Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein
Goo Goo Dolls
There was once a man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years.
They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He asked her about the contents.
“When we were to be married,” she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”
The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.
“Honey,” he said, “that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”
“Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling all the dolls.
The moment that breaks, it's gone
“In a different world we need to find a niche for ourselves, little corners where in spite of our small size we can perform a role which will be useful to the world. To do that, you will need people at the top, decision-makers who have got foresight, good minds, who are open to ideas, who can seize opportunities like we did… My job really was to find my successors. I found them, they are there; their job is to find their successors. So there must be this continuous renewal of talented, dedicated, honest, able people who will do things not for themselves but for their people and for their country. If they can do that, they will carry on for another one generation and so it goes on. The moment that breaks, it’s gone.”
Lee Kuan Yew, in an interview with CCTV, June 12, 2005
The world’s 10 freest economies
1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Australia
4. United States
5. New Zealand and United Kingdom
7. Ireland
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Canada
Source: The Index of Economic Freedom Rankings compiled by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal
Peacekeeper
LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile system being tested at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The Peacekeeper was a land-based ICBM deployed by the United States starting in 1986. Each rocket could carry up to 10 re-entry vehicles, each with a nuclear warhead with the explosive power of up to 300 kilotons (twenty-five times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II).
Queen's Counsel
Life's Little Instruction Book
Have a firm handshake.
Look people in the eye.
Sing in the shower.
Own a great stereo system.
If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.
Keep secrets.
Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.
Always accept an outstretched hand.
Be brave. Even if you’re not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
Whistle.
Avoid sarcastic remarks.
Choose your life’s mate carefully. From this one decision will come 90 percent of all your happiness or misery.
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.
Lend only those books you never care to see again.
Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.
When playing games with children, let them win.
Be romantic.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Loosen up. Relax. Except for rare life-and-death matters.
Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for your convenience, not the caller’s.
Be a good loser.
Be a good winner.
Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.
Be modest. A lot was accomplished before you were born.
Keep it simple.
Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.
Live your life so that your epitaph could read, No Regrets.
Be bold and courageous. When you look back on life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the one’s you did.
Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.
Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.
Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.
Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital, you need to only stay a few minutes.
Once in a while, take the scenic route.
Send a lot of Valentine cards. Sign them, ‘Someone who thinks you’re terrific.’
Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.
Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table. Million-dollar ideas sometimes strike at 3 a.m.
Show respect for everyone who works for a living, regardless of how trivial their job.
Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.
Make someone’s day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.
Become someone’s hero.
Marry only for love.
Count your blessings.
Compliment the meal when you’re a guest in someone’s home.
Wave at the children on a school bus.
Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.
Don’t expect life to be fair.
Insurance and Risk
The purpose of insurance is protection against financial disaster. In this regard, there are usually 3 areas where disaster can strike:
1. Loss of income. Not many people realize that their greatest financial asset is their ability to earn money. A disability, whether physiological (e.g. loss of one hand) or psychological (e.g. mental illness), results in an inability to perform productively. This means that you will either lose your high-paying job or become unable to operate your business effectively. Either way your income falls.
2. Loss of health. A major illness or accidental trauma can run up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, in addition to the loss of income during hospitalization.
3. Loss of life. This is actually a variation of a loss of income, since it’s not the life itself but the income associated with the lifespan that can be valued in monetary terms. However insurers distinguish between loss of life and loss of income since you can be alive and kicking but totally unable to earn your previous level of income.
Comparing your lifetime earnings and the typical rates quoted by an insurer, there is no excuse for not insuring your ability to work. A disability income policy will pay a percentage, usually 75% of your last drawn pay, should you become unable to work. If you suffer a pay cut it pays a percentage of the pay cut. A typical 25 year old fellow in Singapore earning say $30,000 annually would likely earn at least $900,000 over the next 30 years, excepting increments and bonuses. Yet the cost of providing 75% replacement income ($650,000) is $400 or less annually. It is the most cost-effective coverage you can buy – ‘leverage’ is over 1,500 times.
The average person gets sick 4-5 days a year, but that’s small things like a cough, cold or the flu. 1 in 3 men will suffer a heart attack, stroke or cancer before age 65. For women, it’s 1 in 5. There are other alarming medical statistics freely available that demonstrate that the likelihood of living out a full life without a major medical incident is rather low. The local Medishield and its variants offer extremely limited coverage – there are dollar caps on every item, plus a significant deductible. At a minimum, all locals should move to IncomeShield (best of the Shield variants), but it’s not enough.
