Amuro Rey

Please do not judge me!

2011-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Have you ever judge somebody just by looking at them? Who am I kidding , there goes a saying "1st impression made a lasting impression". But sometimes I just hate it when people have so much time in the world to try to read you, I mean how can you possibly know who am I, unless you're really in my shoes. The only conclusion you'll have is through your own experiences in life which obviously isn't mine, therefore it's not accurate!

But as always, that's the kind of place the world is.

To the "actors" out there, the world is a stage where if you're good in acting, you're set for fame, but if on the contrary you'll be subject to ridicule;
To the "conquerors", the world is a battlefield waiting to be conquered without mercy nor will you be given any mercy;
To the "players", the world is a fun place where you can have many spectators, but they're ONLY merely spectators;
To the "dreamers", the world could still be a better place...

There is a person who once told me this, "Life is just but a long act". When I was young I didn't know what he meant but now I know that he's an "actor" when genuine-ness is not an important subject. The most important thing is that people recognise his contributions and actions in every situation.

So if you follow me till now, you'll realise that:
Why is it some people only work when the boss is around...;
Why is it that some people go all out to gain victory without showing mercy to their co-workers/subordinates...;
Why is there a party-animal who seems to like to be in the centre of attention all the time even when it is something bad...;
Why is there some people who just don't know why he/she can't fit in...

I'm writing this in protest of people judging each other, but in the end I contradict myself in judging people specifically by categories! Well, just trying to understand the world a little more from my POV...

How to get out of the Rat Race?

2011-11-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

Poor people are "stupid". And by poor I mean ordinary people, middle-class, lower-middle class, upper middle-class, employee, self-employed, etc. I might have made lots of enemies by this statement alone but just follow through and see whether you agree with my deductions that brought me to this conclusion.

What better time to mention this in an era of economic uncertainties. The rich are definitely getting richer at the expense of the poor. The rich are becoming more and more opportunistic while the poor are getting more and more gullible.

Why do I say that? For starters, the trend that I see nowadays are the rich buying up most of the properties in the cities which in return rent out in high price to the poor. Then they set up businesses like factory, sales & marketing offices employing millions to do their bidding at a "controlled environment". When I say "controlled environment" I mean they gave the poor a salary that is just enough to get by in our day-to-day living. As if it were not yet enough, the rich sets up lifestyles products for us to consume using our already diminishing buying powers and they concoct plans with installment payments, false hope and pretty models as if the poor needed more of these. Hello! Did we forget about the rich? While the poor are slothing away their mundane lives, the rich are lavishing themselves in a way only imaginable by most people. The rich are on top of the "food-chain" where the poor are the shrimps in Happy Feet 2 that doesn't even know they're meant for food!

I'm not a scientist. But all of you know there're 2 sides in an equation. It's the same as this equation of equillibrium among the poor and rich. But like any tough equations in math, you'll have to tackle one side 1st then only turn to the other side to solve it. So, what I wanted to say is I'm trying to solve one side of the equation and hope that this idea will bring many others to solve the other side.

Now, the equation is this. The poor is the majority but power lies with the minority. As much as we wanted to think otherwise, just look around or reflect on what I've just written. If the poor realise this, then, can't the poor make a difference on how the rich will respond to the demand of the majority?
Eg.1: What if the all poor people stayed back in their countryside hometown? What will happen to the buildings, businesses, factories in the city? Rental price will go down, salary will go up, product will be cheaper?
Eg.2: What if the poor became self-sufficient and do not buy to the ideas of the marketeers who over-promised? No monopolisation from the rich and even better quality goods?

I'm not saying I have the answer and as I am only 1 person, there is absoutely nothing that I can do to change the existing pyramid structure nor do I have answers to everything. I'm just a person who happens to think about this and thought that I share it with everybody else who are interested to know/read. Anyway I have this part of the equation but I do not have the other part of the equation which is,
How does the poor become self sufficient?
Can the poor be satisfied with what they have without succumbing to greed and envy? This is really a big big question...

How Can I Change?

2011-01-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

How much can you hold out of bad streaks in life? Some falls back to the security of their loved ones who offers support, some to the chemicals that made us euphoric and some just broke down that leads to suicidal thoughts or even action. What is exactly the factor of our whole being? Well, base on my own understanding of human psychology and from my reading of other famous motivational gurus' books, here goes.

We have our own beliefs system that supports our being. Imagine pillars. Each pillar represents a reason to our beliefs. For example, if a student thinks that he's smart, talented and well-liked, his pillars will be like this:

Pillar 1: I'm always top 10 in my school academically
Pillar 2: I was told by my parents and teachers that I'm talented
Pillar 3: Everybody likes to hang-out with me

These pillars can be anything which reinforce our being. It can be a blatant lie that the person created himself/herself or something that he/she perceived to be true but in actual fact it's not, or it can be from real life experiences.
So, what happens when tragedy befell him/her? A tragedy can be something like eg:

Tragedy 1: I'm no longer top 10 in school
Tragedy 2 : There is somebody who can sing better than me or was told by a judge in competition
Tragedy 3: I started hearing bad rumours about me from my friends's friend

These will lead to the breaking of the pillars that support our whole self being. Then our mind will naturally puts up a counter-measure to fall back to the closest pillar that makes us comfortable. It also can be an existing or a totally new pillar created during that incident of breaking. For instance using the example above:

Counter-measure 1: But I'm more mature in thinking then most
Counter-measure 2: But I'm still more talented because I know how to play musical instruments
Counter-measure 3: Nah, that guy who bad-mouth me always bad-mouthing someone else.

