Why Do I Scribe ?

 A scribe is someone with a way with words. Somebody who can document the exact minutes of meetings or events which happened on the very day or somethings which happened recently. I am curious as to why I like to pen my thoughts to 'cyberspace'. Let me give several reasons :

1. I am worried that as I grow older, my memory will fade, and I will not have as good recollecting capabilities than when I was in my 40s, 50s and soon to be 60s. Hence the documentation of events relevant to me and people close to me. One day, when I have absolutely nothing better to do, I will scroll through and read the posts past up till the present day.I hope I can appreciate that my thoughts and writings have matured throughout the age from a young middle aged man at the age of 44, and moving swiftly in time to become a fully middle aged, young old man of 59. 

While many people rue the quick passage of time in their lives, they forget that in actual fact if you take the time to really appreciate time as a dimension, in fact it passes slowly. We busy ourselves with the work in our lives and the crises that inevitably come along the way makes us so absorbed in the all encompassing moment - that may last weeks, months or years.

When we look up and see, hey ! its almost February 2022, where did January go ? Its as if the passage of time speeds up when we are involved in things which we really take an interest in. 

Sp to fully appreciate time, I think it is better to take detached look at the event happening right before our eyes. BUT that is most times impossible not to be involved.

Perhaps if we move to another space time continuum, we can actually 'exist' but in a totally different realm (space time) and the 2 realms never actually meet. 

Till today, I have had this solo blog since May 2006 or a long 16 years. 

The event which catalysed the setting up of the blog was that fateful Sunday in June 2006 when I collapsed and I thought I was gone from this Earth. I had taken good health and the smooth passage of time in a very cavalier manner. I awoke to the fact that I will have a distinct end date in this realm and decided there and then to do something to acknowledge that I am alive, a person who has responsibilities, and has a genuine willingness to be as good a person that I can be. 

2. Its self expression, some people perform dance, some do martial arts, sing, play musical instruments the list goes on. I scribe, or write stories, in my own unique way. 

3. I am also cognizant that my life has passed by in a blink of an eye without proper reflection of the events notable, and most times mundane do not warrant a second thought. Time that has passed is gone. Events that were yesterday is history.

4. I guess my blog is another form of writing my early memoirs so that I can shout out to whoever who reads this way in the future as "Hey, there was this dude called Mark A." and he did these stuffs. A bit like the heiroglyphics in the tombs in Saccara, or Memphis, or  Xian.

5. Finally, it could possibly be an 'heirloom' for future generations of mine to read how interesting (or dreadfully boring) my life was in the last 20th Century and early 21st Century.

    My 5 simple reasons for scribing.  

                                                    Tuesday 25th January 2022

Errors in Making Money 101. When you make some, don't reinvest or try something else. Sometimes sitting on a pile of cash is the best option.

Recently, I saw some very honest videos of people who made some money in properties. This guy made some (small) investment into purchasing a condominium in Thailand, and in a short  while decided to reinvest his profits into buying his second property.

While his first made money, his second turned out to be the albatross around his neck.

Basically the couple worked for 5 years and saved. With that savings, they used the savings to look around for an investment property which they bought and paid the downpayment,stamp and legal fees etc. This first property was located near the center of Bangkok, near the BTS and was deemed as of good value, and the mortgage repayments were helped mainly because they found good tenants and the rental payment covered the mortgage payments.

Later, the first property appreciated in price, and they borrowed some more off the new increased valuation (bad move) and reinvested into another condominium with another developer in another part of Bangkok. They plonked their downpayment and made their progress payments for the yet to be built condominium (off plan purchase) as the prices dangled by the developer were pretty good.

The developer was late in the progress of the condominium. They ran into cashflow problems and went into bankruptcy. So, the couple were left scrambling to recover their losses from the second property - when COVID hit in 2020. Foreigners were leaving the country in droves due to lack of work and it was psychologically safer to ride out the pandemic in one's native land where the medical costs are normally 100% covered should one fall ill with COVID.  So their first investment property also went tenantless.

