Random #6

It's been a busy and wonderful weekend and holiday, though it was only 4 days.

On Saturday:
4pm
I went for taiwanese dessert with Michelle, Ann Ee and Sam. It was my first time there. It was surprisingly good. I ordered the best seller, so did most people. Best seller ma..


5.30pm
Some of my classmates and I went to Mel's house for BBQ. 11 of us cramped in her apartment and her poor but awesome parents allowed us to make a mess in her house (which wasn't really a mess since her mum thought we mopped the floor as it was so clean). Didn't have the chance to take pictures since my camera had no battery. Battery used up by my sis who didn't charge it after using and I had no idea where she had put the charger. Grrr.. but we had so many photographers so not to worry.. You can check out the photos here written by Nick or here by Darren.

11.30pm
Reached home. Did some P2 homework and showered.

On Sunday:
2am
Slept.

5am
Woke up. Drove half the journey to Penang!! (my second home). Reached around 10.30am.

Basically, I'm not going to say everything I did or rather ate in Penang because it will take forever. I might post it on my other blog (if I have the time). But, I had a good time there eating and just hanging out with my relatives. I wanna go back again!! Hmph.. Most likely next chance would be December. =(

Wen Wei (just tempted to put a pic of her)

  

Overall, just wished holidays were longer.

Profitable?

I happened to come across this article in Forbes, published last year. "The 10 Most Profitable Businesses to Start". These businesses are a constant demand and relatively low overhead.

#1 Accounting services (Average Pretax Margin: 25%)

Reason: Pricing power (everybody needs accountants, no matter how the economy is doing), low overhead and marketing scale, thanks to plenty of repeat clients. I may for the first time consider I may not be taking the wrong course. Hehe.

#2 Legal services (Average Pretax Margin: 21. 6%)

Reason:  Almost the same as the one above. I did law too!! Not enough to open a firm though.

#3 Dental Services (Average Pretax Margin: 20.9%)

Reason: Operating scale. Their equipments etc are very expensive so they charge a lot. I'm not talking about the government ones. Those don't earn much as far as I know.

#4 Specialized Design Services (Average Pretax Margin: 17.6%)

These are interior designers, industrial designers (not architects) and graphic designers. Reason : Talent and technology.

#5 "Other" Health Practitioners (Average Pretax Margin: 17.5%)

Examples are chiropractors, optometrists, podiatrists, physical therapists, speech therapists and mental health professionals. Reason: Specialization

#6 Outpatient Care Centers (Average Pretax Margin: 16.9%)

Examples are kidney dialysis centers, spas, HMO medical centers, etc. Reason: Uprising field

#7 Insurance Brokers (Average Pretax Margin: 15.9%)

Reason: Annuity-style profit streams

#8 Physicians' Offices (Average Pretax Margin: 15.8%)

Reason: No matter how the economy is, there will still be sick people.

#9 Medical And Diagnostic Labs (Average Pretax Margin: 15.3%)

Reason: Small marginal costs to do extra testing

#10 Depository Credit Intermediation (Average Pretax Margin: 13.6%)

Examples are small banks, credit unions, etc. I don't know about now as lending money has made giant creditors such as Citigroup and Lehman Brothers what they are now. Lehman Brothers has already been declared bankrupt, the largest bankruptcy in the history of US, with $639 billion worth of assets. Small lenders have been more insulated from the credit crisis than them.

But, no matter whatever business, with God as the CEO, it will surely be a profitable one.

Random #5

Today's traffic was considerably smooth-flowing. I took only 20 minutes to reach college as opposed to 45 minutes just the day before. On Wednesday, there was a 2.5km jam just as I went into the highway. So anyway, I thought I was going to be late today as I left home at 7.30am. I overslept. Did group accounts homework till around quite late last night. At first I thought it was because maybe a lot of people have already 'balik kampung', but Lydia said Federal was super jam today. So maybe it's just my lucky day. =)

As I was already running late, I didn't have time for breakfast or coffee. Went to class feeling hungry. Ms Menon didn't even give us a lunch break so we (or at least I did) starved from last night till around 2.30pm when I actually had lunch. And then had to try to finish the 'angpau' she gave. Basically, more homework.

Selamat Hari Raya to all who are celebrating.

Also, happy birthday to Sam, who just got his iPhone. =)

Faith vs Prudence

Been thinking a lot these few days. I remembered one of the things that Datuk Edward Ong said that really strucked me. He said when God reveals something, a vision for example, go by faith and put the first step forward and just do it. God will take care of the rest. Accountants aren't like that. Everything has to be prudent. After all, prudence concept is one of the main accounting principles. We shouldn't undertake any projects that is out of the budget. That's what cost accountants are for. BUT, this is what the world and everyone else thinks. Should we think like them? Who is greater? Accountants or GOD? We may plan all we like but we will still not be able to do it if God isn't in the picture. But, of course it isn't easy. A step of faith is taking a step into something unseen. We won't know what will happen. But we got to trust Him.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding
 Proverbs 3:5

So faith vs prudence? Faith, of course. =)

Defying Gravity

Not to worry. This is not about Keith Urban's album. Although I must say, I do love his songs.

