Life Stock!!

In the news today, the dollar picked up some strength against the Euro and pushed oil prices back down to $116 a barrel. This caused Chevron [CVX v2.2%] to take a hit but allowed some of the financials to bounce back with CitiGroup [C ^4.6%] and JP Morgan [JPM ^4%] leading the way. Overall, the market outlook remained positive among investors until near the end of the day until Microsoft released high earnings but released an outlook that didn't beat expectations. The market remained positive but closed on a downward beat.

On other news today, shares of EdwardKim [EKC ^3.5%] have been steadily climbing up due to speculation of an oncoming deal with potential partner BHDG in setting up it's new software unit that intends to expand towards the end of the year. Analysts report this could bring in extra revenue of up to 10~15% of what it reported at the end of Q1, and have raised their price target on the stock.

"[EdwardKim] has shown some real growth over the past year and looks to break another plateau by the end of this year. This one's not only great for short-term but is also a keeper" said one analyst from Wall Street.

"[EdwardKim] will beat its Q2 outlook for sure" commented another analyst, who admits to selling off half of his Apple stocks to buy up shares of EKC.

While it was a great day for EKC, there are still plenty of analysts still struggling to find reason to buy now. For a while, EKC has been looking into new ventures into the LOVE commodity, but has found itself just a bit shy of tapping into the right sources for this precious good. There's currently speculation about EKC already having found its source, but the company has yet to make any public announcements regarding this venture.

"There's just too little we know at the moment" said one Wall Street broker who has been following EKC since it's last venture into this precious good. "Once I see some signs of commitment I'll be ready to buy, but until then, I'll watch carefully to see its next move."

The CEO of EKC, Mr.Kim, in a brief interview with CNBC, did not comment on its venture and left everything 'up in the air.' "Who knows where we will head next?" the CEO said.

Kim did say, however, that it's plan to take over Apple by buying majority share has been retracted. It intends to, instead, look into other industries that show a bit more promise during these tough market times. "As much as I like Apple, they're still a luxury that people are now starting to feel they cannot afford" commented Kim as he referred to the declining cash flowing in the pockets of young teens who's parents are not only making less money, but also losing jobs.

leave comments [here] for edward kim @ blogger
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Confidence

Confidence. It's when you believe in the ultimate success in all the things that you do. Without it, your struggles may go in vain. With it, you will claim the highest of victories.

The past few days, I've been struggling over some technological difficulties with setting up a project environment for a freelance job I was asked to do. Last night was especially frustrating considering I had only today to make sure I got everything working so I could make the proposal by tomorrow. Nothing I tried worked last night, but I didn't give up. In fact, despite my progress, I just thought to myself quietly that I just needed to keep trying, and it will work out in the end.

Lo and behold, today I got it working. I was so ecstatic to see it work that I just stopped there to enjoy the rest of my night. [It was only one hour, so I thought it was worth it...haha] It's funny how it works that way. I honestly felt that perhaps there was no way out of this, but as I kept trying, I kept inching closer and closer to the goal until I reached a point when it just suddenly clicked and it all worked.

It's greatly improved my morale, and also reaffirmed my determination in a few other 'projects' I have going in life. You never know how close you are when you try, and some day, it'll just click and magically happen. However, it'll only work if you keep trying and learning as you go.

Don't be afraid to scrap a few things and step back. At the same time, don't give up on any particular method until you have tried it all the way through. I know I wouldn't have accomplished tonights feat if I wasn't persistent.

And once you succeed, WOW WHAT A GREAT FEELING IT IS!!! But it all starts, and it all ends with your confidence. Believe =)

[I'm a bit cracked out after coffee... pardon my broken chain of thoughts if any]

Tagged... haha

he rules are:
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about himself.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago:
Student at a private Catholic ALL-BOYS high school... OH BABY!

Five things on my To Do List today:
1. Call my mutual fund broker
2. Set up my tomcat web server to handle web services
3. Gym; today is chest and triceps day
4. Take some time to pray
5. Write a letter

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Invest in the market and/or other small businesses in the local area [maybe franchise]
2. Buy a home to live in
3. Donate to Charity
4. Set up retirement for my folks
5. Travel around the world


Three of my bad habits:
1. Taking extended breaks when I'm studying or working on a personal project
2. Leaving all my bills piled up on my desk
3. Neglecting my lower level priorities for extended periods of time

Five places I’ve lived:
1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Pusan, South Korea
[i haven't lived anywhere outside of these two places]

Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Snack shop cashier
2. Freelance Web Designer
3. Software Engineer [current]
4. High school tutor
5. Sweatshop factory worker

Five books I’ve recently read:
1. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle - Tom Venuto
2. Good to Great - Jim Collins
3. Winning - Jack Welch
4. Stay Mad for Life - Jim Cramer
5. Our Iceberg is Melting - John Kotter et. al

The five I tagged:
[Unfortunately, I don't know any bloggers outside of the dood who tagged me...]