A third-party hospital and surgical plan offers better coverage (no deductible, much higher dollar caps). Premiums are in the mid-hundreds to low-thousands per year, meaning you’ll likely spend $20,000 over a lifetime. But one medical claim alone can hit $20,000, and a major operation like an organ transplant can cost $200,000. So one claim, and you’ve recovered your premium costs. Of course, ideally you don’t want to have to claim at all! Insurance is one bet you always want to lose. Critical illness plans (which pay a lump sum on diagnosis) are a nice-to-have option, although their coverage overlaps with health and surgical plans (which work via reimbursement).
Loss of life is actually only an issue for those with dependents (young children, aged parents etc). For those without dependents, life insurance is actually a waste of money, because nobody suffers a financial loss if you die. All you need is enough coverage to pay for funeral expenses – and most locals are covered in this respect by the Dependants’ Protection Scheme (automatically paid from CPF unless you opt out). But for those with dependents, it is prudent to have sufficient coverage to cover the loss of income – disability coverage usually doesn’t pay much on death.
In financial terms, when facing a risk, one should, in order of preference:
1. Avoid it.
2. Minimise it.
3. Transfer it.
4. Absorb it.
As far as health/life is concerned, you can’t avoid getting sick. You can minimise the risk by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You can transfer the risk of major bills to an insurer. You can absorb the risk of small bills from seeing your general practitioner.
Where income-earning ability is concerned, you can’t avoid getting injured or dying in an accident. You can minimise the risk of death or injury by choosing a less hazardous occupation. You can transfer the risk of consequent financial loss to an insurer. You can’t absorb the loss of income by saving enough money during good times.
Everyone but the extremely rich should have medical insurance to pay for bills and disability insurance to replace lost income. Only those with dependents should bother about life insurance.
Investment is a game of greed where you give up small known losses (in inflation and opportunity cost) in order to get large unknown gains. Insurance is a game of fear where you give up small known losses (in premiums) in order to avoid large unknown losses. Fear and greed are distinct; do not mix the two. Yet both are vital to any financial plan and must be adequately addressed.
Study: Milk dilutes benefits of tea
POSTED: 2239 GMT (0639 HKT), January 9, 2007
• Milk in tea eliminates protective effect against heart disease, study finds
• Researchers compared health effects on 16 healthy women
• Tea is second only to water in worldwide consumption
LONDON, England (Reuters) — Drinking tea can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke but only if milk is not added to the brew, German scientists said Tuesday.
Research has shown that tea improves blood flow and the ability of the arteries to relax but researchers at the Charite Hospital at the University of Berlin, Germany, found milk eliminates the protective effect against cardiovascular disease.
“The beneficial effects of drinking black tea are completely prevented by the addition of milk, said Dr. Verena Stangl, a cardiologist at the hospital.
“If you want to drink tea to have the beneficial health effects you have to drink it without milk. That is clearly shown by our experiments,” she told Reuters.
Continue reading “Study: Milk dilutes benefits of tea”
The Centre of Love
When the human race learns to live as a family, then the world will finally attain the next stage of civilization and enlightenment. Families are meant to be centers of love, which radiate their love outward to other families. When people understand this purpose and can share the experience, then they can create joy and peace throughout society. When peace reigns, there will no longer be hatred or disturbances between people, and the human mind will automatically be led upward, toward the highest center of consciousness.
Swami Rama
GPS
Did you know that you can download free GPS maps – you will never get lost again and can visit all the hard to find Malaysian seafood places. If you have a car, you can even install a system that will read out directions for you through the car sound system. Your GPS can also be used when you visit other countries like Hong Kong, China, Japan and the U.S..
A good colour GPS Receiver from Garmin is about S$665 (US$365 from U.S., HK$3980 from HK).
Register and read the Wiki at this site for more information: http://www.malsingmaps.com
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Developed by the United States Department of Defence, GPS is officially named NAVSTAR GPS (Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System). The satellite constellation is managed by the USAF 50th Space Wing. Although the cost of maintaining the system is approximately US$400 million per year, including the replacement of aging satellites, GPS is free for civilian use as a public good.
