There Are No Fools But Greed

there are no fools, not even April fool...

Age is a reflection but the physique also shows over time
Not everywhere but a ball of white
Lightening as age moves forward
Surely, some colors will do the trick but nothing's like natural

The physique can be trained, toned and built
But, the journey gets tougher as age moves forward
Nonetheless, it's mind over body
I shalt remain as healthy & fit as I am determined to make it so

Many who passed 50s are already in regress mode
Blaming age for physique's deterioration is a fool's escape
We are what we think as we are what we eat too
Age will moves ahead but we can move faster long before it does


Whoever blames others for their predicament and ill-health forget that the sufferer is themselves; even Steve Jobs can only stare at his life-support machines, wealth aside

Everyone wants an escalator ride up the social ladder
Like all glamour and trophies, the path is crowded but desirous
I choose the less traveled as I can manage my own speed
Besides, I can explore and push the frontiers

Arrival & achievements are self-anointed expeditiously
There are no easy paths but the winner needn't be the fittest, cleverest, smartest nor ****est
人在事在 ：留得青山在不怕没柴烧

Everyone wants everything (good) & the best in the world
But, the "Best" is relative
The poor man is looking for his next meal and some warmth against the wintry winds while the rich kid is kicking up a fuss over his Michelin meals; half or well-done

上班了
That was a job and there were no foreign workers rushing to displace Singaporeans then
Every one has a role to play; the Politicians plots, the Managers manage and the workers, work
There were equitable distribution of the fruits & there enough to go round
Nobody was 'sold-out'
Can we say the same today? No
There are no fools but stupidity has no cures

It is greed, not stupidity nor fools, that undermine societal norms & equality
Equality is not communism but an equitable and acceptable distributions that minimize sufferings and offer fair, equitable & fairly stable livelihoods in a dignified environment

The Gini-Coefficient is wider than the ocean
The taxes and fares+fees increases will further burden the commoners
Costs of living issues are daily challenges - the next meal is threatened when 'survival of the fittest' rules
The only cure today is "Change"

When you change, the world changes with you

If you are waiting for the world to change to suit you, you are dead as "dodo"

Be magnanimous, be Compassionate - Give a little to the less fortunate, less well off and 'unables'

Surviving The Difficult Times

when there is no meaning in life ...

His (曹操) noble cause was to unite China but, in essence, he was a Warlord
His strategy was 'everyone is dispensable' & the ends was all that matter

N.Korean Kim JU may turn out the be such a strategist; he forced the US & S.Korea to the table to sign a Peace Treaty instead of leaving his country to be vulnerable to future military adventures

The Kennedy & Roosevelt Clans made sure that their family members are amongst the elites & ruling class

The Soong sisters were Asians with far-reaching aspirations, no less being invited to speak at USA highest institution. They individually represent the Statesperson, the Wealthy Scion & the Patriot

心有多大 舞台就多大 The meanings of life is choreographed

The winners are not necessarily the fastest, tallest, smartest nor highly-Qed
It's "who dares win"
Every winner will have to contend with many challengers; second placed excluded
It is hard to 'look for money' & harder to earn it

Just do what you do best
Excel and do it with zest, enthusiasm and passion
Your industrialness and results will win admirers and supporters who readily pay
Monies leech on, & are attracted to, winners 
 
 I love money; who don't? I love money for what it can do
有钱不是万能 没钱万万不能


I have always want to fight for the poor, the less able, the less fortunate and those who 'leak out of the net'
But, I am restrained by lack of (sufficient) finance
Nonetheless, I do my level best to ease the strains

I run my life on a shoestring budget
Minimally a meal a day, water and plentiful of exercises
I have my fair misses, successes and evens
Disappointed: Yes
Frustrated: Yes
Disillusioned: Yes
Give Up: NO

I do not allow myself to be 'talked-down & destroyed'

I learn, be ready, stay healthy, lie low & be empowered; when opportunity knocks, I pounced

GOD willing, I will succeed
Age is no barriers

Live Simply

all that glistens is not gold...

