Yes, entrepreneurs work 80 hours per week so they don't have to work 40 hours per week.
Let that sink in a bit.
Perhaps that's why most most readers who read Rich Dad Poor Dad do their best to ignore the elephant in the room...
Rich Dad is a Business Owner.
My sales colleague was so eager to troll me yesterday by asking me that question.
What would you have answered?
Of course I answered, "Tokyo."
"Wrong!" my colleague trolled excitedly. "Japan has no capital city!"
He showed me this "official" source:
Tokyo is not the capital of Japan
How?
What would be your response?
If it said so in the internet, it must be so!
Especially if its written by a Japanese himself!
You in turn go round parroting this new found "knowledge"; trolling others in turn?
Look! You all are idiots! I so very de smart!
Let me ask you another question.
Who's your mom?
If your mom divorced your dad and she remarried someone else, does that mean she's no longer your mom?
How about if your were adopted?
Or if your dad got you another step-mom when he remarries?
How?
Stupid right?
I "schooled" my sales colleague that Tokyo is the de facto capital of Japan lah!
In Japan, where the Emperor lives, that's where the capital is. (All those hours reading manga and watching anime finally paid off!)
Girls, try this on your boyfriends if you brave.
Ask him, "Where is the capital of Singapore?"
Majority will reply that make you go, "I'll have to spend the rest of my life with him?"
Then once in a while, you'll get the rare gems....
"The capital of Singapore is in my heart. That's where I find you too..."
That's why most literary writers and poets may look like toad, but they sure can impress the panties of girls real quick!
LOL!
I was recently interviewed by the good folks at Stacked Homes about my SERS journey.
If you interested, you can check it out over here:
I really like their website.
From day 1 when I first worked with them (they were my sponsor), I've already noticed they brought something fresh into the property listing space - aesthetics.
I'm into sculpture and photography. Even if you are not, I'm sure you can spot the care and attention they've paid to "beauty".
Discerning property buyers would appreciate it.
I love working with young startups. Its nice to work with youths with dreams, and acting on them already! Not just dreaming...
Stacked Homes has grown a lot since my first contact.
Now they have their own YouTube channel and Podcasts section too!
How cool is that?
Oh! For readers coming here at this watering hole for the first time, here's more pictures of my new flat:
Its one thing to read about past market manias and bubbles, its another thing altogether when one is in our midst...
I think I'll put it in writing so that I can either pat myself on the back, or give myself a royal poke in 10 years' time!
Let's refresh the more famous "tulip" manias from the past:
1. Tulip mania in the Netherlands 1636-1637. (The grandaddy - hence the title of this post)
2. South Sea bubble of 1720 in London. (Even Sir Isaac Newton got caught and lost money)
3. Japan bubble in real estate and stocks 1985-1989. (Can't breakeven still after 30 years)
4. Dotcom bubble of 2000 in US. (OK, broke even after 20 years if bought at the top)
5. Subprime and Lehman Brother crisis of 2008. (Do with have more debts today than then?)
Old fogeys do old fogeys thing.
Youths should do things youths do.
In fact, even though I wouldn't want to capitulate and touch this modern day "tulip", I am perfectly OK with youths choosing it as their "poison" of choice.
Better this than to voluntarily contribute to CPF when you are youth!
I mean we are only young once. Even if youths lose everything, how much can they lose?
Just as long they are those "lucky" or "wise" ones who got out near the top, like those precious few who got out fabulously rich in the previous manias and bubbles I mentioned.
The many lost so the few can get rich. (Investing/trading is not socialism or communism)
When the white men first came to Africa, they got the bible; the Africans got the land.
Soon after, the white men got the land;, the Africans got the bible.
Even if youths got the bible when the dust settled, there's always CPF.
If we can't Earn More, there's always Save More.
The quicker we discover who we are the better!
I'm dumb. I only know the "crash got sound" way to discover myself.
Its sad when youth is a beautiful goose, but goes through all his life thinking he's the ugly duckling...
Its equally sad when youth is a penguin, but tries to soar in the air like other birds who can fly...
