"Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone"
I'm sure a lot of self employed experienced this. Recently I went for an interview and told them that my long term plan is to retire. It's suicidal to say that. Because it's not what the normal man in the society think. The society is still into getting a job, which is termed as stable, and then doing the same thing over and over again, day after day, and hoping for pay raise every year.
Side track... The recent Cyprus crisis, in which depositors have to pay a tax for their own savings in the bank did not really seem to be a wake up call for many people. Perhaps for many, it is too far away. Or perhaps they have absolute faith in the financial sector. Or perhaps they think that our banks in Singapore runs a different system than the Cyprus bank. Or perhaps they think that the government is able to "bail them out" if any crisis occurs.
Sad to say, the banks here runs on the same system as the Cyprus bank. What can happen to Cyprus may also happen to England, to Spain, to Portugal, to Australia (anyway, the Finance Minister of Australia said he is considering a levy on deposits in the bank), to US or even Singapore. Well, I'm not sure if the government will help, but i rather depend on myself. End of the day, I don't know how much reserve the country has, but certainly know how much reserve I have. So I rather depend on myself.
I guess I am starting to understand what Napolean Hill experience in his book "Outwitting the Devil". I guess I am at the very bottom of my life this time. Whatever can go wrong went wrong. And just like him, I began to question myself on whether what those motivational quote that I once believe is bullshit. I began to talk to myself and to the other me. I began to question life. To question the purpose.
Somehow, just like what his book says, at the very bottom of ur life, u'll hear a little voice guiding u. And I heard it these few days. The voice is guiding me, talking to me and arranging me to know wonderful people who made my days feel better. It's very weird, but it's true.
I went to a temple today, hoping to get some holy water to bath and cleanse the bad luck away. However, I don't know where to get it and on top of that, I'm rushing to watch a movie. I decided to give up on finding the holy water and went to the bus stop when a voice within me tells me to go back to the temple again and ask the people inside. And the voice was telling me that I will make it right in time for the movie anyway. And I did as told and found the holy water after asking the people inside, and make it for the movie exactly, without missing a single bit.
Just back from a short trip to Taiwan. Perhaps I should say that this trip is life changing for me. Somehow, I feel that everything is planned by someone or something, whichever you believe..
About 10 years ago, I liked a girl who was into metaphysics and new age stuff and therefore it got me interested for a period of time. And 3 years ago, I knew this taiwanese lady, Xinci, who was divorced 2 years ago and went from Yunlin to Luodong to open a cafe. Coincidentally she came into contact with metaphysics stuff and got interested in it. On top of that, I planned this trip in August, because of another Taiwanese girl. Somehow or rather, after booking the trip, things didn't turn out well between us and i fell for another local girl, who asked me if I liked her after going out a few times to tell me that she don't like me. So I should say I went Taiwan to nurse my wound.
To cut the whole story short. Because I was hurt so many times in relationship, I decided to find someone in this trip to "Change my life". Went online to find and on the first day when I arrive, I went to her and paid quite a hefty sum to "change my life". Basically there's 3 ritual. The 1st one is to see your own core and the other two is 68 days prayers.
I don't know if it's the ritual, things started to change after that. Went to Luodong to meet the Taiwanese friends who recently got into contact with metaphysics and she stirred up my interest again in that. On the 2nd day in Luodong, I met her partner in the cafe, who is also into metaphysics and we talked a bit about that, which further stirs and regain my interest in that subject.
And then in Tainan, I met a girl who was working in "Make A Wish" Foundation which helps cancer kids fulfill their wishes. Perhaps after talking to Xinci while in Luodong about metaphysics stuff, about energy, about money as energy, I decided to donate half of my profits this year from the stock market to Make A Wish Taiwan.
And after I'm back, I can feel that some things r changing. I begin to run, which I detest in the past. I began to cut down on eating meat, after talking to Irene after I'm back. And I begin to be more willing to spend, and to drink and relax in a cafe or pub and donating to charity. All these things change from the core... And you will never see me doing this in the past.
Sometimes, we really don't know how a simple act of ours affect another person.
Initially I thought of stopping this blog for a while until someone posted on this blog to thank me for the write up and bookmarked this blog.
Thank you very much. Although it's just a simple act, it indeed is very impactful and make my day!
Everything comes to a standstill, or even a reversal. Been thrown into negativity these days. Something I did not expect happened and therefore was caught offguard.
Don't feel like doing anything. Can't concentrate at work, or even when studying.
It seems so ironical that the poor live like the rich and the rich live like the poor. End of the day, it boils down to the concept of money.
Poor live like the rich as they have no concept of money and take money at the face value. A $10 is just a $10 and will depreciate if not used or put in the bank. It will be eaten by inflation and therefore it's not wise not to use it today.
The rich live like the poor because to them, money is a seed which will grow into money trees and grow more money if used wisely. A $10 is a seed to grow into $100, and that $100 is a seed to grow into $1000 and so on and so forth.
End of the day, the rich knows how to grow the money which the poor don't know.
I feel that people should be paid according to how hard and how much they work. It makes no sense of a standard salary and expect people to work hard for it. They will think "Why do I have to work hard when I still get the same pay? I might as well do as little as possible. After all, the pay is the same."
A standard pay makes people lazy. On top of that, it gets them into the comfort zone and refuse to look outside of the zone. It makes them greedy- wanting pay increment without doing much in return. It gives them the excuse of tiredness, so as to procrastinate. It cause them to stop thinking of themselves.
When things happen, they seek comfort with their fellow colleagues, and said to each other, "there's nothing I can do", without realising that ample opportunities had been in front of them before, just that they're afraid to step out of the comfort zone, and so miss the boat.
Made a life changing decision recently. I guess it is bigger than getting married, bigger than buying a house. Was very disturbed by it.
I know that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If I miss this boat, I may regret it for life. If I miss this boat, there may not be another of such opportunity again. However, due to a lack of fund, I decided to give it a miss.
Perhaps someone up there knows what I want and made the person in charge of this thing decide migrate his server and thus some of his email were lost. So he called us one by one and I told him that I decided to give it a miss as I don't have enough money to go into this venture. Then he said that there is another person who have the same problem and ask us to link up to raise the fund to go into this and I gladly agree. I went home and told my dad and he gets interested and decided to chip in the funds and so, both of us went into this venture.
I tend to feel that sometimes life is so amazing. This move that I did, may be life changing. We are what we are because of the tiny things we did in the past. And what we do now, will lead us to where we will be in future...
Initially I was thinking of giving it a miss as firstly, lack
of fund, secondly, if I go into this, my cash will be so low that it's
beyond my comfort zone. Thirdly, by the time i reap the harvest, I'll be
38. But thinking of it from another angle, in order to grow, we must
withstand the discomfort. If I don't go into this venture, at 38 years
old, I'll be thinking "If only I went in last time"... Perhaps there's a saying "If not now, then when?"
So much things happened these days that knocked me off my equilibrium. Suddenly felt so lost, so unlike myself. Lost my drive, lost my motivation, and lost my cool.
One of the things that affect me, is the feeling of insecurity. History repeats, because I have not learn how to handle it. It's always the same cycle. The same thing that affected me now is the very same one that affected me a few years ago. I guess it's time for me to learn to handle it. And I hope that I can handle it well, It's a fight for myself, with myself. Perhaps as long as I have the "what is meant to be yours will be yours" attitude, I should be doing well.
It may be a tough period for me right now. But I got to do it...
It's either we get stronger or we just give up. A lot choose the latter. It's always easier to give up than to grow stronger. Anyway, it doesn't take any effort to give up. But it takes an effort to grow stronger.
I tend to wonder if this has got to do with society. The higher u climb, the harder u fall. So if u did not climb, u will not fall.
Where will the world be without people who take risk? There will be no aeroplanes, there will be no electricity, light, everything... The world, and we, everyone owes whatever we have, to those who took risk.
Admitting that we lost is contrarian to the human psychology. As deeply wired in every human beings, we have an urge to win, a need to win in whatever we are doing. Admitting that we lost is a blow to our esteem. Therefor, we go all out not to lose.
In the world of trading, cutting loss is a very important thing. In order to avoid we not losing, we come out with many ways to avoid the feeling of losing. For example holding on to losing stocks. We deceive ourselves by saying that as long as we did not sell that particular losing counter, we have not lost yet. In actual fact, it is this kind of mindset that pull people deeper into the abyss
Theoretically, equities have 50% chance of going up and 50% chance of going down. And for example a person has an amount of money and segregate them into 4 stocks. Assuming 50% chance of going down, 2 stocks goes down and 2 went up. So that person holds to 2 losing stocks. People with such mindset will usually take profit quickly for fear that it will turn down. So after a while, that person will cash in his profit on the 2 winning stock while still holding to the losing ones. After that , with the cash after selling his winning stock, he buys 2 more. 50% up, and 50% down, 1 stock will go down and he holds it. The winning one, he sells as soon as there is profit. Now, he is holding on to 3 losing stock instead of the previous 2. As this goes on, eventually, he'll be holding on to 4 losing stocks.
