BAC: Are They Going to Issue Secondary Offering?

There were two times I saw Bank of America hit the $10 level.  And as the world waits in abated breath to the biggest gainer of Dow Jones this year to double their stock price last night, BAC stock dips down contrary to the direction of the S&P.

Some would say its technicals; the stock simply hit their resistance level last night.  But the rumor that BAC will issue a secondary offering continue to persist around the four corners of wall street.  (Does wall street have four corners?  unlikely.  But then again, this is my blog and it has a nice ring to it. )  Going back, like any other investors, I'm beginning to have a seed of doubt regarding this latest rumor.  A rumor that has been bouncing around for many days can affect one's faith in a stock.  So my mind wanders back to its main man, Brian Moynihan.  If I remember it right, last year, when Bank of America has seen its very worst, rumors also abound that it will sell stocks to beef up their capital.  But Brian Moynihan said "no, it won't happen".  So he went back to his desk and worked on his numbers, trying to devise ways to satisfy the Feds while meeting their mortgage obligations.  And he delivered.  Bank of America sold off more than $30 billion of assets last year. He unloaded private equity, credit cards and insurance company assets.  And his divestiture strategy continues this year with Apollo Capital buying the Irish credit card.  They also got an expensive deal with Warren Buffet for a $5 billion preferred shares.

So , it seems that Bank of america will not solve its problems by stock dilution.   Not now when they are enjoying excess capital of a little bit more than $1 per share over Tier 1 ratio and they continue to have a line up of non-core assets to sell.  The continued denial of Brian Moynihan of issuing secondary offering is enough for me.  For now.   

Another Look at the U.S. Banks' Stress-Test

Wall Street has been rejoicing with the results of the stress tests performed by the Feds on major U.S. banks.   The stress test was supposed to test the capital health of the banks and to ensure its resilience in another economic crisis.  Such is a great step for the Feds to ensure that banks are well-capitalized and indirectly , restore confidence in the market.   Only four banks failed the stress test out of 19 and Citigroup is embarrassingly included in this list.

However, I find it odd and dangerous that Wall Street find the passing of the Fed's stress test a reason for many U.S. bank stocks to rally.  The stronger banks are increasing their dividend payouts and buying back their shares in a large scale.

Results of the Stress Test:

1.  JPMorgan -dividend payout to 25 cents a share every quarter and buyback stock worth $15 billion

2.  BB&T  - dividend payout of 16 cents a share 

3.  State Street  - dividend payout of 18 cents a share and buyback share worth of $675 million shares

4.  US Bancorp  -  dividend payout of 50 cents a share and buyback share of 50 million shares

5.  Wells Fargo  - dividend payout of 12 cents and buyback of 200 million shares

6.  American Express and Goldman Sachs - buyback stocks

7.  Morgan Stanley, Capital One -  maintain dividend payout

8. Other banks have no specific plans as of the moment.

Like a parent who molds their child by punishment and reward system, the Feds are pushing banks to turn their backs on consumer lending, exercise much much prudence in commercial lending, avoid real estate and stack up on government securities.  We understand where the Feds are coming from.  They don't want a repeat of the recent economic crisis that caused White House many sleepless nights.  However, there is also such a thing as extreme caution and in this case, extreme regulation.  Banks financials are now swamped with cash and government securities,  loans as percentage of asset is very low and equity over asset is high.   This is not good.  Yes, safe, but not good at all.  Banks are in the business of making money.  And they make money from lending.

No wonder Bank of America remained quiet in the wake of the stress test results.  Among all banks, this is the bank that actually has a reason for rejoicing.  Bank of America stock is the biggest gainer in Dow this year.  But Brian Moynihan knows he has looming problems ahead of him. He has been busy selling several assets, mostly international,  to concentrate on its core businesses and build capital to deal with the massive mortgage losses that continue to hound the bank.   There is also serious issue of how to create profit in the near future.

