Book: Second Suns: Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives

I enjoyed reading about the amazing lives of these 2 doctors - Dr. Geoffrey Tabin (Harvard trained doctor who is the fourth person in the world to complete the seven summits) and Dr. Sanduk Ruit (Top eye surgeon, who came from a humble background). Both doctors are compassionate human beings who brought light to so many poor blind people who have no access to/can't afford medical treatment.

Unfortunately, the author David Oliver Relin committed suicide last year. He did a great job sharing the stories of these 2 doctors.

Below are some quotes taken from the book that resonated with me:

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About Dr. Sanduk Ruit motivation to study hard to become a doctor and help many other poor people. Ruit's younger sister who died in her teens due to TB. 3 out of  his 5 siblings died young due to fever, diarrhea and TB.

"A fifty percent survival rate. Unacceptable, unacceptable, unacceptable. The more I (Dr Ruit) thought about it, the more I realized Yang La didn't have to die. None of my brothers and sisters had to die. They died because resources the rest of the world had were not available to us. And after a month or so of spinning around with my thoughts, suddenly I saw the path I had to follow. It was straight and clear. I realized I had to become a doctor. I had to become someone who could go out and get those resources. I had been working hard, but I had to work harder. Real Study began after that"

+++

Tabin said "my heros weren't the people who asked "Why?". They were the ones who asked "Why not?".

+++

Dr Geoff Tabin, at the peak of his climbing career, became the 4th person ever to complete Seven Summits. The comedown from such a monumental achievement can be disorientating, even depressing.... Tabin kept picturing the ecstatic face of the no-longer-blind sherpa woman and realized he wanted to help others like her more than he wanted to climb any mountain.... he aims for an achievement not of an individual nature, but of a more universal, more meaningful sort."

Tabin did have time to refine his priorities. None, he realized, ranked higher than to alleviate suffering

+++

Dr Ruit encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"But you humble me, Dr Ruit", the Dalai Lama said. "You humble me with your compassion. I am just a simple Buddhist monk. I often wish I had some technical skills, so I could be of greater use."

+++

A quote from Lao-Tzu

"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.

Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.

Chase after money and your heart will never unclench.

Care about other people's approval and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity"

+++

These 2 gentlemen certainly inspired me by their compassion and sacrifices.

Do support them at at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_Cataract_Project

More information on this book: http://www.cureblindness.org/second-suns-book/

Certainly, there is a mis-allocation of resources in the world.

Certainly, the world is not fair.

However, we can do our small part to make it better.

Lee Kuan Yew's "One man's view of the world".

Without a doubt, Lee Kuan Yew is the founding father of modern Singapore. National day was 2 days ago and Mr Lee appeared to be frail, and I was feeling a bit concerned for him. I read Straits Times' article on his new book "One man's view of the world", and I had 3 key takeaways:

1. Discipline

Mr Lee is extremely discipline (a common trait among highly successful people). He exercises daily (jogged 3 times a day and swim daily) to maintain good health, even now at the age of 89 years old. 

2. Practical

He signed the Advanced Medical Directive, which means that he would not be put on life-support equipment if he is very sick beyond any hope of recovery. 

He did not believe in God (at least not in the Abrahamic Faith sense), and cited Darwinism, but he did not totally reject the idea of God or afterlife. 

3. Meeting New People 

He mentioned the importance of meeting people from different backgrounds (diplomats to ordinary people). This keeps his views of the world updated and balanced. 

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I wrote these down to remind myself that the importance of instilling self-discipline, being practical and taking the initiative to meet new people. 

  

Book: Old Path White Clouds

Old Path White Clouds 

After my vipassana meditation, an old gentleman (Retired Civil Servant, Ex-Christian, Meditator) who converted to Buddhism in recent years recommended me to read this book “Old Path White Clouds” – by Thich Nhat Hanh. 

I thank him for recommending this book, which is one of the best books I ever read in my life. I am not exaggerating. If there is only one Buddhist related book that I should read, this would be the one. 

This book is about the Life of Buddha. The author made an effort to retell the story of Buddha in a very “human” way. There is no supernatural or magical feat mentioned in the book. Buddha faced many challenges along the path just like everyone of us, but he dealt with the challenges with wisdom and compassion. There are just too many wonderful things to learn from him. 