See, in our life our mind will be constantly creating and accumulating new pillars to replace broken ones. So, when all these counter-measure pillars are broken till the mind can no longer create new lies or accumulate experiences as a pillar, then the person's whole self-being is being challenged, and he/she will break down.

Now, why do I share this is because that's exactly how God break us, and after we're down to our lowest point and accepted the reality, then he can mould us and nuture us back to an even better person. Of course you can use this method negatively but beware because with knowledge, comes power and responsibility. (Spiderman)

Here's a person who is very good with psychology. I personally have not read Personal Power but have read his Awaken The Giant Within. So whatever I'm sharing here is from the understanding of a few other authors and my own life experiences. If you find this topic interesting, you might wanna give it a click.

It's a Wonderful World

2011-01-05T18:38:00.000-08:00

Recently I have heard more and more good things about the rich giving more to society. Is it more of a self-preservation act or genuine interest, that I don't know but nevertheless, something is being put into action.
Kudos to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Among the things that they do:

Fighting to eradicate Polio in Calcutta, India

Improving crops in Africa to feed more than 40 million people
Encourage education by increasing college completion
Access to learning via Public Library in Greece
East Africa Dairy Development Project
etc.

Seriously, a person who had all the money in the world, could possibly spend it all? Can you spend USD500million on your own throughout your life? So, to those billionaires out there, would it hurt to fork-out USD500million to help the needy just like what Bill & Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet is doing. In fact they're giving more than that and they even proselytize for it. That's admirable. But how many are heeding their call? That I don't know. To know more please visit http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx for more information. Let's hope more and more will feel the genuine need to give back to the community rather than our own selfish interest. And that includes me as well.

When I have it all

2011-01-05T01:39:00.000-08:00

Phew! Back to writing again. Was cought up between sweetness of gaming and shittiness of lousy workplace, rascals and finance. Thank God the weather has calmed down once again.. but for how long?

A thought came across my mind today, a question to be exact, what would I feel when I had it all? I heard a story about a person who said to a friend when he 1st bought his new car, "I'm so happy with myself and excited, I can't sleep for weeks!" But after a month, "It's just another car...". By the way his new car is a BMW.
Well, easy for him to say because he once had it and are still owning it. Did you ever think for a second for someone who yearned for it for years but still couldn't get that kind of car or even worse, can never fulfill his/her dream no matter how hard he/she tries? Would he/she be satisfied?

As I ponder about this issue, Solomon suddenly came across my mind. As most of us knew, Solomon, he was the most wealthy, influential, powerful, wise, respected, loved and horny king in his time. Imagine he had like more than 300 most beautiful women at his side (or is it 3000, can't remember), more gold in his kingdom that gold was as common as copper and everybody from everywhere came to seek his wisdom. But during the later stage of his life, he gave a quote in a book he wrote, "Everything is meaningless!"
Yeah right! Easy for him to say that because if given, anyone would like to be in his shoes.

What I'm trying to point out is this, yes, I know that all material things are temporary and meaningless when you're at the end of your life. Yes I also know that a relationship with God is the most important because it's the only thing that last for eternity. BUT if you live a full life like Solomon compare to a person with struggles all of his/her life, which life do you think is more meaningless?

I do not have the answer and I know most people in this world are struggling with life to just make ends meet. Yes, you can say it's a matter of expectations and necessities in life but if the Bible tells me to have faith in God for all my needs, then I will try to follow because it's the best thing to do compare to doing nothing or even worse, doing the wrong things that messed up our lives.

I need God

2010-08-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Been through another "vicious" cycle of work politics again. Petty squabbles at home again. Money not enough, inflation, job security & stability issue, demotivated, low self-esteem, depressed, angry for the unfairness, etc. Sound familiar? Welcome to the world - a world ruled by the "prince".

Have you ever wondered, when will all these struggling stop? Will there really be a time of calm or do we really need to learn to take time now and then to stop and smell the roses along the highway of mayhem? A word came to my mind, "Be still and know that I am God." That's why I need God in my life. Just awesome. Studying the Word of God is not just for show or by being religious. God's Word is totally relevant to our day-to-day life. By reading it, we accumulate the Word bank in our mind and heart, then when the time comes, it'll just popped out like what happened to me just now. Cheers!

FRIENDS

2010-06-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

There are times where I could not really understand friendship. It is a casual thing and yet sometimes it seems so complicated and delicate. I guess when it involves other human being, you would have guess that much.
Once, a smart person said, "A friend in the time of need is a friend indeed." How true!
Have you ever wondered where do all your friends go when your are nearing your waterloo? Or why do my friends suddenly show up when I'm successful? Can you be yourself when you're with friends or do you wear a mask?
Well, I guess I wouldn't know until I'm in their shoes. Probably I would react the same way or maybe I would not. Again it's a matter of circumstances, self-awareness and will.

A friend is a mother who believes in you,
A friend is a father who is strict with you,
A friend is a teacher who teaches you,
A friend is a son who loves you.

-Poem by Aditi Yadav-

I am not squeeky clean anyway

2010-06-11T02:17:00.000-07:00

After having an argy-bargy with God, just like how Jacob wrestled God, I have finally come to my senses. So what if things do not go my way? Afterall I'm not squeeky clean. Who am I if I'm full of dirt to have the rights to barter with God. Life is tough but God will make it easier and most of the times it was ourselves who make things harder. But God is a wonderful God, because He forgives and provides AFTER the consequences... ^_^"

Anyway I do have, now and then, the temptation to vent out my anger and frustrations but seriously, what good would that do? Would by being angry or negative have made the day any better?