So what makes this news worse than it already is?  The Feds, acting on the financial regulatory reform bill passed by Congress, would make this stress test an annual thing , in addition to other battery of stress tests that the Feds are preparing for the biggest lenders as we speak.

What Makes a Woman Wild in Bed

Romance and seduction do not start in the bedroom.   It begins on the first moment of contact.  So how do we proceed to finally make our women wild in bed?

Whether the reason of the seduction is love, lust or friendship, we still strive to make our women go crazy in lust for us when we are in bed with them.  We want to show them a good time, and that we can still make sparks fly in the bedroom.   And why should we do that?  because when a woman is happy and satisfied, they do return the favor tenfold.  And you might just have the most unforgettable night of your life.

1.  Bring a small token on your date.  It does not have to be something expensive.  Giving gifts is so old-fashion but the gallantry is not lost on many women.  It still melts a woman's heart to receive a small thoughtful gift that is sincere.  It can be flowers, chocolates, a book, fruits or a teddy bear.   These small gifts tell your date that "you consider this date an important one for you."   The most thoughtful gift a man gave me on a date was a basket of mangoes he brought with him from Cebu.  He looked so silly and so sweet carrying that big basket of mangoes.  But you see, he took time out to know that mango is my favorite fruit.  And it melted my heart, right on the spot.

2.  Be respectful at all times.  Be a gentleman.  You need to remind the woman that she is indeed a woman that deserves all your respect.  Don't treat her like a whore.   Nothing dampens the mood more than a jerk.  A woman would always prefer a respectful average guy than an egotistical model with good looks.  That's one of the secrets of Robin Padilla.  He is rumored to treat women like queens that's why he is successful in getting the pretty women in show business.

3.  Kiss.   Kissing is one of the real pleasures for women.  It tells her how much you adore her.  And kissing is the first intimate contact you share, which gives her the signal of your intention to bed her.   Kiss her gently at first to show her how much you savor that moment and then proceed to kiss her passionately showing how you can't get enough of her sweet lips and how you can't wait to devour her with your mouth.

4.  Use your hands wisely.  Use your hands to feel her skin all over.  Show her how much you want to know every inch of her.  IT makes a woman crazy to feel your rough large hands circling her breasts, pressing her buttocks towards your pelvic bone. caressing her legs up.  And finally, those fingers can do wonders in slowly feeling her clitoris.  Build her anticipation.

5.  Eat her.  Savor the smell of her womanhood.  And take your time in relishing the sweetness of her being.  The body of a woman is like a temple and men come to worship. Try to find her G-spot.   That can usually be found on the roof of the vagina.  Kiss your way through it.  Be gentle until she gets used to your attention.  If you can't find her G-spot, don't be shy asking her about it.

6.   Play with her ears.  A woman's neck is very sensitive and if you kiss  or breath to the areas below her ears to her neck, she will tingle all over.  And if you hear her breathing heavily then you know you are doing things right.  Whisper sweet nothings in her ear.  


7.  Suck her nipple.    Do not forget to pay tribute to her two glorious globes.  It gets hard and sit up like a proud statue when stimulated by your tongue.  The sides of the breasts near the armpit are also quite sensitive to the girl.

8.  The Aftermath.  When a woman reaches orgasm, it is very crucial that you hold her, embrace her to share her explosive experience with you.  It is such a downer when the man , after making the woman reach her orgasm, turns his body on the other side of the bed or worse, leaves her on the bed alone.   The woman is in her most vulnerable , right after she reaches orgasm.  So you want to be there, when that happens and not leave her cold.

9.  Make the woman feel she is beautiful.  A woman would always have some form of insecurity about her looks.  That is inevitable when society always judges the woman by the way she looks. How many times do we say "what a lovely child". Just like a man is judged by  how much he earns, a woman is judged by how pretty she is.   Make a woman feel she is beautiful and you have a confident woman who cannot wait to show you her   Please do not state the obvious like "you are very beautiful" when you don't think so.  Giving her your attention, treating her well, touching her all the time ..... these are all signs that you find her very attractive and quite irresistible.