Continue reading “GPS”
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
faith, hope, love
If I speak in the tongues of men and angels,
but have not love,
I have become sounding brass or a tinkling symbol.
And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
And if I dole out all my goods, and
if I deliver my body that I may boast
but have not love, nothing I am profited.
Love is long suffering,
love is kind,
it is not jealous,
love does not boast,
it is not inflated.
It is not discourteous,
it is not selfish,
it is not irritable,
it does not enumerate the evil.
It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth
It covers all things,
it has faith for all things,
it hopes in all things,
it endures in all things.
Love never falls in ruins;
but whether prophecies, they will be abolished; or
tongues, they will cease; or
knowledge, it will be superseded.
For we know in part and we prophecy in part.
But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will be superseded.
When I was an infant,
I spoke as an infant,
I reckoned as an infant;
when I became [an adult],
I abolished the things of the infant.
For now we see through a mirror in an enigma, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know as also I was fully known.
But now remains
faith, hope, love,
these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
SCMP: Clean up your act
Friday, December 15, 2006
Clean up your act
By Suzanne Harrison
LATE-NIGHT REVELLERS know about the steam room concept. Sweating out the alcohol makes you feel better, doesn’t it? Maybe so, but tailored spa treatments and/or at-home techniques could be ideal for those suffering New Year burnout – particularly if you combine it with healthy eating and exercise.
Lawrence Brown, from Body Conscious in Central, says now is the time to make the most of promotions for “all those New Year resolutions”. He says it’s a good kick-start in conjunction with a new exercise regimen and diet.
“It will help to get the elimination system moving, improving results of exercise and diet. It’s best to start with a few treatments for maximum benefit. The number will depend on the client and usually there’s following up with maintenance every three weeks to a month.”
Body Conscious offers lymphatic drainage which helps the release of toxins and diminishes the appearance of cellulite, he says. It can be followed by a detoxifying seaweed body wrap.
“This increases the effect, releasing toxins through the kidney and bladder, promoting tissue regeneration and balancing the circulation.”
Samantha Arnold, spa director of the Four Seasons Spa, says there is an increased demand for detoxifying or purifying treatments at the beginning of each calendar year and at the start of summer.
But while pampering yourself at a spa is one New Year’s resolution that’s not difficult to keep, can it really complement a plan to help rid your body of an overload of seasonal toxins?
Swarming
Swarming is a military strategy in which a military force attacks an enemy from several different directions and then regroups. Important aspects of swarming are mobility, communication, unit autonomy and coordination/synchronization. The coordination and synchronization is of prime importance to protect against fraticide fire and achieve the overwhelming application of forces. The swarm use direct and indirect fire to achieve its goals.
SCMP: Survey confirms large numbers of HK people work overtime
A new survey shows many Hong Kong employees work a lot of overtime – and some do as much as six extra hours a day, the Apple Daily reported on Monday. The survey was conducted by Legislative Council member Mandy Tam Heung Man, who interviewed 377 full time employees.
Some 75 per cent of people surveyed said they needed to work overtime. Nearly 20 per cent said they worked overtime for five days or more.
But nine per cent of those surveyed said they had to work, at least, an six additional hours each day.
The survey also found 17.8 per cent worked overtime for five times or more each week. Most needed to work an extra two to three hours.
Over 90 per cent of respondents said the heavy workload affected their health.
“Working overtime has a negative impact on the productivity of employees,” Apple Daily reported citing the survey.
The survey found 46.9 per cent of respondents had taken sick leave in the past three months due to sickness caused by excessive work.
It found employees who needed to work overtime took, on average, more than 4.5 days sick leave annually.
Ms Tam said excessive overtime definitely affected the health of employees.
“It is also counterproductive and affects the daily operations of the organisation. Employees expressed their wish to be paid for their overtime,” she added.
Ms Tam urged the government to introduce legislation to monitor working hours.
Scorched Earth
A scorched earth policy is a military tactic which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area. Apparently a translation of Chinese ?? (Jiao Tu), the term refers to the practice of burning crops to deny the enemy food sources, although it is by no means limited to food stocks, and can include shelter, transportation, communications and industrial resources, which are often of equal or greater military value in modern warfare, as modern armies generally carry their own food supplies. The practice may be carried out by an army in enemy territory, or by an army in its own home territory.
