The Greatest Defeat In My Life

I am lost
I am completely lost in my own plot
The last few years were wasted times & unnecessary tears
Money were lost, compassion were traded, trust were shattered & I was left to walk alone

This time it's not alone but loneliness in defeat
My strategies were 'a flops' & my commitment has gone to the winds
False hopes, fake starts
There is no mercy in defeats

I have lost opportunities by trusting the wrong people
The untested, the inflated, the disinterested & the 'plain talkers'
Whatever, today I was hit really, really hard; a simple deal went to someone's else pocket
I have been silly, dreaming & in denials

Will the world waits for me? No
Will anyone show me mercy? No
Will I stand tall with the same attitude & beliefs? No
Will I be able to rise above this shattering defeat? YES, but I must leave this environment

I'm late. I'm very late
How stupid I was & how complacent I have been? The distractions, the make-beliefs, the hollow promises & my blind confidence
I am defeated in my own hands & by myself

It's been a long time
Today, I nearly, nearly cried; it's not dissimilar to my exams failure in Secondary Two
I promised myself now; it will never happen again
I will go out to conquer the World singlehandedly

I needed a good rest
When I awake again
My footsteps shall shake Earth again
I believe in MySelf

It's me FIRST.
If I can't swim, how will I ever saves a drowning man
If I'm scraping the bottom of the bowl, how will I ever have enough to spare
A new chapter starts on my next awakening

I Can & I Will


SUCCEED

Stress Or Discontented

Life is a bottled-up roller-coaster...

What's so stressful about daily living? It's almost mundane and routine
Day in, day out; eat sleep, shit ...die someday
The stress comes from providing the possibilities, that is Eat, Sleep, Shit...
The idiot who created the 'medium of exchange' started stress

If everyone lives a simple life; a meal a day, basic housing, affordable transportation and recreation

Life's gonna be a breeze

The stress begins when the 'Haves' becomes the 'Elites' to rule the 'Have-Nots', writes self-serving  and restrictive rules so that the ground is ringfenced for their own benefits
Many aspiring 'Haves but still living as Have-Nots' are given minimum advantages to say "YES" & to support whatever shit the 'Haves' drop
It's simply 'Divide & Rule'
Morals, accountability and responsibility is flush down the manhole

It's good to have aspiration and to be inspired to climb greater heights
But, when meritocracy becomes disguised-restraints, discontent, resentment and sufferings evolved
The donkey will never be able to eat his pie that hangs ahead of him
Similarly, the rich cannot live in a sea of poor

A spark, however minor, will result in revolution, changes or destruction
Nobody wants instability but if the 'Haves' lived in their ivory tower and the 'Have-Nots' struggle, implosion is inevitable
Give and take, Care & share...no man's an island
Passing the blames to the 'Have-Nots' will only cause more frustration and resentment

Give back what is fair and due to the 'Have-Nots'; they form the backbone and stability of Society
Greed will maim
Self-denials will destroy
Explosion is manageable but an implosion will shred the Societal's fibres into stoneage

Release and relieve STRESS
Give back the dignity, care and self-esteem to the 'Have-Nots'
The true leader eats, sleeps and shares the same aspirations, fears and dreams of everyone
Before the next teardrop falls

Everyone can live with minimum & no one can live with none

May @Labour Day

If I'm in labour, I'm struggling to pop out the baby
I can only feel pain, distress & more pain
Sweat & blood flows...

May Day, May Day is an "SOS" call
It's a distress call, not any ordinary phone call
It's an emergency

Why is Labour day also called May day?
Labourers, workers, wage-seekers & salaried-men struggle throughout to earn sweat money
Every penny counts

Workers have minimum to nil bargaining power if their Union speaks the same lingo as employers
It worsen when the Authority sides with employers
Tripartite will always disadvantage the workers; deliberately or otherwise

It may create industrial peace falsely by suppressing workers rights, again deliberately or biasness

Whether it's Labour Day or May Day, it's sweat & blood money
Workers have to work hard to earn their keep; real hard
Local wages are suppressed with the free-flow & import of foreign workers

If foreigners are allowed to work unrestrictedly in any jobs at lower costs; perhaps, if we employ foreign politicians likewise, our costs will be much lower. You can't say M/s Henry Kissingger, Magdeline Albright, Hilary Clinton, Zhu RongJi, Wen JiaBoa aren't talents! Can you?

