Health Tips from Mayo Clinic
(Mayo Clinic is one of the top medical centers in the world. Their site also gives good diagnostic guides for all medical problems) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dietary-guidelines/MY01594
Drink Lots of Water (but Beware of What's in It)
More than 70% of our body is water. The brain has higher water content than other cells.
Water is a powerful solvent that helps remove wastes and toxins from our body.
1. Before sleep, drink a glass of water. After 8 hours of sleep the body will be very dehydrated. So immediately after waking up, drink at least 2 glasses of water and wash face and back of neck with water to moisturise the skin
2. Make sure you drink lots of water throughout the day. DO NOT wait until you are thirsty. Water here refers to plain water or liquids from fresh fruits like fresh coconut water or fresh soya bean drink, and not 'contaminated water' in liquids like coffee, tea, canned juices and soft drinks which are highly acidic and harmful to our bodies (see notes below on man-made foods and drinks).
3. Reduce the invisible poisons in drinking water
Pipes corrode over time. Many house pipes are made of copper or plastic because they are cheaper than steel pipes which are less liable to corrosion and decomposition. Copper pipes corrode quickly into poisonous copper oxide (which gives a bluish tinge to water coming out of unused taps).
Plastic in plastic pipes and plastic water containers decompose into toxic powders that cannot be seen by the naked eye. [Note: When I advise people shopping for water bottles not to buy plastic ones, the response I always get is 'but the label says it is BPA free'. But they never wonder why the label only say ONE toxic chemical is not present. What about the other toxic chemicals?]
Pipe water supplied by water utilities and swimming pools are treated with Chlorine to kill germs and bacteria but that same chlorine is highly toxic to our bodies (our cells are not very different from bacteria). Chlorine is one of the most poisonous element known. Public swimming pools have much higher concentration of chlorine than pipe water and their water is therefore very poisonous (therefore do not use such pools too often). Many poisonous insecticides and weed killers etc. are compounds with Chlorine as a component.
To reduce the level of toxins in water we drink, do the following:
- do not use water from long unused pipes for drinking. Drain a few liters from the taps before collecting for drinking purposes (keep the initial few liters for washing purposes). This is especially the case early in the morning when water had stayed in the pipes overnight
- use activated carbon filters: activated carbon absorbs dangerous chemicals including Chlorine
- keep water overnight in a steel container or steel cooking pot (do not use plastic water bottles) to give time for the dissolved chlorine to escape into the air
- boil water before drinking: heating cause the water to lose some of the Chlorine in addition to killing bacteria
- use glass, ceramic or steel water containers and bottles (do not use plastic ones)
4. Drinking slightly alkaline water MAY help because ingestion of meats and man-made foods which are highly acidic upsets the pH balance in our body. Alkaline water also dissolves oils and fats (one cause of stroke and heart attacks) better. Investigations found that water in some parts of the world where the people tend to live longer are slightly alkaline (because their water sources are in areas with alkaline rocks etc).
Meats and water with dissolved chemicals (due to pollution, corrosion and chemical treatment etc) and all the man-made foods tend to be acidic and upset the pH balance in our body if not neutralised. Cancer thrive in acidic environment.
There are water treatment units sold publicly that make water slightly alkaline. In 2011, I bought steel capsules containing organic stones (containing alkaline sources like calcium etc.) that can be used for 3 years selling at S$50 each.
But BEWARE:
- although drinking slightly alkaline water does no harm, there is no scientific proof that it makes a lot of difference either (because it gets neutralised immediately by acid in our stomach). Our body is a very complicated system and simply drinking slightly alkaline water is not the 'solve all'. It is better to minimise pH imbalance in our body by simply avoiding too much acidic meat and manufactured food/drink intake, and drinking lots of water throughout the day!
- One multi-level marketing (MLM) company I know of sell 'Kangen machines' (from Japan) that produce 'ionized alkaline' water for S$5,000 but there is no proof that they work (the MLM was also giving most of that money out as 'bonuses' to the various levels of introducers!)
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-admire-her-old-water-and-not.html
GENERAL EATING GUIDE
Go Vegetarian Once a While and not eat meat for 1-2 days or regularly not have meat during alternate meals. You will feel very clean inside and fresh after that! Your faeces will not stink like when you eat meat. Note: A low-meat diet will make you sensitive to people who eat too much meat as they would smell of the animals they eat e.g. chinese people who like pork smell like pig when they get near to me which turns me off!
Eat easy to digest foods like fruits, soups, curds and porridge. Meats that are difficult to digest and the toxins they contain stress the body and shorten life span.
Avoid pre-cooked hawker food and utensils. If have to, take food served in hot & plain soups.
Never over eat, stop once you feel full. Over eating increases metabolic rate of cells which shortens their life span.
Do not lie down on couch or sleep after meals. Try to keep standing or go for a walk for 30 minutes. Otherwise make sure to sit upright. This is to avoid 'acid reflux' which is the back-flow of acid from stomach into oesophagus which will 'burn' linings in oesophagus resulting in 'chest burn' sensation.
Do NOT eat or drink acidic liquids 3 hours before sleep. Do not have oily and fatty food including milk and acidic drinks (like coffee, citrus fruit juice and soft drinks) at least 3 hours before going to bed. Consuming fatty and acidic food before sleeping triggers acid production in stomach that may 'burn' stomach ('gastric burn') and oesophagus ('acid reflux'). If hungry, drink hot milo, horlick, oat, sesame etc. (these drinks are starch based which require less stomach acid to digest). Use low fat milk if needed.
List of Good Foods:
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/10-foods-for-fabulous-abs.html
Healthy Breakfast Regime
- drink at least 2 glasses of water after waking and before eating
- eat 1 half-boiled egg or sandwich with fried egg
- avoid coffee and tea (malted drinks etc are better)
- brush teeth after eating (not before)
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2001/02/what-smart-chinese-feed-their-children.html
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/dental-care.html
[Note: caffeine in coffee and black tea (as opposed to chinese and green tea) are acidic and thickens blood. Thick blood results in bad circulation and reduces its ability to dissolve and remove oil/fat and harmful substances from body and blood vessels thus contributing to strokes and heart attacks. Green and Chinese tea on the other hand thins blood and helps in dissolving oil/fat and harmful substances]
Eat Lots of Fruits, Nuts, Beans and Vegetables
They are all great sources of vitamins, anti-oxidants and essential minerals (only plants can produce vitamins, animals cannot). Like egg is to animals, fruits, nuts and beans are the 'future children' of plants. Because of that, nature 'invests heavily' in them to ensure survival of the species by making sure they contain all the best and important ingredients for growth and health of their young!
Eat freshly cut fruits. Do not eat cut fruits left on stalls without ice or not in fridges. They may be infested with bacteria after long expsoure.
Take Traditional Chinese Herbal Soups
Chinese long ago had experimented with various herbs and found the ones that are most helpful in maintaining good health. Traditional Chinese soups containing ginseng, 'tang gui', red plums, etc are good anti-oxidants and body cleansers. http://www.chinese-traditional-food.com/chinese-soups.html
Take them every 1 to 2 weeks and change the variety of soup and herbs each time.
Fight Bad Bacteria with Good Bacteria (the Indian Way)
Indians long ago found out that yogurt is good for health because it contains good bacteria. Our body, especially our gut, is full of bacteria. We can never get rid of them. In fact, we need good bacteria to help digestion and control the spread of bad bacteria. The cells in our body also contain ancient 'captured bacteria' that perform functions critical to our cell survival (you can say our body is a collection of bacteria!). Excesive bad bateria can cause big tummy, illness and cancer. Our body need good bacteria to function properly.
Take a few spoonful of yogurt 2 or 3 times a week (I recommend traditional indian yogurt sold by indian traditional shops - 300 cc for $1.20 - cheap and good).
Or drink 'lassi' which is prepared by mixing a few spoonfuls of yogurt and a pinch of salt in a glass of water. It is a tasty health drink!
[Note: bad bacteria (from gut) that get into our blood causes plaque to form in blood vessels (like plaque in teeth/gum) and is one cause of heart attacks and strokes]
Eat Freshly Prepared Food (Not more than 4 hours)Recently, the Singapore government came up with a law requiring all food caterers to label their food preparation time and warned people not to consume food more than 4 hours old because bacterial growth is significantly higher when kept beyond 4 hours.
When consuming home cooked meals:
- consume immediately after preparation
- place unconsumed food in fridge immediately.
- do not consume food kept in fridge for more than 2 days (bacteria can still grow in cold conditions, just slower).
When re-heating frozen foods:
- use normal ovens versus microwave ovens. Normal ovens produce real heat while microwave ovens do not (they use magnetic induction which is different from heating)
- re-heat for at least 4 minutes in medium or high temperature
- leave food in oven a few more minutes after that to let the heat inside continue killing bacteria
When consuming outside food:
- avoid pre-cooked foods or re-heat them before consuming
- order food that will be cooked only when you order it
- food served in hot or boiling soup is preferred as the hot water helps kill bacteria
- if not sure, pick Indian briyani rice and food cooked in curry. Their spices have natural anti-bacterial properties (and India's gift to humanity)
[Notes:
- it is better to avoid outside food because most sellers use MSG which is poisonous
- they also do not wash ingredients properly
- hawker center tables and utensils are extremely dirty
- I always order dishes fresh out from the kitchens if lucky to see them being brought out]
Avoid All Man-made Foods, Sauces and DrinksAll canned and packaged foods and drinks (like soft drinks), and man-made sauces (tomato sauce, salad dressings etc), food sweeteners (like artificial sugar) and taste enhancers (like MSG) are poisonous and bad for health. They are not natural and do not exist in the natural environment!
Such 'manufactured' foods and drinks are made to last a few years because it is 'essential for business' (not health). It takes a few months to transport them from their factories to supermarkets around the world where they sit on shop selves and in people's kitchen cabinets for months before they are consumed. The reason why those foods and drinks can last so long is because they have been treated with chemicals (also known as 'preservatives') that kill off bacteria and germs, and stop them from growing. If those chemicals are poisonous to germs and bacteria, they are also poisonous to the cells in our bodies which are very similar in makeup to bacteria (read up about human cells).
Those chemicals also tend to make the foods and drinks acidic which is harmful to our bodies. Acids for example, dissolve the calcium in our bones resulting in under-development of bones and osteoporosis (weak bones) in old age.
[Note: If we leave a piece of fruit or meat on the table it would turn bad within a few hours because bacteria has started to eat it and multiplied. So how can those same things last for years in cans and plastic containers/bags?! Their manufacturers do not have magic. They are just using poisons to kill bacteria and stop them from re-growing! Those chemicals will have the same effect on our bodies except that it takes a longer time to take effect (and before we see their effects like cancers) because of our bodies' ability to heal itself. But the body can only do so much. Excessive dosage of those harmful chemicals would inevitably overwhelm the body's defences]
Avoid Farmed and Burnt Meat
All farmed animals (including farmed fish) contain high levels of man-made chemicals like growth hormones (to make them grow fast) and anti-biotics (to keep them from falling sick and die).
All these chemicals are not only toxic to our body but they are difficult to get rid off and therefore remain in our bodies for long periods. That is also why farmed meats should be avoided (more than farmed vegetables) - the toxins collected in those animals remains there and get passed on to us when we eat them. That is why cancers are highly related to the amount of meat consumed.
Over heating or burning foods like meat also change their chemical properties and make them highly toxic. So avoid burnt and barbequed meats, and fried foods!
But because protein is important for our health, one should not avoid meat entirely. Take them in small amounts. Beans, eggs, fish and seafood are better sources of proteins.
Avoid western foods. They use lots of meat and man-made sauces. If have to, choose fish burger or fish fillet.
Why Fish and Seafood?
One reason is because they live in water and water is a great solvent and cleanser! There is a higher chance that toxins in them will be removed by the water they swim and breathe in round the clock. Sea fish and seafood are preferable to fresh water ones for 2 reasons: the sea is less polluted than ponds (because of sheer size) and there is better chance that they are wild fish instead of farmed ones.
Another reason is they contain good Omega-3 oil and other minerals like iodine.
But BEWARE: seafood like mussels, cockels, clams and prawns are 'vacuum cleaners of the sea' meaning that they eat all the dead and 'dirty' matters at bottom of sea. Therefore toxins will accumulate in them - the bigger they are the more toxins. So choose the smallest sized ones!
[Notes: A friend of mine related this story. He has a businessman friend whose chicken farms supply chickens to KFC for the whole of Malaysia. That man told my friend that he does not eat chicken and advised my friend not to eat chicken. This was what he said 'in Nature, it takes a chicken 6 to 9 months to mature but we can do it in less than 2 months. How do you think we do that? We pump them with growth hormones!'
My mother also heard the same thing from small chicken farmers near my sisters home in a small town - they do not eat the chicken they sell, the ones they eat are 'kampung chickens' not fed with those chemicals.
Some chicken sold by supermarkets are labelled as 'free range' chickens. The 'theory' is they get to run around and are therefore healthier but it is just hype. They still feed them with lots of hormones and anti-biotics.
The same friend also told me about a friend he knew who died of intestinal cancer at about 40. That man liked to eat fried mee so much he had them every day! Intestinal cancer is one of the top killers in Malaysia and Singapore.
A cousin of mine died of intestinal cancer at age 41. I heard that he and family used to like eating satay a lot (burnt meat). When we visited him at home after he was diagnosed with that problem, we talked about the need to cut down on meat consumption. His response was 'yes, we cut down on meat a lot already'. So when we were invited to have lunch with them I was surprised to see that 3 out of 4 dishes had meat! Then I told myself that they did not know what they were talking about.]
Get Lots of Fresh Air
Like man-made food, 'modern' houses are all made with man-made materials like cement, fiberglass, asbestos, plastics, paints etc. which are all not natural and in many cases toxic. Those materials vaporize into the surrounding air and build up if those air is not expelled into the outside. That is why extended use of air-con is not healthy - they necessitate sealing up the house (to save energy) which result in accumulation of those toxins and reduction of oxygen level as they are used up over time.
For the same reason, air-coned public areas like malls and offices are the 'best' conveyors of air-born diseases like flu etc.
To maximise introduction of fresh air and keep house cool:
- have in-door live plants. They help absorb some of the toxins and introduce fresh oxygen into the air (the same way water plants treat water)
- create unblocked passages for fresh air to pass through house e.g. opening 1 window but closing all others stops air flow
- help push air into or out of house by placing fans at strategic locations along air passage preferably at entry and exit points like windows and door entrances
- make sure the fan assisted air-flow travel in one direction e.g. by not having 2 fans blowing in opposite directions
Have Regular Exercises and Sunlight
Exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. Exercise keeps the body and bone in shape.
Sunlight is important as it helps body to produce Vitamin D that cannot be gotten from any food. But too strong sunlight is dangerous because too much UV causes skin cancer. That is why brisk walks in early morning or evening is best (make sure to wear shoes with good 'shock absorption' to minimise damage to joints).
Have stretching exercises like bending, turning, sit ups daily.
Preferably children should play games daily with friend especially team games against team opponents. Team sports help to develop the brain, strengthen bones and muscles, develop hand-eye coordination, promote team work and helps children learn to read body language!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Sailor Who Got Medal for Sinking Ship
During the 2nd World War, the use of submarines to torpedo enemy ships was a pretty effective tactic as detection of submarines and incoming torpedoes were difficult then (sonar for submarine detection was new and not very advanced)
The only means available to ships then was to post sailors on the front deck to act as look outs for submarines and torpedoes.
On one instance, a ship was torpedoed because the sailor tasked to do submarine watch on night shift fell asleep on his watch. But because he was one of the least affected by the blast because of his position on the front deck, he ended up going round helping to save other sailors who were sleeping below deck when the ship was torpedoed. The other sailors who were asleep that he saved were very appreciative of his effort and recommended him for a 'hero's medal' and he was subsequently awarded one.