10.  Offer her a meal after the deed and offer to bring her home.  Please don't treat her like yesterday's trash after the deed has been done.  Show her that you are interested in her as a person and offer to share a meal with her and bring her home. " Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am"  can hardly give you a second chance with the Ma'am.

Top 10 Signs that She is just Not Into You

I have a number of guy friends who seem to have no idea that their girlfriends are not into them anymore.  Their excuses range from "she had a bad day.", "she is not in the mood.".  It is sad when one needs to point out the reality that the girl merely changed her heart and does not like you the way she used to.   So this list is for them.  Read on.

1.  For every 10 texts, you only get one text.   She is delaying her response to you.  She doesn't want to deal with you now.  Maybe during the day, when she gets bored, she will get around to doing the polite thing and send you a response.

2.  She does not make the effort to look nice.  When the two of you are dating, she wears her baggy clothes and hardly wears any make up.  The stiletto shoes are kept in the closet.  You will also notice that her body is not physically close to you, seemingly screaming to everyone "Im not his date.  We are not romantically together. "

3.  She hardly makes any eye contact.  A girl who is interested in you will want to look into your eyes to feel your moods.   She spends a lot of time gazing into you and making contact.  Looking into each other's eyes is a way of making that special connection.

4.  Women are basically very verbal.  So if her text messages to you are always short, chances are she is merely connecting with you in the most minimal way.  But a woman who is into you , would not want to miss out the chance of flirting with you and letting you know you are "special" to her.  Compare these two texts.

Boy:  "How are you today?"
Girl:  " Fine"

Boy:  'How are you today?"
Girl:  "Im fine.  Thanks for asking. I really had a great time last night. See you soon!"


5.  She erases all your text messages.  If she is into you, she would want to read and re-read your sweet messages to her.  So unless yours is a secret affair or her memory is full, there is no reason why she would always want to erase your text messages, especially if she carries an Iphone.

6.  She hardly smiles and she seems distracted.   When a girl meets the man she loves, the very thought of it would put a beautiful smile on her face.   And when you two are together, the world collapses and her thoughts are yours alone.  So if you notice that every time you meet, she is frowning, distracted and always in the bad mood, well, that's your sign that she isn't in to you anymore, and is wishing she is somewhere else, any place but with you.

7.  She is easily irritated with your mannerisms, behavior or opinions.  Suddenly, you cannot seem to do anything right by her.  You eat too loud, or you drive too fast.  Whereas before, she considers this "cute" and delights in your adventures.

8.  She is always busy.  When you asks her out, she always seems to be busy.  When you call her up, you can't even get hold of her for more than 5 minutes and she needs to do something else. A woman who is in love will always find the time to be with you.  She would work non-stop just to free up that special day for you.  

9.  She is not interested in your stories.  When you talk about your day, she only listens half-heartedly and responds when necessary.  A woman is usually opinionated and would have response to every story on earth.  So if she is suddenly impatient with your story and does not encourage you to talk further on the topic, she is most likely not into you.  A woman has a nurturing spirit.  She wants to know very much what is going on with her man.   So if she is not interested, that is quite going against her nature or she is just not into you.

10.  She disrespects you.  She is almost always annoyed with you.  I've seen countless of women who treat their boyfriends so shabbily.  And the boys have no idea that their girlfriends are just not into them anymore.  They have no respect for their beaus. The boyfriends become like a driver, electrician, plumber and delivery boys all rolled into one. She does not care if you don't like Burrito , you are still going to that mexican restaurant.  She puts you down in front of her friends.  

You are the Apple of my Eye [那些年，我們一起追的女孩]

It's been a long time that I was impressed with a movie. But this movie definitely tops my list for the year 2011.  I know the title leaves little to be desired.  "You are the apple of my eye" is hardly unique, too cliche actually.  But let's be a bit forgiving for this Taiwanese film, whose title probably got lost in translation.

