The Power of Introductions

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 
~ Confucius

You know what I always find hardest when it comes to writing? The introduction. It seems that whenever I have an idea to write about something, I encounter the most trouble in that section - the introduction. It’s the starting that’s the most difficult and the deciding factor if the piece makes it to keeps or is discarded with a touch of the delete icon. Maybe that’s because I place a lot of emphasis on it – the introduction. And why not? Introductions are of utmost importance yet are often overlooked. They have the power to make or break a piece and even put people off totally from reading what you have to say. But this doesn’t just apply to writing. A good introduction affects just about anything and leaves a lasting impression. Observe.

First dates

Dialogue: “Hi, really glad to meet you. You look great.”

Gestures: [winning smile]

Versus

Dialogue: “Hey. Glad to meet you.”

Gestures: [yawning] [scratching]

Job Interviews

Dialogue: “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gestures: [confident smile and handshake]

Versus

Dialogue: “Pleasure to meet you.”

Gestures: [stammering] [timid handshake]

Meeting Your Future-in-Laws For the First Time Over Dinner

Dialogue: “Hello Auntie, Uncle. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

Gestures: [winning smile]

Versus

Dialogue: “Hello Auntie, Uncle. It’s nice to meet you.”

Gestures: [nervous smile]

Now while I only focused on only two aspects in a physical introduction – dialogue and gesticulations, it’s obviously apparent just how a bad introduction could drastically affect a good message.

And so it is with writing. Dive straight into a topic and some people may get lost and click the back or close icon of their browser. Write too long an introduction and risk people zoning out. Close browser. Write a weak introduction and have people label the article “boring” while skimming over the words, trying to absorb without understanding. Click back. No, that simply doesn’t work. If you’ve something to say and you want people to hear you, a good introduction is key. Click back and close browser must not be an option.

It’s said that impressions are made in the first 5 seconds from the time two people meet each other. I believe that also applies in writing. Note to self: Click back and close browser must not be an option.

Repeat: Click back and close browser must not be an option.

Cheers,

~K

100th Post Celebration and a Happy Chinese New Year, With a More Important Note

Here's wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Also, this happens to be my 100th post so it's a double celebration for me. =)

While we're celebrating, I thought it would be good to incorporate some social responsibility as elaborated by the posters below. A picture does say a thousand words anyway.

And while some of you may have objections on shark fin soup. Perhaps the videos below may enlighten you on the importance of their roles in maintaining our environment and life and the danger that they are seriously in. 

Rob Steward's Sharkwater received numerous awards, 33 at current count, and positive reviews, in recognition for all the effort Steward put into making this movie, even putting his own life on the line to capture the truth. In my opinion, it is one of the best shark documentaries I've ever watched. 

I hope you check it out. And give us a chance.

Cheers,

~K

Highly Recommended Videos on the Importance of Sharks

Sharkwater 01/09

Sharkwater 02/09

Sharkwater 03/09

Sharkwater 04/09

Sharkwater 05/09

Sharkwater 06/09

Sharkwater 07/09

Sharkwater 08/09

Sharkwater 09/09

I Thinketh! - What is Rich?

Poor and content is rich, and rich enough.

~ William Shakespeare

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.

~ Benjamin Franklin

There are people who have money and people who are rich.

~ Coco Chanel

This is rich. Sitting by the poolside, enjoying time to yourself, watching the children play with their blow-up ball splashing in the children's pool. No rush in getting to work, no pressure to meet a deadline. Nice clear sky in cool weather complementing the inviting waters. You just might jump in.

This is rich. Book in hand relaxing at the neighbourhood cafe at the start of the day. People watching. Scurrying citizens on their way to work, all dressed in their Sunday best which has become an every day best instead. Sunday is the time to wear slacks.

This is rich. Enjoying a game of tennis to work up a sweat before heading for a nice simple English breakfast at the nearby restaurant. Laughing, teasing, applauding with every ill-timed return and with every fluke. It's all in good fun. 

This is rich. Having a chat with a total stranger while in the queue in the supermarket. A curiosity question or remark started it all. Your conversation ends when your turn arrives but trade name cards to keep in contact. A year later, you two turn out to be good friends.

This is rich. Taking a plane ride to visit the place of your choice. You spend a week, two, maybe more, experiencing new food, practices, even picking up a new language (vaguely). Exploring cultures and its history. Stepping into the unknown. Perhaps making a friend or two. Your world becomes much larger than you expected.

This is rich. Volunteering to help out with some charity work. Peeking into the lives of total strangers. You see happy faces and troubled ones as well. You feel, you think, you realize life is precious and yet unfair. Perhaps you'll be a better person. Perhaps you'll see a troubled face smile.

This is rich. Your children jump into bed waking you up with their giggles and glee. You chase them out of the room so you can continue with your dream of winning the lottery. You go back to bed and the dream changes to you with the winnings in your arms. Your children being the prize.

Where's the richness in money for money's sake?

