or somethin.. I have to say that they have s cozy style with minimalist and modern line. They have numbers of meeting room, that's a point for them to gather a specific market: Business people and corporate. The room was also okay, they have King size bed, flatscreen TV, Ac and nice bathroom with outstanding amenities. Overall, sorry to say but i cannot suggest any of you to come again or pick this hotel for your short stay in Bandung.. Why?
I can't stand for the food. It was terrible. i mean it.
For a four star hotel with 750,000 IDR per night (i checked the rate on their website) we deserve better than chicken wings with extra blood (Eeeeewww...!!)
When it came to the cellebration night, we have band and soundsystem setup. On the third song the electricity was suddenly off!!! And the 'boooo sound' coming from all the audince, it was only few seconds until the electricity trouble solved, but then, again, the same trouble came again and again, it was occured probably five times!!!! OMG.. This is suppose to be a four star hotel, don't they have a generator set to backup electricity problem??
Most of the participant go for another fun time in Bandung, the night was long and it was an opportunity to relax.. Some of them went to carry on karaoke or clubbing, or just hang-out in 24 hour coffee cafe. Me? I stayed at the hotel.
I was bloody tired and prefer a cartoon show or something at AXN or HBO to watch. The remote control was on my hand but nothing appear on that flat TV screen except a blank blue screen!!!!
Actually we also had this race called 'Cultural Race', it was like Amazing race as seen on TV, but we customized the racing area to smaller scope. I don't have the racing pictures except this one, at the zoo (the starting point:
This was the starting point... (my office)
we took a bus from here to Bandung.
In my bus (since there were actually 4 buses heading to bandung at the time). Please notice, the red uniform we were wearing at that day was not the same with daily uniform we have.
We call this meeting with 'Open space meeting' where we can walk here and there, giving some suggestion, wrote some topics, and let people put some comments on yours, or you can just standing on the corner and enjoying the coffee.
Lets skip the meeting part..
Me and my buddy on the gathering night..
We're staying at a brand new hotel in Bandung named Blahblah.. or somethin.. I have to say that they have s cozy style with minimalist and modern line. They have numbers of meeting room, that's a point for them to gather a specific market: Business people and corporate. The room was also okay, they have King size bed, flatscreen TV, Ac and nice bathroom with outstanding amenities. Overall, sorry to say but i cannot suggest any of you to come again or pick this hotel for your short stay in Bandung.. Why?
I can't stand for the food. It was terrible. i mean it.
For a four star hotel with 750,000 IDR per night (i checked the rate on their website) we deserve better than chicken wings with extra blood (Eeeeewww...!!)
When it came to the cellebration night, we have band and soundsystem setup. On the third song the electricity was suddenly off!!! And the 'boooo sound' coming from all the audince, it was only few seconds until the electricity trouble solved, but then, again, the same trouble came again and again, it was occured probably five times!!!! OMG.. This is suppose to be a four star hotel, don't they have a generator set to backup electricity problem??
Most of the participant go for another fun time in Bandung, the night was long and it was an opportunity to relax.. Some of them went to carry on karaoke or clubbing, or just hang-out in 24 hour coffee cafe. Me? I stayed at the hotel.
I was bloody tired and prefer a cartoon show or something at AXN or HBO to watch. The remote control was on my hand but nothing appear on that flat TV screen except a blank blue screen!!!!
Actually we also had this race called 'Cultural Race', it was like Amazing race as seen on TV, but we customized the racing area to smaller scope. I don't have the racing pictures except this one, at the zoo (the starting point:
Dec 4, 2009
Ignoring the Credit Card billing
Just open today's yahoo and found this article, prety much interesting the title it has : Ignore Your Credit Card's Minimum Payment
To me, this is a good reading in the morning. With a cup of cappucinno it's very refreshing, original, and who knows if it is work, maybe we can manage our financial strategy in a better way next year. Wanna have a look? I just copied the article below..
Ignore Your Credit Card's Minimum Payment
by Dayana Yochim, The Motley Fool
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
provided by
Does this article's headline sound like heresy? Does it smack of the worst financial advice of all time?
That's exactly what credit card companies hope you think.
Consumers have been conditioned to pay attention to one thing when they open their credit card bills: the minimum payment due. But that minimum payment is just a smokescreen to distract you from the numbers that really matter -- how much you owe overall, and the interest rate the bank is charging you.
Pay the minimum the bank requires to keep your account in good standing, and when you retire you'll still be paying off that pizza you ordered during your freshman year. Simply doubling that minimum payment can significantly shorten the payoff time – not to mention the price tag of that pizza before it ends up costing you $1,000. Here, use this credit card calculator to see for yourself.
As long as I'm picking apart some old rules of thumb, let's talk about another one that deals with which credit card you should pay off first.
Actually, Ignore the Interest Rate for a Moment, Too
If you carry debt on multiple credit cards, concentrate first on paying down the one that's closest to being maxed out.
Why not pay off the one with the highest interest rate? Or maybe pick off the one with the lowest balance so you can start your debt-payoff plan with a win? Sure, financially and psychologically, both of those tactics make sense, but if you want to improve your credit score -- and who doesn't? -- you first need to pay down the card that's charged up the closest to your credit limit.
