Revelation

I AM enlightened upon the subject of accumulating wealth

I lack the necessary resolve needed to trigger the success mechanism in me.

I thought I knew a lot about money.

I thought doing business was easy

I thought managing people is simple

I thought I am smarter than many financial advisers

Deep down inside me, I hold the believe that all these thoughts are true.

I kept thinking that I know how to do something simply by reading a book and understanding its concepts.

It is naivety to a mockery level.

I'm sure that is what those books that I read wishes to make me feel about myself. The ability to do all those stuff needed to achieve success.

I've come to accept the fact about those stuff that I thought I could do are really who I want to become instead of who I am now.

I'm all talks. So far, I take small actions that led me to think that I'm moving closer to success.

But, I'm not taking the right actions. What I posted on this blog, those big words of wisdom, are self justifications that I wish others will view me as, the person I wish to be.

Everyone has 2 reason for doing anything. One is the real reason and the other reason is self justified.

The real reason for me to blog, is to impress you as a reader that I'm going to become very successful one day and I want you to believe it.

I posted the justified reason in my very first post.

The real reason is not glorifying. It is the dark nature in me. Who doesn't want recognition? Who doesn't like to think that they can be very successful?

Over the course of time in which I spent to blog and upgrade, it dawned on me that material wealth is as I justified, not real wealth.

Even though I have yet to taste being rich, I fear being rich with only material wealth already.

It really isn't about the correct steps one need to take to earn the millions of dollars.

There are many ways to do it and I'm sure anyone can get it done.

Being rich has become a totally new thing to me now.

Having lots of money and owning lots of stuff no longer remains as the top priority of my life.

It is not about seeking ways to attain wealth, it is about becoming the person who attracts wealth.

I realise that if I pursue the new definition of being rich, material wealth will come as a bonus reward and not the bounty.

I will attain true wealth and call myself truly rich.

It is all about me as a person.

Wife And Daughter-In-Law

I HAD a chat with my mother some time ago regarding my future wife and her future daughter-in-law. She has this concern. She is afraid that her sons (I have a brother) will abandon her under the influence of our wifes. Probably the result of too much TV drama.

But her concerns are not unbased. Not only in TV drama series you can see wife spouting poisonous word to their husband, coerce him to disobey his parents or even disown them. In real life, especially in this era and generation, where almost everybody grew up with at least a silver-plated spoon if not pure silver, this sight is common.

We in Singapore are too comfortable, living life luxuriously. Our standards of living cannot be kept up constantly. The jobs that we possess now, even though they pay much better and have much more benefits than before, will never be enough for the spoilt breeds of this generation. Most wifes, though not as malicious as those portrayed in the TV series, is the invisible multiplier for the unrealistic living expectation of families nowadays.

Wanting more for oneself is from a perspective, not incorrect. But the magnitude of the want comes as a very important factor.

Looking at my sister and the way she lives her life. I'll label her as high upkeep. Yes, she spends money to make herself more "marketable", more attractive, but this level of spending at her age is appallingly horrendous.

I'll not deny the fact that I look at girls whenever I'm out traveling. Eye catching girls are everywhere. You can identify them by the flashy clothes they wear and the make up they apply. However subtly done, you can feel the amount of money each month their parents have to supply to barely maintain them, even if they do have a job.

Funny enough, my sister commented that I'll not find a girlfriend because I'm too stingy.

We are both judging each other from our mark of standard. To my sister, in order to be the perfect guy that can find a girlfriend, I need to lavish on fashion wear and spend my money on every latest gadgets in town. Be hip.

APPALING FACT

Unless something happens that changes the way my sister views money, she will end up like the mini versions of those poisonous wife that you see on drama everyday. In order to keep up with her spendings, she'll lead her husband into neglecting the support of his parents and ultimately ignore them. Unintentionally. It is a second nature. Because it is justified, it will not be guilt ridden.

But in my opinion, only guys who are rich and affluent will be attracted to girls like her. And guys from those family usually have parents that can support themselves or even their adult children's family.

The sad fact could also be that the husband she finds would not be very accomplishing. Living off inheritances that will be used up faster than anticipated. Birds of a feathers flock together.

