Tea with AK71: Tartlets and a view of the city.

Life is unpredictable. Sometimes, we get nice surprises and, sometimes, we get nasty ones. Today, I had a surprise which resulted in me being quite free of work. So, I suppose this is a nice surprise. However, I found myself wondering what to do today.

I did the laundry in the morning, had breakfast with a friend in town and came back home. After washing up, I checked my blog, replied to comments and emails. Hmm... What to do next on a restive Sunday?

I took a couple of photos with my trusty IXUS and here they are:

I like these tartlets from Arnotts's but they are pretty expensive. So, I hardly buy them. However, a budget store that I visit regularly at Redhill Market was selling these at $1.05 per packet (150 gm). Irresistible!

Three flavors available: Blueberry, Raspberry and Strawberry. Er.. you don't see the strawberry flavored ones in the photo because those tartlets already found their way into my stomach.

This photo was taken from my balcony. I like being near the city but not in the city, if you know what I mean.

It is a nice view of the city, isn't it? I will miss this view as I have sold my place and moved back to stay with my parents in the western part of Singapore.

Not going to think of investments and finance for the rest of the day. Maybe, I will take a nap. Have a good Sunday, everyone. :)

U.S. Senate scuttled emergency legislation!

So many want to have a two party government in Singapore. Personally, I always say that if something is not broken, don't fix it. Seeing how the two parties in the US government are acting, I am thankful Singapore is not on the same boat.

With National Day just round the corner, a week after the 2 August deadline for the US to raise its debt ceiling, I am counting our blessings. We never know we have a good thing until we have lost it. Let's not lose it.

Latest update on the US situation:

In an unforgiving display of partisanship, the Republican-controlled House approved emergency legislation Friday night to avoid an unprecedented government default and Senate Democrats scuttled it less than two hours later in hopes of a better deal.

"We are almost out of time" for a compromise, warned President Barack Obama as U.S. financial markets trembled at the prospect of economic chaos next week. The Dow Jones average fell for a sixth straight session.

Lawmakers in both parties said they were determined to avoid a default, yet there was little evidence of progress -- or even significant negotiations -- on a compromise during a long day of intense political maneuvering...


...Administration officials say that without legislation in place by Tuesday, the Treasury will no longer be able to pay all its bills. The result could inflict significant damage on the economy, they add, causing interest rates to rise and financial markets to sink.

Executives from the country's biggest banks met with U.S. Treasury officials to discuss how debt auctions will be handled if Congress fails to raise the borrowing limit before Tuesday's deadline.

But Carney said the administration did not plan to provide the public with details Friday on how the government will prioritize payments...

Read full article here.