I was tagged by TED.

Stock Market Madness

Last week, I opened a fake stock market account, just to test the waters a bit before I decide to jump into it for real. It was my original intention to just let my fund manager just allocate the funds to the right places and have me just watch my money grow without thinking too much about it. However, somewhere along the way, I have peaked some interest in the market, especially with a few companies that I've been starting to like. If you look at the image [click for larger view], you'll see that I've picked out 4 companies. Walmart, Microsoft, Apple and McDonalds. Most of you who read my blog regularly know that I was tracking Apple and McDonalds for a little while.

Based on the results you see in my account, part of me sorta wished I just jumped in already. However, I know that kind of wishful thinking will get me in the hole someday! haha... for now, I'll be happy even with these fake earnings as I progress forward. Someday these stocks will take a hit, and perhaps then I might be glad I didn't invest just yet. In any case, it's still so far so good. Hopefully, I pick up a feel for the market and start trading within the next couple of months. Though I give up current opportunities, I know there's much more to be had in the future. That's the key to good investing, and no matter what, I intend to do well!

Are you an investor? Do you invest real money? Or fantasy money? Doesn't matter to me, as long as you can play the field as if it were your own money, but if you want to talk stock, just holla and we can discuss =)

To wish you all a good day!

ps. Perhaps for those of you who are religious, can you all pray for some peace at home? It has become somewhat of a warzone lately! Thanks ^_^

Counting my blessings

Around June of last year, I decided to leave my old company and started interviewing for my next gig. Of the places I interviewed, one was technicolor. Most of you should know technicolor. They're the guys that produce the videos/dvd's and now HD-dvd's and distribute them to retail stores, where you guys all go and buy them up! =)

Anyways, back then, it seemed like a great opportunity where I got to play with some pretty cool technology. Though I can't disclose what they were planning on doing, it was something I definitely would've bragged to all of you about whenever you popped in a dvd or HD-dvd into your player. However, despite it all, I got a fast offer from my current company, who promised some decent benefits as well as a pay increase that somewhat fit the bill. It was a good deal and turned out to give me some great experience.

On top of that, as you all know, Sony corp. decided a couple months ago to pull the plug on their blu-ray project. After my good buddy's company WB decided to switch to HD-DVD, Sony lost major steam and decided blu-ray wouldn't survive. I guess that's another swing and a miss since their mini-disc fiasco, but I digress.

When I think about it now, I wonder then, what if I had worked for technicolor, and was assigned to a team that worked on blu-ray technology? Your guess is probably the same as mine when I say that I would've ran into some serious hurdles had I found my way to technicolor and not my current company.

I was sitting in dinner with relatives when the thought occured, as my uncle used to work for a lab where they manufacture and research DVD technologies. For a moment, it made me think about my current situation, and that I should count my blessings. I could've really gone either way last year, but events happened to lead me to a place that has offered me something wonderful.

So tonight, I'm counting my blessings. I know that there's a lot of other things in life that I sometimes feel is not going well, but I wonder if everything is just a plan set in motion, only needing time to resolve and take place. If that is the case, I feel I should do my best to be ready, and make the most of what I have until those new blessings show up. And when they do, I hope I can share them with all of you.

Unless it's a girl... you know, you can only share so much! lol... but hey, if i win the lotto, dinner's on me! =P

Work the body

The weather was really hot today, but I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the day was. The sky was so blue, and being out with just a t-shirt on was great. I can't wait until I get in peak shape and start my vanity parade! haha

My exercise routine has been slowly evolving, though my intensity has been wavering. Hopefully, I can push harder in the oncoming couple of months. I've come a long way since November, but I know I can push harder.

Speaking of which, after half a year of learning how to exercise and what to eat, I've reached a level of knowledge to figure out a decent routine and diet. Granted, I've got a long way to go before mastering anything, but the basic exercises [especially cardio and weights] have been a real joy to learn, and I'd gladly share any info with any of you readers if you guys want some advice.

Exercise has been one part of my great change over the past year. It's certainly raised my confidence, boosted my immune system and has given me a way to push in other aspects of life. Because for each week I add more weights to my workout, the more confidence I get in lifting more emotional and intellectual weights. I take challenges head on, and I feel power to do.

