Hopeless Wait Or A New Beginning

Its A New Beginning

When I lost all hopes and stare blankly
I pray to God and ask for a miracle
But, that prayer was never answered.

No immediate answers nor sympathies
Not even a tinge of possibilities!

My life is in total darkness
Hopes fade away and like a sheep lost in the wilderness
With only wintry breeze and a moonless night as companion.
Standing tall at the edge of the mountain, I am easy 'meat'.

My mind was clouded with the "What", "Why", "When" & "How"; nothing but more questions?

Is this the end or the beginning?
Have I fallen on bad times or am I seeing the beginning of a new era?
I searched deep and wide, but I still don't know and have no answers.

Finally, I decided.

Since the past have no continuity, it must be a new beginning.
And if God helps those who help themselves, then I am not waiting ... I have to rely on MYSELF

I am empowered & Master of my own destiny. I have a choice!

Life is a struggle

Life is a struggle

When you are born, you struggle to see light and the first thing you do is cry
When you are dying, you struggle to breathe as life stops when breathing stops

So don't complain, struggle is a norm in life
Enjoy the struggles

Winnings : Today & Everyday

Today & Everyday Is Payday

When all seem lost, don't loss your head (remain calm) and keep the heart beating (remain healthy)
When all the doors seem to slam shut, keep your faith and dance with hope
When no one seems to be available and all phone calls go unanswered, keep a steely will
When your career comes to a stop, take a mandatory break and loosen up

Nothing is beyond our reach if the mind is strong and the thoughts are clear
Doors cannot remain shut forever and if phone calls don't work, try "housecall"

Walk the street and stroll by the beach
Experience the scenes that you breezed by but did not see
See and feel the warmth of the morning sun and smell the fragrances of flowers
Let the morning dews wet the soul and soothe the mind

What we need is that chance - that opportunity - the ONLY chance and opportunity that will change our fortune and re-route our paths
We need only ONE chance to turn all setbacks into Successes

No one wins or losses forever.

In God we trust; losses are lessons and winnings are results
If you have not won, it is probably you have not been tested yet
Take the challenges, go for it - been there, done that!

Everyday is a new day & blessed are all who have Faith

Uneasy Stockmarkets - Momentum Trading Or Guess Works

Less than 3 Months ago, fear of financial institutions failures, unemployment, bailouts and Iceland was colder than North/South Pole when it folded.

Then, the whole world seems slipping into a blackhole; there was light at the end of the tunnel and that was a rushing train.

Today, financial institutions are said to be safe and their screaming calls for cash infusion is prudent. Unemployment isn't just as bad and Chapter 11 reads like another page out of Harry Porter. Summer seems to have descended on Iceland.

Stockmarkets have recovered with a V-shape vengeance; has God wiped clean the slate filled with greed and excessiveness? WHY did, or did, the stockmarkets ignore reality and move ahead?

i) There is a pool of funds, which was sidelined, that needed to be invested
ii) Make-believe capitalism demands performance and if you are not in it when the wagon moves, you are dead. If you sell/short and you are caught wrong footed, you double buy/long, vice versa.
iii) Speculators who itched to get in, will eventually get in and the funds shall exit
iv) When the music stops, the tales are of similar veins

What you see is called "Momentum Trading", that is, you trade the trend and by sheer strength of liquidity, views are forced to change with the tides, especially if you need to turn around, you double it!

Then, players become immune to all those negative news and perspects as "if its already so bad, it can't be that bad, right?" Well, God knows!

Don't throw caution to the wind. Some wild cards win; most loss.

You will make money whether you are Bear or Bull. Only, sheep get slaughtered. If you are neither bull or bear, you better remain human and not a sheep.

Watch your back and keep your cash except if you have some to spare. Make sure you have some spare money left to buy face masks when the (financial) flu strikes again.

Dead man tells no tales. Good luck!

Dreams Do Come True

I had a dream ...

That all doors shut in my face but God left the windows open

That everyday is 'a sunshine day' and I ended in a desert

That I lost my job but soon I reinvented & discover myself as an entrepreneur

That many of my friends walk out on me at the instance when I was penniless but I found truth ... that real friends are few

That my boat was sailing into the eye of the storm but with the strength of faith and determination I sailed safely to the shore

That the rich feasted on the best and in gluttony but the end results were ill health

That a phoenix rises from the ashes and all failures turned into successes

Seek, and you shall find.

Knock, and the door opens (for you)

Dare to dream and your dreams will come true.

