Should I Borrow Money?

Nowadays many people will borrow money. The decision making is important and we should think over it in an all-round manner before any commitment.

(Happy coins bag, a photo taken by the author)

Many people have experience on borrowing money through the use of credit card. Even so, we should not overlook the financial risk and overuse our credit. Don't let borrow money run like a snowball. Always challenge the idea by asking "Should I borrow money?" Think carefully and have self-control.

Don't borrow money if......

1) The item is not a must.

People are tempted to buy clothing, shoes, and watch, etc. We often have at least one. Borrow money for an extra piece is unnecessary.

Some desires are surprisingly short-span and may die while you are saving money for them.

2) There is an economic downturn.

Banks and other lenders have fewer customers during economic  downturn. They will offer low interest rates to bait us borrow money. However, job markets often shrink as well. The potential of losing a job is higher and finding a new job often takes more time than usual. Try to avoid new debts in this unstable period.

3) You haven't cleared the old debts.

Many people borrow too easily and don't save at all. When emergency arises, they simply borrow more money and commit to pay more interests. This over-dependency blinds borrowers and disables them to get rid of the debts. They become slaves of interests in the long run.

4) You have other sources to earn money.

Save part of the salary for future use. If you have no spare money, take up a part-time job, and sell unwanted / no longer used items to cash money.

5) You have no feasible plan to clear debts.

Some debts are to be cleared in one payment, whereas others may take a couple of years, in form of installment. No matter which one, borrowers need to put aside enough money to pay in full and on time. Don't borrow if you can't reserve money for this purpose.

6) The future is gloomy.

Borrow money is a risky investment if the future is gloomy. The future can be about political stability, economy, career prospect, relationship, and personal health, etc. To avoid loss, you can delay consumption and focus on saving money until the circumstance is clearer.

7) You are not ready to commit.

Borrow money demands self-discipline to monitor one's debt and payment, and subject oneself to a defined setting. If you don't know what you want, what kind of life you would like to have; borrowing money to spend now will limit future change. The financial burden and unwanted commitment will become a great stress that poses threat to one's health, mentally in particular.

Consider borrowing money in-depth and don't rush.

Other money related articles you may be interested in reading:

Use Credit Card Wisely and Leave No Debt

How to Start Living at Your Own Expense?

The Beauty of Jellyfish (with Some Interesting Facts)

Is Jellyfish transparent in color? This question stole into my mind when I saw the same group of jellyfish picking various colors. Enjoy the fantasy.

I took all jellyfish photos at Sea Jelly Spectacular in the Ocean Park Hong Kong. The five photos below have the same protagonists, freshwater jellyfish, which are small in size and colorless.

Not all jellyfish are colorless. For example, the purple jellyfish (scientific name is Pelagia noctiluca) vary in colors worldwide. The colors can be pink, mauve, golden yellow and tan.

Jellyfish have many different species and are found in the ocean worldwide, from the surface to the deep sea. There are other interesting facts about jellyfish worthy to receive our attention.

1) Jellyfish are one of the world’s most ancient animals, exist at least for 500 million years or even longer, say 700 million years. 

2) Sizes vary from a few millimeters to over two meters.  

3) Some species can sting, whereas, some cannot.

4) Box jellyfish have deadly poison that can kill a human in 30 seconds.

5) Lifespan vary typically from a few hours to several months. However, there are unusual species reported. Turritopsis nutricula, another name is the immortal jellyfish, can revert to the polyp stage after becoming sexually mature. This reverting ability can go on non-stop if there is no interruption on the life cycle and hence, the lifespan of the immortal jellyfish becomes a mystery. Turritopsis nutricula is an object of study because it may hold the key to human immortality.

Jellyfish looks simple, with the bell, jelly-like bodies and tentacles. This marine life moves by squeezing water out from beneath its body, and sinking happens when there is no squeezing. Jellyfish in the aquarium look so fascinating that it is the living proof of the beauty of Nature.

References:

a) Wikipedia.

b) Visual Factfinder: Natural World published by Bardfield Press.

Other marine life related articles you may be interested in reading:

Over 500,000 Seal Pups Drowned to Death

Hong Kong Travel Guide: Ocean Park Hong Kong

The Beauty of Tulips (with Some Interesting Facts)

Tulips have various colors such as orange, white, red, yellow, pink and deep purple. Enjoy the tulips photos I took in a flower show held recently.

