The Sis Post

Two people must be saying "Hey, thats us!". haha. Yes its both you. Firstly, I don't really like doing a picture post because I feel it takes a lot of attention off from what I write which I feel is the point of every post. I'm not a good photo blogger either so nothing is lost.

Honestly, I always need a certain level of encouragement to write any post. Normally things accumulate over weeks or months before I click the "Create" button on the dashboard. This one has been mentioned a few weeks now but haven't really got time to think. Truth, writing about family needs thinking? probably not.

So where do I start? Family potrait.
Left 2 pictures :Huiwei
Centre picture: Me(Left), Huiwei(Top), Mum(Bottom), Rong(Right)
Right 2 pictures: Huirong
A landmark at home, gains the most attention from any visitor. And yes, all our names are joined. We'll explain the reason behind it when you ask any of us.

Done with the formalities, age...hmm...no need la. They are both elder than me? duh...haha. But Wei has been the youngest in some people's eyes. She must be celebrating that time.haha

Options on what to write? About? Why I love them? A bit of a little. I think I need to cut the chase.lol!
I love my sisters because.....eh....like slogan wan?

Both my sis graduated in Australia. Took the SAM program. Like me. I should be graduating there too. We took the same subjects in SAM and probably the same stuff in UWA. Fine, slogan. I love my sisters because they are the best sisters in the world. They are so nice too me all the time, really treat me like the little brother, give me minimal responsibilities, so fun la. But I'm not sure how much I have done =(. Remind me anyone?

Rong, tied greatest sister with Wei. Haha. Sorry Rong, the genius award goes to Wei, I think we both agree to that la. She reads faster than anyone. Hands down. More on Wei later. Rong, the RAT. Got the name from the chinese calendar (hint..hint). I would say she works really hard and is the sportiest among all of us. She leads in so many things I think she can lose track of what she has done too. The RAT smells people like no other, very much like dad. Doesn't take long for her to separate genuine ones from the impostors.I really greatly admire this skill.Don't mess with the rat, you get screwed (overstatement? hmm...).Super hardworker. Works really hard, I would say more than me at least. Skills? She has very good makeup skills although I've not seen her do makeup inawhile because we only meet anually, how sad. But I remember she's got a nice bag full of cosmetics with a Laura Mercier product (my pronunciation will drive ppl nuts for that brand). I dunno anything abt makeup la...Oh ya, she has this cleanser which she doesn't tell me the price till today. Sure ex wan...
Hmm, she puts me to tears the most without crying. She use to press my blackheads and pimples for me way back 6-7 years ago? It was so fudging painful when she does it. Thank goodness I am handling it myself now.
She shares common with me. Our beautiful use of language, probably only she speaks on those terms with me in the family. I love how she complains when I overdo my swearing. Haha.Now I really miss our bedtime stories....really....
Credit goes to you for all tv shows introduction, ANTM, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice and Samantha Who? and fine...How I Met Your Mother although Bin and Syl were the final push.


Wei, tied greatest sister with Rong. Probably the softer person among 3 of us. More likeable maybe? This sister is known for her love for shows and books. She is probably the fastest reader I know, 3 books in a day? Dunno got skip or not la, but she reads so freaking fast. Plus, her study productivity is outrageous, it "feels" like she doesn't do much, but she always come up on top. And ya, stop the deception of not doing well, we no longer buy it. haha.And when she watches shows, she doesn't stop. The most hilarious part is probably when she smiles while watching shows and I love to imitate her doing it. Oh ya, I forgot about how she laughs. All of us in the family would be like "Yoh...this wei ah". When she laughs right, her body is technically vibrating and especially when she is trying to control her laugh by closing her mouth, its so funny!! Her sound of laughter is impressive.
Next point, she is always bullied by us. Poor wei, she always gets disturbed by me and rong, especially night time when she is about to sleep and I go VERY near her and say "Hi Wei". She would be like struggling to counter my annoyance.And when she can't take it, she say "Deyao....".Haih, the way she says it cannot show la..so funny.
Funniest moment, Wei's hair got stucked in the comb. Wah lao, can laugh until go crazy man. I was there to witness it, there was actually no way to get the comb out. What an experience where a comb was destroyed and hairs were lost. Sorry wei, just came across my mind.
Also, the disposing flower incident. She had to hide some flowers this fellar gave her so we were in the 'adventure' to make it disappear. You really owe us wei. Who was the person to collect it somemore. The biggest culprit for any Korean things around. Whether its Korean shows, guy or food. You influenced Rong!! You spread the disease....

There's so much about both of them that I can't describe. Bottom line, best people ever! We've been apart for so many years now except CNY but things will change very soon, right?
Last pics to end.