Cheers,

~K

3 Signs the U.S. Market is Approaching Danger Zone

A recent article by Claus Vogt of Money and Markets highlights three danger signs that a crash in the U.S. market may be approaching. I'll summarize below.

Danger Sign 1:

A Major New Debt Crisis Striking Thousands of Local Governments Throughout the United States

To highlight a section from the article, Mr. V states that,

"In prior debt crises, a major central government or bank came to the rescue. This time:

• The Federal Reserve has neither the authority nor the will to come to the rescue; and
• The U.S. Congress is even less inclined to open the Pandora's box that a city or state bailout would involve.

... This one is striking at the very heart of the U.S. economy!

Result: A big threat to the U.S. GDP growth in the second quarter AND to the U.S. credit markets at the same time."

Danger Sign 2:

A Major Divergence in the Stock Market

A key indicator pointed out is "the number of stocks hitting 52-week highs.

• During a healthy, durable bull market, as the major indices move to new highs, there should be an increase in the number of stocks making new highs, as growing number of issues participate. And for the rally to continue, stocks must repeatedly hit new cyclical highs. But ... 
• At the tail end of the bull market, this picture starts to change. The breadth of the move weakens. More and more stocks enter topping formations or start to roll over. And the number of stocks making 52-week highs levels off or actually declines.

...Although the broad indices are still making new highs, fewer stocks are doing so. In other words...

The whole rally depends on a shrinking number of stocks!"

The "negative divergence" is obvious from the evidence presented in the two charts below:

To quote, "As you can see the current move to new index highs is not confirmed by the number of 52-week highs...

The indicator's high for the current cycle was way back in April 2010. So the market is actually showing multiple divergences: A succession of higher highs in the index and ... at the same time ... a succession of lower highs in this indicator...

...the number of 52-week highs is a time honoured indicator. Historically, it has given important warning signs well before a major bear market commenced. Just look at 2007 and you'll see an example of a negative divergence similar to the one we're experiencing now!" 

Danger Sign 3:

Great Overvaluation

This line says it all. 

"The U.S. stock market is severely overvalued ... possibly by 50% or more!"

Put the three signs together and it's wise to invest with caution in the year ahead. What's that latin saying again? Oh yes...

Caveat Emptor,

~K

P.S. If you're interested in the complete article, it can be found here.

I Thinketh! - Do Children Today Fear Failure?

It's a week after New Year. School has started. My girlfriend had to go back too. She teaches. The week past by fine. Then on Friday, something happened that left her thinking, which she told me about. That left me thinking. 

Once orientation's done in the first two days or so, lessons start. On Thursday, she was relieving a couple of periods for a teacher who was away for some reason or other. It was math class. After explaining the steps of the new topic and giving out the assignment to the new batch of primary 1 students, two students cried. One after the other. Apparently, they were afraid of making mistakes in their work. And that bothered them enough to cry. Needless to say, she had a lot of reassuring to do. So that was the incident that left us both thinking.

Why are kids afraid to make mistakes? As a child, these are the times to make as many mistakes without shame. It's their learning years. They're entitled to their fair share of mistakes. 

Or are they? 

This led to a sensitive and controversial question. Are kids being raised to feel ashamed of making mistakes? 

And to end the questions: If they're so afraid of making mistakes at their young age, how about when they're older? How will they handle their personal challenges that require some guts be it in career or in relationships?

Mistakes are part and parcel of how we learn and improve. Observing the failures of others also helps better ourselves. To paraphrase a quote I remember reading once, "A smart man learns from his mistakes. A smarter man learns from the mistakes of others." 

To conclude this little thought with a personal opinion, kids need their parents' support and assurance that it's perfectly fine to make mistakes. As long as they learn, pick themselves up, dust themselves off, move on and try again, it's alright. In doing so, they learn a lot more than just the lesson of the task. They get additional lessons in determination and letting go. Lessons in dealing with success and failure.

It's how we live. 

It's how we grow.

I learnt to cycle that way.

Food for thought,

~K

Resolutions for the New Year

Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average...which means, you have met your New Year's resolution.
~ Jay Leno

Resolutions of the new year. Everybody has 'em. It's like if you didn't have any resolutions when someone asked, you'd be the odd one out. The crowd would point and stare, murmuring behind your back. They'd whisper, "Check him out. Mr. Perfect with no resolutions. Straight path to heaven he thinks he's on." Yeah, it'd be horrible.

However, as cliché as they seem, resolutions are good for some things though. For a start, they make really great conversation starters especially if it's that new person you've been dying to chat up. Talk about incentive to have some resolutions at your fingertips, ain't it? (Why? So that you don't come off as a bore when your crush asks you for yours and you stammer and say you don't have any, that's why. Conversation killer.) Oh, and don't forget the creativity. That's a plus point.

Resolutions like swearing off smoking, spending more time with the family, and hitting the 1 million dollar mark, just doesn't turn heads anymore. That is unless you really are going to hit the 1 million dollar mark. Instead, resolutions like "I will stop throwing water down the top floor of our school onto people passing by", "I will not let the dog hog the pillow, growl at me from the sofa and snatch the bun off my plate", "I will change the CD in my CD player", and my personal favourite, "I will do less laundry and use more deodorant" are sure to get some attention. You can check out more resolutions at Funny New Year Resolutions.

