Flying High In India: The New Snob Index

by Shubhreet Kaur Kochhar for India Writes

Let’s face it! We all have that little green monster inside that makes us want to one-up someone else. Jealousy is in-built. Everyone likes to trump someone sometimes. And standing out in a crowd is the sweetest kick of all.

For example, I am completely gutted because there are over 158,000 millionaires in India currently and I am… well, perpetually broke! Credit Suisse predicts that the number of millionaires in the country will rise to 242,000 by 2017. While the likes of me are still learning how to count to a million, the rich and famous are flaunting it at levels I can’t keep up with.

In the world of the wealthy, new trends are birthed and sunk every day. Gone are the days when driving a BMW got you stares that said ooh la la! That’s passé now. Today, you need more – much, much more – if you’re going to sizzle!

A Million Mutinies Now: Surge Of Youth Activism In India

by Shubhreet Kaur Kochhar for India Writes

Materialistic, technology-dependent, perennially distracted, ill-mannered and outspoken – this is how most people describe the current generation of young adults. And they might be right. But there is another side to this wicked lot – they’re also bold and purposeful. And hungry for change. Revolution is not exactly dead; contrarily, a million mutinies are itching to erupt.

And this time round, the youth of the country are not content to soak in sentimental angst; the restless 20-somethings are taking to the streets to fight for a better India.

Travel-Happy Indians: Summer Kindles Wanderlust, Thirst For Abroad

by Shubhreet Kaur Kochhar for India Writes

Mercury is soaring in north India, with the merciless sun killing appetite for everything, but that peculiar indulgence called wanderlust. It’s no wonder everyone is packing their bags and heading off to either cooler climes in this sprawling country or taking the first flight overseas. School is out, heat is up and time away is just the right remedy!

Reinventing The Art Of Giving - A New Model Of Philanthropy

by Shubhreet Kaur Kochhar for India Writes

Indians are no strangers to the art of giving. It is an integral part of our history and religion. Hinduism has ‘Daan’, Sikhism has ‘Seva’, Buddhism has ‘Dharma’, and Islam has ‘Waqf’. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that India’s crème-de-la crème has jumped on the philanthropy bandwagon as well.

Puppy Love: Busting Myths About Stray Thoughts

by Shubhreet Kaur Kochhar for India Writes

Loud barking that doesn’t let us sleep, chasing cars when we drive back home, sleeping in the middle of the road till we honk it away – stray dogs are yet another inconvenience that Indians know all too well. There are no confirmed statistics on the number of stray dogs in India (clearly, someone at the municipal corporation offices is not doing his job). However, the count is roughly estimated at 25 million. That’s a lot of hungry dogs scavenging for food and breeding puppies while they’re at it. The Indian government, thankfully, made it illegal to kill stray dogs in 2001. So all those who disagree, this is not a choice. Deal with it!

Is Mother Earth fighting back?

Youth Ki Awaaz: Is Mother Earth Fighting Back?

Something’s not right with the world! Okay, many things are not right with the world. Even as the world becomes smaller and we bear witness to the theory of six degrees of separation actually take effect, there are still religious wars, violence, poverty and power trips. But that's people against people. There actually might be a bigger problem at hand – Earth against people.

Statistics show that the number of natural disasters have risen over the last 20 years (I’m too lazy to compile the stats. Google it – that’s what it’s for). What’s worse is that the number of earthquakes, floods and cyclones are expected to increase even further. As we continue to walk around and live our lives as usual, our planet Earth on the other hand is going through some drastic and damaging changes.

A weak immune system
All living bodies have an immune system that fights back harmful bacteria. It’s the immune system that doesn’t let you die of a common cold. If we take Earth as one big living body, could these natural calamities be a way for the Earth’s immune system to fight back the unhealthy bodies created by man? I think so!

7 Ways to Cut Your Wedding Venue Costs in Singapore

7-ways-to-cut-your-wedding-venue-costs-in-singapore

Finding a wedding venue sucks. With few exceptions, they are all insanely expensive. Their prices have numbers you’d expect to see somewhere else entirely, like on a population census of mainland China. Although a wedding is basically a dinner function with more froo-froo, it justifies selling dishes of peanuts or whatever at $3.50 a pop. And also, the hotel will be charging your children’s inheritance, just so your guests can sit around and chat.

It's Ok. Your future children don't need higher education.

Because MoneySmart loves you in a platonic and not-inappropriate manner, we investigated the alternatives. We climbed mountains, crossed oceans, and had fierce arguments. After that, we did some actual work. So here’s a list of seven less painful wedding venues:

Credit Cards VS Debit Cards in Singapore

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Credit cards give you access to money that isn’t yours. It’s the same as borrowing money, except without the crying and impassioned pleading (that part comes later). Debit cards just save you from standing in long ATM queues; it’s access to your own money, with the occasional perk. But which of the two should you be packing? 

The Convenience of Plastic

Living without a debit or credit card is like cycling to work: you get to outwardly boast how healthy you are, and inwardly curse at the inconvenience.

So say you’re tired of not being able to shop online. Of having to borrow a card just to download apps, even the free ones. Of making more trips to the ATM than an incontinent cat to a litter box. Between debit and credit cards, which form of plastic should you be considering?

Read Before You Elope: 7 Tips For An Affordable Wedding

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Ah, Weddings! Bridal showers, big cakes, and guzzling half a beer factory at someone else's expense. Which you’d better, considering your dinner will cost them a mid-range car. You know when the hosts looked at the bill, they were just pretending those were tears of joy right? So do the right thing. Guide them to our 7 Tips for Affordable Weddings.

The Social Network(er): The Story of Project Crew’s Alaric Tan

the-social-networker-the-story-of-project-crews-alaric-tan

Alaric Tan is the driving force behind The Project Crew, a new force in Singapore’s event management industry. And if you’ve been in that industry, you’ll know there are easier jobs out there. Like being a Commando. To find out how Alaric thrives and succeeds in his pressure-cooker world, we do some catching up.