Floral Collections - Part IV (Botannical Garden - Part I)

My Botannical Garden shoot-out was a long due activity ever since I bought this new dslr. It materialized just last week and I had great fun clicking everything that my lens sees... :-) By end of the day, I just realized that my hand started to pain and then I noticed that I had clicked about 889 photos!!! (OMG). It was a real "stress test" for my Canon 550D and the batteries. I didnt have backup battery also and the single battery survived the whole day... :-)

The toughest job was from here to begin:- To review and upload... :-) Here is the first part of the Botannical Garden collection.(Click the play button at the center and then view full screen button at the bottom right of the below panel)



Thanks for your time and appreciate your comments...
This series will not be complete without the Orchid flowers which I will post as a next bunch/batch. :-)

Cheers
Selva.

Stock Market - Retail Experience

For long I wanted to blog on this topic., but for whatever reasons, couldn't do it. :-(. For 2011, I have decided to give equal focus to this subject and my photography interests. :-)

I will primarily scribble :-) about my experience and try to make a bit of awareness among retail investors... :-)

Retail Myth:
While trading in stocks is the fanciest thing that anyone can get hooked to very easily, it is a fact that 95% of the retail investors end up losing money in the stock market. Only 5% of the investors (Probably by luck) :-)  have made money or either making money in the stock market. (Probably only temporary) :-)

So, what does that mean? Is the stock market not for the retail traders/investors?., Perhaps Yes!! :-) Atleast not for warm-blooded people...


The primary reason for the failure of retailers is not lack of knowledge, not lack of information, not lack of money power, but greed & herd mentality!! Psychology also plays a very major role. (From my experience - will further elaborate in subsequent blogs). This is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. Only cold blooded people would love to stay in the market. :-)


Broad Stock Market Cycle & Psychology of a Retail trader/investor:
The market generally comes down very very fast and goes up very very slow. (Testing the temperament of the investors during the course of both directions.)
There is a phase when the stocks are available dead cheap but there are no buyers. (This normally happens after some blood bath in the market!). Market sentiment is very bearish. That is, the general sentiment and expectation is that market can go only one direction and that is downwards. There is literally no hope and people have lost complete confidence and fully gripped with fear and losses. Newspapers and experts will add fuel to the fire...

This is the time, the value hunters and institutional investors will enter the market. From whom will they buy ? Obviously from retailers who are gripped with fear of further losses. Retailers would just want to save what they have and run for their lives.

The market will gradually move up after a lot of intermediary ups and downs. Still retailer confidence is low and fully suspicious. In due course, the market would then have moved up quite significantly in contrary to retail investors' expectations. Slowly, the confidence blossoms when market continues to make new highs. Here, some retail investors (Getting the news through newspapers and experts giving statements that the economy is blossoming and there is good upside potential) enter the market and make some money. This news spreads throughout and the general confidence of the retail investors increases and more people come out of their self-imposed exile and slowly enter the market.

All sorts of good news will flourish. People will get very excited and buy like as if there is no tomorrow and as if the price will never come down again. (Outside factor: Fueled by news and expert opinions; Inside factor: Greed for quick profits). From whom will they buy? From the value hunters and institutional investors who entered when the market was at the bottom levels. They would be excited to see the price go up after they have bought. But, this would only be temporary., as the major players who entered very low will exit at higher levels thereby initiating the free fall of the market. The Retail Excitement will be short-lived and soon confidence will again be lost, fear will grip and people run away from the market. And the cycle would resume again from the beginning...

So, to succeed in stock market, Dare to be Different (5%) and Don't go with the Tide (95%) !!!  :-)

Happy Investing...
Selva.

Floral Collections - Part III

This just came in accidentally. I was just browsing through my old photographs and came across these pictures taken while I was in Germany. So, these few are actually German Collection :-) taken from my old Canon A610.

A Flower in Flight!

Floral Collections - Part II

Here is the second part in the Floral Collection Series...

Appreciate your time and critical comments...

Floral Collections - Part I (Updated)

Have managed to address the size issue with the help of flickr. Pls. click on the image below to view the slide show of the floral collection - Part I.

Floral Collections - Part I

I have been taking a lot of pics in November but it was a very busy month and I could not post into my blog. Now I got the time to blog. Here is the first of the series of floral collections.

Below are captured near to the Cricket ground/Polyclinic/KTP Hospital in Yishun.

Below are captured in my block 150 (neighbour's home). Thats why I have been able to capture the bud and the flower, as I monitor every time I cross over to access the lift.

Below are captured during our trip to St.John's Island and Kusu Island.

Diwali 2010 - Celebration - "Rewind" !!

Here is my collection from the Diwali celebration in Khatib!!. Its almost a month now, so, lets "Rewind the Moments and Revive the Happiness" !! :-)

Diwali 2010!!

Hare Krishna!!

Jai Hanuman!!