A tribute to the Japan Tragedy

A tragedy ..

As we hurriedly flip to the world news section these recent days, all hope, is on not seeing any further news articles showing a rise in the missing person or casualty toll in Japan. Forget about the Chernobyl disaster, forget about September 11th. Should there be a need for an example, on how fragile mankind is, one like this, is more than adequate.

As stories from the Japan Earth Quake and Tsunami slowly spread, on how victims, young and old, showed their resoluteness and grit in the face of this great tragedy, we come to hear of children who have not experienced nearly enough in life, being left alone to face a nightmare which they never would have fathomed before this. The dark road ahead which they have to trudge on, should they manage to pick themselves up, will most likely be done in solitary, minus their loved ones. Then there are the parents, whose screaming and shrieking of pain, upon seeing their children get swept away before them, and whose cries to their missing loved ones were all left unanswered and which echoed throughout the eerie night of the aftermath. What kind of deep felt sorrow, engulfed them at that moment you may wonder.

Give them a wish, and I believe they would be willing to give everything up just to have their loved ones back beside them.

Give them a wish, and tell them beforehand that this would happen, and I believe they would turn back time, just to spend more time with their loved ones, their family, their children, and cherish every last moments they might have left together.

Give them just one day together again, and they would appreciate the mere existence of everyone around them so much more, and treasure the time spent together with all the love and care for one another instead of having that one extra petty argument.

Our prayers should all go to the people in Japan, to those who lost someone dear, to those who had to witness the sorrow and grief of the thousands of people beside them, and to those who are slowly accepting the fact, that the important someone simply isn't coming back, ever.

po pi po pi..

A short entry..

There are just some nights, when you simply miss someone more than usual..

The sound of gentle growling from the dark sky, keeping everyone guessing if it's gonna be another night of strong wind and heavy rain..

The uncontrollable tightening of the chest, as I slowly take in the fact that I'm here, and you're..well, not.

The curious wait at the chat window, at each reply..

The furious tappings on my laptop, each time a reply comes..

Though it's being said often..the feelings remain the same, if not stronger.

I miss you..everyday :)

p/s: Yea, even though we meet each other everyday.. I still do Rachael Koay, whenever you're not by my side :)


End of short entry..not bad for the first post in years..

Planning for retirement?

Call me an idiot, or a day dreamer. But I started planning on my retirement during my last year in college (university).

Seriously, is it ever too early for one to plan for his/her retirement? Should you start planning when you're well into your 40's? Or does it matter that an 18-year-old might have the wits to start his planning early? I have always had one thing in mind - to be financially free. I for one, do not like looking at price tags when I buy things. Also, I like building the blue prints of a beach-side house in my mind, in hope that it'll finally be standing where I wished it to. Since the day I realised that, I started pouring through books, internet articles, Buffet's advices for dummies, on - Stock Investment.

Stock investment, is the one logic path which I believe with enough education and practice, not to mention will power and determination, will allow any man (or lady of course) to achieve greatness, and to have the grand prize - Retirement beyond their wildest dreams, be it when they're 60, or even 21. Isn't it great that somehow, the government has not set a minimum age for retirement?

In order to be great in Stock Investment, there are a couple of attitudes which I personally believe one should first get out of his system.

1. One who is skeptical that, to earn more, you have to invest first.
By saying "pouring through", I have bought books on investment strategies, spent nights in front of the pc reading up on investment advices by gurus, and even signed up for investment courses. Most of these cost me a huge chunk of money, and to be frank, I have still yet to see returns in terms of mulah as I still limit myself to trading paper money. So does this mean all the money spent are down the drain? Well, there are people who tend to have the wrong idea that a good investment means throwing in a paltry buck, and expecting to get back a hundred times that.

Wrong! If you still have that mindset, you should not start trading anytime soon.

The truth is, knowledge is golden. And in this world, you pay for that knowledge. Without enough knowledge to begin with, you'll just be doing a trial and error with your hard earned kachinkos. So why risk that, when instead you could easily try to convince yourself to walk into Borders, and fork out a bit for that very important education first, before jumping in the game with the big boys?

Remember, to be good in investing, you have to start investing first. On books!

2. One who starts his investment today, and expects to get returns the very next day.
For those who have that mindset, I suggest that you do this very simple exercise. Head over to Yahoo! Finance and check out the 1-year chart of the S&P 500. Yeah, it doesn't paint an even near good picture of what you would call investment perks. Check the 2-year chart - Terrible. 5-year - Still pretty much a downward plunge.

Now, try pulling the year all the way to 10, 15 years. Suddenly, you start to see hope. Things are starting to look pretty good. Suddenly, the plunges you saw in those 1-year or 5-year gaps seem to only be a bump in the road. A bump that has historically showed will end up in a steadily upward ascent. It shows that stocks can really help grow your money if you give it enough time.

All in all, I believe that Stock Investment could well be one of the means to a successful retirement plan. It is no where near easy. Reality is, it shouldn't be. If you consider the fact that reaching this very finishing-line means you'll never have to work for another day in your life, that you will have the financial power to do almost anything you want, or to continue investing in an even greater scale. I mean, who're you kidding. Of course it shouldn't be easy.

To note, this applies only for long term stock investments. I do have different approaches and some thoughts for short term tradings, namely on Stock Options. I will write up about that in another article later on.

Remember,

The hardest step in investment is the first step forward..

What if you knew your due date ..

Everyday, we trudge through our lives doing what we believe we're responsible to do. We wake up to the morning alarm, we go to work, we laugh at jokes, we settle on a routine.

How often do one ponder by the bedside before turning in for the night?
"Have I said "I love you" to all the people I love today? "
"Have I asked how the day was? (and sincerely wanted to know the answer)"
"Have I pulled that 10th wretched cigarette out of his mouth today?"

It's too short a life to be caught up in the same routine everyday.
It's too short a life to be caught up planning too far ahead for the future and ending up missing what's in front of you today.

Would one be doing what he's doing now, if he gets to know that he has a year left to live?

What would one do, if he gets to know that someone he loves, has only a year left to live?

The departure, the arrival ..

30th March 2009. This marks the day the loyal Sentra leaves my side.

It has been 21 years since my family welcomed the Sentra. I was still in kinder garden then. And for 21 years, she has served my dad, then myself, so well. The 250k milleage registered on her meter is a proof of the journeys we've traveled together. To have to let her go, pains me. I had the chance to have a little photo session with the old ride before sending it over for a trade in. It's amazing how after 21 years, she still stood solid, proud and abreast for the shots.

On a brighter note,

30th March 2009. Also, marks the day I welcome the latest addition to the family. My new Pearl White Myvi SE.

She is awesome! She roars, she shines, and she's smokin hot! She's my vivi!

Nothing to write about it yet, since I've only driven it for 15minutes from the shop and back home. I will however, provide a full review on it after I'm done taming it.

Coincidently, I got the same number plate as Peter. 863. What are the odds!? CREEPY WEYYYY!!!