Reminds me of a story where King David happened to see a hot chick (if not mistaken taking a shower!) from his balcony of his palace. His hormones raged and soon without realising it, he was controlled by his dick and a 1-night-stand happened. Tough luck to him because that 1-night-stand impregnate the hot chick and to make matters worse, that hot chick was a mrs. So he sent the guy wearing the "green hat" to war in the front lines and resulted in his death. Soon after, King David took that hot chick to be his concubine. The chick bore him a son but soon after the son fell sick. During that time King David realised it was his sin, so he fasted and prayed but eventually his son still died. But after his son died, King David started eating again.

Moral of the story,
1. Even great men fall
2. David is God's favourite, but still gets punished
3. Act of fasting and praying showed his repentance. Without repentance, there'll be no lesson learned.
4. After his son died, he started eating. No point crying over spilt milk. Move on for there'll always be open doors.
5. Always wear a condom ;)

Status

2010-06-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

Status is a funny thing, even the most learned man will be taken aback. Recently I've heard lots of people saying "you are who you are" and "don't let the outlook influence your perception". All these are nonsensical. If a person is perceived as poor due to certain criterias the society has set, there will be a common 2 reactions. The "positive" condescending approach and the negative "you're not worth my attention". The former is the lesser of the 2 evils but nevertheless, they are the same kind of crap. Of course there's 1 more group of people who are genuine to you, who sees you as who you are. But, let's be frank, can anybody really say that at some point of time or the other, you do not perceive people from the things, position and clothing they have? If you really are saing "you are who you are" that is important, why bother buying a condominium instead of an apartment? Why bother going to work for an MNC rather than SME? Why bother buying branded stuff when there are so many cheap stuff available? Why bother going for fine dining instead of hawker stalls? Why bother impressing your bosses rather than being yourself? Because everybody does it or at least I think everybody does it. Interviewers do it, bosses do it, even family members do it, church members do it, friends do it, your neighbours do it, people on the streets do it and criminals do it.

But I've notice something, children do not care. They see you as you are. They accept things as they are. So unless we have the innocence of a child, we are all guilty to have this "system" built-in by the very society we're involved. That's why Jesus likes children because of their innocence. There's a saying in the Bible, "We (Christians) are like lambs among the wolves in the world". If we're as innocent as children, we'll definitely be eaten up quickly by the wolves of the society. But do not fear for God will be our protector and provider IF we're as innocent as a child or should I say having a child-like faith.

Epilogue: The Unusually Usual Story

2010-06-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

The story was inspired by the lives of the people that I know including my own experiences in life. It's simpler to just create a story rather than sharing each and every person's experiences here. The reason behind it is to show that we would never know what are people's thoughts or actions. It's something that's not within our control, even how the main guy thinks in the story. It might not be intentional but it's definitely a reaction. Different people react and think differently in the cirscumstances they're in.

So my conclusion is: life is a continuous journey of learning. Some got ahead, some left behind, some run in a group, some run by themselves. some help people along the way, some just simply leave people behind, some will drag you, some will push you.
Where's the end of the journey? Some believe it's neverending cycle, some believe there's a better place at the end. We won't know until we reach there won't we?

There's an analogy, when we drive, we look at the map for our destination, we look at the windscreen to drive, and sometimes we look at the rear mirror. Which should we look at the most?
The ones who are just looking at the map wanted to get to the destination most eagerly but forgot to drive.
The ones who are just looking at the windscreen do not know where to go.
The ones who are just looking at the rear mirror would get into an accident.
The ones who are looking at all 3 would also get into an accident.

There are times to each of the actions and the proportion must be correct in order to reach the destination safely.

An unusually usual story Pt.2

2010-05-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

6 months later

At ministry’s meeting in church

“You must put more ummmph into our ministry. Because many people will be looking at us. We want to do our best for God!” said the ministry leader firmly.

(What if my best is below your expectation?) thinking by myself.

“Come on Danny, you can do better”, ministry leader encourages.

“Hey, I don’t think you’re doing your best, man”, quipped Mika.

At work the next day

“The customers complained! And it probably was the mess we had with the proposal I asked you to prepare the other day. What have you got to say about this?”, asked the manager.

I tilt my eyes slightly signaling that I do not know.

“And there’s more, I heard that you’re doing part-time… which I think you should not be involved in other work that distracts you from doing your job competently.”

“I demand you to give me a good explanation by tomorrow!” said the manager.

(I wish I’m in a time-capsule and the world will fast-forward itself) me thinking.

(It was a bad day, a really bad day.)

At home after work

“Dear heavenly Father, please teach me what to do? What can I do to change this predicament? What did I do that went wrong? Why do such things always happens to me? Please help. Thank you father in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen”, I prayed earnestly.

At work the following day

“Sir, I hereby resigned from my position as the Assistant Manager”, firmly handling the letter over.

“Ok, I think that’ll do. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours”, the manager shaking my hand without looking into my eyes.

“Hey friend, why leave so suddenly?”, asked Mika.

I just shrugged my shoulder and raised my eyebrows slightly.

(Just pack my things and leave this horrid and shameful place quickly) me thinking.

