Stock Market, or 5$ Biotech! (SALE!)

Over the last year I have been investing in the stock market. some in Israeli stocks, and some in the NASDAQ.

I haven't got rich just yet, but I am learning a lot about the importance of patience, and the belief in what to come.

There are two types of investors, and this is not my idea (it's quoted from many other texts):

The first type is the one that's in it for the quick buck. He buys stock, waits for it to rise by a few percent, and sell fast. To be referred to as "The gambler".

The second type, is the one with the long outlook. Meaning, a year or more into the future. These investors are not deterred by the stock value going down, even by high percentage. They look further ahead than the 5 percent revenue.

I belong to the latter. And I must say, it's scary. Even though I am (by no means) not a big investor, over time my portfolio grows, and these days, value changes are more difficult to ignore.

The temptation to sell is great, and the losing stock pose the biggest tempt. You want to stop bleeding money, and the fastest way to do that is to severe the bleeding bit. But it's not necessarily the smartest way.

The desire to make a profit over time gets you thinking and weighing many times over - in which company to invest your money. Check it's history, make sure that even a company that looks good on paper today, is not bound to tumble due to bad management in the future. Stock market investments come before casino gambling in their level of risk (generally speaking), but the difference is that the house does not always win. Also, you can put your money on the chance that a company's stock will lost money (what's called "Short").

One of the stocks I bought, made about 60% in the first week after purchased. By face value, logic dictates that you should take the money and run.. but if you look a bit further than your nose, It's worth keeping this kind of stock over time. Even if the stock will fall from that value (and it did), in years to come the profit will be significantly higher.

Someone did the math, that a person at his thirties, who invested a percentage of his salary, since 2003, each month buying Mcdonalds stocks, would, after about 25 years be a Billionaire. (about 3.1 Billions to be exact). This has been calculated by the stock true figures that shows an average 30% rise a year, every year since 2003.

This is, of course, assuming that he would not spend some of this money before retirement, and that he actually has the money to invest in the first place. Many find themselves needing available funds at one time or another in their lives, and that's why their financial planning is flawed to begin with, or even non-existent.

When you have money in the bank, the temptation to make use of it is higher the less you are used to the fact of having money in the bank. And even when you are used to having a positive sign next to your bank statement, the higher the number is, the bigger the motivation to use it.

When you raise a family, the needs are obvious, and the ability to put money aside and save, is small and under constant pressures.

When you don't have kids, the ability to save is higher, but the need to fill your life with things (maybe as a replacement for the need of kids) is bigger and that also makes it difficult to save.

In short, create a habit, and stick to it. Just like brushing your teeth, or wearing clothes. If you got used to something, there's is a good chance you'll stick with it over time.

So, we might not all become millionaires, but this raises the chance to retire in a respectable and maybe earlier way than expected - many folds over.

What would you ask God for?

As the title suggests: what would you ask God for, if you had a chance to sit with him/her for a nice conversation?

Many philosophical thoughts arise from this question, as well as from the situation itself.

I'm trying to find some smart answers to this question as I'm in the process of writing a book, where God is one of the main characters.

Googling the question brought me the expected smart-assy answers such as: "Explain your own existence", "I'd ask what God thinks of that song by Joan Osbourne", "I believe that there is no god, so I have no question to ask"

By the way, for people who don't believe in god, this is simply a question to ask someone very wise, very experienced, that has such vast amounts of knowledge and good sense which any answer from him would prove quite valuable.

This question also proves to be most popular. One website for answers shows a total of 857 answers suggested for this single question. Many answers are funny, some sound desperate, a lot are trying to be smart, and quite a few are predictable (like "Why all the pain and suffering?")

I think that being able to ask god questions answers a few of those already. It proves he/she exists and that would give me peace for one. Knowing that there is a higher being that sees us and touches our lives (for good or for worse) is comforting in some strange way.

Help Self

I collect Self-Help books. For me it's like going to a mental gym.

Having those books gives me a feeling of doing something good for myself, but also doesnt require me to actually read them.

But I do read them sometimes. And with my limited attention span, try to stick to the text as long as I can. There is a common thread to some, but not all. Think positive, enjoy what you do, keep a relaxed soul and a healthy body.

It's like getting budhistic life lessons repeatedly. I don't mind, but you get the idea pretty fast.

And then there are those who don't stick to the formula, that are actually practical guides to whatever they claim to do. I can't tell that they work - yet to finish any single one of them.

Self-help connects to most people with new-age, hence hippy culture, fairies, rainbows and lots of love and peace.