Rong ! The not so fierce look.

Wei! Notice the height difference...lol.

I love you both!

~yao~

Open Letter

I just want to say thank you for the times you have been with me. I never expected someone so special to appear in my life all of a sudden , but the swiftness came at a price. It's unconscionable to blame anyone here. I gave you my heart and I gave you my word. I gave you love to the extent I'm not sure is possible. I appreciate everything you did and shared together with me.

I'm sorry things didn't work out. Everything I've said to you is true and I meant it with all my heart. I thought the fundamentals of the relationship were there, but I was mistaken, it was the exact thing that kept us from going. You are one of the most wonderful people I've known and I will never forget your presence.

~deyao~

Why Do You Need To Invest?

Previously, I looked at why people were afraid to invest, fear and greed, simple. But I think if you told people that they shouldn't be afraid, its NOT going to be any help. The better question, DO YOU NEED TO INVEST? And obviously, yes. And another yes, no matter what level of wealth you are at. Warren Buffet still invests his money today, worse still, he's still working. Does he need add more to his $50bil estimated wealth? Probably not, but he still does it.

Money matters, we all agree. But it's the perception of it which makes things go wrong. I am afraid people do not see wealth as something increasing but worse still they look at it as something depleting. Do you have control over money? If you have an overnight windfall of $1mil, what will you do? If there's too much hesitation, you're not in control. If you are thinking how to make the $1mil last you for a certain number of years, financially, it's not really a good sign. Put aside the charity and human side of things for awhile. From a financial perspective, if you are imagining and thinking how to grow it to another million, you're on right on track.

There's many ways you can deal with 1mil, keep it in the bank at 2.5% interest, buy a house, put it in equities, give it to someone, buy many years worth of lottery or anything that you know of. This post won't tell you how to use the imaginary 1mil, but the lines above are just to trigger some thinking of whether you are in control.
Before I continue, this post is by no means showing you how I much I know or how much in control I am but just to create some awareness.

Why do you need to invest? Title says....
Just a brief summary
1)Options
2)Uncertainties

Options
Money gives you options, no doubt, we all know that. Although some people may be well-off, but some are not that fortunate, thats why investing may be even more important for some people. Where do we get money from? Our jobs, salary. Anywhere else? If there's no where else, things aren't going to be easy. Not many people can reach top management but almost everyone needs almost the same amount of money. True? That's why, job security today is paramount for many people. But if they lose their jobs in situations of a recession like now, what are they going to live on. Savings would be a blessing, but for those who depend heavily on their monthly salaries, this is trouble. This is serious, not everyone can keep their job all the time. That's why we need to start supplementing our salary with incomes from a different area such as investing.

Difference between investing generally and investing in a business.
Investing generally means money is working for us and investing in business also means money is working for us but indirectly, actually SYSTEM is working for us. Many people do not opt for a business normally because of lack of capital, talents, risk and giving up their jobs. Both investments' return can vary and no method is technically better.
Investing generally is more accessible and easier to learn. Normally, we look at equities (stock market), commodities, mutual funds, real estate, bonds and foreign exchange. There are many more...

Currently, interest rates and inflation are at the lowest in over a decade. Many would be smiling at the lower interest on their mortgages and loans and the lower costs of living. It's not actually a good sign, because these low numbers can go up really fast, I mean really fast. If crude oil prices can rise from $50 to $70 in a month, you have to anticipate interest rates and inflation will follow very very soon. Take advantage of the lower borrowing costs right now because rates will only have an uptrend after this.The economy may still be contracting but its no longer at free-fall. When commodity prices surge in the near future, inflation picks up, interest rates follows and there is goodbye to low cost financing.
So we should be responsible as people who make things happen (invest!), NOT "see it happen" or worst still, saying "What happened?" (quoted from Rich Dad).
What are you suppose to do? Grow your wealth as much as you can right now, unless you are in a very good position and is very comfortable with paying high interest rates on cars, real estate or any other loans in the future.

Uncertainties
Another issue for Malaysians and Singaporeans, after 2011 , our money placed in banks are no longer guaranteed. What??? My money can disappear?? Yes in the event of liquidation, the central bank only guarantees RM60,000. That is worrying for sure. Even banks , our biggest safety haven is no longer safe. Where to put my money then? Now it's your turn to think, I would suggest you put your money in investments that you really understand and feel confident in. Learn to do your homework and from there you could grow your wealth and this will give you more options in life. Be patient of course.
You still might consider hiding it under your bed or in a safe, but it's not a such a good idea.

