Trying to achieve financial freedom

So you've heard - I'm a Sales person now

2014-05-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

I've never thought myself as a sales person, so even that decision came to me as a surprise. In fact, if you were to ask me a few years back, doing sales is something which I'm very sure I do not want to.

So what happen since?

I've asked myself a few questions as to why was I so adverse to sales. It turns out that I detest rejections, I am not persistent, I'm not good with words.

Going into sales turns out to be one of the best decision which I've made for myself.

I've got many objections, mainly from my family. Knowing me and my character, they didn't think I was cut out for a throat-cutting environment. I wasn't, so I went into a non throat cutting environment. They turned out to be the best bunch of colleagues which I have ever had.

My family knew I wasn't good in managing rejections. They were right - so I manage myself.

They knew I wasn't persistent and hates to nag at people. So I worked on my positive traits. Facts. I sell them the facts.

Don't get me wrong. Sales are hard hard work. Many times, even now, I've asked myself - what have I gotten myself into? Those over-time, those stress, those meeting the figures... were they even worth it? Now as I looked back the past 2 years, I've gained so much and pushed myself out of my boundaries so many times. I've learnt to be resilient, I've learnt to stay positive (still learning!) and I've learnt to manage myself. And the deal was made sweeter by the increase in my annual income.

Of course, the journey is still early and there's so much more to learn. Will I continue doing sales? Yes, for the next 2 years perhaps. Then thereafter, I'll probably move into a consultancy role which I've always been keen to do.

For you, if you believe you're not a sales person and is contemplating in moving into a sales role, ask yourself these questions:

1) What do you want to gain out of it?
2) What do you detest about sales?
3) Is point 1 strong enough to override point 2? If yes, can you manage point 2?

Bear in the mind there are no perfect job, perfect boss, perfect lover, perfect life. Even you are not perfect yourself. I believe that if this career, at this point of time, is able to give you what you want... then why not take the plunge?

(For those who are keen to know, my annual income for FY2013 has increased 50% from FY2012.)

So you've heard I've been investing

2014-05-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to invest and it's something that has been on my mind for awhile.

For all who are aware, I started investing sometime in 2012 after some pointers from my then boss and of course, alot of reading and studying. My investment portfolio grew 10x then and I've got close to $20,000 locked in shares (I've sold off Keppel Land a few days back and is waiting to buy back again when the price is right). I'm still very much trying to figure out this investment piece and I've made many silly mistakes but not significant enough to cost a big dent....until this share came about.

Qingmei is a penny share which was brought to my attention by my then boss. It was trading at $0.12 at that its height and looking at its accounting statements, it looks like an excellent share to buy...or so I thought.

I'm locked with 30,000 shares of Qingmei at $0.102 and now the share price has gone rock bottom at $0.024. I'm 75% down in capital. There were instances which I was able to cut-loss, but I didn't, thinking it would shoot up again. In another words, I was emotional. Till date, nobody knows what was the exact reason for the drastic fall in share price.

Now at $0.024, I do not see the value in selling it at all. I'm just holding it there, hoping miracles can happen in maybe 10 years down the road. I have a couple of small wins here and there which allows me to more or less break even my loss.

I am abit apprehensive in investing China shares. I think I will stick to the bluechips for now and maybe brush up my investing skills before trying my hands on the penny shares.

Lessons learn:

- Invest in what you know and know why you invest in them.
- Do not let yourself be caught in your emotions. Be very clear in what you want
- Research, research and research somemore!

So you've heard I've sold off my Tution centre

2014-05-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

For those who didn't know, I've invested in a tuition centre sometime early 2012. It was previously owned by two friends and I was working for them as a part-time admin in 2011. A year later, one of the share holders decided she could not continue with it any longer due to commitments and decided she wanted out. They approached me with this opportunity and was willing to sell off her share at a 50% discount.

A few points to make about this business:

1) At that point of time (2 years into the business), there wasn't any profit. In fact, sometimes the good months (examination period) are not able to cover the bad months (school holidays).

2) We are all noobs in running a business, in the industry, in the market.