However, people who knew that he was the one who was on submarine watch when the ship was attacked questioned the award and said that he should not be awarded the medal because the ship was torpedoed because of he 'fell asleep' on his watch. His 'heroic act' would not have been necessary if he had not fallen asleep on his job in the first place!
People management schools since then had used it as a case example of bad management practice when managers with bad judgement (or low awareness) reward people for fixing a problem that was caused by them in the first place.
CCK's comment: the award of the medal to that sailor may make him look good to people who were sleeping and did not know that he was the man on watch duty who fell asleep on his job. But to people who knew about his failure on his job, he was not deserving of it. The difference is information and awareness (Level 2 of '3 Levels of Human Development').
Just because one piece of information were witheld from you or you miss it, you may end up with a very different impression. That is why it is important to remember the 'elephant and blindmen' fable...
The only means available to ships then was to post sailors on the front deck to act as look outs for submarines and torpedoes.
On one instance, a ship was torpedoed because the sailor tasked to do submarine watch on night shift fell asleep on his watch. But because he was one of the least affected by the blast because of his position on the front deck, he ended up going round helping to save other sailors who were sleeping below deck when the ship was torpedoed. The other sailors who were asleep that he saved were very appreciative of his effort and recommended him for a 'hero's medal' and he was subsequently awarded one.
However, people who knew that he was the one who was on submarine watch when the ship was attacked questioned the award and said that he should not be awarded the medal because the ship was torpedoed because of he 'fell asleep' on his watch. His 'heroic act' would not have been necessary if he had not fallen asleep on his job in the first place!
People management schools since then had used it as a case example of bad management practice when managers with bad judgement (or low awareness) reward people for fixing a problem that was caused by them in the first place.
CCK's comment: the award of the medal to that sailor may make him look good to people who were sleeping and did not know that he was the man on watch duty who fell asleep on his job. But to people who knew about his failure on his job, he was not deserving of it. The difference is information and awareness (Level 2 of '3 Levels of Human Development').
Just because one piece of information were witheld from you or you miss it, you may end up with a very different impression. That is why it is important to remember the 'elephant and blindmen' fable...
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
10 Foods for Fabulous Abs
Yahoo Singapore
1. Yogurt is magic for the tum. Nutritionist Rania Batayneh recommends yogurt, “The probiotic bacteria in most yogurts help keep your digestive system healthy, which translates into a lower incidence of gas, bloating, and constipation, which can keep your tummy looking flat." Ideally go for the plain-flavoured yogurts, that don’t contain added sugars.
2. Switch to whole grain. The body shows a decreased insulin response to whole grain as compared to refined carbohydrate like rice and white bread. So replace those meals of white rice and milk bread with whole grains like lentils, brown rice, and whole wheat bread for a trimmer waistline.
3. Stock up on cruciferous veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, peppers, and yellow beans. They contain folate, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, and fiber, and are rich in vitamins A, C, and K.
4. Olive Oil: Mono-unsaturated fats like those found in olive oil, work to reduce belly fat and don’t increase calorie intake.
5. Apple cider vinegar: New research indicates that 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (ideally mixed with a glass of water), consumed daily over a period of 12 weeks, works to lower body weight and reduce belly fat. This is attributed to vinegar's acetic acid, which is believed to pump out proteins that break down fat.
6. Green tea contains certain chemicals called polyphenols and catechins that boost metabolism and help burn fat. Including 2-3 cups of green tea in your diet will help reduce that waistline, as well as provide a host of other health benefits.
7. Apples are one of the most popular negative calorie foods. This means that an apple burns more calories that it adds to the body, while being digested, making for a great, tasty snack that does nothing to add to body fat.
8. Eggs are a great source of protein and contain essential amino acids that the body needs to build everything from muscle fibres to brain chemicals. It is the perfect breakfast food, and ensures you feel less hungry during the day and reduces that urge to snack. [CCK : Eggs contain Choline which is essential for brain function]
9. Almonds provide the body with minerals like magnesium, and regulate blood sugar levels. A stable blood sugar level is key to prevent cravings that can lead to overeating.
10. Salmon, tuna and mackerel, in addition to being a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, also improve metabolism and help burn fat faster by improving the body’s glucose-insulin response. [CCK: should be ALL non-farm salt water fish because the oceans are much bigger than fresh water ponds and therefore have lower concentration of pollutants, and farmed fish are fed mam-made chemicals]
1. Yogurt is magic for the tum. Nutritionist Rania Batayneh recommends yogurt, “The probiotic bacteria in most yogurts help keep your digestive system healthy, which translates into a lower incidence of gas, bloating, and constipation, which can keep your tummy looking flat." Ideally go for the plain-flavoured yogurts, that don’t contain added sugars.
2. Switch to whole grain. The body shows a decreased insulin response to whole grain as compared to refined carbohydrate like rice and white bread. So replace those meals of white rice and milk bread with whole grains like lentils, brown rice, and whole wheat bread for a trimmer waistline.
3. Stock up on cruciferous veggies like broccoli, brussels sprouts, asparagus, peppers, and yellow beans. They contain folate, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium, and fiber, and are rich in vitamins A, C, and K.
4. Olive Oil: Mono-unsaturated fats like those found in olive oil, work to reduce belly fat and don’t increase calorie intake.
5. Apple cider vinegar: New research indicates that 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (ideally mixed with a glass of water), consumed daily over a period of 12 weeks, works to lower body weight and reduce belly fat. This is attributed to vinegar's acetic acid, which is believed to pump out proteins that break down fat.
6. Green tea contains certain chemicals called polyphenols and catechins that boost metabolism and help burn fat. Including 2-3 cups of green tea in your diet will help reduce that waistline, as well as provide a host of other health benefits.
7. Apples are one of the most popular negative calorie foods. This means that an apple burns more calories that it adds to the body, while being digested, making for a great, tasty snack that does nothing to add to body fat.
8. Eggs are a great source of protein and contain essential amino acids that the body needs to build everything from muscle fibres to brain chemicals. It is the perfect breakfast food, and ensures you feel less hungry during the day and reduces that urge to snack. [CCK : Eggs contain Choline which is essential for brain function]
9. Almonds provide the body with minerals like magnesium, and regulate blood sugar levels. A stable blood sugar level is key to prevent cravings that can lead to overeating.
10. Salmon, tuna and mackerel, in addition to being a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, also improve metabolism and help burn fat faster by improving the body’s glucose-insulin response. [CCK: should be ALL non-farm salt water fish because the oceans are much bigger than fresh water ponds and therefore have lower concentration of pollutants, and farmed fish are fed mam-made chemicals]
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Why Admire Her Old Water and Not NeWater
Sep 2011 (DRAFT)
One day during one of my morning bike rides I took a detour to the water processing plant off Upper Changi Road (near Singapore Expo). On the site is a new water processing plant that uses reverse osmosis to produce what the local company doing it calls 'NeWater'. Opposite that new plant is the previous one that used to process water from a few ponds next to it. It has been decommissioned and being demolished, and a continuous stream of trucks were dumping soil to fill up the ponds there.
With all those ponds, the land area occupied by the old plant was much larger than the NeWater plant. That, I am sure, was one of the reasons why they switched treatment approach - their land is 'valuable real estate'.
From outside the entrance of the old plant I saw many white herons around an unfilled pond next to the entrance. So I went about 20 feet into the compound to take in that beautiful sight before it disappears forever.
A guard approached and told me that I could not enter the compound. I said I would leave in a couple of minutes after taking in the sight. Soon after that, a woman official (of some rank given the way she talked) on her way out told me the same thing and then jokingly asked me 'why are you admiring my old water and not NeWater' (produced by the new plant across the road).
I told the woman this:
That's the problem with Singaporeans. Simply because someone labelled the water they produced 'NeWater', those suckers think that the water from that new plant is better and 'newer' than what nature provides in those ponds (which is 'old water' to her).
They think that with a pump and some membranes, they can treat (and cleanse) salt and sewage water better than Nature can with evaporation, biological filtration and all. If some pumps and man-made membranes can clean sewage and salt water so well, then the whole world especially advanced countries would have done that long ago instead of waiting for them Singaporeans to do it.
Any one who knows about water treatment knows that no man-made water treatment system can compare to the cleansing power of the ecosystem in a natural water system.
Since she obviously does not know that, I told her to go see if the Germans (who, to me, have one of the greatest scientific and engineering minds) would be impressed with their NeWater and produce their drinking water that way.
And pointing towards the herons around the natural pond, I asked if she can find any heron around the new plant which has a man-made pond with kois. Those birds are sharper than many humans - they know which water is better and which is poisonous. Just by the fact that the herons do not find food in some pond is enough indication of the problem with the water in that pond.
In addition, if she thinks that the 'NeWater' is that great, then she should feed her children with only NeWater from the new plant and see what happens in a few years. I am sure their authorities who had been adding NeWater into the fresh water supply they get from Malaysia know of the risks and had been experimenting with different levels of mixtures and tracking the resulting health impact. It is just that people like her does not know about it because the authorities do not tell them or they are not interested. (see notes below)
I also told her to offer 2 glasses of water - one with water from Malaysia and another with NeWater - to any of her Indian workers around there and see which one they pick.
That's the problem with simple and ignorant people who think they are very 'advanced'. They think technology can solve everything. In this case, free up a big piece of land and yet produce 'better' NeWater.
She kept quiet, told me to enjoy the view and went off.
Additional Background :
During the 1998 financial crisis, the Malaysian government approached Singapore for financial help. Singapore said that they would consider the request if Malaysia was willing to negotiate on a 'package' of issues including that of extending fresh water supplies to Singapore.
Apparently, the existing water agreement was negotiated decades ago between the British rulers of Singapore and the then Sultan of Johor who was represented by another British officer. Under that agreement, Singapore pays 3 sen per 1,000 gallons of raw water and there was no allowance for inflation throughout the tenor of the agreement!
Malaysia says that Singapore was making a lot of profits from the old agreement because Singapore charges local households about S$3.50 per thousand gallons and from supplying foreign ships docking in Singapore while Malaysia got only 3 sen (which was less than 1.5 Singapore cents). Singapore's point is they pay for treatment of the raw water and sends some of those treated water back to Malaysia at a discount.
[I did some research on web and found out from a US university study that in the US, the average cost of water treatment was about USD 1.20 or about SGD 1.80 per thousand gallons. Assuming Singapore's cost is as high as that 'first world' country, their total cost was about SGD 1.82 giving profit of about SGD 1.60. So Malaysia do have a point - I make less than 1.5 cents while you make 1.60]
The cause of that problem was because the British had shortchanged the ignorant Sultan of Johor decades ago by not building in inflation into the agreement they brokered among themselves. As a result, Malaysia wanted to raise future price to 60 sen (less than SGD 25 cent) and adjustable for inflation.
Singapore's position is supplies under the current agreement cannot be changed as it was 'agreed' but they are agreeable to new pricing for any extension but the new price 'must be lower than what it costs Singapore to produce water from other sources' (presumably the latter is newer or better!)
For more than a decade since, all the Singaporeans I spoke to do not know or are bothered about the whole thing which I find disturbing. They have no interest for something as important as their future water supply!
One day during one of my morning bike rides I took a detour to the water processing plant off Upper Changi Road (near Singapore Expo). On the site is a new water processing plant that uses reverse osmosis to produce what the local company doing it calls 'NeWater'. Opposite that new plant is the previous one that used to process water from a few ponds next to it. It has been decommissioned and being demolished, and a continuous stream of trucks were dumping soil to fill up the ponds there.
With all those ponds, the land area occupied by the old plant was much larger than the NeWater plant. That, I am sure, was one of the reasons why they switched treatment approach - their land is 'valuable real estate'.
From outside the entrance of the old plant I saw many white herons around an unfilled pond next to the entrance. So I went about 20 feet into the compound to take in that beautiful sight before it disappears forever.
A guard approached and told me that I could not enter the compound. I said I would leave in a couple of minutes after taking in the sight. Soon after that, a woman official (of some rank given the way she talked) on her way out told me the same thing and then jokingly asked me 'why are you admiring my old water and not NeWater' (produced by the new plant across the road).
I told the woman this:
That's the problem with Singaporeans. Simply because someone labelled the water they produced 'NeWater', those suckers think that the water from that new plant is better and 'newer' than what nature provides in those ponds (which is 'old water' to her).
They think that with a pump and some membranes, they can treat (and cleanse) salt and sewage water better than Nature can with evaporation, biological filtration and all. If some pumps and man-made membranes can clean sewage and salt water so well, then the whole world especially advanced countries would have done that long ago instead of waiting for them Singaporeans to do it.
Any one who knows about water treatment knows that no man-made water treatment system can compare to the cleansing power of the ecosystem in a natural water system.
Since she obviously does not know that, I told her to go see if the Germans (who, to me, have one of the greatest scientific and engineering minds) would be impressed with their NeWater and produce their drinking water that way.
And pointing towards the herons around the natural pond, I asked if she can find any heron around the new plant which has a man-made pond with kois. Those birds are sharper than many humans - they know which water is better and which is poisonous. Just by the fact that the herons do not find food in some pond is enough indication of the problem with the water in that pond.
In addition, if she thinks that the 'NeWater' is that great, then she should feed her children with only NeWater from the new plant and see what happens in a few years. I am sure their authorities who had been adding NeWater into the fresh water supply they get from Malaysia know of the risks and had been experimenting with different levels of mixtures and tracking the resulting health impact. It is just that people like her does not know about it because the authorities do not tell them or they are not interested. (see notes below)
I also told her to offer 2 glasses of water - one with water from Malaysia and another with NeWater - to any of her Indian workers around there and see which one they pick.
That's the problem with simple and ignorant people who think they are very 'advanced'. They think technology can solve everything. In this case, free up a big piece of land and yet produce 'better' NeWater.
She kept quiet, told me to enjoy the view and went off.
Additional Background :
During the 1998 financial crisis, the Malaysian government approached Singapore for financial help. Singapore said that they would consider the request if Malaysia was willing to negotiate on a 'package' of issues including that of extending fresh water supplies to Singapore.
Apparently, the existing water agreement was negotiated decades ago between the British rulers of Singapore and the then Sultan of Johor who was represented by another British officer. Under that agreement, Singapore pays 3 sen per 1,000 gallons of raw water and there was no allowance for inflation throughout the tenor of the agreement!
Malaysia says that Singapore was making a lot of profits from the old agreement because Singapore charges local households about S$3.50 per thousand gallons and from supplying foreign ships docking in Singapore while Malaysia got only 3 sen (which was less than 1.5 Singapore cents). Singapore's point is they pay for treatment of the raw water and sends some of those treated water back to Malaysia at a discount.
[I did some research on web and found out from a US university study that in the US, the average cost of water treatment was about USD 1.20 or about SGD 1.80 per thousand gallons. Assuming Singapore's cost is as high as that 'first world' country, their total cost was about SGD 1.82 giving profit of about SGD 1.60. So Malaysia do have a point - I make less than 1.5 cents while you make 1.60]
The cause of that problem was because the British had shortchanged the ignorant Sultan of Johor decades ago by not building in inflation into the agreement they brokered among themselves. As a result, Malaysia wanted to raise future price to 60 sen (less than SGD 25 cent) and adjustable for inflation.
Singapore's position is supplies under the current agreement cannot be changed as it was 'agreed' but they are agreeable to new pricing for any extension but the new price 'must be lower than what it costs Singapore to produce water from other sources' (presumably the latter is newer or better!)
For more than a decade since, all the Singaporeans I spoke to do not know or are bothered about the whole thing which I find disturbing. They have no interest for something as important as their future water supply!
Top 5 Regrets
By Bronnie Ware
For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.
People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learned never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.