Exercise... it does a body good =)

Random thoughts

Sometimes, you don't care to be told you're wrong. You just want them to cover your back long enough until you finally get your head back on straight and do the right thing. I've rarely had those type of people in my life. Everyone's usually on their high horse letting me know it's wrong and forcing me to do certain things, and shame on me for thinking I had no freedom in my own actions!

Lately, I don't really care for what others think. I do what I want, and I move forward. The only ones who could ever change my course are the ones I love dearly. Even if it's a stupid thing, or a nuisance, I do it anyway out of love for them. If only they could do the same for me... haha

Who are you??

All things considered, my past few days have been quite grand. I've been feeling good and picked up some motivation to kick some more butt in life. Unfortunately, amidst all of the doing, I have slowed down in my thinking, and ended up having little to write on these blogs =) I guess balance is key in everything in life.

Don't worry though. I will continue to post up some good content once in a while, as I know that you wonderful readers come out every now and then to read what I have to say! haha... but something does spark my curiosity as I write these blogs. Would you like to entertain my curiosity? Quite frankly, aside from 1 person, I don't know who else reads these blogs. I think it would be nice if you guys came outta the woodwork and introduced yourselves!

In the same way, I guess if you guys are curious to know more about me, feel free to leave a comment and ask. Let's up the social aspect of this blog, yea? :D

[edit] On a side note, Jim Cramer loves Apples too! Have a good one!

The Stockdale Paradox

Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest ranking US military officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" prisoner-of-war camp during the Vietnam War. During his imprisonment, he set up a system of communication between soldiers to prevent difficulties from isolation, a way to endure torture and give as little intelligence as possible and overall tried to keep everyone physically and mentally intact to survive the whole ordeal, all the while continuing to fight the war internally.

In a book "Good to Great" he shared his story to the author, and after hearing his story, wrote this conclusion.

"Life is unfair - sometimes to our advantage, sometimes to our disadvantage. We will all experience disappointments and crushing events somewhere along the way, setbacks for which there is no "reason," no one to blame. It might be disease... injury... accident... losing a loved on... getting swept away in a political shakeup... getting shot down over Vietnam and thrown into POW camp for 8 years. What separates people... is not the presence or absence of difficulty, but how they deal with the inevitable difficulties of life. In wrestling with life's challenges, the Stockdale Paradox has proved powerful for coming back from difficulties not weakened, but stronger - not just for me, but for all those who've learned the lessen and tried to apply it."

Also to quote, the Stockdale paradox was defined as:

"Retain faith that you will prevail in the end regardless of difficulty AND confront the brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

In admiral Stockdale's interview, he said the ones who didn't make it out were the optimists. The one's who thought they'd be out by Christmas, or by Easter. That those were disappointed and died of a broken heart.

I think that's some pretty deep stuff [for lack of better terms]. To have a goal in mind, and to believe in victory, despite the reality of the situation. I think that's the key part here. It's not so much faith by itself, but faith despite knowing reality. There are times when you can have faith under any circumstance, but it's attributed to ignorance and denial of truth. In such times, unable to live with reality, one relies on faith, but breaks apart because they were no longer grounded.

I think a lot of us live like this. We say 'if only' we finish high school or 'if only' we graduate college. If only I got married. If only I became CEO of a large company. If only I [fill in the blank]. And as time goes, some are achieved and some are not. For each item that is not achieved, you slowly degenerate and step back from your objectives. You lose hope, because you've defined your failures absolutely, and while this isn't a total loss, for you who perceives it that way, it is a loss.

How do you view life? Is it a timeline of events that happen when you expect it to? Or is it a journey that's not exactly set, but still contains all the things you strive for? Lately, I've been setting up my timeline as if i had the perfect timing for everything in life. In two months, I will have achieved x. By the end of the year, I will have achieved y. Of course, I still set goals and deadlines for myself, but I wonder if I should reconsider the expectations that come with it.

I hope I look fit this summer. I hope I finally make that connection by the end of the year. I hope my investment in the market returns me a certain percentage by 2nd quarter of next year. These are my goals, but not so much set in stone, since if I don't reach it by then, then I must press on and have faith that it's not that much further away. That my good fight was not so much in vain, and that success was just a little more longer.

It was similar to the book I mentioned. I started reading it this past January. I read about 95% of it by mid-February, but because of the appendix [60 pages long!] I thought I had quite a long ways to go. I used to read a page or two here and there over the course of the next 6 weeks. Last week, I had 3 more pages to go thinking I had about 65. I told myself how it's going to take me forever at this rate. I should try to commit more to it and finish it.

