2010 is here!� A very very happy new year to everyone!

In this new year, may God grant you…..

12 months of happiness

52 weeks of fun

365 days of success

8,760 hours of good health

525,600 minutes of blessings

31,536,000 seconds of joy

The last day of 2009 will end in a few hours. It is time to say goodbye to 2009 and say hello to 2010.

Goodbye 2009

As I look back at the past one year, I honestly think 2009 has been a� good year for me. I feel blessed in many areas of my life and I am filled with a great sense of gratitude to all those who have touched my life.

My wife and my two sons have been a source of immense joy for me. My wife has given me full support in what I set out to do and has always been the pillar of my life. My son Clarence has been a source of my inspiration for what he has been able to achieve in his professional career. And my younger son Leslie completed his Bachelor of Commerce in June this year and is now attached to a reputable audit firm. I am really awed by his prudence in money matters. To both of my sons, I just wish to say that I am proud of you two.

This year has seen a few milestones in my life:

1. I started this blog on March 17 of this year so this blog is now almost 10 months old. I am glad that I have persisted in keeping this blog active and updated regularly. In a couple of months, this blog will be 1 year old….I look forward to that day!

2. In April this year, I attended the Global Internet Summit in Penang. That was a real eye-opener for me and I am so glad that I took the initiative to attend it.

3. On October 22 this year, eBay granted me the Top-Rated Seller status. That is a real milestone in my eBay business and I am indebted to all my eBay customers who make it possible.

4. Several of my investments in online investment programs paid off handsomely this year. I am glad that I did my due diligence on these programs and invested in them. Why leave all your money in bank earning a meagre 2-3% per annum when you can get almost ten times that return PER MONTH investing in reliable online programs?

5. I read a couple of books this year that have changed my mentality about money and life, notably “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne and “How To Be Wildly Wealthy Fast” by Sandy Forster. I am learning to have a prosperity conscious mind and it has been an interesting journey.

2010 is just a few hours away.� I look forward to the new year with great anticipation and I am confident 2010 will be an even better year for me. And I wish you all success in whatever you do in the coming year. May you be blessed!

This is a young girl destined for success:

She visited a durian farm one day and wanted to buy a large durian.

“That’s five dollars,” said the farmer.

“I’ve only got one dollar,” said the young girl.

The farmer pointed to a small durian hanging on a nearby durian tree and said, “How about that one?”

“Okay, I’ll take it,” said the little girl. “But leave it on the tree. I’ll be back for it in a month.”

This moving story is from an email sent to me by my eldest brother……I hope it will touch your heart and make you realize that we human can learn a lot from this pair of baby hippo and a century-old tortoise.

A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials said

The century-old tortoise and the baby hippo

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

“It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a ‘mother’,” ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

“After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together,” the ecologist added.

Baby hippo following its "mother"

Resting next to each other

“The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother,” Kahumbu added.

What a strange pair!

“The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years,” he explained.

Isn't that so touching?

Love is.........

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

This is a real story that shows that our differences don’t matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures: “Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.”

Today is the birthday of my cousin Sylvester Lim and his daughter Krystle. I find it amazing that a father and a daughter share the same birthday. I guess that is probably why there is such a special bond between my cousin and his daughter. To my cousin and my niece, I wish you both �an awesome birthday. Sylvester, you finally hit the magical 55 today…..can I call you a senior citizen now?

I finished listing my China first day covers, stamp presentation packs and maxim cards on eBay this afternoon. That gave me a sense of accomplishment. �It was then that I realised how hungry I was…it was almost 3.30pm and I had not taken any lunch. I went to Pelita Commercial Centre to have a plate of “char siew” (barbecue) pork rice and some cucur pisang (banana fritters).

After picking up my wife and my son from their respective offices, we drove back to Senadin to have dinner at one of the restaurants there. �After dinner, I noticed this huge rainbow in the sky….I have hardly ever seen such a huge rainbow. �I don’t know why but seeing the huge rainbow gave me a sense of euphoria and a feeling that something good is going to happen.

On reaching our home, I checked my mails and my eBay account……hmmm, there had been a few sales from my eBay listings. I took a quick warm bathe and then left my house to attend the World Vision Sharing Session by Malaysian actress Lee Sinje at the Imperial Hotel. �I have been a World Vision child sponsor for a couple of years so I did not want to miss the opportunity to hear an Asian movie queen ( Lee Sinje won the Golden Horse Best Actress Award for her role in the Hong Kong horror movie “The Eye”) sharing her experience with World Vision child sponsorship.