3) Low profit margin, high competition (which bring us back to the above point)

In a nut shell, this business was doom. So, why did I agree to take over?

1) 50% discount in business - I wasn't expecting to turn this business around and make it profitable. I was looking for capital appreciation when we sell off the business.

2) A good platform to learn about managing a business

3) Opportunities do not always knock on your door - I believe I will always be thinking about this if I didn't embark on it.

4) A trustworthy business partner

Did I regret? Of course not - I've made a profit of 30% afterall. However, I will consider very carefully before embarking in something like that again. It was hard work, tough work and I was very glad to have the support of my business partner in this journey. He had been one of the best.

Other than the several points which I've pointed out which made this business opportunity unattractive, this business has a very high overhead cost which we find ourselves struggling to cover that cost on a monthly basis. Our landlord wasn't the nicest person to deal with either. We were constantly fighting with the cheaper centres out there and parents were attracted to cheaper alternatives which we were unable to provide. In another words, we were unable to differentiate ourselves with our competitors. What more could we offer...?

We couldn't.

I was expecting a profit of at least 60%. I was lucky to get 30%. My business partner wasn't as lucky as me. Close to 50% of his capital was wiped out.

Owning a business is a two-edged sword.

I'll not jump into other opportunities unless I'm very sure of it. The next business which I'll invest must fulfil the below points:

- Low overhead cost
- Good profit margin - no more price war
- Keen interest in this industry / business
- A good trusted partner
- A business which is able to distinguish itself from its competitor

It has been 2 years

2014-05-16T22:19:00.003-07:00

Hi all,

It has been 2 years since and now as I revisit, I cringed and laughed as I read through my past posts.
It's amusing how random your thoughts were when you were younger.

Despite disappearing for 2 years, I'm still working hard to achieve financial freedom.

The last I've mentioned I've wanted to obtain a property license? Still in progress. Even with the new rulings and the downturn of the market, I still believe the property market is a goldmine and it is another good stream of income to explore.

Sold off my Tuition Centre early last year and gained a profit of 30% from my capital. It has been a great ride and great experience trying to manage and be my own boss. There are a few good learning points which I'll go into details on a separate article.

I have $20,000 locked in shares but I've sold off Keppel Land recently which reduced the amount to $10,500. Another $10,000 in unit trust. More of that on a separate article.

Lastly and most importantly (as majority of my income comes from here) - I've switched to a sales jobs 2 years ago and it has been one of the best decision in my life. No doubt it's tough and hardwork, but I've learnt so much (and earn much more). I'll probably write another article on this as well so that this shall shed some insights to my thought process to those who are contemplating entering sales.

Last 2 years I have been quite 'relax' on my spendings and I've visited many amazing places (Germany, Australia, Taiwan etc). My daily spendings have increased about 10-20% but standard of living has increased as well. If there's one thing which I can change, I will definitely not sign up the damn gym membership!

How time flies...

2012-04-05T08:03:00.003-07:00

It has been a long time.

How time flies huh. Almost a year since I've started this blog.
For those who are still around, a little update of what happened over the part year.

1) I've started a tuition centre. It kinda came to me while I was part-timing at the tuition centre. Took over the shares of one of the co-owner. Frankly, business is picking up and still alot of hard work has to be invested.

2) Started with shares, but not much. About $2000.

My next aim is to get a property. But it's gonna be tough because of the serious lack of income.

I'm seriously considering going into sales.

Considering...

Anyway, I'm gonna read Intelligent Investor soon. Heard it's a good book. Share with you guys when I'm done with it.

Stay around plssss.

I'm back.....to fight

2011-08-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

I am so short of time I can eat the minute-hand of the clock.
And ironically, the only freetime I have is during work ;D
(hey, I'm not slacking……I'm just efficient!)

Essay due soon.
Exams around the corner.
So many gatherings to go for.

Many times, I wish time will stop (ON WEEKENDS THAT'S IT!!)

