Money Don't Buy Everything

keep your composure & smile irrespective of personal attacks...

I detest character assassination & will not tolerate; a planned response will be served in due course

I am in retreat and is trying to 'restart' my life; not from the beginning but from where it last 'stopped'

It seems naive to want a quiet, reclusive start ~ a Master once told me "when you get onto the highway, there is no turning back! It can only spin bigger & wider. Rest if you must but never quit. Go forth & prosper"

Someone reminded me that when you are at your lowest, the worst is [already] happening, you are almost at the turning point

Stay on course positively, cheer up as there are better days ahead 黎明之前是最黑暗的

Defeats are not permanent

When you shine again, the world will come to you 

Winner is like a lit candle, it brighten up darkness   

Somehow, the good GOD knows your paths forward & I suppose that is HIS preferred choice ~ Man proposes & GOD disposes

I had a premonition that the 7th七月Moon is not a suitable time [for me] to travel. Hahaha! I had a chest pain that require angioplasty [95% blockage] & a stent [implant]

Like an old car, however well maintained, you would never know which parts is failing and needs overhaul & replacement   

When you are failing, don't be everything to everyone; dive deep into your strengths and evolve 

When you start with nothing & ends with nothing, you loss nothing but you gain experiences

Stresses, anxieties and 'feeling down & distraught' are passing symptoms  

Get over it slowly but surely, not unlike the 'dead-looking' pupa that turns into the colorful, beautiful butterfly 

Be the light onto others, especially yourself 亮光大地 活好自己  

Progress is not about speed but continuity & moving in the right direction

Nothing beats the Man who quits & surrenders; so long as you don't give in easily, the better tomorrow shalt come  

When the going is tough for everyone, that's fine.  

Live well when others live worse 

 A happy, cheerful & positive mind overcome every & any challenges

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

If Tomorrow Comes, Make Your Day Counts

Let there be equality, not quite possible though...

I naturally strives to help others even at my own disadvantage; silly, stupid, heroic or plain foolish 

My difficult young(er) days where I received help abundantly, not because I displayed pitifulness but I remained positively motivated, willing and enthusiastic 

Nothing is too simple nor difficult, stressful and unrewarding ~ I made myself useful to everyone 没有永远的朋友或敌人。只有永远的利益

When the mind is pure & unadulterated, genuineness shines; bereft of motives      

Trusts build over the years are worthy of  being guarded jealously

Trust will earn you droplets of water in drought and grains of rice in famine 

I taught myself 'education'. Then, I was too poor to continue after GCE "O" level ... henceforth, I worked during the day and studied at night at Lambaga/AEB for my "A" level. Most importantly, i read widely & on varied topics. I was 'educated' but not 'certified' in many skills and the cumulative knowledge bounced back to empower me in my career & business development

Getting a degree & being certified in various faculties of my interests was a walk in the park

I considered myself as being adequately educated 社会大学与公认大学; not a scholar nor high flier 

In my >40 years of workings and businesses, I have my fair share of defeats and victories, was cheated & owed money yet with GOD's blessings, I recovered and move on

I have learnt [& is still learning] to ignore innuendoes, gossips, 'talkdowns', unnecessarily challenges and baseless accusations ~  I avoid quarrels, antagonistic arguments, limelight and negative barbs. Walking away from negativity is my newfound ideal    

I wish I can give up pursuing material rewards and retreat into the woods to enjoy Nature and meditate ~ meditation aren't about emptiness but to blend into Nature & the natural surroundings

Anything is possible

Time is the best friend

My time to walk away is destiny, that is, when I finished my designated roles on HumanLand, I will set myself free to realize my bucket lists

There is equality in life if you ignore and avoid comparison  

Whatever you want, go pursue them ~ pay the price and get it

Laziness is not the answer 

I have done everything possible and achieved most within my abilities ... the next lap, maybe to 发呆，走马看花，not to search for perfection but to let 'loose' myself 

Searching for meaningful things to do and not doing anything are toughest; the fire in me is forever blazing hot and bright 

If tomorrow comes, make your day counts 

 

 

This Time It's Different - Wealth Preservation

strip off emotions & everything is the same...

This time it's different. Sure, every time "it is different", not just this time

Humans are creatures of habit, familiarity and comfort

Do not make promises when are happy nor 'spout offensive phrases' when you are angry & outrage

In euphoria, like any runaways, no one wishes to be distracted at the party nor be forceably removed 

Randomness is a norm in the market although trending allow for easier buy/sell trades

In a rising trend, even fools make money. Traders loss big when correction is abrupt & fell cliff-like especially those who are geared 

Win big, loss big

Passive investments gain most over the long term

Major bank-based money managers and fund managers are able to show you their higher returns over the long run. Why? During the (sudden) down swing, those (highly) geared investors' positions are forced-sold if they are not able to place extra funds to buttress their lost values while new depositors/investors are enticed to put fresh funds to invest during the dips

A fool is born everyday

Each failure brings you nearer to success is no different from the wealthy Lord telling the poor "do not worry too much, you will make it some day" ~ hollow, but motivational, words 

Realities are cruel yet brutal 

In the moneyed world, if you are wiped out, you are out; plausibly bankrupted too 

If you cannot achieve your KPIs, your company cannot retain and continue paying you (forever) 