WIVES OF OLD

In the past, wives play a very dormant role in the family, they are background characters who serves the husband and bears children. As society progress and women received more education, they start to manage man's wealth. Some do such a magnificent job at it that their husband's success is attributed to them.

Those were the good wives. They sincerely cared for their own family as well as her husband's family or even to extended families of their sister-in-laws. My mother is one such good example.

It not self-boasting. How many of you can claim that your aunts(husband's sisters, brother-in-laws' wife) and grand aunts(father-in-law's sisters) come to your mother to relieve their personal hardship and secrets that they do not want others in the family to know about?

I believe that it is something my mother is proud of. She is trusted by so many from not only her own side of the family but also on her husband's side.

It is my deepest believe that if my mother had decent education and that she is fluent in English, my father's business would still be around till today and my family would be very rich. Even though it is not the case, I still think that she is a good mother and wife.

There's a saying that a man will take upon a wife that resembles his mother.

Not only similar in looks but habits and character as well.

It is not hard once you have a template in mind.

MEETING THE IN-LAWS

During my first relationship, I did not meet my girlfriend's parents officially. Though I bump into them while we were dating. To say the truth, I dreaded the idea of meeting her family at that time.

Probably because we were sort of like underground-dating as we were still schooling. I did brought her home a few times and my mother saw her before. One minor complication occured. My mother was very particular about manners. When you visit someone's home, you need to address those that are there. When my girlfriend visited once, even though she did address her while she was in the kitchen, I suspect my mother didn't catch her soft tone of voice. She feed back to me after my girlfriend was gone about the manners issue, I clarified with her but she still seemed unpleased.

It is so even with my uncle's girlfriend. I had this uncle, his girlfriend belongs to the quiet category, so its normal that she doesn't address strangers from the family. I over heard my mother gossiping with another aunt about her, saying that it is inappropriate for such passive rudeness of not addressing elders.

That is probably because my mother is judging others using herself as the standard.

What worries me most is what my future would-be in-laws will think about me when my future girlfriend saw fit to bring me home to be introduced to her family. This insecurity could possibly arise from my unstable path of life that I want to walk. Though having an entrepreneur spirit is greatly praised upon by others, every body know the risk and therefore would be unwilling to hand their daughters to them.

Anyway, it is just my unbased worry. Until the day I become successful, I could be ranked as the no.1 most eligible bachelor of my age. =D

PROSPECTS

So far, I have no one whom I would consider wooing. Probably due to the unsevered affection for my first girlfriend.

Unless something big happens that removes all the memory of her from me, she will always become the milestone for any girl I would consider wooing. Though I have another set of standards now, it is still hard to not linger around the memories of an unforgetable first love.

Lol. I still have 6 years to find and woo the perfect girl.

Human

HUMAN beings, also known as Homo sapiens are bipedal primates in the family Hominidae.

Humans have a highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection and problem solving. This mental capability, combined with an erect body carriage that frees the forelimbs for manipulating objects, has allowed humans to make far greater use of tools than any other species.

Humans are distributed worldwide, large populations infesting every continent on Earth except Antarctica. The human population on Earth is greater than 6.7 billion, as of July, 2008. There is only one extant subspecies, Homo sapiens sapiens. As of 2008, humans are listed as a species of least concern for extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. LOL

Like most higher primates, humans are social by nature.

Humans are particularly adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, exchanging of ideas, and organization.

Humans create complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families to nations. Social interactions between humans have established an extremely wide variety of traditions, rituals, ethics, values, social norms, and laws, which together form the basis of human society.

Humans have a marked appreciation for beauty and aesthetics, which, combined with the desire for self-expression, has led to cultural innovations such as art, writing, literature and music.

Humans are notable for their desire to understand and influence the world around them, seeking to explain and manipulate natural phenomena through philosophy, art, science, mythology and religion. This natural curiosity has led to the development of advanced tools and skills; humans are the only species known to build fires, cook their food, clothe themselves; they also manipulate and develop numerous other technologies.

Humans pass down their skills and knowledge to the next generations through education.