It could awhile until the next topic comes in mind, How to Invest is something I probably am not capable of writing yet. But at least, the important thing is people to do things for a reason, and I just gave you a few reasons to INVEST. I hope the things I wrote made sense, tell me if I haven't. Thanks for reading.
Reward for reading...
There is no doubt energy demand will rise very quickly in the near future especially when things start to pick up. Look at the energy sector, my biggest tip.

~deyao~

Dispensable but Replaceable?

Regardless whether Ronaldo had lifted the Champions League trophy last month, he is one of the best players around but amazingly his common sense still doesn't communicate with me. I'm only writing this because of the official statement from Utd, again the papers have overstated the meaning of RECEIVED as ACCEPTED. No deal yet but it could be likely. Almost a year ago I predicted Utd will not regain the League without Ronaldo. My predictions on other matters were not as good but I think this one is fair.

Beginning of the season, Utd really slumped without him , having one of the worst starts ever. A so called mediocre season by Ronaldo still saw him become the highest scoring midfielder ahead of the seemingly better Gerrard and Lampard. He scored 18 goals in the league and trailed leader Anelka by one. Goals were a lot short compared to the previous seasons but his influence has an "invisible hand" (Stolen from economics..lol). He is a bit silent on the goal front but when he plays, there's such exuberance with Man Utd, something Arsenal has lacked. The sort of catalyst and game-changing capability that every team is envious about. The question for Ronaldo first, is he making the right move?

YES, HE IS
Well, he has achieved every trophy and award possible at his level and it is fair for him to look for better challenges ahead. He has given so much to the team and he has the say what he wants. Not a very strong argument but he does have a point.

NO, USE YOUR HEAD.
Not many people really agree with the mentality of Ronaldo and what he says. I personally don't have a problem with his arrogance. At 23, still too risky for a move to Real Madrid. A move that has shown evidence players never really achieve their potential or didnt grow as much as they could have. Beckham,McManaman, Woodgate, Owen, Reyes, Anelka, Gravesen, Van Nistelrooy, Robben, Diarra, Dudek, Heinze are the ones that made their way to the Bernabeau. How many really did well? I don't think any of them did exceptionally well. First argument against this, none of them were really so called "best"players. There's some truth but Ronaldo is the best player in the world. The chances of screwing up his career is high apart from the possibility of spending the best years of his career wasted. Plus, Real Madrid has Kaka and can they actually play together. Mouth-watering prospect for an under-achieving team, but for me it is just blind optimism. For Real's sake , I hope it works.

REPLACEABLE?

According to THE SUN, they identified a few players who could replace Ronaldo. Let me take a look.
1. Luis Fabiano
I seen him play before , pretty decent, too far from Ronaldo.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 3/10

2.Antonio Valencia
He has played for Wigan for awhile now and no one is really interested in him. Why will United be?
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 2.5/10

3. Karim Benzema
Now you're talking, excellent playmaker for Lyon but not for France. Superb skills and capability. Has the muscle for the Premier League. Scores goals.Thumbs up.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 8/10

4. Franck Ribery
Good candidate as well. Aggressive style, scores goals and creates too. Not bad.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 7/10

5. Samuel Eto'o
Radically different player, too attacking compared to Ronaldo's creativeness. 28 years of age. Not quite the replacement.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 5/10

6.Carlos Tevez
On the list because not signed permanently. He has played for Utd and we have seen him play. Should sign for Utd but he is not a replacement for sure!
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : N/A

My considerations
Kaka should be on this list but thanks to Real again.

1. Lionel Messi
Some call him the best player in the world, he could be this year. Barca wont sell him for 80mil pounds, but maybe 100? He is top draw , all I can say.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 10/10


2.Diego
Haven't seen to much of him but a playmaker is the concern for Man Utd and he is one which is quite sought after. A third of Ronaldo's price could do it. His speed is a problem here.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 6.5/10

3. Xavi
Man Utd surely knows a lot about him. Great player but different attributes. Don't think Barca will sell again.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 6.5/10

4. Sergio Aguero
Very talented youngster. I haven't watched him play in awhile, but he could be a good buy. Small in size but big in talent.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 7/10

5. David Villa
Proven capabilities. Has a very big eye for goal. Love to see him in the EPL. Sadly, almost the same argument for Eto'o. Too much of a striker.
Ronaldo "replacementness" rating : 6/10

Whatever the outcomes, someone will celebrate, whether its Ronaldo with the biggest wage cheque in his entire life, the Premier League's other 19 teams or even United (if he stays or they like the money).
Let's hope this fellar does not let success takeover him. Happy decision-making and discussions Ronaldo! Return the glory days to Madrid...haha. (Sorry for being bitter because of the champions league semis)

~deyao~