For those who are interested, my progress to financial freedom is like the story of Harry Potter.
I will need to fight Lord Voldermort and I may or may not survive the battle (But ultimately, I will survive!)
Lord V comes in the form of social gathering, useless (but awfully pretty) accessaries etc.
Unfortunately, I have no Ron or Hermione to help me with the battle.
As a matter of fact, I'm more or less on my own (together with my scar of course)

My PT sales rep job is unsuccessful.
My PT property agent sidekick is not booming.
I am still noob about investment.
I'm fighting a losing battle. ):

HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP~

On the brighter side, I just attended this talk on Passion Unleashed, organized by my company.
It's quite reflective and inspiring that it reignited my dream(s) again.
How many atimes, we are our worst enemy? We are the ones that put ourselves down.
Tell ourselves that we do not deserve it and it's better to bury all our dreams with our ancestors.
Today, I've dugged out all of my dreams again.
The one and very strong take-home point from this talk is this:
Make your ordinary life, extraordinary. Don’t just create extraordinary moments in your life.
But rather, transform your life into your passion.

Love to sing? Sure.
Wanna retire early? Go ahead.

The key point is, what is the underlying values that drives your dream?
For my case, I want to travel the world.
And the values? Freedom. I want to have freedom to do what I want.

So why are you not doing now?
Because I'm tied down to my work.

Solution?
To quit your job?

Nope, but rather, how can you incorporate your passion in your work.
Love freedom? HELL YEAH!

So...
What if you do not have to report to work if you do not want to?
What if you can report to work whatever you want?
What if, you do not have to report to anybody?

If you can't incorporate that in your job, time to look for a job that helps you create that.

For myself,
Maybe, I should just be a freelance... something.

More income please

2011-07-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy!

First of all, FYI, I'm trying to take on more weekends, part-time jobs to increase my income.
This weekend part-time job have to be flexible and not that taxing.
And i'm quite lucky to have found 2 weekend slack part-time jobs which can supplement my current income! :D and the pay is pretty good as well! Heh

But still, it's labour = money.
Praying for the day to achieve slack=money.

FYI, exams around the corner again.
1 more year to freedom. zzz

Total Noob about Passive Income

2011-06-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

You know, I've been focusing alot on mindset of a Millionaire simply because I have no idea how to proceed from there.

I have no idea how to earn passive income (other than having dividens and rental).

Realized I've been working alot on earned income (Btw, i've taken up another job to supply me with more money to hit my target of $50k) and my only source of passive income comes from my CIMB bank with gives me pathetic 0.8% of interest.

Passive....passive income, how can I achieve you? ):

The empty seat in church

2011-06-19T05:24:00.001-07:00

Church was sure crowded today.
As the people pour in, I noticed two empty red seats at the side of the church. They were isolated. Because it was at the side, many have to walk through the benches to reach them.

I stared at it and made my move to the first seat, thinking that it will be minutes before the next person occupy the second seat. (Who wants to stand when they can sit...right?)

But the seat remained empty throughout the mass.

The seat seems to present 'Opportunity'.
How many of us grab on to opportunities when presented?

50% of the people at church probably did not see this 'opportunity'.
25% saw it but is not interested (would prefer to stay where they are)
24% saw it, comtemplate, but did not make the move (due to fear of being judge?)
1% grab on to it

What about you? Which part of the statistic do you belong to?

Are you afraid of failing?

2011-06-18T03:56:00.001-07:00

Something to ponder about...

What would you do if you are not afraid?

I've been reading many financial freedom book and many book touched on mindset. However, I felt that 'Who moved my cheese?' focus alot more on the mindset of 'fear'.

The fear of change
the fear to explore
the fear to fail
the fear of the unknown

I've been trying to embrace the thought of 'failing'. To be frank, i've never really failed before (except for exams (: ) Therefore, embracing failure is fearful to me.

How can I overcome my fear of failing?!
By laughing at myself.

According to Who moved my cheese, when you learn to laugh at yourself when you fall, you have embraced failure.

Everyday, theres something new to learn.

Reviews on FF Books

2011-06-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Pardon for my lack of post!
I've keen catching up on books which teaches how to achieve financial freedom.