Taken from wikipedia




Humans have a highly developed brain, capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection and problem solving. Know that as long as you call yourself human, you possess the right to claim the above description. Abstract reasoning, language, introspection and problem solving.

IMO, abstract reasoning really means self-justification. We as human naturally feel that we are always right unless facts that proves otherwise slams into our face. It is this reasoning ability that makes us not see truth sometimes. It is a double-edged sword. We have the ability to think out of the box and come up with a solution to our problems as easily as we can think that the problem isn't there at all.

So, the next time you encounter a problem, think of it this way, you are standing at a mid point between finding a solution; and walking away, thinking that there's no problem. Either way requires your abstract reasoning, though both ways differs in treatment and thus results, why not use your abilities to their maximum capabilities and save you time and effort on the long run. It is within you.

Language. The article speaks for itself.

Introspection: observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.

Conscience? Self-esteem? Or enlightenment? Anyway, I think this attributes to the confidence level of a person. If someone has too much introspection, he will be too concern with how other look at him. He will not only worry about the proper actions need to be taken in front of others, he will also worry about their reactions to his actions. But having none of is also not a good thing, you won't be able to tell what is right or what is wrong; where you made mistakes and what you need to do to correct it. Having just the right amount of introspection is the task you need to see within yourself.

Problem solving is what we have been trained in school. Mary has 5 apple. Alex took 3 apples. How many apples are left? A scenario, the characters, the interaction and then the problem. All problems has its root. What if Mary does not have any apples, would Alex be able to take 3 apples from her? What if Alex takes 2 instead, how many apples will Mary have?

We all learnt to see things at a small level and forget that the same theory applies to bigger situations. Whenever we encounter a big problem, all we need to do is to identify who is Mary, how many apples she has, who is Alex, how many apple he took and find out what needs an answer, is it the colour of the apples Alex has or is it the place Alex kept the apples he took. Let our training kick in and all problems will not look as omnious as it seemed at first.

It's all about staying calm and identifying the cause of a situation. Once that is done, trust our minds to come up with the steps we need to take to solve the problem. Its just a more complex 5 mark math.

Humans are particularly adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, exchanging of ideas, and organization.

Self expression, exchanging of ideas and organization. We all like to talk about ourselves. We are more interested in our self debate about what colour should we wear to school today than hear someone talk about their adventure in the Amazon forest.

Some people show genuine interest in others because they know that they will be appreciated and that is also another form of self-expression. To be accepted by expressing concern for others.

The worst kind of self-expression is blindly talking about yourself and expects others to share your concern without you receiving their concerns as well. That's not sharing, that's a one way bombardment. It is irritating and people just doesn't wish to listen to you.



We are higher beings that rule the world. We crush all that stands in our way. That's our bloody history and glorious heritage. Be proud of who we were and who we are now. Fear not about the small little problems you face in your everyday life. They are there to bring down the weak. If you call yourself human, live up to the wikipedia description and make all of us proud. =D


Reading Others Like A Book

ISN'T it interesting if I can get to know all about a person's life and his personality just by looking at that person? How much information and experience I can absorb in a short span of time.

If I had that ability, it would be both a blessing and a curse.

Blessing because I can save a large protion of my life from making mistakes others had made by learning from their memories.

Blessing because I know what someone has been through and can alleviate his fear or insecurities.

Blessing because I'll be able to sway people towards my cause by appealing to their inner most desires.

Blessing because I can see anyone's inner most evil and prevent it from hurting others and myself.

It is a curse because I'll be subjected to the emotional burdens someone has went through.

A curse because I'll lose the fun of getting to know someone gradually.

A curse because others will be afraid of my powers and avoid me.

A curse because I'll not be normal.

Dale Carnegie said that to win friends, you need to be interested in others instead of wanting others be interested in you.

Bearing that lesson in mind, I began to observe others around me. Not so that I can fulfill the lesson's key points and win more friends, but to see if it is what popular people are doing and unpopular people are not doing.

So far,from what I observe, that statement have exceptions.

