Life's Options

I traded options (期貨) in 2012 and 2013, and I lost around $5000. I learned something from this experience.

An option with an expiry date in the far future, can be worth much. But as the option's date of expiry gradually draws near, the value of the option gradually becomes worth less and less, until it becomes nothing of worth once the option expires. Therefore, the aim of the game is to hold the option until it reaches its maximum value, then sell it, then use the proceeds to purchase the next option that will yield a high return. The aim is often not to hold on to the option until it expires, because then you may lose everything.

Options is like using money in life. As a child with a long way to go in life, the potential uses for money is vast. As one grows older, there are still lots of uses for money, but he may find that there are some things money cannot buy. As one grows old with few years left, the way he sees money changes, because the value money is diminished now that there are a lot less things of desire that can be purchased with this money. So he either spends the money on something that yields him little utility or he keeps it until the day he dies, yielding him zero wealth.

But life does have options. There are things he could have done with that money, and there are things he could have done with his life. He doesn't have to yield zero, if only he knew how to sell at the maximum of the option, to purchase the next option that will yield a high return. So that he will never yield zero, even when he dies.

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

2015 Year of the Shmita, Economic Troubles and World Chaos

Revised post from last month. Written from a slightly different angle.

The recent two biggest economic troubles we've had in the past history, most would agree to be the 2001 9/11 attack and the 2008 global financial crisis.

1. The first thing that is mildly interesting is that there is a pattern of 7s and economic troubles. 2001 is 7 years before 2008. 1994 (Mexican crisis and brewing of Asian crisis), 1987 (Black Monday - largest percentage decline in history of Dow Jones index), 1980 banking crisis, 1973 oil crisis. While there were also economic troubles between these years, the above-mentioned years were significant and more widely known. So that's the first thing - the 7 year cycle of economic events.

2. The second thing that is also interesting to note is that the years these economic trouble years fall on, is known to the Jews as something called the 'Shmita' year.

"The sabbath year (shmita Hebrew: שמיטה‎, literally "release") also called the sabbatical year or sheviit (Hebrew: שביעית‎, literally "seventh") is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Land of Israel, and still observed in contemporary Judaism."

This is also the year that debts of a fellow brother must be forgiven. It's the year of the forgiveness of debt. So the Shmita has fallen on 1973, 1980, 1987, 1994, 2001, 2008 in recent history.

3. The third thing to note is, going back to 2001, the biggest single day drop of the Dow Jones to that day, was on 17th September. In the Jewish calendar, this date was on the month of Elul of the 29th day, which is the last day of the calendar year. In 2008, the biggest single day drop of the Dow Jones to that day of 777 points, was on 28th September 2008. This record day occurred on, yes Elul 29th. 

4. Fourthly, there is a jubilee year every 7 shmitas = 49 years and the 50th year is the jubilee. The Jubilee year will start on 2015 September 14th. Date back 49 years to the last jubilee, the Jews recaptured Jerusalem in the six day war in 1967. Date back another 49 years, and we have the 1917 Arab revolt where the Jews gained a degree of freedom.

5. Fifthly, 2014-2015 is the year of the rare Tetrad of blood moons that fall on the feasts of God. In 2014, these fell on the dates:

15th April 2014 - Passover

10th August 2014 - Feast of Tabernacles

4th of April 2015 - Passover

28th of September 2015 - Feast of Tabernacles

The last time something rare like this has happened was 1967-1968 (recapture of Jerusalem), and 1949-1950 (Israel independence), two of the biggest events in Jewish history. The next time we see a Tetrad will be 400+ years later.

6. 2014 - 2015, with the year ending on 13th September 2015, is a shmita year and the last year before jubilee, also coinciding with the Tetrad of blood moons. I don't believe in numerology or astrology. I believe God uses numbers in his wisdom (many numbers in the Bible have a meaning which is carried through-out the Bible), and He uses signs in the sun, moon and stars for warning, prophecy and to show that He is in control. 

7. For someone to read this, he:

- doesn't have to be Jewish

- doesn't need to believe in God

- just needs to understand that the calendar days, feasts, years of the Jews were instituted thousands of years ago, and yet history tells us that they are now aligning with the signs in the sky, and major world events.

8. I believe this will be a big year for the world and for the Jews. The below is only my speculation. In fact it may be the case that nothing major will happen.

- - border expansion, plans of rebuilding the temple, major wars and major Jewish victories.

- Currency devaluation

- World financial troubles and economic chaos

Sources:

https://swissthomas.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/the-mystery-of-the-shemitah-jonathan-cahn/

http://www.pray4zion.org/TheComingShemitahJubileeYear57745.html

Stock Market Crash of September 13th, 2015

It's time to consider the possibility of a Mega financial crisis in the month of September 2015 or earlier.

I'm going to summarize my findings below in 10 points.

1. The 12 months of the Jewish year are:

Tishrei, Cheshvan, Kislev, Teves, Shvat, Adar, Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, Tamuz, Av, Elul

2. Every 7 years, there is a Shemitah year, on which the land must not be worked, and where debts are forgiven (Deuteronomy 15:1–6, Jeremiah 34:13–14)

3. The last day of the Jewish year is Elul 29 - every single year. 

4. Remember the 9/11 attack? It happened on Tuesday September 11th, 2001. The stock market closed on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and it re-opened on September 17th, 2001 - where one of the stock indexes crashed 7% - one of the biggest crashes. This day was Elul 29, on the Shemitah year.

5. Seven years later, on Monday September 29th 2008, one of the stock indexes fell 777 points - biggest drop in history. This day was Elul 29, on the Shemitah year.

6. Fast forward 7 years from the previous drop and we have September 13th 2015 as the day of Elul 29. 

7. Going back to the Shemitah years, 1994, 1987, 1980, etc, all had significant economic events.

8. Consider another aspect. There is the rare Tetrad blood moons occurring on the feasts of God in 2014-2015 (four blood moons each occurring on a feast of God according to Jewish year). The last time something like this happened was in 1967-1968, coinciding with Israel's reclaim of Jerusalem. The time before this, occurred in 1948-1949, coinciding with the formation of the state of Israel (14th May - realised this recently). These Tetrad blood moons have occurred another 5 times between 0 AD to 1948, and each time, something significant happened to Israel whether good or bad.

9. Conclusion: I think some big things will definitely happen this year. During September 2015 and throughout the whole year. 

10. Having knowledge calls for preparation. I believe God will use signs in the sky (objective signs) to warn people about various happenings.

Weirdest Night Out

I had one of the weirdest nights in the past 365 days. The guy was really weird, and the guys around all became weird because of him. We are normally normal :)

The guy who appears multiple times in the photos, he:
- Is a squash coach
- Takes us to a vegetarian buffet and eats plates of avocado because it gives energy for 1 week
- Weird vibes are hard to describe. Well he thought I was really weird, which I was, while it is a compliment.
- He gives a good chest massage, and has developed some of his own 'techniques'.

Paulus was hilarious that night. This post is for the memories.