Choo Koon Lip

Everytime at this point of the year, I will think back on what I did for the last 12 months and plan for the next year ahead.

Somehow I realised the year 2009 was really a tough year! Maybe it’s in the midst of a financial crisis and the entire environment was rather messy. Or perhaps I met up with a lot more people and I have lots to write here about people around me. After all, it had been a year of experiences and discovery.

Just like having buddies to enjoy the true fun of trading, you need people and partners in business along the way.

When I ’semi-retired’, this was when I start to delegate my works and responsibilities around, I met up with more people that I could discover more only when you work with them. When I look back at the ones that I should not trust in the first way, I have broken them down in several major categories:

1. People who think too highly about themselves and also tell people how much their time is worth and how expensive they are. And when you buy into their expensive story, they deliver peanut value to you.

2. People who claim sky high and deliver below hell level. And worse of all, when the outcome is in a mess, they push back the sh*t to you (i.e. push back to me in many cases).

3. People who have too big of an ego and just don’t admit that they are wrong and waste my time by defending them for the whole afternoon. When you’re wrong about a trade, you’re wrong. Same goes for life, business and investment decisions.

4. People who don’t deliver and then avoid you all the way (whether you sms, call, email or fax him) to prevent himself from explaining and embarassment.

5. People who don’t deliver their high claims and yet ask you for more payment or business. These are really the thick-skinned!!!

6. People who want to get paid first and/or get the contracts signed and/or ask for money first, then no follow-up from there or you don’t hear from them (unless you call them). Especially true for media sales people…

7. People who push their way through and keep hard selling. That’s why you never get my deal!!

Perhaps this is marketing, perhaps this is just how the world works. People who read this, please take note!

The best people I worked with in the year 2009:
1. Lowie
2. Ong/Mei and his team in Malaysia
3. Chee Seng (still my best Tutorial Master and assistant), Yeanjie and Billy
4. KS Low (still my best pal in business chit-chat)

There are more on my list. Apologies if your name is not on the list – I probably thank you when I see you! Thank you all who had helped me along the way in the year 2009 and I hope to stay in touch ongoingly!

To summarize, the year 2009 was really special to me as I remember that I wanted to semi-retire at the age of 26. And yes, the age 26 was now over.

Time for a new beginning.