Buddha is a revolutionist in his time. He abandoned his life as a prince in search for Truth. He disregarded the Indian Caste system and societal pressure to ordain the “untouchables” and women to be part of his spiritual community. (Note that: Both untouchables and women had no status in India back then, even now at some parts of India.) He is guided by principles and values, not by tradition and dogma beliefs. In 2500 years ago, Buddha saw that everybody as equal. That itself is revolutionary. 

Buddha discouraged his disciples to idol worship, and told his disciples to accept his teachings only if it makes sense to them. There is no eternal condemnation. 

There are too many wonderful stories to share, below is one of my favorites: 

Context: Buddha had attained the supreme enlightenment and went back to his father kingdom to share his teachings. 

_____

The King (Buddha’s father) said “I thought surely you would come to the palace to see your family first. Who could have guessed you would instead go begging in the city? Why didn’t you come to eat at the palace?” 

The Buddha smiled at his father. “Father, I am not alone. I have travelled with a large community, the community of bhikkhus (monks). I, too, am a bhikkhu, and like all other bhikkhus, beg for my food.” 

“But must you beg for food at such poor dwellings as there around here? No one in the history of Sakya clan has ever done such a thing.” 

Again the Buddha smiled. “Perhaps no Sakya has ever done so before, but all bhikkhus have. Father, begging is a spiritual practice which helps a bhikkhu develop humility and see that all persons are equal. When I receive a small potato from a poor family, it is no different than when I receive an elegant dish served by a king. A bhikkhu can transcend barriers that discriminate between rich and poor. On my path, all are considered equal. Everyone, no matter, how poor he is, can attain liberation and enlightenment. Begging does not demean my own dignity. It recognizes the inherent dignity of all persons.” 

_______

May all beings be free from sufferings. _/\_

Book: The End of Poverty - How we can make it happen in our lifetime

I first came across this book in the bookstore in Kathmandu, Nepal (One of the poorest countries in the world), but I felt that the subject matter is too heavy to ponder on a trekking trip so I didn't purchase it. The following year, I was on a business trip to India (also one of the poorest countries in the world) and I decided to buy it in the airport.

The End of Poverty

It was a good book - with Jeffery Sachs sharing his experiences in Bolivia & Poland, and shedding his views on the rise of China and India. It was a heavy topic and the problem is mind boggling. Sometimes, too heavy that I wanted to stop reading.

Some key takeaways from the book:

"The key problem for the poorest countries is that poverty itself can be a trap. When poverty is very extreme, the poor DO NOT have the ability - by themselves - to get out of the mess."

"When countries get their foot on the ladder of development, they are generally able to continue the upward climb. All good things tend to move together at each rising rung; higher capital stock, greater specialization, more advanced technology, and lower fertility. If a country is trapped below the ladder, with the first rung too high off the ground, the climb does not even get started."

Reasons why Communist China is the booming (currently the second largest economy in the world), while the rest of the Soviet and economies are not doing as well.

"1. The Soviet and Eastern European economies had massive foreign debts, whereas China did not.

2. China had a large coastline that supported its export-led growth, whereas the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe did not have the benefit of large coastlines and the resulting low-cost access to international trade.

3. China had the benefit of overseas Chinese communities, which acted as foreign investors and role models, whereas most of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe did not have comparable overseas communities.

4. The Soviet Union was experiencing a drastic decline in oil production at the outset of reforms, but China was not.

5. The Soviet Union had gone much further down the road of industralization, using technologies incompatible with Western (US, EU & Japanese) technologies, whereas China remained at a low level of technology and could more easily adopt Western specification."

On why Malaria has reached an epidermic level in Africa but not the rest of the world:

"...Malaria is largely a tropical disease, and if warm weather is a prerequisite, Africa has it! ..... The force of transmission of malaria in Africa is roughly 9 times that of India because of the difference of mosquito species..."

"Corruption is the Culprit....corruption is Africa's venal sin, the deepest source of its current malaise..."

____

Jeff's insights have led me to think deeper about the problems facing this world. But why do I care about extreme poverty - since I am not affected by it anyway and I am not rich to make any significant changes. I would not have any material gain by spending my time thinking and donating money.

My analogy is a person who is suffering from Depression, needs someone else to help them out of the situation. Similarly, in extreme poverty, they also need a helping hand. 

Everyday we have heard so many negative news around the world. The world is in serious need of people who could show empathy, love and compassion, otherwise the world is hopeless. I believe that by doing small things within our limited abilities, we could make this world a slightly better place. 