There's someone with a lot of confidence and he can speak really well. But somehow, everybody just hates him. They talk bad about him openly behind his back but pretends to be his friend whenever he's around. The hatred for him extends also to those who did not come into direct contact with him. He shows interest towards others by being helpful. To the extend that he offers his opinions to anyone whether or not it is asked for. The way he offered his thoughts were straight to the point and often prickly. Whether or not it ring sense, I'm sure it's shut off the moment it left the person's mouth. From my observation, it seemes that he holds high-self esteem of himself, so much so that he appears to be looking down to everyone around him. That I believe is the cause of his unpopularity.

However, one of his friends appears to be his direct opposite. He is popular and well-liked by others around him. People just gravitate towards him. One good habit I observed that he practiced was that whenever he is conversing with someone else, he will repeat whatever he heard to make sure that he has heard the person correctly. He did it so subtly that I'm sure the other person did not notice what he was doing. Though it might sound irritating to a third person who is finding fault with him, I thought that it could be the cause of his popularity. Reason being, by repeating what was said, you asserted that you have heard what the other person have said and is eager to reply to that statement. Even if you do not know how to give an appropriate reply, repeating the statement gives you more time to react and to come up with the most suitable remarks. Most of the time, the other person would just continue with what he or she was saying without being offended, in fact, I'm under the impression that they feel deeply appreciated even if there wasn't any significant remarks. He seldoms brag about his achievements even though they were magnificent, this is also what his friend lacked. His friend bragged even when he has no substance.

In another group of people, I observed someone who practiced the statement to its extreme. She would express interest even to strangers whom the only connection they have to her is because they study under one roof. She is popular and has aquintances almost everywhere she goes. People often viewed her as their pillar of hope. I'm quite sure that if there was a mass gathering where most people don't really know each other, she would be a beacon of light for people who did not have large groups to mix in. But somehow, I sense loneliness in her. She did nothing wrong in showing concern for others. In my opinion, it is everyone else who wronged her. I suppose her concerns were taken for granted and slighted when they are not needed. This is indeed a misfortune of this cold, hard world. But I'm sure she is happier than most people.

There's a classic example of the perfect friendly person that I chanced upon. I didn't notice her until I started to look carefully. I did several tests myself to prove that she is indeed most interested in others. Needless to say, she has many friends. They are not merely aquintances whom you "Hi" and "Bye" along corridors, they are real friends that share their woes with you whenever they need to. And from what I conclude, she seemed more concerned about other people's woes than her own problems. However, there's a flaw even in the finest cut diamond, because of her interest in others, she seemed to lack the healthy amount of self-esteem. Though its not as serious as the next example I'm going to cite, it is still frustrating to see such a good person not performing to her full potential. If everyone around her understands the lesson Dale Carnegie taught and praises her for every small action she takes, she can overcome this short-coming and be one step closer to perfection. But that aside, she is doing great and I'm sure she's happy too.

The next example is someone who has the most serious lack of self-esteem case I've ever encountered in my 19 years of life. It is so bad to the extend that her actions become jokes among those who know her behaviour. Low-self esteem is a serious issue. It is not only damaging to others but to yourself. It hinders also how close others can get to you. For example, close friends can make deflating jokes about one another to help each other identify their flaws in a subtle way, someone with low self esteem will deem such jokes as personal attacks and reacts aggresively. This in turn raises a barrier and an invisible wall that others are afraid to approach. And the result, the lost of possible friends who tried to be friendly. But knowing what I knew, I did not allow the situation to be as it was before. I implimented what Dale Carnegie taught and attempted to help her gain self-esteem. I started by praising every small actions she did right and talked to her about her image. When I noticed that she made attempts to change, I praised her efforts. Though its a small improvement, she is now a much approachable person and more receptive of jokes about her. Still a long way off, but I'm sure she'll get there.

Have you ever wondered why you just hate somebody when that person did not even talk to you for once at all? I'm pondering about that too. It could be something to do with our esteem not big enough and at no fault of that person at all. But usually, these kind of feelings are mutual, you like someone, they will naturally like you; you hate them, they'll hate you and wonder why they hate you. When you can meet anyone and like them in an instance, you would have entered nirvana.