Anyways, I shall do a short comments on the few books which I've been digesting the past few days.

1) Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill

One of the first book which teaches how to achieve (basically anything) through the various steps described in the book. This book is pretty good although I would say it's quite exhausting to read it. Why? Simply because it's not as 'easy' to read as compared to the rest. As this book is over 100 years old, the writing is pretty different from the 20th century. Thus at some point it can be draining and turn off.

HOWEVER, any other FF books reference Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich book which made this book the Father of all other FF book. Many of the authors who had achieved FF learn from this BOOK! What's better to learn than from the Master of FF?

This book not only teaches how to achieve FF but also how to achieve any goals. Basically, it focuses alot on your mindset and sub-conscious mind. The art of 'psychoing' yourself in achieving greater heights.

2) Rich Dad: Retire young, Retire Rich - Robert Kiyosaki

My friend bought this book for me as a gift exchange. I would say, this book empower me to achieve FF. I finished this book in 1 week's time because it's so captivating to me. It first introduced me to the concept of opening your context. Your mind is the limit! (You noticed how these books focus so much on mindset?) It also shows (some) steps to achieve FF by investing, business etc. But I would say the concept is quite vague. For example, he will mention stuff like you will need to invest in Real Estate but does not really give instructions on how to achieve it.

However, I feel that everybody is different and perhaps one step which may work for one may not work for another. It gives a good overview and it's easy to read.

3) The secrets of the self-made millionaire - Adam Khoo

I first read Adam Khoo's book on Secrets of the Multi-dollar business and was hooked on it. It was inspiring, easy to read (i finished it in 3 days) and it gives very practical steps which i can visualise myself using it. I was so inspired that I went for his free Wealth Academy talk (which gives pretty useful stuff but they will psycho you to sign up for their investment workshop).

The secrets of the self-made millionaire is as good as his previous books. I'm half way through the book but it did not disappoint so far. Granted, some of the methods mentioned need some good imagination to achieve (for example, publishing books to get royalties etc) but it does teaches some easy steps as well (online shop).

Overall, it good, practical, spoon-feeding book (Hey, we Singaporeans like that!)

4) How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not? - Robert Shemin

Another easy to read book. I realized it's pretty much similar to Robert Kiyosaki book just that this book focus alittle more on spiritual and its relationship to wealth. Also, Robert Shermin also touches on why does some school dropout, which he called them Rich Idiots, are...well, rich while some scholars, which he called them RUBS, are standing beside Orpah for example. He focuses alot on the different mindset between the two (one being save and do not take risk while the another is not afraid to try) and the difference it made towards shaping an individual.

I can pretty much relate the information in this book to Singapore's context. (See my post on 'What use is a degree'). Singapore's education system teaches us how to be academically smart but not $ smart.

Overall, these self-help books can only help to a certain extent. These information, knowledge will just be another passing equation if we failed to apply it in our real life context.

Knowledge will just be words without application.

With all these knowledge available (we can borrow all these book in our library), do we born to be poor or chose to be poor?

How to Create a Millionaires Mindset

2011-06-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

How to create a Millionaire Mindset

How much do you need to save for retirement?

2011-06-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

A good read at http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/04/12/retirement-savings-how-much-do-you-need/

Shall calculate how much will i need for retirement!

This post contains an excerpt from Chapter 13 of Your Money: The Missing Manual, my new book from O’Reilly Media. It’s also a part of National Financial Literacy Month.

For the past several months, GRS has been running a new poll in the sidebar every two weeks. Mostly, these are curiosities to me. But the poll that just concluded produced an interesting tidbit of information.

The most recent poll — which ran simultaneously at Money Rates — simply asked: If you were 65 and retiring today, how much do you think you would need? For most polls, the responses at GRS and the responses at Money Rates are very similar. Not this one. Take a look at the final tabulation:

GRS

MR

Total

under $500k

8%

10%

9%

$500k – $999k

22%

36%

24%

$1mil – $2mil

42%

36%

41%

over $2mil

27%

18%

26%

According to this (very unscientific) poll, the youngish people who hang around this site are much more pessimistic about the future than the older folks who hang around Money Rates. Only 30% of you think that, if you were 65, you could retire today with less than a million dollars; 69% think you’d need more than that. But 46% of the older crowd at Money Rates thinks that less than a million would be enough.