The scorched-earth defense is a form of risk arbitrage and anti-takeover strategy. When a target firm implements this provision, it will make an effort to make it unattractive to the hostile bidder. For example, a company may agree to liquidate or destroy all valuable assets, also called “crown jewels”, or schedule debt repayment to be due immediately following a hostile takeover. In some cases, a scorched-earth defense may develop into an extreme anti-takeover defense called a “suicide pill”.
Thoughts
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle
Salubrion
Charles Saiki, a retired architectural draftsman and lifelong artist, faithfully meditated over the past thirty years in Hawaii. He first developed the idea of a compact meditation chair because he continuously needed to adjust his cushion, never achieving complete comfort or concentration. He spent three years refining its form and function before he shared the product with the world as the Salubrion Meditation Chair, becoming one of the most popular meditation stools in the U.S..
Dance Anthem
A dance anthem, floor filler or club anthem is a dance (or disco) track which receives almost timeless status, being played commonly many years after its release. Many older (pre-1990) tracks which are referred to as dance anthems are often only played at retro nights in clubs, or at themed parties. A common sub-category of dance anthems have sometimes been referred to as “tunes”, examples of such tracks include “For An Angel” by Paul van Dyk, “Energy 52” by Cafe Del Mar, “Carte Blanche” by Veracocha and “Born Slippy” by Underworld.
However, most commonly a dance anthem is a track which DJ’s still play in normal sets alongside the usual tracks. Some are played only towards the end of a set, almost as if a mini retro set was being played, but some are still used as if they were recently released dance music.
The term floor filler was coined to describe extraordinarily popular songs, due to the ability of certain tracks to bring people from the bar areas of nightclubs onto the dance floor. This is often due to the highly distinctive intros that some songs have but can also be due to the simple popularity and recognition of a song. DJs frequently reserve these tracks for critical times during their performances, to bring people to or keep people on the dance floor, thus ensuring a lively atmosphere.
The Alchemist
It was not easy to do; in earlier times, his heart had always been ready to tell its story, but lately that wasn’t true. There had been times when his heart spent hours telling of its sadness, and at other times it became so emotional over the desert sunrise that the boy had to hide his tears. His heart beat fastest when it spoke to the boy of treasure, and more slowly when the boy stared entranced at the endless horizons of the desert. But his heart was never quiet, even when the boy and the alchemist had fallen into silence.
“Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked, when they had made camp that day.
“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.”
“But my heart is agitated,” the boy said. “It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.”
“Well that’s good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say.”
“My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. “It doesn’t want me to go on.”
“That makes sense,” the alchemist answered. “Naturally it’s afraid that in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”
“Well then, why should I listen to my heart?”
“Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you’re thinking about life and about the world.”
“You mean I should listen, even if it’s treasonous?”
“Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you’ll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.”
“You will never be able to escape from you heart. So it’s better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you’ll never have to fear an unanticipated blow.”
Water
Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. Therefore the Master remains serene in the midst of sorrow. Evil cannot enter his heart. Because he has given up helping, he is people’s greatest help. True words seem paradoxical.
Tao te Ching, Chapter 78
A Thousand Serious Moves
What is the difference
Between your Existence
And that of a Saint?
The Saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God
And that the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move
That the Saint is now continually
Tripping over joy
And Bursting out in Laughter
And saying, “I Surrender!”
Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves.
Hafiz
A Mirror
The world is like a mirror, you see? Smile, and your friends smile back.
Japanese Zen saying
Songs of the 80s
Each song reminds me of something.
Crowded House – Weather With You
Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy
Johnny Hates Jazz – Shattered Dreams
Johnny Hates Jazz – Turn Back The Clock
London Beat – I’ve Been Thinking About You
Martika – Love Thy Will Be Done
Rita Coolidge – All Time High (from Octopussy)
Roxette – It Must Have Been Love
Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains
The Escape Club – I’ll Be There
The Police – Every Breath You Take
Tina Turner – We Don’t Need Another Hero
Happiness
For those I love and those who love me,
may this life be a blessing and a source of happiness to all beings.
Death is no cause for sorrow, but it would be sorrow
if one dies without having done something for oneself and for the world.
Ven. Dr K Sri Dhammananda Maha Nayaka Thera (1919-2006)
Efficiency
The most important thing is to look at how things are done and ask why, and whether they can be done more efficiently.