The couple were saddled with 2 mortgages and no incoming cash from any forseeable tenant. Luckily they both were still working, else it would have been a major catastrophe. After several months of desperate efforts, the husband managed to sell the first property for below valuation and clear both mortgages with interest and they left with no savings but were not in some big financial black hole.

Too many variables are at play here :

1.the developer's financial situation are unbeknownst to potential purchasers of condominium units. They can go bust. No one is deemed TOO BIG TO FAIL unless they were big banks in USA.     

2. Economy can often and takes a massive hit from Black Swan events like the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 and COVID 19. Everything goes south and people are left without livelihoods, jobs and good health.

3. Authorities do not always work in tandem with developers ; do not assume that there will be no sudden change in foreigners' quotas to own property, loan to valuation ratios or other Government policy changes. Foreigners will always bear the brunt of Government's U Turns in policy involving properties. Take a look at Malaysian properties for example. 

4. In many democracies the Government changes every 4 to 5 years and policies go out the window.

Making money calls for a multitude of things to be all aligned at the same time.

1. The investor's cash must be the amount he is prepared to lose all or most of.

2. 90% of any business or investments go bust very soon. So do you know of anybody who has not lost any money in equities (all transactions net profit ?).

3. Luck plays a big part in making money. 

When you make the first decent amount. EXIT. Don't outsmart the market or competitors by staying longer than what is absolutely necessary. There are many hungrier, smarter and more desperate people than YOU. 

You invariably will lose more or all of your capital.  

The only way to leave a casino with a small fortune is to enter with a large one.

 

Wolves are on Fire

My First Trip Outside of Singapore will be after Chinese New Year

                                            Corniche Souk Doha, Taken 5 years ago

 

Adama Traore to Stay for half a season more. We need him to make it to Europe !

 

 

    Unplayable, Unstoppable, Speedster, Speedy Hulk 

One of my favourite players of the moment, apart from Reuben Neves, Jose Sa, Romain Saiss and a whole host of others (ha ha) is Adama Traore. The Spanish International is all of 24 years old and has been with the Wanderers for 3 and a half seasons. The boy from Barcelona, then Middlesborough and now Wolves is a world class player, if he is with the right team. 

Wolves is about to be that team !

While he has yet to set the stage alight, he has many fans amongst the managers. Ranging from Juergen Klopp to Antonio Conte, they all sing his praises and wish they can bring him to add fuel to their teams.

As a faraway, fairweather fan of the Wolves, I say "No". We need the calibre of Adama to help the team gather 65 points end of season (they have 31 now) and need another 34 out of 18 matches to reach that lofty goal of No.4 or 5 in the League.

Everytime he goes up to the final 3rd of the game, he sets the fans hearts racing.

Everytime he sprints upfield, you can see the 2  - 3 opposing defenders all scampering like mad dogs to cover the field knowing that he can easily turn them around like ballerinas during pirouettes and chasing after his shadow. He has that tremendous fine balance of explosive physical speed, skill and body mass to run against any top defensive unit IN THE WORLD.

Look at the way he destroyed Luke Shaw against Man United where he got in his cross and it was deflected / parried away only for Moutinho to gracefully place in to the goal's left hand corner ?

His goal yesterday against a dogged Saints team was an absolute classic. Once his focus is on the goal, nothing else matters and he will go on like a bulldog.

The young man has the X factor to set opposing teams defences panicking sending 2  - 3 players to hound him down and pulling their defences apart only to allow him to cross to the forwards who then have all the time in the world to place their shots like Moutinho.

Look at his assist against Aston Villa, again he took out 3 players before sending a perfect cross  to Romain Saiss to scramble the ball into the net ? Brilliant. 

The young man has tremendous talent. 

Please keep him for half a season more, then see where Wolves are in the EPL table ? 

If they make it to Europe, offer him top million dollar pounds, else he will go.

Wolves - make the hard decisions. You can't depend on grooming the wonderful young talents only for the top clubs to poach them like Diogo Jota (to Liverpool) any more 

You want international fans like me to stay ? Spend money. Groom the best and keep them.

Win trophies and recognition.

