How many a times am I complacent in doing things? Enjoy life while I can, slack slack slack is my motto for this past months. Doing nothing really fruitful wasting my life away, seconds and minutes ticked away while not achieving anything. Time does not stay still for anyone who do not treasure it. I can't ask the moon and the sun to stand still if I am absolutely complacent in everything I do.
The past year 2008 was gone in a blink of an eye, it seems like time always eludes away from my hand, it is like trying to catch a vapour with my bare hands which almost is impossible.
The thing about a father and a child is that no matter what the child does, the father still loves the child. This is the grace and love that the father has for the child. How does a child repays back the love the father has is mostly through actions. Actions of obedience, actions of submission, actions of loving, etc.
Let us not waste our time anymore and really treasure the fading time that we all have.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
How to start investing?
I recently read on some webpages and there are some things that we can follow up on:
There is a need to read up more investments be it lump sum or regular contribution to investments and the supporting arguments behind the application of each theory. If you want to do investment, get purely investment plan and not linked to any life insurance or endownment plan.
Things or products to avoid are Investment Linked Products (ILPs). They are primarily sold by insurance companies with part of your premium to insurance and the rest to invesments. The reason why you should try to choose other alternatives if you are thinking of investing is because most ILPs don't allocated fully your premiums in the first few years. They go to paying the agents / advisers their commissions.
One example is assuming you pay 100 per month where some more generous companies will allocate 35 percent of that to investments and meaning you pay 100 but only get 35 bucks into investments. Other companies allocate 0 percent in the first year. The rest goes to commissions and insurance charges. To lower your risk and assuming you have limited budget, start with unit trusts. Try to source out the lowest possible sales charge from the online portals first. There are many to choose from, namely fundsupermart, phillip capital etc. Read up on their write ups on the sites to understand what you are buying and try to spread your risk accordingly to region and asset class.
There is another alternative which is to buy an Exchanged Traded Funds. They usually track an index and the management fee is low. Tracking an index meaning that they'll try to mimic an index for example, STI. Should STI go up, you would have made profit. It's good for the long term.
FYI - Start finding information on :
1) Funds (such as unit trusts) - in US, they call it money market funds.
2) Securities/stocks/equities - highly liquid and give good capital appreciation & dividend yield, depending on companies invested in (now bear market, so we expect major downturns till market correction happens but forecasted not happening in next quarter)
3) ETFs (electronic traded funds)
4) REITS (real estate investment trusts)
5) Structured deposits (when you have the capital)
6) Bonds (safer & stable way of investing during bearish run but not high returns compared to stocks. example: government bonds, bond funds etc.)
7) Commodities (as you see now, commodities slowly declining with the decrease in oil prices yet demand remains strong in emerging markets such as China and India)
8) Deriavatives (forex trading etc.)
There is a need to read up more investments be it lump sum or regular contribution to investments and the supporting arguments behind the application of each theory. If you want to do investment, get purely investment plan and not linked to any life insurance or endownment plan.
Things or products to avoid are Investment Linked Products (ILPs). They are primarily sold by insurance companies with part of your premium to insurance and the rest to invesments. The reason why you should try to choose other alternatives if you are thinking of investing is because most ILPs don't allocated fully your premiums in the first few years. They go to paying the agents / advisers their commissions.
One example is assuming you pay 100 per month where some more generous companies will allocate 35 percent of that to investments and meaning you pay 100 but only get 35 bucks into investments. Other companies allocate 0 percent in the first year. The rest goes to commissions and insurance charges. To lower your risk and assuming you have limited budget, start with unit trusts. Try to source out the lowest possible sales charge from the online portals first. There are many to choose from, namely fundsupermart, phillip capital etc. Read up on their write ups on the sites to understand what you are buying and try to spread your risk accordingly to region and asset class.
There is another alternative which is to buy an Exchanged Traded Funds. They usually track an index and the management fee is low. Tracking an index meaning that they'll try to mimic an index for example, STI. Should STI go up, you would have made profit. It's good for the long term.
FYI - Start finding information on :
1) Funds (such as unit trusts) - in US, they call it money market funds.
2) Securities/stocks/equities - highly liquid and give good capital appreciation & dividend yield, depending on companies invested in (now bear market, so we expect major downturns till market correction happens but forecasted not happening in next quarter)
3) ETFs (electronic traded funds)
4) REITS (real estate investment trusts)
5) Structured deposits (when you have the capital)
6) Bonds (safer & stable way of investing during bearish run but not high returns compared to stocks. example: government bonds, bond funds etc.)
7) Commodities (as you see now, commodities slowly declining with the decrease in oil prices yet demand remains strong in emerging markets such as China and India)
8) Deriavatives (forex trading etc.)
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Quotes
1. "We are dancing through each other as doorways. We are ripples crossing and fusing, journeying and returning"
2. "There are things I refuse to show you, my mirror told me. You've got enough to worry about already."
3. "If you hold on to the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you."
4. "There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise"
5. "Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use"
2. "There are things I refuse to show you, my mirror told me. You've got enough to worry about already."
3. "If you hold on to the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you."
4. "There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise"
5. "Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use"
Monday, September 01, 2008
What is the pleasure of company?
It still surprises me every time how close people actually are. During times of isolation, being connected with others seems utterly hopeless. Then within moments, I can be experiencing the pleasures of other people and their energy.
Children really know this. When children get together, they don’t know what they’ll “Do” and they don’t care!
They get together for a sort of human communion. I want to remember this. I want to keep this very fresh in my mind when a friend calls to “Get together.” There is such pleasure in the radiantly simple moments:
1. Conversations over tea
2. Desserts with 2 spoons
3. Lost in the car, laughing
4. Smuggling food into the movie theater
5. Talking on the phone about everything + nothing
The phrase “The pleasure of your company” is a truly lovely one. Let’s remember and treasure the pleasure that other people bring us!