The world is in serious need of people who cares.

One of the organizations that I truly believes could alleviate poverty is

http://www.kiva.org/

=)

Book: The Tao of Warren Buffett

 Below are some quotes from the Sage of Omaha - Warren Buffett.

"You can't make a good deal with a bad person"

"It is easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble."

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

"There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult."

"You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong."

"That which is not worth doing at all is not worth doing well." 

"We never look back. We just figure there is so much to look forward to that there is no sense thinking of what we might have done. It just doesn't make any difference. You can only live life forward." 

"I'm very suspect of the person who is very good at one business - it also could be a good athlete or a good entertainer - who starts thinking they should tell the world how to behave on everything. For us to think that jus because we made a lot of money, we're going to be better at giving advice on every subject - well, that's just crazy." 

"We do not have, never have had, and never will have an opinion about where the stock market, interest rates, or business activity will be a year from now."

"Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars"

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I enjoyed reading these investment books, as it is not just about investment principles and philosophies, but also life lessons and philosophies. 

=)

Book: Your Money & Your Brain

Your Money & Your Brain

This is an interesting book about human psychology, with emphasis on decision making on money related matters. Below are some extracts, hopefully it can keep you thinking:

"Imagine that you could choose between winning $3000 for sure, on the one hand, or gamble with an 80% chance of winning $4000 and 20% chance of winning nothing. If you are like most people, you will pick the sure thing. Next, imagine that you can choose between losing $3000 for sure, or a gamble with 80% odds of losing $4000 and 20% odds of losing nothing. What would you do? In this case, people reject the sure thing and take the gamble 92% of the time."

"A test was done with Godiva chocolates, the people who had selected one piece of candy from a display of 6 were much happier with their choice than those who picked one out of an array of 30 different candies. The more choices they left on the table, the more they worried that the one they picked was not the best. Too much of a good thing creates "choice overload", releasing a swarm of potential regrets."

"A study of dozens of Olympic athletes showed that, on average, bronze medalists were happier than silver medalists. After all, the silver medalists just missed the gold, while those who won the bronze just missed earning no medal at all."

" Imagine 2 situations - In one, you buy the biggest house in a middle-class neighborhood, in the other, you buy the smallest house in a rich part of town. In both cases, you earn an upper-middle-class income and pay the same price for each house. Which Neighbourhood will you be happier in?"

The ending note on this Investment Book:---

"Doing and Being are better than Having: 

Having centers around purchases and possessions (quite often shortlived). Doing is about experiences and activities (ie. Gathering with friends, Traveling to new places). Being is about something larger than yourself: devoting a portion of your time and energy to an idea, a cause or a community. Having creates diminishing returns; the more accustomed you become to whatever you buy, the less happiness you get from it. The good news is that the money you spend on Doing and Being gives a much longer afterglow, as experiences burnish themselves in your memory and belonging brightens your self-esteem. In the end, living a rich life depends less on how much you own than on how much you do, what you stand for, and how fully you reach your own potential.

The best "value investment" of all is channeling your money into goals that will make your life more valuable: drawing out your innate gifts to make yourself matter to other people and to make the world around you a better place. Given the way the brain works, your happiness ultimately depends not on finding out how much you can buy but on learning how much you can be."

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=)

Book: Sacred Hoops

Sacred Hoops : Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior 

by Phil Jackson

Taken from wikipedia:

"Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is a former American professional basketball player who coached theChicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson is widely considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA)."

I was surprised that a coach could be so philosophical and deep in thoughts. Phil called himself "Zen Christian". He was brought up in a very religious Christian family - his father was a pastor and his mother would drill the kids to do Bible study and attend Church etc... Interestingly, he also embraced Zen Buddhism when he grew up, and incorporated a lot of Zen philosophies in his attitude towards life and coaching.

Below are some of the insightful quotes from the book:

"...I wanted to sit through the fear, to experience it as fully as possible..."

"Success tends to distort reality and make everybody, coaches as well as players, forget their shortcomings and exaggerate their contributions. Soon they being to lose sight of what made them successful in the first place: their connection with each other as a team. As Michael Jordan put it: Success turn WE's back into ME's.."

"Losing is a lens through which you can see yourself more clearly and experience in the blood and the bones the transient nature of life."

