Happy 70th Birthday Mom

It just hit me, as we were planning my mom's birthday... that she is 70!

Strange... suddenly it hit me that my mom was "old".
Up to the 60s (my mom's age that is), she's always been mom... nagging, bothered abt status and bothering me abt my lack there of, throwing money at my kids... mom.

But 70 is suddenly different.
My aunt just passed away a coupla months ago, and she was 73.
Now that my mom is about to be 70... she's catapulted into a different category - the "old, may not be with you too long, let her indulge in her geriatric dilusions old".

She tries to be nice, although she does it in way that "irritates" me... like throwing money at my kids (how am i going to teach them the value of $, if they get it so easily), like asking me quite a few times- so u dun even get to fly business class ah... (when my bro flies 1st class now), like berating me in front of the relatives.

Somehow, it is always easier to put up with it, when they are old folks not your mom - u give allowance, and nod patiently.

I need to learn to be patient.
Instead of ignoring her questions (I rather just keep quiet, then answer an irritating question), I will try very hard to accomodate her.
I will learn to be grateful and thankful for her generosity (it's her way of showing her love).
I will pray for her, and offer to pray with her.

That's gonna be my birthday present... Happy Birthday Mom.

Stock Market

I have learnt that

1. Invest only with with money which you are prepared to loose
thinking about what u will make, only clouds the issue, and may lead to severe losses

2. Holding power, is the only weapon we have, in a market controlled by Big Players
as my market timing is bad - at least with holding power, u sell when it has reached your selling price, and not because you are forced to
the loss is only realized, when u sell

3. Making money
strangely enough, it is much easier to loose money, than make

4. Speculating vs Investing
there is a bit difference between speculating and investing, one based on rumors/gut feeling, the other based on fundamentals
it is easy to start off "investing", but too hard not to cross over to "speculating"

5. Which share to buy
whilst easier said then done, invest only in companies you understand, and industries you know

6. The analysts don't know it all
Whilst research reports are helpful, they are only opinions. I love how Citibank put a sell call on Cosco, with target price of $2+, only to reverse to a buy call with target price of $5+ only 1 month later

7. The market is not really rationale
I don't know why SingTel shares went up from $2 to $3.70 within a few months, even though I was an insider...

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

The Guard

Received a call oh my HP on 27 July 4.30 pm

Caller: Hello this is the guard.

ss: Guard? who?

Caller: The guard at the main gate.

ss: What main gate?

Caller: The GUARD at the MAIN GATE!

ss: Erh, which main gate? at [my office name]?

Caller: No, I am the GUARD at the MAIN GATE!!!!

ss [grit teeth]: But there's quite a few main gates in Singapore. Which main gate?

Caller [speaking to another party]: you better talk with him

Caller 2: Hello, this is tow truck here at Ardmore Park.

ss [light goes on, suddenly it makes sense now]: Hello fren, I am at (office address), you already pick up my car at 2pm, I think kah (call) salah (wrongly) leh.

Caller 2: Oh sorry....

END OF CALL

Bug Tales 2

Last Sunday (22 July)
I found out, that when the fuel gauge needle points to the left most bar, the fuel tank is really empty - unlike other cars when there's still some reserve.

Couldn't believe, my beloved bug just glided to a stop, just in front of a car illegally parked, on a main road. I stuck a note on my screen, and hiked to the nearest petrol station.
Doh! they ran out of tin cans to carry petrol.
Took a bus to the next nearest one, got my can with 5L of petrol, borrowed a funnel, and hiked back. Gosh, I never would have imagined myself running out of petrol in the middle of busy Singapore. And never would have imagined having to manually fill my tank.

Ok, petrol filled - but car won't start!
On advice of my mechanic Thomas, had to crank it numerous times.
After 10 min, it finally roared to life.

whew.

Following Friday (27 July)
Just back from lunch with ex-colleague in town.
As I was just nearing my car park, the car engine suddenly dies! Petrol again? no... there's still plenty. Fortunately, am on downhill slope, and I glide it into a car park space next block to my office.

Good grief. Got it towed back to Thomas.
Ever since my no petrol advanture, I noticed one of the lights with "G" on when I drove - but ignored it. Well, it appears that it is a warning light, that something is wrong is my "generator".
Found out generator/dynamo is kapoots, and as result battery kapoots too!
So "upgraded" the generator to an "Alternator", or whatever.

I got it back today quite happy.
Although still sore from the hole in my pocket.

Bug Tales

From eating bugs, I got myself a bug.