Now is the time 

Playing a Sudoku every morning determines my mental state of mind and capacity

 

     Why do I play Sudoku  ? Well for starters I love messing with numbers. Finding patterns, in the mainstream of life, hidden and exponential are what my mind is really keen on. So the game Sudoku is so simple to play, just fill in the blanks of every row and column, and box so that there is only 1 number along each row, column and box. The rest is then played by everyone with degree of difficulty starting from gentle (most boxes filled), medium (perhaps 3/4 filled), hard (40 - 50% filled) and then comes the very difficult, diabolical, extreme and evil.

Sudoku is fiendishly addictive. I would say it is a healthy addiction for me, rather than to spend time say drinking or messing around with the multitude of online games ranging from gambling, pond fishing, texas hold em poker, mahjong, and the like.

Today's message is what I try to do everyday. If I have had eight hours of solid sleep, I can handle almost any tough decision and think about strategy for my work, life and projects. To get a clue about how well my 'engine' works for that day, I attempt to play a diabolical sudoku (my current level) and if I cruise for that day, I can handle the most intensive and focussed subjects like financial accounting, relativity and complex mathematicical formulae.

If I stumble even on the most basic of games. I think I better take things easy for the rest of that day, even take a half day off to get my brain in gear before venturing out ! 

Day Off 14 Jan 2022

 After several months of hard work to move into 2 new locations and with no December holiday for the last 2 years due to COVID, I decided that I needed a day off from the daily grind. So here is my short video to a friend, showing him the nice breakfast I was having (Nasi Lemak) by the waterside, with a few people in the distance. The clear blue waters was a mirror image of the clear blue sky and the waves lapping against the small boats was a balm to my stressed self.

Enjoy this video for what it is worth.

Take a day or week off. 

Life is more than just existing. It is about living with purpose and maintaining a happy outlook to all those around me.

 

Carpe Diem my friends, near and far. 

 

Running or Vigorous exercise will clear those toxins fast. Keep at it.

 An elderly friend gave me this nugget of wisdom. He is a die hard drinker, and is living out his retirement by meeting friends and doing vigorous exercise. He said, try to do vigorous exercise soon (probably the next day or the earliest instance) to get rid of the toxins in the body. I took his tip today.

   

                               Not obsessed with the timing any more. 

On Friday I had a drinking session with some friends from school. Bottles of whisky were drunk and although I am a marginal social drinker, I decided to meet them for old times sake and not being an anti-social person, I drank some shots of whisky (ok, more than some shots but who is counting ?).

Come Saturday, around 10 am, I went out to the East Coast Parkway and ran like a man possessed. I started at 10.10 am on a rather hot morning. I was pumped and wanted very much to rid myself of sweat and excess fat from the last night's drinking session.

The Legs still have the spring in them. Thankfully 

I started the first 2 km like a man on fire, and with my head down, I just ran. It was a hot morning, and soon beads of sweat were rolling down my forehead, and all over my body. I was only focussing inwards. Not on the people I was passing. During the run, I sensed that there was a smell of rotting food all around the people I passed. There were occasions of perfume wafting my way too. 

Strange I thought to myself, why are people either so smelly or sometimes there were some perfume coming my way.

It hit me roughly around 20 minutes into my run. The smell was coming from ME.

I was emnating foul smelling body odor caused from last night's drinking in the form of smelly sweat.

Eww, you will say. I was shocked to say the least. I have never smelt so bad for a long while.

The run took me all of 56 minutes to 1 hour (I wasn't watching the time - just trying to ensure I survived the tough conditions and not black out) and by the time I finished, I was finished.

Just verifying what my elderly friend told me. Exercise like no tomorrow and get rid of the toxins caused from casual drinking fast. It will do your body a whole lot of good.

                                         End of Run. Finished Literally 

 

Man Utd 0 Wolves 1 ; Talent, Motivation and Pure Aggression all make winners of the Wanderers.

 

Bruno (Lage) is an amazing manager. He has put together, in my opinion, a world class side capable of beating ANY team on their day. Look at Man United. They have Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandez and the whole lot of top talent. Playing at home, they still LOST to Wolves.

My assessment is that the better team WON. Neves was simply outstanding on that day, as was the rest of the Wolves team. They can beat ANYBODY on their day - testament of what was seen on Tuesday 4th morning. 