"My obsession with winning had robbed me of my joy in the dance....I realized that I had been trapped for years on an emotional roller coaster of winning and losing, and it was tearing me apart. I wasn't alone. Our whole social structure is built around rewarding winners, at the perilous expense of forsaking community and compassion... Eventually, everybody loses, ages, changes. And small triumphs - a great play, a moment of true sportsmanship - count, even though you may not win the game....As strange as it may seem, being able to accept change or defeat with equanimity gives you the freedom to go out on the floor and give the game your all."

"...losing is as integral a part of the dance as winning... Buddhism teaches us that by accepting death, you discover life... only by acknowledging the possibility of defeat can you fully experience the joy of competition..."

Book: The Warren Buffett Next Door

Amazon: The Warren Buffetts Next Door profiles previously unknown investors, with legendary performance records, who are proving every day that you don't need to work for a hedge fund or have an Ivy League diploma to consistently beat the best performing Wall Street professionals.

These amazing individuals come from all walks of life, from a globe drifting college dropout and a retired disc jockey to a computer room geek and a truck driver. Their methods vary from technical trading and global macro-economic analysis to deep value investing. The glue that holds them together is their passion for investing and their ability to efficiently harness the Internet for critical investment ideas, research, and trading skills.

_________________________

If you put money with one of them, you could get back $18m for every $1m invested after 10 years. That's really amazing! And I discovered 2 BIG Secrets from these amazing individuals:

Secret Number 1: They are really passionate about investing/trading.

Secret Number 2: They are really hardworking. It is Hard Work. There is no coincidence.

The bad news is that even after working hard, you might not even be a successful investor. 

But the good news is that by working hard, there is still a possibility of being a successful investor.

Based on my risk/reward analysis, it still makes a lot of sense to be hardworking.

=)

Book: Hope for the flowers

Wikipedia: 

"Hope For the Flowers is a 1972 parable written by Trina Paulus in English. It is a "tale - partly about life, partly about revolution and lots about hope. It all starts when Stripe, the main character, first hatches from an egg. He begins his life by eating the leaf he was born on. He realizes that there must be "more" to life than just eating leaves...."

Quotes from the Book:

Stripe asked a fellow crawler "Do you know what's happening?"

"I just arrived myself," said the other. "Nobody has time to explain; they're so busy trying to get wherever they're going - up there."

"But what's at the top?" continued Stripe.

"No one knows that either but it must be awfully good because everybody's rushing there. Goodbye! I've no more time!"

He plunged into the pile

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He (Stripe) turned around and began down the pillar. This time he didn't curl up. He stretched out full length and looked straight into the eyes of each caterpillar. 

He marveled at the variety and beauty, amazed that he had never noticed it before.

He whispered to each. "I've been up; there's nothing there."

Most paid no attention; they were too intent on climbing.

One said, "It's sour grapes. He's bitter. I bet he never made it to the top."

+++

"We can fly! 

We can become butterflies!

There's nothing at the top and it doesn't matter!"

As he heard his own message he realized how he had misread the instinct to get high.

To get to the "top" he must fly, not climb.

Stripe looked at each caterpillar inebriated with joy that there could be a butterfly inside.

_______________

When I was young, I looked up to some adults, as role models, and assumed that they know what they are doing. But when I grew up, I realized that they are ignorant and confused people.

When I started working, I met successful multi-millionaires and assumed that they knew it as well, but after sometimes, I realized that they are equally ignorant and confused. 

I realized that there are a lot of successful and very smart people, yet there are very few WISE man around. 

Even though I am still ignorant and confused, I realized that:

 There is fine line between self-confident and self-delusional. 

Ego is a double-edged sword.

Money is one of the attributes for Happiness, and it is subjected to the law of "Diminishing Marginal Returns".

Book: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

I would highly recommend reading this book. Jonathan's research is thorough and the reasons for not supporting factory farming are so compelling that I could not ignore and felt an urgency to encourage people to be more responsible for their actions. 

Below are some quotes from the book:

Animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change.

Someone who regularly eats factory-farmed animal products cannot call himself an environmentalist without divorcing that word from its meaning.

The first time I was exposed to farming issues was when a friend showed me some films of cows being slaughtered. We were teenagers, and it was just gross-out shit, like those “Faces of Death” videos. He wasn’t vegetarian – no one was vegetarian – and he wasn’t trying to make me one. It was for laugh. We had drumsticks for dinner that night, and I couldn’t eat mine. When I held the bone in my hand, it didn’t feel like a chicken, but a chicken. I always knew I was eating an individual, I suppose, but it never hit me before.