At ministry meeting in church

(Just arrive.)

“Ahh Danny. Let us pray for Danny, for he had a bad day today”, said the ministry leader.

(I’m surprised people here knows what happens so fast, or I should not even be surprised anyway seeing who is here.)

Right after the ministry meeting

“Danny, I notice that there’s something holding you back in your service. Is it because of your work pressure or is there any other things you want to share?”, asked the ministry leader.

“Yeah, anything to share?”, asked Mika ostentatiously.

I smiled and shake my head, “Nope.””But I think I’ll pullout from this ministry for the time being, there’s just something going on currently.”

“You sure you don’t want to share about it?”, asked ministry leader.

“Yup, positive.”, I said and leave another place that knows my shame. (I got an epiphany that somebody has been definitely saying something to both sides that causes me this predicament.)
________________________________________________________________

(Why do these things happen to me? Why it doesn’t happen to most people that I know? How can a fellow Christian betray my trust after I opened up myself? Do I give up easily? Why do I feel people are looking at me differently? Why do I feel different? Is it because I don’t act like them, I don’t talk like them, means that I don’t fit in? Then…

I’m an outcast and forever will be one….. ….. ….. or will I?… … …

I REFUSE TO GIVE UP! Can I look past this betrayal and hate the act but love the person? Can I change? Or should I change? What’s so different or bad about me? Only time will tell for there’s a time for everything.)

“Dear heavenly Father, I pray that you show me my path in life because in Proverbs 3:5-6 says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. Thank you Father for your word, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!”

An unusually usual story - Pt.1

2010-05-02T01:56:00.000-07:00

“I’m an outcast and forever will be one….. ….. ….. Will I?”

Few years ago

At a baptism ceremony

“Hi mom! I’m finally baptised”, I said joyfully talking on the phone.

“That’s great! At least now you are under the umbrella of a church. You can always depend on the church”, Mom sounded joyful and relieved on the other side of the phone.

1 year after baptism

At church

“I would like to serve in the church but I have this problem. Well, I came from a broken family. My dad and mom fights very often, so I’ve developed a sense of low self-esteem and insecurity….. That’s why while working, I always have part-times because I’m afraid that anytime I might have to leave my work and normally I hate to argue with people… bla bla bla”

That’s me blurting out everything about my personal life to a church member in-charge of interviewing me for a ministry in church.

At work the next day

“Danny! I told you lots of times, this documents need approval from the top management before it is faxed to the customers!”, barked the manager.

“But sir, you are the one who asked Mika to tell me to fax to the customer immediately yesterday?”, I answered.

“Oh no, I actually told you to get a signature from the top management before you faxed it. How could I forgot what I said?”, defended Mika.

“So, what do you have to say?”, asked the manager.

“Sigh~, sorry, I will call the customer and do it all over again”, I said.

(Why bother explaining to people when it obviously it’s either Mika or the manager’s fault. I am positively sure I heard correctly what Mika said to me yesterday. Sigh~) Me thinking

Lunchtime

Mika, “ So, I heard from uncle Sam that you interviewed for serving in a ministry in church?”

“How do you know?”, I asked.

“Obviously uncle Sam’s son told me, we’re buddies!”, said Mika. “I alsooo heard that you’re doing a part-time job?” “Anyway, I’ll be joining the same ministry as you.”, smiled Mika.

I nodded smiling sheepishly.

...to be continued

Self confidence

2010-04-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

We all know that self confidence is very important in doing things. The opposite of self confidence is low self-esteem.

In this post let's explore the reason for a person's self confidence. From my observation I can't help but notice people get their confidence from many things. To list a few,

working in a big MNC (Multi National Company),
positions in workplace,
good reputation among peers,
car,
house,
money/networth,
good-looking partner (sexy, beautiful, gorgeous, popular),
branded stuffs (phone, designer's wear, expensive perfumes, handbags),
recognition from bosses,
nice body (six packs, slim model-like curves)

and the list goes on..

Now, what do you see in these trend in our world nowadays? All are external and material! No wonder people go through feats to achieve such things.
What about people who has low self-esteem till the point of depression? You notice the reason is identical, only opposite.

Why not look into oneself and find that self-confidence? Remember we were all once babies. We were born with no knowledge about anything. We learned step by step for everything from eating to talking to walking. So you see, self-confidence is in us all since birth. The problem is that we rely on the external factor to give us that confidence till we forgot to look inside ourselves. How about kind-hearted, faithful, peaceful, loving, sincere, humble, honest and many more.

Easier said than done. How? I've learned some things from Tony about NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). He says that if we continue to reinforce something positive, we'll eventually believe it even if it's not true. This theory is mentioned by Napolean Hill as well. I'm sure many more motivational speakers/writers have some sort of relevant theory, all you need is just one most suitable method for yourself. Of course it can be used for the negative as well, but why would anyone want to do that?

So, my conclusion is that stop imitating or looking-up to the rich to get your self-confidence. If the rich do not care for the poor and keep getting more for themselves, why should the poor lookup to them? But if the rich who're helping and contributing to the poor, then learn those characteristics for they are more precious than diamond or gold. And this is the intrinsic value we should build our confidence upon. Hope it helps.

The world is not fair!

2010-04-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

It definitely is not fair. The world I mean. Why are certain people born rich? Why are people born poor? Why are people born healthy? Why are people born handicap?

