A Good Start

The Perfect 20Ten

Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well - Angelique Arnauld
- do your best but knows your limit, not for fear of failure but for certainty of success - pk


Dare to be yourself - Andre Gide
- if only you will give yourself a chance as nobody will - pk


The man of wisdom is never of two minds; the man of benevolence never worries; the man of courage is never afraid - Confucius

- the only two things you can't decide in life is being born and the time of death; fate is but within you - pk


The crisis of 2009 is halted by 'money printing'; Governments print money to fill the gaps left by the financial holocausts. What we are looking at is either Deflation or Inflation!
- to survive Deflation or Inflation, we need financial intelligence; the ability to substitute paper money for something substantial but relevant like gold. silver or hard assets with cash flows - pk


Jesse James robbed the banks but subprime, minibonds, CDOs, derivatives and the likes broke the banks
- as in American banknotes "In God We Trust"



Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy - Cynthia Nelms
- the mind is your engine and you are the driver. Either you drive yourself happy or crazy and sad; the choice is obvious - pk

If you want to be happy, be - Leo Tolstoy

31,536,000 seconds = 525,600 minutes = 8,760 hours = 365 days
If you live til 70 years old, you only have 25,550 days = 613,200 hours
Just spend 200,000 hours on happiness and you will be happy forever

Hopes Turn Reality 2009/10

2009 started with shadows of the Great Depression but offers lessons of optimism, hopes & successes



We have come a long way since the Bunonic Plague (Black Death) of 1348, the Wall Street crash of 1929, the World Wars, the S&L crisis of 1980s, Singapore's recession 1985/86, the Asian Financial crisis of 1997/8, 9/11 @2001, SARS 2002/3... we survive and thrive because of HOPEs and perseverance

Hopes, encouragements and commitments go a long way to heal and rehabilitate


If AIG and Citigroup had been allowed to fail - (that they were saved from 'drowning' were, but, Sophie's choice) - we will be walking in the dark tunnels of financial age; blown back into pre-currency period. It may look foolhardy for the global Governments to act in unison with rescue and stimulus packages; its a choice between depression and warmongering or hopes with recovery.


The Tamil Tigers have demobilized and peace prevails & may Tiger Woods also find peace. There were hits and misses but eventually good sense and truths prevail.


Life is tough and may sometimes seems hopeless but with more selfless fellow beings, the tinge of hope will manifest into positive outcome. A little care goes a long way. Just to cite a few;


When I walked out of my clinic after attending to all my patients, I felt psychologically like a 44year old, 10 years younger than my actual age. Which medicine can make you feel 60years younger? Most importantly, I felt I had contributed, in a small way, to human welfare - Prof Lee Wei Ling


While it may not be possible to cure patients of all their ailments, we must offer them hope that tomorrow may be a better day. Life does not end when our heart stops beating or when we hit the ground after jumping off a building. It ends when hope begins to die - Dr Ang Peng Tiam


I try to help the less fortunate whenever possible; not that I am working to secure a place in Heaven nor to seek publicity but I want to make living more comfortable and light. And when everybody's life is lighter, the road forward will hopefully be smoother. 


I live my life fullest today and anyday; being able to help is my fortune.

Reality Checks

Forewarned is forearmed

Never cheat someone of his hardearned money. You are lucky if he wants the money back. If he doesn't want the money, you will pay with your life - PK
- if the money don't save his life, he buys one

Abstaining is favorable both to the head and the pocket - Horace Greeley
- its every man's best choice, rich or poor

What makes resisting temptation difficult for many people is they don't want to discourage it completely 
- Franklin P. Jones
- i can resist everything except ... temptation, cos temptation disappers as i aged
 
To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart - Donald Laird
- Warning on wrapper: you don't get hurt using your head, you will be disadvantaged using your heart
 
The one who loves least controls the relationship
- i would rather control the purse


Whenever you see a successful person you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them - Greg Evans
- we live in a make belief world

Man is the head of the family, woman the neck that turns the head
- the definitive reality of life


"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog" - General Dwight D. Eisenhower
- i fight to win; size never cowed me
 
i may be down but i am never out ... inaction is not No action - i wait my time

We Thought We Learnt Our Lessons...

The only lesson we learnt is to make the next year's problems bigger and more nerve wrecking...