When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:
1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying. It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying. Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.
People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learned never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.
When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:
1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people have had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying. It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying. Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.
Friday, February 03, 2012
Decision Making Tool
Here is a guide to assist in making decisions. This approach is followed by all organisations and businesses when they are about to embark on major projects or undertakings.
There are always many ways or alternatives to achieving a set of goals. The ability to identify different alternatives and choosing the 'best' alternative requires discipline, creativity and structured analysis.
Many people make decision mistakes because they lack discipline and do not properly identify and evaluate alternatives before doing things. Their 'Just Do It' approach is dangerous and can be costly later.
Each alternative has costs/benefits and risks that should be properly understood and compared against other alternatives in a structured manner. The guide here provides some structure to that analysis and decision making.
Only when one do a good job understanding different alternatives can one make good and effective choices - i.e. attain Level 3 in life. (http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/2-pieces-of-paper-for-life.html)
Another helpful tool is 'Question 3 Levels Down' when trying to find things out or understand things better (http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/question-3-level-down.html)
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
1. List out the end goal(s) i.e what one wants out of the project or undertaking
2. Identify alternative ways/paths to achieve those end goal(s)
3. Determine other evaluation criteria that are important to making the right decision. It includes consideraions like costs and benefits (see notes below)
4. Evaluate how well each alternative perform against or meet each evaluation criteria (as compared to other alternatives)
TEMPLATE OF ANALYSIS TABLE FOR DECISION MAKING:
Evaluation Criteria .............. Alternative 1 ........Alternative 2 ........ Alternative 3
GOALS:
- goal 1 .............................................. Hi ............................. Hi .............................. Med
- goal 2 .............................................. Med ......................... Med ........................... Low
TANGIBLE COSTS / BENFITS ($) :
- cost 1 ................................................ ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
- cost 2 ................................................ ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
- benefit (income) 1 ........................... ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
- benefit (income) 2 ........................... ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
NET COST / BENEFIT .................... ? ................................. ? ............................... ?
INTANGIBLE COSTS / BENEFITS :
- intangible cost 1 .............................. Hi ................................ Med .......................... Low
- intangible cost 2 .............................. Low ............................. Hi ............................. Med
- intangible benefit 1 ......................... Med ............................. Med .......................... Low
- intangible benefit 2 ......................... Hi ................................ Med ........................... Hi
RISKS:
- risk 1 ................................................... ? .................................... ? ................................ ?
- risk 2 ................................................... ? .................................... ? ................................ ?
Explanation of Terms:
Goals - the ultimate aims or objectives of the undertaking (always start with the end in mind).
Alternatives - different ways or paths that will accomplish the goals.
Tangible costs/benefits - things that you can put a monetary value to e.g cost of food or accomodation, fees, income etc.
Intangible costs/benefits - things that you cannot put a monetary value to but is nevertheless important to be considered in the decision making. Since you cannot put a value to an intangible item, assign a 'relative score' for each alternative (relative to the other alternatives).
Opportunity Costs - value of something you forgo or give up on if you pick an option. E.g. if you spend $100,000 on something instead of investing it, your opportunity cost for spending that money is the investment income you'd forgo (if you have invested that money instead of spending it)
Risks - potential risks associated with an alternative. See Understanding and Managing Risks http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/life-is-all-about-understanding-and.html
Evaluation Criteria - the goals, cost/benefit items and risks that one has to consider and analyse as part of the decision making process. Each alternative is evaluated in terms of its impact on or ability to meet each evaluation criteria.
Why Do People Do Analysis Using Such a Tool?
Thoroughness: to capture all inputs & views - there are always many things (evaluation criteria) to consider when making major decisions. In addition, there may be different views or inputs from many people either because they have 'interests' in the undertaking or because one has consulted others for their views. It is not possible for one to remember everything. Putting all those different input/views on paper ensures that all input are not 'forgotten' as one progress with analysis work. (One's precious brain resources are better used on information gathering and analysis work instead)
Framework for comparing alternatives - the template provides a framework to make sure that the decision maker evaluates how each alternative perform against every evaluation criteria so that a 'fair comparison' can be made. Some times unstructured decision makers apply a criteria to some alternatives but do not apply it on others resulting in unfair comparison or incomplete analysis.
Avoid confusion - because there may be many goals, alternatives, evaluation criteria and input (from many people) involved in a big project, the tool ensures that all are captured and considered. That way, the analyser or decision maker would not be confused (or 'gabra') every time something 'new' comes along (like some one giving a new input). If an important new input is received, the decision maker can quickly review the new input against what is existing in template to see if it is already captured/addressed. If not, new input is added and evaluated.
Easy Review - With all key evaluation criteria, findings and comparisons put in one piece of paper, it is much easier to review one's analysis work when required. That includes reviewing it with other people with interests in the project (one does not need to talk and talk or repeat one's findings again and again with different people)
There are always many ways or alternatives to achieving a set of goals. The ability to identify different alternatives and choosing the 'best' alternative requires discipline, creativity and structured analysis.
Many people make decision mistakes because they lack discipline and do not properly identify and evaluate alternatives before doing things. Their 'Just Do It' approach is dangerous and can be costly later.
Each alternative has costs/benefits and risks that should be properly understood and compared against other alternatives in a structured manner. The guide here provides some structure to that analysis and decision making.
Only when one do a good job understanding different alternatives can one make good and effective choices - i.e. attain Level 3 in life. (http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/2-pieces-of-paper-for-life.html)
Another helpful tool is 'Question 3 Levels Down' when trying to find things out or understand things better (http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/question-3-level-down.html)
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
1. List out the end goal(s) i.e what one wants out of the project or undertaking
2. Identify alternative ways/paths to achieve those end goal(s)
3. Determine other evaluation criteria that are important to making the right decision. It includes consideraions like costs and benefits (see notes below)
4. Evaluate how well each alternative perform against or meet each evaluation criteria (as compared to other alternatives)
TEMPLATE OF ANALYSIS TABLE FOR DECISION MAKING:
Evaluation Criteria .............. Alternative 1 ........Alternative 2 ........ Alternative 3
GOALS:
- goal 1 .............................................. Hi ............................. Hi .............................. Med
- goal 2 .............................................. Med ......................... Med ........................... Low
TANGIBLE COSTS / BENFITS ($) :
- cost 1 ................................................ ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
- cost 2 ................................................ ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
- benefit (income) 1 ........................... ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
- benefit (income) 2 ........................... ? .................................. ? ............................... ?
NET COST / BENEFIT .................... ? ................................. ? ............................... ?
INTANGIBLE COSTS / BENEFITS :
- intangible cost 1 .............................. Hi ................................ Med .......................... Low
- intangible cost 2 .............................. Low ............................. Hi ............................. Med
- intangible benefit 1 ......................... Med ............................. Med .......................... Low
- intangible benefit 2 ......................... Hi ................................ Med ........................... Hi
RISKS:
- risk 1 ................................................... ? .................................... ? ................................ ?
- risk 2 ................................................... ? .................................... ? ................................ ?
Explanation of Terms:
Goals - the ultimate aims or objectives of the undertaking (always start with the end in mind).
Alternatives - different ways or paths that will accomplish the goals.
Tangible costs/benefits - things that you can put a monetary value to e.g cost of food or accomodation, fees, income etc.
Intangible costs/benefits - things that you cannot put a monetary value to but is nevertheless important to be considered in the decision making. Since you cannot put a value to an intangible item, assign a 'relative score' for each alternative (relative to the other alternatives).
Opportunity Costs - value of something you forgo or give up on if you pick an option. E.g. if you spend $100,000 on something instead of investing it, your opportunity cost for spending that money is the investment income you'd forgo (if you have invested that money instead of spending it)
Risks - potential risks associated with an alternative. See Understanding and Managing Risks http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/life-is-all-about-understanding-and.html
Evaluation Criteria - the goals, cost/benefit items and risks that one has to consider and analyse as part of the decision making process. Each alternative is evaluated in terms of its impact on or ability to meet each evaluation criteria.
Why Do People Do Analysis Using Such a Tool?
Thoroughness: to capture all inputs & views - there are always many things (evaluation criteria) to consider when making major decisions. In addition, there may be different views or inputs from many people either because they have 'interests' in the undertaking or because one has consulted others for their views. It is not possible for one to remember everything. Putting all those different input/views on paper ensures that all input are not 'forgotten' as one progress with analysis work. (One's precious brain resources are better used on information gathering and analysis work instead)
Framework for comparing alternatives - the template provides a framework to make sure that the decision maker evaluates how each alternative perform against every evaluation criteria so that a 'fair comparison' can be made. Some times unstructured decision makers apply a criteria to some alternatives but do not apply it on others resulting in unfair comparison or incomplete analysis.
Avoid confusion - because there may be many goals, alternatives, evaluation criteria and input (from many people) involved in a big project, the tool ensures that all are captured and considered. That way, the analyser or decision maker would not be confused (or 'gabra') every time something 'new' comes along (like some one giving a new input). If an important new input is received, the decision maker can quickly review the new input against what is existing in template to see if it is already captured/addressed. If not, new input is added and evaluated.
Easy Review - With all key evaluation criteria, findings and comparisons put in one piece of paper, it is much easier to review one's analysis work when required. That includes reviewing it with other people with interests in the project (one does not need to talk and talk or repeat one's findings again and again with different people)
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
How To Check For Dividend Payout
SHARE OWNERSHIP RECORD:
Year Stock (Exchange) WL/LL YL/WT/SZ Value Dividend
2009 CapitaReit China (SGX) 2,000 1,000 ? ?
2010 Australand (ASX) 400 200 ? ?
2011 Ascendas India Reit (SGX) 1,000 500 ? ?
2012 Rickmers Maritime (SGX) 2,000 1,000 ? ?
Notes:
1. There are many ways to check for a company's share price and dividend payouts:
- from company's own website,
- from public market news/data providers (like Bloomberg, Reuters, Google and Yahoo Finance etc.), or
- from the website of the exchange where the share is listed.
I prefer to use the official exchange websites because the information there is official and in addition to that it contains all of the company's other announcements required by law or exchange's listing rules like major news or events that may affect the company's future and share price, buy/sell by substantial shareholders (as insiders their actions are very telling) etc.
Links to major market news/data providers:
http://www.google.com/finance?q=INDEXDJX:.DJI#
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=h02.si
Above post made in response to Le's mail below.
From: Le
To: CCK
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Subject: hi
Dear Uncle,
How are you?
Just wondering about the dividends, which companies I've got and how many dividends for each?
Thanks.
From Le
CCK's response:
Hi,
Happy new year. I thought when I showed you all last year, you wrote down how to check? Do you still have the notes?
Links to exchanges official websites:
(SGX) http://www.sgx.com/wps/portal/sgxweb/home/company_disclosure/company_announcements (ASX) http://www.asx.com.au/asx/statistics/announcements.do
Here are steps to check for dividends :
1. Know the list of stocks (companies) you have shares on (see Notes at bottom)
2. For each stock, go to above links and look for DIVIDEND ANNOUNCEMENTS made by the company from JAN-DEC each year. We go by calendar year so that it is easier to remember what you have taken so far (you all already took for Jan-Dec 2009 and Jan-Dec 2010). Make sure to select the all the right time periods
3. Determine amount of dividend per share. Then multiply with no. of shares you have to get total dividend. Remember, different companies pay dividend at different intervals - some every 3 months, some every 6 months, some once a year only.
WL and me calculated last week and she had about S$318, so yours should be half of that (S$158) because you have half the number of shares compared to her. Try checking the website and verify.
Things to remember when claiming your dividends:
- notify me of your claim by stating the total dividend and share value for each stock you own (by providing the information for '?' in format provided in Notes below).
- claim must be made within the next calendar year (otherwise forfeited). This is so that you learn how to check every year.
- after notification, you can collect your dividend anytime in future (no forfeiture even if you collect a few years later).
Monday, January 30, 2012
Question 3 Levels Down
(DRAFT)
Note: this is a tool/guide for problem solving or acquisition of knowledge, and to develop critical thinking skills
Develop Deeper Understanding of Things and Better Problem Solving Skill:
Follow this rule if you want to have sufficient understand of any topic, issue or problem. People with better understanding of problems are also much better at solving the problems.
When you try to learn or find things out, the first reply or intial information yout get is usually very superficial and will not enable you to truly understand the topic at hand. You need to probe at least 3 levels down.
That means everytime you get or are given an explanation, continue to probe further by asking questions at least 3 more levels down using questions that start with Why, When, Where, What & How
Develop Critical Thinking:
Whenever you try to determine the cause or reason for something, always find or think of at least 3 reasons or causes for it. Do not stop thinking or searching after obtaining the first reason.
In many cases, the first reason that comes to people's mind is the most superficial or obvious one but it may not be the real or only reason. Also, many things in Nature do not happen for only one reason, the same way that there are always more than one use for everything.
In general, inquisitive people with more critical thinking or cynical outlook are better in coming up with more reasons for why or how things happen.
Note: this is a tool/guide for problem solving or acquisition of knowledge, and to develop critical thinking skills
Develop Deeper Understanding of Things and Better Problem Solving Skill:
Follow this rule if you want to have sufficient understand of any topic, issue or problem. People with better understanding of problems are also much better at solving the problems.
When you try to learn or find things out, the first reply or intial information yout get is usually very superficial and will not enable you to truly understand the topic at hand. You need to probe at least 3 levels down.
That means everytime you get or are given an explanation, continue to probe further by asking questions at least 3 more levels down using questions that start with Why, When, Where, What & How
Develop Critical Thinking:
Whenever you try to determine the cause or reason for something, always find or think of at least 3 reasons or causes for it. Do not stop thinking or searching after obtaining the first reason.
In many cases, the first reason that comes to people's mind is the most superficial or obvious one but it may not be the real or only reason. Also, many things in Nature do not happen for only one reason, the same way that there are always more than one use for everything.
In general, inquisitive people with more critical thinking or cynical outlook are better in coming up with more reasons for why or how things happen.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
More Geese That Lay Golden Eggs Please
Jan 2010 (DRAFT)
Hawker selling porridge in Bedok South Blk 58 Market
Hawker selling porridge in Bedok South Blk 58 Market
Life is All About Understanding and Managing Risks
27 Jan 12
Had breakfast with elder daughter at NTUC Foodcourt at Simei. She just got her O Level results and applied to study at Meridian JC - could not enter the supposedly 'better' Temasek JC because their minimum entry requirement was 7 points (she got 9).
I then asked my daughter why she thought Temasek was 'better'. She said 'because the teachers are better?'. I said I didn't think so. If the teachers there are so good they would not have those 'minimum requirements' because good teachers should be able to develop any child regardless of how 'good' the child is and not insist that they be given only 'good' students! That system is just a self-fulfilling rule. The school insists on getting good students so that those students would make them look good, not the other way round!
If a child has the desire to learn and improve herself, no one can stop her. Teachers can help children along the way by raising their awareness or guide them in the right direction but everything still depends on the children's desire to learn or improve. Having other good students around you helps by promoting some level of healthy competition but that is not a must if a child has the will. In the old days where there were no libraries, TV, radio or internet, children rely on teachers, school books and others to tell them new things but today they can get access to new knowledge and information without the help of teachers or school books.
In fact, very few of life's most important things are taught by teachers or school books nowadays! While I learnt the 'elephant and blindmen' fable in primary school in Malaysia, almost all of the Singaporeans old and young I spoke to have not even heard of it! (that is one reason I think the country will run into trouble in 2 to 3 decades)
So took opportunity to recap the 2 important things she need to remember when growing up and dealing with people (like determining the real intentions behind people's actions or words) - what I wrote down on the 2 pieces of paper I passed to her cousin Le a year ago.