It's a 1973 VW beetle, 1200 cc, in all its green glory.


There's something about owning one, something I've never felt with all my previous cars, starting with a 18 yr old Mitsubishi (can't remember what, but it was bit of a bomb), a brand new maroon Suzuki Swift which my dad bought for me after graduation, Toyota Kijang in Indonesia, Hyundai Matrix when we came back to Singapore in 2003, Toyota Wish (which is the best family car in the world, and used by my wife), and now my very own bug.

It's quite an experience driving it. Like a newfound love, there's a bit of tenderness required in driving it. One must really be one with the car, have a good feel in all its mechanical glory.
There's nothing "auto" about it: stick shift manual gears; no power steering, no reverse sensors, no power windows; no car alarms; even the headlight switch is activated with a mechanical knob - but it is pure driving joy in its most basic raw form.

I actually got some metal sand paper, and scrubbed off the rust on the hub caps & WD40 everything. In my 15 years of driving, I have never ever even washed my car, let alone do any maintenance. The closest I get, is drive to the mechanic.

Now, it is probably one of the cheapest cars to get... but what a car it is.
Thanks Cami (who sold me the car) for this.

Pic of my car below

Conversation with an Aunt

Aunt: U can't believe whatever A says

Me: [uh oh, decide to ignore comment]

Aunt: She's a liar

Me: Urm... I don't think so [feeling a bit offended]

Aunt: Why? You have to .....[Starts to lecture]

Me: erh, I don't want to talk about A [it gets me nowhere, and me upset!]

Aunt: But you have to listen to both sides of the story.... She is...

Me: I don't want to talk about her! [thinking that saying nothing is better than saying something and offending even more]

Aunt: Why.

Me: Because everytime any of u sisters talk about her, we always end up arguing...

Aunt: [changes topic slowly... but quite offended, as I learn]

sigh... didn't handle that too well. Somemore it was on the way to church Evangelistic service. Wife tells me that Aunt was offended at how I "exploded" [but I thot I remained calm throughout, and pretty happy at how I avoided a "hot" topic]. and that she could easily do that to me if I wanted to talk to her about Jesus "Just don't talk to me about God and Jesus!".

sigh... as usual, my wife was right in her rebuke, just takes me a while to swallow my pride, think abt it and admit it.

Colossians 4:2-6
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

ARPC Church Camp 2007

I love church camps.

I grew up in Zion BP, attending tons of em... although they were more social then. As an adult, it's different.

With a church so large (1,000 plus folks), its normally hard to get to know people.
We normally sit the same place during the service, talk to the usual folks we hang out with. So in church camp, with us assigned to groups, through the activities & bible studies, we get to know just that few more folks. Plus meal times are another way to meet new folks.

And you know, we just aren't as rush. With lots of free time, we can just chill, relax and chat away. Nice.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this year's church camp. The speaker (David Cook), spoke short sermons, but sure hit on the spot. Very application-able. One particular take-away, is my renewed understanding of the Parable of Wise/Foolish builder.

MT 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Now, I've always taken the foolish guy, who builds his life on like material stuff, whereas the wise builder is the one who builds his life on Christian stuff.

Well, not quite. Look at verse 24 and 26 again - Both the wise and foolish builders, BOTH HEARS the words of Jesus. The key difference is that one "puts them into practice" whereas the foolish chap, hears but just boh chap/does nothing. It is whether we heed & put into practice Christ's words. Hearing must be followed by obedience.

So far so good? OK, here's another lesson from the church camp - Jesus says, we cannot serve both God and money - this we know. But how often has that become: "ideally, we cannot serve both God and money"; or "we can balance both, although God still ranks ahead of money" - we tell ourselves.

The problem is that Jesus says it is IMPOSSIBLE to serve both God & money. We hear it, but do we believe it? Does God really know what is best for us?
Love our enemies -get real.
Cannot serve both God and money- ridiculous!
Really, I know what I can do and cannot - better than God.
I really want to run my Christian life, my own way.

Uh oh - smells a tad bit like sin no? smells like the foolish builder - we know what Jesus says, but rather than simple obedience, we don't put it into practice, instead we justify it away.

So it isn't easy.
Eat from any tree, except the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil - ok.
Enter the promise land, and the land is yours (just ignore the well built army, who's bigger, better trained, and better equiped than a bunch of wondering slaves) - ok.
Love your enemy - ok.
Go and teach your wealth a lesson, and give half of your savings to God's work - ok.

It's really the best way to live - do we dare to believe and do it?
Just do it - God's way.