The film is set in a typical Taiwanese high school in year 1994.   The story opens with the mischievous but kind-hearted student, Ko Ching-teng forming an unlikely friendship with the pretty hardworking student, Shen Chia-yi when he lends his English book so the girl can escape punishment from the teacher.   Since then, Chia-yi tries her best to help Ching-teng with his school work to improve his grades.  Although Ching-teng grudgingly accepts the help, he found himself following the demands of Chia-yi to study hard by staying after school.  Soon, they find themselves consoling each other in times of trouble and celebrating their joys together.  After graduating from high school, the two attended different universities in different cities, but Ching-teng continues to call Chia-yi every night in college.  Unable to express his growing love for Chia-yi, Ching-teng organized a wrestling match to show Chia-yi how strong he is so she can love him in return.  But this plan backfired when Chia-yi got upset leading to their break-up.  They didn't have contact for two years, until the 921 earthquake, Ching-teng called up Chia-yi to make sure she was alright.  In year 2004, Ching-teng received a call from Chia-yi informing him that she will get married.  Ching-teng, along with all their high school friends, attended the wedding.  He expected to feel pain seeing the love of his life getting married to someone else, but he soon found out that immense love can transcend pain and lead to a more meaningful friendship and acceptance.

This movie is a semi-auto biography of the director and writer, Giddens Ko and this movie marks as his directorial debut.  The beautiful lyrics of the movie's song, 那些年 "Those Years" , is also written by Giddens Ko and was nominated as the Best Original Film Song of the year.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWzlwGVQ6_Q

So if there are days that you want to take another trip down the road of our adolescent years, watch this movie,  I assure you it won't be a complete waste of your time.   

Top 10 Signs of Infidelity

We all fear of infidelity from our partners.  This still remains the top reason for the breakup between couples.  But before that happens, there are signs that your spouse or partner is dipping into the restricted honeypot.  Let's face those signs and act on it, instead of lulling ourselves to a fantasy that will shatter soon.

1.  Your partner will put extra effort in being more attractive.  This may come in the form of losing weight or the extra zeal to go to the gym, going for botox or slimming procedure.  A woman who suddenly would go for the very painful procedure of brazilian wax, after your trip,  is probably having an affair.

2.  In this cellphone-crazed country, the sign of infidelity is even more glaring.  Your partner will texts more often and when the phone rings, there is this guarded look on his/her face for a second and she/he will find an excuse to go somewhere else of not hearing distance.  Some even take too long in the bathroom because that's where they texts or talk to their mistresses.

3.  Your partner will become emotionally distant.  You can't really pinpoint circumstances but you will definitely feel that your once sweet and caring partner would not talk to you about his work, his friends or his hobbies. If you reach out to him, the more he will move away.

4.  Prolonged office hours, late night work, business trips would be more frequent than the usual.  And when you start questioning it, instead of explaining it properly and patiently, your partner would be angry and defensive.

5.  Your partner would exhibit an emotional roller coaster worse than your teenage daughters.  One day, he/she will be so happy that nothing can faze his world.  And another day, he would be angry and dejected , problematic and distant. He won't confide in you, and you are left confused.  Thing is, most relationships go through the cycle of romantic love, misunderstandings and arguments, fights and passion.  And all these are heightened at the start of a romantic relationship.

6.  He/She spends more time in the computer , hooked up in the internet, chatting the night away.   And you cannot seem to pull him/her away from the computer.  If you insist, then a fight will ensue.

7.  He/She is not there during the holidays.  The list of reason can be quite long, depending on the creativity of the unfaithful person.  But bottom-line is He/She Is Not There for the holidays, of if he/she is there, it is cut short or suddenly he/she needs to run an errand somewhere, meet an important person some place.

8.  There will be days when he/she would bolt out of the door in an unscheduled time.  Unless he is a network engineer , or an OB-GYNE, if you know his profession does not demand unscheduled time outs, most likely he is out to meet his other girl on a secret rendezvous.  Thing is an affair, although exciting , will also have its moments of insecurities, unreasonable demands due to the nature of the relationship.  If you are the other woman, and you know that your man is with his family, you would sit on your house , biting your nails, wondering if he is making love with his wife.  The fear is eating you alive, and the insecurity grows.  So the other woman calls the man and demands to see him "to test his love for her" or to just hug her tight to remind her how much he loves her.  The man, trying to control the situation, would try to get out of the house and meet her.