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/2-pieces-of-paper-for-life.html
At same time, shared with her about another key principle of life I read from a book where a man said that 'human survival and progress are all about humans getting better and better at understanding and managing the risks they face'.
If one think about it, the environment (like weather, pollution), natural events (like earthquake, flood etc) and human undertakings (e.g. dealing with other people like conmen) all have or pose some form of 'risk' to the people involved.
Everyone is fearful when faced with risks but it is how they choose to deal with them that differentiate the more successful ones from the others. Some people are so fearful of dealing with risks that they freeze ('gabra') when faced with them or, worse, they avoid doing anything that may require them to deal with those risks!
That is why some people in authority (like governments) intentionally create fear in the people under them. That's because people living in fear (real or imaginary) are easier to control or manipulate.
As example, during economic crises of the last decade all governments try to distract their people (many who were losing jobs) by spreading news about 'global terrorism' (and SARS, bird flu etc.). The hope is that people would end up fearing about the imaginary threat of terrorism and pay less attention to the real problem which is the economic crises, people losing jobs and government printing money (which is stealing wealth from the common people).
People are fearful usually because they either do not understand the risks enough (see elephant and blindmen) or they do not know how to manage or mitigate those risks (or too lazy to find ways to manage those risks). That is why people operating at Level 1 are especially fearful of things.
As example, when children try to climb onto things some adults/guardians stop them from doing it because it is 'dangerous'. As a result, the kids end up not learning how to climb safely. Those adults, on the other hand, say that those kids that do not climb around are 'good kids'. To them, kids who sit and do nothing are 'good kids' not because they know how to climb safely but because that way there is no need for the adults involved to watch the kids or to spend time teaching them how to manage the risks involved in climbing!
Some people do not just freeze when faced with risk or stop doing things for fear of risks. Instead, they prepare for the potential risks before doing something. Such people are the ones that will progress or lead others to make progress. They are even willing to try new things not because they are brave or simply 'willing to take risks' but because they are well prepared.
Such people have the ability to identify potential risks before hand, understand those risks reasonably well (nothing is 100% or perfect) and have prepared action plans on how to manage those risks. They are Level 2 and 3 people.
That is what differentiate humans from other animals and successful people from others - the ability to imagine and think things through in their minds, and plan ahead. It is known as forward thinking or fore thought. Animals like humans when young and even many adults are incapable of fore thought but live by the day and do whatever they fancy that moment.
The people that make safe airplanes can do that because they understand the risks involved in flying airplanes (like engine failure) and have built into them the things required to manage those risks (like having 2 engines so that plane can still fly when one fails).
Another example. When I was a kid I often heard reports of children being knocked down by cars but not so nowadays even though there are a lot more cars on the roads today than 40 years ago. Asked daughter her thoughts on why so - she said 'because drivers then were more reckless?' But there will always be reckless drivers. In fact there should be more now since there are more people driving. So that's not the answer.
The reason is because there were so few cars 40 years ago that parents then thought that the risk of their children being run over by cars were so low that they did not bother to teach their young how to manage that risk (i.e. lack of awareness and too lazy). Unaware of that risk and not knowing how to manage it, kids then just run across roads without thinking/looking!
In addition, governments later came up with ways to help manage that risk by setting up zebra crossings, traffic lights etc. and the young are taught by schools on road safety. Those are all risk management steps/tools!
In the middle of discussing the life examples like above, I asked my daughter for her views along the way in the hope that she would look at those examples using the basic tenets of the key principles above. Instead of doing that, she talked in specifics based on the specific examples we were discussing.
So told her not to make things complicated - basic principles in life are not complicated because people (good and bad, smart and not so smart, friends/family/colleagues etc.) are all driven by similar things and behave very similarly. If they are similar, then the principles to follow in understanding and dealing with different people under different situations cannot be very different.
There are always variation in situations, type of issues and words/terms used etc. involved in human dealings. So if one talks in terms of the specifics involved/used, it may look like they are very different. But if I can cut through those specifics and boil them down to basic fundamentals then one will see those basic principles at work.
Quote: Make things as simple as possible but not simpler - Einstein
When I asked her to re-cap the discussion at the end of breakfast, I was glad she managed to successfully summarise the 3 key principles above.
However, after dropping her off to meet her friend I remembered that we had been calculating how much dividend her shares with me were for 2011 but I did not pass her the money. So sent her a message saying 'you forgot to claim something from me'. Was disappointed that she could not recall what it was.
Need to discuss that...
Had breakfast with elder daughter at NTUC Foodcourt at Simei. She just got her O Level results and applied to study at Meridian JC - could not enter the supposedly 'better' Temasek JC because their minimum entry requirement was 7 points (she got 9).
I then asked my daughter why she thought Temasek was 'better'. She said 'because the teachers are better?'. I said I didn't think so. If the teachers there are so good they would not have those 'minimum requirements' because good teachers should be able to develop any child regardless of how 'good' the child is and not insist that they be given only 'good' students! That system is just a self-fulfilling rule. The school insists on getting good students so that those students would make them look good, not the other way round!
If a child has the desire to learn and improve herself, no one can stop her. Teachers can help children along the way by raising their awareness or guide them in the right direction but everything still depends on the children's desire to learn or improve. Having other good students around you helps by promoting some level of healthy competition but that is not a must if a child has the will. In the old days where there were no libraries, TV, radio or internet, children rely on teachers, school books and others to tell them new things but today they can get access to new knowledge and information without the help of teachers or school books.
In fact, very few of life's most important things are taught by teachers or school books nowadays! While I learnt the 'elephant and blindmen' fable in primary school in Malaysia, almost all of the Singaporeans old and young I spoke to have not even heard of it! (that is one reason I think the country will run into trouble in 2 to 3 decades)
So took opportunity to recap the 2 important things she need to remember when growing up and dealing with people (like determining the real intentions behind people's actions or words) - what I wrote down on the 2 pieces of paper I passed to her cousin Le a year ago.
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/2-pieces-of-paper-for-life.html
At same time, shared with her about another key principle of life I read from a book where a man said that 'human survival and progress are all about humans getting better and better at understanding and managing the risks they face'.
If one think about it, the environment (like weather, pollution), natural events (like earthquake, flood etc) and human undertakings (e.g. dealing with other people like conmen) all have or pose some form of 'risk' to the people involved.
Everyone is fearful when faced with risks but it is how they choose to deal with them that differentiate the more successful ones from the others. Some people are so fearful of dealing with risks that they freeze ('gabra') when faced with them or, worse, they avoid doing anything that may require them to deal with those risks!
That is why some people in authority (like governments) intentionally create fear in the people under them. That's because people living in fear (real or imaginary) are easier to control or manipulate.
As example, during economic crises of the last decade all governments try to distract their people (many who were losing jobs) by spreading news about 'global terrorism' (and SARS, bird flu etc.). The hope is that people would end up fearing about the imaginary threat of terrorism and pay less attention to the real problem which is the economic crises, people losing jobs and government printing money (which is stealing wealth from the common people).
People are fearful usually because they either do not understand the risks enough (see elephant and blindmen) or they do not know how to manage or mitigate those risks (or too lazy to find ways to manage those risks). That is why people operating at Level 1 are especially fearful of things.
As example, when children try to climb onto things some adults/guardians stop them from doing it because it is 'dangerous'. As a result, the kids end up not learning how to climb safely. Those adults, on the other hand, say that those kids that do not climb around are 'good kids'. To them, kids who sit and do nothing are 'good kids' not because they know how to climb safely but because that way there is no need for the adults involved to watch the kids or to spend time teaching them how to manage the risks involved in climbing!
Some people do not just freeze when faced with risk or stop doing things for fear of risks. Instead, they prepare for the potential risks before doing something. Such people are the ones that will progress or lead others to make progress. They are even willing to try new things not because they are brave or simply 'willing to take risks' but because they are well prepared.
Such people have the ability to identify potential risks before hand, understand those risks reasonably well (nothing is 100% or perfect) and have prepared action plans on how to manage those risks. They are Level 2 and 3 people.
That is what differentiate humans from other animals and successful people from others - the ability to imagine and think things through in their minds, and plan ahead. It is known as forward thinking or fore thought. Animals like humans when young and even many adults are incapable of fore thought but live by the day and do whatever they fancy that moment.
The people that make safe airplanes can do that because they understand the risks involved in flying airplanes (like engine failure) and have built into them the things required to manage those risks (like having 2 engines so that plane can still fly when one fails).
Another example. When I was a kid I often heard reports of children being knocked down by cars but not so nowadays even though there are a lot more cars on the roads today than 40 years ago. Asked daughter her thoughts on why so - she said 'because drivers then were more reckless?' But there will always be reckless drivers. In fact there should be more now since there are more people driving. So that's not the answer.
The reason is because there were so few cars 40 years ago that parents then thought that the risk of their children being run over by cars were so low that they did not bother to teach their young how to manage that risk (i.e. lack of awareness and too lazy). Unaware of that risk and not knowing how to manage it, kids then just run across roads without thinking/looking!
In addition, governments later came up with ways to help manage that risk by setting up zebra crossings, traffic lights etc. and the young are taught by schools on road safety. Those are all risk management steps/tools!
In the middle of discussing the life examples like above, I asked my daughter for her views along the way in the hope that she would look at those examples using the basic tenets of the key principles above. Instead of doing that, she talked in specifics based on the specific examples we were discussing.
So told her not to make things complicated - basic principles in life are not complicated because people (good and bad, smart and not so smart, friends/family/colleagues etc.) are all driven by similar things and behave very similarly. If they are similar, then the principles to follow in understanding and dealing with different people under different situations cannot be very different.
There are always variation in situations, type of issues and words/terms used etc. involved in human dealings. So if one talks in terms of the specifics involved/used, it may look like they are very different. But if I can cut through those specifics and boil them down to basic fundamentals then one will see those basic principles at work.
Quote: Make things as simple as possible but not simpler - Einstein
When I asked her to re-cap the discussion at the end of breakfast, I was glad she managed to successfully summarise the 3 key principles above.
However, after dropping her off to meet her friend I remembered that we had been calculating how much dividend her shares with me were for 2011 but I did not pass her the money. So sent her a message saying 'you forgot to claim something from me'. Was disappointed that she could not recall what it was.
Need to discuss that...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
You Can Beat Drums with My Bones
Today is Chinese New Year eve (tomorrow will be year of the Dragon) and time for families to get together for reunion dinners. For me, it is time to reminisce. Usually, this time of year is hot and dry but as I write this with a heavy heart it is raining quite heavily outside...
From age 8 to 20 (when I left for university in Singapore), my family of 7 stayed in a 2 bedroom 1 toilet walk-up flat (no lift) of about 500 square feet in KL (San Peng Road) that my parents bought for RM 9,000. It was on the back half of the top (4th) floor and thus the cheapest unit.
Every day father would carry the bicycle he used to go to work up and down the stairs because anything left on ground floor would be stolen (he lost one when he left it downstairs while home for lunch). I did the same when I got my own bicycle when I was 14.
[My first bike was a small red one that mom 'bought' from her cousin for $10. They lived in a landed house near our flat where we used to go in the evenings so that we could watch TV. That bike was hanging high in their kitchen wall - was their sons' but they had all grown up - and I had been eyeing it for some time. One day I pestered mom to get that bike for me so that I could cycle to school. I was walking 30-40 mins at very fast pace to secondary school 2.5 km away in Kampung Pandan and wear out a pair of shoes every 2 months or so.]
My father initially did not want to buy the flat because he was afraid he could not pay for it. But he relented because of mom's urging (her view was it was better to buy our own house rather than to rent which was what we had been doing) and because his brother used to admonish him for many years in front of their elder sister whenever she visited from Taiping and had been saying that he could help out by lending some money if father did not have enough.
For a year or so when I was still too young to understand all this, my father used to take me on his bicycle every few Sunday or so to visit his brother who co-owned a coffee shop along Pudu Road opposite Pudu Jail. I looked forward to those trips because that was when I got treated to a glass of soft drink! (the only other time was Chinese New Years).
It did not occur to me then that father was making those trips to try and get his brother to lend him some money for the flat as he said he would do. But I did notice that something was not quite right. On those trips, father was very quiet and seemed to be in deep thought as he would open and re-grip his fingers on the bike handles every once a while. (When young, we kids rode in front on the horizontal bar of father's bike which he wrapped with a piece of used blanket as cushion)
Years later I learnt that everytime father went, his brother would give some excuse why he could not come up with any money to lend to father but might be able to do so some time after. That was why father kept going back there with me in tow. After some time we never went back to that coffee shop and father never got any loan from his brother.
Father's view was that his brother did not want to lend him the money because his wife disapproved of it. Father therefore became very bitter with both his brother and sister-in-law. Since then father would never fail to talk about it whenever his elder sister visited or when we visited her in Taiping. That continued until I was over 35 years old.
It was on one such trip I made with father and mom to Taiping that I finally told father off for complaining about what his brother and sister-in-law did to him so many years ago. I told father that he should have ticked them off back then instead of talking about it with others for so many decades.
The analogy I used was 'if a dog keeps barking at you, you should just give that dog a good whack there and then, and the dog would never dare be funny with you again. No use just talking about that dog to others all the time'.
(That trip to Taiping was also one of the last I made - Taiping auntie passed away a few years after that).
Without his brother's help, father was probably desperate but was fortunate that his ex-sifu Low Chow offered to lend him some money (father must have confided his problem to him). In return, my parents offered to rent a room to him (perhaps as surety that we cannot run away).
Mom earned additional money from Low Chow by cooking his dinner and washing his laundry. I used to help mom out with the washing in the small area just outside the small toilet in our flat - with pails around there was barely enough space to squat.
Low Chow came from China when he was a young man and never got married. He used to be one of my father's senior (sifu) when father was a young engineering workshop apprentice many years before that. By the time he moved in with us he was already 50+ years old but still working. In a way, he was very nice to help us out. That money was probably part of his precious retirement savings.
From the beginning we treated him as part of the family and he would go along with us to movies (many times his treat) and family outings.
The good thing about renting the room to Low Chow was that during the day we got to use it to study or catch a nap (he was nice enough not to lock his room when he went out). We would make it a point to leave the room before 6 pm each day before he got home from work. On occassions when he returned early or we overstayed, we would hurrily rush out of the room upon hearing his name being called out by others when he was at the gate (it takes a short while for one of us to open the gate for him - always long enough to vacate his room).
At night, I slept in the living room while the rest of the family slept in the other bedroom - 3 on the master bed, 1 on single mattres in the floor between the bed and the clothes cabinet and 2 on double mattress on the floor at entrance to room. Somehow, all that fitted just right into that small room. Because my bed was a mattress on the floor of the living room, it was sometimes very hard to fall asleep with TV on or others moving and doing things.
In the first few years we did not have a TV and we kids would stand in the corridor outside our flat and peep across the airwell and through the window of our neighbours' flats to watch (4 units - 2 sets of front & back - shared one corridor). 2 neighbouring families were very nice and would usually invite us to watch inside their small flats. We got to watch TV at home years later when mom bought an old black/white TV for $40. It was not in perfect working order and we would occassionally have to turn the knobs to and fro or bang on it to get it to work it but it was still a luxury.
One of the nice neighbours who most frequently invited us into her flat to watch TV was an old lady we called 'Ah Poh' (Chinese for 'granny' or 'old aunty'). Ah Poh was slim, of slight build, cheerful and a very nice woman (I regreted that I never had a picture of her but then we seldom took pictures in those days. Father had a camera but the 120mm films were expensive and picture taking was limited to special occasions only).
Every week Ah Poh was sure to bring us some treats - sometimes a few times a week. Although in those days it was not uncommon for neighbours to occasionally share treats with each other, Ah Poh still stood out. Whether it was something she cooked for her family or some treats her adult children bought for her, she would share with us. Other than very occasionally, she did not do the same with the other neighbours who also had young kids because I think she knew we were poorer and she took pity on us.
