Good Bye Michael Jackson

1958-2009

Michael Jackson, aged 50, passed away suddenly on 25 June 2009 at his rented mansion in Los Angeles, a few weeks shy of his sell-out come-back concerts in England. He was a music icon, one of the most successful solo artists of all time. Despite his weird life, one cannot help but take notice of his revolutionising of the music industry. His natural dancing, song-writing and singing talent as well as an incredible showmanship brought boundless joy as well as inspiration to all his peers and fans. He transcends cultural boundaries well before Tiger Wood, Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.

Who could forget his contribution and participation in "We Are the World" all-star concert in aid of famine victims in Africa? His "Thriller" album, about 50 million copies sold worldwide? His "Moonwalk"? His "Black or White" video which registered the highest viewership rating for Fox television in the US? Tributes from those who were close to him, the like of Liza Minelli, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Deepak Chopra are testimony to the man's character. All the negative portrayals about him seem hollow.

I will always remember Michael Jackson for his music. He lives on in my memory.

My heart goes out to his loved ones.

From a Grateful Patient

Appreciation with flowers



I had a pleasant surprise this morning when a basket of orchids was sent to my clinic. The message is simple "Budi Baik Dr tetap dikenangi" or " Your Good Care will always be Remembered". This gesture really makes my day.

I hardly know the lady but I give my best to all the patients who value their health. By the way, though I sensed that she was different from other patients, I did not know that her husband owns several companies. I treat all my patients, wealthy or poor, equally.

This is the satisfaction working with patients who appreciate you. Thinking about it, don't we all need to be recognised some time?

Stock Market Sale is Starting......

As expected the rally at the stock market is short-lived as it is not driven by fundamentals instead by sentiments probably by news of possible economic recovery especially in the US. There were also talks about the entry of foreign funds being parked in our market and this it seemed had pushed up the prices. At the height of the rally KLCI had reached 1090, the rise was too fast and too soon. I am not surprised that many investors will be selling-off, contributing to the downtrend (translated by fear) and signaling the start of the needed correction.

Investors are taking a breather now and will be looking at the depth of this downtrend, is it a "V" or a "U"? Some will be taking this opportunity to get some bargains, some will take a longer time to snap up the stocks and some will continue looking and by the time they realize it, the prices are too high for them to afford. No risk no gain, now, in which group are you in?

Savvy investors will look at contributing factors and historical data and of course, the companies' fundamentals before they dive in. Yes, if you do not have time to monitor the stocks, please just stick to unit trusts and leave the excitement to risk-loving nerds!

Looks to me the stock sale is just starting but unlike the departmental stores' sale where shoppers come in droves, you will notice that the shoppers (investors) will tend to stay away from this sale. They instead will stomp in when the market is selling at rising prices... greed is sticking out a mile! I am going to visit this deserted market.....

Medical Musical Chair.. Where Do I Stop?

She was about 53 years old and as she came in she looked rather apprehensive. She could not speak the local language well and the story goes like this. She had recurrent headache and blurring of vision for a number of months. She finally saw a doctor who promptly diagnosed high blood pressure and prescribed her a medication and asked her to come in a week to review her response.

She came back right on the appointed date and was seen by another doctor who decided to change the medication and asked her to return in a week's time for review of her condition. She dutifully turned up at the clinic only to be seen by yet another doctor, who after taking her blood pressure, added yet another drug and asked the patient to come back in another week's time to check on her condition.

She then landed in my clinic with much trepidation and confusion on her face. I read through her notes and decided to engage her. She understood when told that her condition required daily medication and the drug was to be taken regularly on time to derive its effectiveness. It seemed that she did not understand this and had not been explained earlier. She ended up not taking the drug, any drug at all as she felt dizzy especially when she took the second drug! And Her blood pressure was still high.

The buck stopped here, I almost blurted out... for first timers, it is advisable to lie down about 10-20 minutes after taking the drug and do it for 2-3 days till you are used to its pressure-lowering effects. You have to take the drug daily at scheduled time and not as you like, e.g today at 7am, tomorrow at 12 midday and the following day at 7pm!

After much explanation and with the help of an interpreter, she was given a once daily drug and told to take at the same time everyday. She must come back in two weeks time and see the SAME DOCTOR! If she did not take the medication as instructed, it was not a good idea to see a doctor, any doctor for that matter as it would be a waste of time. Doctors and patients form a natural partnership in the management of patients' medical conditions. Good interaction will go a long way in patient care. Lack of communication defeats that purpose and prolong unnecessary suffering.

A Blue Collar Trader... Looks like me, Sounds like me.. but...

It's heaven on Earth!

Having been aware of the need to create wealth some years ago, I decided to be financially literate by learning things outside of my profession. After calculating my income minus taxes and inflation rates and projecting it to a number of years in the future, I found that I could not sustain my life style in retirement if what I did was only regular saving in the old bank. Despite my saving affinity, I discovered that the increased saving through compound interest, an amazing factor in itself, would still fall short of my expected financial requirement at that golden age eventhough I would actually not be too badly off.