9.  When your partner comes home looking fresh and newly showered, chances are he just took a quick shower from the motel or hotel with his mistress.  When you come from the offices, the normal behavior is to go home and take the shower in your home.    If you want to confirm this, give him a BJ if you are a girl and give her a cunnilingus if you are boy.  If he/she refuses you vehemently, sad to say that is a strong sign that she/he just came from a rowdy sex.

10.   When he takes more leaves (sick leave or vacation leave) from the office or a series of prolonged lunches, without telling you , and he is obviously not home, then he is likely to be meeting another girl on the side.  If there are a lot of unaccounted time away, then this is a sign that your partner is probabaly having an affair.  

My Bucket List

Ever since the movie The Bucket List was shown in 2007, almost everyone who has watched it left the theater thinking "what is my own bucket list".

Nothing like a reminder of our mortality would give us a strong sense of purpose to do what we want to do in this life time.

I am no different.  Im hitting 40 soon and my recent blood tests reveal my own physical limitations.  Maybe, that's putting it mildly.  I have serious health issues that I need to address soon.  But before we go into panic, I can't help but think what else do I need to do.  What is my bucket list?

1.  Scotland's Highlands

    Scotland has always been my second home.  Even before I reached that place, I know all about it from the multitudes of books I have read regarding its history, culture and places.  Visiting Scotland is merely a confirmation of what is already in my mind.  And in this aspect, I learned that my imagination falls short of the beauty of Scotland.

    The first time I set foot on Scotland was in Edinburgh.  I reached Edinburgh from London via a train ride that lasted for the whole day and which cost around 120 pounds.  What is nice about Scotland, and maybe the rest of Europe is that, their parks, restaurants and houses were standing for more than 100 years, 200 years.   Take for example the restaurant RULES which was frequented by Charles Dickens... or the Hyde Park, which was the place to be when you want to ride around London with your horse 100 years ago.    And it wasn't uncommon to occupy the same room as Jane Austen when she was writing Pride and Prejudice.  That kind of cultural high cannot be replicated easily.

   The first time I was in Scotland , I can't help but gushed "My goodness, God must have favored the Scottish people more than anyone, for the beauty of this land is truly amazing and heavenly. "

   But I wasn't able to go up the highlands that time.  So this time around, I want to go up till Isle of Skye.  I want to see Cawdor Castle, where inspiration for Macbeth of Shakespeare came from.  I want to stay for a night beside their lochs and I want to eat their strawberries with cream while on top of the mountain.

                                      http://www.secret-scotland.com/

2.   Canadian Rockies

I have to admit I don't know much about the Canadian Rockies, but all those snow and mountain make me want to go on an adventure.  Snow-capped peaks, alpine lakes and a ride on a glacier would surely be a feast to the eyes. And to make it extra special, I want to go and tour the place riding a nice comfortable train with glass rooftops and windows.  

If you've got the money to splurge, go with tauck on this tour.  They are the best travel tour company I have ever joined, and this is coming from someone who has been touring for 23 years.

      http://www.tauck.com/tours/canada-tours/western-canada-tours.aspx

3.  Kathmandu - Everest Base Camp Trekking

     Trekking the highest mountain in the Himalayas is one of the most incredible experience of a lifetime.    This adventure is definitely not for the faint-hearted.  And I bet one also needs to be physically fit to attempt this tour.  Lots of work, lots of heart go with the decision to travel to Kathmandu and climb the Mt. Everest.  But the rewards should be magnificent.  How can it not be?  The attempts to conquer this mountain have been legendary.  I even heard that an HBO (Human Behavior Organization) class in Harvard would make their class go trek the mountain to learn about human nature, leadership and organization.  