When she came calling, she would announce it by calling out my name. On hearing that, we kids would rush to 'welcome' her (and what she was bringing). For us kids, many of her treats like chocolates etc. were things we seldom got to eat. She made us happy. Years later, I wondered to myself what her children thought about her continuously giving things to us.
I will forever remember Ah Poh's great kindness. Nowadays, when I have a good meal I would think of her and her kindness and generosity. When I see a poor women (you can tell) on the streets, I would pass them some money and say to myself 'Ah Poh, that is in memory of you'.
Ah Poh is one of the reasons (my mom being the other) I believe that women are special. They have a natural selfless instinct to share with and take care of others esp. the less fortunate that men do not have (at least not to the same extent).
While speaking to Ah Poh on one trip back from Singapore, somehow the topic of me getting married some day came up and I said that I would invite her to Singapore when that happens. She laughed and said 'by that time, you can beat drums with my bones lor!' Other than vague memories of her looks and the sound of her voice when she called my name, those are the words I remember of her now. To me, those were her last words to me. My eyes get wet whenever I think of her.
About 10 years after we first moved into our flat, another nice neighbour staying on 2nd floor (Mr Gan) who worked for a housing developer offered to help us get a 'medium-cost' terrace house in a project (Taman Maju Jaya) his company was undertaking in Cheras. In Malaysia, every housing development project are required by law to set aside a certain proportion of units as 'low-cost' and 'medium-cost' housing for less well-to-do families. For obvious reason, those 'special price' units are always in great demand and interested and qualified buyers have to go for ballots unless one got help from the inside. Mr Gan got a unit for us - it was opposite the unit he was buying for his family (we are still neighbours).
Low Chow contributed RM10,000 for that house and moved in there with my family too (he stayed there rent free). By then I was already studying in Singapore. But I spent my last uni holidays at the new house sand papering the wooden parts and painting it to prepare for the move in. Being 'medium cost', quality of things and work were not great.
The house was built on used tin mine land about 1.5 km from the main Cheras road and it was the first housing development in that area (between Cheras and Ampang). So there was no bus service etc. Only other thing there were some squatter run vegetable farms. Weekdays I would go there on bicycle to do the work by myself. On weekends, the rest of the family would get there with me and my father ferrying them from the main road using our bicycles.
6 years after moving there, on one of my trips back home I heard from my parents that Low Chow had claimed that he owned half of the house and wanted my parents to pay him half the market value or something like that. My parents suspected that he had lost a lot of money playing mahjong (his past time at the Selangor Engineering Workshop Employees Association in Jalan Sultan. It later shifted to Pasar Road near Pudu).
I then spoke to Low Chow in private and explained to him that he could not claim half of the house because he contributed only RM10,000 while the price was RM28,000 (and I was then still helping to service the loan). I said that as appreciation for the kind help he gave my family when we needed it most, I would pay him back his RM10,000 plus compounded interest of 10% per year (and we will not collect rent from him for all those years). I calculated it on a calculator for him - it was about RM18,000. Low Chow agreed and I then wrote him a check for that sum.
Some time after that (when I was working in Indonesia) he left our house and we never heard from him since. My parents thought he might have gone back to China where he still had relatives. Once a while I would still think of him and wondered, if indeed he had lost a lot of his savings on mahjong, whether what I paid him was enough for him to live through the rest of his life as a single old man (especially considering that the Malaysian Ringgit had started to drop against Singapore and Brunei dollars since 1983). It still bothers me.
Note: Malaysian Ringgit used to be on par with the Singapore and Brunei Dollars from the beginning (1965 or so). But in 1983 because of mismanagement, Malaysia could not maintain that parity anymore and the Ringgit started to depreciate against those currencies. Today the exchange rate is almost 2.5.
Life Lessons:
Always remember the people who have been kind to us or helped us before. We may not be able to repay them but we can always 'pay forward'.
The Chinese tradition of the Reunion Dinner is such a big thing that every year, almost every true Chinese regardless of where they are (even thousands of miles away) would make their way home to have that important meal with the whole family. Tradition is essentially a collection of 'best practices' of a people. The Reunion Dinner is a reflection of how important the practice of having meals together was to our forefathers. Over thousands of years, they had 'burnt' it into the soul of every one of their young.
Grameen Bank (Bangladesh):
Mohammad Yunus who started the use of micro-credit to help poor women start businesses (soon followed by UN and poor countries) said that he adopted that approach because he found that women are more reliable with money and will use them to benefit their children.
Barefoot College (India):
Founded by Bunker Roy, it teaches women from poor villages around the world solar powered electricity and cooking. Women trainees who are 40-50 years old and selected by their fellow villagers will return to run their villages' electric power system. http://www.barefootcollege.org/sol_approach.asp
From age 8 to 20 (when I left for university in Singapore), my family of 7 stayed in a 2 bedroom 1 toilet walk-up flat (no lift) of about 500 square feet in KL (San Peng Road) that my parents bought for RM 9,000. It was on the back half of the top (4th) floor and thus the cheapest unit.
Every day father would carry the bicycle he used to go to work up and down the stairs because anything left on ground floor would be stolen (he lost one when he left it downstairs while home for lunch). I did the same when I got my own bicycle when I was 14.
[My first bike was a small red one that mom 'bought' from her cousin for $10. They lived in a landed house near our flat where we used to go in the evenings so that we could watch TV. That bike was hanging high in their kitchen wall - was their sons' but they had all grown up - and I had been eyeing it for some time. One day I pestered mom to get that bike for me so that I could cycle to school. I was walking 30-40 mins at very fast pace to secondary school 2.5 km away in Kampung Pandan and wear out a pair of shoes every 2 months or so.]
My father initially did not want to buy the flat because he was afraid he could not pay for it. But he relented because of mom's urging (her view was it was better to buy our own house rather than to rent which was what we had been doing) and because his brother used to admonish him for many years in front of their elder sister whenever she visited from Taiping and had been saying that he could help out by lending some money if father did not have enough.
For a year or so when I was still too young to understand all this, my father used to take me on his bicycle every few Sunday or so to visit his brother who co-owned a coffee shop along Pudu Road opposite Pudu Jail. I looked forward to those trips because that was when I got treated to a glass of soft drink! (the only other time was Chinese New Years).
It did not occur to me then that father was making those trips to try and get his brother to lend him some money for the flat as he said he would do. But I did notice that something was not quite right. On those trips, father was very quiet and seemed to be in deep thought as he would open and re-grip his fingers on the bike handles every once a while. (When young, we kids rode in front on the horizontal bar of father's bike which he wrapped with a piece of used blanket as cushion)
Years later I learnt that everytime father went, his brother would give some excuse why he could not come up with any money to lend to father but might be able to do so some time after. That was why father kept going back there with me in tow. After some time we never went back to that coffee shop and father never got any loan from his brother.
Father's view was that his brother did not want to lend him the money because his wife disapproved of it. Father therefore became very bitter with both his brother and sister-in-law. Since then father would never fail to talk about it whenever his elder sister visited or when we visited her in Taiping. That continued until I was over 35 years old.
It was on one such trip I made with father and mom to Taiping that I finally told father off for complaining about what his brother and sister-in-law did to him so many years ago. I told father that he should have ticked them off back then instead of talking about it with others for so many decades.
The analogy I used was 'if a dog keeps barking at you, you should just give that dog a good whack there and then, and the dog would never dare be funny with you again. No use just talking about that dog to others all the time'.
(That trip to Taiping was also one of the last I made - Taiping auntie passed away a few years after that).
Without his brother's help, father was probably desperate but was fortunate that his ex-sifu Low Chow offered to lend him some money (father must have confided his problem to him). In return, my parents offered to rent a room to him (perhaps as surety that we cannot run away).
Mom earned additional money from Low Chow by cooking his dinner and washing his laundry. I used to help mom out with the washing in the small area just outside the small toilet in our flat - with pails around there was barely enough space to squat.
Low Chow came from China when he was a young man and never got married. He used to be one of my father's senior (sifu) when father was a young engineering workshop apprentice many years before that. By the time he moved in with us he was already 50+ years old but still working. In a way, he was very nice to help us out. That money was probably part of his precious retirement savings.
From the beginning we treated him as part of the family and he would go along with us to movies (many times his treat) and family outings.
The good thing about renting the room to Low Chow was that during the day we got to use it to study or catch a nap (he was nice enough not to lock his room when he went out). We would make it a point to leave the room before 6 pm each day before he got home from work. On occassions when he returned early or we overstayed, we would hurrily rush out of the room upon hearing his name being called out by others when he was at the gate (it takes a short while for one of us to open the gate for him - always long enough to vacate his room).
At night, I slept in the living room while the rest of the family slept in the other bedroom - 3 on the master bed, 1 on single mattres in the floor between the bed and the clothes cabinet and 2 on double mattress on the floor at entrance to room. Somehow, all that fitted just right into that small room. Because my bed was a mattress on the floor of the living room, it was sometimes very hard to fall asleep with TV on or others moving and doing things.
In the first few years we did not have a TV and we kids would stand in the corridor outside our flat and peep across the airwell and through the window of our neighbours' flats to watch (4 units - 2 sets of front & back - shared one corridor). 2 neighbouring families were very nice and would usually invite us to watch inside their small flats. We got to watch TV at home years later when mom bought an old black/white TV for $40. It was not in perfect working order and we would occassionally have to turn the knobs to and fro or bang on it to get it to work it but it was still a luxury.
One of the nice neighbours who most frequently invited us into her flat to watch TV was an old lady we called 'Ah Poh' (Chinese for 'granny' or 'old aunty'). Ah Poh was slim, of slight build, cheerful and a very nice woman (I regreted that I never had a picture of her but then we seldom took pictures in those days. Father had a camera but the 120mm films were expensive and picture taking was limited to special occasions only).
Every week Ah Poh was sure to bring us some treats - sometimes a few times a week. Although in those days it was not uncommon for neighbours to occasionally share treats with each other, Ah Poh still stood out. Whether it was something she cooked for her family or some treats her adult children bought for her, she would share with us. Other than very occasionally, she did not do the same with the other neighbours who also had young kids because I think she knew we were poorer and she took pity on us.
When she came calling, she would announce it by calling out my name. On hearing that, we kids would rush to 'welcome' her (and what she was bringing). For us kids, many of her treats like chocolates etc. were things we seldom got to eat. She made us happy. Years later, I wondered to myself what her children thought about her continuously giving things to us.
I will forever remember Ah Poh's great kindness. Nowadays, when I have a good meal I would think of her and her kindness and generosity. When I see a poor women (you can tell) on the streets, I would pass them some money and say to myself 'Ah Poh, that is in memory of you'.
Ah Poh is one of the reasons (my mom being the other) I believe that women are special. They have a natural selfless instinct to share with and take care of others esp. the less fortunate that men do not have (at least not to the same extent).
While speaking to Ah Poh on one trip back from Singapore, somehow the topic of me getting married some day came up and I said that I would invite her to Singapore when that happens. She laughed and said 'by that time, you can beat drums with my bones lor!' Other than vague memories of her looks and the sound of her voice when she called my name, those are the words I remember of her now. To me, those were her last words to me. My eyes get wet whenever I think of her.
About 10 years after we first moved into our flat, another nice neighbour staying on 2nd floor (Mr Gan) who worked for a housing developer offered to help us get a 'medium-cost' terrace house in a project (Taman Maju Jaya) his company was undertaking in Cheras. In Malaysia, every housing development project are required by law to set aside a certain proportion of units as 'low-cost' and 'medium-cost' housing for less well-to-do families. For obvious reason, those 'special price' units are always in great demand and interested and qualified buyers have to go for ballots unless one got help from the inside. Mr Gan got a unit for us - it was opposite the unit he was buying for his family (we are still neighbours).
Low Chow contributed RM10,000 for that house and moved in there with my family too (he stayed there rent free). By then I was already studying in Singapore. But I spent my last uni holidays at the new house sand papering the wooden parts and painting it to prepare for the move in. Being 'medium cost', quality of things and work were not great.
The house was built on used tin mine land about 1.5 km from the main Cheras road and it was the first housing development in that area (between Cheras and Ampang). So there was no bus service etc. Only other thing there were some squatter run vegetable farms. Weekdays I would go there on bicycle to do the work by myself. On weekends, the rest of the family would get there with me and my father ferrying them from the main road using our bicycles.
6 years after moving there, on one of my trips back home I heard from my parents that Low Chow had claimed that he owned half of the house and wanted my parents to pay him half the market value or something like that. My parents suspected that he had lost a lot of money playing mahjong (his past time at the Selangor Engineering Workshop Employees Association in Jalan Sultan. It later shifted to Pasar Road near Pudu).
I then spoke to Low Chow in private and explained to him that he could not claim half of the house because he contributed only RM10,000 while the price was RM28,000 (and I was then still helping to service the loan). I said that as appreciation for the kind help he gave my family when we needed it most, I would pay him back his RM10,000 plus compounded interest of 10% per year (and we will not collect rent from him for all those years). I calculated it on a calculator for him - it was about RM18,000. Low Chow agreed and I then wrote him a check for that sum.
Some time after that (when I was working in Indonesia) he left our house and we never heard from him since. My parents thought he might have gone back to China where he still had relatives. Once a while I would still think of him and wondered, if indeed he had lost a lot of his savings on mahjong, whether what I paid him was enough for him to live through the rest of his life as a single old man (especially considering that the Malaysian Ringgit had started to drop against Singapore and Brunei dollars since 1983). It still bothers me.
Note: Malaysian Ringgit used to be on par with the Singapore and Brunei Dollars from the beginning (1965 or so). But in 1983 because of mismanagement, Malaysia could not maintain that parity anymore and the Ringgit started to depreciate against those currencies. Today the exchange rate is almost 2.5.
Life Lessons:
Always remember the people who have been kind to us or helped us before. We may not be able to repay them but we can always 'pay forward'.
The Chinese tradition of the Reunion Dinner is such a big thing that every year, almost every true Chinese regardless of where they are (even thousands of miles away) would make their way home to have that important meal with the whole family. Tradition is essentially a collection of 'best practices' of a people. The Reunion Dinner is a reflection of how important the practice of having meals together was to our forefathers. Over thousands of years, they had 'burnt' it into the soul of every one of their young.
Grameen Bank (Bangladesh):
Mohammad Yunus who started the use of micro-credit to help poor women start businesses (soon followed by UN and poor countries) said that he adopted that approach because he found that women are more reliable with money and will use them to benefit their children.
Barefoot College (India):
Founded by Bunker Roy, it teaches women from poor villages around the world solar powered electricity and cooking. Women trainees who are 40-50 years old and selected by their fellow villagers will return to run their villages' electric power system. http://www.barefootcollege.org/sol_approach.asp
Friday, January 20, 2012
Teach a Man How to Fish vs to Plant a Tree
Just got back from waiting for 2nd daughter after school (did not get to catch her). The reason was I was busy talking to a man who was there to pick his son from same school.
We talked about various things like the 'stress' today's children have in school. On 'stress' I said that there is no need for children to score 'top marks' like 90-100% or spend all their time on homework , tuition etc. (although those scoring below 60% may need some help through tuitions). Children should spend some time playing, on hobbies and learning other things outside school because that is also learning, just no marks in school exams.
The man agreed and said that that's why he will be taking his son fishing this weekend. The reason is he wanted to teach his son the saying 'teach a man how to fish and he feeds himself a lifetime but give a man a fish and he eats for only a day'.
I wanted to share with him a better idea but did not have the opportunity as the conversation went into other areas like Singapore's politics and what I wrote about in the posting on Pareto Principle.
