Spring time in Athens.

On Sunday morning, I brought forward my clocks and watches by 1 hour due to day-light saving time practiced in Europe. Now Singapore is ahead by Athens by 5 hours.

Ah! That also means it is spring time now in Athens!

The flowers are blooming in the trees and shrubs, blue skies, and bright sun with “air-con” temperature outside – no wonder more people are starting to spend more time outdoors in the coffee shops.

In Athens, you can see many with their Frappe – the equivalent of our kopi peng!

As I struggled to work today, I can’t help but feel I should be outside in the parks having my Frappe and reading a book.

I’ve always had a lazy streak in me. I’ve never liked work. OK, work is fun when I am chatting up the pretty accounts girls (skiving!), or doing a project that interests me.

Yes, there were highs when I am recognized for my efforts, but I can’t always cherry pick and choose the projects all the time – sometimes I have to play fireman or nanny to ass-wipe the mess others have made.

But truth be told, I’ve created my fair share of mess and started more fires than I care to admit!!!  

I guess I’ve always counted on my “luck” and what I call “sparks of brilliance”.  It’s another way of saying I leverage on my past glories, and just before the mileage of the “halo effect” has petered out, I must sweat like a donkey to hit another “life-extension pass”.

It’s a bit like playing RPG games – before your life force or mana runs out, find a paladin or potion to heal quick quick!

When it comes to Paladin, it’s a mentor/master/boss/saviour who somehow takes an interest in me and my development. Never knew why. Maybe it’s due to my hair…. You know what they say about bald men… wink wink.

Sometimes I wonder whether it’s what I know or who I know that makes the difference!

With that, I will take this opportunity to thank once again my new found cyber friends who do make a difference to my journey. Perhaps it’s not so much the words you have written (criticism or compliment); but the act of showing you care ;)

Thank you bros!  (Now where are the sisters?)

Ah! Spring time in Athens….. Life is good!

Men and our irrational behaviour

In my daily life, I often catch myself saying one thing and doing another thing. I guess I am not alone. So let’s start making fun of our irrational behaviour!

I have an ex-colleague who gives me lots of grief for not bringing my own “bag” to the supermarkets when I do my groceries……… But this lady tells me that she full blasts her air-con all night long and drives to work alone in her sedan.  OK…..

I have a friend who tells me cannot eat tuna – cute and lovable dolphins are killed in tuna’s fishing nets. Cannot! But this same person has no problem slurping down shark-fin soups during Chinese weddings.  OK…….

Song bo? OK, enough foreplay! Now let’s get to the naughty part.

I’ve met “investor/guru” selling that active trading is for “suckers”.  As if trading is “beneath” him. But in the same breath, this “investor/guru” also does not believe in “buy and hold”. OK…… So buying a property or stock and selling it 18 months later is not considered a “trade”?  Hmm…..

I’ve also have “trader” friends who love the rough and tumble of high leverage active trading – nothing beats going to the financial casinos every trading day! Dividend investing is for widows and retirees, they sneer.

Hey! Whatever makes you happy. You’re the man! I’ve learnt never stand in the way of high testosterone men. But if you look at their portfolio, you may find some “dead” stocks they’ve held for ages……… A short term trade turned long term holding?

We have also people that will avoid debt like the plague in their personal life – be 100% debt free they preach. You would assume they will apply it to the stocks they invest in. But the stocks they own are mostly companies that have quite some debt on their books. Interesting…. Talk about cognitive dissonance! But debt boost ROI mah, they say sheepishly….

Oooooh baby. You want more? OK, one more for the road.

Have you wondered why those people who want their course money back just because their “guru/trainer” has a fake degree? You mean if his “academic” qualification is real then everything is OK? Never mind if he can’t or is unwilling to reveal ALL his trades? If it’s just cherry-picking, I think all of us can show our best winning trades and look pretty invincible too.

If I want to learn how to swim, I think I would want a swimming coach who can swim and is in water with me showing me how. I don’t really care if he has any “approved” master of the universe certification on swimming. Or?

Hope you all have a good time reading. Now I need to rollover and sleep.

Till the next time, bye!

(Everything I do) I do it for you

This is a song dedication to CH.

A great song for anniversary and valentine day to croon to our significant others. (Opps! Should not be plural.... A Freudian slip....)

Ever brought your significant other to a rock concert and she screams her lungs out that she loves the singer? Dang, we all should be rock stars!