I sat down today to finish it, and 2 pages later, realized I finished the book. Dumbfounded as I was, I flipped back to my favorite parts, and the Stockdale Paradox came up. I was a 5~15 minute read away from finishing the book a couple months ago. Who knew? =)

I've got goals in life, as I am sure you do. In unfavorable conditions, you lose hope, or get depressed if you're in it too long. You motivate yourself by setting deadlines and assuming you'll be out of that unfavorable condition within a set time that seems reasonable. In the end, unless you've lucked out, you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. Granted, people get worn down when they're trying to climb up, or get out of any situation they don't like, it's better to deal with the hard facts while still keeping hope.

This goes back to the excerpt I posted above, on how life is unfair. Sometimes you just deal with the burn and hang on. It hurts, and there might be no emotional release as there is nothing to blame. But we're people. We're resilient beings capable of incredible endurance, especially when empowered by the slightest bit of hope.

In the Hanoi Hilton situation, the prisoners would wash the floor with mops in a rhythm that tapped the floor. The rhythm was the coded communication that admiral Stockdale taught all the prisoners. The tapping consistently spread the message every single day to all prisoners saying "we love you."

You're not a POW as you read this blog. You're free to exercise your right to be great, and even though it may take many years before you see a glimpse of your greatness, who knows, maybe you're just a few pages away?

Impatience

Sometimes I wish I was set already. That I've already gone through all the hard work, and have accomplished all I wanted to accomplish. So that everything I do from here on out is just extra. I'd still live an active life, but the burning desire wouldn't feel like an uncomfortable burning that digs deep into my inner soul, but one that simply burns brightly.

My friend, the other day, sent me a link to an article on perception. About how our happiness and unhappiness is caused by ourselves, and that our happiness can arise from simply being content. I'm wondering if the author was confusing or lacking distinction between peace and joy.

I think there are different types of happiness. One is a happiness that comes from peace. The feeling that makes you think life is good, and you're doing just fine. The other happiness is that which comes from joy. This is the explosion of inner goodness that rushes out of your heart with indescribable force. Both induce good feelings, but are different.

The author of the article I read prescribes a dose of peace by changing our perception of the world. To be thankful for what we have despite always seeking for more. And I agree we should all count our blessings, but would it be too much to have greater ambition and desire it to the point of feeling the burn of passion and desire?

This sort of leads me to the notion that I may not be ambitious, but simply greedy. Let's think on that matter for just a short minute. What is ambition? What is greed? Perhaps they are the same? Often times, greed is associated with wealth, while ambition with achievements. One is associated with obsession while the other for a healthy desire. Is this burning one of excessive desire that leans towards greed? Or is this a healthy burn, like that you feel when pumping iron at the gym, that you must overcome to keep progressing?

Either way, being human that I am, I have times when I dislike the burn. I dwell on it and wish it were to stop. No one likes to suffer, even if it's a good suffering. But I cannot help but question whether or not this burn is a good thing or a bad thing. Whether I've gone too far in my desires, or whether this is how it's done when good people move on to greatness.

I guess it comes down to the vision I've talked about a couple posts back. The direction and groundwork on which I decide to press forward in the direction of my choosing. I don't think I'm wrong in the destination I want to go, but I realize perhaps I wasn't as strong as I used to be, or as strong as I thought to be.

A long time being stagnant can wear down a person. Turn them immobile and harder to gain momentum. Of course, the tricky part being the fact that sometimes, you really don't know whether you're moving or not. Or whether sitting down is as helpful as standing up and walking. And naturally, this results in the tunnel vision that causes your perceptions to change and narrow down into only a handful of things that cause your heart to feel like bursting.

Ultimately, it's hard to say what I'm really feeling, or even trying to say for that matter. Quite honestly, my brain tells me little has changed, and what little change there has been have all been benefiting me these past few months. I live and learn and push forward with the new might that I've acquired. But this persistent heart of mine that keeps seeking the quick rewards, what can I do to gather patience in those small quarters?

Do you love apples???

This one's for you savvy investors willing to lay out a few months of your paychecks on the line, though I would have to ask you to season my thoughts with a grain of salt [just one grain! ;)]. The other day, RIMM, the makers of blackberry released their earnings report and claimed victory on the street currently filled with potholes. The estimated earnings of 66~70 cents per share were topped by 72 cents a share, effectively doubling last years output, and outperforming the upper limit of this quarter's estimates. I guess not everything in the market is crashing down ^_^.v

With that said, I'm wondering about the outlook on another decent performer in Apple. Apple's come a long way since the Ipod and the birth of its sexy line of laptops, including their most recent AIR. Despite some losses since their peak this past dec/jan, Apple's marching forward and rebounding fairly nicely thus far. Today's news of Itunes being the biggest US music retailer has further pushed Apple along it's way to restore it's 200 point high, and with earnings reports as well as the launch of Iphone v2 later this year, I wonder if Apple is ready for another jump in the market. The current Iphones are flying off the shelves, and the outlook on earnings look pretty good. Though I'd have to do more research into other parts of the business, I think it's fairly safe to say Apple is a pretty hot commodity at the moment.