Health and time are worth more than their weight in gold
Gold can never buy you health nor extend your life
Stay healthy, be happy and lightens up your heart
Live your best today

 一寸光阴一寸金 寸金难买寸光阴


History is filled with rich, famous and powerful people but none are immortals

Do not take yourself too seriously & always laugh away your errors and missteps
Eat, drink and live in moderation
It does not matter how others see, or pass comment on, you
Long after you are not around, you'd be forgotten
Do not owe others nor be bonded by materialism as we arrived naked & shall return the same
You bring along nothing

Have you ever wonder why you cry on birth & others cry when you pass on? Haha😈😋😋
You cry because you knew you are here to suffer 生老病死
They cry because you are not around to share the burden
That's reality
Enjoy every moments of your life & live life to the fullest
活得潇洒

There are no fools in this world but stupidity has no known cures

Whatever happens, you came alone & will return lonely
Nothing belongs to you; your house, car, money, friends, family...
Some day everything has to part
富 - 富要富的明白 
穷 - 穷要穷得清白
Giving back to Society is the best
You need not worry about 'bringing anything back'
You live by your own Rules

We must learn to live simply
At worst, we can still live with one one meal, water and the basics
Everything goes in cycles and tough times don't last
Like day and night, some day, somehow...the light returns

Smile & the world smiles with you
Smile is a language that everyone understands; whatever your nationalities and wherever you come from

Happiness Without Expectations

 ...waited for years

I have dutifully add water and fertilizers to these plants for years

The purpose was to soften the concrete surroundings & did not expect it to bear flowers
It did blossom in days towards Chinese NY
This is the day; folded & in rest


Confidence & Faiths move mountains 

This is at night; bloom & fragrant
When you least expect it, everything is a 'bonus'
It may last a short while but isn't all happiness, niceties & goodies finite? Enjoy them while you can...
Misery last longer, or at least, it seems like it because everyone dwells & wallow in it


Enjoy the beauty while it lasts

I find this ridiculously good
Seeking permission to be happy must be the easiest; I dare you
The world loves a Winner & the winner is necessarily happy

But, like sunrise & sunset, everything is finite
Use fortunes sparingly & need not dwell in sorrows
Some day, some how ...your dream shall crystalize

The Best Year, Not Just A Dog Year

believing in yourself ...

GOD helps those who helps themselves
Then, why need God &/or what is God for? Mental reassurances
Everyone has a GOD in mind & that HE is a peace-loving God
What if HE is a SHE? Hahaha, nobody really knows

New Year resolutions, Chinese New Year resolutions
I resolutely want to ......
Some made it, so are re-runs and some are just words
There is no results without actions although actions may not necessarily get the desired results
The difference is ; if you don't try, you never know

I try to avoid GOD, not disbelieve but definitely not dependent
He is so desired by ALL that He may not have time for most; me too

Winter冬, Spring春, Summer夏, Autumn秋
Slow down, rest & recuperate in Winter
Spring into action, bathe with blankets of flora & fauna and be empowered
Summer is the motor of powering forward
When Autumn comes, its time to change, reflect, count you blessings and harvest your fruits

One without the other is incomplete as the butterfly's wings need to dry before it can flaunt its beauty

I have my fair share of hits and misses although I wish for more
More of the desired results & less of disappointments
I strive to be healthy & happy
Contented; guess I am
Rich? I am not but I believe I have enough to go around
I love a laid-back life; back to the woods & springs
I am a dreamer

Politicians challenges one another for fame, power & control
Businessmen push boundaries and write new frontiers
Military honchus show their hardware & destructive prowess
Religious leaders lead their flocks with disarming charms
Me? I am a commoner, living a day at a time
Living to the fullest

I am not in the race

2018 is the Year of the Dog
Loyalty, diligence, hardworking & defensive
My furry friends are fun to be with
A truly de-stressor but naughty at times
I enjoy little, little escapes from realities

旺旺发财富贵年
年年有余
家和万事兴
心想事成
财源广进
健康快乐

Looking forward to a safe, progressive, contented, healthy & happy year ahead

New Year, New Hopes

the fluidity of water ~ aquarius ...

January and February are the months of hopes
New year, new resolutions, new start... almost everything is new
The truth is only the Year 新年 is new, the rest follows
Your job, home, wife, car, friends, especially habits remained
But, the power of 'feeling new' is enough to move mountains
Faith can bend minds

This year bloats with turbulence ; as turbulent as the stock markets/DJIA's swings
The once confrontational North/South Koreas enter the year with a joint participation & friendliness
The US enters the new year with almost a second executive closure for lack of funds
SG begins the year with closure of CHC case & deferred prosecution of another ~ forgiveness reigns
There is calm & a semblance of order

The speed of change & change itself was phenomenal
Interest rate hikes begin and rebalancing portfolio becomes a necessity
Our economy is dead stuck yet peppered with impending rise in costs of operations and taxes
Higher underemployment and unemployment seem to be a norm (nobody challenges this assumption)
En-bloc sales boosted our property prices when all was 'down & almost out'