Having some extra time in between some hectic schedule. So now for some updates.

Had class almost every day and it's kinda getting tiring. Hmm..

Still working on the website. Beginning to think it's taking up too much of my time BUT I gotta get it all up AT LEAST by year end. Thanks Alex for helping me thus far. So far so good. I have changed the look yet another time. So far quite satisfied. Will continue later after WCA. =)

P3 class today was headachy. (Is that a word?) I wasn't really sure what was going on in class. Maybe I'm just really tired. Wei Ping said I drop stuff around 6 times already. He was busy counting how many things I dropped instead of listening. Sam was busy playing some game on iPhone. Meow was hiding behind her jacket most of the time. And I was busy dropping stuff, doing experiments on how to defy gravity :D I can't think of a nicer title.

Basically, it's been a long day, and it's still not over yet. Feeling excited already. ^^

Also remembering this date 8 years ago. *moment of silence*

Reaching The Lost

It is a semi-public holiday today (Nuzul Quran). So I decided to arrange all my stuff. Last week was really hectic. Hardly slept much.

I came across some Bible study notes I prepared in AIM which some of you all might remember. I shared it at the youth evangelistic meeting at the Sungai Pelek outreach during our mission trip.

It was basically about the parable of the lost son. Before that parable, there was the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. All three of them has similarities. Firstly, they were all lost and in the end were found. Secondly, they were all precious to their owner. The sheep was precious to the shepherd and the coin to the woman. The coin that was lost was worth about a day's hard-earned wage (just in case you were wondering "just a coin ma.. why so tai fan ying"). And naturally, the son was precious to his father.

But there are also differences which can be applied to our lives as well.

Carelessness (Lost Sheep)
The lost sheep illustrates the person who moves away from God unthinkingly, head down, one clump of grass at a time. The sheep wanders on from one place to the next, eyes only on what immediately lies ahead. It is unaware that it is not where it should be and all the time has been straying farther and farther from the flock and the shepherd's care. The sheep never wanted to get lost.
Similarly, People may be too preoccupied with their studies, career, relationships, problems of life and the pleasures of the world. Many are lost because they never look up and ask: "Where am I now? Why am I here? Where am I going?"

Carelessness of Others (Lost Coin)
The lost coin represents those lost through negligence or bad treatment from others. The coin cannot bleat like a sheep for help, nor find its way back like the son. It has been done in by the mistakes and wrong decisions or actions of someone else. (so sad, isn't it? but it happens)
People become damaged through victimization in a myriad of ways. The people they may have looked up to or respected caused them to have a broken concept of God. (that's why yesterday's message was so inspiring: our lives should be our ministry!!)

Personal Choice (Lost Son)
The son was deliberately lost - unlike the sheep or coin
It was not because he was unaware that he was lost nor was it because of other people's negligence. He was lost because he chose this path. Many people who once can be found in church singing worship songs, praying and serving are now no longer found in church. With influences from friends and other people around them, they start living their own lives without God in it. People without God are lost because they are ignorant of God, unlike God, and distanced from God. That is why it is so important that we be in the world (so we can influence and change it) but be not of the world (where the world influence and change us).

The shepherd searches for the sheep until he finds it (Luke 15:4). The woman also searches for the lost coin until she finds it. (Luke 15:8)
Love is not satisfied by a favourable percentage between those who are safe and those who are lost. With the sheep, 99% were safe; with the coin, 90%; and with the son, 50%. Who wouldn't want these kind of church-growth statistics? Most of us would rejoice, pat ourselves on our backs for doing a good job if 99% of the people in KL were in church.
Souls are not digits or percentages. When someone's child has died, we wouldn't go to his/her parents and say: "Never mind ma.. You still got other children.."

GOD REJOICES WHEN THE LOST ARE FOUND!!

The shepherd, the woman, and the father all rejoiced and wanted others to share their joy when the lost were found. Only one person did not rejoice: the elder son. The elder son represents the church which can go with business as usual in the Father’s house, and yet not be concerned with the lost, and never putting in any effort to find them. He represents any religious person whose relationship with God has grown lukewarm. He is the individual who has never agonized at all over a missing prodigal. He never shared the father's heartache, not does he share the tears of joy when the missing comes home.

I pray that I wouldn't be like the elder son. I pray even harder that it wouldn't be because of my mistakes or wrong choices that causes other people to stumble. And it's also important that we as children of God take on God's desire. To reach out and bring back all who are lost. Not to be satisfied or contented until all are found.