Valued at just over 152 today, I can only imagine where it might be later this summer or this winter. On the positive outlook, I can imagine Apple shooting up 20~30% by the end of the year. But it's really hard to tell as people have less money to play with nowadays. It's a pretty mixed crowd, but I feel that perhaps Apple is not just a pretty face, but has a heart of gold. It'll attract the shallow as well as the good boys who did everything right. After all, there are people who still buy those $3~$4 sunshine lattes and compromise their meals for the rest of the day, so why not buy those sexy Iphones which only cost 100 or so lattes more?

Of course, the smart people are doing the new hip thing. $2 iced coffee at McDonald's! Perhaps I should put some there, and come around the same time next year, I'll also be lovin' it.

Do you see what I see?

The past couple of days, the topic of my life has been vision. What do I see, and what am I failing to see? I've been so caught up in the moments that my vision went from 120 degrees to just 5 degrees. In doing so, I've forgotten about the bigger picture and only focused on some very negative aspects which have lead me to endure major amounts of stress!

On a brighter note, however, I think I'm back to about a 80 degree field of vision =)

In any case, I think vision is important on many different aspects. For one, vision is direction. People with a game plan generally do more in life because they know where they want to go. They have a list of things to do and they execute on it. They move forward along with the rest of the world, often times at a faster rate [since our society has been reduced to laziness and being stagnant!]

For another, vision is a skill. Take, for instance, Magic Johnson. He's probably one of the greatest [if not the greatest] passers in the NBA. His court vision was phenomenal and had eyes all over the place, to the extent that he found people that seemed to have disappeared off the basketball court. It was almost like he could feel the presence of his teammates across the floor from end to end. This vision made him one of the most exciting players in the NBA, not because of dunks, but because of his passes!

This latter concept of vision, as a skill, is something I feel is what makes the difference between being above average and being great. Anyone, given enough effort, can be good, but all the effort in the world cannot help you on the path of greatness. This is because vision, in this context, is used almost interchangeably with insight. You start to see a bigger picture that makes sense, and it gives you freedom to decide accordingly what you want to do next.

That's POWER, with a capital P!

Now some of you might be thinking "I'm just not smart enough for it. I don't know much about it. How do you acquire this type of vision?"

Granted, not everyone is good at it, but I believe that it's a skill that's learned. Vision is an application of knowledge, experience and your own mental capacities. I guess, to a certain extent, it has a little to do with your natural processing power. Some people just have a better knack for putting two and two together. However, that knack does you little if you don't have the knowledge to apply that talent.

This is why people say knowledge is power. The more you know, the more options you will have, and with enough experience and some mental know-how, you'll acquire a vision that'll help you see what most others don't see. This is where the great ones find opportunities and take off with it, and they do this over and over to stay ahead of the game.

Across all markets, all industries, all aspects of life, your vision, both your plans and insight, will take you to places far beyond what you've imagined, but only if you make the most of it. Read, do, reflect, experience, learn, laugh, love... and by the end of it, you'll look back and realize you've lived quite a good life.

That's the future I envision for myself... do you?

The housing front, upon further review

It's come to my attention to pay a bit closer to the ARMs rates to see if the resets in 2009~2011 will really have a big impact on the housing market. At first, it was my initial thought that the resetting rates will have a similar impact as that of the subprime mortgage meltdown. However, upon further review, it seems that a good number of those on ARMs may see a reset that proves beneficial to them.

The rates are lower now and will likely stay low for a bit [though i guess i'm crossing fingers here], so for a lot of people, the reset rate will be lower than what they were paying, and therefore, they won't be hit with the shock that many subprime borrowers have run into. This doesn't mean ARMs are not an issue. The rates in 03/04 have seen some huge cuts and the 5/1 ARMs mortgages from 03/04 may see a jump in their rates similar to those who took the subprime route.

So, what does that add up to in terms of those who are waiting to buy a home? Well, I cannot say for sure, since there are also a variety of other factors, the main one being unemployment. However, my previous outlook on ARMs resets seem to be taking a turn away from doom and gloom to just gloom.

