No Limitations

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.”

- Napoleon Hill

Believing & Happening

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”

- Frank Lloyd Wright

3 Metals to Watch For - 4/4

Our third & final metal to watch for is: Gold. Fact is, the shine is back on as far as gold is concerned.

We've seen gold pull back over the last two months, & no wonder — the European Central Bank (ECB) was selling it like hotcakes. The bank issued a statement saying, "Over the past two months, the ECB has conducted gold sales amounting to 37 tonnes of gold."
Now, however, the ECB says it is done selling. And other banks should be in no rush to sell, either. According to figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), gold holdings by central banks & other government organizations declined for the eighth straight year in 2006 to a 60-year low!

Meanwhile, global demand is ramping up! Demand for the yellow metal increased 4% in the first quarter from a year earlier, even though the spot price of gold increased 17% during the same time. Those numbers are from the World Gold Council.

The big mover is, of course, Chinese demand. Consumer demand for gold in China was up 31% vs. the same quarter last year, as the Chinese flocked to buy gold jewelry & commemorative "lucky balls", particularly around Chinese New Year in mid-February.

Demand in India, the world's largest gold market, also surged in the first quarter, rising 50% from a year earlier. Strong economic growth & the onset of the wedding season played a role.
And this intense demand from Asia is coming on top of an existing supply/demand squeeze for the yellow metal.

Unfortunately, global gold production is falling! Around the world last year, global mine production fell by more than 3% to 2,471 metric tonnes. In certain gold-producing countries, the situation is much worse. For example, just a few days ago, Peru's Energy & Mines Ministry reported that gold production in the country was down 14% in March (year over year). Peruvian production has fallen by double-digit percentages for months now.

South Africa's gold production also fell in March (10.8% vs. the same month last year).
It's important to remember that gold production is falling even in the face of higher prices. The big gold miners would love to produce more gold; they simply don't have the resources. The only way they can get more is by exploration (which takes a lot of time & money) or buying up smaller producers.

This is where going global really pays off. There are great undervalued miners around the world, & the big miners know it. By buying stocks of those small producers, you not only can ride the rising price of gold, you can get a potential rocket launch if the stock is snapped up by one of the big boys.

So look out, the shine is still on!

我比他好

Not sure if this is his latest album, but it is really nice.

歌曲：我比他好
歌手：王杰

那一秒我知道
他偷走了你的心跳
我没有忘掉又回到
有点我们初恋的味道

有一秒我感觉到
你的手犹豫的放掉
又紧紧捉牢爱变少
分不逅鋈皇ヒ揽

你知道
我比他好
我不逃
他的出现我无法预料
有一天你会遇到
他的拥抱
有温暖寂寞的药效
希望你知道
我比他好

你知道
我比他好
我不逃
说好带你到天涯海角
有一天你真遇到
他的眼角
有迷惑幸福的微笑
只要你知道
你一定知道
我比他好

Colourful Thoughts

The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives.

- Louise Hay

Finish the Game

The movie is about two squabbling brothers propelled into deepest, darkest space while playing a mysterious game they discovered in the basement of their old house. On their fantastic journey, they are joined by a stranded astronaut & must survive meteor showers, hostile lizard-like aliens, a rocket-propelled robot run amok & an intergalactic spaceship battle. But their greatest peril lies ahead. For unless they finish the game & reach the planet Zathura, they are doomed to be trapped in outer space forever.

Zathura is based on the best-selling book by the acclaimed children's writer Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express, Jumanji). The film stars Oscar winner Tim Robbins, Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo & Dax Shepard.

Okay, sibling rivalry aside. What intrigued me most is the fact that without finishing the game or completing the cycle, you will never get home. My point is: Starting this life on earth is not my choice; finishing it well is. You should see the resolution in those boys' eyes as they raced to complete the game. They surmoned all their courage, casting aside their petty attitudes & differences, & strive towards the end point with deliberate focusness & determination.

I know where my planet Zathura is. I know how many more steps to reach that point. I just need to stay focus, turn the dial, make my moves one step at a time, & get to my desired destination.

Life is tough. There is no U-turn. You can't stop halfway. What you can do is to plow forward, & with each step, enjoy the adventure that life unfolds. You may be thrown into the middle of a meteoriod showers (stresses & demands); you may be chased by a mad robot (your boss); you may be haunted by hostile alien lizards (people that eat us for lunch). Hang in there.

Fight the fight!
Finish the game!!
And finish it well!!!

The Function of Power

"Power consists in one's capacity to link his will with the purpose of others, to lead by reason and a gift of cooperation."

- Woodrow Wilson