I wonder though if nobody asked what our resolutions were every year, how many of us would actually bother resolving to do anything? Which by the way could be another resolution on its own. "I resolve to make new year's resolutions from now on." Or, on the flipside, perhaps we'd resolve not to make any instead. Like so:

Case in point.

Heh, funnily enough, I was unintentionally nudged in the same direction after reading a couple of resolution postings from fellow bloggers I follow, which left me thinking about my own and jumping onto the bandwagon. 

Here's a list that I came up with after much deliberating.

1) I will sleep earlier from now on - 1am if I'm not working the next day, 11pm if I am.

2) I will drink more water - the necessary 8 glasses per day

3) I will make it a habit to read at least a half hour before bed every night.

4) I will run a marathon this year

5) I will exercise three times a week

6) I will be more patient and understanding with people

and the most challenging one of all: 

7) I will keep my room neat

That's quite a list isn't it? Wish me luck. I need all the resolve to see through these resolutions of mine. Pure grit. Check back again in a year to see how they went. It'll be surprise I swear. Even to me.

Where's the creativity in my resolutions you ask? Good question. But hey! I ain't looking to chat up anybody. =)

Enjoy the New Year everyone. 

With many more reasons to smile,

~K

P.S. As a treat, here are a couple more laughable resolutions to begin the new year:

7 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2011

2011 is upon us. In a couple of hours, fireworks will light the sky and parties will last till the wee hours of the morning. In the spirit of making the coming year a good one, here's a list of things that one can do to financially improve oneself.

1) Set a Budget for the Month

At the start of every month, withdraw your "allowance" and stash it at home, setting yourself a spending limit per day. Cater an additional sum for transport, fuel and parking coupons if you drive, handphone bills, and whatever monthly bills you have. Personally, I tend to top up a $100 into my MRT (that's our train here for non-local readers) card each month regardless whether I finish up the previous $100 or not. This ensures that I'll always have enough to travel should I run out of actual cash.

Also, try to set aside an emergency amount per month too, which acts as a buffer for unforeseen circumstances. At the end of each month, any leftovers can either be used to treat yourself and/or loved ones to something or to add into your 6- month savings account.

2) Pay in Cash Where Possible

Studies have shown that people are less likely to spend when they use cash versus credit cards because they feel the pinch when handing over their cash. This allows a higher chance that we buy only the things we really need or want and not spend blatantly. Also, spending by cash allows you to see how much you have left thereby allowing you to figure out how to stretch your cash till the end of the month.

3) Save for Big Things

We all have our wants. A simple way to fulfill this is to set aside a monthly amount that is catered to this. Therefore, when the item of our desire presents itself, be it a new wallet or a branded bag, we'll have the cash ready for it.

4) Make Use of Promotions. Use Loyalty Cards and Discount Coupons

Make use of specials and promotions to stock up on things you need monthly. This includes facial products, nail polish and whatever knickknacks which helps reduce your spending in the long run as you'll be saving on things you need. Note the word "need".

Points gained from loyalty cards will also help offset expenses. Discount coupons, normally found in the mail though intended to make one spend, is most welcomed if they refer to things you would normally spend on anyway. 

However, that said, beware of the trap of buying things that you do not need or buying just because the item is on discount. You'll end up broke much quicker. A discipline approach is necessary.

5) Delay Spending

Try to put off buying an item for a week or two. This allows you to think about the purchase more preventing impulse buying. 

6) Choose the Cheaper Alternatives

Spending time with friends and/or family needn't be a wallet breaker. Instead of spending time at the neighbourhood Starbucks, a hang out at the coffeeshop or a cheaper cafe may prove just as or even more satisfying. Also, you could decide to hang out at free public spots such as the beaches and parks, where the money saved could be put to better use. 

For drivers, Orchard and town area carparks differ in charges. A bit of research into the charges at each venue will help you plan where to park thereby reducing unnecessary spending.

7) Set Up a Savings Plan

I cannot fully emphasize the importance of saving. As hard as it may seem to do, having a stash of cash lying somewhere is crucial especially in times of emergency. 

One painless way is to set up an automatic deduction that transfers a portion of your pay into a savings account. By doing this every month, you'll realize you're not missing the cash and sooner or later, you'd have amassed a substantial amount. You'll feel most achieved when that happens I guarantee.

To your 2011.

Cheers,

~K

Christmas Time, Family Time, Lovely Time

"The best Christmas of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another."

~ Anonymous

Compliments of the season everybody!

I've been having a ball of a time this Christmas. Loving every second of it. Relatives that I only see once a year, relatives that only come back to Singapore once a year, relatives that I'm meeting for the first time as they've never been back to Singapore since they've left. The feel of family warmth is such a wonderful treat. Furthermore, it's one of those few times the Eurasian dishes come out in full force and when there's so many bottles of wine to choose from at each house. Red, white, sparkling, dessert, ice. One of God's many gifts to mankind. Make that five.

And the best part? It ain't over yet. 12 days of Christmas remember? So there's another week to enjoy the festivities, the atmosphere and the food with family, friends and cherished ones. And smack right in-between this season is another celebration. You guessed it. New Year - which means more food and goodies (I'm obviously referring to the wine). 

It's a beautiful month. 

The prelude of cleaning and choring round the house, the running round for Christmas presents, the disagreements on how the house is to be decorated, the last minute ingredients amassing to serve up the Christmas feast, on hindsight, all play a part in enhancing the treasure of this season. Kinda like bonding during Basic Military Training (BMT). And when the midnight church bells sound announcing the arrival of Christmas, the recognition that it's an effort well spent for a beautiful time dawns. The price of that? Priceless. Thank you Mastercard for that slogan.

So that said, I'll gladly agree with the sentiment that goes to the jolly tune entitled, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams back in 1963. A recommended listen if you haven't before.

It's a beautiful Christmas.

Wishing you all a fantastic Christmas season.

Cheers,

~K

How To Feel Richer - Take Time To Be Grateful For What We Have

"Christmas sale!"

"50% discount on selected items"

"What's on sale?" 

"How I wish that was on sale."

"Is it on sale?"

"Why can't it be on sale?"

"When is it ever going to be on sale?"

"OH LOOK! It's on SALE!"

What seems to be the festive greeting these days reminds me of a short story I wrote a long while back one day when I was bored on how consumerism has engulfed Christmas and transformed its intent.

Today however, while browsing through my email, I came across one with a deeper message on being grateful for what we have and to stop counting what we don't - a thought that left me pondering which reminded me of that story I wrote which then led to this post. Talk about being tangentially linked.

Taking time to be grateful for what we have. How many of us actually spend time doing that? It seems that we're too busy chasing after things that we want, only to enjoy it for a short while when we acquire the aim before chasing after the next. To achieve happiness we say. I get caught in the same trap too. But perhaps it would be easier to achieve happiness if we look back and see how far we've come, what we have and what we've achieved, what we've been blessed with - our state of being, our health, our family, friends etc. - and to take time to congratulate ourselves and enjoy their merits. It's a quick way to feel rich internally I feel, which is more important than simply concentrating on our exterior.

So I'm thankful for that email. A Christmas reminder that there's more to life than material pleasures. 

I feel like a millionaire already. Now let me check my wallet...

When's that sale again?

~K

P.S. Merry Christmas eve everyone. =)

I Thinketh! - The Power of Words

Some people drift through their entire lives. They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually they are unaware of how their lives are slipping away until it's too late. 

~ Mary Kay Ash

There are only two ways to live your live. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. 

~ Albert Einstein

Raymond. You gotta love him. Great guy, good heart. But what an idiot. You gotta love him.

So I was watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond on a rented DVD from VideoEZ after a long day of spring cleaning (which reminds me, why do they call it spring cleaning when it's like winter in most places that celebrate Christmas?), and in this episode Raymond and Robert's mother, Maria, causes Robert's wedding day to be a disaster despite her good intentions. Fortunately, Raymond dissipates the gloom of the groom, bride and room with a humourous yet touching speech that suddenly all the bad didn't matter anymore...And they lived happily ever after. Or so I hope. Gotta borrow season eight to see what happens next.

However, that speech got me thinking about the power words have on us. Words inspire or demoralize, create or destroy, cause wars or bring peace, forge friendships or make bitter enemies.  It's amazing how simple words which we take for granted and even abuse sometimes have this ability to shape our thoughts and actions for better or for worst. The great speeches of history for example have changed humanity because of these well-strung and well-delivered or spoken words that touched a great many.

And this led me to decide to post four speeches that I love and that I'd love to share with all of you reading.

I Have A Dream

The famous African American civil rights speech given by Martin Luthur King Jr. in 1963 most famous for its line "I have a dream" shall remain in the history books for a long time to come. The first time I listened to the recording of it, it became one of my favourite speeches of all time. I've listened to it three times since. I'm too free, what can I say?

What strikes me is the use of pause, intonation, crescendos, melody, and variation of speed, which when blended with substance charismatic yet influential and deep creates such a heartfelt and inspiring speech that the words reverberates long after the concluding line is over - "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty we are free at last!". Listen to and read the transcript here to feel the energy and magic.

Do Not Work

More recently, famed Teenage Textbook author Adrian Tan gave a speech to the law graduates at the 2008 NTU convocation. Entitled Do Not Work, this speech snowballed into a chain mail of sorts, setting bloggers posting and facebookers facebooking. It seemed that no matter who posted it or where I dug it up on the web, there were always comments - comments from people who were uplifted or touched by it. I'm betting that even some of the grumps and grouches of the web had something good to say about it. I sure did. And I'm a grouch by definition according to my girlfriend. Bah! Humbug!

That said, I wish there was an audio recording of it online (for free of course) though. Would love to listen to that being read. But in any case, you can read the transcript of it here for consolation.

How To Live Before You Die

In 2005, Steve Jobs' convocation speech to the graduates of Stanford University also caught on like wildfire and had people talking about it. It's a beautiful speech. One with beautiful morals similar to the speech given by Adrian Tan. But what's even more beautiful is that you can watch and listen to it live on YouTube. God bless the person who posted it. I've posted the video below for your viewing pleasure.

The Last Lecture - Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

As I saved the best for last, this 1 hour and 16 min video (yes, I also saved the longest for last but don't you just love savouring the best for as long as possible?), is not so much a lecture but rather a prolonged speech in a lecture format (if that makes sense) by Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Professor Randy Pausch who suffered coincidentally from pancreatic cancer like Steve Jobs previously but unfortunately wasn't as lucky to survive it. But like the convocation speech given by Mr. Jobs, the video is readily online thanks to YouTube. God bless both YouTube and the person who uploaded it.

A real tear jerker, Prof Pausch is a person I admire and his words and lessons I hope to always remember and live by.

In the spirit of Christmas, a toast to you Professor. Rest in peace.

Wishing you all find your meaning in life too and to always have fun doing it.

~K

I Thinketh! - Christmas Spring Cleaning Reflection

Christmas is not a date. It's a state of mind.

~ Mary Ellen Chase

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.

~ Roy L. Smith

It's one week to Christmas and my back's killing me. I'm stiff all over. I've spent the last week cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, mainly because my family's invited for lunch on the 26th. About 5 hrs a day throwing unwanted junk out, performing the most amazing wipedown of my life and using superhuman strength to do a one-person shifting of my room - cupboards, bookcases and all. The record being working for 8 hrs straight. I'm gifted I tell ya. Not bad for a skinny fella.

As my girlfriend puts it, they should call Christmas, Cleanmas or Cookmas, as that's what we all seem to spend the majority of our days leading up to Christmas doing. It is our day of celebration after all. Of course someone else commented that we could even call Christmas, Drunkmas or Eatmas because that's what we end up doing on the day itself.

On the occassional break from my superheroic cleaning duties however, it's on to more exciting stuff called Christmas shopping. Now as you can imagine, shopping with aching knees from constant kneeling on the floor to wipe down the books and statues in my library is no easy feat. Heck! Being a guy and going Christmas shopping is no easy feat, so you can imagine the amount of superheroic strength and determination this calls for. And I still have yet to buy the presents. My strength faileth me.

As with all people with great destinies, difficulty and strife must be overcome - in order for the hero to get the girl, for Jack to get the hen that lays the golden eggs from the giant up the beanstalk, for the world to keep on turning, for Obama to get his tax cuts passed, yadayadayada. So now looking at it, my room is looking tons better. Oh it's not perfect yet and there's still a mess on my table but I've yet to figure out what I want to do with them. See how difficult life can be for us people with great destinies? We encounter one problem after another.

However as all superhero stories go, there's always an epiphanic triumphant moment and the hero become a better person because of it. I found mine this season. Whether I become a better person however, remains to be seen. But the thought that came to mind and stuck with me as I scrubbed, wiped, lifted and grunted was if we spent so much effort making our exterior look better for Christmas, why don't the majority of us spend at least a fraction of that making our interior look better too?

As someone once said to me, "in order for good things to enter, you must first throw out the bad." Or as paraphrased from a popular story, "how can anything enter when a cup is filled to the brim?"

And with that realization, I think this Christmas is going to be more meaningful this year for me. My superhero triumph and feat.

So said Charles Dickens, "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

With that I leave you with that popular story I read ages ago entitled "The Cup".

Wishing you and your family a meaningful Christmas and festive season,

~K

The Cup

Once there was a university professor who decided that he wanted to study zen. He travelled to a local monastery. He was shown in to the abbot’s study. The abbot was about to pour himself some tea. The professor stood before the abbot who looked up. The professor explained that he had been studying and teaching in the univeristy for many years and that now he wished to add to his knowledge and learning by studying zen.

The abbot nodded and began to our himself some tea. The professor watched as the teacup filled to the brim and, apparently failing to notice the full cup, the abbot continued to pour. The cup overflowed and still the abbot poured. The professor was reluctant to embarrass the abbot but finally said, "Master, your cup is full and overflowing. It can hold no more tea."

"Yes," said the abbot. "And how do you who come here with your cup so full expect to fill it with the teachings of zen?"

The professor nodded and smiled and bowed before the abbot.

The Happiness Index

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

~ Unknown

In the November issue of Pioneer magazine an interesting article entitled “The Happiness Index” caught my attention. This index, specifically known as the Happy Planet Index or HPI, is used to measure, in the words direct from their official website, “the well-being of people in the nations of the world while taking into account their environmental impact”. In layman terms, the index measures the life expectancy, life satisfaction and carbon footprint of each country.

Singapore was ranked 49 out of 143 countries. So we’re slightly more than halfway to happiness it seems. However, what I found surprising was that the top 10 ranked countries were not the major developed countries. Other than Vietnam which was ranked 5^th, the rest were situated around the rather obscure Latin America region.

In order of happiness:

1. Costa Rica

2. Dominican Republic

3. Jamaica

4. Guatemala

5. Vietnam

6. Columbia

7. Cuba

8. El Savador

9. Brazil

10. Honduras

Searching around for the major cities, we find Germany and Switzerland at 51 and 52 respectively, the first two major European countries in the list. Next comes Italy at 69, followed by France at 71, UK at 74 and Japan at 75. Australia lags behind at 102. But the biggest surprise is America, ranked at 114 and last of the major countries. (You can check out the report for the complete list here.)

Now while it should be a reason to celebrate that we’re a lot happier as a nation than these other major cities, what’s obvious from the list is that our neighbours are doing much much better than we are. Check this out.

Rank             Country            HPI Score

5                   Vietnam            66.5

14                 Philippines        59

16                 Indonesia          58.9

19                 Laos                  57.3

20                China                 57.1

33                Malaysia            54

39                Burma               51.2

41                Thailand            50.9

80                Cambodia          42.3

And what did Singapore score? 48.2! 6 points short of Cambodia.

So this list is quite an eye opener to me. For starters, it does not mean the more developed your country is, the happier the citizens are going to be and therefore have a longer life. These other higher ranked countries must be doing something right to achieve this much sought after happiness. But the question is what? Perhaps it’s that they aren’t so GDP-centric. While GDP may stimulate the economy, this shouldn’t be used as the measure of the quality of life in Singapore. As the age old saying goes “money can’t buy happiness”.

Furthermore, after looking deeper into the ranking, it shocked me to realize that for a small country we live in, our carbon footprint scoring a 4.2 is tied with Germany while a country as big as India is only scoring 0.9! Obviously more needs to be done to improve this area. Conservation anyone?

Anyway, in conclusion, perhaps it’s time we aim to be happier people, to start being grateful for what we have, complain less and also more importantly, to conserve more.

Food for thought everyone. Have a good night.

Cheers,

~K

What's Your Brand?

Who has confidence in himself will gain the confidence of others.

~ Leib Lazarow 

At the start of a typical day, a housewife contemplates Maggi and Heinz at the neighbourhood supermarket while another picks up a Dove ignoring the Heads and Shoulders beside it. 

Students after school adjourn to the MacDonald's for lunch by-passing the Long John Silver on their way in deep discussion on which new phone to get, the iPhone by Apple or the Samsung Galaxy. 

Yuppies after dinner, congregate at a pub pondering over a Budweiser, Heineken or Tiger flashing their Mont Blanc or Braun Buffel listening to the live band onstage who swears by the Gibson.

Yes, we all have our favourite brands when it comes to our spending habits. These preferred brands stay in a special place in our brains speeding up the process of decision making. Brands influence us by causing us to have a preconceived notion of familiarity of the item, and thereby a sense of trust and loyalty is built to the brand.

But despite all the exposure, how many of us bother about branding ourselves? 

Personal branding can help in various settings, such as relationship building and career advancement. Some desirable traits include being sincere and genuine, hardworking, well-groomed and kind. These are formed by an individual's self-worth and self-confidence together with their values, perception and attitude.

Here are 5 tips you can use to start positively branding yourself to allow better opportunities to come your way.

1) Be Aware

Increase your self-awareness. Be aware of your strengths and areas of personal growth while being mindful of your weaknesses. Work on both.

2) Be Prepared

When you have a task to complete,  rehearse what you need to do. This prepares you for all the different possibilities that may crop up so that you are ready to handle it with more confidence.

3) Be Optimistic

Don't let tough breaks drag you down. Visualize a positive result and focus on it. 

4) Be Confident

Body language can leave a strong impression. Believe in yourself and channel that confidence into the way you walk, talk, stand and smile.

5) Keep Practising

Constant practice of tips 1 to 4 will help you improve the impression others will get from you and thereby open more doors to where you want to go.

To your branding,

~K

18 Lessons in Investing from Watching the 2010 Barclays World Tour Men’s Singles Tennis Finals

I have always considered tennis as a combat in an arena between two gladiators who have their racquets and their courage as their weapons.

~ Yannick Noah

Tennis is an addiction that once it has truly hooked a man will not let him go.

~ Russell Lynes

It's no secret the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. This has produced some of the best tennis matches in history. (Read more on the Federer-Nadal rivalry)

After hearing much about their legendary Wimbledon meet in 2008 which lasted nearly five hours, I've been kicking myself for not watching it then and reduced to watching the highlights on bad quality videos posted on YouTube. It's a real great waste I hadn't started watching tennis earlier, starting one Grand Slam later from the 2008 US Opens. Talk about a little too late! So after nearly two years of waiting and hoping, I was so excited to finally get to see them have a mini-rematch during the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour. I only hope they'll play this well during another major championship next year. Beautiful tennis.

Date: 29^th Nov

Roger Federer (Switzerland) vs Rafael Nadal (Spain)

Final score: 6-3, 3-6, 6-1

Watching the tour left me thinking about the spirit and effort they put into honing their craft and resulted in me compiling a list of lessons that investors could learn from them.

Here they are:

1) You may not pick a winner every time but when you do, make it count.

At the end of the match, statistics showed that Federer had a low percentage first serve in at 61%. However of that, 92% earned him a point as the serves were either unreturnable or were hit into the net. In investing in stocks, properties, alternative investments and what not, not every investment will make you money. Some may even go belly up. But the important thing is to aim to make those winners, WINNERS that win the game.

2) Poor service can cost you the game. Slacking off can be dangerous. 

The opening set must have taken its toll on Federer. Or perhaps he got a bit cocky. In the second set, Federer seemed to start out with lower energy and aggression causing him to make multiple errors resulting in poor plays, eventually costing him the set. In investing, it's important not slack off and/or become too cocky about a company or investment. Make sure to monitor your investments. At the minimum, take note of quarterly results and announcement to ensure nothing major has taken place.

3) You may fall trying to get that impossible shot the first time but have faith, you’ll get your chance again. 

In the second set, score 1-4, Nadal returned a ball that hit the net but managed to still end up in Federer's court causing Federer to slip and fall hard onto the floor in his attempt to reach it due to the sudden change in footing. However as luck would have it, Nadal hit an almost exact shot later at score 3-5. This time Federer got to it in time and sent the ball straight back into Nadal's court scoring the point.

4) Sometimes it takes a hard fall to wake you up to play better.

Surprisingly, it was only after the fall that Federer started playing better again. In investing, losing money may provide the impetus for us to learn more about ourselves and how to improve our investing styles and strategies, giving us a chance to analyze where we went wrong and correct the mistake, thereby helping us to preform better in the long run.

5) Even when you’ve been knocked down, getting back up ensures you have a chance of winning again.

Sometimes in life, hard knocks can be taken two ways, you stay beaten down or you get up, dust yourself off and do it again. It's obvious which way is better.

6) Never give up.

Throughout the game, the never say die spirit was obvious in Federer & Nadal. Both players kept going for almost every ball, even when it looked almost impossible to us audience. This resulted in quite a bit of ooohh-ing and ahhh-ing when both these players not only managed to reach these balls in time, but also hit them back into play accurately. The moral of the story? Don't give up. The more you learn from the mistakes you make, the better your chance of attaining success. To give up ensures you'll not reach it, ever.

7) If you know what you’re doing, you can do the impossible and succeed even if no one believes you can.

People who have never done what you intend to do and have no idea how hard you’ve trained and prepared yourself for it are quick to write off the success of your efforts as they're basing it on their capability. Don't be discouraged by them. The opinions that count most are those who have reached the "impossible" you're striving for. Seek their guidance and advice instead. 

8) Commentators are just that, commentators. Take what they say with a pinch of salt. 

This is to add to the previous point. People don't always agree with one another. Two different people may have different opinions on the same thing. Though they may have valid opinions, if you're going to listen to every Tom, Dick and Harry, you're going to end up mighty confused. Learn to filter advice. If you have trouble doing so, seek expert help instead. Get their feedback. Believe in yourself. Then give it your all.

9) Supporters will take you further than you think.

In life, you’ll have supporters and you’ll have jeerers. Concentrate on your supporters. They’ll provide you the extra energy to take you to the next level. The encouragement and support they give is priceless in helping you believe in yourself and make you want to try harder. Ignore the jeerers who are boo-ing. They suck the energy out of you and blur the path for you to go far.

10) Focus on the game. The crowd can distract you, but if you’re focused you can still hit a winner.

It's amazing that despite the din from the crowd, both players played wonderful tennis. Their focus was so strong resulting in their superb performance. In today's day and age with so many commitments eating into our time, focusing our abilities and concentration can be a challenge. However, investing requires this. There'll be noise in the market that can lead to emotional rollercoaster rides and make you want to sell out or buy in but if you're focused on the long term goal, the noise shouldn't matter. 

11) Plan your shots well, then do as you plan.

The long term goal needs planning. Lots of planning. Once you've settled on the goal, fix it and carry it out to its entirety with all you can muster. Don't keep shifting your goals. They'll result in you lowering them when times get challenging resulting in mediocre results when you could have achieved so much more.

12) Learn to congratulate yourself on winners and not beat yourself up over losers.

When you hit a poor shot, release the frustration but don’t lose heart. Chin up and believe the next you hit will be better.

When you hit a good shot, congratulate yourself and believe you’ll continue hitting them. Don't attribute it solely to luck and/or God, instead believe that Lady Luck or God favoured your preparation and rewarded you.

13) Know when chasing after a wild ball is gonna waste energy and stop. Conserving it for the next point may count more. 

Despite all the determination to get every ball, both players were quick to realize the waste of effort to run for a ball that was beyond themselves and was obviously unreturnable. In investing, if you made a mistake in your research or realize that the company or investment you're researching on is a waste of time, admit it and stop chasing it just to make the time you spent on it worthwhile. Cut your losses immediately and stop hoping for a rebound. 

14) Know thyself.

That said, the linking point to the previous is to know who you really are. Know your temperament, your ability to control your emotions, your stress threshold, etc. and then find an investment plan that allows your personality to complement it so that it'll be easier for you to see your investment plans through and allow you to reap maximum gains. Conflicting personality and investment plans could have disastrous results such as losing sleep during volatile periods, and cause you to pull out investments prematurely resulting in mediocre gains or even worst, losses.

15) Learn to play from all angles, it increases your chance of success.

In the third and final set, after falling and losing the second, Federer started varying his game again, producing unexpected plays and strategies which eventually won him the match. As it is in investing, keep learning and try to incorporate the relevant strategies into your plan. This prevents you from stagnating and may even help you achieve success sooner than expected.

16) Psychology is important.  Keep your head when the opponent is panicking

In the third set, it was clear that Nadal was frustrated to the point of letting it affect his game play. This caused him the match. Body language matters a lot in competitions. It changes sure winners into unexpected losers and sure losers into unexpected winners. In turn, knowing your own psychology and being able to read the psychology of the market will help immensely in helping you reap better returns. Also, if you've done your research on the investment proper, keeping a calm head will help you pick up bargains when everyone is selling. This ensures you'll be following the age old mantra of "Buy Low, Sell High".

17) Do what you love. You have a higher chance of being really good at it.

A quote from Federer in his recent interview after his triumph, "I have no plans at all, quitting, stopping - whatever you want to call it." In his book, the Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes that all greats had to put in a minimum of 10,000 hours fine tuning their craft to achieve their success. When you love what you do, you'll continue doing it despite the odds, and learning how to better yourself at your passion. In time, you'll reach this magic number of 10,000 hours too.

 18) Sometimes when you think your shot’s out, it just may be the point that wins the Championship. 

At match point, Federer's return barely clipped the line that resulted in a couple of seconds of uncertainty.  He looked like he was about to head back to the base line again when officials ruled in his favour winning him the championship. In investing, an example I can think of is Wilmar & Peter Lim. Peter Lim had thought of writing off his $10 million investment in Wilmar when the company sprung to life turning him into one of the richest men in Singapore. Guess it ain't over till the fat lady sings huh?

Hope you enjoyed this post everyone. Feel free to post your comments.

Cheers,

 ~K

I Thinketh! - Stuff in My Room & the Need to be Financially Free

This is the true joy of life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. 
~ George Bernard Shaw

As I sit up on my bed typing this post with my future wife lying fast asleep cuddling up next to me, I’m reminded how important and what being financially free really is to me from just observing my surroundings.

In front of me stands my library. Three 2m high bookshelves cluttered with books.  These books from a wide range of categories – literature (classic and modern), contemporary fiction, finance, philosophy, travel, history, arts, science and language – lie dusty, in need of wiping, and quite a number in need of being read. It’s been a nagging thought of mine to start. Instead, I find myself constantly being distracted by something else that needs looking into causing me to put down the book I intended to read.

The last I had any proper time to really start and concentrate on my book was on a holiday to Krabi in September. That was a beautiful and relaxing trip. I finished the book too - all 300 odd pages of it - in the 4 days I was away. Just like I used to in the past. It helped that it was a page-turner. The Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.

Today, I find my eyes constantly drawn to my guide on Italy. The breakfast chatter with my brother has got me longing to travel once more. I love Europe and want to visit it again. Backpacking around for a month wasn’t enough. England, France, Germany, Czech Republic. That was more than four years ago. The mini-trips since then never quite matched up to the experience. Let's Go, the words on my travel guide to Italy says on the cover. I want to. It’s been a dream of mine.

My future wife rolls over in her sleep and my thoughts turn to her. In another year, we should be married. A wedding. Honeymoon. A house. And then kids. I’m not quite sure that they’re always in that order though. But I am sure that I want to be capable no matter the order they come in, and not handicapped by that piece of paper constantly changing hands called money.

I’m also sure that eventually we’ll have a dog. A dog that will provide love to and will be loved by the family. A dog that will be annoyed by the kids, but will play with them all the same. But eventually dogs too, grow old, and a lot faster than us. And at the end, we’ll wish we had spent more time with it before the inevitable. I’ve experienced this before. And I never hope to experience it again, let alone wish it on my children. The mat in the corner of my room ensures this. It belongs to the past.

Old age, illness, they go hand in hand. Personal calamities that need dealing with. The medicine bottle lying on the shelf serves as that reminder.  Zoom out. The world is a lot larger than our own personal problems. Wars, famine, poverty. Animals ill-treated. Species threatened. Dying. People suffering, children homeless. Uneducated. Sometimes all they need is a bit of helping hand. Isn’t that what humanity is all about? A dollar goes a long way. Involvement goes even further.

In short, being financially free opens up options, giving one more time to do the things that really matters to oneself and in that way, living and eventually dying without any regrets.

Able to do what one wants to do, when one wants to do it. The long awaited freedom.

~K