Often winners are not the strongest, brightest nor smartest but those who dare to make their dreams come true

Darkest Moments of Life Is Filled With Blessings Too

Dark Moments In Life

When sickness strikes and immobilizes you, money and things material have no more value and relevance

When business fails and you are bankrupted or near insolvency, money seems to be everything and health is irrelevant

When you fail your final paper in your graduating examination, your years of sweat and toil seem to have been flushed down the chute with a single flush and gone unrewarded

But life, and living, does not end with a single event nor a single stroke!

Cherish your health and keep fit ... only YOU can help yourself. Your tomorrows is in your hands!

Money is a means to an end and not an end itself ... with time, you can pay off, write-off or make a comeback. Only with good health that you can built anew. Time is the best friend.

There are many without academic capability and qualifications who make it big today; yet some of the best make it to the top, then obtain their academic qualification like Bill Gates, or don't bothered at all like Einstein, John Majors. We need not seek recognition as we are the Proven ones.

Life is a journey and we move in cycles as naturally as night and day.

Have you not heard "How lucky I missed my flight - such as KAL 007 or Iran Air 655" Or, "I was sacked and packed up and left office @ WTC a day before 9/11; I lost my job but got to keep my life!" Or, "I decided not to join the long queue and I left; moments later the building collapsed @ Hotel NewWorld" Or, "My savings were 'too small' that Madoff slammed his door on me"

When your life stalls, rest if you must but don't quit; it is always darkest before dawn (breaks)

Not winning nor passing nor being appreciated is not an end in itself; more often than not it turns out to be a blessing

Have faith in yourself and GOD and count your blessings in your darkest moments. We have a role to play as Earthlings and there will always be better things ahead.

Dead Heroes Tell No Tales

Have Faith; God bless

How To Be Lucky

How To Be Lucky

However good you perform, someone will be dissatisfied

Whatever good you do, you cannot satisfy everybody

Life is not about winning all the time; it is about winning some, if not most, of the time
Nobody will pity you when you fail; anyway whats the point of pity? Get up, restart and get going.

The challenge is not to play to the audience but to give oneself a fair chance to success as no one will

Be Zen with life; we arrived alone and naked and shall return alone when the time is up

No amount of material gains can give you peace, health and happiness; the search is within

We are always moving forward in time but most did not follow through with thoughts and actions

Happiness and sadness are like sunrise and sunset; it comes in cycles

All have dreams but the brave, steady and determine crystallize dreams 

Do not despair!

Napolean has his Waterloo as Alexander met his Babylon 

Rich or poor, some day, we will have ours as Death is the Leveller

Live your best today though tomorrow will come

Do not underestimate the power of the mind; be positive, be ready and You will be LUCKY

Fortunes smile at all who are positive... be ready to receive 

The Tao of Loneliness

Loneliness

Loneliness is not about being alone nor abandon; its when time almost stall but life goes on

Loneliness allows one to be in solitude and to reflect; not of fear but of hope

Being alone need not always be fraught with fear of the unknown and uncertainty

Being alone allows us to slow down, take stock and remedy, remake and rearrange our priorities

Loneliness empowers the soul and enables us to stretch our imaginations beyond the ordinary

Loneliness is not void; it reboots, reset and restore a tire soul lost in the rush

When you are alone, as we sometimes will

When no one seems to be near and available and every phone calls go unanswered

Don't despair! 

GOD is always with, and within. us

The power of prayers reinforces positiveness, and deflects misery, in Loneliness

Points of Interest

(i)

I refer to the article by Professor Lee Wei Lin "Only fair to compensate living kidney patients". Money alone cannot, and will not, compensate sufficiently nor entice anyone to part with their organs. However, it is only fair that there is some form of compensation for their selfless acts as money comes in handy to help defray costs during recovery and for unexpected challenges that may arise.

Let us support this proactive approach to find alternative solutions to ease kidney failure patients suffering; Give the patients and the newly-mint Act a chance to evolve.   

(ii)

I refer to the article by various grassroots leaders "MP has no trouble connecting with Chinese temples". I fully agree that Dr Fatimah Lateef is able, and capable, of engaging her constituents and has no problems connecting with Chinese temples in her ward. 

To further engage her constituents Dr Fatimah Lateef uses Mandarin to deliver her speeches at functions too. She is selfless and will go out of her way to help and has ready listening ears. Dr Fatimah Lateef, whom Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong praised for being a multi-tasker with tremendous energy, is one of the more forward looking Member of Parliament and does not shy away from her duties. Most importantly, she come across as religion and race neutral in carrying out her duties with a big heart.

Stockmarket - The Uneasy Calm

Stockmarket - The Uneasy Calm

Peace Of Mind 

The eerie silence and uneasy comfort of the market is deafening; are we out of the woods yet? Stockmarkets worldwide have rebounded from their lows amidst rescue plans and injection of desperately needed funds to keep the financial system afloat. But, this is likely to be a false dawn, at least, in the immediate few months!