Wait. Why am I expecting it to be fair when it is an unfair world? So now the question goes to God. Why is God so unfair? Does anybody really deserves what they are born into? By saying this I mean in both good and bad conditions.

When I seriously ponder into this matter, I realised that God is indeed fair. Why do I say so? Well for instance, people would say that I'm born healthy and not handicap. My argument is, healthy people can be handicapped by negativity and depression but some physically challenged people don't. The matter is humans only judge God's fairness by mainly one thing - wealth. Let me tell you that wealthy people are handicap too especially the spoonies (born with a silver spoon) because they never know what it's like to make ends meet which on the other hand, it has become a second nature to poor people. What if or when these spoonies fell from their father's throne? Their predicament will be much worse than of the poor. There's a saying in the Bible, "it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God for it is like a camel trying to enter a needle's eye". Now you would say it's absurd, how can a camel enter into a needle's eye? Let me enlighten you, in those days, great cities have great gates but that is not the only entrance. For there is another much smaller entrance which is meant for people to walk in and out but it's quite small. This entrance is called the needle's eye. So, for a camel to enter, it would be very difficult because imagine a camel would be carrying loads of stuff for the merchant, and they'll have to unload all the excessive baggage and probably also the saddle and squeeze the camel through the gate. So, it's not impossible for the rich to enter but it's hard. So, my conclusion is these people are handicap too. Alas, God is fair my friends. We just need to see things in God's perspective but not man's.

Sunrise

2010-04-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tired, sickening, burnout...
Have you ever felt this way? After all the toil and sweat but yet still the same old conditions, same old problems, same old smell...
Been there, done that, it seems there's nothing left to discover. The world looks bleak and greyish. The usual "kicks" are not that ummph anymore. The attraction, no longer there. The fire, slowly diminishing. Beautiful music do not touch deep anymore. Words of encouragement begins to sound like old records playing repetitvely. The body is weak and old. It feels like an old fortress still under siege by the enemy for a decade long.
Yet, life still goes on. Hanging there like a piece of garment that'll never dry under a forever cloudy sky. The shoulders are heavy with debts and burdens. The legs can no longer support the weight because they are weak and wobbly.

This is a picture of a person in depression. And I understand it very well...
I don't claim to know how to overcome it nor do I know of a definite way to go about it. Sometimes it lingers for days and sometimes even weeks but...

DENY IT! Deny the negativity that feeds it! Force a smile and clap your hands! Jump a few times and if able shout for joy at the top of your lungs. Say YES! for 10 times and picture yourself running in a marathon and just over the horizon there's a patch of green pastures and clear blue sky. Life is like a journey in a marathon. Enjoy the beautiful scenery that's around you. Smell the fresh, cool breeze and occasionally stop to smell the flowers and look at the birds and the buttterflies. Tell yourself that you're already half-way there, might as well finish the race while enjoying it. The 1st prize is not important, the experience is. Fare well.

Try reading this book, it'll let you understand yourself. There are basically 4 types of personalities in general: Sanguine, Melancholy, Choleric & Phlegmatic. But most probably the people who will want to read this book are the Melancholy. Pick it up and you'll know what I meant. ^_^

Try this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwe4oefpZ3Y&feature=related, cool ad, love it! Btw the song title is Runner by Dustin O'Halloran. Checkout my previous post for the full song.

Worship place or home?

2010-04-16T00:11:00.000-07:00

Do you feel rested, peaceful and joyful when you're in your place of worship? Which in my case in church. Or do you feel more rested, more peaceful, and more joyful when you're at home, or golfing, or whatever your favourite hang-out place is?

Why do I ask? Because if the latter applies to you, your place of refuge is not God, your joy & peace is not from God.
But if you're a free-thinker, you might ask why do I want anything from God? Well, if you are in an uncontrollable life and death situation or if you have an incurable disease, who do you go to? What about your life? Where do you get it from? Anyway this is not a place to "convince" you. But if you really "see" what I'm saying, you might want to consider changing your priorities in life.

Do not crucify me for this epiphany of mine that I'm sharing out of goodwill but not of ostentatious virtue.

Income per capita in 2009 (USD) vs number of billionaires

2010-04-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms. It is a measure of the amount of money that each person earns in that country, of the yearly income generated by the country.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a basic measure of a country's overall economic output. It is a market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country within a year. It is often positively correlated to the standard of living.

GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports - imports)