That was the idea of 'Planting a Financial Tree' which I try to share with others whenever I can especially Singaporeans who live in a country where land is so scarce and expensive that planting real trees for a living or to survive is close to impossible (most of them live in flats & what Malaysians call 'hutan semen' or 'cement jungle').
In countries where there is plenty of land, many people survive just by living off their land. They own a few (and in come cases, tens to hundreds) acres of land where they plant crops like oil palm and all sorts of fruit trees and vegetables and rear livestocks like chicken, goats etc.
With even a small piece of land (say 1 acre), they can still survive without work for some time. All they have to do is plant some vegetables and fruit trees and live ooff them. After the planting, in a good land those trees would by nature grow by themselves even if the owners sit around and do nothing!
However, in places like Singapore the closest thing to surviving by planting fruit trees is to plant what I call 'financial trees'.
A 'financial tree' is an investment in some real assets that produce continous streams of income much like a fruit tree producing fruits continuously for decades. That can be done by buying things like properties, real estate investment trusts, or shares in companies that own 'financial trees' i.e. companies that own real and income producing assets like lands/properties or good strong businesses with 'high barriers of entry'.
An example of a business with 'high barrier of entry' is telecom or banking business where the startup (investment) costs are high and the operator must have a 'licence' before they can operate (which may be difficult for potential competitors to obtain). Compare that to say a starting a food stall business where anyone with some money can start one.
A person that starts to plant a series of 'financial trees' early in life will get to reap their 'fruits' for many years to come and may not even have to work or work as long (or as many hours) as others who do not have financial trees.
Those financial trees like real fruit trees will give their owner confidence in life knowing that they will not have to rely on the next salary payment to survive. In the worse case scenarios, they can still survive on the fruits of those financial trees.
In addition, that person will achieve personal freedom like being able to choose how they spend their time on instead of just working everyday.
For example, a person with a good stream of regular income from a portfolio of good financial trees can choose a job they enjoy doing even though that job may not be as well paying i.e. they can afford to compromise lower income with greater satisfaction from doing something the person enjoys. Or even choose to stop working or work shorter hours so that he/she can spend more time on things of personal interest.
That is the confidence and freedom that planting financial trees bring.
Now, compare planting financial trees to teaching a person how to fish. Which do you think is better?
Even if I teach a person how to fish, that person must still have to rely on the vagaries of the pond, river or ocean. Will the supply of fish be as regular as that of a tree's fruit output?
Even if a person knows how to fish well, he will still have to spend time doing the fishing (in that sense, fishing is more like working)! The more fish one needs the longer time one will have to spend fishing. In addition and unless the person owns a pond/river etc. that person would still have to compete with other fishermen. In contrast, with some good fruit trees in one's own farm one only needs to wait for the fruits to ripe and pluck them off. One has little fear of others 'competing' for those output.
And even though fishes in the ocean multiply, the additional fishes are not yours by right and you will still have to compete with others to catch them. But if you multiply the number of trees in your own garden, their future produce is yours only.
That is why 'teaching a man to plant a tree' is better than 'teaching a man how to fish'....
Some key principles to remember :
- Plant Some Trees Even if You are a Fisherman
Fishing is 'active income' while having one's own fruit trees is more like 'passive income'. So even when one is earning income from a job (active income), one should make sure that there are alternative sources of income that do not take up much of one's time and effort (passive income) and that can become one's supply of money in case one loses his/her job.
- Start Even with One Tree
In all investments, it is never too small an amount to start. The excuse people frequently give for not actively investing their money is that they do not have 'enough capital'. There is no such thing as not enough capital. Just not enough effort or focus into it.
Quote: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Lao Tzu
- Start Planting Early
If one starts planting one's financial trees early but use some of the fruits produced to grow more trees instead of consuming them, over time one will have many more trees than one started with. The concept of 'compound interest' is a good example of this.
- Save Some Fruits for Unexpected Visitors
In farming, there may be unexpected floods or droughts when crops would be destroyed. So, farmers always keep a granary where stocks from perviuos seasons are kept for later use. Similarly for finances. Always save some money for emergencies like when one has a sudden unexpected expense (e.g. medical) or when income from regular job is affected (e.g. job loss).
Rule: The general rule to follow is to have enough emergency cash to last 6 months. However, an investor building up cash while patiently waiting for the right time to invest should have a bigger pool of cash (see below).
- Let the Trees Multiply
It is OK to start with a small base. What is important is to grow it over time. That way, even a fruit garden with one tree will become one with many trees (i.e. more future income).
- Be Patient and Plant/Harvest at the Right Time
As with growing real trees, there is a right season to start planting new trees. Farmers know that late winter or early spring is the best time to start growing. Trees planted in autumn will not survive through winter. They also know when is the best time to pick the fruits (in late summer or autumn).
It is the same with investment management. The world economy and markets go through cycles (like that of seasons). Things like prices of investments go up and down and up again over time. Smart investors therefore monitor the big picture (macro economy) to know what is happening in the world and time when they buy or sell.
For example, the best time to make good solid investments is when the world economy has gone through a down cycle (e.g. after a huge market crash like that of 1997/8 and 2008/9).
The couple of years just before a crash is usually characterised by 'investment frenzies' where every Tom, Dick and Harry were buying even when prices were ridiculously high prices (when measured in ROR - see below). Because prices had been rising for many years they thought prices will continue to go up some more.
Rule: Do not follow the herd. When everyone (the Ah Peks and Ah Sohs in market) is talking about buying shares, it is the time to consider selling.
At the peak of the crises, many people sold what they had at low prices and most dared not buy because of fear - that's why prices collapsed. But people that bought around that time would have bought at prices 60-70% cheaper than 2 years before and locked in investments that generate rate of returns (ROR) of more than 10% per year. People who bought at the high of 2 years before and sold at low prices during the crisis due to fear would have suffered massive losses of 60-70%!
Rule: Be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful - Warren Buffet.
- Not All trees Are the Same
Even though they may be of the same type, some trees of better strains produce more fruits than others. Farmers that know which strain is better would plant new trees using seeds from that strain but not that from other lower producing strains.
In investment, the concept used is Rate of Return or ROR. Other similar concepts are Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Investment (ROI). ROR is the income one gets from each dollar of investment or capital. E.g. an investment that returns 10% per year is better than one with 5% return (assuming all things being equal).
Note: In general, investments with higher returns tend to have higher risks. But if one buys an investment at a low price (say during crises), one can get a much better ROR for the same investment than if one had bought it during 'herd frenzies'.
Also, one way to find good tree strains is to watch what the top producing farmers do! The equivalaent in investment world are the insiders who knows best about what is happening in their company. E.g. when substantial owners of a major company or its top executives keep buying their company's shares, it suggests that the price at that time may be cheap and one should consider following.
Note: insider actions is just an indicator. One should not follow blindly but do some homework. Never follow insiders of small companies - they may be manipulating the price!
- Do Not Rely on Just One Type of Tree
Good farmers know that they should never plant only 1 type of crop on their land. The main reason being diversification of risks because they know that although infections and infestations that may destroy their crops are beyond their control, they do not affect all type of trees at the same time. Some types may be unaffected and thus continue to bear fruit when others die. Also, crop prices may change depending on market conditions. Single crop farmers will be more affected by large drops in prices than others.
Same with investments. Do not put all your money into 1 or 2 investments. Diversify by investing in different companies, industries and regions around the world so that if one company/industry/region is in trouble, you can still get income from others.
Also, never buy shares in the company that you work in for obvious reason. If your company is in trouble you may lose both your job and investment!
[I know of a case like that. When a local IT company went public, their staff were given priority to buy those shares. One staff apparently bought $80,000 worth using family money. A few years later when the internet bubble burst in 2001, the company was badly affected, its share price dropped way below IPO price, and they had to retrench people. That staff was among them. He ended up losing his job and a big chunk of his family's investment.]
We talked about various things like the 'stress' today's children have in school. On 'stress' I said that there is no need for children to score 'top marks' like 90-100% or spend all their time on homework , tuition etc. (although those scoring below 60% may need some help through tuitions). Children should spend some time playing, on hobbies and learning other things outside school because that is also learning, just no marks in school exams.
The man agreed and said that that's why he will be taking his son fishing this weekend. The reason is he wanted to teach his son the saying 'teach a man how to fish and he feeds himself a lifetime but give a man a fish and he eats for only a day'.
I wanted to share with him a better idea but did not have the opportunity as the conversation went into other areas like Singapore's politics and what I wrote about in the posting on Pareto Principle.
That was the idea of 'Planting a Financial Tree' which I try to share with others whenever I can especially Singaporeans who live in a country where land is so scarce and expensive that planting real trees for a living or to survive is close to impossible (most of them live in flats & what Malaysians call 'hutan semen' or 'cement jungle').
In countries where there is plenty of land, many people survive just by living off their land. They own a few (and in come cases, tens to hundreds) acres of land where they plant crops like oil palm and all sorts of fruit trees and vegetables and rear livestocks like chicken, goats etc.
With even a small piece of land (say 1 acre), they can still survive without work for some time. All they have to do is plant some vegetables and fruit trees and live ooff them. After the planting, in a good land those trees would by nature grow by themselves even if the owners sit around and do nothing!
However, in places like Singapore the closest thing to surviving by planting fruit trees is to plant what I call 'financial trees'.
A 'financial tree' is an investment in some real assets that produce continous streams of income much like a fruit tree producing fruits continuously for decades. That can be done by buying things like properties, real estate investment trusts, or shares in companies that own 'financial trees' i.e. companies that own real and income producing assets like lands/properties or good strong businesses with 'high barriers of entry'.
An example of a business with 'high barrier of entry' is telecom or banking business where the startup (investment) costs are high and the operator must have a 'licence' before they can operate (which may be difficult for potential competitors to obtain). Compare that to say a starting a food stall business where anyone with some money can start one.
A person that starts to plant a series of 'financial trees' early in life will get to reap their 'fruits' for many years to come and may not even have to work or work as long (or as many hours) as others who do not have financial trees.
Those financial trees like real fruit trees will give their owner confidence in life knowing that they will not have to rely on the next salary payment to survive. In the worse case scenarios, they can still survive on the fruits of those financial trees.
In addition, that person will achieve personal freedom like being able to choose how they spend their time on instead of just working everyday.
For example, a person with a good stream of regular income from a portfolio of good financial trees can choose a job they enjoy doing even though that job may not be as well paying i.e. they can afford to compromise lower income with greater satisfaction from doing something the person enjoys. Or even choose to stop working or work shorter hours so that he/she can spend more time on things of personal interest.
That is the confidence and freedom that planting financial trees bring.
Now, compare planting financial trees to teaching a person how to fish. Which do you think is better?
Even if I teach a person how to fish, that person must still have to rely on the vagaries of the pond, river or ocean. Will the supply of fish be as regular as that of a tree's fruit output?
Even if a person knows how to fish well, he will still have to spend time doing the fishing (in that sense, fishing is more like working)! The more fish one needs the longer time one will have to spend fishing. In addition and unless the person owns a pond/river etc. that person would still have to compete with other fishermen. In contrast, with some good fruit trees in one's own farm one only needs to wait for the fruits to ripe and pluck them off. One has little fear of others 'competing' for those output.
And even though fishes in the ocean multiply, the additional fishes are not yours by right and you will still have to compete with others to catch them. But if you multiply the number of trees in your own garden, their future produce is yours only.
That is why 'teaching a man to plant a tree' is better than 'teaching a man how to fish'....
Some key principles to remember :
- Plant Some Trees Even if You are a Fisherman
Fishing is 'active income' while having one's own fruit trees is more like 'passive income'. So even when one is earning income from a job (active income), one should make sure that there are alternative sources of income that do not take up much of one's time and effort (passive income) and that can become one's supply of money in case one loses his/her job.
- Start Even with One Tree
In all investments, it is never too small an amount to start. The excuse people frequently give for not actively investing their money is that they do not have 'enough capital'. There is no such thing as not enough capital. Just not enough effort or focus into it.
Quote: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Lao Tzu
- Start Planting Early
If one starts planting one's financial trees early but use some of the fruits produced to grow more trees instead of consuming them, over time one will have many more trees than one started with. The concept of 'compound interest' is a good example of this.
- Save Some Fruits for Unexpected Visitors
In farming, there may be unexpected floods or droughts when crops would be destroyed. So, farmers always keep a granary where stocks from perviuos seasons are kept for later use. Similarly for finances. Always save some money for emergencies like when one has a sudden unexpected expense (e.g. medical) or when income from regular job is affected (e.g. job loss).
Rule: The general rule to follow is to have enough emergency cash to last 6 months. However, an investor building up cash while patiently waiting for the right time to invest should have a bigger pool of cash (see below).
- Let the Trees Multiply
It is OK to start with a small base. What is important is to grow it over time. That way, even a fruit garden with one tree will become one with many trees (i.e. more future income).
- Be Patient and Plant/Harvest at the Right Time
As with growing real trees, there is a right season to start planting new trees. Farmers know that late winter or early spring is the best time to start growing. Trees planted in autumn will not survive through winter. They also know when is the best time to pick the fruits (in late summer or autumn).
It is the same with investment management. The world economy and markets go through cycles (like that of seasons). Things like prices of investments go up and down and up again over time. Smart investors therefore monitor the big picture (macro economy) to know what is happening in the world and time when they buy or sell.
For example, the best time to make good solid investments is when the world economy has gone through a down cycle (e.g. after a huge market crash like that of 1997/8 and 2008/9).
The couple of years just before a crash is usually characterised by 'investment frenzies' where every Tom, Dick and Harry were buying even when prices were ridiculously high prices (when measured in ROR - see below). Because prices had been rising for many years they thought prices will continue to go up some more.
Rule: Do not follow the herd. When everyone (the Ah Peks and Ah Sohs in market) is talking about buying shares, it is the time to consider selling.
At the peak of the crises, many people sold what they had at low prices and most dared not buy because of fear - that's why prices collapsed. But people that bought around that time would have bought at prices 60-70% cheaper than 2 years before and locked in investments that generate rate of returns (ROR) of more than 10% per year. People who bought at the high of 2 years before and sold at low prices during the crisis due to fear would have suffered massive losses of 60-70%!
Rule: Be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful - Warren Buffet.
- Not All trees Are the Same
Even though they may be of the same type, some trees of better strains produce more fruits than others. Farmers that know which strain is better would plant new trees using seeds from that strain but not that from other lower producing strains.
In investment, the concept used is Rate of Return or ROR. Other similar concepts are Return on Equity (ROE) and Return on Investment (ROI). ROR is the income one gets from each dollar of investment or capital. E.g. an investment that returns 10% per year is better than one with 5% return (assuming all things being equal).
Note: In general, investments with higher returns tend to have higher risks. But if one buys an investment at a low price (say during crises), one can get a much better ROR for the same investment than if one had bought it during 'herd frenzies'.
Also, one way to find good tree strains is to watch what the top producing farmers do! The equivalaent in investment world are the insiders who knows best about what is happening in their company. E.g. when substantial owners of a major company or its top executives keep buying their company's shares, it suggests that the price at that time may be cheap and one should consider following.
Note: insider actions is just an indicator. One should not follow blindly but do some homework. Never follow insiders of small companies - they may be manipulating the price!
- Do Not Rely on Just One Type of Tree
Good farmers know that they should never plant only 1 type of crop on their land. The main reason being diversification of risks because they know that although infections and infestations that may destroy their crops are beyond their control, they do not affect all type of trees at the same time. Some types may be unaffected and thus continue to bear fruit when others die. Also, crop prices may change depending on market conditions. Single crop farmers will be more affected by large drops in prices than others.
Same with investments. Do not put all your money into 1 or 2 investments. Diversify by investing in different companies, industries and regions around the world so that if one company/industry/region is in trouble, you can still get income from others.
Also, never buy shares in the company that you work in for obvious reason. If your company is in trouble you may lose both your job and investment!