                        http://www.nepalhikingteam.com/everest-base-camp-trekking.php

4.  Play the Cello

     Music has always been the balm to our soul.   And somehow , I have always been fascinated with learning how to play the cello.  Maybe it's because I'm a large woman, and I want an equally large musical instrument.   I have attempted many times to search for a cello class but all of them require me to have my own cello.  And cellos are expensive.  They cost 100,000 at the very least if you want a decent cello.   In my search, I have come to know a cello maker from StringWorks who is willing to sell me a cello in installment basis.  But having three kids in their toddler years, one is hesitant to shell out such an amount purely for indulgence.  But one day .... one day, I shall have my own cello and I will learn to play it. 

                                          http://www.stringworks.com/

5.  Be Part of the Theater

      

       I love the theater!  When Im inside the theater, I can immersed myself completely to the play for the full 3 hours.  Since age 14, I have tried to overcome my shyness and cowardice in attempting to audition for a part.  But I never did it.  That is one of my deepest regret.  While we are young, we should have tried everything without much hesitance.  The world is at our feet and it is the right time to experiment.  

6.  Bring All My Kids to Disney Cruise

    Just being in Disneyland is enough to leave behind all your problems at home.  Hongkong Disneyland may be the smallest Disneyland in the world but my kids can spend 3 whole days in it and every single time , they are excited.  Imagine, if they will be on a Disney Cruise Line visiting Castaway Cay, which is the private port-of-call of Disney.  Aside from the crystal blue beaches with palm trees, the cruise liner would be entertaining its guests with its signature Disney hospitality that includes live shows, 3D movie and activities tailor fitted for the kids with Disney characters to boot.  I can't wait to see the faces of my children as they spend 7 days in a lavish cruise line with their favorite Disney characters.  Problem is I have to cough up $5000 for our whole family to go, not including the airplane tickets going to the port of departure which will be around $5000 too.  Steep! 

                                           http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/

7.   Go Back to the Academe

     In my semi-retirement age, I would want to go back to teaching and molding the young ones.  If it's possible, I would wish to do this in both private and public schools.   But if a choice has to be made, I'd like to be a faculty in public schools.  I want to give the poor children of this country hope that they can do better than their family.  I want them to find purpose in their lives and to mold them to be strong principled children.  I am forever saddened by the media depicting half naked women gyrating to sensual music in prime time TV.  Children are supposed to be sharpening their minds in sciences and mathematics, not raping their innocent minds with blatant display of sexuality. 

8.   Bake Breads and Sell them Commercially

      Since I was 20 years old, I always wanted to bake breads.  Even before Bread Talk arrived in town, I had this idea of opening a bakeshop showcasing the different breads of the world.  But I got an earful from my mom who dissuaded me from pursuing that dream.   It is so fulfilling to bake your own breads and get a whiff of that heavenly smell of butter and eggs.   And see complete strangers savoring the sweet taste of your bread.  That would be quite a lovely sight!

9.  Go on an Adventure in Africa Safari

     Africa represents a country that is most unknown to us.  It's a combination of mystery, adventure and wildlife.  When you go to an african safari, you humbly give in to nature.  In Africa, the mighty beasts (the Big Five) are the king of that country, while you are a mere spectator, witnessing their greatness, their strength and glory. 
     I truly want to go to an African Safari before I die. And I want to live in a tent, eating simple meals and sleeping under the stars.  I want to see the beasties in their most natural environment.  I just wish that I won't be eaten alive.. now that's no fun at all!
    And I would like to do this by joining Asia to African Safaris.  They are a group of investment bankers who left their jobs to pursue their dream of customizing great safari adventures to people in Asia.   I heard really good reviews on this tour group.  So if you are going to Africa, go to Asia to Africa Safari.  They interview people who want to go to safari.  They ask you your budget, the kind of adventure you want, how many days  you can spare.  Their philosophy is that Africa safari is different for all types of people.  So this should be great for us!

                                          http://www.atoasafaris.com