I estimate the crowd to be over 200. �Lee Sinje received a very warm applause when she entered the ballroom where the session was being held. �She shared her experience about going to Mongolia to meet her sponsored child and what an impact it had on her. She also talked about her trips to Africa and India. She obviously touched quite a lot of hearts with her sharing as evidenced by the number of people signing up as child sponsors after the sharing session.

I was deeply touched by Lee’s sincere sharing and her commitment to help World Vision. I signed up to sponsor another child. For only RM50 a month, you can sign up to be a child sponsor. Think about it..by just sacrificing one dinner outing each month, you can make a difference in this world!

I know there are a lot of people out there who have the thinking that they cannot make any difference. In their mind, they think of the millions and millions of starving children and they just conclude that they cannot do anything about it and so they adopt an indifferent attitude. WAKE UP PLEASE! YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT……YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! You cannot sponsor millions of children but you can make an immense difference in the life of the child you sponsor! You will be giving that child a chance in life, a chance for the child to reach his/her potential.

If you are still not convinced that you can make a difference, please watch the following YouTube movie and let its message sink into your heart.

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday except for the unbearable heat.� My wife, my son Les and I went out at about 11.15 am and we dropped by Double Star Restaurant for brunch as I was meeting up with my friend Michelle Tan from Brunei at that restaurant.

As we were ordering our food, Michelle arrived. I got to know Michelle in April this year at an internet marketing seminar in Miri and we have since then became friends.

Michelle is an enterprising lady and has recently started business selling Hello Kitty products from her home in Brunei.� You can visit her blog at :

www.hellokittyandmymelody.blogspot.com

Michelle has also started selling her Hello Kitty products on eBay and that was why she wanted to meet up with me to learn more about selling on eBay. I shared with her some of my eBay experience and also some tips on selling on eBay.� It was embarrassing for� me because Michelle not only gave me some gifts she had bought in Taiwan but she also foot the restaurant bill without my knowing. Thanks a lot, Michelle! The next round is on me.

I noted that the restaurant was fully packed. I guess the unbearable heat contributed partly to the brisk business. Double Star is nicely air-conditioned and with WIFI access and enjoys good business everyday.

After leaving the restaurant, we dropped off Les at Boulevard Shopping Complex as he was meeting up with his friends. We drove around and decided to drop by Beautiful Garden. We were surprised that this was quite a big place as we passed by it everyday and it looked like a small nursery from the road.

Entrance to Beautiful Garden

Plants aplenty

Young plants at the nursery

Lovely flower

Cactus

Lots of cactus for sale

Cactus plant with nice flowers

We bought 2 bags of soil and a bottle of organic insecticide as some of my wife’s plants have been under attack by ants and insects.

We then dropped by the house of my sis-in-law Vun (my wife’s� younger sister) whose dog has recently given birth to a litter of 9 puppies! Gosh, if human beings are so “productive”,� we would have a huge population explosion!

Three of the puppies

The proud mother with some of her puppies

Five of the puppies pushing and shoving for their mummy's milk

I pity the poor mummy. With so many puppies to feed, she would be “sucked” dry! (not to mention sore nipples, haha!).

As usual, I logged in to my eBay account a short while ago after brushing my teeth. It has become sort of a ritual for me every morning. But this morning I got a very pleasant surprise. eBay has granted me the status of Top-Rated Seller and the top-rated seller icon is now displayed next to my eBay user ID e-cybiz.

eBay awards this recognition only to a seller who consistently receives highest buyers’ ratings and has earned a track record of excellent service and very prompt shipping.� And it is based on feedbacks from customers.

Thank you eBay for your granting me this recognition. To all my eBay buyers, I wish to thank you all for your feedbacks and your support. This makes it all so worthwhile!

Emotional baggage…..it is something we all have them in varying degrees. It has many faces. We store them in the remotest part of our brain, in the deepest chambers of our hearts. We have them in our extensive database of memories. Some are so close� to the heart that they bring out tears at the slightest provocation. Other baggage may feel arouse our anger or very deep resentments and may result in us exhibiting anti-social or antagonistic behaviours.

Are you carrying excessive emotional baggage?

Shadows follow and haunt many, in their dreams or waking hours, in unlikely places, unexpected and intimidating. Uncontrollable anger that can lead to violence can explode without warning. Resentment can wreck lives and cause much bitterness.