When the company is in the red, cost cutting meant that the rank & file plus a few managers will be retrenched, not the top management

Some words are pleasing but sweet nothings 

Let no one talks you into oblivion; fairy tales and make believes are lovely 

 Success breeds further successes  

StockMarket ~ A page in reflection

WallStreet and European markets indices are defying 'logic' & are challenging new highs with oft heard "this time it's different!" - aberration, newfound confidence or herd instincts? Gravity and fair valuation will return when euphoria ends 

Tulip mania (1630-37), The Great Depression (1929-36) & Dot.Com (2000-02) ~ When you reach the peak, the next choice is down

In the meantime, China, in particular, Hong Kong (HSI) stockmarkets are showing signs of recovery with relatively cheaper valuation compared to the West. HSI has recovered from near lows [four bear years] of 16,000pts in 2023 & 2024 to recent high of near 26,000pts. There are clear signs of divergence in HSI's  [rising] RSI & MACD [turning down]

Will this time be any different? Your guess is as good as mine

Preservation of capital is the key in investment when market's near high 

Taking profits, preserving capital and 'wait to fight another day' serve well when uncertainties reign 

Perhaps, it is time to redirect attention to commodities such as gold, silver and oil - it ain't over until the fat girl sings

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Financial Humours

 

A Learned Master shared with me:  

Bank is the smartest ~ you keep money with it, it lends out 80%, makes some & give you some. But, if it fails, you loss everything & the Bank restart as a new Bank 

Insurance Co is the biggest scam - everyone pays into a pool & share the risks, with a promise that you will be covered & reimbursed in case of an event happening, eg, sickness. But, if the eventuality happened & there aren't enough to pay, it conveniently folds up

Brokerages [commodity & stocks] provide a safe platform to buyers and sellers for a fee, say 1%. Has it occurred to you that if the transactions continue for 50times, at 1% charge @each transaction, your $1 is zeroised 

[The market capitalization of the U.S. stock market is approximately $62.8 trillion as of July 1, 2025, representing the total value of all publicly traded companies in the United States. If a crisis of sorts happens & the market drops 30%, where did the $18.84 trillions go to? ~ transferred, erased, or...]

Stock markets [indices] are not a mathematical problem where 1+1=2. It is the aggregate of emotional responses to events and happenings

When ideas or opinions are propounded, they are not the 'sure to happen thing' but collections of "IFs" & "BUTs" events; any occurrences will lead to a 'presumably expected conclusion', not lateral though 

No two fairly similar events may lead to a fairly similar outcomes; 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing 1995, the 1997/8 Asian Financial Crisis, the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, SARs, COVID ... but the magnitude and impact differ vastly

Will the next crisis, if any, be any different? Every financial crisis is about MONEY & it is about the losers vs the winners ~ the transfer of monies & elimination of digits [in everyone's accounts]; nominally your real purchasing power  

I have expressed reservations that WallStreet, with AI-tech, will offer uninterrupted power to drive prices higher but met with "this time it's different" ~ this reminded me that "all bettors at the race course know which horses will win & bet big but after the races, they knew why that anointed horse did not win!" ...

Market is filled with humorous players who are smart & logical but parts with their monies like any fools will  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September - Stay Safe

data seldom lie but are easily manipulated...

In 2000, at DotCom peak, WallStreet P/E was 44x; it corrected 78% to it's low before market stabilized and recovered  

In 2007/8, P/E was near 30x and market corrected 59%

Back in 1929 to 1932, market corrected 89% ... today's WallStreet P/E is >37x ... [???]   

Every time at or near peaks, investors said "this time is different...!" Will this time be any different? Can you stomach this; the total market capitalization of the top two U.S. companies is higher than the total market cap of Japan as of 2025. [Japan's total market capitalization was over $6.3 trillion, while the combined market capitalization of the two largest U.S. companies (*NVIDIA and Microsoft) exceed $6.7 trillion

*Nvidia - the 4trillion company ~ after 5-Qtrs of triple-digit expansion in 2023/4, revenue dipped 69% in 1Q/2025 

Like Warren Buffet, who had divested and kept cash of $344bil, Li Ka-Shing had divested lots of their investments and converted into cash(??) ~ are there common grounds or lots of underlying commonsense. [Berkshire Hathaway has significantly increased it's stakes in Japan's five largest trading houses: Mitsui & Co, Mitsubishi Corp, Sumitomo Corp, Itochu, and Marubeni ~ guess, this is food security

I am not an alarmist but trying to learn from history 'the causes of money movements' & which are the preferred asset classes to invest or avoid especially when previous tops are challenged

In uncertainty, stay calm, slow down, observe and analyse - when the mind wonders, let it wonder. Move only your forward path clears

Money matters & no money never matter

Let go & force nothing; you can add any material well-being but you cannot add time to your life

Life is always shifting and do not 'gamble' away your health and wealth 

Let your life carry you forward  

I am being cautious in this uncertain time and has minimized exposures to the capital market, not out of fear but preservation of the little that I have ~ my 'living capital' as some will call it "working capital"

Cultivate an investment mind, no speculative thoughts

There is time for everything; be prepared & ready 

Stay safe: enjoy peace and a less quarrelsome world 

September is here - what have you achieved? Whatever you have done, a wrong decision will [or may] lock you in for a long time