Me and my mother ( Mama’ )

Hi Everyone,

I would like to tell you about my parents this time.  Before I tell you about them.  I would like to bring up my stock Bank Of Ireland (IRE $11.00).  If you buy the day I wrote the Investing article (May 27).  You would have made the profit of 30%.  That is a very good profit indeed.  I haven’t sell it yet.  It is still having some leg to go.  The government of Ireland injected 4 billion into the Bank Of Ireland to buy back bad debt.  Also this stock was $97 on February 2007 before the recession hit around the globe.  I keep this stock for awhile longer.

I am a lucky guy in the world,I got great parents.  I learned a lot from both of them.  They gave an unconditional love.  I called my father-Papa’, it means Dad in Chinese.  In Thai, it says Kun Paw.  I called my mother-Mama’, it means Mom in Chinese.  In Thai, it says Kun Mae.  Papa’ was the one who did all the disciplines.  Mama’ was the one who always gave love and care.  Mama’ was the housewife, she got up real early every morning to cook breakfast.  She woke all of us up when the breakfast was done.  I got one sister and two brothers.  My grandmother (my dad’s mother) was living with us also.  Mama’ helped me get ready before the school bus showed up.  After we finished eating our breakfast, she washed the dishes.  Then she washed all our clothes.  We washed every things by hands  in Thailand at that time.  I forgot to tell you that we used charcoal for cooking and boiling the water.  We got three stoves, one for cooking the rice, one for stir fry and the other for boiling the water.  Today living is so very convenient, you have rice cooker, you have dish washer and washing machine.  Mama’ took me to the market a lot of time, especially on the week end and summer time.  She taught me how to buy chickens, fishes and shrimps, which they were still alive in the open market.  You can take the live chicken home and kill the chicken by yourself or you can pay the merchant an extra money to process for you.  We bought enough for all three meals a day.  Mama’ was a great cook, she could cook all kind of Chinese foods.  She never let us bore with our meals.  She always had different dishes on each meal, some was stir fry, some was deep fry and some was soup.  Every dishes were delicious.  I learned how to cook from her.  I had been carried the baskets for her.  One day, she tested me to see how much I know how to prepare a meal.  She gave some money to buy grocery.  She said “I gave you enough money to buy grocery for three meals.  You have to think what the combination of meat and vegetables to make a dish.  Whatever you want to eat buy it.  If you like it, I’m sure everybody in the family will like it also.”  Boye of boye, it was tough, I bought enough to make only two dishes.  It took three or four dishes to make a meal.  I didn’t even get enough for a meal.  She smiled and said that it takes time to learn, just keep watching me every day and it will sink in.  I had been help her to prepare the meal all the time, but never actually cooked by myself.  The first trip back to visit from America, I cooked for my parents.  My mama’ said to me you are a good cook.  You develope to be a great chef, you have your own style.  I told her that I learned from her and changed a little bit due to lack of ingredients where I lived.

I helped my mama’ doing shore around the house.  I remember that the first time I learned how to iron the clothes with the old charcoal iron.  You had to get the fire start first.  You had to have a bucket of water so that you can splash it on your clothes.  I swept and scrubbed the floor.  I was on my knee to scrub and moped by hand.  We didn’ t have the kind of mop that they use in U.S.A.  My life growing up was a busy one.  Mama’ said to me that you have to plan your daily life and then just do it.  If you are just thinking about it, it will never get done.  She is my inspiration.

It is quiet long article this time, I will continue the story next time.

Goodbye for now,

Mana

Investing

Hi everyone,

America!  U.S.A.!  One of the most dream Country by far for many foreigners around the world, I am one of them.  But you know what, when I got to Hollywood, Calif., I had to share our three bedrooms with the other 13 Thai students.  My brother rented three bedrooms with his best friends.  Some of the Thai students needed help, Because they were low on cash, their parents were late to send the money.  Money exchange was 25 Baht to 1 Dollar.  It was a lot money for Thai people to come up with.  Some of the other students were student drop-outs.  We called them ” Robin Hood “.  It was vey crowded in one three bed room apartment.  My brother took me and my best friend to the most famous Las Vegas.  It was one of  the dream places  for oriental people.  Oriental people love to gamble, I am one of them.  Well you probably think, how nice of my brother to take his younger brother and his best friend to Las Vegas.  He took money my parents giving me to come to America.  I got no choice but to let him do it.  In Chinese Culture, you are always respect to the elder.  My brother always rip me off all the time, even today he still do.  Let me tell you, we had a great time, but Las Vegas is not a place to make money or to invest your money.  It is one of the best entertainment in the world, if you have the money to spend.  My advise to you, if you don’t have money to spare, don’t go.  If you do  save enough money for vacationing then go, live your life.

There are many ways to invest your money.  I am not here to give you advise.  I do it on my own and I just want to share with you.  I love to hear your comments.  After I made some money, I deposited in my saving account.  It will give a little interest earning.  When I had a little bit more, I bought a 12 month CD.  After awhile I got a lot more money, I bought myself a Municipal Bond. Why I did that?  Because Municipal Bond interest earning is tax free.  When I had extra money, I invested in stock market.  I love stock market.  It give me excited when I see my money growing.  And the same time, it give me a sad feeling when the market go down.  I just bought myself a bank stock the other day.  You probably heard that Jim Cramer’s recommend to buy Bank Of America and Warren Buffett’s recommend to buy Well Fargo & Company.  Both stocks are good stocks to buy.  But I did my own reserch, I found Bank Of Ireland stock very good to invest.  I compared all three stocks, Bank Of Ireland have a high upside.

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC $24.08),  52 wk. range $7.80-44.75,  Div.yield 0.80%

Bank Of America (BAC $ 10.91),  52 wk. range $2.53-39.50,  Div.yield 0.40%

Bank Of Ireland (IRE $8.54), 52 wk. range $ 0.66-53.30, Div.yield 53.70%

Also Bank of Ireland (IRE $8.54) upgraded by Deutshe from Hold to Buy.  That is why I decided to buy this stock.

Well I wrote quite a bit today.  I see you later.

Mana