I am of the opinion that time will be rougher and tougher but ...
If we care to adopt, adapt and adjust, life gets lighter
But, not all can be deflected; the incessant introduction of layered insurance-type compulsory policies will pile onto us further burdens sprinkled with further tax increases & you are 'dead'
There was hope; now, its almost hopeless
If there is no avenues for ventilation, I'm afraid it may implode

Nonetheless, humans are highly adaptable
Go with the flow & survive to await the next upswing
The rich cannot live in 'a sea of poors'; the turbulent past passed & so will this difficult era
No man's an island
Like a new year, there is still HOPEs
 

留得青山在不怕没柴烧
Change shall come
But, change must start with you

Dreams Do Come True

where dreams come true...

Sometimes, dream takes a longer period to crystallize
At times, it is not that the dream doesn't materialize but the dreamer is still dreaming...in slumber
Time is the best friend
But, without the right attitude and aptitude, dreams are but dreams-in-motion

I dream a dream

When the kids are young, the parents wonder what will they be when they grow up
When they are teens, they wonder what will they be
Farmer, Actor, Lawyer, Hawker, Engineer...the lists flows
That's not the problem as they can chase their dreams

When 天时地利人和 dream flourishes

Problems surface when their parents dictate, not guide, what they should be
The 'mirror-image' is when parents want their kids to achieve their unattained dream
The horror is the kids will struggle to fulfill a dream that's not theirs
Obedience and filial piety sometimes break the kid

You maybe born poor but dying poor is testament to your failures to build your fortunes during your lifetime
You can act like one, make it as one or try being one
Riches don't fell from the sky ~ you've to earn your stripes
Even if an heirloom is bequeath to you, "a fool & his money will soon part"; alas
Go, chase your dreams

Richness is not just about money; it's about achievements

When there is a will, there is a way
Self-esteem, positivity & determination are paths to successes
What others say is unimportant
What you do or don't do, determines the outcome
Bricks and stones break bones, not words
Nobody can snatch away your deep-rooted aspirations

Happiness is a given, no "IFs", no "BUTs"

When you see two groups 'A' ~ the happy clique & 'B' ~ the complaining, arguing, quarrelsome mess, which group will you join?
'A', of course

Simple choices of life is happiest

Choose to be happy; the natural way
If living is a chore, why live in misery instead of living happily? Come what may, nobody can rob you of a decision

Tomorrow is never promised
The last breathe can be any time
Enjoy your today like angels in merry-time

Why wait until you go to heaven then that you enjoy? You may not make it there anyway
Make heaven on Earth & live healthily, happily & fruitfully

It Is Best To Walk Away When Not Wanted

compassion is not for everybody ...

Some thing and some body may be old but still useful
Difference of opinions do not mean anti-establishment or rebellious
There is no monopoly of power
Groupthink is different from following blindly
Where thoughts and ideas are 'standalone' & capable of scrutiny
The infinity of tests will separate the boys from the man

Wisdom has affinity with commonsense 

Why do clubs, associations and Clans fail? Selfishness
A headless chicken will find no paths
The naked emperor will always look great amongst his subjects
The noble intent of early founders were brilliant and magnanimous
But, alas ...
When good intent are adulterated, failures await

 No man's an island

If you are not needed, you can still offer to help
But, if you are not wanted, it is best to walk away
There can be pretense when not needed but it is futile when not wanted 眼中钉
Why bother to stay around, be used & then discarded? Nothing should go to waste, including 'charity'
The feeling of 'unwantedness' is destructive to the Soul
Walk away and be free again

Everyone has a role in Society

When you save an animal, it returns with gratitude
When you treat strangers/others well, chances are they'd appreciate it but the 'unwantedness' feeling is so destructive that it makes your life hollow and meangless
Get on & go alone
Alone is not loneliness nor void

Give yourself a pat
Take a dive & swim in the deepest ocean
Climb the highest mountain
Travel the longest distance
Eat the crave that you most feared
Read your first book
Do anything you want & free your Soul

Nobody owns you but yourself

 If you are not wanted, it is best to walk away

We are all made for better things and greater times
Do not wallow in self-pity
Nobody can bully you if you disallow
Stay healthy, stay strong

Tomorrow shalt be better 

Once In A Blue Moon

when the blue moon comes...

