Do you want to work today?

Feel like working today? Or tommorrow? Or the next day after?

An e-mail with this title came with pictures of monkeys shaking their heads. But unable to put the pictures online in this article of the monkeys shaking their heads so placed above picture instead.

Today is a holiday. Suppose to be no work today but a few people are in the office working to do some testing. A critical activity to do or otherwise project will go downstream. Not upstream.

Anyway Happy Vesak day!

Indian stock market

According to the fundsupermarket, the best performing mutual funds based on 5 year annualized performance are those funds that invest in the Indian stock market. Other great performers are those mutual funds specializing in Malaysia and Singapore. See the list in below link:

http://www.fundsupermart.com/main/fundinfo/topFunds.svdo

Not far behind are other funds that invest in the Philippine stock market. For instance, Lion Capital Philippines fund. The Philippine economy is picking up in recent years. In fact this fund is being sold way below the introductory price a few years back before the Asian crisis. The fund is now moving steadily upwards. This maybe a good bargain following recent news about the Philippine economy. See below link:

http://www.fundsupermart.com/main/fundinfo/viewFund.svdo?sedolnumber=370071

Emerging markets are the best performers in recent years. A question now is whether to invest on stocks or real estate. The real estate market is rising in value every where in Asia. But it is more an asset bubble or a true reflection of value. See below article on purchasing property.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/propertyfocus/propertyfocus/view_article.php?article_id=62428

Virus Alert

Message from my friend Jophy from India on a virus:

You should be alert during the next days:

Do not open any message with an attached file called "Invitation" regardless of who sent it.

It is a virus that opens an Olympic Torch which "burns" the whole hard disc C of your computer.

This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called "invitation" , though sent by a friend, do not open it and shut down your computer immediately.

This is the Worst virus announced by CNN, it has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever.

This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus.

This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept.

What is the lesson? Decline any invitation you may receive in the coming days to be safe.

God save the kings

Ever wonder what our names mean?

contributed by:

CARMELO

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Spanish

Pronounced: kahr-ME-lo Spanish masculine form of CARMEL - From the title of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Carmel. (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several Christian monasteries.

RICARDO

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Spanish, Portuguese

Pronounced: ree-KAHR-do Spanish and Portuguese form of RICHARD - Means "brave power", derived from the Germanic elements ric "power, rule" and hard "brave, hardy". The Normans introduced this name to Britain. It was borne by three kings of England including Richard the Lionheart, leader of the Third Crusade in the 12th century. Two German opera composers, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, have also had this name.

FREDERICK

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

Pronounced: FRED-ur-ik, FRED-rik From a Germanic name meaning "peaceful ruler", derived from frid "peace" and ric "ruler, power". Several rulers of Prussia, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire have borne this name, including the 13th-century patron of the arts Frederick II of Germany, and the 18th-century Frederick II of Prussia, known as Frederick the Great. Another famous bearer was Frederick Douglass, an American ex-slave who became a leading advocate of abolition.

ABIGAIL

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, German, Biblical Pronounced: AB-i-gayl (English), AH-bee-giel (German) From the Hebrew name ('Avigayil) meaning "my father is joy". In the Old Testament this is the name of the wife of Nabal. After he was killed she became the third wife of King David.

VICTORIA

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, Spanish, Romanian, Ancient Roman Pronounced: vik-TOR-ee-a (English) Feminine form of VICTORIUS. This name was borne by a long-reigning queen of England. A Canadian city bears this name in her honour, as well as an Australian state and several other geographic areas. Also means "victory" in Latin. Victoria was the Roman goddess of victory.

ROQUE

Gender: Masculine

Message: Spanish, Portuguese Pronounced: RO-ke (Spanish) Spanish and Portuguese form of ROCCO - Italian name derived from the Germanic element hrok meaning "rest". This was name of a 14th-century saint who nursed victims of the plague but eventually contracted the disease himself. He is the patron saint of the sick.

Work slowdown

It's been 18 years since I joined a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule. Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results.

This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results. Said in another words:1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.3. Stockholm, has 500,000 people.4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week. Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%.

This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!".This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.

It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalize world.

-contributed by Abby