Updates on my first week at my new job - Expenses, Colleagues and Environment

So I have just concluded my first week of work and I got to say that it is much more demanding than school. School allows you to set your own targets and to achieve them but work is a little different in that the targets are set by your bosses and it's up to you to achieve it (not knowing your boss expects what kinda standard) HAHA.

Environment

I have realised that doing overtime is considered normal in the company I am working in. My colleagues tend to OT till about quite late and currently my workload is okay but starting next week, it will significantly increase due to another colleague being on sick leave.

Colleagues

My colleague are very different from my previous workplace (OBVIOUSLY). My current colleagues tend to be more superficial and office politics are kinda showing up after a week.

When I first got in, I thought everything was nice but after a week, I realised that there is constant gossiping and that nicknames are given to colleagues and I might just have one and not know.




I am relatively quiet so I do not really mix that well with them, I am also considering to go for lunch alone in the near future.

Expenses

My expenses have been high this week due to my colleagues liking to go to restaurants and fast food which I find unnecessary. Only one day did we have cai fan, which is my usual in my previous workplace.




Currently, I would still join them for lunch because I find it a good way to communicate. Transport on the other hand have reduced because I stay relatively near my work place and I take the shuttle bus that is provided to get to the company.

Adjusting

I think I am still not so used to the 9-5 lifestyle and work life really kinda drains you out. I now understand why some choose passive investing instead of active investing. Weekends are now mainly spent with my mum and also to have some time to myself.




Hopefully, I will be able to adjust and learn the things quickly and get used to the working pace. The year is also coming to an end soon and festive season will be coming!

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Is the grass always greener on the other side - Malaysians working in Singapore

I went to JB with my friends recently and in Johor Bahru City Square, I saw posters of recruitment for F&B outlets as well as retail. They were mostly offering RM 1200 to 1800. It is then no surprise why most Malaysians are willing to come over to Singapore to work instead but with Singapore's high cost of living, is it worth the travel?

Transport

Transport can be taxing on those who travel back to Malaysia every single day. The time spent is one thing but the journey really drains you out.

I have been to JB a few times on bus and from Singapore to Singapore customs then to another bus to Malaysia customs, it can be so draining and much more worse if there is a long queue.

However, some will choose to rent in Singapore and maybe go back only during the weekends or holidays

Attitude towards work

For many Malaysians who choose to come over to Singapore to work are very hardworking and most of them nowadays are going into professional industries like accounts, auditing and IT.

Even though they might have to start out with a lower pay, they are willing to work so much harder than most Singaporeans and I think that that is very admirable. 




The motivation to earn more and be able to change their life or be able to go back to Malaysia to retire can spur them on greatly.

Recently, I do find myself to be out of motivation ever since I ended my exams. Like I don't really know what I am going to do in my life. I am feeling pretty lost in y direction of life. I will be starting work tomorrow. Hoping everything goes well on the first week:)

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Smaller Social Circle of Friends As you Grow Older?

My brother flew overseas for his studies and my mum went along as well. So, I was alone at home for about 2 weeks recently. It's not my first time being all alone at home but definitely, one of the few times.




Of course, the first few days were great, watching all the dramas online and eating whatever I wanted. But slowly, I found myself getting a little too lazy and also, frequently skipping meals as I was lazy to prepare or to go down to get food.

I went out for dinners about 2 times with my polytechnic friends and another secondary school friend.




So throughout the 2 weeks, I also went to my grandma's place for dinner but it made me realized just how lonely I would be without my mum and brother around. My friends, we do go out and have meals but they are busy as well with work or studies.

It was kinda different, the feeling you get when you are home alone and you realised that you wanna go out for a movie or have a meal but not being able to call someone cos they might be busy or something. I mean I do meet my uni friends everyday but outside of school, we don't really make an extra to meet up as we all stay pretty spread out in Singapore.




But of course, there are good points of having a smaller social circle of friends, first being that you cherish the time spent together with your existing friends so much more.

Second being that you can save so much more money. HAHA.