*Income per capita in 2009 (USD) vs number of billionaires

Luxembourg - 94k, nil

Norway - 76.7k, 4 billionaires
Qatar - 76k, nil
Switzerland - 66k, 11 billionaires
Denmark - 55.9k, nil
Ireland - 51.1k, 6 billionaires
Netherlands - 47k, 5 billionaires
U.A.E - 46.6k, 4 billionaires
US - 46.4k, 403 billionaires
Finland - 45.9k, nil
Austria - 45k, 4 billionaires
Sweden - 43.1k, 10 billionaires
Belgium - 43k, nil
France - 42.1k, 12 billionaires
Australia - 42k, 11 billionaires
Japan - 39.6k, 22 billionaires
Germany - 39.4k, 53 billionaires
Canada - 39.2k, 24 billionaires
Iceland - 36.9k, nil
Brunei - 36.7k, nil
UK - 35.7k, 29 billionaires
Italy - 35k, 13 billionaires
Singapore - 34.3k, 4 billionaires
Kuwait - 32.5k, 1 billionaire
Spain - 31.1k, 13 billionaires
Greece - 30.3k, 2 billionaires
Cyprus - 30.2k, nil
Israel - 29.7k, 10 billionaires
Hong Kong - 29.6k, 25 billionaires
New Zealand - 25.4k, 3 billionaires
Slovenia - 24.6k, nil
Bahrain - 24.4k, nil
Bahamas - 21.7k, nil
Portugal - 20.7k, 2 billionaires
Oman - 18.7k, nil
Malta - 18.5k, nil
Trinidad & Tobago - 17.6k, nil
South Korea - 16.5k, 11 billionaires
Slovakia - 16.3k, nil
Taiwan - 15.4k, 18 billionaires
Saudi Arabia - 14.9k, 10 billionaires
Croatia - 13.9k, nil
Antigua & Barbuda - 13.9k, nil
Estonia - 13.5k, nil
Barbados - 13k, nil
Hungary - 12.4k, nil
Venezuela - 12.4k, 2 billionaires
Poland - 11.1k, 4 billionaires
Lithuania - 10.8k, nil
Latvia - 10.7k, nil
Saint Kitts & Nevis - 10.1k, nil
Libya - 9.6k, nil
Uruguay - 9.4k, nil
Russia - 8.9k, 62 billionaires
Chile - 8.9k, 4 billionaires
Equatorial Guinea - 8.8k, nil
Lebanon - 8.5k, 4 billionaires
Turkey - 8.4k, 28 billionaires
Mexico - 8k, nil
Brazil - 7.7k, 18 billionaires
Seychelles - 7.7k, nil
Argentina - 7.5k, 1 billionaire
Romania - 7.5k, 3 billionaires
Malaysia - 7.5k, 9 billionaires
Gabon - 7.4k, nil
Mauritius - 7.1k, nil
Panama - 7.1k, nil
Kazakhstan - 6.9k, 5 billionaires
Grenada - 6.6k, nil
Costa Rica - 6.4k, nil

*Rough estimates taken from IMF and Forbes magazine

Why do I suddenly compile all these data?

Well, with all the buzz around income per capita nowadays, I just thought that this will be a useful info.
To give a general idea on what is it all about.
A comparison on the number of billionaires vs the income per capita, you could now know how much the average masses are getting minus the contribution of billionaires in that country.
Where your country is standing against your neighbours.

Correct our impressions of the countries that we previously had, eg. mine would be Kazakhstan-Borat impression. The close comparison is to Malaysia with a slight difference in income per capita and the number of billionaires. Hmm, I wonder if Kazakhstan have twin towers? Or if Malaysia have stupid people like this?

Pics: Luxembourg, Norway, Borat-Kazakhstan

Reaction in the face of faith-related persecution

2010-04-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

Persecute: to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict; specifically: to cause to suffer because of belief.

As a Christian, it's a familiar word to us because it's in the Bible. I'm not trying to say that I totally understand how those people who are persecuted because of their faith feels nor do I know what's the solution.

I think to be persecuted doesn't mean that we jump out to the front lines shouting slogans attracting attention and being shot down. To me that's meaningless sacrifice. Since everyone has got a purpose and with different designs in how they react to situations, facing persecution does not necessarily means being gung-ho. Take Paul for example, yes, he was jailed lots of times and eventually was sentenced to death but as long as he was alive, he did more significant things. The church that he planted grew and benefited from his epistles. Did anything was mentioned in the Bible when he died? So, I seriously believe that as long as we don't compromise our faith and as long as there're options or a way out, we can do more significant things rather than fighting & sacrificing unnecessarily.

Joy N Peace

2010-04-09T02:12:00.000-07:00

No wisdom is useless. It has been always through somebody's experience that the piece of advice was given, thus it became wisdom. My utmost desire in life is to have joy & peace which eventually made me search for it in the Bible. Just to share bits of it here.

Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil; but to the counsellors of peace is joy.
Proverbs 14:10 The heart knoweth its own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
Proverbs 15:21 Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom; but a man of wisdom walketh uprightly.
Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth; and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
Proverbs 17:21 He that begetteh a fool doeth it to his sorrow; and a father of a fool hath no joy.
Proverbs 21:15 It is joy to the just to do judgment; but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 23:24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

The reason why I only chose the book of Proverbs is because it is the advisory part of the Bible. To those who have read the Bible would know. Now lets go with peace.

Proverbs 3:1-2, 17 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.
Proverbs 12:20 He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour; but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's way please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Not easy to interpret, but he who understands will have something to add-on to his wisdom-file :)

This is a very nice piece that gives me a peaceful mood everytime I listen to it without fail. Try it Dustin O'Halloran's Runner.

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Factor of America's Rich

2010-04-07T00:42:00.000-07:00

Have read this book. Though the summary listed here is taken from somewhere else which I couldn't help but resonating with it. Here goes:

1. Live moderately
2. Focus on income opportunities.
3. Financial independence more important than ego.
4. Parents didn't support them financially.
5. Children are sufficient in managing themselves.
6. Efficient in targetting opportunities.
7. Enjoy their work.

1. Live moderately
See, it's resonating with what I've written so far. There's a saying, "Don't wear a hat bigger than your head, it'll cover your eyes and you won't see where you're going." What I mean is live within your means. Want to just add my favourite quote, "Money is for earning money, not for splurging." Only by living moderately, one can have additional savings. If not you're only living from paycheck to paycheck which I do not need to explain much = DANGEROUS!