Whatever! What's good for the goose is good for the gander

Let there be peace, prosperity & harmony
Protect, care & share the dreams, fears & aspirations of all Singaporeans
No local citizens can nor should be deprived of their rights & freedom

We must not be a minority in our own homeland

May the real, sincere & committed leader surface to lead his/flock to higher grounds
Words are cheap; walk your talks
For Singaporeans, by Singaporeans, with Singaporeans

The Second Wind

I grow up seeing calamity, sufferings, pains & HOPEs
I was inspired instead as I grew up in the pediatrics department because my younger brother was regularly ill, very ill indeed
Getting in & out of hospital is a norm
Coming from a very poor family, we were at the mercy of the hospital; by extension their doctors
Well, he lasted almost 20 years

I admire the doctors, their determination and their commitment
Being poor was never a problem with all these God-sent angels around
But, the pains suffered by all the kids in the pediatric department tell me 'I must live the best today & everyday where many struggle to be alive & I only needed to be the best I can'; I was only about 9 years old then
Hope was my only asset

I visited my younger brother, feed him, then took a bus to school daily as my mum struggles to eke out a living
I wanted to be a doctor though I was never one
I never at any time feel inferior nor poor; I felt blessed compared to the rest of the kids
I went on to conquer & push new frontiers with grit, determination, plans & foresight & with basic minimum

You may be born poor but do not live poor; worse if you die a pauper

To supplement my family income, I started to work after my "O" level
Along the way, I collected two diplomas & a degree through hard work as I worked, studied & had a family of my own
Live was a breeze - stormy, tornado, hurricane at times
I never felt disadvantaged as I overcame challenges along the way with commonsense

I have my fair share of successes with sprinkles of defeats

In a God I trust; man proposes, God disposes

At past 50s, I am rediscovering my drive, my prowess, my future
If I have my way, the next 5 years will outshine & outperform my past half decade
It's "The Return Of The Prodigy"

Stock market - 4 April & forward

How far will the stock market rise?

Stic     3220
Klci.   1855
Hsi.     22565
N225  15071
S&P    1886
DJIA.   16552

Dow Jones & S&P 500 have gallop ahead despite pundits betting against them. There are two broad markets : the developed market & the emerging market within which you find blue chips & 2nd/3rd liners.

Looking at the crystal ball now, it seems that correction is imminent. The recent run-up, an overbought position, lack of new impetus coupled with April/quarterly low ring alarm of an impending correction albeit major.

What's holding up the market is a courageous contrarian plot; where everyone is expecting a drop, it is seldom delivered.

Drop, it will. The next two weeks can be telling!

Will the bear swing send the bull to the abattoir ? No.

Market psychology has swing from momentum trading (hot money) to contrarian trading (follow the money). The range & depth will be wider & deeper & the swings more volatile.

For the moment, catch (buy) the drop & sell in May & go away.

October will always be the most rewarding month. For those caught on the opposite fence, it's also most damaging.

This year rewards will go to contrarian players. Watch M&A.

Happy trading & trade with extreme care.

Staying Alive

I'm aging, aging fast
I'm stressed, stressed up by others' problems; a little here, a little there & I'm almost drowned
My attempts to overcome challenges by keeping fit is also draining me
I struggle to keep alive, sparkling bright, positive ...inching forward tirelessly

Some days the biorhythm is simply low
There's no perking up; it's like a liter of petrol left to cover the next 50 km
The body aches, the skeletons do not move in sync & the eyes could hardly open
The brain isn't working & the heart pumps weakly

I can't think straight & I rely on instincts to make decisions
Never have I been in this dilemma - guess, life's lessons are continued education
I go with the flow, with enforced & deliberate patience
I do not get agitated & avoid being drawn into any fray

My smiles never fade
My built, my physique & my thoughts are, but, bold representation
My Soul is flying below radar & above 'my need to stay alive' - surfing
Like Ultraman, I'm waiting to recharge when the sun rises

Is it difficult? No
Is it easy? Not really
There are times I'd like to cry loudly under the rushing tap or under a waterfall
Where every bad feelings & tough challenges are washed away; returning refreshed

Whatever, I'm like the lighthouse - brightly lit, come rain, sunshine or snow

The world is mine to conquer...but, in the meanwhile, I need to remain well & alive
To see the tides rise, to enjoy sunrise & to breathe
I must be ALIVE, well & kicking
Tomorrow is mine & the world is my playground

When My Plane Goes Missing

Sometimes, there are no answers to some questions...