[I know of a case like that. When a local IT company went public, their staff were given priority to buy those shares. One staff apparently bought $80,000 worth using family money. A few years later when the internet bubble burst in 2001, the company was badly affected, its share price dropped way below IPO price, and they had to retrench people. That staff was among them. He ended up losing his job and a big chunk of his family's investment.]
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Training of Dogs (draft)
http://www.youtube.com/user/CesarMillan
General Notes:
- best time is when dog is 6 to 12 weeks old
- dog must be trained to know that owners are the 'leaders of pack' and dog must submit
e.g. owner walks in front, dog always give way and not block, dog eats after owners
- ignore dog when it is trying to get attention
- train only 5 to 15 min each session (best after nap), 3 times a day. Results in 3 weeks
- use stern 'No!' as punishment or yank on leash (no delays)
- reward dog immediately with pat, food and/or 'good dog'
- change lesson or stop training when dog is tired or not interested
- end training sessions with 'free' and play with it as reward
How to leash dog during training
Do not put leash low down on neck of dog as dog will have more power to overcome leash pull.
Put leash high up towards head as that gives owner more leverage when pulling on leash.
Order of training:
1. 'Keel' (walk by side of owner): with dog on side, tap your side, say 'keel' and start walking. Never let dog walk ahead (and be leader). When dog goes ahead, yank on leash. Tap your side and say 'heel'. When back on your side, pat and say 'good dog'.
As dog develops, train by going further and in circle or 8-shapes.
2. 'Come': from some distance away say 'come'. Reward dog immediately when dog reaches you
2. 'Sit': with dog beside or in front of you, give command. Wait for dog to sit and reward immediately. Press hind of dog if needed.
3. 'Down' (lie down): same as 'sit' but reward when down on all fours
4. 'Stand': same as 'sit' but more difficult to train as dogs tend to sit or down as submission to leader. So give command gently and don't punish in this training.
5. 'Stay': (do after dog trained on sit, down or stand) Start with dog on your side. Use hand signal, say 'stay', take a step away and keep saying 'stay' & hand signal to make sure dog stays. End by going back to start position and give reward.
As dog gets better, extend training. Take further steps away but keep looking at dog and repeating 'stay' and hand signal. As dog develops, extend duration from 5 sec to 2 mins and distance etc. (including walking around dog).
6. 'Fetch': Use a toy
7. 'Pooh Pooh' (Da Bian): 2 Weeks
- Leash dog to his 'sleep area' (dogs will not shit or urinate there). During training period, do not let dog off its leash.
- Identify a 'toilet area' (6 ft x 10 ft) where you want dog to go to urinate or shit. Concrete flooring preferred since you can wash and clean up after that
- Fix a schedule for when you bring dog to 'toilet area' (at least 2 times/day for adults, more often for puppies). Best time for that is after sleep, play or food
- On sheduled time, bring dog on leash to 'toilet area' and stand there for 5 mins to wait for dog to relieve itself. Keep dog on leash so that it cannot run around or play and confuse 'pooh' time with 'free' time and do NOT talk or play with dog while waiting for you want dog to learn that it is 'pooh' time and not play time
- if dog urinate or shit within that time, immediately praise the dog and reward it with food or play (remember to say 'free') and then leash it back to home area. Repeat going to toilet at the next scheduled time
- if dog does not relieve within that time, bring dog back to home area and keep it leashed (do not pat or play with it, and do not wait for more than 5 mins). Repeat going to toilet after 30 mins
- any time you notice that dog bahaves like it want to relieve itself (like sniffing, walking in circle or making sound) bring it to toilet per above
- if training on shedule is done well, it takes 1 to 2 weeks for dog to be trained
General Notes:
- best time is when dog is 6 to 12 weeks old
- dog must be trained to know that owners are the 'leaders of pack' and dog must submit
e.g. owner walks in front, dog always give way and not block, dog eats after owners
- ignore dog when it is trying to get attention
- train only 5 to 15 min each session (best after nap), 3 times a day. Results in 3 weeks
- use stern 'No!' as punishment or yank on leash (no delays)
- reward dog immediately with pat, food and/or 'good dog'
- change lesson or stop training when dog is tired or not interested
- end training sessions with 'free' and play with it as reward
How to leash dog during training
Do not put leash low down on neck of dog as dog will have more power to overcome leash pull.
Put leash high up towards head as that gives owner more leverage when pulling on leash.
Order of training:
1. 'Keel' (walk by side of owner): with dog on side, tap your side, say 'keel' and start walking. Never let dog walk ahead (and be leader). When dog goes ahead, yank on leash. Tap your side and say 'heel'. When back on your side, pat and say 'good dog'.
As dog develops, train by going further and in circle or 8-shapes.
2. 'Come': from some distance away say 'come'. Reward dog immediately when dog reaches you
2. 'Sit': with dog beside or in front of you, give command. Wait for dog to sit and reward immediately. Press hind of dog if needed.
3. 'Down' (lie down): same as 'sit' but reward when down on all fours
4. 'Stand': same as 'sit' but more difficult to train as dogs tend to sit or down as submission to leader. So give command gently and don't punish in this training.
5. 'Stay': (do after dog trained on sit, down or stand) Start with dog on your side. Use hand signal, say 'stay', take a step away and keep saying 'stay' & hand signal to make sure dog stays. End by going back to start position and give reward.
As dog gets better, extend training. Take further steps away but keep looking at dog and repeating 'stay' and hand signal. As dog develops, extend duration from 5 sec to 2 mins and distance etc. (including walking around dog).
6. 'Fetch': Use a toy
7. 'Pooh Pooh' (Da Bian): 2 Weeks
- Leash dog to his 'sleep area' (dogs will not shit or urinate there). During training period, do not let dog off its leash.
- Identify a 'toilet area' (6 ft x 10 ft) where you want dog to go to urinate or shit. Concrete flooring preferred since you can wash and clean up after that
- Fix a schedule for when you bring dog to 'toilet area' (at least 2 times/day for adults, more often for puppies). Best time for that is after sleep, play or food
- On sheduled time, bring dog on leash to 'toilet area' and stand there for 5 mins to wait for dog to relieve itself. Keep dog on leash so that it cannot run around or play and confuse 'pooh' time with 'free' time and do NOT talk or play with dog while waiting for you want dog to learn that it is 'pooh' time and not play time
- if dog urinate or shit within that time, immediately praise the dog and reward it with food or play (remember to say 'free') and then leash it back to home area. Repeat going to toilet at the next scheduled time
- if dog does not relieve within that time, bring dog back to home area and keep it leashed (do not pat or play with it, and do not wait for more than 5 mins). Repeat going to toilet after 30 mins
- any time you notice that dog bahaves like it want to relieve itself (like sniffing, walking in circle or making sound) bring it to toilet per above
- if training on shedule is done well, it takes 1 to 2 weeks for dog to be trained
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Dental Care
Warning: Dental problems can cause heart problems as bacteria enter the blood streams.
What you need
• Dental floss
• Inter-dental or inter-proximal brush (optional)
• Tooth brush (soft or medium)
• Electric tooth brush (brand: Braun precision clean, optional)
• Steel dental pick
• Mouthwash
Cleaning Routine
1. Floss - take away the big pieces. Tie (using double knots) 2 ends of 12-inch long dental floss to form a ring. That will allow you to floss using entire length of the floss and have better grip of the floss. Flossing removes the larger deposits from teeth & gums.
Note:
- Make sure floss wraps around the side of teeth (like 'C') and not cut into and harm gum between teeth. Move floss up and down
- Rotate floss to use new clean section when you move to next tooth
2. Interdental Brush - clean the big holes & back of last teeth. Dip interdental (interproximal) brush in some toothpaste and clean gaps between teeth. Rinse brush with running water before moving to next tooth or quadrant.
Note:
- This step applies only for people with periodontitis (receded gums) which results in gaps/holes between teeth and is not necessary for people with good healthy gums/teeth.
- The back of the last teeth at back of mouth are difficult to reach using normal tooth brush, but easier with a large inter-dental brush.
3. Precision Clean (using electric brush) - getting to hard to get areas. Focus on difficult to reach areas i.e. teeth and gum lines at back of mouth especially wisdom teeth.
Note:
- Electric brushes are expensive, so use them where their return is highest.
- Use Step 9 to determine such areas to focus
4. Main Brush (using normal brush) - Start with Soaking. At start, quickly brush all surfaces of all teeth, gums, tongue and walls of mouth. This is to spread toothpaste around mouth and let the toothpaste's chemical cleaning to start working on all parts from the beginning.
Note:
- Use a good amount of toothpaste - do not try to save on it!
- Change toothpaste brands regularly. Bacteria adapt to cleaning agents. Changing toothpaste regularly reduce chance of that happening.
- Use different pastes for morning/night brush if possible e.g. normal paste for night and sensitive paste for morning or vice versa.
5. Main Brush (using normal brush). Slowly and lightly brush teeth using circular motions with brush tilted at 45 degrees and bristles pointed towards root of teeth. That is to make sure space between gum and teeth are also brushed. After brushing teeth and gum line, make sure to brush the rest of the gums, walls/sides of mouth and tongue
Note:
- It is how long you brush that matters, not how hard. Brushing hard harms gum
- Use different brushes with different patterns/shapes for AM/PM. More thorough since different shapes reach different areas
- Manual brush which has longer bristles is better than electric brush because longer bristles can reach deeper into gaps and hard to reach areas
6. Post Brush Soaking. After brushing, leave tooth paste in mouth for a couple of minutes to let chemical cleaning work longer (have bath in meantime etc).
7. Rinse mouth with mouthwash (optional) for 2 to 3 minutes. Dilute if required. Avoid this except when some bleeding or ulcer detected.
8. Dental Pick - cleanliness check. Use steel dental pick to pick at difficult to reach areas like gaps between teeth and see how clean the teeth and gums are. Spend more time and focus on such areas when flossing, brushing etc.
Note: Unclean areas will smell or bleed because of bacterial infection.
How to Clean Brushes & Dental Pick
Once a while or when you notice plaque (bacterial deposit) formation, clean tooth brushes (incl electric brush heads) and dental pick as follows:
- soak in boiling water with some mild hand wash (or natural anti-bacterial like vinegar, lemon juice)
- while soaking, use dental pick to scrape the base of bristles to loosen and get rid of plaque
- keep soaking for a few hours
Change tooth brush every 3 to 6 months, or if bristles are flared
Go for dental check every 6 months.
You may not be aware of gum infections like gingivitis until it is too late. Dentists can detect such problems early and help correct it before it gets too advanced (condition known as periodontitis - advanced gum infection and irreparable bone loss below gum).
What you need
• Dental floss
• Inter-dental or inter-proximal brush (optional)
• Tooth brush (soft or medium)
• Electric tooth brush (brand: Braun precision clean, optional)
• Steel dental pick
• Mouthwash
Cleaning Routine
1. Floss - take away the big pieces. Tie (using double knots) 2 ends of 12-inch long dental floss to form a ring. That will allow you to floss using entire length of the floss and have better grip of the floss. Flossing removes the larger deposits from teeth & gums.
Note:
- Make sure floss wraps around the side of teeth (like 'C') and not cut into and harm gum between teeth. Move floss up and down
- Rotate floss to use new clean section when you move to next tooth
2. Interdental Brush - clean the big holes & back of last teeth. Dip interdental (interproximal) brush in some toothpaste and clean gaps between teeth. Rinse brush with running water before moving to next tooth or quadrant.
Note:
- This step applies only for people with periodontitis (receded gums) which results in gaps/holes between teeth and is not necessary for people with good healthy gums/teeth.
- The back of the last teeth at back of mouth are difficult to reach using normal tooth brush, but easier with a large inter-dental brush.
3. Precision Clean (using electric brush) - getting to hard to get areas. Focus on difficult to reach areas i.e. teeth and gum lines at back of mouth especially wisdom teeth.
Note:
- Electric brushes are expensive, so use them where their return is highest.
- Use Step 9 to determine such areas to focus
4. Main Brush (using normal brush) - Start with Soaking. At start, quickly brush all surfaces of all teeth, gums, tongue and walls of mouth. This is to spread toothpaste around mouth and let the toothpaste's chemical cleaning to start working on all parts from the beginning.
Note:
- Use a good amount of toothpaste - do not try to save on it!
- Change toothpaste brands regularly. Bacteria adapt to cleaning agents. Changing toothpaste regularly reduce chance of that happening.
- Use different pastes for morning/night brush if possible e.g. normal paste for night and sensitive paste for morning or vice versa.
5. Main Brush (using normal brush). Slowly and lightly brush teeth using circular motions with brush tilted at 45 degrees and bristles pointed towards root of teeth. That is to make sure space between gum and teeth are also brushed. After brushing teeth and gum line, make sure to brush the rest of the gums, walls/sides of mouth and tongue
Note:
- It is how long you brush that matters, not how hard. Brushing hard harms gum
- Use different brushes with different patterns/shapes for AM/PM. More thorough since different shapes reach different areas
- Manual brush which has longer bristles is better than electric brush because longer bristles can reach deeper into gaps and hard to reach areas
6. Post Brush Soaking. After brushing, leave tooth paste in mouth for a couple of minutes to let chemical cleaning work longer (have bath in meantime etc).
7. Rinse mouth with mouthwash (optional) for 2 to 3 minutes. Dilute if required. Avoid this except when some bleeding or ulcer detected.
8. Dental Pick - cleanliness check. Use steel dental pick to pick at difficult to reach areas like gaps between teeth and see how clean the teeth and gums are. Spend more time and focus on such areas when flossing, brushing etc.
Note: Unclean areas will smell or bleed because of bacterial infection.
How to Clean Brushes & Dental Pick
Once a while or when you notice plaque (bacterial deposit) formation, clean tooth brushes (incl electric brush heads) and dental pick as follows:
- soak in boiling water with some mild hand wash (or natural anti-bacterial like vinegar, lemon juice)
- while soaking, use dental pick to scrape the base of bristles to loosen and get rid of plaque
- keep soaking for a few hours
Change tooth brush every 3 to 6 months, or if bristles are flared
Go for dental check every 6 months.
You may not be aware of gum infections like gingivitis until it is too late. Dentists can detect such problems early and help correct it before it gets too advanced (condition known as periodontitis - advanced gum infection and irreparable bone loss below gum).
Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule)
Spending 20% resources (time, effort, money etc.) may obtain 80% of results or returns. The remaining 20% of results or returns may require 80% of resources.
That means that the ‘rate of return’ of spending additional resources on an undertaking may be so low that it may not be worth it (this is also known as 'the principle of dimishing returns'). The additional resources may be better spent on other undertakings with better ‘rates of return’.
Thus, we need to balance how much resource we ‘invest’ in an undertaking againt the ‘return’ we get from spending more resources on it.
Caution: this rule is applies ONLY if the person spends the other 80% of time or resources on other MORE productive undertakings and not waste it on activities that have no benefit.
Application to School Learning
Assuming a student has 10 hours every day to study.
Pareto Principle says that by spending 2 hours studying, a student may be able to attain an 80% score but to score the remaining 20% (to make total of 100%) the student may have to spend all the remaining 8 hours. The ‘rate of return’ of the additional 8 hours is therefore not as good as the first 2 hours. In that case, the other 8 hours may be better spent learning other things e.g. learning things outside school or spending time on hobbies and other personal interests.
In addition, the knowledge taught in schools is only 1 or 2% of total knowledge of the world. That means that a student who spends 100% of time to try score 100% in school exams will at best learn or master only 2% of all world knowledge (see Notes at bottom).
Comparison of amount of knowledge potentially gained by a student following Pareto Principle vs one who does not:
• Student A spends all 10 hours a day (100% of time) studying only what is taught in school. Even though A may master completely everything taught in school, A’s total world knowledge will at most be 2% (because what is taught in schools is only 2% of all knowledge).