2000 - Nasdaq peaks at 5049 & supersonic Concorde crash ... never to be seen again

2001 - US in recession, Enron files for Chapter 11 & US WorldTradeCentre crashed

2002 - WorldCom & Global Crossing Inc slip under

2003 - Madcow disease & SARS spread & "The number of bankruptcy petitions in Singapore hit a 55-month high in July 2003 to 568, a 52 percent surge from the same period a year ago"

2004 - Tsunami strikes & kills more than 230,000 people

2005 - Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans

2006 - Case-Shiller Home Price Index peaks; the harbinger of financial disaster

2007 -  Stockmarkets crash; near perfect timing as in 1987 & 1997

2008 - Lehman Bros, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, WaMu, Northern Rock, Iceland  'sang their swan song'

2009 - GM & Chrysler declare bankruptcy; Bernie Madoff 'ponzied' US$65bil

The Decade Post-2000s Is The Decade Of Superlatives - including budget deficits and stimulus packages. 

i pray that the next BIGgest thing coming is not the use of the biggest, most destructive and maddest weapon - nuclear; otherwise, i don't get to write and you'd never get to read anymore as we all perish in the greatest
exit of Mankind.


What will we see in 2010? 

Broke ... penniless

Penniless But Not Broken

I once had only S$2 a day to spend for fourteen days continuous but I took it in stride
I spent on transport and light meal; kept my smiles and remain sturdily positive

When I made my first million, I did not rejoice nor punch into the air in exhilaration
Instead I allow myself to spend as and when I wish to with little restraint but in silence

I learn to pamper myself alittle, allow some indulgences and return some to Society
I eased into charitable acts with minimum constraints

When misfortune strikes, I was hit like a pilot in a rudderless plane; trying to find land
Darkness surrounds, friends evaporated like condensation into thin air; whats left was Faith
I sold my house and cars; I cut all credit cards and de-geared speedily and I touched Earth
I stood tall with my smiles and with an unbending will

Nobody gonna pity me nor share my sorrows; I quietly accept without regrets
Like a wounded swallow without its bird's nest 有燕无窝; I rested, reflected and rebuilt from scratch

With Faith, a freshly-mint goal and a steely mind, I returned as pheonix from ashes
I learnt that whether you are rich or poor, nobody really cares
It is within you - to built, to grow and to stand tall
Jealously guard your health and be ready

Nobody is forever poor nor rich - the gateway is in your mind
I maybe as poor as a church mouse but my Faith and steely mind manifest my Aura and emits light &  lightness that no money can buy

If there is one thing calls 'Fate', it is for you to determine; I write my own Providence

Be Inspired ...

Words slice through the mind where the sword fails


Ability is nothing without opportunity.  If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.  A leader is a dealer in hope. Napoleon Bonaparte 
...nobody can rob you if you are intense and daring


Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama 
...today is the day and the pound of flesh is yours to take 


The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
Dalai Lama 
...happiness is the latent force within 


We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Albert Einstein 

...the wrong route can never lead to the desired destination

It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.  Jesus said love one another. He didn't say love the whole world.

Mother Teresa 

...help me and help all; to be able to help is a blessing

I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.  Effective action is always unjust.
Maya Angelou

...truth is always ugly

The fewer the words, the better the prayer.
Martin Luther 

...when all else fails & the world left me; in solitude, I pray

The Search...

Searching for your ideal ...

Life is filled with uncertainty and pygmalion effect; we search far and wide but it is the mind that wins the day

Frustration is when you can't get what you set out to achieve but having achieved it, a new bar is set

The battle to win is forever long drawn and the journey is fraught with perils beyond most

Only those with stamina, will and steely nerves will succeed; not forgetting the opportunists too

As long as you are happy with what you do, go ahead with whatever works
*Whatever Works - Written by Woody Allen

The ugly truth is always hurtful and denials are escapades for the lesser mortals
*The Ugly Truth - Starring Katherine Heigl & Gerard Butler

It is always good to remain silent, be prepared and be aware; pounce when opportunity presents

The World will never be equal, not even the Law of the lands; the only equaliser is Death

Death is the distance between birth and final achievement; "death" is not a scare word

Your shadow is longest at the setting sun and sunrise

Like opportunities; if you didn't spot one, you have to wait for the next

*Enjoy Whatever Works & The Ugly Truth

Stockmarket - A Bag Of Gold Or ... fools' gold

Stretching Your Bets ...

