October 2010

This month comes to an end soon. I will go to Seremban tomorrow to attend a wedding dinner. It has been a long time since I went to Seremban. Hoping to have the delicious food there. I would like to thank Eve for giving me the tips to load on to Hartalega and made some fortune out of it. I must give her a dinner for that. Hopefully I can make 30% gain from the investments by the end of 2010 through dividends, profits or paper gain.

I am now aiming for another top blue chip that will be listing next month. I expect that it will rise to the occasion as it has all the backings in the Government. I shall go back to KL on Nov 13-17 just because of that. I am expecting 100% return from that investment.

This month, I went to have a beer session with my colleague. There we met a few new friends. A Japanese girl, 2 Londoner friends and 2 locals. It's nothing much, just chit chat and get to know since we were sitting at the same table. I got to sharpen back my Japanese language then. Maybe I will join them for some beer session in the future. They are going to have Halloween Party tomorrow, but too bad, I can't join.

Therefore, I had an exciting paintball with my colleagues. It was fun shooting around. The bosses were great. Some of them were in the NS before. Even a commando played like Rambo. It's quite tiring after that. Then we proceed to have lunch at Upper Thompson. The prata and the mutton curry was very nice. Wish to go to play paintball again if I can find some paintball 'kaki'.

Sacrifices...

I left the love world ever since I choose $ as my enjoyment, towards the pleasure of generating future's path to young retirement. It always takes 2 to tango, to follow the path together. Yet, I choose to walk alone up till now, till I am tired and achieve half of my dreams. I used to think of giving my heart 100%. Somehow, it's drained and I saw the lights towards the end. The starting has just begun after the ending of a story. It's just like a dream. A long winded dream, that I should wake up long time ago. I wasted my time living in that dream before. Totally 5 years.

I should have come here earlier. If I am alone, i can only find $ a pleasure, but if I am with someone, I would give it all. On 23rd June 2007, I took a deep thought. I made the right move in dismantling the mental block, that has blockaded my sane mind. Never ever sacrifice for something that is in the unknown, unworthy territory. Now I shall play a closed game, Queen's Gambit Declined, a quiet, calm moves, full with positional ideas.

Now, I want to regain back my lost time. I believe I am near to that. I just need to learn more things in the work. I thank those bosses for guiding and be patience with me, as I am still learning more things everyday. If there is no problems, then there would be no job for us. :) Learning just never ends. I hope to learn everything within 2011, and managed my financials in a top condition. If I ever have 1 million, I will make 30% from it. Too bad, that I don't have such amount. Everything needs sacrifices, just whether it's a sound sacrifices or not. Nothing is perfect in this world, but you need to carve the raw diamond into a shining diamond.

Investments' Ideas

Commodities rise a lot for the past few months. Gold, Iron, Oil and etc, rise since 2008. Everyone shift their attention to the commodities, investing in Gold. The world economy is still fragile, but that's where the money lies around. Stocks is no longer one of the option for investors to look at. I for sure, will not leave stocks for commodities investment. I have an idea of playing stocks in Malaysia. REIT is not a new thing but in Malaysia, it's still consider new. With an average return 6-9% yearly for most of the REITs, it's a defensive play instead of investing in Unit Trust. Why want to let people manage the stocks when I myself can manage the REITs myself.

If I have RM1 million, I will put all of it in the REITs separately, in order to earn those dividends quarterly or every 6 months. For an example, RM80k REIT investment, with returns of 8% yearly, returns RM6400 yearly. An estimated RM533 monthly. The REIT appreciations are note accounted yet. It's not much, but it's just an additional pocket money for defensive play. It gives return better than FD, UT and Investment Links.

At this moment, I'd invested quite heavily on blue chips and 1 REIT. I may continue to monitor around. If it drops more in the market, I shall keep on buying as what drops, will rise to the occasion. This idea is only applicable in Malaysia, where blue chips are the KLSE stronghold.

I am now still far from my RM80k targets. It may takes a year to reach that figure, but I believe I can make more. Thus, I may look for other opportunities around in order to raise that figure.

As I make this fortune alone, it's tough road ahead as we know that, 2 is better than 1. If I am still in Malaysia, I may need years to achieve that target. As I calculated, I need to sacrifice for a year or 2 in order to achieve my financial security. Financial freedom is still far ahead, where I may need 15 years to reach it.

Every person's investment ideas may vary, but, my play is "A rich people has their own way of playing, a poor people too has their own way. One can't build a Rome in a day, but where there is a will, there's a way!!!"

Brian's Autumn's Concerto 2

Today I saw this quote: Love isn't finding a perfect person. It's seeing an imperfect person perfectly. It's true especially when you fall in love with someone that can really blind the vision of every weaknesses. Every weaknesses become strengths. But how far can this statement be. Someone told me this "Don't stand too near to the tree, try to walk few steps behind, look at the leaves, fruits... is it worth for you to sacrifice? Look around you, you deserve better one" This powerful words made me awake all of a sudden as if being hypnotized for so long. This magical words really made up my mind instantly. From there, I made my first step to walk even further ahead.

