| Author |
Message |
     holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2305
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 05:23 pm: |  
|
A random short story for you to ponder.
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
... take a moment to ponder on this - are you/we so full of ourselves that we do not have "room" for others' view?
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2306
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - 05:42 pm: |
|
THE ELEPHANT AND THE FIVE BLIND MEN
Once upon a time in a very nice city of ancient India, there were five blind young men were living together and getting along very well. They could share together many things they acquired materially and mentally. They could shared each other what they had learned, known or experienced. For example, they had learned and known how a hose, a broom, a post, a drum, a belly...looks like by listening to the descripton of someone who got good eyes and words, by using their hands touching it, or their noses smelling it, or their tongues tasting it...
One day it was very nice out, all the five of them were together taking a walk to the beautiful park at the center of the city. When they were in the park, it happened to be there an elephant with the hamout. After talking to each other, they agreed to come and ask the hamout allow them to take a "look" and "see" what the elephant really looks like. When heard the request, the hamout was very surprised but also interested in seeing how could they take a look and see the elephant. He agreed.
The hamout told the first blind man come close to the elephant's trunk and "see" it.
After used his both hands touching over the trunk of the elephant, he felt it, thought of it and finally said:
-The elephant looks exactly like a big hose, brothers!
-No! The elephant looks exactly like two big posts standing side-by-side!
The second one protested the first one because he was touching over the two fore-legs of the elephant.
-No! You both are wrong! The elephant looks exactly like a huge drum!
The third one negated the others because he was touching over the big belly of the elephant.
-Not like that at all! Three of you are wrong! The elephant looks exactly like a big broom!
The fouth one asserted, after touching the tail of the elephant for a while.
-None of you is correct! The elephant looks exactly like two fans.
The fifth declared after touching over two ears of the elephant.
The argument, at first, was going fine. Then it became a big quarrel, and afterall, a big fight.
The hamout witnessed all of what was going on, he was moved and felt pity for the five blind young men, and told them:
-Please stop fighting! None of you were correct and none of you are really wrong. Why? Because each of you only touched and knew some part of the elephant and not the whole elephant, therefore, what you touched and "saw" is separate and incomplete.
When heard these words of the hamout, the five blind young men understood. They stopped fighting, quarelling, arguing, and palm-to-palm said to the hamout, "Thank you very much! We really appreciate this."
... so you see - the first blind man knows everything about FA, the 2nd knows everything about Elliot Waves, the 3rd knows everything about Gann, the 4th knows everything about Mech System/test, the 5th?
... want to know the answer?
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2341
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 06:29 pm: |
|
There once was a monastery that was very strict. Following a vow of silence, no one was allowed to speak at all. But there was one exception to this rule. Every ten years, the monks were permitted to speak just two words. After spending his first ten years at the monastery, one monk went to the head monk. "It has been ten years," said the head monk. "What are the two words you would like to speak?"
"Bed... hard..." said the monk.
"I see," replied the head monk.
Ten years later, the monk returned to the head monk's office. "It has been ten more years," said the head monk. "What are the two words you would like to speak?"
"Food... stinks..." said the monk.
"I see," replied the head monk.
Yet another ten years passed and the monk once again met with the head monk who asked, "What are your two words now, after these ten years?"
"I... quit!" said the monk.
"Well, I can see why," replied the head monk. "All you ever do is complain."
... what's the moral here? It sucks to be a monk!
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2342
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 06:35 pm: |
|
When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.
... and friends, you have just learned the lesson on how "tradition" begins. Many current work place practices are such "bad rituals". Likewise many old racist sexist stereo-typed "conventional wisdoms" are falling into such category.
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2343
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Sunday, July 02, 2006 - 06:40 pm: |
|
Prosperity
A rich man asked a Zen master to write something down that could encourage the prosperity of his family for years to come. It would be something that the family could cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master wrote, "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."
The rich man became angry when he saw the master's work. "I asked you to write something down that could bring happiness and prosperity to my family. Why do you give me something depressing like this?"
"If your son should die before you," the master answered, "this would bring unbearable grief to your family. If your grandson should die before your son, this also would bring great sorrow. If your family, generation after generation, disappears in the order I have described, it will be the natural course of life. This is true happiness and prosperity."
... how often do you just feel glad that you are alive? And everyone that you love are here with you? How often do we take our life and happiness for granted?
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2363
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Wednesday, July 05, 2006 - 08:17 pm: |
|
Without Fear
During the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would quickly sweep into a town and take control. In one particular village, everyone fled just before the army arrived - everyone except the Zen master. Curious about this old fellow, the general went to the temple to see for himself what kind of man this master was. When he wasn't treated with the deference and submissiveness to which he was accustomed, the general burst into anger. "You fool," he shouted as he reached for his sword, "don't you realize you are standing before a man who could run you through without blinking an eye!" But despite the threat, the master seemed unmoved. "And do you realize," the master replied calmly, "that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?"
... my definition of courage. You tread where no one else dares. I have come across a few old time investors (one of whom is a biz lady) who made their fortune in stock market through "investing with timing". I can only tell her story because this is one case I know quite well - she bought $50,000 worth of warrant of a particular stock at about 30c each (that worked out to be about 166K of warrants. She bought that when the market was at its worst (hence the warrants were so cheap) and held them for close to one and half year.
When the market revived one half year later, at its early stage the warrant went up to 40c and she told a friend of hers who told me to look at the stock and its warrant. Being a sceptic and a cow, ie, others' stock pick and suggest is never as good as my own... I'd not bother myself.