Dominating in every department, they have a world class goalkeeper in Jose Sa, and another top class defender in Max Killman. Everyone in the team was at the top of that game on that day.

Joao Mouthino, take a bow. At 35, you are ruuning like an 19 year old with passion and determination.

This team is made of champions. Time to prove their worth in silverware.

Enough Said. 

Ikigai - applying the concepts of 'Why I Exist'

 I am re-reading (not for the first time), this fascinating book by Ken Moji (Japanese neuroscientist) in which he describes the philosophy of Ikigai or the reason of being. 

Why we are alive and what we do what we do.

The 5 pillars are (to reiterate) are :

a) Starting Small

b) Releasing Oneself

c) Harmony and Sustainability

d) Finding Joy in the Little Things

e) Being in the Here and Now

I believe the encapsulation of these 5 base concepts is in the tradition of tea drinking. In a tea ceremony, the master carefully prepares the ornaments in the room, paying the utmost attention to the finest details such as what kind of flower is to be decorated on the wall 

1.Starting Small  

There will be a spirit of humility shown by the master and the guests, even though they have long years of experience in this hallowed ceremony 

2. Releasing Oneself 

Many of the wares used in this ceremony (like the teapots and teacups) are decades or even centuries old and are chosen so that they resonate with each other to create and leave an unforgettable experience 

3. Harmony and Sustainability 

Despite the meticulous preparations, the objective of the tea ceremony is for the guests to be relaxed, to take pleasure in the sensory details within the tea room

4. Finding Joy in the Little Things. 

Finally, it is penultimate objective of the tea ceremony to be truly in a state of mindfulness and to take in the inner cosmos of the room and one's state of mind. 

5. Be in the Here and Now 

Its like being transported to another world, another time with the timelessness of the tea master and participants which makes the tea ceremony so fascinating and upholding the principles of Ikigai,

Find Your Ikigai. 

Once you have found your Ikigai, live in harmony with the people and the environment around you. Each person's Ikigai, when implemented in harmony with other people promotes creativity in the free exchange of ideas. This is the best way for uplifting our lives. 

By appreciating and respecting the characteristics of the people around you, you can realise the golden triangle.

                                                              Ikigai

                                                           ^            ^ 

                                              Creativity  < >   Flow

 

Welcome 2022 !

            MAGLEV train in Shenzhen 

The mother of all horrid years has come and gone ! So many setbacks with the health of millions of people put at risk and millions dying from an invisible enemy. COVID - 19 has really changed the landscape and thinking or literally billions of people everywhere in the world.

I do not want to repeat the horrors of the past year, with many countries struggling to keep the pandemic at bay. Many lives have been lost, and families broken by this most horrible of diseases.

We have taken multiple jabs and boosters and worn masks, safe distanced, traced together, taken countless Antigen Rapid Tests, Polymerase Chain Reaction tests, limited our going out, dining together in groups is a luxury (0 to 5 to 2 and 0 and back again), quarantined, spaced out and every thing possible to prevent the further spread of this dreaded disease.

I am prepared to wager a small fee (a bottle of wine) that 2022 will finally bring the wretched virus under control what with the MSD and Pfizer antiviral COVID pill, and every vigilant Governments actions against the spread of yet another variant.

Travel will resume, with new and tighter controls. We will pull through again, and the world will resume (fingers, toes and eyebrows crossed) some semblance of normalcy.

The worrying aspect of it all is that the East West trade tariffs or embargoes, China's growth and tensions in the region will exascerbate 1. energy costs 2. shipping costs and delivery times 3. raw material costs  and it will lead to inflation which needs to be reined in.

The rich poor (GINI coefficient) will be stretched even wider. The GIG economy will be here to stay. New ways of doing business through first digitisation, digitalization, content provision and finally education consultancy will be the way forward.

The 4th Industrial Revolution will herald the age of IoT, AI and Cloud forming the 3 major platforms which must not be neglected. Cryptocurrency, NFTS and the like will change our lives irreversibly.

Who wins ? Who gets left behind ? Its all up to us.

Educate, Re Train, Re Learn to catch the next wave.

Its Hobson's choice and it will not be pretty for the 'has beens'.