2013 - We survived the 'End of the World'

        
                                                      Santa for US President 2016 !
            
        Well first and foremost, everyone, Happy belated 2013 !! 

       Its been over one month since I put finger to keyboard, (used to be pen to notepad) but this the new means of communication, like it or not.There was some big 'brouhaha' last year when millions of people all across the globe started fretting about the end of the world as the ancient Mayan Calandar had finished its last predicted date, and as there were no more entries to the calendar, people started fretting that that was it, finito. People started beating their chests,looking at another famous astrologer,Nostradamus and finding all kinds of predictions,and trying to relate it to the date 23-12-12. 

        One funny analogy is that the Mayans couldn't predict the end of their own civilization, their entire city disappeared, leaving not a single Mayan citizen, but so many people had so much faith in the end of the world based on their calendar. This is truly astounding and pathetic.

        There are probably lots of people who believe in Santa Claus living in the North Pole as there were people in the days of old (in the 1400s ) who had no clue what lay at the end of the visible horizon, so assumed that at the end when the means of transportation of the day, the sailboat, reached the end, they would fall off into a bottomless cliff and die. 

       So since we survived the End of the World, shouldn't we be celebrating the Beginning of the New World ???   Lets get the world back on track and do some good.

My 5 suggestions to Restart the New World  (hey, since people are dumb enough to consider the End of the World, why not consider this small blogger's crazy ideas ?)

1. Change the Reserve Currency from the US dollar to the Chinese RMB. 

2. Change the Monetary system as we know it. Link all currencies bank to the Gold Standard 

3. USA to outlaw the NRA and consider amending the 2nd amendment, putting the vote to a National Referendum.    

4. USA to stop the QE Infinity nonsense and attempt to really bring down the budget deficit

5.  Make Santa Claus the US President. Since no human can solve the US's and World problems, an imaginary immortal giving out peace and presents for being good can't do  any worse !

    Happy 2013 !!     

No. 7

        The Standard Chartered Marathon on 2nd December was my 7th in total. I was not in the best of shape and had only minimal training. Added to that I had just turned 50, I had decided to run it, firstly to fulfill a resolution  at the start of the year and secondly to provide a decent finish to an erstwhile quite unsuccessful year where we had lost some key European product and the S E Asian economies were heading downwards due to the European and US crises.

        We had taken the right steps with new products as well as offering services for the local customers, but with the manufacturing sector in Singapore, Malaysia slowing this past 6 months, it has been tough on many small business owners including me.

        Back to the marathon, I started slowly, about 7minutes per km for the first 30km and maintained  it throughout. However, after the first 32 km, my will evaporated and the body started give me tell tale signs, although I had no muscle cramps, which was a blessing.

        So after 32km, it was a series of run and walk, for the last 10km, that effectively slowed me down. I had hoped for a sub 6 hour finish, but in the end, I told myself, health first, time secondary.

        My best time so far in the marathon (7 editions) is 3 times of 4 hours and 45 minutes.Will I able to do those times again ? I am confident that if I have the time and the training, I can and will achieve it.

        The oldest runner was a Mr. Faujah Singh, who is 101 years old. He started marathoning at 93 (!) so many a times, if a person takes care of his body and mind, he can and will achieve tremendous things with the proper diet, training and mental discipline. 

  

"We have a lot of work to do"

       

        When Mr. Barack Obama was reelected for another 4 years in November 2012, this was one of his key message statements to the faithful who voted for the Democratic Party over the GOP (Grand Old Party) Republicans.

        The USA has lost its mandate to lead the world economically, it can at best be an indicator of where the next 'Big Thing' will come but I think that Asia has its best break now to lead the world in cool gadgets and products, as Asia is where the mass consumers are. China, India, Japan and Korea have a combined population of over 3.5 billion with a middle class of easily 500 million to 700 million. Already popular culture is looking at the Korean Hallyou (or Wave) and PSY's Gangnam Style dance is insanely popular amongst Youtubers. (almost 900 million 'hits' at last count)

      First the Presient has to get both Houses to agree on raising taxes, else the Fiscal Cliff will impact the whole country if there is no agreement. The Government will then be forced to shut down, schools and public services, utilities and essential Government Ministries will be shut, and then the domino effect will hit the rest of the country. 

      There is no turning back, if they do not do something on the massive debt and continue to print money, and raise their debt, while hoping for the economy to continue its anaemic growth, then there will be another tepid or mild expansion for the next  4 years.

       So, for the US to reduce the deficit and national debt, it first has to generate jobs. To generate jobs, the US needs to borrow more money to create the new (renewable and clean industries such as solar and wind, as well as expand its drilling for oil in Texas as well as Alaska. Once that is done, then jobs relating to the new industries can be created. But then it means incurring more debt, and hopefully these new industries will be able to export massively and reduce the trade deficit as well as pay back the debt. But the US is not the leader in renewable and clean industries (China and South America are), so the chances of the US being able to export its way out of the trade deficit and massive debt is slim.

     Unless the US finds a new 'champion' product or service which it can claim to to be the global first leader, it will be still stuck in an anaemic growth path, and debt will still be as high as ever. 

        

     

The foolish run today

       I will always remember this run today for a long long time. Today, as I was preparing for the 42km marathon in roughly 2 weeks' time, I decided to take a challenge and run with a new pair of Asics Kayanos (version 18). I decided to run the Sime Trail at the McRitchie Reservoir which is roughly 11km from start to end, 1 complete circle. 