When the warrant went up to 60c, that lady told my friend to grab some and the info was passed on to me and again I behaved to fashion and design - I ignored the advice.
To cut the story short - the warrant went all the way to $3.50 or around there in 3 years from the day when she bought the warrant. A 11 or 12 baggers, coining Peter Lynch's very famous quote.
She had turned her $50,000 investment into $600,000 and when the market was at its hottest moment, she cashed out and didn't stay one moment to linger on...
If you find this story hard to believe... to be frank, I find it hard to tell either because telling this story has never failed to give my ego a real beating.
Here's a parallel you can look at in ASX, in hindsight, just pick any stock (has to be a good financially sound stock to last the distance, ZFX? BHP?) back in 2002 when the market was at its lowest ebb and if you had the courage then and sunk in $50K into BHP's warrant or option, what'd be your taking today?
And let's say you did just that. And I am asking you to exit the market today? I mean now and don't look back!
... and then you wait for the next 2002 to happen. It will come! You just have to be patient!
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2386
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Saturday, July 08, 2006 - 12:46 pm: |
|
Learning the Hard Way
The son of a master thief asked his father to teach him the secrets of the trade. The old thief agreed and that night took his son to burglarize a large house. While the family was asleep, he silently led his young apprentice into a room that contained a clothes closet. The father told his son to go into the closet to pick out some clothes. When he did, his father quickly shut the door and locked him in. Then he went back outside, knocked loudly on the front door, thereby waking the family, and quickly slipped away before anyone saw him. Hours later, his son returned home, bedraggled and exhausted. "Father," he cried angrily, "Why did you lock me in that closet? If I hadn't been made desperate by my fear of getting caught, I never would have escaped. It took all my ingenuity to get out!" The old thief smiled. "Son, you have had your first lesson in the art of burglary."
... the secret of stock trading here is - if you have done your time in studying/learning all you can, there comes a time paper trading will not be enough, you just got to "do" it. Suck it and see is the only way...
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2387
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Saturday, July 08, 2006 - 01:23 pm: |
|
Full Awareness
After ten years of apprenticeship, Tenno achieved the rank of Zen teacher. One rainy day, he went to visit the famous master Nan-in. When he walked in, the master greeted him with a question, "Did you leave your wooden clogs and umbrella on the porch?"
"Yes," Tenno replied.
"Tell me," the master continued, "did you place your umbrella to the left of your shoes, or to the right?"
Tenno did not know the answer, and realized that he had not yet attained full awareness. So he became Nan-in's apprentice and studied under him for ten more years.
... love this one, my all time favourite to teach the young 'un on the power of observation. If you spend enough time studying/analysing a stock/company, eventually you would have collected enough data/info to help you with your trading/investing. Don't listen to those who tell you FA is crap... it's no crap . Only the ignorant and misguided think and talk this way - past failures due to many reasons need not necessarily make the rules, they are more like exceptions.
Here's a simple observation - if you see a good strong uptrending chart, behind it, inevitably you will find a good strong and financially sound company. You will either find this company showing good annual profitability or growth or both. Sure there will be exceptions, but if you are talking steadier, more stable, more consistent capital gain, you ignore FA at your own perils.
There's no need to debate or argue over FA's usefulness and effectiveness - many here have mixed up timing with fundamental analysis... and by ignoring FA, they have chosen to ignore risk - risk inherently associated with the stock they are trading in - company/management risk, industry risk, market risk, etc.
There's no need to correct their view because in many ways their ignorance, or their ignoring of FA provides an opportunity to others. Afterall this is a competitive environment we are living in.
...by ignoring FA, they have chosen to trade the low ends, the more speculative side of market implicitly. If you are new to trading/investing, and you are more risk averse, then you should/must not ignore FA.
Good FA, like good TA, needs time and effort to be proficient. They both need time and training, be prepared to invest your time and invest wisely.
BUT... please do yourself this favour - if you have problem learning or unable to train yourself to be proficient in either one, don't go around showing your ignorance or "slowness" by belittling "that" school of analysis.
Good tools need good craftsman to "shine", only the bad craftsman blames the tool.
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
holycow
Member
Username: holycow
Post Number: 2549
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0
|
| | Sunday, July 30, 2006 - 02:41 pm: |
|
A Useless Life
A farmer got so old that he couldn't work the fields anymore. So he would spend the day just sitting on the porch. His son, still working the farm, would look up from time to time and see his father sitting there. "He's of no use any more," the son thought to himself, "he doesn't do anything!" One day the son got so frustrated by this, that he built a wood coffin, dragged it over to the porch, and told his father to get in. Without saying anything, the father climbed inside. After closing the lid, the son dragged the coffin to the edge of the farm where there was a high cliff. As he approached the drop, he heard a light tapping on the lid from inside the coffin. He opened it up. Still lying there peacefully, the father looked up at his son. "I know you are going to throw me over the cliff, but before you do, may I suggest something?" "What is it?" replied the son. "Throw me over the cliff, if you like," said the father, "but save this good wood coffin. Your children might need to use it."
... big moral here, especially in a society where an individual's needs and wants surpass all others'... just remember this - your kids are watching and learning from you everything and to the dot, how you treat your old folks! If they are as smart and as good a learner, you can bet your life on it that you'll get a similar treatment your old folks are getting from you now!
... when the time comes. 
HC
"... if you've got a chart, I have an opinion!"
|
|
Auto-Fit Trendlines