2. Focus on income opportunities
Now you've got money. So what next? Find more money. And while maintaining your expenses, you'll have more savings. Don't need a rocket scientist to figure this out.

3. Financial independence more important than ego
I've also mentioned this before in my previous posting. Why do we care about what people think if we're driving a small car for example, living in a small house or eating at cheap foodstalls. Do we recognise Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Carlos when they we're poor? The world won't recognise you now, so why bother? The most important thinkg here is personal networth and well-being.

4. Parents didn't support them financially
I couldn't agree more with this statement. I always abhor people born with silver spoon. Of course there're some who're really talented & capable but to startup from scratch, these silver spoonies would never ever understand. You can say anything you like about how judgmental I am but this is still how I perceive it. Let me give you an example, Mr A is given $1M by his parent to start his own business at the age of 22 right after graduation from some prestigious university which only the rich can afford. Compare it to a poor Mr B whom his parents had no money but to send him to a college to get a diploma instead & started working for people upon graduation. The question is who, if given both have the same mindset, would make another million faster? So, to all the spoonies out there, if you're blessed, make sure you make the best out of it and contribute back to society because not everyone is as lucky as you. Don't be a snobbish bitch.

5. Children are sufficient in managing themselves
Totally agree with it as well. Because if you save up everything for your children, you'll end up spoiling them and making them into a snobbish bitch. I always believe in "teaching them how to fish instead of giving them the fish". Yes, as a parent we're to provide the fundamentals and hopefully they'll be equipped to face the world when they venture into adulthood.

6. Efficient in targetting opportunities
Now, when you already have savings, and have addtional income opportunity, what do you do with the extra cash? This is the key. Find ways to make your money work for you eg. invest or go into business. That's where the Microsofts, Berkshire Hathaways, Ikeas, etc started.

7. Enjoy their work
One final opinion, if you don't enjoy finding more money, then why bother earning money? Migrate to a forest reserve and party all day long and all night long.

Why do good people get bad things?

2010-04-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have a close friend who lost a job again for the 10th time in 8 yrs of his working life. Though he was a senior and was in management, it does not get easier for him. Seems like each time somebody or some factor forces him to leave the job. I myself who had tremendous faith in him started to think was he that bad?

I also got to knew a colleague who passed away due to cancer at a young age. It was a recurring attack and it overcame him. Was he that bad?

Come to think about it, I knew worse people who are being blessed tremendously in terms of career, health & finance. But who am I to judge?

Is God telling us something? Everyone has sins in their life. Are there more sins to atone? The explanation I get from within is that probably a person was meant to do something great, that explains the challenge in life. But isn't that what people always think of themselves, that they are more special than the rest. Sometimes I ask myself: Why do we struggle? What else have we not learned? What now? When will the fiasco end? And sometimes I'm grateful for cozy moments, reliable friends, understanding spouse, good health and the ease of burdens.

Words that I keep reminding myself:
Wait upon the Lord, He will surely lift me up again!
There's nothing that can separate me from my Abba Father!
Not one sparrow will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. -Matthew 10:29,31-

There's no conclusion to this question, the only thing is that as long as I live, I will continue to live my purpose whether I consciously know it or not.

Quotes from Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2010-04-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

First & foremost I'm no Narnia fan because I found it too kiddy compare to Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Having said that, as I go through the movie I couldn't help but to take notes of all the meaningful scripts/cliches (or whatever you want to call it). Just to share some & also my observation of the hidden meaning.

Scene 1: About having faith and taking action.
Lucy: " I knew it was you but the others didn't believe."
Aslan: "And why would that stop you from coming to me?"

Note: Most of us take action because we wanted to be acknowledged by others (peers, bosses, relatives, etc) but when people who "meant well" discouraged us, it's enough to make us pause or even give up our life goals.

Scene 2: About humility & readiness.
Aslan: "Arise kings & queens of Narnia."
Prince Caspian: "I don't think I'm ready."
Aslan: "And for that reason you are."

Note: Most people would jump to the 1st opportunity for promotion or additional responsibilities. I think this message is saying that a person who truly understand his/her own capabilities and realised his/her own shortcomings are the ones most suitable. This person also acknowledge that there're limitations to his/her talents & that the additional factor that makes the success comes from a higher power.

Scene 3: About humility.
When every mouse wants to cut off their tails just to make their leader feels better, Aslan healed their leader's tail and said,
"Not for the sake of your dignity but for the sake of your people."

Note: Most people nowadays do things for the sake of our own dignity or "face". But the fact that we have democracy system now shows that the majority is more important than the minority. I once heard a pastor said that the Prime Minister is head servant to the majority and should not be treated as a VIP. This also coincides with the message that I wrote in my earlier posts, the rich can help to make the world better. Sadly people who joins various services clubs today only want their name and face recognised but when asked to part with their money, it's a taboo.

Scene 4: About faith & trust.
When offered to go to another world, few voluntered, then Aslan said,
"Because you have spoken 1st, your future will be good."

Note: We are afraid of the unknown, but when we volunter to do something for God & others, that is faith & trust. The fact that we're afraid shows our limited wisdom and lack of faith & trust. Yes, you might argue that people are hard to trust nowadays. I agree, but to me, I can always trust in God.

Scene 5: About learning.
"Everything will have its own time."

Note: There will be a time for sowing & a time for harvesting, a time for celebration & a time of mourning, a time of prosperity & lean times. Even the seasons in the world changes with time. To me, its just that bad times seems excruciatingly longer and goods times seems shortlived.