For one thing, there's nothing wrong with some more peace and love in the world. God himself knows the world could use more of those. For another, there are actually people making a living out of these books. Sometimes a lot of money. Like Robin Sharma.

For another, It's always easier to mock than to understand. I don't always subscribe to the non-mocking crowd, I admit. But I find that the older I get, the more chances I'm willing to give to things I wouldn't even consider in the past.

The self-help industry is a multi-million (if not billion) one. And as it is so very much prolific, it's difficult to find the gems in the gigantic bale of hay. I normally go by titles, but titles are meant to catch your eye and grab your attention. That means I have to read at least a few pages over the book's jacket in order to see the direction a book is taking.

So, I try and focus more. To do that, I look for specific things. Like certain skills I covet rather than general promises of fame and fortune.

I'll let you know what I find.

Birth Day

Today I'm 34 years old. It seems old to me, but than again, it seemed old to me when I hit 30..

Some friends ask if I started counting backwards (towards dying). I think everyone begin to do that at one point or another and not necessarily when they actually get old.

I just thought about something - maybe the new layout I chose is due to the feeling of getting old? :D

Naa.. I just like this look. Though, I'll continue to improve on the components.

I still celebrate my birthdays. Some say that after a certain age, when you're a "grown-up" there's no need for celebrations nor gifts. I do not subscribe to this point of view.

Maybe I'm an attention seeker at heart :P

Men Thoughts

I was standing and doing my business today when it suddenly struck me! Men everywhere have been having their quietest, most relaxed and maybe even most productive (thought-wise) moments while standing in a (metaphorical or not) pool of urine someone else left behind and contributing some of their own into a white ceramic bowl!

There's no doubt in my mind that many will disagree with this theory. But I can definitely imagine Newton in the real, uncensored version of how he understood gravity - by watching the drops fall while in this most relaxed mode.

Just a thought.

Farewells

Don't you just hate'em?

It stretches and lingers and you become miserable.

Cats can leave you and not look back. For them you're a servant with food and comforts. Other than that - they don't really need you.

People mostly are not like cats. When we say "goodbye", "see you again", or "farewell" to someone we care about, we hate to see them leave and it's hard to let go - because we (most of us anyways) develop an emotional connection to our friends and loved ones.

On some level I think it's a feeling of loss. You see someone go, and you feel like they're lost to you - even if you know it's only a matter of time until you see them again.

So would I want to be like a cat, or am I happy being a caring human?

I think that the answer to that changes according to occasion. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Emotions can be a burden when they're too dark and/or too hard to handle.

Olympics

Beijing Olympics just ended. It was an impressive demonstration of power and money and human physical abilities.

I never actually followed the games, aside from being happy or sad for my countrymen when they succeeded or failed.

The games this year put a spotlight on china - good thing or a bad thing - depends on how you look at it. It showed the strengths of this giant nation and also its shortcomings in some other areas - such as human rights.

A lot of animosity came about - from alligations as to possible drug abuse by the jamaican runner to loser discontent and lack of sportsmanship from the american teams as well as others.

It was a spectacular and difficult (if not impossible) to top effort. For that china deserves hats off.

Now London 2012 is the next place of events - and everyone wonders how they will pull it off.

How will things be? only time will tell.

Nostalgy: The X-Files Returns

10 Years ago, X-Files ended with the screening of the movie "Fight the Future"

After 9 seasons ,the acclaimed tv series went off the screen and slowly off the minds of countless fans to tv oblivion. Or so we thought.

When the motion picture came out, there were intentions (as I recall) to produce a series of movies that will stretch and thicken the plot further. These intentions did not hold for long, as the movie did not do too well in the theatres, and after the termination of the tv series, there seemed to be no point in producing any other movies.

However, now came the second movie of "The X-Files". I read that David Duchovny himself pushed for the production of this installment, even though the show has been dead for so long, and the first movie was not a big success.

So I went to see it last night with my girlfriend. We were 4-5 people in a small movie hall (the smallest one in the multiplex).

Personally I enjoyed this movie. It was different than what I remembered of the show as well as the previous movie. But since the plot takes place 10 years after the last movie, it makes sense. People change, and mulder & scully changed a lot.

This movie, as a deviation from the main x-files theme, was not about Aliens in any way. It still managed to convey a interesting suspense-filled plot and an emotional ending.

There were too many emotional, drama dialogues between mulder & scully to my preference, but all in all, I liked the development that took place over the years.

I guess I missed The X-files just as much as Mulder did :)