For cash rich investors and those who needs to deploy their funds, its ideal to 'buy on weakness'; you will be right if you can ride out the crisis and time is on your side (a broken clock is right twice a day!). On the flip side, any need to reallize and crystalize cash to meet untimely demand may cause colossal damage. We can't time the market but we can take calculated risks.

What's the point of chasing after US$165mil (@ AIG) - its no small beer though - if US$700bil Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is expended with no respite in sight? What about the possibility of bankruptcy in the East European economy to the tune of US$250bil? Is South Korea tottering into the arms of IMF? And the sabre rattling North Korea is not helping the situation either. 

Protectionism has also reared its ugly head in various countries in different guises to the detriment of free trades.

Typically, after sharp drops in the stockmarket, falls in property prices is imminent. Will this time be any different? I guess not! Banks are averse to extending loans to property-related borrowing as the burns of sub-prime is as sizzling hot as the midday sun. Negative equity may not be here yet but when it hits home, recovery will be a long drawn affair not unlike the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis but definitely deeper... my guess is, we are trawling through uncharted water and probably into the eye of the storm.

I hope I am wrong ... for when I am right, few will be spared and there will be more suffering - a scene I do not wish to be witnessed to!    

What I want is a Peace of Mind; eat enough, sleep well and stays healthy. Tomorrow will come but live your/the best today. 

Without frustration and uncertainty, you will not realize obstacles do help built a superior you; we grow out of overcoming challenges where boys are separated from Man. 

But, few make it to the grade.

Best regards & God bless

Aged Home May Be My Choice

Recently, there were some discussions on old folks homes and their usefulness. However, let us remove the stigmas and the 'unholy graces' of aged homes as these homes will become relevant as our population ages. I am not suggesting that we put our aged parents in old folks homes but I may, one day, choose to live in one by choice.  

Singapore, like most Asian countries are less incline to contemplate the idea of putting our aged parents in old folks home due to our culture. 

Apart from culture, there is also a bias view that old folks homes or nursing homes are dirty, unhygienic, a place for unwanted aged; at the other extreme, it is viewed as a place where the residents are waiting for their time to be up! (I shall use Aged homes as representative of old folks homes, nursing homes and the likes)

As procreation and migration decline and the aged increases, there will certainly be a need for nursing homes, not by choice but by circumstances. The working populace will be better off and more productively engage if the elderly are well taken cared of. Let us start now to address some misnomers;

Aged equals lame, unhealthy and useless - Aged homes are often seen as a place where the crippled, lame and unhealthy are housed. This is, at best, half truth. Being old does mean we are less mobile and agile, slower to react and may need some level of assistances but definitely not useless nor bedridden.

Unhygienic,dirty and smelly - These are practical issues that can be easily overcome. You do not find these problems in a 5-star hotel or resort! 

Location - Most aged homes are located at 'isolated' areas, away from the prying eyes of society and its attendant hustle and bustle. Why? Maybe, because society does not want to display the less able and capable populace for all to see. Or, for practical reasons, the aged need a quieter and safer place to rest and have recreation. 

If a country club can attract members so can a retirement village near a reservoir or our water catchment areas. Such social projects should not be profit centric. Besides, these concentration will allow services to sprout and cater to the aged such as convenience stores that break bulk and sell manageable quantities of vegetables, groceries and daily needs (as in Japan) to the localize community. I am sure the aged are environmental friendlier too.

It is ideal to have a childcare or even an orphanage near the aged home; where the aged can keep an eye on the kids and enjoy their company whilst the kids can tap on the wisdom of the aged and learn the values of lives.

Costs - The costs of stay can never be quantified in absolute dollar terms as the intangibles such as a healthy, happy aged populace also means less likelihood of falling ill, disruption to the younger, working population who are taxpayers and by extension carrying some costs of care and share. 

Residence-of-last-resort - Aged homes must not be a dumping ground for unfilial children or a convenient place to put away aged parents for a fee. It is also not a final resting place whilst alive; unwanted and forgotten. The residents must be there by choice. Of course, there will be some who are there by circumstances but this should be the exception and not the norm.

Geriatric medicine - The provision of Geriatric medicine and care must be made more readily available and affordable.

Transport - Singapore still have a long way to go to make our transportation system and buildings user friendly to the aged and the physically challenged. There must be an equal opportunity to mobility and communication.

Growing old is as normal as breathing and having a meal when hungry. We must not harbour the thoughts of putting away our aged population but instead strive to make their living easier, happier and with respect.