Prices are still going down, and without new jobs or money to stir the economy, the bottom line still stands. I guess we'll see how far the prices will indeed drop, but my plans of home ownership remain stable as I look to purchase towards summer of 09 into spring of 2011.

Love... where's the fine print?

Lately, I've been wondering if the current marriage vows are enough, or whether they should be modified to add in some extra fine print. Yes, it's great to say 'richer or poorer, in sickness and in health' but sometimes I feel perhaps this doesn't give married couples enough of an idea of exactly what they signed up for. Therefore I feel there should be some fine print attached to wedding promises that each couple should read at least 10 times and memorize before they say I do.

The current marital vows, I believe, are great to give the general idea that you promise to love your spouse UNCONDITIONALLY. However, it just seems that this 'unconditional' is a fairly impossible goal to reach among us regular human beings. Not only that, it's a concept relatively unknown to many couples who get married when times are great. But what about times when things aren't going well? What about when the problem is not about finances and well being? What about the part where one simply fails to love another?

What would it be like, if on the wedding day, you made a vow to love your spouse, in all financial and physical circumstances, but also added a line such as 'even when you fail to love me.' Let's think about that for a minute. "I promise to love and hold and cherish you, even in times when you don't love me in return."

At first it makes you think, "If this person is promising to love me in all circumstances, why do I have to say I love this person when he/she will fail to love me?" But honestly, it's human to fail. It's human to make mistakes. And by adding such a line like this, it makes the hardships of marriage very real, and perhaps it will make couples think twice about what that promise really means.

I know I'm not perfect, and because I've never been married before, I might be in way over my head. Marriage isn't a simple black and white, but that's why I started this post in the first place. On paper, I can say all that I want about the nature of human beings, but in practice, I may be no different from any one of those people who fail to maintain a good marriage.

But I think that at the very least, people should be asked to read some fine print before anyone gets married and changes the course of many lives.

On that note, I think people should really consider why they want to get married to someone. Is 'because I love you' really a reason enough? That because you cannot live without that person, you must get married? I guess that's certainly a reason to consider it, but to actually go on ahead and do it?

I am not one to judge, but I would like to reiterate that marriage is a promise to love each other, and not have dependent feelings for each other. I believe that's the song of marriage, meant always to be sung as a duet, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part, and especially in times when you just don't feel like singing and even in times when your partner takes a break to catch his/her breathe. [hopefully that break was just a breather...]

Sing for love, sing for life. Just sing

A true friend

The past weekend, I heard a quote that just sort of blew me away. It goes:

A true friend is someone who knows your song, and will sing it back to you so that you won't forget.

Do I know my friend's songs? And what if their songs are songs of sadness? I guess the speaker meant 'song' in terms of their life goals and promises, but I can't help but wonder, what each and everyone's songs are. Sometimes, I forget my song, but I hope I've a friend who hasn't forgotten, and will sing it back to me every once in a while to remind me where I'm headed.

A Weekend Weekday

I think this week is taking a bit too long to pass by. Granted, my days have zoomed by pretty fast. But for each day I thought about what day it was, I felt like the weekend just couldn't come soon enough! Not that I have crazy plans for the weekend anyways. =/

So what's on tab for Ed's fantabulous life this weekend? Well, to start, he's got a dentist appointment at 9am, bright and early on Saturday morning! No morning cartoons today! Just some drilling and filling. This followed by some gum treatment [more like gum demolition] and 2 hours of recuperation before heading out to a wedding, yay! See Ed swollen on his right cheek, wearing his fashionable Hugo Boss suit and pearly white half-smile [full smile not possible until the numbness wears off... hehe].

This followed by the reception where I should get some feeling back, enough to drink water without spilling it out the side of my mouth. [How's that for sex appeal?] And then to finish off at church to discuss the salvation of 3 dozen teenage souls. Ah yes... the yummy, tasty souls of young teens to offer to Mr. You-Know-Who! [Before you start thinking, there's just one answer... God, duh! hehehehe]

And so, by roughly 5pm, I would've done a perfect 9-5shift filled with random tasks that almost make my weekend not really feel like a weekend! Hopefully, my post-5pm shift will be something more relaxing, perhaps along the lines of some cardio workout and reading a book or... I don't know... I'll figure something out, as I usually do. =)

I guess Sunday sounds pretty nice compared to Saturday though. Just spending the entire day fighting crime and saving souls. All in a day's work I guess.

Anyways... why am I sharing my schedule with you guys? This is totally off from the stuff I usually write here. Oh no... is this turning into a personal journal?! Ack!

Well, I guess it cannot be helped. It should only come to show I'm a perfectly normal human being like any one of you, and therefore the life of passion I live can also be applied to all of you as well.