Terrorism

IN A recent terror attack in Mumbai, a fellow Singaporean was killed. It was the first casualty of terror Singapore suffered. I have to admit that no sentiments were aroused in me for the past 7 years, since the September 11 incident which was my first awareness of terrorism, for the victims of terrorism. But this time, its different.

It might have been a different case if the Yishun Mrt incident had a different outcome, but luckily it didn't and I was lulled into living my life as I was supposed to live, ignoring that threats are real and they could strike anytime.

The also recent escape of a terrorist, Mas Selamat, created an uproar on this small little island. With such a publicity, grander even than when the PM ran for election, no one in Singapore I'm sure will not know that name. However, that incident did not prompt me to create this post. Perhaps, I didn't have this blog then, but I have to reveal that I didn't give a damn about that incident as much as this Mumbai incident.

Maybe it was the pretty 28 year old lawyer, or maybe it was the thought of what her husband will be going through that made me feel like writing my thoughts down.

With countries around the world settling down and getting ready to embrace peace, there has to be a bunch of self-righteous people trying to save the world by killing more people. I'm sure they have reasons for doing things that they do. Everyone does. It is what compelled us to do anything in the first place. We justify ourselves that what we do is right and we do it knowing the consequences. They must have strongly believed that what they were doing were the absolutely necessary things that needs to be done in order to sleep well and save the world.

We could have gone into the psychology that drive teens into joining gangs to illustrate an example, but you know what I mean. Nobody can go around continuously doing things that the world hated if they do not think that they are absolutely right!

In a war, both sides are justified that they are right. Soldiers on both sides fought for their righteousness in most cases. In extreme cases where the ruler is ruling with an iron fist and whipped the soldiers to fight for him, the outcome is without doubt, the downfall of that tyrant.

To have people going on suicide missions now and then is no mean feat of fear alone. These people must have believed something that has eluded the rest of the world. Nothing could compel anyone to commit those atrocities unless they themselves believed strongly in it.

Let's just assume that killing people, destroying buildings, creating chaos and striking fear is the by-product of the greater good these people believed in. They are doing greatness for the world. The greater good in the name of their god. But the strange truth is, why has that greater good eluded the rest of the world? If they have such strong compilation to commit such atrocities, they must have a good cause and surely, some countries will justify and commit itself to that noble cause.

Maybe there are countries that are doing just that but are putting a false front as enemies of terrorism in fear of being condemned. We do not know and we could not point fingers.

But hey, everybody is entitled to their opinions and the right to believe in what is right.

If we feel that the way of thinking is wrong and harmful, we could take either of the 3 actions: Uproot that thinking(killing all who possess it); Convert the believers(letting them see the ugliness of their faith); Ignore them and hope that they do not implicate you.

Now back to the victims of terrorism. They are dead, so they are no longer concerned with what happens after. Crude, but its the truth. What matters are those that were left behind. They could either actively commit themselves to stamp out those who caused them misery, which could end up making them into terror themselves or they could get themselves killed. Or they could passively hope that someone else will rid the world of those bastards who killed their loved ones and let them savour the taste of revenge.

What would you do if it was your beautiful wife who was killed by men whose reasons you could never grasp? Would you wish that you could suddenly receive super powers so that you could strike hard at those who killed her in order to exact revenge yourself?

I've heard of this statement before, it didn't occur much to me then, but it struck a cord with me today. It was said by a very rich woman. It sounded something like this: "He(Osama) is rich because he wants to do evil; I am rich because I want to stop him."

Those were not the original words but the gist of the statement was what I could remember.

That statement emanated power. The power to choose what you can do. Of course having super powers are much easier, but that notion itself is absurd; you can sit all day long praying for it and it will never come.

The power to influence the world when you have money is immense. For me, I gained another reason to become rich. I do not intend to shape the world. I intend to protect those I want to protect the most. Being vulnerable and at the mercy of others is what I despise and dread the most. I want to be able to make a difference, to actually have the power to offer protection for my love ones.

Fighting terrorism is too great a cause to commit myself into. But protecting people I love from terror is something I bring it unto myself to fulfill. It gives me strength alone to have such empowering thoughts. I will and must become who I want to become in order to live in no regrets.