Psychology

If stockmarket runs ahead of fundamentals, why do analysts need to update and rewrite their pieces?
Do analysts simply crystal-balling their write-ups, like soothesayers, or are they drowned in a sea of statistics?
Hard facts don't lie; selective application does.
What changes fast and furious is psychology, that is, how the mass react in a collective situation.

Many players want to make money but few do their homework; with most using their gumption to trade.

Recovery

The recovery and growth story will be dead as dodo if not for the deliberate, albeit noble, efforts by Governments the world over acting in unison to stamp the floodgates; its a choice between complete breakdown and economic chaos or a managed return to world order.

Will this last? Is the pocket so deep that the bottomless pit seems shallow by comparison?

Health & Nature

Most Governments can, and will, stand tall and back each other "dollar for dollar" to embrace a managed economic order but can the same be said if natural disasters or 'the Ten plagues' strike in unison? The wiseman said "If money can solve the problem, then its no more a problem"!

Hunger & Social

With rising commodities prices and shrinking arable lands, will hunger be a norm for the population at large?
Prices rise in commodities because of fear - the fear of shortages; prices improve in the stockmarket because of hope - the hope for better things to crystalize going forward.

A hungry man is an angry man. If a man is deprived of food or a chance to buy food, he will not act rationally; similarly the leader.

Conclusion

The stockmarket does not behave rationally but is a set of collective psychology. Is the current rise against expectation or stalling for a bigger dive? I don't know!

My bets are off the table. Selling into strength is my prefered choice; to all who are still in or contemplating, good luck!

Nobody goes broke by taking profits.


For those who know when to move away, enjoy the rainbow. For those who are seeking the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, bring an umbrella along. It seldom rain but pours!

Health & Wealth

Take No Chances

Its dawn and the best of the day has just begun
With hopes and determination, we start the day

Take a stroll, exercise your body and run the mile
Renew the vigor in you like the crack of daybreak

Train your thoughts on the things you want to do &
Focus on your goals and 'Go For It'

When there is life, there is hope
Without health, your cash trades no happiness

Midas has his sorrows
The terminally ill's times are borrowed

Be happy, healthy and hopeful
Winner takes all - you can if you want

Don't spend your youth to chase wealth &
Spend your wealth to 'buy' health

Health is gold that wealth can never buy

Walking Towards Death

Walking the Journey of Unknown

Almost 50 years ago, I started my journey towards 'enlightenment'
With my first peekapoo, I saw light and I cried loudly; announcing my arrival while the world cheers
Like a white sheet of paper, I was to slowly but surely beginning to register and develop by the seconds

What does the future holds? I don't know!
I stand up and walk despite many falls and soon I was running
My innocence tells me that I live in an ideal world but reality sends shivers down my spine as I age

I learn to trust and belief in what I see and do, and with the people around me
Only to suffer losses and fall prey to my silliness to belief that others will be truthful and like-minded
I was framed and I paid my price, not once but twice

I am fighting back not for want of spike but for the little space I needed to survive
I am no longer getting mad, I am getting equal
I have lighten my load by leaving behind deceitful 'friends' and half-truths

What will tomorrow bring, I don't know
Will the next 50 years be more rewarding, I don't know too
I fear not that tomorrow's coming and I live today to the fullest

For when the time is up, I will return in peace and with quiet cheers
While the world will wail my departure
Like the piece of white paper thats been written all over, I return - "from dusts to dusts"

By then, its too late for regrets
Cheerish all and be the best now
For tomorrow may never come

I am still searching for Enlightenment...


I am a passing phenomenon

November - where Autumn turns into Winter

Regrets I have but few and minute, so tiny that they slip my mind like water through my hands

November arrives - 53 days to go before 2009 disappears


“Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than the daffodils”  

Cyril Connolly

November is when Autumn gives way to Winter

We will enjoy the red and gold of Autumn before the wintry wind send shivers all round

I always enjoy the calm Autumn with the cool breeze slapping against my cheeks and the slowness of time inching towards the new year - only 1,272 hours left

I don't look back in distress nor with regrets; I only look forward in anticipation and with hope

I have used up 7,488 hours fruitfully; with some successes and plentiful of misses but definitely no regret

"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right." - Henry Ford

Hopefully, when Autumn ends, you are wiser than you are now!

Its time to take stock, slow down and appraise the past; may the wintry 寒冷Winter freeze your unhappy and fruitless past and when Spring arrives, you be rewarded with bundles of hopes and inspiration

明天会更好