Before child labor laws, there were businesses that treated their ten-year-old employees well. Society didn’t ban child labor because it’s impossible to imagine children working in a good environment, but because when you give that much power to business over powerless individuals, it’s corrupting. When we walk around thinking we have a greater right to eat an animal than the animal has a right to live without suffering, it’s corrupting.

Sick animals are more profitable (than raring healthy ones). The animals have paid the price for our desire to have everything available at all times for very little money.

KFC chickens are almost always killed in 39 days. They’re babies. That’s how rapidly they’re grown.

People say ‘What’s the big deal if the animal can’t walk or move, ‘cause it’s just gonna get killed anyway?’ If it was your child, do you want your child to suffer three years, three months, three weeks, three hours, three minutes? A turkey chicken isn’t a human body, but it suffers... what each person has to ask himself. How much suffering will you tolerate for your food?

When we eat factory-farmed meat we live, literally, on tortured flesh. Increasingly, that tortured flesh is becoming our own.

One study found that roughly 4.5million sea animals are killed as bycatch in longline fishing every year, including roughly 3.3m sharks, 1m marlins, 60k sea turtles, 75k albatross and 20k dolphins and whales.

“For me, factory farming is wrong not because it produces meat, but because it robs every animal of every shred of happiness. To put it another way, if I stole something, that would weigh on my conscience because it would be inherently wrong.” – Vegetarian Rancher

So what kind of crime is animal agriculture, which uses 756millions tons of grain and corn per year, much more than enough to adequately feed the 1.4billions of humans who are living in dire poverty?

Try this thought experiment: Would you castrate animals without pain relief? Would you brand them? Would you slit their throats open? Most people won’t do these things. Most of us don’t even want to watch them. So where is the basic integrity in paying others to do these things for you? It’s contract cruelty to animals, and a contract killing, and for what? A product no one needs – meat.

Martin Luther King wrote “one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular.” Sometimes we simply have to make a decision because “one’s conscience tells one that it is right.”

We know that there is something that matters in a deep way about the lives we create for the living beings most within our power. Our response to the factory farm is ultimately a test of how we responds to the powerless, to the most distant, to the voiceless – it is a test of how we act when no one is forcing us to act one way or another.

Financial Education – Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the rich

While I do not totally agree with Robert on everything, there are some key things that I concurred and learnt from him. Below are some the things I want to share from the book:

Three Kinds of Education:

1. Academic Education: This includes the ability to read, write and solve basic math problems
2. Professional Education: This is knowledge of a trade in which to earn money. (ie. Going to medical school to become doctor)
3. Financial Education: It is not so much about how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard your money works for you. (This is the one lacking in most people)

Why Money Is Not Taught in School?

The purpose of the foundation (the General Education Board) was to use the power of money, not to raise the level of education in America, as was widely believed at the time, but to influence the direction of that education... The object was to use the classroom to teach attitudes that encourage people to be passive and submissive to their rulers. The goal was – and is – to create citizens who were educated enough for productive work under supervision but not enough to question authority or seek to rise above their class. True education was to be restricted to the sons and daughters of the elite. For the rest, it would be better to produce skilled workers with no particular aspirations other than to enjoy life – Edward Griffin (1903) on Rockefeller’s General Education Board

Key Takeaways:

Learn how to use debt: Debt is not bad. Misuse of debt is bad. Debt cam make you rich, and debt can make you poor. If you want to get ahead financially, you need to learn to use debt, not abuse it.

Learn to control cash flow: If you are in debt, your cash flows from you to others. If you are going to be financially secure, you need to learn to have more cash flowing into your pockets.

Prepare for bad times and you will only know good times: One saw the depression as an opportunity, and the other saw it as a crisis.

Real Estate Tips:

1. Invest in B-Class apartment buildings: Rent to working class people (not to the rich or the poor).
2. Buy in areas where there are jobs: The real value of real estate is related to jobs
3. Own property where there are natural or government constraints: own apartments where there is no-growth boundary around the city, or properties bordered by river or sea (nature constraint) that prohibit further growth. In another words, limited supply land for real estate (Think: Manhattan and Singapore)
4.  Stay with what we know. 

+++

Hope we will reach financial freedom in our own ways.