What? You think I'm crazy? Well, y'all crazy too then! Same rules apply ;)

Happy Friday! Thursday!

Home sweet home

My blog is titled "Life and the pursuit of happiness." I think that's what we all strive for, no matter how you look at it. We all want to be happy. We all want to be rich, because wealth leads to comfortable living. We all want to have someone to love, and someone to love us. It is human to feel so, and it is simply how we are.

When thinking about life and happiness, I think one of the first things we think about [as we get older and become adults] is to have a place to call home. We want to own our own home, as it is a reflection of achievement that we call the "American Dream." You've heard it before. To have your own home with a white picket fence, with a beautiful wife/handsome husband and 2.5 kids [the 0.5 being a pet, like a dog], etc.

It's unfortunate, however, that the past decade has recently seen a boom in housing that has inflated prices well beyond what's affordable, especially in california! The average price for a home in southern california is around $465,000 right now [a big dip from 560K around this time last year!], which is well above the 200~250K range that it was before things went out of control. In fact, I remember a 2 story, 5 bedroom house next door to my apartment complex, which sold for about 350K back in 2000.

To tell you the truth, if that house sold again for 350K, I'd jump on it so fast, not even light could catch up. As a working professional with some money saved up, I sometimes wish I was born 6~8 years sooner. Not only could I have picked up on the tech boom in the 90's, I could've taken full advantage of cheap housing and bought me some nice investments and a place to call my own.

However, no big deal. And for those of you who think you lost your chance, no biggie for you either. Why is that you ask? Well, for one, there's been a trend of housing 'collapses' every decade, where prices fall to an affordable low before prices start kicking up again. Though I do have to admit, the 2000's have extended it's stay a bit too long, and due to reckless behavior by lenders, the housing market sustained a bit longer than usual.

On the bright side [not bright for the general population, but perhaps for future home buyers], the prices are dipping. Subprimes are resetting everyday and the bulk of it will continue into the end of this year. This spring and summer will see the most resets like never before, and current owners under those evil 2/28 plans are gonna financially bleed to death with no way out [save for winning the lotto]

On top of that, ARMs rates will also reset in 09, causing quite a few more to bite the housing dust. Mix that in with our currently above-average unemployment rates, and the painting depicts a bigger picture in which people simply cannot afford housing for a while. Sellers cannot comprehend the situation as they just want to get bailed out with a sell with minimized loss, but more likely than not, this is not reality.

Short sales are still up and climbing, and inventory is still overstocked with homes [up to a year's worth and not the usual 3~4 months worth!]. The numbers don't lie, and these trends only come to show that the other numbers, the price of homes, will continue to dip down lower and lower until consumers decide that they could afford homes again.

Right now, though, it's neither a buyer or seller's market. Buyers need to wait out and sellers, unfortunately, have to be at the mercy of buyers or the banks.

So "When should I buy a home?" you ask? Well, for one, buy it when you can afford it! But if you feel that you have the financial power to do so, my best guess would be sometime around summer of 09 into fall of 2010. Prices should continue to slide with our current economical standing, especially within California [with the exception of rich areas where people can afford homes regardless of price].

I'll be waiting and monitoring as we go and giving updates every once in a blue moon on this blog. I'm no professional, mind you, so do compare my statements with other sources and decide for yourself. However, as a potential buyer, I can promise you that I have no intention to do you wrong.

To wish you and I both the chance at the American Dream

Pearly Whites

So it's been a hectic past few days [and therefore the hiatus in my blogging!]. For those of you not familiar, it was the holiest week in the Catholic calendar starting with Holy Thursday all the way to Easter Sunday! And I hope you're all glad to know that I've survived! hehe... and I also wish you all a Happy Easter =)

On that note, I got my teeth whitened last Thursday! I have to tell you though, for all those who are as 'vain' as I am, that the process actually hurts! You figure you just dab some gel on your teeth, and about 30 minutes later, your teeth are pearly white and ready to go, right? Well, that's only half the story!

It seems that the gel treatment [with a high concentration of peroxide] leaves your teeth pretty sensitive, and it my case, I felt shooting pains like I've never felt before! Well, to be honest, I have, but that was during a one time root canal treatment that hurt no longer than a minute. But yes, there's a painful price to teeth whitening, and if you want to get it done the 'right' way, do prepare for a little bit of pain.

On the bright side, the pain lasted only one night, and I had to be careful of hot/cold drinks for another day. It's day 4 now, and I'm doing totally fine. WOOHOO!! Unfortunately, though, I still have to watch what I eat! DOH!

