Warren Buffet's New Year Letter

We begin this New Year with dampened enthusiasm and dented optimism.

Our happiness is diluted and our peace is threatened by the financial illness that has infected our families, organisations and nations.

Everyone is desperate to find a remedy that will cure their financial illness and help them recover their financial health.

They expect the financial experts to provide them with remedies, forgetting the fact that it is these experts who created this financial mess.

Every new year, I adopt a couple of old maxims as my beacons to guide my future.

This self-prescribed therapy has ensured that with each passing year, I grow wiser and not older.

This year, I invite you to tap into the financial wisdom of our elders along with me, and become financially wiser.

 Hard work:        All hard work brings profit; but mere talk leads only to poverty.
 Laziness:            A sleeping lobster is carried away by the water current.
 Earnings:            Never depend on a single source of income.
 Spending:           If you buy things you don't need, you'll soon sell things you need.
 Savings:             Don't save what is left after spending; Spend what is left after saving.
 Borrowings:       The borrower becomes the lender's slave.
 Accounting:        It's no use carrying an umbrella, if your shoes are leaking.
 Auditing:             Beware of little expenses; a small leak can sink a large ship.
 Risk-taking:        Never test the depth of the river with both feet.
 Investment:        Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
 

I'm certain that those who have already been practising these principles remain financially healthy.

I'm equally confident that  those who resolve to start practising these principles will quickly regain their financial health.
Let us become wiser and lead a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful life.

Another Fresh and Clean Air Run at Upper Pierce Reservoir

Seems like the group love the Running Routes around the Upper Pierce Reservoir (UPR).

Good turn-out today about 11 people with only 1 lady.

Joyce, HC, Edmund, Yun YS, Joseph, KH (?), Yanto, Sheby, PH (?), MJ and Kim. BokHui not feeling well and pulled out before we left the office.

It was nice to have Joyce joining us for the first time, the most Powerful Lady on the "materials" Planet called Mattipetesturichtay.

We drove off from rear gate carpark around 5:45pm and reach the free carpark slightly before 6pm. Most of us took the 6.5km route while some took the 7.2km and a few took the 4.2km. Our ONE and only ONE Mr.MJ took a "much longer" route (maybe 20 or 30km). The whole group waited and waited for him until 7:15pm and he still did not show up.

The group got worried and concern for him. Did he lost his way, get into some accident, kidnapped by the strayed monkeys, gone back to office or home, or etc. Called the police and reported lost of One Hot-Runners. The police sent 3 platoons of army boys to search the whole area to look for him.

Of course, that was a joke. But we did lost him. As the gate will be closed at 7:30pm we drove off from the carkpark at our usual exit time of 7;15pm. Yanto's car was assigned to go find MJ. They managed to find him when driving out from the reservoir area. Will find out what happen to him and add to this Blog later.

Kim cycled all the way back to his home after the run. Great guy.

Overall, everyone enjoyed the run.

Great Grandma Was a Great Runner

Thanks to Pete Laute (Beijing) for sharing this really motivating and inspiring story.

Run for Health, Run for Fun, Run for Life - from GoodDaddy

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From: Laute Peter (from Beijing)
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2009
Subject: Great Grandma Was a Great Runner

February 04, 2009

Great Grandma Was a Great Runner

Mark Remy

We interrupt our usual RW Daily claptrap to bring you some serious, and sad, news:

Rosario Iglesias has died, at age 98.

If you don't know who Rosario Iglesias is, that's even sadder. (I'll admit that I'd never heard of her, before her death.) Iglesias was a runner. And not just any runner; the resident of Mexico City held world records in five categories: the 85- and 90-and-over class at 400 and 800 meters and the 90-and-over record at 200 meters.

Did we mention that this great-grandmother took up competitive running at age 80?

She got into racing almost accidentally, thanks to her job delivering newspapers. As described in her obituary, via The Associated Press:

Iglesias collected newspapers from distributors and ran though the streets delivering them to subscribers, covering six to seven miles (nine to 11 kilometers) a day. A customer who was also a runner noticed her rushing about at an age when most people have long retired and suggested she enter a race.

She did, she won, and her running career took off.

I think most of us will feel fortunate just to live past age 90, let alone still be running. Let alone be setting, you know, world records. Wow.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Senior female runner with 5 world records dies

The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY: Rosario Iglesias, a world-class runner in the 90 years-and-older category, has died in Mexico City. She was 98.

Iglesias died Saturday, according to Mexico's National Sports Commission. It did not give further details, and her family could not be reached for comment Sunday.

The news vendor took up sports at the age of 80 and went on to hold five world records for her age group. In 2004, she carried the Olympic torch before tens of thousands on the featured leg of its passage through Mexico en route to Athens.

"With her example as a fighter, she motivated Mexicans to become active, and she showed through her discipline, commitment and love that it's possible to make dreams come true," the commission said.

Iglesias proved that "barriers don't exist when one sets out to reach a goal in life," the commission added.

Born in Mexico City on Aug. 31, 1910, Iglesias collected newspapers from distributors and ran though the streets delivering them to subscribers, covering six to seven miles (nine to 11 kilometers) a day. A customer who was also a runner noticed her rushing about at an age when most people have long retired and suggested she enter a race.

She did, she won, and her running career took off.

After winning a series of local and national championships at 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 meters, Iglesias began competing abroad. She won races in Japan, South Africa, Barbados, Britain, Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States.

According to World Masters Athletics, the recognized sanctioning body for senior athletes, Iglesias held world records in five categories — both the 85- and 90-and-over class at 400 and 800 meters and the 90-and-over record at 200 meters (82.29 seconds).

The mother of two, who had 15 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren, was known as "Chayito," a nickname often applied to Mexican women named Rosario.

Green fresh air run @ Upper Pierce Reservoir

The interest on running has definitely increased a lot. Today we have a total of 11 people including BengHwee who has came all the way from East Coast area to the Upper Pierce Reservoir to join the AMK Hot-Runners group !

From this group of 11 Hot-Runners, 7 of them are from Materials Dept ! Wow... maybe it is in the PM goal this year to run at least once or twice a week for Good Health and for Fun.

The Hot-Runners were BengHwee, HC, YS Yun, ZhiJing, Eric (Claypton), Lau (Andy), Benjamin (Graham), SokeHan, Ivy (Tower), Reas (Risk?), Margaret (Thatcher) and Betty (Boot).

Most of us commented on the return slope for one of the section of the road, it suddenly appeared much steeper than we thought. Of course lah, when we started the run, that was the wonderful good downward slope... piece of cake.

Edwin still tied up at work. Catherine New (tied up at work) and BokHui (just realized last minute that he had an appoinment or a date tonight) called up to apologize for not able to join today's run. Wow, these people are so nice. By the way the Runs are for Health, for Fun and for Life... so it's not compulsory you know? But these group of Hot-Runners are really a bunch of very nice, lovely and wonderful people.

Thanks HC for providing the 100-Plus isotonic drink (see the red color dispenser?) after the run.
It was great to have a nice cool drink after the run while relaxing to watch the sunset by the reservoir. This UPR (Upper Pierce Reservoir) route is now getting more popular due to its clear air and much lesser car traffic. This UPR has a choice of 4.2km, 6.5km, 7.2km and 10.0km distance all around the same area.

A new record number of 5 ladies today.

All of us took the 6.5km route today. I thought most of the ladies will take the 4.2km but ALL went for the 6.5km! Wonderful, they are really good!

Quote

"To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it." - Mother Teresa

Quote

"Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present." - Albert Camus