A Philosophical view towards life

I attended an event organized by the Singapore Forex forum last week. Interestingly I met people who find my blogs inspirational. I do feel flattered as I started blogging as a form of self expression to chronically track the next phase in life, a form of open diary.

When you wake up one day and realize time is ticking against you... you will treasure every day even more. We normally read accidents & illnesses that happened to others, not us.













There is also the universal truth to all life forms, the moment you come into being - the destiny is death. Something we all shared whoever we are.

A reality no one can escape from. Read about the First Emperor of China? Believed himself as son of heaven who seeked eternal life with all the means in his possession! Only to shortened his life through mercury poisoning in the end.

So it is the journey one should treasure during our brief existence.



















Just a simple message here:

An Odd Mix?

Passing through Singapore offers opportunity to catch up with old mates each time.
Well, what's new this time?

I told a uni-mate I got into Forex trading & Bird Nest farming as retirement activities.. "Huh! What an odd mix", he quipped.

He is correct.. it is an unusual combination indeed, even sounds weird!















Looking back, my first premise was to look for activities that suit a carefree lifestyle. Much of our working life was to fit into what the market needs and opportunities it offers.

To have a freedom of choice doing something in leisure is a dream. I started out with the notion of a little resort, but soon as I gained insights into bird nest farming... it is obvious which is a better choice!

When I first came to know Dr. Chris, a kidney specialist in KL, with his bird farms few hundred KMs away; visits them only fortnightly or perhaps monthly. It rang a bell in me the viability as a hobby farm.

The pluses:
No staff hiring and keeping them headaches,
No worry about seasonal variation of visitors,
No day to day operational issues involved.. etc.

Swiftlets takes care of themselves; they fly off at each day break to feed and return timely each night!
All that is needed is to ensure a conducive & safe environment for them to nest and breed.
No workers needed! No bills for feed mills!
I can spend as much time I like on the farm or as little as I choose.
I have the freedom to be away anytime too.
How convenient!
Down side is the capital outlay involved and a gestation period of no income.

Forex trading share many similar attributes.. complete freedom!
Freedom to trade any where, any time;
Freedom when to trade or not to trade!
Forex offers opportunity of regular income, provide one trades more profitably.

As my friend CK once put it across to me:
One is production based.. once up and running, it is a source of passive income. Little on going efforts involved.
The other is activity based; no trading - no income (besides trading risks); period!
They do compliment each other well.

Well, I have this simple graphic to illustrate:

Two different pictures: A headset & a circle painted yellow ....
Combine them creatively forms another new image, isn't it?








A smiley face, NO.. I am not smiling to the bank yet!

Life is for Living and NOT Working

"Life is for Living and NOT Working"; a quote I picked up from a forex guru. A nice line isn't it? I suspect many would like to live it too. But how to achieve it?

Most of us gone through the process of professional education followed by a career in the work force. Soon we find ourself strap into a routine of work with life long mortgages to service. Sounds like a trap, isn't it? I felt it that way for much of working life. So life without a job is a big step away!

I believe every change begins with a paradigm shift to a new mindset. If we examine our basic needs, we need very little to live. Often people stretch themselves to the limit in buying a home that result in life long debt. Next are other pursuits of material needs that leave one tight with cash. So the first premise is to re-examine your own needs. A sensible way is to reduce long term debts and divert resources into shorter term investments to generate cash income.

There are many opportunities to invest and generate a passive income as an intermediate step. I am no investment guru but have found forex as a viable alternative. Guess some who have embarked on this path may concur. The high leverage can be exploited to advantage but is also a double sided sword. So this is no easy route either, another learning process from ground zero to pick up new knowledge and skills.

I have shared this approach with few people closest to me thus far. Time will tell if they too can find this a workable means to... break free from work!

Internet life

I wonder how I can live without the internet connection these days! It is such a powerful tool to search for information, links people up into a global village.. it made me feel to live in the best of times since dawn of human civilizations!



















My learning process started with Google search of course. But in swiftlet farming, there is little useful information published. Surfing around for a while, one can still sketched an idea of what it is all about. Nonetheless, soon I come across some forum that hook up with real people engage in swiftlet ranching.

One introduction leads to another.. so gradually I develop a network of new friends.

It is the 'tool' I rely so much now I can't imagine living without it!

A New Journey

As I was about to sleep tonight, a thought came to start this blog... I've seen my daughter Lisa did a very nice blog site of her own. What is the purpose for me? Just to chronicle the next phase of life's journey. For who? Don't know & it does not matter, nobody cares anyway.. so it is more for myself.

I have retire from active business for the past 2 years.. did I really plan for it? Not really, just several fancy thoughts. My attitude in life has always been "if you come to a river, you'll find a bridge to cross it".

Of fears, hopes and desires:
Often hear people talk about financial freedom.. do I have it? A little.
How long would I live and what if major disease hits me? Will there be enough money for major operations? I can't worry too much about this.. take it as it comes. First priority is to keep mind and body healthy.

Freedom of time and to choose what I like to do? Love it. The opportunity to choose what I like to do is great. Thought of a semi-active role in business to keep me physically and mentally active with a source of income is appealing.

I always have fancy ideas what to do in retirement though ... one of which is live and operate a small resort somewhere by the mountain or the sea. So my search for a place went on, no hurry... choice areas: Cairns, Port Douglas along Queensland's coast; Thailand (Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Samui, Si-Racha, Ko Samet etc.)

Things took a different direction 7 months ago. I lunched with a classmate and his sister-in-law in Amphawa on eve of Chinese New Year. It is a charming place where age old lifestyle by the Klong (canal), a dream living in such tranquil & idyllic environment. I told them my idea to operate a small resort there. Her eyes didn't blink.. hmm, didn't sound great to her apparently. Further down the conversation, my classmate mentioned bird nest farms he saw in the Riau Islands. She commented, "That's worth considering." As a business woman, she certainly knew what she is saying and consumed bird nests much of life too.

Looking back then, I didn't even know the specie differences between the swallow, swift & swiftlet. But it was a moment that set me in a new direction.