Yes, you heard me, I gotta watch what I eat. I'm not supposed to eat foods with color, especially foods that are 'wet' and can stain my teeth, like coffee, tea, curry, wine, etc. As a result, I've been on a white food diet the past few days, and have FINALLY picked up a decent eating habit to keep up with my workout and normal nutrition plan. It's too bad I've only 3 days left, but I think it's good to know for future references.

My menu items are along the lines of:
-jack cheese quesadillas
-plain/egg bagel with cream cheese
-egg white omelette w/ mushroom, onion
-hashed browns [lightly grilled so it's not too brown]
-baked potato with sour cream
-any white fish with steamed cauliflower
-white peach, banana, pear and coconut
-vanilla flavored protein powders [they're usually white, so all good! drink with milk]
-white rice
-ice cream
-fettuccine alfredo and other pasta w/ white sauces

and the list goes on~ hehe... so if you guys ever decide to get your teeth whitened, feel free to use this menu. Aside from the last two options, this is a healthy menu that people can follow without too much hassle, and you can maintain your workout routine while on it.

I think overall, I am still unsure as to whether I'll get professional teeth whitening done again, as the pain really sucked, but if I ever fall into the trap of coffee/coke in some other point in my life, perhaps I will. I learned my lesson though. If you want to keep your pearly whites, don't just brush! Floss once [or twice] a day as well, and get a cleansing done 1 or 2 times a year, with a deep cleansing [this hurts too btw] maybe once every several years.

As I get older, I'm starting to appreciate maintaining my dental hygiene as well as taking care of my body overall. Same goes with taking care of my intellect and staying sharp in life, career and relationships. Sometimes it feels like you gotta be superman to handle it all, but I think it just requires a bit of diligence and discipline, and lots of sacrifice.

The path of least resistance should be resisted the most. Do your best. Run as fast as you can, and I promise you that you won't be complaining how your life sucks everyday. Maybe just once or twice a week. =P

March Madness and the Faithful

Couldn't help but to enjoy a little something from Dan Wetzel's blog post:

3:01 p.m. EDT: In 1985, my mother won a big NCAA pool by picking just the Catholic schools. That year Villanova, St. John’s and Georgetown came in for her. Now, as a fine young lady from Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Queens, N.Y., she’d never change.

However, my father, always looking for an angle, is wondering which religion he should be this week to better his bracket chances. And on further review, going Catholic makes a great deal of sense.

The Catholics have Xavier, Mount St. Mary’s, Notre Dame, Butler, St. Joseph’s, Villanova, Siena, Marquette, Gonzaga, Georgetown, St. Mary’s and San Diego.

The Protestants have Oral Roberts and Baylor.

The Mormons have Brigham Young.

The Jews have Temple (kidding).

“Isn’t Austin Peay some religion?” my father asked.

“It doesn’t mean all of the teams don’t have some God-fearing young men,” noted Tony. “I like this. You’ve got to have a system.”

Well, tomorrow is Good Friday.

Yea, I'm biased. I'm Catholic! But I do have to say, Catholics make some pretty good ballas! HOLLA!

Starbucks revisted!

So last night, I went on my whole rant about Starbucks, the latte and the California dream, and interestingly enough, I ran into a report on Bloomberg on some changes going on at Starbucks:

March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Starbucks Corp. Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz may introduce a plan for a loyalty program to stanch declining U.S. sales at a shareholders meeting tomorrow.

Schultz will probably offer free coffees or discounts to customers using prepaid Starbucks Cards to entice the chain's most frequent customers to visit more and avoid competitors led by McDonald's Corp.

You can find the entire article here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&refer=home&sid=aybc7Mp4Kbmk

So apparently, some of the nation has indeed decided their Starbucks latte are no longer made of dreams, but of real money that was earned through good-to-honest hard work! Furthermore, with McDonalds ushering in a new era of caffeinated drinks at a much cheaper cost, it seems to me that you can have your burger with your latte, and eat it too!

Of course, the point here is not so much having a burger with your latte, but understanding the current situation that a lot of us face today in the slowing economy. We must spend more wisely, and in things we need and especially in things that help increase our wealth [though they may be harder to find now]. Think and plan, because what you do over the next couple of years can seriously change your life tenfold!

There are still people out there drinking their $3 sunshine lattes while barely making ends meet, but you, on the other hand, will know that sunshine lattes are temporary highs. Because as my dear friend Stacie once said...

"there's gotta be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me"

One day, you'll dot your i's with happy faces if you make the best out of this situation, and when you do, be sure to make check payable to Edward Kim in gratitude for the morale support! [haha.. sorry, couldn't help but to push that in!]