Entry for February 16, 2009

This came in the mail today… It’s Warren Buffet’s message for 2009… a timeless message we should all pay attention to.

We begin this New Year with dampened enthusiasm and dented optimism. Our
happiness is diluted and our peace is threatened by the financial illness
that has infected our families, organizations and nations. Everyone is
desperate to find a remedy that will cure their financial illness and help
them recover their financial health. They expect the financial experts to
provide them with remedies, forgetting the fact that it is these experts
who created this financial mess.

Every new year, I adopt a couple of old maxims as my beacons to guide my
future. This self-prescribed therapy has ensured that with each passing
year, I grow wiser and not older. This year, I invite you to tap into the
financial wisdom of our elders along with me, and become financially
wiser.

* Hard work: All hard work bring a profit, but mere talk leads only to
poverty.

* Laziness: A sleeping lobster is carried away by the water current.

* Earnings: Never depend on a single source of income. [At least make your
Investments get you second earning]

* Spending: If you buy things you don’t need, you’ll soon sell things you
need.

* Savings: Don’t save what is left after spending; spend what is left
after saving.

* Borrowings: The borrower becomes the lender’s slave.

* Accounting: It’s no use carrying an umbrella, if your shoes are leaking.

* Auditing: Beware of little expenses; A small leak can sink a large ship.

* Risk-taking: Never test the depth of the river with both feet. [Have an
alternate plan ready]

* Investment: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

I’m certain that those who have already been practicing these principles
remain financially healthy. I’m equally confident that those who resolve
to start practicing these principles will quickly regain their financial
health.

Let us become wiser and lead a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful
life.

Entry for November 21, 2008

*Credit Crunch*

Everyone in the world is talking about it, but I think awareness is still pretty low in our country. I don’t know whether to thank God that we’re always (ALWAYS) spared of global issues or laugh at our ignorance or beam with pride that our govt might actually be doing a good job . I mean seriously. SARS… not here… Natural disasters… not here… Wars… not here… Food shortage… not here… Melamine… not really here… hey… now recession… not here…

Well, technically to qualify for recession, you have to have -ve GDP for 2 consecutive financial quarters.

Oh the next thing I wanted to blog about is this statement by Sidney J Harris

“a recession is when you lose your job; a depression is when I lose mine.”

Perhaps it’s time I add another line to it.

“a recession is when you lose your job; a depression is when I lose mine;

no conclusion is when you read local news; wrong interpretation when you ask your colleagues”

Entry for October 29, 2008

The past few days have been such a breeze… It’s so nice to have Benny around… the thing that’s great about this hubby of mine is that he is really handy around the house. Furthermore, it gives me renewed motivation to clean the house (cos he occasionally leaves a dust trail) and cook (cos I get hungry when I clean the house).

Must admit tho, when Benny is around I can’t seem to locate my personal belongings. Like this morning… my watch was not where it always is. That thoroughly annoyed me… When you have an extra pair of hands around the house, the tendency is for my things to suddenly “sprout legs and walk around”…

Watched Wall-e on DVD finally – better than E.T. – gonna watch it again just to admire the variety of robots… although the humans were so obese, they have such a wonderful life… (tsk tsk tsk, lazy am i not?)

Speaking of life the economy. The ”soothsayers” are saying that in a few months time, Malaysia is gonna feel the pinch. The average Malaysian is really gonna feel the pinch. Reminds me of the time when I first graduated. The economy was so bad. Shops were closing down, people couldn’t find jobs and there was a lot of uncertainty. Whatever happens, my message to you folks out there is “Put your hope in the Lord, and continue to seek His kingdom and His righteousness…” He is your provider!

Entry for October 22, 2008

Everyone’s talking about 2009… will there be a terrible recession? will there be jobs? will the market crash? will the market recover?

The last time there was a recession, many friends of mine couldn’t secure their jobs and ended up in college again, to further their studies. By the time they finished their Masters, the market wanted people with working experience, not paper qualifications… By the time they got a so-so job, the market looks like its in trouble again.

We’re each born into different shoes which we must wear, different hats thrown on our heads… well with money or without, let’s not essentially forget that at our very basic selves, we are human beings on an ageing planet who need to look out for one another, and hope… in God.

Entry for May 28, 2008

I am definitely in the blogging mood today. Today three issues come to mind…

A. The increase in the cost of living

Indirectly, it’s we ourselves (humans) who bring it about. Firstly, look at our response to the world’s economy. We buy, buy, buy… hardly recycle… and we stick to the carbon economy where everything (including electricity) is fueled by depleting resources. We don’t make an effort to reduce, instead we waste. We don’t eat less, smoke less, drink less, drive less at the individual level. While at the corporate level, competitors stick to their fierce competition and don’t spare a thought for the suffering consumers and ageing earth.

B. The political air pollution

I watched snap shots of the Parliamentary debates in the late night news yesterday. And while wasting time doesn’t quite contribute to the increase of the cost of living (maybe it does!), wasting precious time means our country is being further left behind in terms of social development, political growth and economic opportunities. So much time wasted on who said what and how offensive MPs can be and how so-and-so should apologize. Rubbish and nothing intelligible.

C. The average John or Jane

Or should I say… the average Mat and Minah… forced to make ends meet, yet struggling to be honest, committed, hardworking and patient… hoping that there will be some respite. Look government. It’s the way our cities are built that cause us to spend in order to live. It’s the way our government controls the private sector, that causes the employees to work double shifts and do more than they paid to do. It’s the concept that we have to plan for our future on our own strength and meagre income, that bring about mistrust and lack of confidence towards our policies.

Oh well… issues of the layman…