So, who’s right? Could a 65-year-old retire today with less than a million bucks? Or would she need much, much more?

Figuring out how much to save
Because you can’t see the future, there’s no way to know exactly how much you’ll need to save for retirement. All you can do is make your best guess, taking these variables into account:
•When will you retire?
•How long will you live? (You can get an estimate at Living to 100.)
•How much will you spend?
•What will your health be like?
•How much will you save and how aggressively will you invest?
•What will the inflation rate be between now and the time you retire?

Because there’s so much uncertainty, financial planners use Monte Carlo simulations, which analyze tons of historical data to estimate, based on your current savings and planned retirement date, how likely you are to run out of money in retirement. The results can help you plan how much money to save.

Monte Carlo simulations are great but complicated; you’ll probably need to consult a financial planner if you want one run for you. But you can get started by making some rough estimates by hand — and with the help of web-based retirement calculators.

Tip: Delaying retirement can only help your financial situation. The longer you work, contribute to your retirement savings, and go without tapping Social Security and retirement accounts, the more money you’ll have later.

The Traditional Method
Most retirement calculators — both on the Web and from financial planners — estimate how much you’ll need by using your income as a starting point. They’ll suggest you need 70% (or 80% or 100%) of your pre-retirement income to maintain your lifestyle. But does basing this estimate on your pre-retirement income really make sense?
•Say you make $50,000 a year but spend $60,000. In that case, your income understates your lifestyle by $10,000 a year. If you based your retirement needs on your income, they wouldn’t come close to supporting your lifestyle.

•On the other hand, if you make $50,000 a year but only spend $25,000, basing your retirement needs on your income would lead you to save much more than you need.

As you can see, estimating how much you’ll need in retirement by looking at your current income doesn’t make much sense. It’s one of those rules of thumb — like “buy as much house as you can afford” — that can actually do more harm than good. There’s a real danger that by following this advice, you won’t have enough saved for retirement. But just as bad, there’s a chance you’ll have saved too much, meaning you missed out on using money to enjoy life when you were younger.

Instead of estimating your retirement needs based on your income, it makes more sense to base them on spending. Your spending reflects your lifestyle; your income doesn’t.

Tip: You can get a quick estimate of the Social Security benefits you’ll receive — if that program is still around when you retire — using this Quick Calculator. For a much more accurate estimate of your future benefits, check the Social Security Statement you receive in the mail every year.

A Better Way
If you’re going to base your savings goals on how much you’ll spend in retirement, you’ve got to have a way to gauge your future spending. Will your expenses increase or decrease? That depends in large part on your health and your plans. If you get sick or travel a lot in retirement, for example, your expenses may go up. In general, though, your expenses will likely stay about the same. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2009 Retirement Confidence Survey:
•49% of retirees spend less in retirement than before (26% spend much less)
•35% spend about the same as before retirement
•14% spend more in retirement (though 7% say their expenses are only “a little higher”)

Overall, 65% of Americans spend about the same or only slightly more or less in retirement. That means their pre-retirement expenses are a good predictor of their post-retirement expenses.

Note: You can download the full EBRI report for free. It’s filled with tons of data about Americans’ attitudes toward retirement — and the realities of being retired.

Expenses often drop in retirement because your kids are out of the house; your mortgage is gone—or nearly so (one of the surest steps toward retirement security is to pay off your mortgage); you have no commuting costs or other work-related expenses; and, ironically enough, you no longer have to save for retirement. Sure, you’ll have other expenses — especially health care — but if you’ve been smart and planned ahead, you should be in good shape.

Make no mistake: You will need a sizable nest egg for retirement — especially if you have ambitions to travel or want to golf every day. In fact, you should save as much as you can. But don’t be snookered by the constant refrain that you need 70% of your pre-retirement income. That’s nonsense—base your savings goals on your projected expenses instead.