"Money will not make you rich. The mindset will make you rich." This statement is so true! The correct mindset, the correct attitude will make a poor person rich. Once the mindset is correct, money will follow. On the other hand, the wrong mindset, the wrong attitude will make the richest person poor.
It's not a matter of how much you earn. Of cos, earning more will let you reach your goal faster. However, if your mindset is wrong, however much you earn, you'll all lose it away. The cup can only contain as much water as it can hold.
We're too chained up by the culture, by the society. Don't just take everything wholesale. Most beliefs and practices start with some rationale, and as times change, it may not serve the same purpose anymore. For example, people believe in finding a stable job. That belief started during the industrial age. Before that, people work from home, sell the products that they made or from their own farm. However during the industrial age, due to industrialisation, factories need a lot of workers to churn out the goods for them. Therefore people move away from their home to work in factories for some stable income that selling their farm products and home made products can't give. And the most important factor is that at that period of time, inflation is nothing heard of. And there's no internet to boost sale of ur products. Which is to say that i can only sell my apple to those near me. No one is going to come all the way from China to buy my apples- Ur market is much much bigger now.
What can work previously, may not be able to work now. But people's mindset is still stuck to the past. Not many people question the rationale behind it. People just follow blindly, because that's what their parents told them. There was this story that I read that this lady always cut both ends of the radish when she cook. One day, someone asked her why she did that and she replied she did not know. Her mum did that, and so she did it. Then they went to ask her mum and her mum said that she did not know too, she just follow her mum. And they went on to ask the grandma. And the grandma said that it's because her pot was too small, therefore she had to cut both ends of the radish to fit into the pot. We blindly follow things without real thinking..
Was reading the news that the government is setting up more rules for money lenders and some of them said that they may throw in the towel as their profit margin is already very low. And when people can't find legalised money lender, they'll go to loan sharks to borrow money.
I would feel that the crux of the problem is not loan sharks or money lender. To solve it, it still boils down to education of the public. Our pawnshop advertisement, with the actors and actresses endorsing for them, brings across the idea that it's alright not to manage ur money. If u have no money, just go to the pawnshop to exchange for money.
Our society, our school avoid the talk of money or money management. When we ran out of money, we ran to the advice of equally poor people. Instead of tackling the root of the problem, we just try to cure the symptoms, and facing the same problem a while later. Anyway, tackling the symptoms is far easier than tackling the root of the problem...
Sometimes it's good to break the bridges behind. Dun give urself any excuses or anything to fall back on. This is the only way to move forward.
We tend to avoid stepping out of our comfort zone for fear of the unknown. What if I fail? What if I dun like it outside? What if? What if?
Fear is one thing. Another is laziness. Who wants to do extra work? Isn't it better to do the very least? At least 1) you have more time for urself, 2) you won't have the fear of failure. 3) you won't waste ur effort and time if it fails.
On top of that, everyone wants to be like the rest. Why should I be a millionaire when all my frens r happy earning $4k a month? Why be the odd one out? Why be special?
Actually, all these just means that the person does not has a want, but just a hope. Hope for a better life, hope for striking rich, hope for anything and everything. With hope, there's no need to do anything. No extra effort needed.
One of my friend and I both feel that some people just deserve to be failures in life. Forgive me if I sound harsh. Failure may not be a bad thing. Everything is amoral if u look at it in a bigger picture.
I have a fellow colleague who has been dabbling in the stock market for over 10 years. And he has been losing money. He always mention to me how he played the stock market and I always tell him his mistakes, but he never change and persist in his own ways. He set his own rules, which is not wrong, but it is not making him money. Instead of finding out the mistakes, which I had pointed out to him many times, he still continue his own way until today, he finally said that he is not touching the stock market anymore...
And today, I asked if he believed in luck. He say yes. He took his stock market experience as an example and blame his luck for losing money. Well, I had told him his mistakes many times and he refuse to listen. He took the market as a gambling den and refuse to learn and then conveniently push the blame to luck.
For me, I believe in luck to a certain extent. Of cos, we can't choose where we r born into. We can't choose our looks. We can't choose our parents. We can't choose the country that we will be in. But there are many other things that we can choose. I can choose what we believe in. We can choose to believe in something. We can choose to work hard for something. And I think all those that we can choose far outweigh those that we can't choose.
People tend to group everything they can't understand into luck. They say that the person who got promoted is due to luck, but do they try to understand the hard work that person put into without him knowing? Or even if that person played some game to attain that position, at least he bother to learn how to play that game and played it to his advantage.
Writing a travelogue these days. Didn't have this thought until one day, while chatting with Wei Chuan over msn, he gave me this idea. Well, to me, i dun intend it to sell like Harry Potter. Just a form of passive income. Anyway, there's not much cost involved. It's just to translate some knowledge to a media to share it and earn some money at the same time. No point leaving the knowledge in my brain and bringing it to the grave with me.
There's always some obstacles along everything we do. While writing, there were times when I dun feel like writing. After completing it, it's the marketing issue. Dun have a clue how to market it. I asked some of the CPA teachers in school but they have no idea too. They only know how to create a website as per the syllabus. They have no idea how to link the file to the website etc. Well, think our education system is still too theoretical after all... Feel like giving up too after failing to get help. But still push on. If no one can help me, then I must help myself.
Went online to search on that myself. Learn how to host my ebook, how to automate the payment and delivery, learn how to market it. Although it's just a simple ebook which I dun intend to let it sell like Harry Potter, I think that this is a sense of satisfaction. I could have stopped at the writing. I could have stop after I completed the book. I could have stopped after I fail to find people to seek advice and help in the automation, the marketing. I could have stopped after trying to figure out how to insert the html codes into the website which makes no sense to me. But I push on. If no one can help me, I learn everything from scratch myself. Perhaps it's the process and the determination that gives me that satisfaction.
And also, give urself deadline if not procrastination will take control. No excuse, no what if, no but. It's not a hope. It's a MUST!!
Typical mindset of an employee
1) No need to try, cannot means cannot
2) Pamper myself cos I work very hard
3) Save whatever is left after spending
4) Don't care about the outside world
5) Having a job is having job stability
6) I'm always tired to read the news, but always have enough time for facial, spa, holiday
7) I don't want to talk about money
8) He's promoted because he's lucky
9) The world is so unfair
10) Praying to god to strike lottery
11) Don't want to work, but wants money
12) I'm always so unlucky
13) Everyone don't like me
14) If everything fails, I still have the government to rely on
15) Our country will never go bankrupt
16) Money in the bank is safe
17) Spend as much as I can, cos money will still come the next month
18) The rich are evil
19) Money is the root of all evil
20) Money can't buy happiness
I like to get to work, cos it's when I can earn money. And I get moody when I dun get to work. So my friend was telling me to get a job, so that I can get to work everyday. But the feeling is different. When u r working for a job, u get the same pay regardless of working for 9 hrs or 12 hrs, so laziness sets in. U can't control ur pay, u can't moonlight openly. And worst of all, u dread mondays...
Once u think ur job is "stable", u spend more. U lost control of ur spending. U spend without thinking, as u think that money will come in the next month. U have the fantasy that money will come into ur bank account for the rest of ur life. Even if u do not, u will not do anything.
U start to get busy. And busy becomes an excuse. Always busy with work. Too busy to read the news, too busy to upgrade urself, too busy to think for urself.
U get tired easily, mentally and physically. U start to complain. Complain about the world, about the people, about the company that feeds u, but never about urself. U start to find solace in the very people who thinks the same as u and reinforce each other. U think that it's normal. Negativity sets in. And in order to please urself, u spend more to reward urself. U go for tour despite being so busy that u have no time to read the news or even to think for urself. (Can u see the loop?)
As time goes by, u accept life as it is. u refuse to change. U refuse to upgrade. Ur life just stops there. U get to comfortable to change.
One day u got retrenched. U begin to think y have u worked so hard for the company and got this in the end. U have no money as u spend every cent u got, thinking that money will always come in at the month. U know nothing to about the economy to start a business as u r not in touch with the world. U're just the same as who u r when u just started work because u did not upgrade urself or change urself. U start to complain about how bad the company is. And u do nothing to change. (notice the loop again)
When u reach 62, u retire. U look at ur bank acct and found that there's no way u can retire with that amount of money. U have to continue working. U curse life for making u work at that age. Another loop....