The beauty of tulips attracts many viewers and photographers. Other than the beauty, there are some interesting facts about tulips worthy to receive our attention.

1. Do you know where Holland gets the first tulips bulbs? The first tulips came from China and were grown in the famous flower garden in Leiden in Holland, set up by Carolus Clusius in the late 1500s. Tulip cultivation began since then. And Holland is the most famous tulip-growing and exporting country nowadays.

2. There are over 100 species for tulips.

3. Each tulip has four major parts (from top to bottom): flower part, stem, leaves and bulb.

4. Tulips are grown in the wild, in gardens and pots. They are also popular cut flowers.

5. Tulips bloom from bulbs that have layers because they are made of leaf parts.

6. Tulips belong to the monocot group and this means only a single leaf sprouted from their seeds.

7. Most tulips have a single bloom at the end of each stem.

8. Tulips have few leaves, usually two to six only.

9. Tulips are perennial flowers. They can bloom for many years and flower in spring. When winter approaches, all other parts die, leaving the bulbs alive underground to store food.

10. Holland began its cut flower trade with tulips in 1600s. The cut tulips are sent by air and keep chilled during the transport so that they can arrive fresh.

References:

a) Visual Factfinder: Natural World published by Bardfield Press.

b) Wikipedia.

Other flower photos you may be interested in viewing:

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. One

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. Two

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. Three

Beauty Contest: Ms. Flower Candidate No. Four

Save Money by Wearing a Scarf in 25 Ways

A colorful scarf can make people look stylish. And learning how to wear it in 25 ways, you can save money in creating varieties for clothes matching.

Scarf offers special warmth and decoration to the neck. When you are indoors and feeling hot, take the scarf off is easy. And changing look can be done within a couple of seconds if you are a skillful wearer.

Scarf can be in different plain colors, with various patterns, and in assorted colors. Some people like to buy or knit the scarf with one whole color block following another one. With different wearing methods shown in the YouTube video, the wearer may be able to switch colors for matching well with the clothes every time with the same scarf.

Even a plain colored scarf will look wonderful if you can wear it in different ways. Keep trying, be skillful and let the scarf work its magic on your look.

Other money saving articles you may be interested in reading:

Stop Being a Shopaholic

Save Money From Computer Purchase

Awesome Chocolate Exhibitions

Many people like eating chocolate. We can enjoy different kinds of favors and degree of sweetness. It is more than something to be put into our mouth. With creativity, chocolate is a good ingredient for arts and crafts. The visual impact can be awesome. Let’s take a look at some stunning examples. All photos were taken by the author.

Time: February 2011

Venue: Harbour City

Chocolate Manneken Pis

(Doesn’t he look like the one in Belgium?

He looks naughtier and fatter. LOL.)

Dress

(Not eating, but wearing it. Ladies, are you dare to give it a try?)

Clothes

(Men may like to buy one for their women to wear on Valentine’s Day.)

Time: 1-19/2/2012

Venue: Gallery by the Harbour, Shop 207, Level 2, Ocean Centre.

Theme: Chocoholic’s Surreal World Art Exhibition

Train

Sheep

The trunk of a tree

Huge bird cage (This is the largest chocolate artwork in the exhibition.

Decorated by Chocolate butterflies,

the cage is big enough for visitors to stand inside and take photos.)

Mushrooms

Bunny

Horse

A weird clock

All these huge chocolates artworks were exhibited at different periods in Harbour City or Ocean Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui. When you visit Hong Kong, don’t forget to check these places see if there is any new exhibition available.

If you are interested in making your own chocolate artworks, start with the mini size. What you need to learn is molding. Master the skill and you can mold chocolate into creative shapes. The finished product is unique and will be a wonderful gift to others.

Other awesome food and drink photos you may be interested in taking a look:

A Lovely Charlie Brown Coffee

Charlie Brown Tiramisu Cup

Lantern Carnival in 2012

This year the Lantern Festival falls on the 6^th of February. There are many Chinese style big lanterns in display. Hope you enjoy seeing my photos.

Every year there is a big lantern carnival at Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong to celebrate the Lantern Festival. It is the Chinese Valentine’s Day. The default location is behind the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. This time the displayed area is even larger, covering Sausbury Garden as well.