The moral here? Don’t panic — you can save enough for retirement. In Retire Well on Less Than You Think, Fred Brock writes:

Most people can retire from wage slavery sooner than they think if they are willing to pay a relatively painless price for their freedom: a simpler, downsized life and, perhaps, a move to a less expensive part of the country — and it doesn’t have to be remote or far away.

The key is to live within your means now, which lets you boost your cash flow so you can accumulate savings for later in life.

Retirement Calculators
Enough theory! You’re probably ready for some hard numbers. In that case, you can get a quick estimate of how much you’ll need to save by heading online. There are hundreds of retirement calculators scattered across the Web, and each one is a little different. Because this is all a guessing game, no one calculator is necessarily better than any other, but here are a few I’ve found especially insightful:
•T. Rowe Price has an excellent calculator that bases its results on your spending needs.

•The Motley Fool has two useful calculators, one that estimates your retirement expenses and one that lets you see if you’re saving enough.

•Bankrate’s retirement calculator bases its results solely on your savings. (MoneyChimp.com has a similar — but simpler — calculator.)

•Choose to Save provides a ballpark estimate tool that you can use online or off. It’s the best of the calculators that use income instead of expenses.

For a great combination of simplicity and complexity, check out FireCalc.com. This site may seem overwhelming at first (there’s a lot of text to read), but it’s actually fairly elegant. What it does is give you an idea of just how safe or risky your retirement plan is based on how it would have withstood every market condition we’ve ever faced since 1871. All you do is enter how much you’ve saved, how much you think you’ll spend every year, and how many years you expect to live in retirement. Then FireCalc spits out a percentage telling you how likely your retirement plan is to succeed: 0% means that it never would have worked in the past, and 100% means it always would have succeeded.

Note: In How to Retire Early and Live Well, Gillette Edmunds shares his formula for calculating retirement needs based on current expenses. His formula takes taxes, inflation, and investment returns into account. It’s too math-y for our purposes, but if you’d like to calculate things by hand, track down a copy at your local library or used book store.

Looking at the results from just one calculator isn’t very useful, but if you compare the numbers and recommendations from several, you can get a pretty good idea of how much you’ll need to save for the retirement you want. If your results are anything like mine, you may feel a little overwhelmed. In that case, make a commitment to start saving for retirement today.

Tip: Analyzenow.com has lots of great info about sensible retirement planning. The site doesn’t include a calculator, but it offers plenty of free downloadable, spreadsheet templates so you can run your own numbers, as well as tons of articles about retirement planning.

What use is a degree?

2011-05-23T04:06:00.000-07:00

Today I ought to feel like a Queen because I'm officially starting my first day of break from 2 years of work.
But as we all know, life aren't always so kind to us.

I'm here rushing my school's report (dued tonight) and at the same time, I'll have to revise for my exams on Thursday.

In the mid of rushing for my school work, a thought popped into my mind.

Why the rush?

Good grades do not bring you wealth.
Neither will a degree.
Neither will submitting your paper on time and burning your fantastic day in return.

All of us were brought up drilled with this equation:

Good grades = Good school = Good qualification = Good employment = Wealth

How misleading.

Let me rewrite the equation:

Good grades = Good school = Good qualification = Good employment = Slave for work

And for those of you who think that you are earning $N,0000/month and getting N no. of bonuses and felt generally wealthy, think again.

What is wealth, exactly?

Adam Khoo's definition of wealth is the ability to generate income WITHOUT WORKING. In another word, passive income.

To exchange time for money is being a slave for work.

In addition to being a slave for work, the higher your income, the more tax you will have to contribute to the government. (Thank you in advance for contributing to my lift upgrading.)

SO WHAT'S THE POINT OF GETTING A HIGHLY PAID EARNED INCOME?

No point.

But you may ask, "Noob, can we avoiding getting tax while bringing in income?"

YES WE CAN.

By, firstly, convert your earned income to passive income.
Secondly, invest.
Thirdly, be your own boss.