On ur deathbed, u tell ur grandchildren, " All my life, I work for nothing"
I am currently reading "Outwitting The Devil" by Napoleon Hills. For those who know his book, it's about self empowerment, about self improvement, about success. In his book, he interviewed the "Devil". Some said that it's his fantasy, his imagination. But I believe that he really interview him, because there's times that I too, can.
From what I believe, the devil is not in any physical form, just like god. They're nothing but energies. Well, god and devil is opposite, like positive and negative energy. They're all morally neutral. I won't say that god is good or devil is bad. And they exist in everyone of us. We're all a part of god, and a part of devil... And all these exists in our mind. God, devil , and human beings and everything in this world is energy. Every atom is energy. And we are made of billions of atoms, and therefore we r energy.
I did a report about brain waves when doing my masters. Yes, the brain creates brain waves. And there is frequency. According to quantum physics, energy is related to frequency by the equation, E=hf. Therefore thoughts have energy too! The law of conservation states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but changed from one form to another. Therefore if we r energy, our thoughts r energies, the tables and chairs we r sitting on are energies, god and devil are energies, we're all a whole mess, or mass, whatever u call it. So we r our thoughts, we r god, and we r devil.
I'm not a devil's advocate. But I believe that the devil does not cause harm to us. He does not cause us to be unlucky. He does not cause us to be evil. It's we ourselves who cause ourselves to be like that. It's our thoughts and deeds that landed us in this state. Everything is cause and effect. And we happen to classified everything that we dun understand as luck. There is no luck, just cause and effect.
The devil does not cause us to be poor. It's we ourselves who cause ourselves to be in this state. Well, one may argue "It doesn't make sense for me to cause myself in this miserable state". It's true, it doesn't make sense, but we really did. For example, for a person who is in financial difficulties, what has he done to lift himself out of that state? Did he really do anything and persist on until he make it? Or did he try for a while and then give up, saying it's impossible to get out of this situation and let himself be like this forever? One can't expect something from nothing. We're all lazy people and wants things without working for it. We're even lazy to the extend of not wanting to think. Even if u get it, u'll lose it. There r many examples of people who got won lottery or got a windfall but lost everything within one to two years.
Many people know that I'm a trader, and always ask me what stocks to buy. But my advice to them is always to educate themselves. This is an example of wanting to get something from nothing. Dun want to learn, but expect things in return. It defies the law of cause and effect.
I always say that in order to change, the mindset must change first. once mindset change, the thoughts will automatically change, habits change, and everything will soon follow. Thought is the blueprint of everything.
It is human nature to want to be in their comfort zone instead of venturing out. Well, home is always the most comfortable place. Therefore human beings resist changes.
However, the world has changed so much that those who don't keep up with it will be left behind. Gone are the days when inflation are virtually zero. Inflation, for the past few quarters, y-o-y, is more than 4%.
Perhaps it's society that instill in us that we r mere humans and can't change much. We can't change the politics, we can;t change the environment, we can't change the fact that things will get more expensive. But we can change one thing.. Ourselves.
Instead of feeling victimised, we should step out of it and empower ourselves. Victimisation is a full stop psychologically. When we feel something unjustice, we just make ourselves look as pitiful as possible, waiting for people to pity us, and.... just that...Full stop... Nothing else done.. The very same thing when people feel that things r getting more expensive due to inflation. They know it, they grumble about it, they bitch about it, and end of the day, do nothing about it.
The very first thing is not to feel that you can't do anything about ur plight. In actual fact, there r many things that u can do. Mindset and knowledge is the software for changes. Know what is it that you want to change in ur life, read up more things about it, and take the plunge. Of course there'll be failures at times, obstacles at times... But believe that u can do it. Every failure is a stepping stone.. It tells you what is wrong and how to correct it. As long as you dun give up, u'll reach ur goal eventually.
My friend was dumbfounded when I asked him what he wanted in life. Is life just working and working just to make ends meet? Is this the kind of life u want for the rest of ur life?
Many will say they have no choice. In actual fact, everyone has the choice.It's just the courage to do it. Just like my recent 1 month Taiwan trip. Many people said that there's no way they can do a 1 month trip. Well, my air ticket is just $369 and I spend a total of less than $2000 for 1 whole month!! Is there anybody who doesn't have $2000 in their bank account? The main issue is job. The only thing holding them back is the job, and not the money.. So my question is, why hold on to a job?
Frankly speaking, does a job really help u advance in your personal goal or ur mission in life? Does your job really help u see and appreciate life or things around u?
I'm not against having jobs. But many lose themselves in their jobs. If you have jobs, while still holding on to ur dreams, it's ok. But if your job is making u too busy to pursue what u want or to advance in ur life mission, then what can u say about ur job?
End of the day, on ur deathbed, what do u want to leave behind? Do u want to tell ur kids that ur boring life evolves around work and work and work or do u want to tell them how u pursue ur dreams....
Everyone has their own path to walk. The paths are all different. When we were young, we have many to choose from. But as we grow up, we got too caught up with our lives, our work and what others expect of us. Children are free from all these. They r the ones who really lead their own lives. The ones absolutely free from the shackles of society.
What is the purpose of life? It's a question that many do not have. In our short journey here, perhaps one of the purpose is to value add to others. Everything is transient. What do u want to leave behind when you leave this world?
I was quite appalled that some people have absolute faith in governments and the banking system. Is this the results of years of "education'?
The results of education system is that we become more knowledgeable but less wise. We see more things with our eyes, but not our mind. We take everything at face value. We take everything that we read as gospel truth. Or should I say it has already become a religion. Something that we believe without questioning, without doubt.
There's a cycle in everything. Life cycle, wealth cycle, sector cycle, season cycle, financial cycle. If u r at the wrong place at the wrong time, u're in for trouble. The same is true for our financial cycle. It's changing and a lot of people are still unaware of it. When it comes, a lot of people will be in trouble.
I dunno when it'll come. But I know it will. Perhaps 21 Dec 2012?? Nobody knows. Dun predict. When it happens, we'll know. But I'm afraid it'll be too late for many people. That's y I use facebook to try to warn people of it. Hope that they get the hint. Anyway, even if it does not happen, we'll be better off than if we did not prepare for it. So no one loses.
Sometimes I feel that we r indeed digging our own grave. Long ago, people earn, people save and the rest they spend. But as time goes by, they became more affluent. Generations after generations, our life gets better and better and we acquire a new habit- To spend and then save the remaining. On top of that, money still comes at the end of the month. People feel "It's like that since my grandpa's time. It's like that since my dad's time. So it'll be like that for my time." Sad to say, those with that kind of thinking, will be the victims of the next storm.
Banks, empowered by mass media, plays a huge part to the downfall. Banks encourage people to spend. You dun have to be able to afford the house. U just have to be able to afford the installment. That's how bank creates money. Many people thinks that bank earn by the high interest they charge for every loan they give. But that is wrong. The interest is, in actual fact, insignificant. The main thing they earn is by fractional banking reserve (You can find a lot of videos about fractional banking system in youtube). Bank needs people to spend so as they can survive and earn. The more u spend, the more they earn. So with the cooperation of mass media, people spend and spend. And the victor of this whole game is the bankers.
I have a very bad feeling that the storm is coming. First will be Greece to default, followed by Spain and Italy and perhaps France. The grand finale may be the collapse of US, and the world will go into the greatest depression ever seen, much greater than 1929 depression. Never in the human history is there so many countries defaulting.
Am prepared and awaiting for the storm to arrive. But I'm worried for others out there. I've been using facebook to "hint" to them to get prepared. Many companies may be wiped out if it is to come. Every time there is a crisis, there will be wealth transfer going on. From those unprepared to the prepared.
For those reading this blog, although I dun think there'll be a lot, please do something. Doing anything beats doing nothing. At the very very very very least, save ur money.
Awaiting the perfect storm....
Was quite irritated to see some people who is so ignorant about the world. There's someone who said that even if the market crash, it will not affect the Singapore economy. Well, this just shows how ignorant that person is.
We study till university, and end of the day, we come out to work, thinking that the world is perfect. Cos for 15 years, we're told that 1+1=2. We're told that our government is almighty. We're told to find a stable job which no longer exist. We're told that the media is always right. We're told that the banks is helping us "take care" of our money.
Come on, the world is not perfect. The government is not almighty. The idea of stable job ended with the end of the industrial age. The media is always wrong. And bank does not take care of our money. They're only concern about how to pocket our money.
Since young, we were told to work hard for things we want. But were most people working hard in the wrong way? Working hard for a company that values the usefulness of an employee rather than loyalty as per the previous generation? Is it worth it?
I rather I work hard for something more useful. I'm not saying working hard for a company is not useful. But what do I learn from working hard for a company? Not much. I rather work hard for myself. At least if everything fails, I learn something.
