I've been looking under rocks and breaking locks
Just tryna find ya
I've been like a maniac insomniac
5 steps behind ya
Tell them other girls, they can hit the exit
Check please...
Cause I finally found the girl of... my dreams
Much more than a Grammy award
That's how much you mean to me

[Chorus:]
You could be my it girl
Baby you're the shit girl
Lovin' you could be a crime
Crazy how we fit girl
This is it girl
Give me 25 to life
I just wanna rock all night long
And put you in the middle of my spotlight
You could be my it girl
You're my biggest hit girl

Let me play it loud
Let me play it loud like... oh oh oh oh
Let me play it loud
Let me play it loud like... oh oh oh oh
Let me play it loud

You can't help but turn them heads
Knockin' them dead
Dropping like flies around you
If I get your body close not letting go
Hoping you're about to
Tell them other guys they can lose your number
You're done!
They don't get another shot cause you're... love drunk
Like a TV show playing reruns
Every chance I get
I'm a turn you on

[Chorus:]
You could be my it girl
Baby you're the shit girl
Lovin' you could be a crime
Crazy how we fit girl
This is it girl
Give me 25 to life
I just wanna rock all night long
And put you in the middle of my spotlight
You could be my it girl
You're my biggest hit girl

Let me play it loud
Let me play it loud like... oh oh oh oh
Let me play it loud
Let me play it loud like... oh oh oh oh
Let me play it loud

[Bridge:]
Can't seem to stop you from... running, running
Through my, through my mind, mind
Just keep it coming, coming
Til I make you mine, mine
You've got that something, something
I wanna be with girl
You're my greatest hit girl
Just say this is it girl...
Hey baby...
Don't you know you're my it girl

[Chorus:]
You could be my it girl
Baby you're the shit girl
Lovin' you could be a crime
Crazy how we fit girl
This is it girl
Give me 25 to life
I just wanna rock all night long
And put you in the middle of my spotlight
You could be my it girl
You're my biggest hit girl

Let me play it loud
Let me play it loud like... oh oh oh oh
Let me play it loud
Let me play it loud like... oh oh oh oh
Let me play it loud

This is it girl

goodbyewonderwal

I watched 2012 again the other night and I was reminded of one of the best teachings that ever came about in the history of mankind.

It was shown by the Dalai Lama that a cup, when half-full, would simply overflow when you keep pouring tea/coffee into it. Obviously, one should first empty his cup before more of the refreshment can be served. I think the moral is: one should not fill himself up with too many set dreams/aspirations/opinions because, simply put, life has more to offer him. Every single day, an opportunity comes up, but if he is too focused on something that may be of less value, then he would not be able to spot it. Every time he goes out into the streets, life is teaching him something new, but if he is not open-minded, and if he simply won't compromise his existing beliefs/opinions, then he wouldn't be able to benefit from it.

Relating this lesson to trading, a novice trader should let go of some preconceived notions about the business before truly learning the game. For example, newbies are usually equipped with the misconception that trading is an easy path to riches - that even without hardwork, money would flow easily into their pockets. When you possess this "belief," then you would be too arrogant and prideful to accept that, when facing the market, humility is a must. Every day the market teaches you a lesson. When you do something stupid, it may give you the "stick" and punish you with staggering losses. Or, if you do something well, it may give you a "carrot" in the form of capital gains. But if you think too highly of yourself, then you wouldn't be able to absorb these valuable lessons that the market is laying out in front of you. And more importantly, you may never gain the ability to spot the dangling carrots that the market oh-so-rarely leaves for you to take.

Personally, I don't think it means that I should empty my whole cup. The bare essentials should still be there: the long-term goals, the reasons why I love trading and basically all the other necessities that would allow me to survive and hurdle the challenges of the business.

Trading, much like life, is an odyssey, a marathon; it is not a sprint to the finish line. The true greatest traders of all time did not become rich overnight. They had to learn the ropes, suffer the aches and pains of growing before striking gold. Thus, I should work hard each day... keep my cup sufficiently empty while maintaining my focus on the finish line. Eventually the carrots will come.

goodbyewonderwal

Maybe tomorrow. :)

goodbyewonderwal

"People with destinies. They die old and unhappy, or they die young and unfinished."

Faced with the opportunity to escape, what does a man do?

Does he suddenly change his mind at the end of the tunnel, turn back and walk towards the opposite way - back to a place where comfort and gloom are abound?

He thinks of all the luxuries and comforts that he has to leave behind: the money, security, the chance to be popular, the glamour and everything else that is tied up to his current situation.

10 years down the line, he may regret his decision of moving on, as his peers would have probably made it by then. They may be managers by that time, handling people and large amounts of money. And where would he be?

What lies ahead (uncertainty) definitely scares him. Is the escape really necessary? Would it truly alter his life for the better? Or is that route to freedom deceiving him, tempting him to do something that isn’t really meant for him? What if he ends up hating the place where the path leads to?

But he can't stay. The passion just isn’t there. The man wants to take hold of his fate. He doesn’t want to be pushed around and sacrificed like a pawn. He wants to own the chess board, and possess his own pieces. And he believes that taking that escape route, no matter how cowardly it may seem, will be a step towards his goal.

The man thinks again and realizes that he may be one of the luckiest men in the world. He has a choice, an option that probably 99% of the world’s population doesn’t have. And yet, he feels like it’s a burden. An irony, really, given that he wants to take hold of his fate.

He hesitates.

People we love have to pass away. How else would we know how important they are if they didn't? - A revised line from Benjamin Button.

I have never written or talked much about her. I've tried to separate her from my reality, to shadow her away from my world. But in truth, without her, I wouldn't have come this far. She has selflessly given her all for me, for my sake. And yet, I haven't really shown much gratitude for the things she's done. If only I could tell her how much I appreciate her without feeling all emotional or weak or vulnerable, I would. When I do find the strength and courage to tell her how I feel, I just hope it wouldn't be too late.

Instead of going back to my shitty work, I've decided to revive this blog and write something.

A friend wrote in her journal that it has already been 9 months since graduation, and yet, she's still lost. She wants to try everything that sparks interest in her. The "wise" ones say she shouldn't quit; it’s “stupid” to ride whatever comes her way. The indecisive say it is normal, given that she has just graduated and nothing is set yet. She's facing a world full of possibilities and opportunities. Who wouldn't get lost in such a grand situation?

Obviously, I can relate. I wouldn't be writing here if I wasn't. But I feel like I'm already past that lost,-what-will-I-do stage. I've looked in my heart and reflected for weeks and months, and found out a simple truth (that we all know already): it's not about what you think you want and what you know, but what makes you happy. If you feel like work is drudgery, then resign. