Malaysia Money Matters

This is more like a "note to self" kind of posting.. it's from something someone said on Oprah, can't remember who (he did seem a bit supercilious) but what I remember was that he said in order to be considered truly 'wealthy' and thus happy in one's life - one should have a BALANCE of these 5 kinds of 'wealth': Material Intellectual Physical Emotional Spiritual So lets break it down: Material wealth - the most obvious one, of course, money & possessions etc. I would include a steady or assured income because there's nothing more stressful (to me) about not knowing whether you're going to get any income. Of course, some entrepreneurs may thrive on such an adrenaline rush, but not me, thank you. Intellectual wealth - I believe it means more than just education or qualifications. It should also include the thirst for knowledge and having the ACCESS to knowledge that makes one truly wealthy. Not surprising that even in...

So once again, Malaysia's Pauline Hanson / Fred Phelps Ibrahim Ali, whom I refer to as the bastion of brown supremacy has, in his latest speech, called for the burning of Malay-language bibles that happen to use the word "Allah" for God. Frankly, all I have to say is that I dare him to do it. Why don't you take the first torch and burn one instead of 'calling on Muslims' to do so, Mister? You are a Coward and Instigator.  This kind of people are the real treasonous types who are going to bring this country crashing down on us, by instigating the .. well.. not too bright, emo, layan perasaan, ting-tong, lots of time on their hands but not enough braincells to figure out what to do-types to cause havoc . Shame, shame, shame on you. Bet he's all talk anyway. Try and burn one and see la. Bet you don't dare, Ibrahim Ali.

I didn't go this time around. I did go for Bersih and got teargassed (thanks, at least I got back some of my tax dollars back). The pro-UMNO blogs are, of course, belittling this latest public protest - not surprised, if I were in their shoes, I'd probably do the same. Nonetheless, the crowd looked substantial enough and after the speeches, it ended peacefully. I'm expecting the mainstream media to downplay this again and emphasise that it was a "small" turnout, implying that support for the opposition has waned. Also they are pointing out that there are lesser Chinese out this time.. Well, in the face of the recent news about PAS's heavy handed ways in Kelantan, one may think so. However, surprisingly, the head economist of Bank Islam went on record at a conference in Singapore a few days ago saying that he expects BN to lose (well, he said PR would win but potato potatoe, you know) by a small margin. So does a relatively small turnout mean lesser s...

This is from the book written by the late Reverend Dr K Sri Dhammananda "What Buddhists Believe"; the following was extracted from the book "What the Buddha Taught" by the Venerable Dr W Rahula. I'm writing this out more as a reminder for myself - somehow it's akin to copying out scripture, in physically replicating the words, it is like a meditation and to imbue these words into yourself... [Besides, it was in point form compressed into paragraphs, am just breaking it up so that it's easier for me to read hehe - lists are easier to see! :)] A man named Dighajanu approached the Buddha and asked him, "Venerable Sir, we are ordinary laymen, leading a family life with wife and children. Would the Blessed One teach us some doctrines which will be conducive to our happiness in this world and after?" The Buddha told him that there are four things which are conducive to a human's happiness in this world: A) He should be: Skilled Eff...

I'm going to rant a bit. Ever notice how some people, despite a nominal RM1 parking charge Will Still Park Outside and BLOCK TRAFFIC? Yessss.... so I've come to label them as "cheap asses". Cheap. Ass. Of course their justification would be, "Oh you know, anywhere you can save a dollar, why not?" etc etc. I agree. One should save where one can. But if you become a NUISANCE in your so-called quest to save money, then you are a Cheap Ass. Here is my definition of being economical: Saving money through proper planning and creativity. Let's break it down: Proper planning = planning your trip to the mall to get whatever it is you need, knowing what's on sale, buying things you need (NEED, people. Not 'want'). Cheap asses don't plan. They just do whatever they want like go crazy, snatching stuff at sales, thinking they're saving money on parking by parking on the street, flood F&B outlets with their damn Groupon vouch...

Phew, 2012 is over - what a tumultuous year it has been; as predicted for a Water Dragon year with yang water in the heavenly stem on a yang earth element earthly branch - a clash of elements that is like a big wave on land. So let's all look forward to 2013 which is still going to be tough times (yin fire yin water clash) but nowhere near as extreme as 2012. Astrologers are predicting that while it is not going to easy times, there are still opportunities for wealth. Given the elements ruling the year, wealth comes from intelligence - meaning you'll have to use your brain to get ahead, it's not the kind of year where you can do simple things like buy any stocks or shares and boom, you're making money on the market.  So you have to do your homework and I feel the growth areas are in intellectual / technological advances. I believe high tech, publishing, software, innovative products and services - even things like improvements in processes for better effici...

So the US Congress is still debating on what to do about their so-called Fiscal Cliff and of course, the media is making a big drama about it. Hmm, so they are going to be "hit" by higher taxes and decreased spending - that was AGREED to happen years ago and this is the medicine that was prescribed to Asia when we were hit by the crisis of 1997. So what's good for the goose is not good for the gander? May sound callous but maybe they should allow this 'falling off' to happen, make the necessary changes to get out of their debt. Maybe the US dollar needs to be devalued (although I do understand their frustration at China for deliberately keeping the yuan low) - same goes for the Euro. It could be too high. Perhaps globally, there should be smaller differentiation between currency values and real wages for a better world for everyone. Let's all sing: This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Age of Aquarius!  hehe