Sometimes, when people know I have a few sources of income, they'll ask me " R u that short of money?"
The thing is, I'm not short of money in the short term. But I will be short of money in the long term. As in, I need about $400,000 if I were to retire for 20 years, excluding inflation. And provided, I must drop dead by the 20th year. Once my money outlived me, my life will be worst than death.. I dun intend to work till I drop dead. And I dun believe that is what life should be.
Nowadays, people know of inflation, knowing that things will get more and more expensive, but not many takes an effort to prepare for it. A lot of people will say "What to do? There's no choice." I dun believe in no choice. It's just whether they want to do it or not. I feel that it's just an excuse, in order to be the victim, and hope for miracles.
There's always a choice if they open their mind. There's many ways, for example to invest in property, stock market, buy commodities etc etc etc. But of course, the most important thing before stepping into it is to educate urself before u go in.
Adversity and Defeat- Napoleon Hill
Every adversity you meet carries with it a seed of equivalent or greater benefit. Realize this statement, and believe in it. Close the door of your mind on all the failures and circumstances of your past so your mind can operate in a Positive Mental Attitude. Every problem has a solution- only you have to find it!
If you develop an "I don't believe in defeat attitude," you will learn that there is no such thing as defeat- until you accept it as such! If you can look at problems as temporary setbacks and stepping-stones to success, you will come to believe that the only limitations you have are the ones in your own mind.
Remember: every defeat, every disappointment and every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.
Looking at how the US increase the debt limit time and again, it really makes me worry for our next generation. I would rather that the US press the reset button, and default this time round, rather than accumulating the debt until it's "too big to fail". Its debt is already a few trillions now. 1 trillion is 1,000,000,000,000. 1 trillion seconds is 32,000 years...
Of course, if it default, it will cause ripples across the world. It is also a wake up call for countries. In the first place, everyone is to blame for the whole situation now. It takes 2 hands to clap. Y do they buy US debts in the first place?
I really wonder why is it that people can spend 16 years getting a degree to find a job, but unwilling to spend even 2 years to study about the stock market before they get in. I hate it when people say they have no money or too old to learn such things but still want to earn money. There's no short cut!
The market is a place where anyone can claim to be an expert. Like Warren Buffet said, "The Wall Street is a place where people who drove in luxury cars come to take advice from people who travel in the subway." And it seems ludicrous that it's a place where losers give others "advices" and the winners keeping quiet.
I used to wonder why profesional traders whom I talked to told me that they wish they have a full time job. It's the mind behind the whole thing. The things you have to go thru before u place an order. The strong psychology behind standing up everytime you make a wrong bet. It's not easy. Perhaps that's why they earn a lot if they succeed.
The market has no room for excuses. Too old to learn, too busy to learn, will never be accepted. It's either u know or u dun. If u dunno, u just have to pay a price for it. It's that simple!
It seems like people in my generation will find it hard to retire when they grow old. And this will become a problem for the government of the future generation to tackle.
Housing may be one of the main culprit for the whole mess. A normal 4 room flat cost about $400k now. Which means that a typical person will be set back by at least $400k when he retires. And that is without inflation into the picture.
In 30 years time, when my generation is about to retire, we will find that we have not much CPF money in our account. Even if we have, the money is about $400k lesser than what it should be.. That's about half a million. To know how much is half a million, it's 152 years worth of chicken rice, assuming having it 3 times a day, $3 per plate. This will not be a problem as long as we work till we die. However, before a person dies, our body will break down first and we will find ourselves visiting the hospital more than we should, which will cost more n more expensive. With no money but in need of medical aids, this will eventually end up on the shoulders of the government at that time.
I am really curious why do people like dividend that they get from shares? It is actually the company taking your money and giving a bit back to you and people think that they earn the money. For example, a share cost $5 and it gives you dividend of $0.50. So on the day of the dividend, the price of the shares become $4.50 ($5-0.50). Dividend is not earned. It is your own money.
It's the same as u give me $1000 and I give u back $50 every month and deduct it from the account.
People may argue that at least for stock, it goes up, and of course down. If money in bank, it earns little interest. Well, with or without dividend, the stock still goes up and down the same way. So it doesn't make much difference. Perhaps that is why really good stocks do not give out dividends...
Went to buy breakfast today and the storeowner was having small talk with me. She said that things r getting more expensive now but if she raise the price, people will not want to buy from her. Well, this is a very real thing. I would say that perhaps, the main cause or the root cause of inflation is the population boom globally, and the uneven wealth distribution.
The rate of our production cannot catch up with the population boom. With smaller supply and larger demand, those who can pay a higher price will get it. Therefore things become more expensive. On top of that, due to the uneven wealth distribution, the rich live and eat not just for mere survival but for luxury and enjoyment, depleting resources that can be used to give to a few more people in poor countries to help them survive.
Everybody just need a spark. I would call it a spark to be awaken. One of my fren told me that she is awakened during the recent election, that she may be middle class now but in a few years time, she may become the lower class as things start to get more and more expensive.
I too, was awakened many years ago by a news showing a man crying, after being retrenched after working 20 years in a local bank.
The awakening will induce a paradigm shift to the mindset and thinkings, behaviour will change after that. Perhaps it may take years, or months to complete the change.
Been very free these days.. And doing nothing gives myself the impression that I'm not earning much this month. On the contrary, when I have a lot of relief teaching in school, I "work" everyday and I have the impression that I was earning more. But the fact is that, this month, I earn more than those months that I do relief teaching.
Perhaps working gives people the false impression that they're earning a lot. We're been taught since young that u work hard, u earn more, isn't it? And also, when u work hard, firstly, u get more tired and will want something to "reward" urself, so u'll spend more. Secondly, u work hard, and presume that u have more money and will tend to spend more.
It's not hard to understand why so many people have not much savings. It stems from society, from the media, from our circle of frens. The society label the rich to Gucci, LV, Prada, dining in fine restaurant etc. The bank promotes loan. The media advertise to promote lavish lifestyle etc. After such bombardment, the youngs, first time experiencing money into their bank account, will consciously or sub consciously spend and spend.
The society has also a part to play. How many of us have heard of the saying "Life is short, play hard", "U can't take ur money away when u die" etc. It is true, life is short. It is true, u can't take ur money when u die. And perhaps people who said all these r those who live from paychecks to paychecks. I dun think living from paycheck to paycheck is wrong, provided that u have sufficient money for emergency. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. Perhaps someone in the family met with an accident and needed to be hospitalised or need money for operation etc. And if someone u care for cannot get good treatment because of money issue, it'll be a sad thing. Not being pessimistic, just being realistic.
As for the "u can't take money away when u die" statement, I've said in my previous entry that u'll be worst than dying if u outlive ur money. I dun mind leaving behind excess money when I die, but I mind using up my money before I die.
Failure is not having the courage to try, nothing more and nothing less. The only thing standing between most people and their dreams is the fear of failure. Yet failure is essential to success in any endeavour: Failure tests us and allows us to grow. It offers us lessons and guides us. It is said that every arrow that hits the bull's eye is the results of one hundred misses. It is a fundamental Law of Nature to profit through loss. Never fear failure. Failure is your friend
Human beings r psychotic:
1) We like to listen to things we want to hear, even though we know it's a lie. Although we have evolved and modernised, our thinking, and perhaps the way we think are still very primitive. Just like animals, we like to be in a group. The herd instinct....
Sales person are always taught "見人說人話, 見鬼說鬼話." Whatever u like to hear, they'll say it. And once that person hear the things they wanted to hear, they'll subconsciously accept u to be "in their gang".
2) We like to find excuses. We like to blame the whole world except ourselves. We blame the stone on the floor that cause us to trip instead of blaming ourselves for not looking. We blame the teacher setting such a difficult test instead of us not studying hard. We blame our bosses for not increasing our pay instead of us not upgrading ourselves. We even blame the god for not letting us win lottery when we did not even buy a lottery ticket. It's easier to point finger and blame other things. Cos it's easier to play the victim. Victims dun need to do anything...
3) We always hope, hope and hope. We want something from nothing. We want to be promoted, but dun wan to put in extra effort. We want extra cash every month, but dun want to find an alternative source of income.
I don't know if I'm feeling tired these days or what. Just don't feel like replying sms or answering calls at times...
Common excuses people use:
1) Money is the root of all evilMoney indeed can be used to do harmful things. But on the other hand, it can be used to do good deeds. It is just a leverage. People, who r evil, use money to do more harm. Those who r good use money to do more good. So money is neutral. It is the person behind the money that is the main culprit.
2) Life is short, play hard. You can't bring money with u when u dieIndeed!! This phrase can't be more correct! Life is short, and we can't bring our money away when we die. But the thing is, when will we die? Is there anyone who can tell us exactly when we'll die so that we can plan how to use the money? For example if you know u'll die in a month, u can withdraw all the money in ur bank and start to live a life of a king. But what if u're not dead? Ur life will be worst than dying if ur money outlived u.