Book: Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

A book about a woman's search for happiness. Living a successful married life in New York, but everything just kinda fell apart for her. It was a great read, and woman can be a really complex creature. Eat in Italy, Pray in India, Love in Bali. 

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I found her story in India extremely interesting. I would definitely want to stay in one of those Ashrams in the future. Below is an excerpt from the book on her meditation experience:

"...most of us are always moving between three different levels of consciousness - waking, dreaming or deep dreamless sleep. But there is a fourth level too.... which is called turiya. Here's how you can tell if you've reached the turiya state - if you're in a state of constant bliss. One who is living from within turiya is not affected by the swinging moods of the mind, nor fearful of time or harmed by loss. 'Pure, clean, void, tranquil, breathless, selfless, endless, undecaying, steadfast, eternal, unborn, independent, he abides in this own greatness,' say the Upanishads, the ancient Yogic scriptures, describing anyone who has reached turiya state. The great saints, the great Gurus, the great prophets of history - they were all living in the turiya state, all the time. As for the rest of us, most of us have been there, too, if only for fleeting moments.... One instant, you're just a regular Joe, schlepping through your mundane life, and then suddenly nothing has changed, yet you feel stirred by grace, swollen with wonder, overflowing with bliss. Everything - for no reason whatsoever - is perfect..."

I got a feeling that most people who read this would think that the author was crazy. I totally believe her, as I have experienced such Wonderful Wonderful Bliss while I was meditating a few years ago. It was PERFECT BLISS & HAPPINESS. I want nothing else, but to stay in that state. However, I have not experienced it since then. =(

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Meditation is such a powerful tool.

I hope that I would experience that PERFECT BLISS again.

Book: The Adventure Capitalist - The Ultimate Road Trip

The Adventure Capitalist

"Financier Rogers retired at 37 and motorcycled around the world, turning the trip into the book Investment Biker, a hybrid of business advice and travelogue. That journey, however, failed to squelch his wanderlust. Instead of enjoying his sedate life teaching finance, Rogers decided to take his fiancée and a souped-up Mercedes on a frighteningly intense road trip: three years, 116 countries and 152,000 miles."

He is living the Ideal Life and his predictions about the world economy are quite accurate.

My Key Takeaway:

"If the trip killed me, I would die happy, pursuing my passion. And that was better than dying on Wall Street someday with a few extra dollars in my pocket." 

- Jim Rogers

Books on Happiness

There are 3 precious things I took away with me after the Nepal Trip:

1. Beautiful Memory of Himalayas & the people

2. Lessons learnt during the journey

3. A Book I bought in Kathmandu

Happiness

A guide to developing Life's Most Important Skill

by

Matthieu Ricard

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.

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And other excellent book that I have read this year:

Opening the door of your heart

by

Ajahn Brahm

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.

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How often do you feel extremely grateful that you read a book?

I seldom feel grateful after reading a book.

I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the wisdom that are being shared in both books.

Both authors are exceptional individuals with loving (compassionate) kind hearts .

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Both of them are Buddhist Monks of different traditions (ie. Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism & Thai Theravada Buddhism), but both of them came with a Scientific Backgrounds (ie. Biology Phd working under Nobel Prize Laureate in France & Scholarship to study Theoretical Physics at Cambridge), which allow them to analyse and view things critically and rationally.

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I like the books as it is free from Dogma & Doctrine, and written with alot of Compassion & Wisdom (A Genuine Alruistic Intention). Without knowing the background of the authors, you might think you are reading self-improvement books.

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The ultimate objective is to improve the life of the readers by developing the skills to be happy.

I am definitely a happier person after reading both books.

=)

Book: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

This is the second book that I bought this year (and I still have not started reading those books that I bought long time ago).

It was good to spend 2 weeks in reservist, as I had lotsa time to read books & magazines. I finished reading this book easily and glad that I purchased it.

http://www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/

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In summary, John Wood was a high-achiever in Microsoft. He went to Nepal for a trekking trip, while during the trip, he kinda found his calling – to provide education opportunity for kids in developing countries. He struggled between answering this calling and the “bread & butter” needs. He took the plunge (dwindling savings account, breaking up with his girlfriend who thinks differently, uncertain future outlook, long long working hours etc...). It was very heartening to know that there is such passionate, smart & capable person, willing to devote all his time to charity work.

The world is lucky to have such people around.