Maybe this is a process of growing up or maybe I just don't have much friends to begin with. But I have to say that I will need to make more effort to know more people and increase my social circle.

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Financial tips for Millennials - Getting to your first $100 000

I came across this article on Straits Times which wrote about millennial's financial status and how we can go about managing our finances. It starts off mentioning that millennial, aged 22-37 years old have actually started saving early as compared to the baby bloomers (1946 and 1964) and Gen X (born after the baby boomers but before the 1980s).



They gave 9 main tips to how millennials can go about about managing their finances.

1. Start early

2. Cultivate proper money management habits

3. Set financial goals

4. Set aside emergency funds

5. Avoid bad debts

6. Think health insurance

7. Consider compounding

8. Invest

9. Plan multiple income flows 

You can read more: 9 financial planning tips for millennials




Even though the article is kinda like an advertisement for Manulife, I believe that the tips mentioned there can help not just millennials but people who want to get started in managing their finances.

I was particularly intrigued by this image of how you can work your way towards $100 000.

It provides a guide and allows you to know how much you will need and the kind of investment plan you can use according to the rate of return to achieve your $100 000.




I have written before that I would like to achieve getting $100 000 before the age of 30 so this particularly attracted me.

Read more: My Financial Goals - Is $100 000 in 7 years possible?

The article also mentions that millennials are least thinking about retirement and I mean I do agree, when you are only in your 20s and 30s, retirement is definitely not something you think about. I mean life is so unexpected so that's why retirement is not so much in our plan.




Retirement could perhaps be our grand goal and what we are doing right now is taking small steps towards that grand goal of RETIREMENT!

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Gotten a new job but it's a contract job - Are contract jobs inferior to full-time jobs?

I have recently landed myself a job which I would start around the second week of November. It is a HR executive position with a bank however it is a contract position.

I have realised that most people wouldn't want a contract job, for example, my mum was pretty opposed against me taking up a contract job. She felt that there is no job stability and that the benefits of a contract worker is definitely not as good as a full-time permanent staff.




Well, I do agree with her on those 2 points. A contract job definitely wasn't on my mind when I was on a job lookout. Because usually contract jobs are involved with administrative tasks where the job roles will not be involved in crucial tasks as they employed you for only a short period of time.

This was also one of my considerations as well when I was considering whether or not to take up the contract job or not.




However, because I only have one HR internship during my time in school so it was pretty tough getting a full time job as most wanted someone with experience.

Are contract jobs really considered inferior to full-time permanent jobs? Like when interviewers looks at a resume, is a contract position less experienced?




But I have decided to take the offer of the contract job as it is a rather reputable company and the pay is rather okay, not high or particularly attractive but it's acceptable.

Of course, I am hoping to save as much as I can from this job and give my mum allowances per month as well. So, some planning would be required on my side to see how my salary would be split. 




Definitely, before my contract ends next year, I would be on the lookout for a full time job and hopefully I'll be able to get one.

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Updates on portfolio

Time flies, we are now in the month of November and 2018 will end in 2 months times. My friends and I were still talking about how we spend our new year this year at Changi Village with all the fireworks display and all.

Time sure flies especially when we are young. For my portfolio so far, it is down 13% so far without including dividends.




Of course, during this period, many stocks have a attractive prices and I am tempted to get more. But due to a shortage of funds in my war chest, I will not be buying anymore.

Many people have wrote and mentioned that this will not be the lowest, there will be more uncertainty in next year markets as the US-China trade war impacts really hit Singapore. You can read more on this article. 




Over this period, I have realised the importance of dividends. It kinda puts your mind at ease knowing that at least you are getting something back from the company. I have learned this lesson from Design Studio, from the time I have bought it till now, I haven't received dividends from it and it's stock price have been dropping at an alarming rate.

For now, this is the proportion of shares in my portfolio.

I would be shifting my focus more to REITs and STI ETF. Currently, looking closely at CapitaR China Trust as their recent results have been pretty good and MapleTree Logistics Trust.

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