Others will live in denial and spend their lives disconnected with the real world. They withdraw to their own make-believe world. Some will find blame in everyone except themselves; it�s always the other person�s fault. What� about victims and the victimizers?

Many are lost searching for something they can not identify. Something is missing. There seems to be no purpose in living. A mass of lonely faces line� the crowded streets, sit in public places, in schools, agonize through the day in the workplace, gather at churches perhaps to seek solace. Everyday we see a vast sea of sad , depressed and unfriendly faces. Our roads are open avenues to lash out their frustrations, thus uncontollable road rage. Scary.

Emotional excess baggage demands a high price at times. There are those who succumb to the weight of this burden when it becomes too much for them to bear. They find no further reason to keep up the fight. Life loses its� lustre, they find the world cruel, their existence meaningless. To them, the fight is over, if there ever was one.

There are many who go through life like a driftwood and let the current take them wherever.� It does not matter anymore. Is our world this cruel?

What causes these emotional suffering?

Broken dreams, broken relationships, failed careers, lost hopes, betrayals, violations, childhood trauma, abuses or other forms of trauma ,add to this health issues. Social disgrace, financial disasters, poverty and addictions cast deep emotional scars to the most vulnerable members of the family and society.

Emotional baggage....the hidden dangers

Is our fast-paced society to blame? Add to this the pursuit of material success, endless toys,gadgets and exponential advances in technology. Fragile relationships, weakening� family ties, unreasonable expectations of self and of others add to the already overstuffed emotional baggage.Some carry� them for a long, long time.

All is not lost, if we take a moment to listen to our deeper needs, beyond the physical. There is a flood of information, organizations, professionals and other resources most communities offer. Deep� emotional� suffering is a critical issue that can no longer be ignored, by society and by those who suffer. There is more to life.

Wisdom of the ages from different cultures and beliefs are revived or revised to suit the present psyche of society. It offers a holistic approach , involving the whole person�s mind, body and spirit.

The wonders of medical and scientific research are vast, although pill-popping is not always the best answer.

Take stock of the weight of� your emotional baggage…..and do something about it. Remove the old emotional baggage that is keeping you from your success. Overcome limiting thoughts, beliefs and behaviors. Let go of your anxieties about the future. Live the life you have always dreamed of!

Get rid of your emotional baggage!

You will find that life is really worth living, life can be so beautiful.

Though one could be infinitely happy by just enjoying the nature and family and all the human-made things, there are still millions of people who are unhappy.� In the developed countries there is very fortunate circumstance of having both God-given and man-made things.� Still majority of people there are unhappy.� In the developing countries, where for millions there is a real scarcity of even basic needs, people seem to be happy.� There are some people who are engaged in difficult tasks and in warfare, and even incarcerated in prisons, and are still happy!

You would realize that the mere availability and abundance of God-given and human-made things is not enough.� There is something else which should be right to be happy.�� Of course, it is our mind that must have right attitude towards and capacity to be happy.

Milton in Paradise Lost says,

‘The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.’

One can give various examples of how mind can influence our body::

���� Pavlov�s dog starts salivating at the sound of the bell without any food in sight.
���� If we are tense we often get headache, backache, and spondylitis, etc.
���� Heart attacks are directly linked to worry and tension.
���� Right mental attitude helps in curing many bodily maladies.
���� By self-talk, motivation, and positive attitude we can become happy and successful.
���� Through hypnosis one can have command over another person�s mind and body.
���� Through meditation one can have a healthy body and extra sensory abilities.

Mind has extra-ordinary powers and as far as happiness is concerned it has the ultimate power.� We should, therefore, have a positive attitude towards life.� Instead of concentrating on bad things in life and people, we should concentrate on redeeming features in them.� We should not keep on thinking about past failures and bad experiences but be encouraged by our past success and good experiences.� Similarly, we should not be unduly anxious about future as our anxiety is not going to have a positive effect, but we should plan and work hard for the future.

In whatever circumstances you are, you can never have total lack of God-given and man-made happiness.� You cannot completely take away nature from somebody; you cannot take away all man-made things from somebody.� Even if everything is taken, one�s family and friends are there.� One�s precious body is there.� And, even if you chain somebody securely in a dungeon, one�s mind is free.� One is free to be happy in one�s mind!� Mind is difficult to be mastered by oneself, but it is impossible to be vanquished by anybody, any authority, or whatever conditions or situations.

Abraham Lincoln has beautifully expressed it: �Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.�

BE HAPPY!