It's already September and few more months, it's going to be 2011. My new resolutions would be:

1. Clearing all my PTPTN debts in Dec 2010

2. Clearing all my car loan in Jan 2011 or November 2010

3. Invest 50% in Shares, Save 40% in Savings (house), Spend 10% (vacations) every 3 months.

4. Vacation to HK / Taiwan (if got GF, sponsor her go as well - 1st promise)

5. Get an iPhone 4

6. Dato' Arthur Tan Chess Championship (Merdeka) or Selangor Open 2011 (May)

7. Amass more REITs for Dividend play

8. Open Singapore bank account - Feb 2011.

9. Get bro a LCD / LED TV as house warming in May.

Maybe there are few more that I can't think of them now. The day I decided to call it quits, would be the day I turned from a moth to a butterfly. I looked for investment chances around and now I am ready for global investment chances. Learning bit by bit, day by day.

In Nov 15 and 16, I have to go back to cancel some of my credit cards. I intend to have only 1 credit card and not to use it unless necessary.

Brian's Autumn's Concerto

I spent 3 years working as fugitive in UM, trying for soul searching. Men worries about 4 things: Love, Family, Career and Financial. I used to put Love as the 1st priority over the others, till someone gave me a precious quote that changed my whole world in 2007. I still remember vividly the day I was at the Sukan Antara Staf-staf Universiti Malaysia, in Perlis, I had to fight 11 rounds against my opponents. That time, my mind was not in a good state as I was considering whether should I drop the idea. The thinking made me a cruel-some beast on the board, where I won 7.5 / 11 points. When I was on my way back to KL, I didn't sleep much on the bus, that I gave myself a final chance. It was my birthday during that travel time, in the end, I decided to put a full stop to it. I buried all the promises in the graveyard. From then on, I choose chess as my best friend, whom I shall speak to, for I managed to get my FIDE rating in 2010.

During the past 3 years, I searched what's the reason I live for. I started to learn what is investment. Some losses and some winnings, that's part of the price for learning real life experiences. After all the long journey, it's like a long winded road, which I should have taken it long time ago. I should have put career as my 1st priority from the early. I realized that life is not just like a screensaver. There are obstacles everywhere that I need to go through. I should have come to Singapore early for my career advancement. With this, I thank those who had given me the moral support when I was feeling lowest in my life. You just know who you were.

Today I watched Taiwan drama, Autumn's Concerto. It's a very touching drama that I wept over it. I realized how fortunate we are. Be grateful for what we have. It's about love. The feeling that I have lost touch for a very long time. My main priority now is to build a fortune. Hopefully I can settle my car loan and PTPTN within 5-6 months. It's best if I can paid them up fast. Whatever is borrowed, must be paid back. That's the policy to be a human. If I ever come across Love again, I will see the person's personality. Sometimes, the one a person marries is not the one he/she loves the most.

In 2011, I have readied my resolutions. Wait for the next postings.......... To be continued..

Life in Singapore 2

There are many things I have yet to learn. Hope that I can cope with the task given. If there is a chance, I would like to work in Singapore for a longer term. I should have come here earlier, if I could awake earlier. Living in Singapore is quite boring but for the sake of living, sacrifices is inevitable. The moment I reached here, I'd received a few business chances that I am working out now.

At the same time, I entered Kuantan Chess Rapid Open 2010, and won 8th placing. I learnt some of the chess principles myself. I lost 2 games which I shouldn't lost due to blunder, but I won 5 games. The last games was really taxing, trying to gain advantage from the start. My opponent miscalculated and blunder a position that he thought he could win. I saw that earlier, but it just won't work, as I will lose a Queen for 2 rooks, but I will have 2 rooks and 1 bishop with 2 pass pawn.

Now, I have to rush my task given. it's kind of new to me for leaving this programming world for quite a long time. C#. Though I continue with Java, they are still similar except the new technologies used. Learning just never ends. The company gives me chances, and I must take it.

At the same time, I met with my relatives in Johor and cousin sister in Singapore. Things changed quite a lot. It has been 10 years, I haven't met them for a long time. Glad that they are living in a healthy state. I told my cousin, that I will keep fit for 3 months, to drop 10kg. Some promises made for that too.

Life In Singapore 1

I am in Singapore for 4 months. I didn't realize that time can catch up so fast. During the past 4 months, I learnt a lot of things. Colleagues are great. Places I stay is considered great. I must make full use of the facilities given. The only problem is time to travel to work is a little bit fr. Hope I can continue learning with the chance given to me by the company. Learning always never end. I would like to go for a vacation If I saved enough money. Well, I saved enough but I intend to pay full amount for my PTPTN next year. Just entered a bit to my investment. Though not much, but hope it can generate some passive incomes for me.

It was a boring time for me during weekends. I ended up sitting at home, surfing net and watching TVBs. It did save me a lot too without going anywhere. In September onwards,, I will hire a GM to teach me professional chess.