First World Infrastructure, Third World Mentality

A toilet in Singapore.

A Tribute to Mothers

"Why are you crying?" he asked his Mom.

"Because I'm a mother" she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His mom just hugged him to her and said, "You never will."

Later the little boy asked his Father why Mother seemed to cry for no reason. "All mothers cry for no reason," was all his Dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why mothers cry. One night, he had a dream. In his dream, he called God on the telephone. When God came to the phone the man asked, "God, why do mothers cry so easily?"

God answered him, "My son, you see, when I made mothers, I knew they had to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times come from their children and mates.

I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their families through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very badly.

This same sensitivity helps them to make a child's boo-boo feel better & helps them share a teenager's anxieties and fears. I gave them a tear to shed. It's theirs, exclusively, to use whenever needed.

It's their only weakness.

It’s also their strength.

It is a tear for mankind."

How Long is a Million Years?

A man trying to understand the nature of God and asked him: "God, how long is a million years to you?"

God answered: " A million years is like a minute."

Then the man asked: "God, how much is a million dollars to you?"

And God replied: "A million dollars is like a penny."

Finally the man asked: "God, could you give me a penny?"

And God said, "In a minute."

It Doesn't Look Good...

A Presbyterian, a Methodist, and a Baptist pastor and their wives were on a cruise. A tidal wave came up and swamped the ship; they all drowned, and next thing you know, they're standing before St. Peter.

First came the Presbyterian and his wife. St. Peter shook his head sadly. "I can't let you in You loved money too much. You loved it so much, you even married a woman named Penny."

Then came the Methodist. "Sorry, can't let you in, either. You loved food too much. You loved to eat so much, you even married a woman named Candy!"

The Baptist turned to his wife and whispered nervously, "It doesn't look good, Fanny."



P.S.: "Fanny" means external female sex organs; "in England 'fanny' is vulgar slang for female genitals"; in U.S., it's a slang for 'the buttocks'.
(Courtesy of dictionary.com)

If the World Ends Tomorrow ...

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."
-Martin Luther

I would humbly beg to differ from that "apple tree" thingy. I can fully appreciate his meaning & deep convictions about going about and doing the things as planned, but I confess I am a bit shallow. If the world really ends tomorrow, I guess I will drop some of my planned activities in order to attempt the following (in no order of preference):

1. Open & drink that most expensive bottle of wine in my house (don't you guys dare ask for it when you come to my place. I will deny everything)
2. Order a full set meal from Morton Steak House (Home Delivery)
3. Throw a few eggs at my neighbour's car down in the HDB carpark
4. Call someone I love & tell her I really love her like no tomorrow
5. And then ask her can I kiss her passionately (I'll drive down her place if she consents)
6. Call & thank my parent for the gift of life
7. Call my siblings and tell them they were great
8. SMS my friends & ...heck lah...where got time?
9. Order Hilton cheesecake for desserts (Home Delivery)
10. Drive out for some D24 durian
11. Have a nice cup of brewed Blue Mountain coffee
12. Hug & kiss my wife and kid, tell them I love them, and then .....

...debate with God (means plead, blackmail, threats, act cute, bargain... ) & see if I can postpone the ending.

What would you do with your last 24 hours? What's your dirty dozen? Share leh, for the fun of it...

Office Arithmetic

Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

So, which one are you?

True Spirit of Success

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Edison

Stagflation - What is it?

stagflation /stægˈfleɪʃən/ [stag-fley-shuhn]

I was pondering on the word "stagflation." Big word, huh? Everyone in the industry seems to think we are in it or headed for it. At least the ones I spoke to think it is here. Now, what exactly does stagflation mean anyway?

1. "An inflationary period accompanied by rising unemployment and lack of growth in consumer demand and business activity" (Dictionary.com)
2. "Sluggish economic growth coupled with a high rate of inflation & unemployment" (American Heritage Dictionary)
3. "A condition of slow economic growth & relatively high unemployment, accompanied by a rise in prices, or inflation" (Investopedia.com)
4. "Stagflation occurs when the economy isn't growing, but prices are... . This happened to a great extent during the 1970s, when world oil prices rose dramatically, fueling sharp inflation in developed countries..." (Investopedia commentary)
5. An economic phenomenon of the late 1960s & 1970s characterized by sluggish economic growth & high inflation.

Where do we get this word, anyway?
In 1965, the word "stagflation" was apparently coined by U.K. Conservative Party Finance Minister Iain Macleod, from stag(nation) + (in)flation.
(Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper)

A Tutorial & View of "Flation"
Inflation - Expansion of money and credit
Deflation - Contraction of money and credit
Disinflation - Expansion of money and credit, but at a declining pace
Hyperinflation - Rapid rise in inflation accompanied by a complete loss of confidence in currency

From the above, stagflation seems to be based on rising prices (instead of an expansion of credit), and furthermore, the term seems to imply that rising prices are bad only in context of stagnation & high unemployment.

Where exactly does it supposedly fit in?
In the 1970s, economists had been conditioned to associate economic downturns with deflation. Suddenly recession coincided with the effects of the concurrent inflationary monetary policy becoming highly visible, something happened that wasn't supposed to happen. So some really smart people thought it required a new term - 'stagflation,' equaling recession cum inflation, the supposedly 'unnatural' state of affairs. Double whammy.

However, once & if you define inflation correctly (expansion of the fiat money supply), such a term actually makes little sense, especially considering that the Keynesian recipe for 'combating economic downturns' consists of deficit spending cum monetization, i.e., printing lots of money! Application of this recipe usually leads only to bigger failures, like the housing bubble in the U.S..

Truth is: no one can seem to agree on any easy or standard definition for an economy in which growth is slowing while inflation is rising, such as it is today. Could it be 'fearflation,' a term that means it's all just fear, rather than actual inflation that's driving the current economy? Maybe it's 'bubbleflation,' as the U.S. seems to be stuck in a bubble of higher prices, growing unemployment, high housing prices, and a falling dollar. Then again, it could be 'gasflation,' the cycle of high gas prices leading to higher inflation. Or how about 'deceleflation,' a slowing down accompanied by inflation?

I think if Mr Bernanke is to be believed, it's not inflation we need to fear, but the expectations of inflation. Maybe we should describe the current economy as 'Fedflation.' Call it whatever you like, we can all agree to disagree, & there is nothing wrong with that. Should unanimous opinion ever form on something economically related, I confidently predict we would all be wrong, and probably sooner, rather than later.

What do you think?

Devote Our Life to Worthwhile Actions

"Often we allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year's time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody. No, let us devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, real affections and enduring undertakings."

- Andre Maurois, 1885-1967,
Writer

陶喆 - I Believe

曲名：I Believe
歌手：陶喆

在我的视线
有一个模糊的光芒
指引我追寻
心里的梦想
每一天
我需要多一点勇气
灌溉我的心
让信心能继续

我知道
这旅程一定会很艰难
必须面对这一切
不管多累

I Believe 我有一天
会能够让自己
所有的梦想实现 wo yeah
我知道会有一天
生命中的希望
会在我眼前出现 wo wo yeah
再也不用一直怀疑
因为爱存在我心里面
Coz I Believe
Coz I Believe

要看清楚
很容易迷失了方向
追寻这个梦
让未来发光 oh..
不怕错
只怕我知道不敢做
绝不能轻易
把一切都放弃

I Believe 就在今天
我一定让自己
所有的梦想实现 wo
因为我相信在眼前
每一个梦想都实现
我看的清楚
看的很清楚