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A trivial: He ran Boston Marathon with a Timing of 3hrs 4mins despite his heavy schedule as a top executive in Microsoft.

(Respect! Respect!)

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These are some quotes from the book:

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“...How many millions of kids will not have the opportunities I have in life, simply because they were denied an education at a young age? It’s almost like there is this ‘lottery of life’. At a young age, children are arbitrarily deemed to be winners or losers, based upon where they were born.... It is not fair. I think it is in our power to do something about it” – John Wood

.

“... I then rationalized to myself, what good are savings if you can’t use them to fund your dream.” – John Wood

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“...We tell the parents, especially those with girls – don’t let your daughters become prostitutes or drop out of school.” – One of the Volunteers

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“... these Kids do not get a second chance..” – John Wood

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“Each of these acts (charity work) is symbolic of the best that exist inside all of us...” – John Wood

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Below was written in the context of leaving his job & dwindling savings, so much so that he could not afford to buy any properties, he had to beg frequent-flier miles from friends etc...

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“...Yes, there were trade-offs, but there always will be in life.... I feel lucky to know who I am, what I want to focus on, and the yardsticks by which i will measure myself.” – John Wood.
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++++

Another Inspiration!

Do visit http://www.roomtoread.org/

Let’s see if we could just do our bit to make this world a better place.

=)

Book - "Common Stocks and uncommon Profits" - Philip A Fisher

This is an investment classic.

For those who are interested to manage your own investment (Equity), this is one of the must-read books. It is less technical and less quantitative, and has a heavy emphasis on investment philosophy.

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Overall, it is quite an easy book to read.

Taken from: http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/investorsmoneymanagers/a/philip_fisher.htm

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Philip Fisher (1907-2004) was one of the greatest investment minds in history. Working from a modest office on the West Coast in the aftermath of the Great Depression, he developed a buy-and-hold value and growth model for investments that has been considered on par with Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor by no less a giant as Warren Buffett.

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+++++

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Quotes from the book:

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"While good fortune will always play some part in managing common stock portfolios, luck tends to even out. Sustained success requires skill and consistent application of sound principals. .... the future will largely belong to whose who, through self-discipline, make the effort to achieve it"

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"A basic ingredient of outstanding common stock management is the ability neither to accept blindly whatever may be the dominant opinion in the financial community at the moment nor to reject the prevailing view just to be contrary for the sake of being contrary."

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"In handling common stocks, as in most other fields of human activity, success greatly depends on a combination of hard work, intelligence and honesty."

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Shit!

There is no easy way out to make good money other than hard work.

haha...

Book - "Rich Brother Rich Sister" by Robert Kiyosaki & Emi Kiyosaki

During CNY Spring cleaning, I realised that I have around 8-10 unread new books. I used have the tendency to buy books and keep them, but then, I realised that books are meant to be read and not collecting dust on my shelf, so I donated 5-6 books to library. I think I will donate more books soon - those are good books. I told myself that I would read them again soon, but after so many years, I still didn’t read them again. It is hard, but maybe it is time to free them.
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So at the beginning of this year, I challenge myself to finish my unread books before purchasing new books. Unfortunately, I still bought a new book. The first time I saw “Rich Brother Rich Sister” was in Kinokuniya bookstore, I read 1-2 paragraphs and forced myself to return the book to the shelf. About a week later, I was in another bookstore – Borders, and I read a few paragraphs again and return it to the shelf. Finally, a few weeks later, when I was in MPH bookstore, I can’t contain my curiosity and my urge anymore, and bought it.
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I failed my challenge, but I am a happier person after reading it.
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I have read “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki 7-8 years ago. I think it was a good book, but I did not read his other books, as I felt that the content and concept would generally be the same.

Anyway, “Rich Brother Rich Sister” is a very different book. To me, it is more like an auto-biography of Robert Kiyosaki and his younger sister – Emi Kiyosaki (Venerable Tenzin Kacho – her Buddhist name). It talked about their common childhood, and how they went their separate ways in life. To a large extent, Robert embraced Capitalism ($$$) and Emi embraced Spirituality (Buddhism). It is very interesting for both of them to share their views on a range of topics like “War and Peace”, “Heaven on Earth”, “Vision for Future”, “Leaps of faith”, “Heaven, Hell and Happiness”, “Life and Death” etc...