Children really know this. When children get together, they don’t know what they’ll “Do” and they don’t care!
They get together for a sort of human communion. I want to remember this. I want to keep this very fresh in my mind when a friend calls to “Get together.” There is such pleasure in the radiantly simple moments:
1. Conversations over tea
2. Desserts with 2 spoons
3. Lost in the car, laughing
4. Smuggling food into the movie theater
5. Talking on the phone about everything + nothing
The phrase “The pleasure of your company” is a truly lovely one. Let’s remember and treasure the pleasure that other people bring us!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A story on adding people to your pleasure
I am an introvert and I enjoy doing things alone and being alone. Sometimes my aloneness is a way to avoid people and how out of control I often feel with them. I actually forget about the joy that people can bring. My own mind can feel very small, my own activities limited, and I begin to wish for the tumult and unpredictability of other people. As I write this, I wonder how many people feel like I do. Sometimes it seems to me that other people “Get together’ easily and naturally and that I’m the only uncomfortable people. Highly sensitive, wishing I was home in bed person. Then as I continue to share my life process in my books, I continue to find myself surrounded by other like-minded souls. Lots of them. Even if someone doesn’t share my particular experience, perhaps He/She can better understand people like me!
Here are some things I find pleasureable about other people:
1. There are not me! (This may seem obvious, but I forget)
2. They say or do things that can truly surprise and delight me (This often happens)
3. Their humanity can touch and awaken mine
I find it interesting how often I forget the wonders that other people bring, and the alchemy that’s created. Recently I’d been sad and depressed and feeling isolated. “Reaching out” to someone seemed like an extremely difficult task. Then I remembered that I’d made plans with friends. I immediately thought about changing or canceling the plan, but then decided to keep it, in hopes of finding some pleasure. As soon as I saw my friends’ beaming faces, some frozen part of me melted, and we swirled away into the night for grilled lamb chops, good red wine and uproarious conversation. Later we sat by candlelight, sharing the revelations and puzzles of our lives. When my friends left, I truly felt replenished. The pleasure of the evening had added dimension to my earlier depression. It was important that I experienced the depression and it was equally important that I step out of it and refresh my spirit. There is such magic and mystery of how people affect us.
After dinner, I found a perfect spot at the central park to begin coloring with chalk, and by lamplight, we sketched and laughed, and wrote messages and affirmations for people to find. As we left the park, we turned to see where we had entered and there, etched into the stone wall were these words: Artist’s Gate, and so we coloured these too! I went back the next day to see all the art and words that people had added, and it was thrilling to see!
THE END.
Here are some things I find pleasureable about other people:
1. There are not me! (This may seem obvious, but I forget)
2. They say or do things that can truly surprise and delight me (This often happens)
3. Their humanity can touch and awaken mine
I find it interesting how often I forget the wonders that other people bring, and the alchemy that’s created. Recently I’d been sad and depressed and feeling isolated. “Reaching out” to someone seemed like an extremely difficult task. Then I remembered that I’d made plans with friends. I immediately thought about changing or canceling the plan, but then decided to keep it, in hopes of finding some pleasure. As soon as I saw my friends’ beaming faces, some frozen part of me melted, and we swirled away into the night for grilled lamb chops, good red wine and uproarious conversation. Later we sat by candlelight, sharing the revelations and puzzles of our lives. When my friends left, I truly felt replenished. The pleasure of the evening had added dimension to my earlier depression. It was important that I experienced the depression and it was equally important that I step out of it and refresh my spirit. There is such magic and mystery of how people affect us.
After dinner, I found a perfect spot at the central park to begin coloring with chalk, and by lamplight, we sketched and laughed, and wrote messages and affirmations for people to find. As we left the park, we turned to see where we had entered and there, etched into the stone wall were these words: Artist’s Gate, and so we coloured these too! I went back the next day to see all the art and words that people had added, and it was thrilling to see!
THE END.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Pleasure in giving and recieving
Most of us are very good at giving. There is a lot of pleasure invovled with giving, and when we do it, we ususally feel good. Giving creates a bond, and exchange and an opportunity to be generous. Pleasure in giving stops when we do it compulsively, with obligation or in order to "Get something" in return.
When we receive something, do we feel uncomfortable to be on the receiving side, and end up finding fault with the help in some way. We need to practice receiving by going on our walk without adjusting our shoe laces and smile as they flopped around. This means that when people help you in some way, don't feel embarrassed and find some fault in the help that you get.
There is always room for growth in the art of giving and receiving.
When we receive something, do we feel uncomfortable to be on the receiving side, and end up finding fault with the help in some way. We need to practice receiving by going on our walk without adjusting our shoe laces and smile as they flopped around. This means that when people help you in some way, don't feel embarrassed and find some fault in the help that you get.
There is always room for growth in the art of giving and receiving.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Pride
"In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it perhaps often in my history; for even if I could concieve that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility" by Benjamin Franklin
How true can this be? Many a times we think we are humble, we try very hard to be humble, but we end up proud of being humble. Long time ago, Benjamin Franklin already did realize this fact.
We always are pleased when someone feeds our pride whether unknowingly or knowingly. We enjoy being praised and being recognized, even when we think we are humble, we still like these praises.
How true can this be? Many a times we think we are humble, we try very hard to be humble, but we end up proud of being humble. Long time ago, Benjamin Franklin already did realize this fact.
We always are pleased when someone feeds our pride whether unknowingly or knowingly. We enjoy being praised and being recognized, even when we think we are humble, we still like these praises.
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