It's a tough world out here!

2010-04-02T02:49:00.000-07:00

Tough tough tough! Sometimes I just think back & found myself in a hopeless condition. We're all brought up by our parents or guardian. And most families have more than 1 child. During those times the norm would only be 1 working parent and yet we were brought up safe and sound. But when we have started working, having family of our own, we can't seem to take care and provide abundantly to our parents. Why? The society nowadays have more and more parents abandoned in the old folks home. Who do we blame? education? Government? Our parents themselves for not planning for themselves or sacrificing most of theirs to us? 1 solution/summary I came up, is to live within our means & be content with what we have. It's good to have goals but goals have time-frames. The sad thing is that our parents might not lived to the day our goals are achieved.

Life is like a snowball

2010-04-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

"Life is like a snowball, find a wet one and a really long hill" -Warren Buffet-

My conviction is to help the needy. Thus the investment king caught my attention not too long ago especially with this catchy phrase that I like so much. Here I'm going to state clearly that I'm no self-proclaimed investment guru nor I'm nearly as successful as Warren Buffet. The thing I like in life is that you can find wisdom in almost any place or even from the least peculiar person. Maybe when I'm successful, this might become a hot topic where everybody wants a piece of the "wisdom" or I might have continued to be a nobody and this article might have gone unnoticed or even I might be a failure whereby this article will also be a hot topic because people would make a mockery out of it.

Anyway I couldn't care less and since I like this phrase so much, I just wanted to share my understanding. Let's dissect it.

"Life is like a snowball"
From this phrase, I feel like I know him a little better. His life is all about investment. Why do I say that? I get the clue from the 2nd half but let's put it at that for the moment. Let's argue a bit, if his life is about enjoying himself, he would've put something like "Carpe Diem!" or "life is short, enjoy while you can".
Now, why snowball? We have all watched cartoon that a small snowball will get larger and larger when it's rolled down a hill right? So it's a secret on how his investment can get larger.

"Find a wet one and a really long hill"
Ok, the 2nd part will explain most of my previous theories. Like I said earlier, his life is all about investing. Because he believes in long term. The "really long hill" represents the time he wants or need, not a "short life, live while you can" kind of attitude. Why a "wet one"? Because a snowball can become bigger as it rolls down a hill right? A wet one can get bigger! "A really long hill"? It can get even bigger!!

In summary, he believes in the concept of compounding and long term. So he might also believe in delayed-gratification as well because most "long term thinkers" believes in it. Prove it? Ok, logically thinking could you consistently save money to buy a bungalow in a few months time? No, because it's long term. Can you have a consistent positive investment portfolio if you're always using up the dividends or interests you get from your investments? Still not convinced? I couldn't care less either.
In addition, I've read it somewhere that he makes about 20% per annum consistently from his investments and if you compound it for 40 years, irregardless of any amount of money you start with, anybody could become rich. Don't believe me? Try it out on your excel sheet, if your startup capital is $1,000 it would be $1.2M after 40 years, if it's $10,000 it would be $12M, if it's $100,000, it would be $122M and so forth.

The moral of the story, start young, be frugal & start practising delayed-gratification.

Self-Righteousness

2010-03-31T02:23:00.000-07:00

I am a Christian. This word "self-righteousness" have a lot of meaning to me, but mainly negative. It's sad to say that hypocrisy is common amongst religious people. First and foremost I would like to describe my understanding about this "self-righteousness".

Nobody can claim himself or herself righteous except through God. It's because Jesus' sacrifice that we are once again accepted by God and that we can call Him, Abba Father. That all of our sins in the past, present and future are wiped clean before God.
We're all born sinners. Why? Have you ever been so angry at another person that you wished something bad might happen to him or her? Have you ever lust after others that you turn to pornography or paid sex? If you have wealth and power, have you ever thought of misusing it? God is holy. If it's by God's standards, even thinking about doing something bad is a sin. That's why Jesus, as God's only son came to earth to sacrifice himself before God to redeem us back to God. That's the gist of Christianity.

I believe self-righteousness is the core of evil, not money. It's because of self-righteous people who thinks they're in the right that they do what they do irregardless of whatever form of correction or advice from people around them. Eg. Suicide-bombers, Crusade war, Mass-raping in the name of God, etc.

It's because we're incapable of knowing what is right from wrong, it's because we're incapable of helping ourselves during times of trouble (eg, Cancer, accidents, financial crisis, etc), it's because people will always dissapoint us, that we need God. It's because we're weak that we need a mighty God. Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship with God. If you follow everything from the do's & don'ts, deep inside you're still hollow and susceptible to the vileness of our heart's desires. That's why even the Pope falls into sexual traps. Pious people still succumbs to greed, power, lust, envy, rage, etc. I'm not saying that I'm a "good" person, that's why I need God in my life. A person who becomes a Christian do not become good overnight but unfortunately most people believe this and started living a live of false modesty. They begin to judge others and began to feel that they are the chosen ones to correct the world. NO! It's through how we live our daily lives that influences the others, not our judgement. When we accept Jesus into our lives, transformation begins but definitely not overnight. And from our effort to have a relationship with God, slowly but surely the fruits of goodness will develop in our lives. Then our lives will become a testimony by itself. The Bible has a saying "it's better for you to judge yourself rather than to judge others". So, a note to all the self-righteous out there, examine & judge yourself thoroughly or just accept everybody else as they are. Now may the peace of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us till we meet again. Amen.