The credit world likes to constantly measure how you handle your debts. And when your debt-to-available-credit ratio starts creeping above 30% (e.g., carrying $3,000 in debt on a card with a $10,000 limit), red flags start waving and your credit score takes a hit. That single measurement counts for 30% of your overall score.
So job No. 1 is paying down any debt that's bumping up against the limit. Once you get the ratio down to less than 30%, then start paying down the card that carries the highest interest rate.
Now, you might be wondering exactly where you're supposed to get the money to pay down those maxed-out cards. Glad you asked.
Raid Your Savings Account and Put It to Better Use
Yup, you read that right. I'm not being flippant. I am fully aware that in these tough times, everyone should have a cash cushion for emergencies. But maybe your emergency fund doesn't need to be quite as robust as you think it does.
An emergency may or may not happen. But credit card debt is very real, and very right now. If you have a fully funded emergency account, devote some of it (note that I said "some," not "all") to paying down your credit card balances. And if you have other cash "investments" sitting stagnant and earning just a pittance in interest, there's definitely no better actual investment than paying down a credit card that's costing you 14%-plus interest, as opposed to earning zero-point-something in interest.
Meanwhile, consider supplementing your emergency savings with an "emergency credit card" that has no balance and is set at a low interest rate. Then if an emergency does indeed occur (and we're talking about a legitimate emergency, not a shoe-sale or waxing "emergency"), then you can cover it and not break the bank if you need a few months to pay off the balance. If an emergency doesn't arise, well, then the cash you've put toward paying off your debt in the meantime is an even smarter investment for your future.
In person, Fool.com writer Dayana Yochim isn't as preachy as she sounds in print. Except on the topic of credit card debt.
More articles at http://www.fool.com/
Have a good day!!
To me, this is a good reading in the morning. With a cup of cappucinno it's very refreshing, original, and who knows if it is work, maybe we can manage our financial strategy in a better way next year. Wanna have a look? I just copied the article below..
Ignore Your Credit Card's Minimum Payment
by Dayana Yochim, The Motley Fool
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
provided by
Does this article's headline sound like heresy? Does it smack of the worst financial advice of all time?
That's exactly what credit card companies hope you think.
Consumers have been conditioned to pay attention to one thing when they open their credit card bills: the minimum payment due. But that minimum payment is just a smokescreen to distract you from the numbers that really matter -- how much you owe overall, and the interest rate the bank is charging you.
Pay the minimum the bank requires to keep your account in good standing, and when you retire you'll still be paying off that pizza you ordered during your freshman year. Simply doubling that minimum payment can significantly shorten the payoff time – not to mention the price tag of that pizza before it ends up costing you $1,000. Here, use this credit card calculator to see for yourself.
As long as I'm picking apart some old rules of thumb, let's talk about another one that deals with which credit card you should pay off first.
Actually, Ignore the Interest Rate for a Moment, Too
If you carry debt on multiple credit cards, concentrate first on paying down the one that's closest to being maxed out.
Why not pay off the one with the highest interest rate? Or maybe pick off the one with the lowest balance so you can start your debt-payoff plan with a win? Sure, financially and psychologically, both of those tactics make sense, but if you want to improve your credit score -- and who doesn't? -- you first need to pay down the card that's charged up the closest to your credit limit.
The credit world likes to constantly measure how you handle your debts. And when your debt-to-available-credit ratio starts creeping above 30% (e.g., carrying $3,000 in debt on a card with a $10,000 limit), red flags start waving and your credit score takes a hit. That single measurement counts for 30% of your overall score.
So job No. 1 is paying down any debt that's bumping up against the limit. Once you get the ratio down to less than 30%, then start paying down the card that carries the highest interest rate.
Now, you might be wondering exactly where you're supposed to get the money to pay down those maxed-out cards. Glad you asked.
Raid Your Savings Account and Put It to Better Use
Yup, you read that right. I'm not being flippant. I am fully aware that in these tough times, everyone should have a cash cushion for emergencies. But maybe your emergency fund doesn't need to be quite as robust as you think it does.
An emergency may or may not happen. But credit card debt is very real, and very right now. If you have a fully funded emergency account, devote some of it (note that I said "some," not "all") to paying down your credit card balances. And if you have other cash "investments" sitting stagnant and earning just a pittance in interest, there's definitely no better actual investment than paying down a credit card that's costing you 14%-plus interest, as opposed to earning zero-point-something in interest.
Meanwhile, consider supplementing your emergency savings with an "emergency credit card" that has no balance and is set at a low interest rate. Then if an emergency does indeed occur (and we're talking about a legitimate emergency, not a shoe-sale or waxing "emergency"), then you can cover it and not break the bank if you need a few months to pay off the balance. If an emergency doesn't arise, well, then the cash you've put toward paying off your debt in the meantime is an even smarter investment for your future.
In person, Fool.com writer Dayana Yochim isn't as preachy as she sounds in print. Except on the topic of credit card debt.
More articles at http://www.fool.com/
Have a good day!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)