My dearest Wallflower,
You’ve raised a good point about an ‘instruction book’ be it for life or anything for that matter. I guess we all have our own. I’m currently doing my tax (as I type) and I bought a financial calculator WITH INSTRUCTIONS MIGHT I ADD! Well I read the instructions but they were a waste of time anyway. I went to use them and read that it stated that ‘batteries are not included’! Bloody great! Now I’ve got to take the bloody thing back and buy another one all over again!
Ali, I think I agree with what you are saying about the word ‘proof’. In science that word doesn’t really exist. There is only evidence and continual supporting evidence. That’s the thing I love about science. Once we realise something like the theory that the world is not flat and ships can’t sail off the edge of the planet then that theory is immediately discarded. The theory of gravity isn’t proof. It’s evidence that is measurable for validity and reliability again and again. If tomorrow an apple starts heading skywards then the law of gravity would be debunked and on it goes. Proof is just another way to say that ‘I’m right and you’re wrong’ which is absurd! Proof is merely an opinion and as everybody knows, opinions are like a%#$h%$s, everybody’s got one. As to honesty, well, yes I consider myself to be an honest person. If you could just see this tax audit from last year that I’m trying to get out of you’d know what I mean! Anyway, back to my tax return. This site is addictive. That’s just my theory anyway. You disagree? Well bloody ‘prove’it then!!
Cheers,
Gatsby!

Maybe I’ll just rip off the birka and go pre Taliban style. Anyway I must phone my boss to abuse her as she is refusing to pay me for 2 days work with the disabled (and they wonder why we are currently on strike?). She’ll understand when I’m ‘financially independent’ and I can buy the house I supervise in and sack her and do my job the way it should be done and for free to boot. Then I’m off to see John Bell’s Shakespeare’s version of ‘Twelth Night’ at 7pm. Ill see you all back here when I get home. Ciao!

Peachy,
Kay isn’t Henry Kaye, she’s ‘The Messiah. I should know, I’ve followed a few in my time!”
Bennido and Sam,
on the point of Kiyosaki, my position is that if all his stories are in fact utter BS, none the less, I found the benefit regardless in it’s motivational effect to push me forward. On his point of non diversification I admit that I agree because I think once you take a postition in property, (eg CF+, wraps, buy and hold, reno’s etc, etc) become as skilled as you can in that one area and then once you have gained the confidence and feel you have gained some mastery in that area then it is a lot easier to then transfer those skills/confidence to another area. Also you may find you are dead keen passionate in one area (which will increase your chance of success dramatically) and find that other areas of property/investing bore you to death. For me, I think I’m better at focussing on one area I know (?) and concentrate on that, rather than dispersing my efforts all over the place. Everyone’s different.
Cheers,
Gatsby!

I wish that I had Jesse’s girl.
Cheers,
Gatsby!

LifeX,
harder may mean,
‘To suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,’ just like Bill Gates does with his great charity work! (the slings and arrows are from people who put him down?).
Cheers,
Gatsby!

Dear LifeX,
I wouldn’t call myself a religious person. Everyone is different, so if one thing is carved in stone the problem arises that as individuals, we’re not all made from the same rock. I do however refer at times to Shakespeare. Not so I can say ‘I read Shakespeare’ but because it works for me. The reason for me is because although it’s about 400 years old, it still is relevant today in describing the human condition and I guess that’s why it’s still performed today and included in educational curriculums. The point I’m driving at LifeX is that from my understanding you are facing a dilemna because I sense you are obviously taking responsibility for your life and what life deals you. You’re also taking a very responsible attitude to it by questioning it, rather than what the easiest option would be which is ‘as long as it doesn’t affect me then I don’t give a shit.’ That’s a very hard and honest position to take. Very few people in life have the guts to take the stance you have chosen to. In ‘Hamlet’ this responsibility is what he is constantly tormented with. Everyone has heard of the famous line ‘To be or not to be’. This question of self doubt is Hamlet’s way of saying ‘should I battle on with what I belive to know as being right, or should I just suicide and end my suffering from others’. Hamlet chooses not to, despite everyone around him thinking that he is ‘insane.’ Hamlet takes the hard option, not the soft one. Despite feeling the easier option is to end it all, he decides to challenge what he believes to be true and knows to be right and takes the hard option. If you read my profile I think you’ll see my quote stating that ‘Often the hardest thing to do, is often the best thing to do’ (or something along those lines). Do what’s right for you and I think by doing so, you’ll do the right thing by others regardless.
Cheers,
Gatsby!

Today I was,………no that wasn’t me.
Cheers,
Gatsby!

My Dearest Wallflower,
‘Toying’ with oneself? I don’t know? I mean at times I may not be feeling my usual self (not that I feel my,………..ergh, forget it). Kay, spelling, grammar? Oh no! Wallflower mispelt the word referring (reffering)! Don’t tell me that Wallflower and you are one and the same? Hang on, I just misspelt the word mispelt! Wait a minute! Two years ago,…. no it was yesterday! I’m just going to make a call on my phone to make sure that,… Oh no! I just pressed redial by mistake and now it’s having an identity crisis!
Cheers,
?

Dear Bbruham,
Do what you want to the girls but leave me out of it, ergh,…I mean ‘Do what you want with me but,…..’ Well, you know what I mean? Relax! It was just a post. No point weilding it at people, you’ll only get splinters?
Cheers,
Gatsby!

Hi GoLive,
What’s that old saying? “Lies, lies and damn statistics!” (or something to that effect). The only way IMO as to what something is REALLY worth is when you put it up for sale and you accept what you get. That’s it! The average price, (whether you want the mean or the median) can be misleading when reading stats. Kay can probably explain this better than I can but if out of say 100 properties only 1 sold for 10x the ‘value’ of all the other properties this will not mean that all the other 99 properties are now worth 10x their value. They will increase in value but many people make the misguided assumption that because 1 property sold for $x then all the rest (all things being equal) are now ‘valued’ at $x. One property sale will skew all the other property values upwards, sure but this skewing effect often misleads a value assigned to a house, a suburb, etc. I’m sure Residex, API take these things into account (I don’t know though) however data is always given in hindsight. As to predictions? You may be able to control for a lot of variables, but the fate of the future? If someone told me ‘Gats your property will increase by 9.76% this year’, then I’d be asking for tatslotto numbers!!!
Cheers,
Gatsby.