When someone takes umbrage, points finger at you, that means its not a 2 way dialogue...
Its "wah kali gong"!
If you interested to know how to manipulate help other people (your day job is snake oil), that's not the way to do it.
Just observe and learn at how advertisers, financial gurus, religions, and big daddy do it.
Everything they do is for your own good!
To help you get prettier...
To help you become richer...
To support your spiritual growth...
To help you be gainfully employed...
And to achieve world peace!
Of course from the body language its obvious he was under a lot of stress. Who doesn't?
Then again, if you spent most of your working life used to "wah kali gong", its a lot harder to speak snake oil. This I can empathize.
You think anyone and everyone can be a snake oil?
Don't insult my former day job!
How would I have done it?
Snake oil with a straight face of course!
1) Stress it creates long term shareholder value. (Money talks)
2) Then say its for the good of the nation. Make it like its we who are making a sacrifice!
3) Win support from vendors/advertisers by thanking them publicly. (We still need them)
4) Save the best for the last. Show empathy by focusing on PEOPLE. Yes, employees! Duh!
Kiss some babies, hug a reporter, or shed a tear or two during the press conference.
Always end on an emotional high. (This one religion very good at it!)
There.
See? Tell you how many times must not drop literature.
I can bet he's not from the Arts stream!
Check out this interesting video on Tanglin Halt!
Over the past several months, there has been an increased of film crews and nostalgia photographers coming to Tanglin Halt.
Last week, there's a film crew doing a movie shoot on the ground floor of my flat! I guess they were using one of the "returned" empty flats as location. Must be an "indie" film or something. They were not from Mediacorp.
Those of you interested in architecture, come check out the 3 storey SIT walkup apartments shown in the video.
During my time studying at Hua Yi Primary School, these SIT flats were common place around Margaret Drive. They're all gone now.
I think Tanglin Halt is one of the few places in Singapore left where we still have clusters of these SIT walkup apartments...
Today, I believe these apartments are rent out to foreign workers. Some time back, they were the student dorms for our local university.
If food is more your thing, then come to the Tanglin Halt Market to try the Laksa. This one can't miss. It has the longest queues.
Come during weekends morning only if you not familiar. It opens 4 days a week. I always forget which days they closed during weekdays. But weekends sure confirmed opened. After 1pm its almost sold out.
There's a lot of other good hawker food around here, you ownself discover ownself more fun!
If you come weekdays, you can see for yourself how many of the first generation hawkers here are only opened 4 days or 3 days a week. Who needs investing anyway?
For those of you who don't always like all things sweet and saccharine, you may want to goggle Queenstown gangs and murders.
Mei Ling Street, Tanglin Halt, and Redhill were "homes" to some interesting gangs during the 70s.
And Tanglin Halt is definitely one of the popular haunts for getting yourself "high into Nirvana" in the old days!
Don't worry! It all sanitised now oredi lah! Very family safe. Come!
But as you walk around the hawker centres and kopi shops, try spotting old men in their 80s with interesting "ang kongs" (tattoos) on their bodies. They must have been quite bad ass during their youths!
If exercise is more your thing, you can check out the former railway track that's now been converted to a walking trail. In the evenings, lots of people use it for cycling and walking.
I was one of the early "pioneers" of this walking corridor when it was less well known. Now its too crowded for me...
That's the problem with people. Got good thing don't let anyone and everyone know!
P.S. For those HDB buyers who are hesitant about buying top floor, which era of HDB flats to avoid, which is safe, Tanglin Halt offer you the opportunity for you to "kick the tyres" for yourself.
That's the advantage of property - can see, can touch!
First you look at the ebloc 10 storey "ancient" HDB flats - from top floor to water tank. Then you just walk over to the newer 40 storey HDB flats that were built within the last 10 years. Try spotting the difference!
Then you goggle and research the HDB water proofing and heat insulation technologies introduced and improved over the past decades.
Now you've ownself educate ownself.
See?
No need to attend courses some more!
Have fun in Tanglin Halt!
