Sunday ... just woke up from a nap ... too tired after a whole week of non-stop 'working'. A nap is good.

Remnant : Thanks, bro. You have a good new year ahead too. God bless.

cohort-9 : Well, started the class yesterday. The list in KIV waited for 3-4 months. So, as for cohort-10, I will not be taking in any KIV or so ... till I am done with this cohort, which will only ends in April. I shall take 2-3 months break and only start cohort-10 in August, perhaps. Thanks.

tratles : On Friday night, few of us gathered to 'celebrate' CNY and talk about stocks to look for during election.

angpows : My kids' angpows will be placed into their bank a/c ... and I am opening a trading a/c for them. Will get it ready for the election play ... then, once it is over ... I shall put it back into their ASB a/c. ASB giving 7% plus interests while our EPF reported to be giving 6.15%.

For sharing : You have two cows   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_have_two_cows

SOCIALISM You have 2 cows. You give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM You have 2 cows The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.

BUREAUCRATISM You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other and then throws the milk away.

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

VENTURE CAPITALISM You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow has dropped dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike, organize a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.

A SWISS CORPORATION You have 5,000 cows. None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment and high bovine productivity. You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION You have two cows. Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none. Nobody believes you, so they bomb the crap out of you and invade your country. You still have no cows but at least you are now a Democracy.

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. Business seems pretty good. You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION You have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.

A GREEK CORPORATION You have two cows borrowed from French and German banks. You eat both of them. The banks call to collect their milk, but you cannot deliver so you call the IMF. The IMF loans you two cows. You eat both of them. The banks and the IMF call to collect their cows/milk. You are out getting a haircut.

Addition : A MALAYSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. Both stayed in condo. Haha

This is good one, taken from my facebook.
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A good read(shared by Dali) about how UMNO doing business. Great writing.

http://sakmongkol.blogspot.com/2013/02/umnos-art-of-deal-eat-your-heart-out.html

As election fever is nearing, everyone is getting more "emotional". Well, I shall skip the election fever. More importantly to share is how we should be preparing ourselves to profit from the coming election ... from the stock-market.

Koon Yew Yin : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/room-for-competent-bumiputera-companies-how-to-become-competitive-koon-yew-yin/ 

For nice reading ... non-political ....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/02/22/14-things-successful-people-do-on-weekends/2/

Here are 14 things successful people do (or should be doing) on weekends:

1. Make time for family and friends. This is especially important for those who don't spend much time with their loved ones during the week.

2. Exercise. Everyone needs to do it, and if you can't work out 4 to 5 days during the workweek, you need to be active on weekends to make up for some of that time, Vanderkam says. It's the perfect opportunity to clear you mind and create fresh ideas.

"I know an owner of a PR firm who takes walks in the park with his dog to spark ideas about how to pitch a new client, or what angle to take with the press for a story," Kurow says. Cohen suggests spin classes and outdoor cycling in the warmer months. "Both are energizing and can be organized among people with shared interests. For example, it is not uncommon for hedge fund folks and Wall Street professionals to ride together on weekends. It is a great way to establish and cultivate relationships based on membership in this elite professional community."

3. Pursue a passion. "There's a creative director of a greeting card company who went back to school to pursue an MFA because of her love of art," Kurow says. "Pursuing this passion turned into a love of poetry that she now writes on weekends." "Successful people make time for what is important or fun," Egan adds. "They make space for activities that add to their life balance."

4. Vacation. Getting away for the weekend provides a great respite from the grind of an intense week at work, Cohen says.

5. Disconnect. The most successful people avoid e-mail for a period of time, Vanderkam says. "I'm not saying the whole weekend, but even just a walk without the phone can feel liberating. I advocate taking a 'tech Sabbath.' If you don't have a specific religious obligation of no-work time, taking Saturday night to mid-day Sunday off is a nice, ecumenical time that works for many people."

6. Volunteer. "I know a commercial real estate broker who volunteers to help with cook-off events whose proceeds are donated to the Food Bank," Kurow says. "The volunteer work provides a balance to the heavy analytical work she does all week and fulfills her need to be creative - she designs the promotional material for the non-profit." Cohen says a lot of successful people participate in fundraising events. "This is a great way to network and to meet others with similar interests," he says. "The visibility also helps in branding a successful person as philanthropic."

7. Avoid chores. Every weekend has a few have-to-dos, but you want these to take the minimum amount of time possible, Vanderkam explains. Create a small window for chores and errands, and then banish them from your mind the rest of the time.

8. Plan. "Planning makes people more effective, and doing it before the week starts means you can hit Monday ready to go, and means you'll give clear directions to the people who work for you, so they will be ready to go, too," Vanderkam says. Trunk agrees. She says successful people plan their month and year because "if you get stuck on short-term lists you don't get anything big accomplished."

9. Socialize. "Humans are social creatures, and studies of people's experienced happiness through the day finds that socializing ranks right up there, not too far down below sex," Vanderkam says.

Go out with friends and family, or get involved in the local community. "It has been demonstrated that successful people find great satisfaction in giving back," Cohen says. "Board membership, for example, also offers access to other successful folks."

10. Gardening/crafts/games/sports/cooking/cultural activities. This is especially important for those cooped up in an office all week. "For the pure joy, some folks find great satisfaction in creating beautiful gardens," Cohen says. Kurow knows an attorney who uses her weekends to garden and do mosaics and tile work to satisfy her creative side. "Filling her life this way enables her to be refreshed on Monday and ready to tackle the litigation and trial prep work. Artwork for her is fulfilling in a way that feeds her soul and her need to connect with her spiritual side."

Bridge lessons and groups can also sharpen the mind and often create relationships among highly competitive smart professionals, Cohen says. "I once saw a printout of a bridge club's membership list; its members were a who's who of Wall Street." Theatre, opera and sporting events can also enrich one's spirit, he adds.

11. Network. "Networking isn't an event for a successful person, it's a lifestyle," Trunk says. Wherever they go and whatever they do, they manage to connect with new people.

12. Reflect. Egan says truly successful people make time on weekends to appreciate what they have and reflect on their happiness and accomplishments. As Rascoff said, "weekends are a great chance to reflect and be more introspective about bigger issues."

13. Meditate. Classes and private instruction offer a bespoke approach to insight and peace of mind, Cohen says. "How better to equip yourself for success in this very tough world?"

14. Recharge. We live in a competitive world, Vanderkam says. "Peak performance requires managing downtime, too-with the goal of really recharging your batteries." That's how the most successful people get so much done.

Successful people know that time is too precious to be totally leisurely about leisure, Vanderkam concludes. "You're not going to waste that time by failing to think about what you'd like to do with it, and thus losing the weekend to TV, puttering, inefficient e-mail checking, and chores. If you don't have a busy workweek, your weekend doesn't matter so much. But if you're going from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, it certainly does."

These are my today's read.

Time for nice dinner with family.

Have a nice 'chap-goh mei'.

TEH