When the plane goes missing, don't panic because at some point in time it will resurface
You can try finding & keep finding but if AlMighty wants to keep us longer as guests, you will have to wait
We may be guests at another dimension too

While you are anxious, we, upon disappearance, are held powerlessly
We can see you, hear you but we can't respond because we are invincible & bodiless
Our Souls are out of our bodies; broken, twisted, convoluted & some parts are smashed

The Angels are busy repairing & restoring some bodies & body parts
Some of us are not due to return while most have expired
There is also an interesting episode; the wrong passports holders were not suppose to return yet have done so
Returning them to Earth is not an issue but they beg to stay instead of going back to spend the rest of their lives in the dungeon; Heaven is Utopia

We came, we saw & we seen our past fleetingly replayed
Many did what they were supposed to do but some...are filled with regrets
Going back to be Earthlings will mean retribution


From this experience, it's clear humans are good at guessing....guess where we are, guess we are dead, uummm, maybe alive somewhere but don't know where
Because of being born, we need to die
Between life & death, you can do all you wanna want


Oops, with all the advance technology & sharmen
You can't & will not see us ...but soon, soon we will be back
A few will be alive to tell a tale or two but most would have expired

We are back with our Creator

And, with closure, we will be forgotten in due course


Live healthily, happily & enjoy every moments (of your life); it's a completely different world here

What Is Luck?

luck is random, at best...

How patient and tolerant can a person be and for how long can he ignore the environment bashing negatively against him? It's not measurable at all; most give up long before the tides change

Often many said you must be 'focus' but what's there to focus if you have been hitting the wall. Maybe, its about punching through the wall

The tough luck syndrome is more common than the lady luck; where one fights every inch to survive while the other lives on a silver bowl alternating with a midas touch

Many successful persons have facades; they amplify their strength and manage their weaknesses

The world loves a winner as lady luck only woos winner, i guess

The saint, the priest, the monk, the preacher and all holy man says don't worry, be happy, look on the bright side of life, count your blessings, God is with you...frankly, these are soothing phrases which if repeated long enough means nothing to a defeated person

If destiny is carved on stone, then why work? The rewards or non-rewards will be the ultimate prize

I am looking for the meaning of positive living as I have been living positively as always and yet I have the occasional down time where days are long and minutes stretched...

Whatever is luck is no more important to me. I just want to be a winner as the world loves a winner and lady luck crowds around a winner

The world is mine to conquer

How To Be, And Remain, HAPPY

life has many downswings and it can be quite a struggle ...


Defeats - I have some but sprinkled with sporadic victories and winnings
It is tough walking through the alleys of defeats but worse when its a near defeat
The dark alleys always seem long, winding and is definitely merciless

It takes steely nerves to waddle through the alley of uncertainty and near defeats
Rest if you must but never quit - I struggle to keep my smiles, workout to keep my fitness & sanity
Whatever you believe in, you become

Instead of wallowing in self pity and counting the damages, I count my blessings and leftovers - the little I have left physically, emotionally, financially and pennilessly
I plan before embarking again - this time I take a different route - the road less travelled
It is always easier to act alone when all the friends and lesser-friends had left

The lone wolf is more potent and lethal - unwanted is not useless
The world worship a winner
I am the winner - a winner-to-be at the moment & victory is my to conquer

I never share my worries nor problems as few, if any, will be interested
More importantly, like everything else, it passes
I do my best and leave the rest - What I can't do now, it will be attended someday, perhaps, not by me but by my Creator

To remain happy, you have to be healthy - the Mind is definitive

Whether you are sad or happy, meek or brave, weak or strong, you still need to around when the sun rises again and your life brightens - Never be a dead hero. 

The choice is obvious

Maid; Is It Just About Employment?

The stranger in the house, yet not exactly...

I have employed a maid for as long as I can remember; maybe 20 years.
They come and go when their contract is up; some for short while, some after several months with a few stretching over two to three 'seasons'.

What bugs me until today is not the costliness of employing a maid but that I have to pay levy - paying someone who does nothing but who awards me a 'right' to employ a maid. Alas, in my dark moments, I likened this to protection money.

Employment of maids is no more straight forward. The maid also chooses which households she prefers to work in; big house, small house, with or without children, elders, pets, etc...uummm, the off-days!

There seems to be a few primary players who dominates the recruitment and distribute his products, the maids-to-be; naturally, the pricing too. The maids are 'displayed' like wares in supermarket and, if you happen to go shopping for a maid, their biodata do not necessarily matched the (real) person. Well, you can try chatting with the maids-on-display but only if you can withstand the stares from the proprietors. Besides, they don't seem interested in placing out their maids. Guess, it's because the cost (licence, rental) is low or next to nothing to start a maid agency.

Whatever my contract says, I always pay for their airfares if they request to go home after they finished 12 months of work. I accept whatever reasons they give, like homesick, kids sick, parents need them & others. Why? I'd rather they return home and reunite with their family & live happily forever thereafter than to have a 'time-bomb' sitting inside my home.

I  treat my maid as a home-assistant and being a part of the family.