The lantern carnival adopts a new theme every time and the Chinese Zodiac for 2012. Visitors will see big lanterns of the 12 representatives in the Chinese Zodiac. The photo sharing is arranged according to the standard sequence – begins with rat and ends with pig.

 

1.      Rat

2.      Ox

3.      Tiger

4.      Rabbit

5.      Dragon (2012 is the year of Dragon. Its lantern is the biggest.

Pity that I failed to capture the whole lantern in one picture.)

6.      Snake

7.      Horse

8.      Goat

9.      Monkey

10.  Rooster

11.  Dog

12.  Pig

Besides the Chinese Zodiac lanterns, you will see other big lanterns with characters symbolizing wealth and good fortune.

Fish (Its Chinese pronunciation is the same as the Chinese word “surplus”.

Thus, people will bless one another to have “surplus every year”.)

The God of Wealth

The Chinese believe that seeing peacock with its wing fully opened will bring forth good luck.

Wish every reader has a prosperous year of Dragon and a happy Valentine’s Day.

Other photo sharing articles you may be interested in reading:

When Animals and Flowers Fall in Love Together

Toy Story Franchise and Collection

Self-Improvement Projects

(This Hello Kitty 2012 Calendar is a gift to you as a token of appreciation for any self-improvement projects you will engage in.)

Year 2012 just started. Have you worked out any New Year’s Resolutions for self-improvement? I figure out mine and they are simple.

1.      Lose weight, 10 pounds in the year throughout.

2.      Watch a movie every Sunday (at least 53 movies) in 2012

3.      Read one and a half book per week (78 books) in 2012

4.      Pick a funny photo daily for a look to make my day.

If you haven’t come up with any resolution, is it because you no longer believe in any? Or you find the resolutions are more less the same or similar every year and so it’s too boring to bother with them anymore?  

Failures in living up to the resolutions are discouraging indeed. However, resolutions themselves are innocent. They give hints on several aspects -- some areas you are not doing well enough, your desire to call for positive changes and there is room for improvements.

What you may need is discovering the tricks on how to have easier achievements. Here are some suggestions on how to realize your resolutions.

Stop making vague wishes

Examples are good health, get inspiration, have enjoyment, learn new things and be happy. When wishes are vague, they won’t take shape in your mind, but dissolve in air easily as if they never existed. Hence, be specific. Think more to draw the routes and the desirable results to help the wishes stay strong and lasting.

Be quantitative

Add numbers and time frame to your resolutions. Don’t set the quantity at random. Learn the lessons from the past. If there is no previous data, check the norms to decide on the optimal status. With quantity specified, it is easier to compare with the old days to find out your strengths and weaknesses, measure and evaluate the present to learn the progress.

Be realistic and creative

If you have to work from nine to six, and take a 2^nd job right after an hour dinner until 11pm from Monday to Saturday, to clear debts, there is not much time left for other activities on those days. Do not overburden yourself with too many time-consuming resolutions or else they will be untouched and become instant failures. Always consider the resources you can afford for each resolution. Sometimes adjustments on daily operation can squeeze additional time from the current schedule to allow more achievements.

Keep reminding, measuring, recording and monitoring

I like printing out the resolutions in big words and sticking them in my room as a reminder. Many resolutions demand trial and error, and continuous efforts. Want to lose weight, you may start a new diet and have a 30 minute exercise daily. Remember to get a bathroom scale to measure your body weight from the start and record in a regular basis. The data will help you understand how effective your work was. You can always shift to a new and better strategy if you come across any.

Ask someone to send you encouragements

Feel free to share your resolutions with others. Though other people may not join you in the quest, receiving their encouragements in a few words may smooth away the loneliness that tempts people to forsake during the course.

Invite others to help you nail down the target

It is always nice to have companions in the process. This does not mean that you have to find one person sticking with you throughout. Invite different people to jog with you. To meet the reading target for a book, be prepared to tell your friends a new story briefly or have a discussion with them on the deadline. Enjoy the sharing and the striving process will turn out to be much pleasanter than you imagined.

It’s never too late to think of new resolutions and take effort to realize them. If you have any suggestions on this topic, welcome to leave a message for sharing. Hope everyone can have a prosperous year.

Other self-improvement articles you may be interested in reading:

How to Study Better 

How to Stay Warm in Winter at Lower Cost