– Brian Urkowitz, Merrill Lynch managing director and head of Global Transactional Client Services
Petronas – Grandma
Petronas – Wah Eh Kia
You know you are a 70s baby when…
1. You grew up watching He-Man, MASK, Transformers, Silver Hawk, and Mickey Mouse. Not to forget, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony and Smurfs.
2. You grew up brushing your teeth with a mug in Primary school during recess time. You will squat by a drain with all your classmates beside you, and brushed your teeth with a coloured mug. The teachers said you must brush each side 10 times too.
3. You know what SBC stands for.
4. You paid 40 cents for Chocolate or Strawberry milk every week in class.
6. You find your friends with pagers and handphone cool in Secondary school.
7. SBS buses used to be non-air conditioned. The bus seats were made of wood and the cushion is red. The big red bell gives a loud BEEP! when pressed. There were colourful tickets for TIBS buses. The conductor would check for tickets by using a machine, which punches a hole in the ticket.
8. Envelopes given to us to donate to Sharity Elephant every Children’s Day.
9. You read Young Generation magazine. You know who ‘Vinny’ the little vampire and Acai the constable is.
10. You were there when they first introduced MRT here. You went the first ride with your parents and you would kneel on the seat to see the scenery.
11. Movie tickets used to cost only $3.50.
12. Strawberry ShortCake and Barbie Dolls fascinated Gals.
13. You learned to laugh like The Count in Sesame Street.
14. You longed to buy titbits called Kaka (20cents per pack), and Xiao Ding Dang (50 cents per box), that had a toy in and it changes every week not forgetting the 15 cents animal crackers and the ring pop, where the lollipop is the diamond on the ring.
15. You watched TV2 (also known as Channel10) cartoons because SBC never had enough cartoons for you.
16. Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators, Famous Five and Secret Seven are probably the thickest story books you ever thought you have read. Even Sweet Valley High and Malory Towers.
17. KFC used to be a high-class restaurant that serve food in plates and let you use metal forks and knives.
18. Catching was the IN thing and twist was the magic word.
19. Your English workbooks were made of some damn poor quality paper that was smooth and yellow.
20. CDIS was your best friend.
21. The only computer lessons in school involved funny pixellised characters in 16 colours walking about trying to teach you maths.
22. Water bottles were slinged around your neck and a must everywhere you go.
23. Boys loved to play soccer with small plastic balls in the basketball court.
24. Teng-teng, five stones, chapteh, hentambola and zero point were all the rage with the girls and boys too.
25. Science was fun with the balsam and the angsana being the most important plants of our lives, guppies and swordtail being the most important fish.
26. Who can forget Ahmad, Bala, Sumei and John, eternalized in our minds from the textbooks. Even Mr Wally & Mr. Yakki. What about Miss Lala??? And Zaki and Tini in Malay Textbooks?
27. You carried out experiments of our own to get ourself badges for being a Young Zoologist/Botanist etc.
28. Every Children’s day and National Day you received pins or pens with ‘Happy Children’s Day 1993’ or dumb files with ‘Happy National Day 1994’.
29. In Primary six you had to play buddy for the younger kids like big sister and brother.
30. You wore BM2000, BATA, or Pallas shoes.
31. Your form teacher taught you Maths, Science and English.
32. The worksheets were made of brown rough paper of poor quality.
33. You went to school in slippers and raincoat when it rained, and you find a dry spot in the school to sit down, dry your feet, and wear your dry and warm socks and shoes.
34. School dismissal time was normally around 1 pm.
35. There would be spelling tests and mental sums to do almost everyday.
36. Your friends considered you lucky and rich if your parents gave you $3 or more for pocket money everyday.
37. You saw Wee Kim Wee’s face in the school hall.
38. You freaked out when the teacher tells you to line up according to height and hold hands with the corresponding boy or girl.
39. Boys liked to catch fighting spiders.
40. Collecting and battling erasers was a pastime for boys.
41. Autograph books were loaded with “Best Wishes”, “Forget Me Not”, and small poems like “Bird fly high, hard to catch. Friend like you, hard to forget”.
42. Class monitors and prefects loved to say, “You talk some more, I write your name ah!”
43. There were at least 40 people in one class.
44. Large, colourful schoolbags were carried.
45. You brought every single book to school, even though there was one thing called the timetable.