       I am not a novice at running the trails at McRitchie, but as I finished the run, something so significant dawned upon me, that I decided to write this down for posterity. I finished work before 6pm and made a beeline for McRitchie reservoir hoping to catch the last rays of light. By the time I arrived and changed up, and started out, it was 6.30pm. I did the run which was in the jungle, and not uncommonly, I would see moneys, sometimes monitor lizards and the occasional snake. The first half went by quite smoothly. I covered 7km in about 42 minutes or so, at a decent pace of 6min per km. My new shoes were absorbing the shocks of the uneven ground made worse by the rains the past days. There are many exposed roots and its slippery,so one wrong move and you could end up with a twisted ankle or worse, a major leg or body injury. The trail is meant mainly for walkers and people with trail sticks frequent it.
Some weeks ago some trail runners were lost in the Reservoir for up to 9 hours, so its not without its risks.

         I made it to the 2/3 rd mark at about 7.05pm. The ranger station was closed and a sign said that the treetop walk was closed and not open to public after 5.30pm  I was left with 3 options a) use the Sime road, which was well lit and run the remainder 5 km back b) Head back the way I came, which was quite treacherous with the fading light or c) continue with the Sime Trail into the forest and reach the end by sheer foolishness and willpower. That meant running up 9 small hills in the trail which was pot holed, and had mud as well as broken stones placed over the places where it was too muddy. Tough choice. 

        I chose option c). Purely by 'gut feel' and not logic, when I could have chosen the easy way back and ran along the road to the start point.With the light fading, the trail I was quite familiar became a black or near black track, with the occasional light from the opening of the forest which let the moonlight in from the half moon. I was afraid, but chose to press on into the darkness. The trail had its ups and downs, and pot holes, which I had to FEEL MY WAY through. I was scared to be scared, not wanting to think of the consequences of a wrong footing or  going off the track. There were lights but I realised that they were fireflies in the forest. After about 15 minutes  of solitary running in the darkness, there was a torchlight and one runner came towards me, he greeted me, and passed into the night. I felt much more sure. There was another solitary runner about 5 minutes later who greeted me with a hearty "Hi" and I was so energised, I ran with all my might. It was going to be OK, although I had another good 15 minutes still in the black forest.

        At the end of the trail, the lights of the reservoir beckoned. My thoughts during the run were this :

1. I am a risk taker, that is why I decided to go into business. You are always thrust into the great abyss (black hole) of uncertain future but you must have the extreme confidence that you will overcome whatever comes my way.

2. Do not think too much about the what ifs, because, life is real short, and if you spend too much time thinking about things you will never ever achieve anything.

    My run finished rather unspectacularly by the reservoir's edge. I remember the words immortalised by the late Steve Jobs to the new Harvard Graduands.

   " Stay Foolish, Stay Hungry, Never Settle".

   Well, the first 2 I have achieved with 100% accuracy. That is why I am still making a living running my own business. I have never regretted a single day of it. Never settle means that I must aspire for better than what I have achieved today. That will only be known over time.

   Seize the Day my friends.   


     
    
    
             

Zlatan Ibrahahimovic Incredible Goal - what a gem !

4 more years (of mediocrity)

        As a non partisan observer of the 2012 US elections, I can conclude, that given the 2 candidates to choose from,  Americans chose to return the incumbent Mr. Barack Obama to office. When he took office in Nov 2008, the US economy was teetering on facing with the most critical economic crisis of its history with major lenders from Fanny Mae, Freddy Mac ,Citigroup, Lehman Brothers and  AIG bordering on bankruptcy. All these were blamed on the banks unfettered , unregulated (mind you) and near illegal bets on subprime mortgages loans, credit swaps and as a result Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, with AIG and many others bailed out by the TARF or emergency money to continue their ruthless lending.

      Four years down the road, with unemployment at a near all time high of 7.8% and the reemergence of General Motors after a forced bankruptcy, USA voted in Barack Obama again. There will be millions of analyses down the road for why they voted for him, and not the savvy businessman Mitt Romney. But for me, as a company director, if you are hired to manage a company, your job performance is normally measured in a span of 3 years, and if you are hired to make things better, then you better do so in whatever way you can. Else, you get shown the door, or fired. That is the American and global way of rewarding good performance and releasging poor performers. 

     So during his tenure what did the Fed do ? They printed more money to lend to the ailing banks stating that they were 'too big to fail' and as a result the people who created this mess and stall the world exconomy leading to an even greater mess down the road (few years from now) are still in their jobs and with more money too. Ridiculous isn't it ? 

     So America has voted in the incumbent Obama, he pledged to make good on the economy, but with the fiscal cliff looming and a divided House (Senate is Democrat majority and House of representatives is Republican) it is looking alot like a bleak Christmas and and uncertain new year.

    Wall Street as well as all major markets around the world sent their message to Obama.
They all dropped from 1.2 to 3 % in a day.  

    Oh dear.      

One of the all time classics - Desperado

This classic from the 70's by the Eagles is a tune which I am playing on my Keyboards at home, for easy access I have pasted it on my Blog. Its best played without any Autotune or Drum Beat and goes well with any Karaoke singalong.