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I found honesty in the narration of their lives. At least, Robert was upfront saying that he wrote this book to make more money and share their experiences with everybody.
Robert was a US Marine in Vietnam War (he has an interesting view on war & peace), a Xerox Salesman, a failed businessman, then a successful & Rich entrepreneur/author/speaker etc... Emi was a struggling young mother (unplanned), was a short-term hippie in San Francisco, and a Tibetan Buddhism Nun in America (ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama).

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They led a very contrasting lifestyles, yet, I could find subtle similarities between them – the endless pursuit for happiness and truth, the courage to move out of comfort zone and make changes in their lives, non-conformist and being idealistic.

At the end of the day, they lived colourful lives, and more importantly, the kind of life that they wanted.

Below are some quotes from the book which I felt it is worth sharing:

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“The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still have the ability to function”- F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Tibetan Saying “If you want to know where you come from, look at your life and experience now. If you want to know where you are going, look at your mind.”

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“Often, we don’t fully appreciate something until we lose it, or nearly lose it. Being close to dying, and even killing, were great experiences because I gained a deep appreciation for the precious gift called life. Instead of living in fear of dying, I do my best to live a fearless life.... Rather than live in fear, I choose to live life with excitement, gratitude and giving back, in exchange for this gift known as life.” – Robert

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“What is the life you were born to live? What special gifts do you bring to your world and how are you using them to serve? What is worth giving your life to, even worth dying for?” - Robert

Book - "The Last Time I saw Tibet" by Bimal Dey

"The Last Time I saw Tibet"

by Bimal Dey

http://www.indiaclub.com/shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=22061

This Author has a very interesting life

http://bimaldey.com/philosophy.htm

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A 16 years old teenager from Calcutta with nothing, and by sheer luck and good fortune, joined a group of Lamas for a pilgrimage to Tibet. It was in 1956, when Sikkim was still not part of India, when Dalai Lama was still living in Potala Palace, when Tibet was still closed to the rest of the world. It was an amazing journey that bring him to Lhasa and eventually to Mt Kailash & Mansarovar. He was able to meet Dalai Lama (Living Buddha & King) in Tibet. This had shown that he was quite blessed.

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After many years, he went back to Tibet with apprehension.

In fact, I enjoyed the last chapter, where I see a struggle within himself. He could not forgot the mystical and beauty of the untainted Tibet, however on his recent trip, what he saw was the onslaught of the Chinese way of modernity. This strike accord with me, as I have similar experience.

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If you ever think of visiting Tibet, I truly recommend you to read this book.

This book would give you another perspective of Tibet that is beyond the beauty of its Mountains, Lakes and Monsteries.

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There are alot of debates on the independence of Tibet.

I felt that the below extract tells alot:

Context: During the author's recent trip to Tibet, meeting with a head lama of a monastery.

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The head lama asked me directly 'Have you brought any pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a gift for me?'

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'No,' I answered, 'I have been forbidden to carry pictures of the Dalai Lama.'

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'Oh, yes! That's right.' he laughed, 'those who give such pictures and those who receive them are both criminals...'

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Freedom in Tibet???

Book: Shambhala

Just finished reading this book.

I could not stop reading it.

I hope it will never end.

Shambhala: The Road Less Travelled in Western Tibet

by Laurence J. Brahm

http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.cfm?SBNum=39361

About:

In a shop in Lhasa, Laurence Brahm stumbles upon an ancient Buddhist sutra, Shambhala Sutra. His purchase of this ancient sutra sets him off on a journey in search of the mythical Shambhala, known to the rest of the world as "Shangri-La". In this illustrated account of his journey, Brahm uses the sutra as a guide as he ventures into some of the most remote places in Tibet. There he meets monks, living Buddhas, nomads, and a Bodhisattva in disguise, who point out to him how they thought the road to Shambhala should be followed. Finally, the road leads him to Tashilumbo Monastery, where the Eleventh Panchen Lama resides and it here that the Shambhala Sutra calls home.

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Now, I had a strong urge to explore the Western Tibet, which I did not cover the last trip.

It reminded me of my Tibet trip, which covered Central & Eastern Tibet.

On the way to Shigatse from Lhasa...

Scenery along the way...

Tashilumbo Monastery, Shigatse

where Panchen Lama and Shambhala Sutra resides...

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My favourite phrase:

THE BODHISATTVA

"There is a Bodhisattva, a beautiful girl, who wishes that all people crossing from here will not be poor"

- Shambhala Sutra