So, yes. We can't bring money with us in the other world. But I rather my money outlive me than i outlive my money.
3) The rich r evil, or get money through evil meansThere r more rich who do charity then do evil. Bill Gates, has a charity foundation to help the poor in other countries. When the Japan earthquake and tsunami strike last month, one person donated $1 million to them.
Most of the rich got their money through business. Bill Gates got his money through Microsoft. Bernard Arnault got his money through the LV bags that women buys. Christy Walton got money through Walmart.
Liliane Bettencourt got money through Loreal cosmetic. So if this is the case, those buying their products are accomplice.
4) Stock market is dangerousDriving a car is as dangerous if u did not learn. Crossing the road is dangerous too. The reason why many said that the stock market is dangerous because they did not learn about it before they enter the market. Many follow the advice of their frens, who r equally blind, to buy a certain stock. The blind leading the blind, and end of the day, everyone dies.
Before Lehman Brother collapse in 08, professional investors, which comprises perhaps 20% of the investor's population, had already cashed out about $200 million from the stock market, in anticipation of the collapse of the market. Therefore, the rest of the 80%, not knowing what happened, are sucked into the abyss when the stock market collapse.
5) I dun need so much money. I just need the money to surviveIf our body can work till the very day we die, i agree, we dun need so much money. But the fact is that we will grow old. Our body will grow old. There will be a day when you cannot go to work. So what do u do when u cannot work and u have no money in ur bank?
Human beings are confused animals. 80% of human beings choose to be poor and they dun want to be rich. They pay lips service by saying they want to be rich, but did nothing. They buy 4D, although they know the odds of winning is very low. And even if they won $100,000, they first thing they do is to spend the money away and eventually, they're back to the same old poor person.
People want to be rich, but do not want to learn. They just hope and dun want to do anything. They are lazy, or afraid to take the risk. They do the same thing over and over again, expecting to get different results.
Seems like there's a lot of instability these days. The Jasmine Revolution in MENA, and the magnitude 9 earthquake, and the tsunami, and now the nuclear explosion in Japan.
The media has been focusing a lot in the aftermath of the disaster in Japan. Food were snapped out as people fear for the wind to blow the radioactive particles to them. In areas which were hit by the earthquake and tsunami, people r still living in fear and hunger, awaiting food and rescue to them. Roads had been cut off and resupply is hard. There is no electricity, no clean water and food to the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. And they have to endure the freezing temperature due to power failure.
It is heart warming to see other countries offering their aid to Japan at this moment. It is also comforting that China offered their help at the very first moment, despite themselves hit by an earthquake a few weeks ago. On top of that, China redirect some of their raw material to Japan to help out in this disaster. US, Australia and many other countries also offer their aid to Japan.
On the web, there r many postings on facebook and twitter to encourage the Japanese to live on. Below are also some twitter posts on the condition and the resilience of the Japanese:
At Tokyo Disneyland:
Tokyo Disneyland was handing out its shops’ food and drinks for free to the stranded people nearby. I saw a bunch of snobby looking highschool girls walking away with large portions of it and initially though “What the …” But I later I found out they were taking them to the families with little children at emergency evacuation areas. Very perceptive of them, and a very kind thing to do indeed.
At a congested downtown intersection …
Cars were moving at the rate of maybe one every green light, but everyone was letting each other go first with a warm look and a smile. At a complicated intersection, the traffic was at a complete standstill for 5 minutes, but I listened for 10 minutes and didn’t hear a single beep or honk except for an occasional one thanking someone for giving way. It was a terrifying day, but scenes like this warmed me and made me love my country even more.
During the earthquake
We’ve all been trained to immediately open the doors and establish an escape route when there is an earthquake. In the middle of the quake while the building was shaking crazily and things falling everywhere, a man made his way to the entrance and held it open. Honestly, the chandelier could have crashed down any minute … that was a brave man!
Bus stop mini episode:
It was freezing and bus was taking ages to arrive. “@saiso” left the queue to run to a nearby pharmacy. He bought heating pads and gave one to everyone in the queue!
Reminded of the goodness of the Japanese people
This earthquake has reminded me of that Japanese goodness that had recently become harder and harder to see. Today I see no crime or looting: I am reminded once again of the good Japanese spirit of helping one another, of propriety, and of gentleness. I had recently begun to regard my modern countrymen as cold people … but this earthquake has revived and given back to all of us the spirit of “kizuna” (bond, trust, sharing, the human connection). I am very touched. I am brought to tears.
Card board boxes, Thank you!
It was cold and I was getting very weary waiting forever for the train to come. Some homeless people saw me, gave me some of their own cardboard boxes and saying “you’ll be warmer if you sit on these!” I have always walked by homeless people pretending I didn’t see them, and yet here they were offering me warmth. Such warm people.
What foreigners are saying about Japanese people
At a supermarket where everything was scattered everywhere over the floors, shoppers were helping pick them up and putting them back neatly on the shelves before quietly moving into line to wait to pay for them. On the totally jam-packed first train after the quake, an elderly man gave up his seat for a pregnant woman. Foreigners have told me they are amazed witnessing sights like these. I do believe they actually saw what they said they saw. Japan is truly amazing.
Japanese people don’t shove
I'm looking at Yurakucho station from above. I see people standing in line, not pushing or shoving to get onto the Yamanote Line (probably the busiest line in central Tokyo), even at a time like this!
The bakery lady
There was a small bread shop on the street I take to go to school. It has long been out of business. But last night, I saw the old lady of the shop giving people her handmade bread for free. It was a heart-warming sight. She, like everyone else, was doing what she could to help people in a time of need. Tokyo isn’t that bad afterall!
Japan is a wonderful nation!
Both the government and the people, everyone is helping one another today. There are truck drivers helping evacuees move. I even heard that the “yakuza” (gangsters, organized crime groups) are helping to direct traffic in the Tohoku region! There have been many recent developments that have made me lose my sense of pride in my country, but not anymore. Japan is an amazing place! I’m just simply touched. Go Japan!
At the supermarket
I just came back safely from the supermarket! Man, I was so touched at how everyone there was mindful of others, buying only as much as they needed and leaving the rest for the people behind them.
A strong voice
Yesterday, I was impressed and touched by the actions of my neighbor’s 13-year-old-boy. He was home alone when the earthquake hit. But instead of hiding, as soon as the earthquake quieted down, he jumped on his bicycle and road around the block repeatedly shouting at the top of his voice, “Is everyone alright? Is everyone okay?” At the time, there were only women and children and the elderly in the homes. I cannot describe how comforting it was just to hear a strong voice asking if I was okay. Thank you!
Rest here!
Last night, I decided, rather than stay at the office, I should try walking home. So I slowly made my way west on Koshu freeway on foot. It was around 9PM when I saw an office building that had a sign that said “Please use our office’s bathrooms! Please rest here!” The employees of the office were loudly shouting out the same to all the people trying to walk home. I was so touch I felt like crying. Well, I guess I was too tense yesterday to cry, but now the tension is wearing off and am very much in tears.
Not enough money!
At the store where I work, a huge group of young men suddenly came in to buy booze. One of them suddenly said, “Oops, I only have enough money to buy booze, I can’t donate! Forget the booze, maybe next time!” and instead put ALL his money into the disaster relief donation box. One by one, every single one of the army of youths threw all their money into the box after him. What a heart-warming sight that was!
It seems like everything is a lesson by itself. It seems like life is trying to tell us something. Every person u met, everything u experienced, every pain u felt, has a lesson to teach you.
Everyone enters our life for a reason. Some people enter our lives to give us support and care and encouragement, some enter our lives to teach us how to handle things, some enter our lives to tell us more about ourselves.
Lessons in life is not like the lessons that we learn in school. There is no chapters. Everything is continuous and it is hidden in the things we do, the people we met. No one is going to tell u "I'm going to teach u this and this today". Lessons is always hidden in people or things that is not obvious. The person who is the most nasty to u may be the person who taught u the most. The person who is nice to u may be the person who taught u the least. Instead of disliking and blaming those who do us injustice, we might as well think of what they have taught us and change and move on. There's a reason behind everything a person does. There's a lesson behind everything.
