Street Painting

Street Painting... So real...
reminds me of the hymn People needs the Lord!

Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?

On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize --  people need the Lord?

We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What would be too great a cost
For sharing Life with one who's lost?

Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.

People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.
People need the Lord, people need the Lord.
When will we realize that we must give our lives,
For people need the Lord.
People need the Lord.

Stock Market Challenge

This year, everyone in Business Finance needs to participate in the class stock market challenge. Being an economist, I don't really trust the stock market. You might be able to attain extra profits in the short run, but in the long run, things even out and you will not be able to beat the market...
But, will we ever get to Long Run? No is probably the answer.
Being a Christian, investing and gambling are not the most frequent words you can hear in church settings. Christians should not be greedy and that's why Christians would probably choose not to gamble. Is investment in the stock market gambling? In my opinion, some students are really gambling in the stock market, however, making an educated investment maybe acceptable.
When I was distributing Chinese newspaper with Tanya last week, we had a conversation on my urgency of having a new car. I told her that I would like to join every free, no purchases necessary contest available. Christians are advised not to gamble because gamble is usually initiated by greed. Shouldn't joining contests lie on similar lines? We join contests because we want the prizes and is a direct result from human greediness? I am not asking for a Mercedes or a Hummer though, I just need a reliable car... but I suppose that's greed too. Help me Lord!
Matthew 6:33
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

UNO

UNO used to be one of my favorite games. Some friends came to my house and we had a game of UNO. This reminded me the joy I had when I used to play UNO with my friends at UWO. It was a fun game.

RRSP

It is again January and it is again time to think about retirement, I mean retirement money. Canadians can contribute their RRSP and have tax deferred. The best strategy is always contributing the maximum amount. However, for regular working Canadian like me, it is virtually impossible to use them up because of budget constraints.
I started making monthly contribution last year and it had been convenient. Lots of people rush to buy RRSP right on the deadline and this is not a good strategy at all. As demand goes up, price goes up. Therefore, I would like to buy before the others buy. The biggest challenge for me is only that I don't really have enough money to buy the amount I want... When tax season comes, Canadian should really question ourselves if the public health system is really what we need. Taxes are just too high!

Italian Proverb

By asking for the impossible, obtain the best possible.
Aim High! This was the slogan for ABU last year. Business negotiators always want another dollar more. Highway signs show 110 km/h while the most efficient speed is 120km/h.
Economics theory tells us that we should set our standard high because you would always achieve less. At the end, you can be optimal. This is not true from the bible, God will always give you more than you expected. I suppose economics is a study of imperfect human beings while theology is a study of the perfect God?

School Starts!

Biggest News of the day: school starts again!
I am teaching four courses this semester: macroeconomics, finance I, finance II as well as business statistics. To my surprise, over 30 students have enrolled in the finance I class and it is by far the largest class I have ever taught here at ABU.
I still remember the days that I sat on the 5th floor balcony listening to the BIO150 (Introductory Biology in U of T) who was lecturing about 3000 students at the same time. I remember the days that I was teaching class of over 100 in UWO. Teaching larger classes are fun, but grading are going to be a problem. I used to have a full time TA grading for me at UWO when I taught bigger classes.
This year, I plan to bring more energy when I teach. Hopefully, it will be another fruitful and delightful semester.
My goals for this semester:
1. Fail less than 3 student per course
2. Update class websites regularly
3. Finish among the top in the stock market challenge
4. Learn conversational French
5. Loss another 30 pounds...

God's in control

I took this picture today when I was going to Simple For Life. It reminds me that even though there are sadness in life, God is always in Control. Look! It is always bright behind the clouds. Even though we may not understand now, but we can always count on the Lord.