As to how to achieve the above 3....

I'm still exploring. (HAHA SORRY FOR THE ANTI-CLIMAX)

Till I figure that out, I'll still need to *gap* open my books and mugged until Thursday. *sigh*

Clinical trials

2011-05-20T22:57:00.001-07:00

I was suppose to be in a Clinical Trial for this period. But I guess I wasn't 'good' enough among the rest of the participants. Have to wave goodbye to $2000. ):

Many people asked me, "Aren't clinical trials dangerous?"
Honestly, it is (which is why I am quite reluctant to share the link.), especially for females.
But again, all protections are made to ensure maximum safety (Like full check-up prior to discharge etc.)

A couple more factors which make clinical trial 'less dangerous' and attractive:

1) the dosage which we consumed are low
2) Usually only one dose in a study period
3) Check-up before discharge
4) Able to withdraw for study at anytime
5) Food provided
6) Slack and receive money
7) Make friends
8) Quick money for students

Disadvantages of clinical trials

1) You do not know if you are participating in the study until the day of check-in (so you can take leave and not get selected for the study)
2) Needles poking
3) They will be taking your blood periodically (bad news for ladies whose veins are usually very thin and small. My friend got bruising after trying to locate the vein for 7 times)
4) Same food throughout the study
5) Nasty side effects (Although it depends on individuals and may wear off in a couple of days)
6) Although slim, there may be a long-term effect.

6 disadvantages VS 8 advantages.
Which is why i'm still going for clinical trials. (:
Especially when the money is really very attractive.

Like for this study, we are compensated $2000 for 5days 4 nights of slacking (which I was kicked out ): )
Free food (4 meals) and accommodation as well.
Free rental of books and VCD
Free pool and xbox, psp etc.
Free HBO and other channels

Of course, it depends on individual's comfort level.
And i agree that health is definitely more important than wealth.
I guess i have not experience nasty side effects to push me away from Clinical trials yet.

My next clinical trial - June (:

Building castle in the air?

2011-05-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

I'm somebody who, according to my Mom, likes to build castle in the air.
In another words, daydream.
Since young, I've been telling my Mom that I wanna earn this much by this age and her replies are always "Don't build castle in the air."

Was it wrong to dream big?
Was it wrong to daydream about being big?

Well, in my opinion, it depends.
Dreams will only remain as dreams if there is no follow up action to that. A passing thought.
But if you really believe in it and work towards it, you will be surprise (Believe me!) how much your future will go according to your dream.

Rich Dad Poor Dad said, "Expand your reality".
In other words, dare to dream.
Dare to think of the impossibilities and believe in it.

A good example for me.
I was earning $1900 in March 2011 with 3 years working experience.
I told my Mom I want to earn $2500 for my next job.
Mom said "Please, don't build castle in the air."
My sister said "$2100 is good enough."
Recruitexpress said "That's too big a jump. $2200 seems reasonable."

For awhile, I started doubting myself,
"Maybe, $2500 is really too much a jump."
"Maybe $2300 is ok?

I quited my job without a job. So as time past, I was contemplating on accepting a $2100 job.
But I pressed on - $2500.

My breakthrough came when I was offered a $2500 job, but without AWS and performance bonus.
I've decided to accept it.

Along my course of work, I was offered another job at $2500 (with chance of increment after 3 months probation) with AWS and performance bonus.

And it was then I told my Mom again, "I’m hoping to get another job of more than $3000."
My Mom said, "Don’t build castle in the air."

And a few days later, I've received a call from my previous company offering me $3200 with AWS and performance bonus.

From $1900 - $3200 in 2 months.
Was I building castle in the air or was I challenging my (and others) beliefs?
Was it pure luck and coincidence or was I "looking" out/attracting the right opportunity?
I believe, it's a mixture of a couple of factors.
But the most important factor that helped me with the leap is my beliefs.

Now, I believe in building castles in the air.
Because building castles in the air allow me to dream big.
And don’t be surprise when things started resembling your dream.

PS: Did you have a similar experience? Share!