Category: Current Events

An arm-chair punter’s view on his world.

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Year of the bearish Pig?

I’ve gone into the equities market some weeks before Chinese New Year since it was quite bullish. Reading the Edge and Star Business, I was pretty confident of the market. It was pleasant surprise, waking up on the 4th day of Chinese New Year to discover that the KLCI was the highest since the Asian crash of 1997.

Think of the even greater surprise a week later when a massive global sell-off happened less than a week after the papers have hailed the record breaking feat in the local bourse. The cause of the massive sell off was attributed to a Chinese capital control rumor. The rumor caused panic sell-off in the Shanghai stock exchange and every market, including the Dow, suffered.

But it has now been a week since then and the sell-off is still high. Looking at the regional market, the bearish sentiment seems prevalent. Is the sell-off really caused by what analysts now call the “Shanghai Sneeze”? Or is it caused by the Yen carry trade?

According to Wikipedia:-

In the last couple of years, the yen has grown weaker and weaker against not only the dollar but against nearly all other important world currencies due to a de facto zero interest rate policy which has encouraged massive yen carry trades, where speculators borrow in yen and buy bonds and other assets in currencies that charge significant interest. This can be very profitable, but is a short position on the yen, which in the absence of other factors drives the yen’s value down

Whatever it is, I wished that I had bought that new flat panel LCD TV that I was eyeing at 🙂

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James Cameron presents…”The Cruci-fiction”!

Hahaha! Just when one thought that the Atheism debate is being waged by intellectuals like Richard Dawkins and philosophers like Sam Harris, Hollywood is also stepping up to the fray via Oscar winning director James Cameron and Simcha Jacobvici’s latest documentary about the cruci-fiction of Christ!

It all started with a December 2005 press release, which innocently framed the documentary as:-

“Drawing upon archaeology and forensics, Mr. Cameron and Mr. Jacobovici reveal facts that point toward a potential discovery of historic significance concerning the New Testament”

But latest information reveals something that will have Bible waving folks shouting bloody jihad because the documentary will show Jesus’s grave (and no it’s not empty). The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith with Paul saying, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

Head to the show’s website for more information.

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Bloggers United

I’ve added a new link on the right side of my blog. It is a badge that links to the updates of “Bloggers United”, a site that has been set up for updates to the recent civil suit against two prominent Malaysian bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Rocky Bru.

Though sometimes I may not agree with Jeff or Rocky, I defend their right to publish their views, and the views of their readers- no matter how childish or outlandish some of them may be- in full, without fear of or favour from the authorities.

The badge a sign of solidarity between all bloggers to stand united so that our rights are not usurped by the powers that be.

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The “thank you” for our wedding post

I haven’t been updating my blog too often. Work load is piling up and I just can’t seem to cope with writing even thought it is one of the most therapeutic form of hobbies that can delay the onset of madness (I think).

First off, I want to thank everyone who had helped out in our wedding…2 months ago. I know, I know it’s late and everything but I am of the opinion that a late thank you is better than an eternity of silence which could be construed as ingratitude. We had the wedding of our lives and we are extremely grateful for your assistance and friendship.

Also, I want to thank all those who made the effort to attend our wedding. Again, I know that we had the unfortunate luck of having a wedding dinner in a place next to race course on a weekend. I thank all of you for the 30 minutes wait in your car during the last 400 meter stretch, competing with punters who have no lives but to turn up in an empty race course just so they can see the live video from Singapore or somewhere where people race horses.

Lastly, I want to apologize for the long list of friends and family whom we had forgotten to invite to our event. Have heart that you were never forgotten (but only during the hectic months that lead up to our wedding).

What does it feel like to be married?

It feels blissful. It’s the same sort of bliss that I would feel if I were to combine the joy that I felt when I bought my first Apple PowerBook plus when I turned on my first iPod, plus when I first heard the Harbeth plus when I heard that George Lucas is embarking on the Prequels (err, no, strike that out- the prequels were shite), times a thousand. No, make that a million. No, make that 10 billion kazillion mazilion. And to complete it, power that amount to a googol.

Yes, after 6 months of hectic planning, Cheryl and I are back to being boyfriend and girlfriend again, albeit, a steadier than steady boyfriend and girlfriend relationship. And that, I guess, is what really matters: a couple goes through the process just so that they end up having back the wonderful lives that they had been having before the “M” question is popped.

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New Wedding Website

I’ve created a new website for our wedding! We’ll share our experiences along the way by posting updates to our planning and preparations for the big day!

Head to http://web.mac.com/ckkoay to see the site! This link is also clickable on the right of this site in the “External Links” category.

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Updates, updates, updates

I’ve been silent all these weeks not because I am lazy (okay, maybe a little) but because I’ve joined a new company and suddenly, my life has been injected back into the fast track.

I’m now working in the Segment Marketing team of a telecommunications company and I’ve been extremely busy in the past couple of months. Okay, some of you may be thinking that this is a downgrade but well, life goes on I guess.

The decision to work for a company didn’t come easily. I’ve been running my own one-man show consultancy and was quite comfortable with the relatively abundant quality time that I get. So what made me go back to work for someone?

The reason is….I needed the security of a 9-to-5 job. Yes, Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore.

Ever since I met Cheryl, I had this unexplained desire to provide the best for her and I couldn’t have anything as unstable as a freelance career, regardless of how many hours I get to spend watching “The West Wing” or playing “Gran Turismo 4” or read Salman Rushdie or tweak with audiophile system or upgrade my system to the latest version of Mac OS X.

In that respect, I surprised even myself in the way how my mind works. Perhaps this is what happens when one finds the right one to settle down with 🙂

So anyway, I was just writing about my job and it turned out to be very interesting. One thing that holds true in the mobile telecommunications company in Malaysia is the fact that it is hyper-competitive and one always have to be on one’s toes in order to get ahead of the other.

Being in marketing gave me the opportunity to witness first hand how certain decisions are made and the reasons behind such decisions. It gave me the perspective that I once lacked when commenting on the telecommunication industry. And so far, the ride has been a very rewarding one indeed.