Inspired by Goldfinger

The James Bond film Goldfinger was on TV last Saturday and I caught a glimpse of it.

In an attempt to make the dastardly Auric Goldfinger's personal bullion stash 10 times more valuable, he tried to make the US government’s gold reserves worthlessly radioactive by detonating an atomic device in the vaults at Fort Knox.

Though this plot was needlessly complex, comparatively low-tech and I laughed through most of it, the film, 4 decades later, has somehow inspired me to follow a more time-tested mantra on an investment strategy: buy and hold.

If Goldfinger had snapped up the yellow metal in 1964 and clung on to it, his bars would now be worth 26 times more in nominal terms!! This would have been a very respectable return and would not involve murdering anyone by coating them in gold paint or threatening them with lasers.

Right - there you go, everything happens with a reason. The Goldfinger film, the enduring wait at the bank, the gold account promo. OK, I told myself it is time to buy some more gold when market opens, it ought to be a better bet against the minimal savings rate banks offer these days.

Ready, get set, go...only to find out my bank still hasn't linked up my gold account with my online banking account. They have not done a thing in the past 22 hours?! Crap!

How many oz is to 1 tael?

Today, while dawdling aimlessly at the lounge of the bank, waiting for an apparently easy task to complete (which literally took them ages), I picked up a leaflet on opening a gold account.

Spooky as it seems and within 10 minutes, traded 1 tael of gold which is equivalent to USD1,128.00 at market close - Just like that!

Now you understand how banks operate. It almost always cost you more time to withdraw money than depositing.

There I also learned today, this world that we are living in, hasn't at all gone metric. What gets complicated is 1 tael does not equal to 1 ounce and there are indeed many different weighting standards of tael depending on the region or type of trade.

Just how absurd can it get?

In Hong Kong, one tael is 37.79936375 grams and with the limited mathematics brain cells in me, I figured 1 tael equals 1.33333 ounces or 1 ounce for 0.75 tael flipping over.

Why did I have to go through this pain?

Because I can't find any gold prices listed in tael at all. They are all in ounces. Splendid! Now what did I just got myself into?

The Chi-Lites Blues on Dad

Dad was sitting in the miranda, listening to a ballad from one of his favourite albums "Oh Girl" from The Chi-Lites.

A shade of blues, a tint of melancholy and a touch of sadness....

I wonder what was on his mind!



Lyrics | The Chi-Lites - Oh Girl lyrics

A Cracking Wedding Invitation

May God bless the couples and...the mother-in-law.

A Lesson on Anger Management

Last Sunday:

In the match against Manchester City, C. Ronaldo stood on the touchline pouting like a diva, snatched a tracksuit top from an assistant and fling it on the ground after he was substituted 60 minutes into United's 2-0 victory.

I asked myself - what's wrong with this Portuguese winger? You don't deserve my love!



3 days later today:

Gerrald snatched the footballer of the year from him this year.

C. Ronaldo could have been the first footballer in history to get the award in 3 consecutive years, but Whoops-a-daisy, he absolutely ruined it and deservedly so!

Have a history teacher explain this...if they can (Part 2)

JUST WHO FIGURED THIS OUT?

1) Fold a NEW $20 bill in half...




2) Fold again, taking care to fold it exactly as below



3) Fold the other end, exactly as before




4) Now, simply turn it over...




What a coincidence! A simple geometric fold creates a catastrophic premonition printed on all $20 bills!!!

COINCIDENCE?

YOU DECIDE

As if that wasn't enough...
Here is what you've seen...

Firstly The Pentagon on fire...



Then The Twin Towers.


..And now .. look at this!



TRIPLE COINCIDENCE ON A SIMPLE $20 BILL
Disaster (Pentagon)
Disaster ( Twin Towers )
Disaster (Osama)???

It gets even better 9 + 11 = $20!


Creepy huh?

Have a history teacher explain this...if they can (Part 1)

History Mystery Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Both wives lost their children while living in the White House. Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. Both Presidents were shot in the head Now it gets really weird. Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln . Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939. Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names are com posed of fifteen letters. Now hang on to your seat. Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'. Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford'. Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse. Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater. Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials. And here's the kicker... A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with(in) Marilyn Monroe.