attended friend's christmas bbq party last night with wife and coconut.
friend's boy is 1 month away from 10 years old. i remember the boy's birth, and when he was coconut's age, and it really does seem only so few months ago.
scary.
when we arrived, the preparations were still going on. we settled down to do whatever and drinks
the boy was being tutored in olympic math (he also engages enthusiastically in piano playing, basket ball, skiing, french)
once done, when my wife mentioned a few words about me getting the backpack that contained coconut's things, and i was concentrating on the champaign, the boy on own volition fetched the bag - no columbine imitator here
my friend attended various private schools, then caltech followed by harvard b-school, and now is group managing director of a very large private company with a few billion in cash and no debt.
we chatted about the nature of competition our kids will be facing from north of hong kong - i.e. most of the top 5 students in various singapore schools, i am told, are mainland chinese who has the wherewithal to send kids and wives there, even though these students are in fact not the brightest in china.
ouch, scream and shout, and run around in circles, then hide and cower, machine gun in hand, trigger on hair, barrel pointing either outward to opening of cower hovel, or, to avoid the fuss, towards own head
the solution set, as usual, can only be a package of goodies: robust genes, good upbringing, appropriately rigorous schools, tutors, international travel, camps, interesting extra-curricular (piano, sport, community service), and unusual experiences, i.e. chinese international school in hk (the one with all the name brand kids, and sells refundable and resalable usd 50k debenture to parents when babies are just 1-2 years old, without guarantee that the kids will get in - grade/achievement matters as well), just had their students spend one night on the street in paper boxes, without their usual cellphone, bodyguards, and chauffeurs in toll
oh, yes, and gold, as much gold as one can, and lessons on how to keep it, get more, and spend it, and introduction or sponsorship into the network that allows easy access to gold
in my script, i think martial arts and unreal tournament 20xx on-line deathmatch gaming skills are also important, else a stink in the military
btw, no one at the party was interested in buying gold, although many remembered my words of wisdom over the years, laughed, and drank more; and so, as a contrary indicator, gold bugs are safe and only getting started, if started at all |
