And it took me five months to finish the book - “Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco” by Bryan Burrough.

The investment bankers at Shearson plotted their strategy around three words: Cash is king. By this they meant that they believed the special committee analyzing the bids would consider cash a superior form of payment than securities. To Johnson, historically a seller, the three little words made a lot of sense.

The story was an interesting kind of it own. Investigated by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it dawned to me that the world by itself is greed. Having the introduction to the LBO, it dwelled between the two most prominent characters in the story - Ross Johnson and Henry Kravis.

It is a recommended book for those whom interested in learning about economics and the world of money.

Right now, I am sitting in the office in the middle of night. After the instant gratification on the Johor trip during the Deepavali holiday, I have to put up with the tasks that is pending of from me. It does not sounds good especially when yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon I had to face my manager. She wanted the things to be ready for discussion by tomorrow morning (Wednesday morning) which is few hours from now.

She asked me whether I could get things done since I did not spend my time over the weekend to complete the works. At that time, I knew that things are not as easy as it seems. Nonetheless I have already had my time last weekend so she threw me a question, whether I can get things ready by tomorrow for her. I knew for sure that I have no clue at all as I am lost. I can only reply her, “yeah, I get it done by tomorrow”

Hence I am here now alone in the office while everyone is enjoying the slumber night. Since that I was pretty worn out during the trip to Johor, right now my engine (my brain) is shutting down. This cannot happen. Urgh.. I still got 4 more tasks to completion…..

making the headlines in the recent times is nonetheless the credit crisis that has been overwhelm with publicity. Most of all, how the US Government is enforcing the leading 9 banks to accept the government fund of $250bn to overcome the credit crisis issues. This will eventually reflecting the free-market capitalism of the states are being nationalized.

The bailout plan is just like a pinch of salt, rubbing the salt into the injury. I recalled the US Government used to condemn the Malaysia’s government for putting the money in to nationalized some of the companies when we hit our 1997 crisis. Now, they are doing the same time by nationalized the banks. With such action, it is like a pot calling the kettle black.

So if you were working with these 9 leading banks, and when the banks has been nationalized, then you are going to be part of the national assets. A national property. In another word, you can consider yourself as the government servant.

Will it be the end of free market?

A man with dream will not be denied.

Dreams are made with eyes closed. When you are asleep. It is also synonym with aspiration.

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.

It is a form of understanding the dreams and put into a methodological approach to accomplish these dreams. It has evolve into an art of putting into the visual representation and hence, a man need to have vision in order knowing where to go and move forward.

Goals are dreams with deadlines.

Goals are something down to earth. With deadlines means there’s a finite time to achieve the dreams or visions. Just for example, Malaysia’s Vision 2020 is our former Prime Minister’s dream to put the country into the eye of the world, setting an example to the world. He convert his dream into vision and by putting year 2020 as a deadline, we have a specific goal.

Now, of dreams, visions and goals… a man with either these will not be denied. But can he withstand the current of the world, the society and the community? Will he rise above all these circumstances?

Silent Boy - Torey Hayden

Going to Cameron Highlands as I mentioned, I bring along a book to read just in case I needed to kill time. True enough that the whole trip there in Cameron, it was quite a traffic congestion and thus I manage to finish the book with tranquility.

It was a heartbreaking story that tells the of a boy trapped in silence and the teacher who rescued him, literally. So when special education teacher Torey Hayden first met fifteen-year-old Kevin, he was barricaded under a table. Desperately afraid of the world around him, he hadn’t spoken a word in eight years. Imagine that even the kid who weep did not even produce a sound. Maybe it was a form of defense to protect himself and others.

The Zoo-boy was considered hopeless, incurable but Hayden refused to believe it, though she realized it might well take a miracle to break through the walls he had built around himself. With unwavering devotion and gentle, patient love, she set out to free him; slowly uncovered a shocking violent history and a terrible secret that an unfeeling bureaucracy had simply filed away and forgotten. This shows that the world is built upon a perception of the mass. Just like what happened to another character inside the book, Jeff who got transfered just because he is gay.

Torey refused to give up on this tragic “lost case.” For a trapped and frightened boy desperately needed her help and she knew in her heart she could not rest easy until she had rescued him from the darkness. It took the greatest thing of all — love to save a person.

Yes. Love was a greatest thing of all. Although I have never read the Murphy’s Boy but being a republication or so, still it is heart wrenching story to say the least.

Dewey

It took me about 7-8 hours ordeal to finish a book. Doesn’t know what came over me that I decided to drive down to the MPH Alpha Angle to look for this title. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Along the story of Dewey Readmore Books, it consists of the author Vicki Myron experiences in life dealing with alcoholic husband, the breast cancer and being a singlehood mother. Most of the time, the author had to deal with losses in life which involves her two brothers.

Both Dewey and Myron reminded me that life goes on despite the ups and downs. There is no one straight line of road like they had in Iowa. Instead, every things that come will eventually passed and just like Dewey, he only touched one person at a time. He does not do great things. He does not do big things. Just one small gesture, one at a time is more than enough.

Throughout the entire book, I dealt with death few times and each time confronting it was a painful ordeal. Every single death, is a reflection that life goes on; people come and go.

Yes. It is a worthy book to spend the hours ransacking the content.

With an ending, it comes with a new beginning. Everything eventually will comes to an end. Hence, I have deleted the previous posts in this blog, along together with the mini-blog (Cross).

I’ll just keep this short and simple. I need a brand new start… just like the story of a cup fulled with water shall never able to contain anymore, as the cup is overflowing.