From the book "Your money or your life"
We aren't making a living, we are making a dying. Consider the average American worker. The alarm rings at 6.45 and our working man or woman is up and running. Shower. Dress in the professional uniform- suits or dresses for some, overalls for others, whites for the medical professionals, jeans and flannel shirts for the construction workers. Breakfast, if there's time. Grab commuter mug and briefcase and hop in the car for the daily punishment called rush hour. On the job from nine to five. Deal with the boss. Deal with the coworker sent by the devil to rub you the wrong way. Deal with the suppliers. Deal with clients/customers/patients. Act busy. Hide mistakes. Smile when handed impossible deadlines. Give a sign of relief when the ax known as "restructuring" or "downsizing"- or just plain getting laid off- falls on others heads. Shoulder the added workload. Watch the clock. Argue with your conscious but agree with the boss. Smile again. Five o'clock. Back in the car and onto the freeway for the evening commute. Home. Act human with mates, kids or roommates. Eat. Watch TV. Bed. Eight hours of blessed oblivion.
And they call this making a living? Think about it. How many people have you seen who are more alive at the end of the work day than they were at the beginning? .... Aren't we killing ourselves- our health, our relationships, our sense of joy and wonder- for our jobs? We are sacrificing our lives for money- but it's happening so slowly that we barely notice.
People pay lip service to their dreams of freedom, but many feel frightened by it. If I stop making money for any reason whatsoever, no corporate parent will take care of me. This is a frightening thought for most people. No wonder so many of us have grown used to the security of our corporate cages.
Caged animals develop all sorts of neurotic behaviors. A common neurosis is an addiction to the earn-and-spend cycle. We are taught since childhood that our place in society is defined by what we consumed. If you drive a $50,000 car, you are a better, more successful person than someone who drives a $15,000 auto, whereas a neighbor who drives a $120,000 car is a very special winner altogether. The man who dresses at an Armani boutique is a more refined individual than someone who buys his pants and shirts at the corner store. Society waves countless carrots in our faces. The ads sell not food, shelter, or transportation, but a boost of self esteem. An addict feels revived by a fix for only a short time. People spend their entire lives straining to keep up with the Joneses. Those dastardly Joneses do not have the decency to stay in place, and as they climb the ladder, we must climb also.
How do we define right and wrong? So far till now, most right and wrong are based on whether it is for the good or for the bad of the society. Socially correct... but is it really correct?
There's always a hierarchy in society. The base is always wider than the top to be stable. There's always more workers than bosses in this society. Therefore a lot of things are catered for the masses. Our education prepare and mold us to be workers. We were told that working hard is a virtue since young. We were told not to take risk. We were told that not to dream unrealistic dreams.
Does all these really serve the workers? Being hardworking is for the benefit of the company. There r so many people who work long hours a day, sacrificing their personal time for the company. Company earns money, does a part of the earning goes into the payroll of the worker? Working the minimum 8 hours a day and working 24 hours a day gets the same pay.
We were told not to take risk. Stability is the key. Does it really serve the worker? By engraving into the mindset of workers of this ensure that movement of workers is minimise to a minimum. Because everyone is afraid of risk and yield for stability, they do not dare to quit a job for fear of risk and uncertainty.
We were told not to dream of unrealistic dreams. Without dreams, we would still be living in caves and hunting for our survival. What is unrealistic yesterday may be realistic today. Why is it that we, as individual, are discourage from dreaming big while companies and organisations are encourage to dream and come out with computers, aeroplanes, and even going to the moon?
Is there really a conspiracy going on somewhere in this society?
Does history repeat itself? Or is it that human beings are similar?
I read somewhere that history will repeat itself until we break out of it. Unless we manage to break out of it, the same thing will come to us again and again. The bully will always bully the same few people again and again until they stand up for themselves. The same situation always happens, be it in our relationship with friends, love ones, family etc. For example, some people always attracts the wrong kind of friends etc etc...
Perhaps the first thing is not to victimise ourselves. Don't ever thing and allow yourself to feel victimised. Study the problem and solve it. We can't change others, but we can change ourselves. And in the process of changing ourselves, we change the way to respond to it and the whole situation.
Many fights are started with one person hurling abusive words at the other. The other will respond to it with a more abusive words and eventually, it escalates to a fight. But if the first person hurl angry words at the other and the other person smile and walk away, a lot of fights can be avoided. I remembered my sis once told me that sometimes she feels like quarreling with my bro in law but it never happens cos my bro in law just diffuse it by not retorting her at that moment. One hand just can't clap.
Haven't been blogging for a long time. Went reservist for 2.5 weeks. Had to wake up at 5 plus in the morning to hitch a ride to Pasir Laba camp at the other end of the island. Everyday I'm dragging myself to camp. A tiring 13 hrs shift at the end of the exercise, morale is damn low. Very tired at the end of the day and fell asleep once i hit the pillow. No time for my daily goal affirmation and visualisation. No wonder when people start working, they lose all goals in life. I really wonder how can people endure working life, in which u get a fixed salary and work so long a day. It's exploitation!
Last Day of 2010Review:
Sold my Mazda 3. I think this is the best thing I ever done. Car really drains a lot of money. And in Singapore, with the efficient mass transport network, there is actually no need to own a car.
I went 2 trips this year. First trip to Vietnam in April, another trip to Taiwan in November. Both trips are the first in my life. For Vietnam trip, it's an impromptu trip that I plan and go within 24 hrs. For Taiwan trip it's the first trip to go with a 1 way ticket, although end of the day, I'm forced to buy a return ticket at the airport.
Felt like going somewhere in April and saw quite a few people's blog about Vietnam. Therefore, I immediately bought an air ticket and flew over there the next day. Within 24 hrs, I'm already there. First time in my life, although I'll prefer going to the airport without any destination in mind and decide on the spot at the airport and buy the next plane ticket and fly there. Well, it's a good start.
Went Taiwan in Nov after having planned for 3 months. Initially there is a sense of euphoria. But as time passed, the sense of euphoria died down. End of the day, I go Taiwan because I've already bought the ticket. The feeling is different from the trip to Vietnam.
Been in Taiwan for 1 month and I really enjoy it. I seen quite a lot of things, and it changed some of my thinking. I stayed with the locals, and experienced their way of life. Materially and financially speaking, generally, they may have lesser compared to us. But they have a very big heart, a very sincere heart that we can't find in Singapore.
Financially, I've reached my goal that I set up at the start of the year. Although it's not a big goal to start up with, it's a proof of the power of the mind and determination. Trading wise, there is still a lot of things that I need to improve on. Tried Forex and now still in the reds after being played out by Kinetic Securities.
Goal for 2011:
1) To have passive income to cover my normal expenditure, be it from trading or over-ride from property.
Below is a compilation of the best things in Taiwan in my opinion:
Best food: 台南
Most beautiful night sky: 虎尾, 雲林
Best sea view: 加路蘭, 台東
Railway line with the best view: Between 宜蘭 and 花蓮
Best 太陽餅: 阿明師老店, 台中
Most beautiful park: 慈湖雕像公園, 中壢
Most beautiful bridge: 彩虹橋, 澎湖
Most beautiful man made artifact: 雙心石滬, 澎湖
Most beautiful sunset: 中正大學, 民雄
Friendliest place: 花蓮
Most beautiful beach: 墾丁, 屏東
Best 雞排: 澎湖
Best food: 肉燥飯
Best milk tea: 紅茶瑪琪朵
Best ice shaving: 海之冰, 高雄
Most beautiful cafe: 微風山林, 華山
Best hostel: Iris Tower Backpacker's Hostel, 台南
Summary of my Taiwan TripTaiwan trip is an extraordinary experience for me. In this trip, I experienced the tremendous warmth of the Taiwanese. There are people who will go to such an extend as to sacrifice their rooms for me, and treat me to expensive meals. Taiwanese are truely hospitable!
On a whole, I feel that Taiwanese are very friendly. They go a long way to make you comfortable once they know that u r from overseas.
During this period of one month, I witnessed the election atmosphere in Taiwan. And the camaraderie and unity of Taiwanese when one of their athletes were unfairly disqualified from the ASEAN Games. Such things were not seen in Singapore.
The round trip around the island enables me to see the difference between the north and the south, the east and the west.
The pace of the south is slower and the streets are less packed. Weather is warmer in the south than the north.
The west is more service oriented than the east. Efficiency is greater in the west than the east. For example, the wait for bus in the Taichung is about 20 mins, while that of Hualian is about an hour, and that of Taitung is virtually zero.
The most friendly people, I should say, are the people from Hualian. It very easy to chat up with the locals and they'll give you friendly advice on the nice places to go. There was once when we were just asking for directions and someone offered us umbrella as it was drizzling.
On the other hand, the place that is the least service oriented, in my opinion, is Taitung. Perhaps the city has not really open up and people are not so used to the service sector. Chewing betal nut is a common scene in Taitung and people just spit the betel nut juices on the ground. Mass transportation is virtually none. The schedule of the buses are an hour and a half to two hours apart. Buses just speed past the bus stops and if you did not put out your hand in time, you'll have to wait for the next bus.
