Wednesday, January 23, 2008

US in cRiSiS?
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all started with their sub-prime woes (housing & mortgage) which bring down many financial institution, include citi group, merill lynch, etc.. that lost billions of dollars, that lead to emergency cash bailout.

many predicted a recession, very soon but when?
oil price not stable, sub-prime woes, bad forecast on big firms.. all contribute to the stock market meltdown
investor reservation, bail-out as fast as they can
FED in a desperate move, cut rates again...

why cut rates?
Interest rate reductions are one strategy the Fed has used in previous crises to help the economy recover. A rate cut tends to spur the economy by making it cheaper for businesses to borrow money
hope ppl to borrow more, buy more stuffs to boost up the ailing US economy
consumer confidence is very critical...

but how long can it sustain?
People are up to their eyeballs in debt, and they're being asked to borrow more...

sMurFy at ... [ 9:43 AM ]

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================================================================ Tuesday, January 22, 2008

LiFE & eXpeCtAtiOn
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my previous blog on life as what you want, drew some criticism, many telling me that my blog is a bit chim, really?

ok, i'm talking abt life & expectation, simple enough?
lately i think a lot - about human in nature & the way they behave
i do have some good conversation with my dad, ah lim & some senior staff at my workplace.. all can summarize into 1 short sentence, about expectation & how u live yr life gracefully :

** close 1 eye, don't expect returns - you'll be much happier & peaceful **
else, you'll suffer & no-one will pity you.
that's life, harsh?

is this call ungrateful?
i'm wondering, is this happen to chinese only?
some say money is the root of all problems : to a certain point, it is correct.
chinese can go thru hardship together, but why can't they go thru prosperity together?

ungratefulness - definition?
maybe during my time, i brought up in an obedient way BUT not the youngster now
as my trainer told me : dun expect anything even from yr own childrens
what they gave you, treat it as a bonus...

but i still dun understand, still can't accept the fact how it turn out this way
i saw many of them, hear much of it...
- sibling rivalry
- parents put too much hope on their childrens
- parents expectation, etc...

it happens even to myself, same thing also
i'm the eldest, so i should bear all the responsibility, this is what my parents expectation from me
i should take care of my younger brother n sister, etc...
i should give them more
hmmph.. i wonder, do i eat more?

as my buddy told me, i take good care of my siblings.. if something happen to me, who take care of me?
do i expect the same treatment from my brother n sisters?
i guess the answer is : a NOPE

my sis & brother, haiz... sometimes, u'll feel really down & disappointed too
take gd care of them, get a place & work for them, take gd care of them, give them some allowance when they earn not much, etc...
what u expect in return?
just being grateful, sufficient enough...

but nope, nothing from them.. not even a thank you
initially, i treat them equally.. treat them like my buddies instead of drawing a clear line, elder brother versus younger sis/bro
what i need is mutual respect between us, but it didn't work
they take u for granted..

my bro - like the whole family own him a living
treat my parents like an ATM machine
when he can earn a living, does he ever think of us?
who supporting him thru think n thin all the years?

last month, i got a msn chat with my old friend in aussie
she's really doing big with his boyfriend (so call an angmoh ah mouse), doing properties
work damn hard, going into building passive income
she told me she got a chat with my sis lately, a short while

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dion : yo.. how's life, good?
me : ok lar, still surviving, yr property how?
dion : doing good but i tell u, really hard work
me : har.. also super hard work, life in aussie?
dion : that mouse v lazy. can u imagine i drive 7 hours to one of my house & drive back 7 hours too to my own house for a week?
dion : 1 worker & myself doing all the renovation, painting, etc...
me : huh.. indeed hard work, i'm just stuck lately due to office projects on m'sia, phil & indo
me : so mostly stuck there, cracking my head
dion : u should do more hardwork for yrself, not office. u won't know when yr company stop loving you, and you're just suddenly kena kick out
me : so u're now building passive income intensively?
dion : yep, imagine just rental alone, we receive ard A$200k? my tax is ard A$70k, i already give aussie govn a bmw
me : wow, so many?
dion : but super heavy commitment, work like no tomorz in-order to build a retirement nest
dion : i chat with yr sis just now
me : about?
dion : argh.. a bit different, she kinda change now, showing off?
dion : telling me she work in a mnc as a senior accountant, bla bla bla..
me : oh.. aiyaa, youngster, of course have some attitude when they can earn
dion : yep but no matter how big u're in other ppl's company, u're nothing when u're out
me : of course i agree
dion : so listen to me, don't work hard for others, work smart for yrself
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i do agree with my friend
i'd tell my mum always :
whether u're loaded or not, try to live humbly & live within yr means... i never ever calculative on money issues, so u guys better don't try to be funny & calculate with me
basically v simple, u know how to be calculative, i not stupid, i also know how to calculate, right?
so be a bit generous
u treat ppl good, do expect some returns too