I love my profession and would not dream of doing something else. I was already thinking how to multiply my income without leaving my profession, at the same time I was not about to do double job or moonlighting. Other income-generating business related to my profession would also be deemed unethical. How then to make money work for me and not me working for money all my life? That question had, inadvertently, brought me onto the road of wealth creation. Apparently the same question was posed by Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and look how fabulously wealthy he is now.

I started off with the safe capital protected unit trusts,then progressed to variable priced funds and finally graduated to the risky stock market through purchases of IPOs (Initial Public Offering). At the start of my "adventure", I chose my stocks haphazardly ( listening to rumours etcetera) and due to the then bullish market, I made money regardless. No hotshot fund manager was advising me. Then, one day, I finally grew up after the Asian stock market crash, as one of the companies I invested in was put under PN4 and has since been de listed from KLSE, and what a disastrous loss it was! That financial debacle taught me a lesson. I realise how important it is to know the companies well before you invest in them. I now invest only in those companies with strong fundamentals. I learned to read financial reports. Balance sheet, income statement and cash flow were all Greek to me once.

Lacking in investing skills and engaging the services of financial consultants are a hallmark of a blue collar trader who actually doesn't regard trading as a major source of income and who deals generally with low-risk investments such as mutual funds to get extra income through dividends and bonuses. On the other hand, I have a diversified portfolios and different asset classes and I am not really risk-averse as a blue collar trader is... I like risk as that is where the thrill is.

On reflection, yes I am an investor, on most occasions, I buy and hold stocks ,applying dollar cost averaging and making my money work for me 24/7 . In the meantime I am enjoying doing what I am qualified for... enough for my pocket money.

Be Optimistic and Stay Healthy and Live Longer.

Glorious Sunrise!


Do you know that our outlook on life can impact our health in terms of feelings of well-being, quality of life and even longevity? Some of us are born pessimists but do not despair because we can change this through some self help strategies. Shifting from this dark side would need us to become aware of our pessimistic ways that influence how we think and feel, ...... Eureka!

The followings are some steps we can take:

■ Refocus our perspective
Everyone has ups and downs. Just because something goes wrong, doesn't mean we're doomed to fail. Refocus when our thinking is clouded by negative thoughts.

■ Look for the good in life
Try this in situations we might normally feel depressed such as losing at the stock market, look at the loss as an opportunity to learn more about tactical investing and to be more vigilant.

■ Be grateful and savour good times
Take stock of what we have to be grateful for. Gratitude can help us focus on what's good in our life. Cherish the time when all is well - those memories can be invaluable when times are rough

■ Look for pleasure in small things
Find simple pleasure in everyday things, like sitting and talking with a friend, sipping a glass of cool fruit juice or reading a good book.

■ Practice random kindness
Reaching beyond ourselves to treat friends and even strangers with unexpected kindness not only enriches them, but it also can help us feel better.

■ Reconsider our pessimism of others
Constantly thinking or talking in a pessimistic or critical way way won't help solve problems and can dampen our mood and the moods of those around us. Reduce the frequency of discussing issues (or even bad gossiping) that irritate us instead try challenging ourselves to look for the positive aspects in things we dislike.

All these remind me very much the Obama speech to the Muslim world two weeks ago at Al Azhar University in Egypt.... we are here together on this planet earth, but for a brief time!

So be optimistic, stay healthy and enjoy our life on this wonderful earth intelligently blessed by Nature for our survival.

A rAlly in A BeAr MarKet?

The current rally in the stock market has given a lot of joy to some investors but several market analysts have cautioned against aggressive engagements as the economic fundamentals and export data are not yet that encouraging, though US job data in first quarter 2009 appear to point to a recovery. Some people opined that stock market precedes these data by three to six months... hard to believe unless you have been studying the market trend under different circumstances over the years... Warren Buffet's domain!

Some stocks in Bursa Malaysia have outperformed the market, rising rapidly from their 52-week lows by large margins. While other low beta stocks are underperforming and tactically safer to purchase now and keep for the longer term. The KLCI has gone over 1060 well below Fibonacci Retracement target level of 1080 at 38.2% according to a recent survey by Malaysian Business. So what do a minnow investor like me do? First I have missed the rally... now I have to wait for that predicted fierce selling-down..... fear and a wee bit greed?... But, hey, remember this is an all-weather investment strategy and not for short-terms gain... so no sleepless nights, thank you.

The same situation is apparently happening in the US, the current stock rally seems to be resilient despite the uncertainties of the market recovery. Fund managers said they were bullish and yet nervous at the same time. The rise in stock prices seem to defy logic and some market watchers have expressed concern whether it is now nearer to a point where smart money is getting out and dumb money is rushing in. Investors taking a short position have to be cautious because buying stocks at this stage may not achieve your desired risk/reward ratio. A rally in a bear market is exciting but small investors , especially, will need to monitor market behaviour very closely lest they lose their investment at the blink of the eye!