Penghu, an archipelago to the east of Chiayi, will nevertheless awe people with its natural beauty. Although the 5 hours ferry ride is a bit of a put off, the beauty of the island will definitely more than compensate for the ferry ride. The wind at Penghu is very strong, especially at the Rainbow Bridge. Penghu is basically a laid back town, with nothing to do at night except for watching TV in the hostel.
Kenting, a place in the southern Taiwan, offers people with the sun, the sea, and the mountains. The sky is unusually blue, with turquoise sea and green mountains. Scooter ride, with the sea on one side and the mountain on the other, is definitely a must.
Tainan is a food paradise. It seems to me that any food sold there are delicious. There are many old historical relics in Tainan and is definitely a must-go. Night market in Tainan is mobile and one must know which night market is open at any day of the week.
Huwei, Yunlin, being an agricultural county has a very nice night view. Without any light pollution, it is almost pitch darkness in the night. Therefore, the night sky is dotted with numerous stars. It is also a place where one can see from one horizon to the other in full 180 degree view.
The pace of life in Taiwan virtual transits at Taichung. Cities south of Taichung has a slower pace of life while cities from Taichung and to the north has a faster pace of life. Taichung, being a vibrant city, is very packed with people at night, and with many beautiful cafe that dots the city.
Every city in Taiwan has their own unique features. It's almost impossible to explore every part of Taiwan and experience it in just a month. I am very lucky to experience university hostel life with Aya and Huiwen, and to experience how the locals live their life in Taiwan with Zhengxian, Xinci, Wanlin and Yuan Ling. This trip certainly will be engraved into a part of my memory. A very fruitful trip, something that money can't buy.
Thank you so much Aya for exploring Kenting with me on the scooter ride.
Thank you Huiwen for making me one of your motivator to pass your scooter licence and giving up your room for me.
Thank you Zhengxian and Xinci for the tour around Yunlin and the expensive dinner and lunch.
Thank you Wanlin for giving up your room while u squeeze with your parents.
And Thank you Yuan Ling for cleaning up the room and stressing up to think where to bring me to.
THANK YOU everyone!!
Taiwan Trip
Embarked on my Taiwan Trip on 15 November after 3 months of planning. The euphoria of this trip actually dies down after so many months. But well, since the ticket is booked, just have to go along with it.
I bought a one way ticket to Taiwan, as I did not know when I’ll want to come back. Was thinking of flying back when I feel like it. However, when at the airport, I was told that I cannot board the plane unless I have a return ticket. Felt a bit pissed with this. Was told to buy a return ticket from the counter. I was quoted $414 for the return ticket. The girl at the counter informed me that it’ll be cheaper if I buy it online. Luckily I brought a laptop and immediately online to buy a return ticket at $252. Saved $162.
Reached Taiwan after about 5 hours of flight. Immediately rushed to take the high speed rail to Kaohsiung to meet Aya. After meeting Aya, I checked in my hostel but don’t really like the place. Find it too remote from the train station. On top of that, don’t like the atmosphere there.
Left the hostel for the jetty to Penghu the next day. The sea was quite rough that day. Having some trouble walking straight in the ferry. Reached Penghu after 5 hours in the ferry. Checked in my hostel and walked around the town that very day.
The trip to Penghu is very nice. Slow pace of life, and fantastic scenery, especially the twin heart rock in Qimei. Strong wind, cold weather. And it seems that I am the only tourist in the whole of Penghu as it’s the low season for tourism right now.
Went back Kaohsiung and met Aya again. She met me in her scooter. I must say the way she rode scooter is scary as she accelerates quite fast. Furthermore, because I am carry my backpack on my back, the inertia was pulling me back whenever she accelerates. Went Raohe night market before making our way back to her hostel. Stayed a night in her hostel.
We went Kenting the next day. Along the way to Kenting, the tyre of the mini van burst and I had to help to change the tyre. Never had such an experience to change the tyre in the middle of the expressway.
Kenting is a beautiful place with blue sky, turquoise sea and green mountain. We rented a scooter and travelled around Kenting. Went to the market for lunch, then to the seaside and finally to the mountain to for sunset. Walked around the main street of Kenting that night. The next day, we continued our journey to the south. Went to the southern most tip of mainland Taiwan.
Left Kenting at noon and took a 2 hours ride from Kenting to Kaohsiung. Aya had motion sickness and was feeling sick during the trip. The torturous trip ended in Kaohsiung Main Station and we made our way to Cijin. But before that, we went for dessert at an ice store. I must admit that the ice is delicious. Went over to Cijin and toured the place for about an hour before Aya had to go back Kaohsiung to pick up her roommate.
My next day in Kaohsiung is psychologically demanding. Perhaps it’s because of the hot weather during the daytime that gave me a congested feeling. Furthermore, perhaps I have no one to talked to all of a sudden that made me feel weird. At the very least, I had Aya to talked to the past few days. I began to miss home all of a sudden. Never had such feelings before.
Went Tainan early morning the very next day to escape from the hot afternoon heat in Kaohsiung. The weather in Tainan is so cooling and I loved it so much. In addition to that, the food was great too. Good food, good weather, and good hostel operator. I cancelled my trip to Fen Qi Hu in exchange for one more day in Tainan.
Proceed to Minxiong, Chiayi and met my next host, Huiwen. Went to her hostel to leave my backpack before she brought me to tour her university. Quite a relaxing walk in the campus. After that, we bought our dinner back to her hostel and had a “romantic” dinner by the candlelight. Haha.. She had a birthday celebration that night and had to leave me in the room while she goes to help out in the party. At some point of time, her friends will look for her in her room. However, it seems to me that her friends are quite curious about me and some of them will come in to say hello. Well, Taiwanese are friendly and amicable people.
The stay at Minxiong ended so fast. Left Minxiong for Huashan next morning. Reached Douliu and took a cab to Huashan. However, it seems that many of the shops and hostels are closed. I did not book a hostel beforehand and therefore had some trouble looking for accommodation. It seems like a dead town. While walking up the hill looking for accommodation, I saw someone in a shop picking coffee bean and asked her if there’s any hostel nearby. She helped me call one of the hostel manager to pick me up. While waiting for the car, we chatted and she wanted to treat me a cup of coffee when she knew I am from Singapore.
Left my backpack at the hostel and made my way to the coffeehouse that I was finding for the past 5 years. Walked up the mountain as my hostel is at the bottom of the mountain and the coffeehouse at the top of the mountain. Took about 2 hours to reach there. The feeling was beyond words when I reached the coffeehouse. 5 years of searching, 5 hours of flight, $500 of air ticket, and 2 hours trekking up the mountain. Perhaps people may say that it’s too much an effort for a cup of coffee. I would say that it’s a goal, an effort, a persistence, and a belief to reach there. Just like any goals we set in life. After the goal is set, an effort to achieve the goal must be made, a persistence to reach the goal despite all odds, and a belief that you will get there
Zhengxian picked me up at the hostel early in the morning. We went the green tunnel for a relaxing breakfast. Bought some fried mushroom there. It was quite delicious. After that, we went to see the bridge that connects Yunlin to Changhua. We proceed to Zhengxian’s auntie place and then to see a historic temple. I must say Taiwan has lots of temples. We went to the puppet museum after that. In the puppet museum, it depicts the different characters in a traditional puppet show. Our last destination was a towel factory in Yunlin.
Zhengxian and family brought me to eat a local delicacy. It is said to build up the body in preparation for the cold winter. I wanted to pay the bill but they insist on paying. Felt so bad.
The next day, we went to Taichung. Went to 921 Earthquake museum to experience the earthquake that was felt in 21 September 1999. After that, we went Xinci’s house and was introduced to the family. Her dad gave us a treat. They are all very nice and sincere people. After lunch, we went to Xinci’s house for Karaoke and viewing Zhengxian and Xinci’s wedding video. First time I experience the Taiwanese way of life. On the whole, Taiwanese family are very close to one another.
Went to meet my next host, Wanlin after that. I told her that I came Taichung a few years ago and the impression that Taichung gave me was that it’s an old town. We went to walk around the area near her place and then went to the night market. Well, comeing to Taiwan is of course to visit the night market. I had a 180 degrees change of view after she brought me out that night. I saw the other side of Taichung.
Traffic in Taichung is quite horrendous. On top of that, I have not seen so many people for a long time. For the past few weeks, it is almost like I’m the only people in the street, or the only car on the road. And now, so many vehicles squeezing onto the road. Quite overwhelmed by it.
Taichung is famous for its “Tai Yang Bing” and Wanlin brought me to get some on my last night. The “Tai Yang Bing” is the best I have ever had. It’s taste sweet and a bit cooling on the inside. Never tasted such a good “Tai Yang Bing” before. It’s even better than Tai Yang Tang’s Tai Yang Bing.