tt's y i always tell ppl :
u can see 2 very different characters in 1 human being
1 is when he/she is poor while the other one, is when he/she is riched
surprisingly quite a 360 degree turn, scary?

my sis, sama-sama... so disappointed
so being ungrateful..
maybe this is human nature, i should follow the 高人's advice...

sMurFy at ... [ 11:31 AM ]

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================================================================ Thursday, January 17, 2008

*Your life - your likes - you decide*

A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.
Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible.
When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. Came to a point when he had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying.
Then he asked himself, "Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself."

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The above story is similar with the journey of our Life.
We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition. We neglect our health , time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love.
One day when we look back , we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition .
Life is definitely not about work!
Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life. Life is a balance of Work and Play , Family and Personal time .
You have to decide how you want to balance your Life.
Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of Life, the whole aim of human existence.
So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile, Life is short. Do not take Life for granted.
Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy Life!

Watch your thoughts ; they become words.
Watch your words ; they become actions.
Watch your actions ; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character .
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny...

Smile in pleasure.

Smile in pain.

Smile when trouble pours like rain.

Smile when someone hurts U.

Smile coz someone cares 4 U.

Keep Smiling.

sMurFy at ... [ 10:03 AM ]

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================================================================ Wednesday, January 09, 2008

welcome 2008
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every1 got hope & dreams.
trash away the unhappiness of 2007 & welcome 2008 with lots of prosperity
reality always harsh

most stock market now closing with a huge loss, everywhere
haiz... what a start for 2008?
credit & economy concerns again
oil price also another factor.. jialat, jialat

be good, my lovely 2008

sMurFy at ... [ 11:52 AM ]

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================================================================ Monday, January 07, 2008

Christmas -- New Year -- Lunar New Year
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festive seasons (x'mas, ny & cy) : across the short period of 3 months
big celebration among us?
angmoh celebrating x'mas & new year
chinese like us : wow, x'mas, new year & also lunar new year
expensive or not, celebrating festive seasons?

year-end, right? bonus mah, right?

nevermind lar.. once in a year, right?
lunar new year, must buy everything new.. buying gifts, goodies, give huge angpao for parents... what to do, once a year only
sibling & parents leh, u wanna be an unfilial sons?

** gift consolidation period **
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stuffs that i bought for my parents, siblings & my yiyi
dad : still thinking
mom : bonia handbag
sister : a set of crabtree-evelyn
brother : gucci wallet (great discount, bought at changi DFS)
yiyi : burberry wristlet (huh.. sold out in most countries, courier fr UK)
and some misc stuffs i bought for them

stuffs that i received, of course :
- a pair of levis jeans 501
- a crumpler camera bag

every asking : got bonus, what do you bought for yrself?
err... dunno, i'm just a poor boy working for a daily meal
can't afford lar, my friends..

i'd like to bought some camera lenses, sharpen my skills but CANON lenses, normally they'll kill me with the price tag before i can put my hand on those lenses, how?
nvm lar.. save, save & save..

then some of my pig-dog friends/colleagues ask me to invest on a rolex watch, basically bought a normal rolex watch.
waleu, lolex i can afford lar when i'm at atotech guangzhou
my lab head does some calculation & we found out that : a cheapest range is around $6000 (after discount), and imagine u save $200 monthly.
how many years u wanna save?
by then, the watch price go up again..

sMurFy at ... [ 1:52 PM ]

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