After monkey business, came talking cock
The next gonna be a barking (dog) year

The Rooster year has been fairly consistent in raising costs, loss of livelihoods, more foreigners calling on-shore & change of Laws to regulate & dictate pliant behavior

What will the Dog (year) bring? Loyalty

Blind loyalty, indifferent attitude, cowardice and avoidance of 'trouble' will result in more sufferings; the oppressed will be basked for time quietly whilst the weak shall be sanitized

The overwhelming continuous passing of costs to the commoners will decimate 'the will to speak out', not because of fear but because of the struggle to survive

Lunar Eclipse @ Blue Moon

The Blue Moon – second of two full moons in one calendar month – will pass through the Earth’s shadow on January 31, 2018, to give us a total lunar eclipse; the first of two Blue Moons in 2018, the  super Blue Moon eclipse!

Typically, a total  lunar eclipse  also coincide with a sharp turndown of the financial market but this 'once in a blue moon total lunar eclipse' seems to have a reverse effect. Stockmarkets, the world over, have been rising.

Will it last?  I do not think so.
I  hazard to guess the drop will be sharper and more damaging in due course.
For those who cannot wait to put your money into the markets for fear of 'missing out' ~ Good Luck
I would rather be late than sorry; 31st January 2018 is not very far away

There are two total Lunar Eclipses this year :
31/1/2018 & 28/7/2018
Come whatever may
Stay healthy & be happy in this depressing year
No amount of regrets and complaints can stop a challenging year 
Just go with the flow

Tough time don't last; tough people do

This blue moon will usher in dynamic changes
Where dynasties change and wealth switches ownership
Where you least expect will happen
Where the impossible is made possible
The sudden change of fortune is real & immediate
If you are not there, however & whatever changes is/are irrelevant

Live well and be ready
"Luck" is where preparation meets opportunity
I have my fair share of "misses" & "hits" are rare
Not for want of not trying but for reasons beyond my comphrension

I fight to win & the world loves a winner

天时地利人和 When Heaven Smiles

 Some day, some how...my Lady Luck smiles

2018 二零一八

...nothing much changes except the date

There is a New Day every day & there is a New Month every month
But, both never garner the excitement & exhilaration of a New Year every year
Why so? Guess, the scarcer it is, the higher it is valued
So, we need not be too generous and caring for they shall be taken for granted
We need not provide too much nor pay too high for they will feel entitled
Abuse comes from familiarity rather than scarcity
Being taken advantage of is painful and distasteful especially if sincerity had been dumped in

Many a times, we say "we have learned our lesson" but we continue to give in
The heart/mind is weak and the exploitation continues
So long as we have compassion, a simple apology from the 'predator' moves the mountain
还抗得起就不用放下
There are no fools but stupidity has no known cure
A weak heart is 'stupidity in captivity'; easily swayed into submission
The good heart is blessed although hurt

Looking forward 2018 ~ 2易0定1要8发
sounded like ~ Easy 2 Sure 0 Want 1 Prosperous 8
I don't think 2018 is any easier
In fact, I would postulate that 2018 will tougher and rougher
It is the "calm before the storm"
The uncertainties had gathered strength & shall implode at the slightest provocation, stockmarkets included

The US had reduced taxes and many industries will flow back & someone got to loss
US recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital & the backing of Saudi against Iran, Syria, others are explosive gunsmanship, not just gamesmanship
US & NATO manoeuvre against Russia in Eastern European theatres are provocative
US adventures in Asia-Pacific or Indo-Pacific are intrusive
A military war by accident or an economic war arising from protectionism will be disastrous
China and Russia will not sit-by idly when the first shot is fired; economic or military

If ever a war breaks out in North Korea, China will encircle & secure Taiwan before taking a second look at North Korea
If Japan were ever to be provoked to go to war with China, all Asian nations will back China, especially those who suffered during Japan occupation as the ghosts of 2WW still hurt and haunt
We are living with higher degrees of uncertainties than many would imagine
Worry not, though
The next major war will end all wars & reduce the human race to a manageable level

When the dusts settle, the world will be a safer place

It is not all bleak and doom
There are many sane men and leaders around
Good shall outwit the bad and the ugly
Sure, there will be turbulence but it's darkest before the day breaks
We will make it back well, alive and "with everything nice"
After destruction is prosperity; no other possible outcome when you already hit rock bottom

Wars inevitably start on economic reasons, say whatever you like

Hold tight, belt up
The best is yet to be
Sufferings must come before emancipation of mankind returns
I do not think a major will break out but an 'economic war of sorts' is inevitable
Trickle-down economics will lead to anarchy
Man has lived long enough but few have learnt their lessons