Employing a maid is unlike any supermarket purchase. It is bringing in a total stranger into the house, trusting that she is mentally sound, medically healthy and will be able to co-exist in harmony.

There must exist an absolute trust that the maid will behave, not be 'light finger' and keep confidence of all things within the home.

I fail to understand why some people can ill-treat their maids or even abuse them.

Treat them as you like to be treated. Sure, there is an employer/employee relationship but isn't respect - the more you give, the more you get? Given them some space...

Singapore: The Alternatives To Liven Up The Economy

Singapore can do more than depending on the external economy and bigger companies to expand and generate growth in our economy.

There is a constant push to grow our SMEs but, in the name of restructuring, many basic economics theories were overlooked.

While land is fairly constrained, labor, capital and entrepreneurship are expandable. Unfortunately, the substantial import, and input, of labor has caused diminishing marginal returns. Besides, there seems to be a mismatched of skills trained in our tertiary institutions to meet industry needs. Statistics have shown that there were more PMETs unemployment and it is also getting harder for fresh graduates to land a job of their choice than previously.

There are some jobs that there are not enough Singaporeans to fill or locals simply were not keen, especially lower skilled and blue collar jobs; by all means bring in the foreigners. The operations, administrative, banking, front line jobs must be the preserves for Singaporeans. If skill transfer is a definitive factor, then there must be a pre-determined time period for the foreigners to 'pass on' the skills. I am incline to disbelief that 'a whole department-full (in the bank) of foreigners' is good for Singapore and Singaporeans. Surely, we have enough qualified Singaporeans to fill the jobs. This mis-allocation is driven by the selfishness of foreigners-helmed HRs who prefer employing persons from their own homeland. There is a hidden 'costs benefits' to such practices like the payment of agents and referral fees. These monies do not return to circulation.

According to some sources, employers generally prefer to hire staffs with some working experiences or, if fresh graduates are considered, cheapness was a decisive factor. Taxes and levies are leakages and weakens the multiplier and one possible solution to alleviate graduate unemployment, especially fresh graduates, is to redeploy levies as compensation and remuneration or make-up pay to motivate employers to employ freshies, say for a three years period. This money are well spent. If workfare is good for the lower skilled and lower paid staffs so it is equally applicable to fresh graduates.

Outsourcing and contract work has distinct disadvantages. Jobs are outsourced because of savings; by extension, the contractors will pay lower remuneration in order to profit from their efforts. The workers end up worst in this arrangement. Why does the Government need to outsource? The Government can employ, and place out suitably trained 'freshies' over time with taxpayers money. It is not wasteful but another form of education and training and making our citizens relevant to meet industry manpower needs.

Although our system is fairly business friendly, perhaps there are too many layers and departments such that duplication can be reduced. A reduction of red tapes will increased productivity.

There is also the effects of cost-push inflation.

Increased in Government departments' and Stat Boards' charges further weakens the economy as this translate into higher costs. Coupled with higher COE prices, petrol, ERP charges, levies, Town Council charges and the likes, the multiplier is 'crippled'. I am not suggesting that Government machineries 'work for free' but they should temper their tendencies to raise charges directly or indirectly. Worse still, increases were almost simultaneous.

Surely, revenues can be raised through direct taxes but with GST already in placed, the more the people spend, the more taxes are received from consumption.

The recent policies to tame demand and financial gearing of big ticket items like cars and housing, while healthy, is an economic dampener. The car loans default rate is under 5% and is deemed fairly acceptable. While there are no mass default or non-performing loans in the property market, it is understandable that some form of control is reasonable as property prices are rising beyond the reach of the average Joes and Janes.

However, one of the underlying cause of rising prices is rising land prices. Why does the Land authority need to set a base (reserved) price for open tender of land? Shouldn't we allow a free play of market forces? Our economy contracts further when foreigners are discouraged from buying local properties. If protecting locals from runaway property prices is a concern, the rules can be tweaked to allow foreigners to buy local properties but all resales must be sold to locals only. Turning away good foreign money is not the best solution neither is additional taxes as the market is convoluted and shrinking transactions will soon hit everyone.

When property prices fall, the wealthy are least affected as 80% or more property owners own public housing.

Finally, however small the local economy is, it is extremely important to nurture and allow for it to flourish. The small time businessmen at 'pasar malam', the hawkers, the cottage industry, the neighbourhood grocers and the likes have geometric multiplied effects. The provision of basic needs and meeting of demand at mass level will keep the lower income groups well and alive and make living more affordable.

To conclude, we need to loosen up controls and tame the incessant price rises. When confidence is lost and the future looks bleak and unpromising, the dreaded deflationary monster will rear its head. By then, its harder to jump start the economy.