Proceed to Hsinchu after that. Initially planned to stayed at a dorm. However, it is a distance from the train station and was feeling tired, therefore just find another accommodation near the station. Hsinchu is actually quite a nice place. It has vibrant city life, unlike what I initially thought. Well, I just have one day there and therefore did not venture out too far from the city.
Left Hsinchu for Taoyuan the next day. Met up with Yuanlin at Chungli Station. She came with her scooter and brought me to her dad’s place to leave my luggage there before we proceed to tour Taoyuan by bus. Went to an old street for some tofu and then to a park where there are hundreds of Chiang Kai Shiek’s statue. The park is very serene and beautiful. Went to night market in the evening. Played some games at the night market and I lose the game. Well, it’s obvious as I never played before. Haha. The loser treat the winner to a drink.
Yuanlin brought me to take a free bus from Zhongyuan University to Taipei. Reached Taipei in about an hour. The first thing I did was to get an accommodation and then went to meet up with Jane in Ximen Ding. Left for Shilin after lunch at KFC in Ximen Ding. Walked around Shilin and then sat diwn at Starbucks for a chat. Jane told me that Longshan Temple is good as she brought her friend to pray to Yue Lao and her friend got attached after a while. Therefore the next day, I went to the temple and walked around that area. Longshan temple is in the midst of the red light district in Taipei. And while walking around, I see a lot of “aunties” trying to solicit. They remind me of “Ruhua” in Stephen Chow’s movie. Haha.
Met up with Johnny and Ariel after that. Went Wufenpu. Shopping at Wufenpu was quite tiring. And Johnny was almost dying after the trip to Wufenpu. We took a rest at a café at Taipei main station and found the shop that claimed that they introduced 珍珠奶茶to the world. Had dinner at Shida Night Market and then went to a pub for a drink.
Stayed at Danshui the next day. The accommodation is at the top of a hill and had to walk up a steep slope to get there. The boss of the hostel is quite a nice lady and we chatted for an hour or so. Previously, the Danshui I knew is just the street and the fisherman wharf. However, this time, I found out that there are some interesting places other than the ones I usually go to.
My next stop is the eastern Taiwan. Went Hualian, the place where most of the earthquake originates. I was quite disappointed when they told me that there was an earthquake the very morning when I’m supposed to be there. I was still in the train then. Scenery at the east coast is very beautiful. However, the sand at the beach is black instead of the usual white or beige in colour. Went to 南賓公園, overlooking the pacific ocean, and enjoy what mother nature offers me. Back to nature.
I should say people in Hualian is very friendly. Just by sitting in the bus, I chatted with 2 middle age ladies and the bus driver. One of the lady is quite familiar with one of the places that we are going and brought me around the place. Went to Liyu Lake after that. Same bus driver, different passengers. Chatted up with them again. Hualian people, I should say, are the friendliest people I have met.
After 2 days in Hualian, and disappointed that I have not experience any earthquake, I went to Taitung. Taitung, a place that is so remote to tourist, is almost untouched by mankind. Well, I’m just being exaggerating. Taitung has a nice scenery and the pace of living is slow. The bus system is horrendous. There’s only a few buses prying through a certain location and if u miss the bus, u’ll have to wait for an hour or so. And the drivers in Taitung are not as friendly as those in other states. The drivers speed through the bus stop and if u did not put out your hand early enough, he’ll just speed pass u and u’ll have to wait for the next bus.
I missed a bus at 小野柳 and the next bus is 2 hours later. However, some locals brought me to another bus stop to take another bus to the same location. Was waiting for the bus with a primary school teacher and 2 primary students and we missed the bus again as it speed pass us. The teacher, went back to the school to drive his car in order to send the students home and gave me a lift at the same time.
Went hot spring the next day. It’s the first time I tried public pool. The public pool has more facilities than the private room. Had a good night sleep after the hot spring.
Woke up early the next day to catch the train to Kaohsiung. The 0840hrs train was full and therefore I had to wait for the 0945hrs train. Was so tired that I slept throughout most of the train ride. Only woke up in between to catch a glimpse of the scenery and went back to sleep again.
I reached Kaohsiung on 11 December 2010, at 1256hrs, which completed my round Taiwan trip. Took 和欣 to Taichung to buy 太陽餅. Always have the impression that 和欣 buses are very comfortable. Perhaps I should admit that it’s better compared to other buses, but not what I expected. Took a cab to the 太陽餅shop and then took a train back to Taipei.
While at the hostel in Taipei, I was online and got to know that Wanlin was in Taipei. Therefore we planned to go cycling the next day, together with her friend.
Went to Danshui again with Wanlin and her friend. I did not know where they are going but just blindly follow. If I am not wrong, initially, our plan is to go Danshui to take a ferry to Fisherman’s Wharf and to cycle from there back to Danshui. But as the queue is too long, we decided to abort the plan.
We went to Bali to rent a bicycle to cycle along the coast. The cycling trip took about 2 hours. Quite a nice and scenic path, with cool weather. However, one drawback is that there were too many people that day.
Interestingly, we crossed the same bridge, 關渡大橋, 5 times that day. First time to Danshui, Second time from Danshui to Bali. As for the third time, it’s because we missed a turn and therefore crossed the bridge again towards Danshui. Forth time was to turn back to Bali. And the fifth was after the cycling trip, when we were going to Yang Ming Shan for dinner.
Went to 象山with my hostelmates, Vickie and Wu Liang, the next day. Trekked up the mountain for a view of the Taipei 101. Went back to hostel with Wu Liang to rest for while before I went for some last minute shopping.
The last day in Taiwan was spent doing foot reflexology and having a hair cut. It’s a day for me to pamper myself before going back to Singapore. Really hate to leave Taiwan, especially when the weather is just starting to turn cold.
Well, all things must come to an end. Left Taiwan at 2030hrs after an hour delay. Touched down Singapore at 0120hrs.
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Below are the nice people whom I stayed with in Taiwan:
AYA
Met Aya at Judan Station. The first thing she said when she saw me was “You can speak mandarin!” She was very stressed as she thought that I can only speak English as she can’t converse well in English. She brought me to a café around that place for tea. She took out a map drawn by her friend and led me there. I can’t imagine that she took such effort just to bring me for tea. Was quite touched by her gesture.
Pillar riding on Aya’s scooter was like a ride in roller coaster. But it’s an experience of a lifetime. Haha.
HUIWEN
Waited for Huiwen at the Minxiong station for her about an hour plus before she arrived with a scooter. She borrowed the scooter from her friend just to ferry me. The first thing she told me when she saw me was “I just got my licence and you’re my 2nd passenger.” Was so scared that she’ll be like Aya, but end of the day, she rode quite smoothly. Perhaps it’s because she just got her licence that she’s more safety conscious. She told me that I’m one of her motivator to get a scooter licence.
Huiwen is quite a blur but cute person. She rode her scooter without the headlights on at night until I asked her if the headlights is on. Only after that did she scramble to figure out how to turn on the headlights.
Huiwen gave up her room for me and bunk in with her friend for the night, with both the girls squeezing on a small bed. I was so touched.
ZHENGXIAN & XINCI
Met Zhengxian and Xinci when they came to Singapore on 3rd November. Both of them are interesting people. Zhengxian was the first and only person who called me when there’s an earthquake in Taiwan to check if I’m alright. The first thing he asked me when I picked up the phone is “Did it frightened you?” I don’t know what he meant initially until he told me that there’s an earthquake in Taiwan a few minutes ago and he is calling me to check if I’m alright. I did not feel any earthquake in Kaohsiung. Perhaps it’s because the distance from Kaohsiung to the epicenter of the earthquake is quite far.
I must admit that Zhengxian is a very knowledgeable person. He knows a lot of things and quite informative. He certainly can be a good tour guide. Haha. Perhaps this can be his next source of income.
Xinci is a very independent lady. She has her own mind and not easily influence by others. She’s the kind who will focus and lock onto a goal until she achieves it. A very positive person, and always encouraging others.
Both husband and wife are very hospitable. Really glad to have known them.
WANLIN
Wanlin is a very nice person. She gave up her room for me while she squeezed with her parents for my 3 nights stay there. I felt very bad about it. On top of that, she brought me around with her scooter when she is free for me to experience Taichung.
Met up Wanlin again in Taipei a week later with her friend, Amie. I brought them around Danshui. Yes, I brought them around. Haha. Brought them to eat “Ah Gei” and try Red Tea Macchiato at 50岡.
YUANLIN
Knew Yuanlin when she came to Singapore a few months back. She is a very humourous girl. She is unpretentious and speaks her mind. An out-going person and brings joy to people around her. She is quite “lame” at times. An interesting person to hang around with. Certainly enjoy being with her.