• Student B who follows Pareto Principle spends 2 hours a day (20% of time) on school work and the other 8 hours a day learning or doing other things outside school, say on learning about another 10% of world knowledge that is not taught by school. Although B may only master 80% of what is taught in school (or 1.6% of all world knowledge), B may gain an additional 8% (= 80% of 10%) of world knowledge. B’s total world knowledge may be 9.6% (= 1.6% from school and 8% from outside school), or 6 times more than A!
Given that, spending all of one’s time on learning only what is taught in school may not be such a good idea after all. Scoring 80% in school exams may be better (of course, scoring 90% with 20% effort is better still) if one learns much more by spending some time learning and doing other things.
For the same reason, getting high scores may not mean that a student is intelligent. It may be because that student spent disproportionately high amount of time and effort on it. A student that spends 20% of time but scores only 80% may be much smarter than you think (that is assuming that student spends time studying other useful things outside school and not waste it on something worthless).
That is why extra-curricular activities and pursuing interests and hobbies outside what is ‘given’ by the schools is so important in a child’s overall development. That is also why many of the most successful people in the world do not have high educational qualifications or were school dropouts.
Caution:
Pareto Principle is only one of many helpful guides on decision making and should not be taken as gospel. It applies only when one has more than 1 good alternatives and need to decide on how much of one's resource to spend on all of them to maximise returns from those multiple good alternatives. It does not apply when there is only 1 good alternative available.
E.g. A person who knows only how to fish and farm may want to spend 80% of time fishing and 20% farming. But one who only knows how to fish and has no farm should spend all his time fishing! Or a person spends 20% of time working/learning but waste the other 80% on worthless activities like just loitering in shopping complexes.
Pareto Principle also does not apply to a lot of undertakings that require high precision or expertise like medical, scientific and technological undertakings where even a fraction of a percent of inaccuracy or error can lead to great negative consequences.
E.g. to send a space probe to Mars which is 200 million km away, one must be able to predict (by maths calculations etc.) the exact location of Mars at any point in time and be able to control/navigate the probe to rendezvous with the planet. One cannot say 'let's get Mars location 80% accurate and hope for the best'. That may mean that the probe will miss Mars by 40 million km!
Notes on knowledge taught by schools:
• The knowledge taught in schools is only a tiny fraction of all the knowledge known to humanity.
• In addition, they are highly simplified versions (presumably so that all students, including the not so smart ones, can understand) and are mostly hundreds if not thousands of years old.
• For example, Algebra is 1,000 years old, and Newtonian mechanics and Calculus taught in secondary schools are almost 400 years old. Even then, most students do not fully understand or appreciate them.
• Most university students like me never get to learn nor heard of (not to say capable of understanding) Riemannian Geometry which is 100 years old! Riemannian Geometry is ‘the master maths’ of multi-dimensional geometry. In comparison, the more than 2,000 years old Euclidian geometry taught in secondary schools is 2-dimensional geometry.
• My view is what is taught in schools is probably only 2% of all world knowledge.
Notes on tuitions:
• For above reason, do NOT go for tuitions unnecessarily. By going for tuitions, one may be wasting valuable time trying to gain a little bit more score.
• Also, if a student finds that his/her understanding does no improve even with help of tuition, stop tuition. Remember, the smartest people in the world do not become tuition teachers. No point trying to learn from a dumb. Discussing with fellow (and preferably smarter) students and learning from each other may be much better.
• That's why 'good' schools tend to have more high scoring students. It is not only because of the teachers. Healthy competition with and learning together is part of the reason.
That means that the ‘rate of return’ of spending additional resources on an undertaking may be so low that it may not be worth it (this is also known as 'the principle of dimishing returns'). The additional resources may be better spent on other undertakings with better ‘rates of return’.
Thus, we need to balance how much resource we ‘invest’ in an undertaking againt the ‘return’ we get from spending more resources on it.
Caution: this rule is applies ONLY if the person spends the other 80% of time or resources on other MORE productive undertakings and not waste it on activities that have no benefit.
Application to School Learning
Assuming a student has 10 hours every day to study.
Pareto Principle says that by spending 2 hours studying, a student may be able to attain an 80% score but to score the remaining 20% (to make total of 100%) the student may have to spend all the remaining 8 hours. The ‘rate of return’ of the additional 8 hours is therefore not as good as the first 2 hours. In that case, the other 8 hours may be better spent learning other things e.g. learning things outside school or spending time on hobbies and other personal interests.
In addition, the knowledge taught in schools is only 1 or 2% of total knowledge of the world. That means that a student who spends 100% of time to try score 100% in school exams will at best learn or master only 2% of all world knowledge (see Notes at bottom).
Comparison of amount of knowledge potentially gained by a student following Pareto Principle vs one who does not:
• Student A spends all 10 hours a day (100% of time) studying only what is taught in school. Even though A may master completely everything taught in school, A’s total world knowledge will at most be 2% (because what is taught in schools is only 2% of all knowledge).
• Student B who follows Pareto Principle spends 2 hours a day (20% of time) on school work and the other 8 hours a day learning or doing other things outside school, say on learning about another 10% of world knowledge that is not taught by school. Although B may only master 80% of what is taught in school (or 1.6% of all world knowledge), B may gain an additional 8% (= 80% of 10%) of world knowledge. B’s total world knowledge may be 9.6% (= 1.6% from school and 8% from outside school), or 6 times more than A!
Given that, spending all of one’s time on learning only what is taught in school may not be such a good idea after all. Scoring 80% in school exams may be better (of course, scoring 90% with 20% effort is better still) if one learns much more by spending some time learning and doing other things.
For the same reason, getting high scores may not mean that a student is intelligent. It may be because that student spent disproportionately high amount of time and effort on it. A student that spends 20% of time but scores only 80% may be much smarter than you think (that is assuming that student spends time studying other useful things outside school and not waste it on something worthless).
That is why extra-curricular activities and pursuing interests and hobbies outside what is ‘given’ by the schools is so important in a child’s overall development. That is also why many of the most successful people in the world do not have high educational qualifications or were school dropouts.
Caution:
Pareto Principle is only one of many helpful guides on decision making and should not be taken as gospel. It applies only when one has more than 1 good alternatives and need to decide on how much of one's resource to spend on all of them to maximise returns from those multiple good alternatives. It does not apply when there is only 1 good alternative available.
E.g. A person who knows only how to fish and farm may want to spend 80% of time fishing and 20% farming. But one who only knows how to fish and has no farm should spend all his time fishing! Or a person spends 20% of time working/learning but waste the other 80% on worthless activities like just loitering in shopping complexes.
Pareto Principle also does not apply to a lot of undertakings that require high precision or expertise like medical, scientific and technological undertakings where even a fraction of a percent of inaccuracy or error can lead to great negative consequences.
E.g. to send a space probe to Mars which is 200 million km away, one must be able to predict (by maths calculations etc.) the exact location of Mars at any point in time and be able to control/navigate the probe to rendezvous with the planet. One cannot say 'let's get Mars location 80% accurate and hope for the best'. That may mean that the probe will miss Mars by 40 million km!
Notes on knowledge taught by schools:
• The knowledge taught in schools is only a tiny fraction of all the knowledge known to humanity.
• In addition, they are highly simplified versions (presumably so that all students, including the not so smart ones, can understand) and are mostly hundreds if not thousands of years old.
• For example, Algebra is 1,000 years old, and Newtonian mechanics and Calculus taught in secondary schools are almost 400 years old. Even then, most students do not fully understand or appreciate them.
• Most university students like me never get to learn nor heard of (not to say capable of understanding) Riemannian Geometry which is 100 years old! Riemannian Geometry is ‘the master maths’ of multi-dimensional geometry. In comparison, the more than 2,000 years old Euclidian geometry taught in secondary schools is 2-dimensional geometry.
• My view is what is taught in schools is probably only 2% of all world knowledge.
Notes on tuitions:
• For above reason, do NOT go for tuitions unnecessarily. By going for tuitions, one may be wasting valuable time trying to gain a little bit more score.
• Also, if a student finds that his/her understanding does no improve even with help of tuition, stop tuition. Remember, the smartest people in the world do not become tuition teachers. No point trying to learn from a dumb. Discussing with fellow (and preferably smarter) students and learning from each other may be much better.
• That's why 'good' schools tend to have more high scoring students. It is not only because of the teachers. Healthy competition with and learning together is part of the reason.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
About Geniuses
(Comments posted in Malaysia Today)
Geniuses are born out of the environment they live in and a product of their eco-system.
History has shown that humanity made significant leaps in the standard of living for most of its people only in the last 200 years or so, as a result of modern science and the Industrial Revolution.
In Asia, one only has to look back 3 generations or less. Before that, unless you are some 'tuans' (lords) most of the rest lived wretched lives no better than that of slaves or animals. [According to my father, my grandfather came to Malaya from China 100 years ago with only 1 shirt and a pair of pants. When he died, that was also all he left behind. Part of the cause was because he was an opium smoker]
Some historians estimated that modern technology enabled an average human today to live the life of one who had the equivalent of 30 to 40 slaves in the past. They averaged things out over all 6+ billion people (400 million in India today do not even have electricity). Those flying around on airplanes or proton cars for fun would appreciate that it would not be not possible 200 years ago without technology even if they tuaned (lorded) a million slaves.
[That's why supposedly god's son, god's agents etc. had god's permission to own female slaves but could not fly. Yes, all knowing and powerful gods cannot get their sons and agents to fly or make airplanes but ride donkeys, camels and slaves? And go around 'saving' others using wild animals with swords but no F15s and M1 Abrams? Send a battalion of those things out and those Romans and Sassanians would have submitted without a fight! Instead, one god’s bugger got nailed by a few Romans and suckers think it was a ‘great sacrifice’. Gods send messages without even paper, DVD or thumbdrive? That's why suckers that loudly extol those characters today are known as ‘idiots from the dark ages’]
The great leap in technology came about because of the development of rational thought (of which science and maths are the results) in place of ‘faiths’ in some parts of the world where people (along with some protestants) managed to free themselves from the feudal lords and religious idiots tuaning over them from places like Rome and due to the availability of a cheap information (and therefore knowledge) spreading technology called paper and printing.
Stephen Hawking in his book 'God created the Integers' listed 17 great mathematicians without whose breakthroughs today's advanced physics would not be possible. Of that,
- 2 came before the coming of a god's son (Euclid of Egypt, Archimedes of Sicily),
- 1 came before coming of a god's messenger (Diophantus of Egypt),
- 14 came after the arrival of paper & printing in Europe
Of the last 14, 4 were British, 4 French, 6 Germans. Can see the protestant link? German’s contribution was shorted by one because Hawking (a Brit) attributed Calculus to Newton and left out the German Liebniz whose symbols for Calculus we use today [the same way some people think Euclid and Diophantus were Greeks and not Egyptians].
That is one reason why the other animals gang up to whack the Germans. Out of the European 'sovereign debt crisis’ even those without history may notice signs of who the real big brother (and idiotic spoiler) of Europe today is.
[The concept of space-time curvature that many attribute to Einstein (and his Relativity) would not be possible without the geometry of Riemann, a German. Einstein was a German Jew who did not speak any Jewish language and whose dying words were in German. Some idiots from the dark ages today cite Einstein as proof that their religion is ‘the truth’ because his ‘genius’ supports their holy book’s claim that Jews are ‘god’s chosen people’. Einstein on the other hand said people who believe in personal gods are ‘child-like’ – see above for reason why]
In between the first 3 mathematicians and the others is a period of 1,200 years of little major mathematical progress. The period historians call 'the dark ages' falls within that gap.
During that gap, that part of the world was tuaned by 2 groups of people: feudal lords who settle things with swords and religious zealots who burnt disagreeable people on stakes.
[See what happened to Egypt since Diophantus? They went into deep freeze after the coming of some idiots]
With today’s Thievesland tuaned by thieves with crooked knives and a set of idiots from the dark ages, what chance do you think history would give a potential genius to bloom?
There is a higher chance that animals like Ibrahim Ali would do to them what the Anglo-Saxons did to the Germans…
Geniuses are born out of the environment they live in and a product of their eco-system.
History has shown that humanity made significant leaps in the standard of living for most of its people only in the last 200 years or so, as a result of modern science and the Industrial Revolution.
In Asia, one only has to look back 3 generations or less. Before that, unless you are some 'tuans' (lords) most of the rest lived wretched lives no better than that of slaves or animals. [According to my father, my grandfather came to Malaya from China 100 years ago with only 1 shirt and a pair of pants. When he died, that was also all he left behind. Part of the cause was because he was an opium smoker]
Some historians estimated that modern technology enabled an average human today to live the life of one who had the equivalent of 30 to 40 slaves in the past. They averaged things out over all 6+ billion people (400 million in India today do not even have electricity). Those flying around on airplanes or proton cars for fun would appreciate that it would not be not possible 200 years ago without technology even if they tuaned (lorded) a million slaves.
[That's why supposedly god's son, god's agents etc. had god's permission to own female slaves but could not fly. Yes, all knowing and powerful gods cannot get their sons and agents to fly or make airplanes but ride donkeys, camels and slaves? And go around 'saving' others using wild animals with swords but no F15s and M1 Abrams? Send a battalion of those things out and those Romans and Sassanians would have submitted without a fight! Instead, one god’s bugger got nailed by a few Romans and suckers think it was a ‘great sacrifice’. Gods send messages without even paper, DVD or thumbdrive? That's why suckers that loudly extol those characters today are known as ‘idiots from the dark ages’]
The great leap in technology came about because of the development of rational thought (of which science and maths are the results) in place of ‘faiths’ in some parts of the world where people (along with some protestants) managed to free themselves from the feudal lords and religious idiots tuaning over them from places like Rome and due to the availability of a cheap information (and therefore knowledge) spreading technology called paper and printing.
Stephen Hawking in his book 'God created the Integers' listed 17 great mathematicians without whose breakthroughs today's advanced physics would not be possible. Of that,
- 2 came before the coming of a god's son (Euclid of Egypt, Archimedes of Sicily),
- 1 came before coming of a god's messenger (Diophantus of Egypt),
- 14 came after the arrival of paper & printing in Europe
Of the last 14, 4 were British, 4 French, 6 Germans. Can see the protestant link? German’s contribution was shorted by one because Hawking (a Brit) attributed Calculus to Newton and left out the German Liebniz whose symbols for Calculus we use today [the same way some people think Euclid and Diophantus were Greeks and not Egyptians].
That is one reason why the other animals gang up to whack the Germans. Out of the European 'sovereign debt crisis’ even those without history may notice signs of who the real big brother (and idiotic spoiler) of Europe today is.
[The concept of space-time curvature that many attribute to Einstein (and his Relativity) would not be possible without the geometry of Riemann, a German. Einstein was a German Jew who did not speak any Jewish language and whose dying words were in German. Some idiots from the dark ages today cite Einstein as proof that their religion is ‘the truth’ because his ‘genius’ supports their holy book’s claim that Jews are ‘god’s chosen people’. Einstein on the other hand said people who believe in personal gods are ‘child-like’ – see above for reason why]
In between the first 3 mathematicians and the others is a period of 1,200 years of little major mathematical progress. The period historians call 'the dark ages' falls within that gap.
During that gap, that part of the world was tuaned by 2 groups of people: feudal lords who settle things with swords and religious zealots who burnt disagreeable people on stakes.
[See what happened to Egypt since Diophantus? They went into deep freeze after the coming of some idiots]
With today’s Thievesland tuaned by thieves with crooked knives and a set of idiots from the dark ages, what chance do you think history would give a potential genius to bloom?
There is a higher chance that animals like Ibrahim Ali would do to them what the Anglo-Saxons did to the Germans…
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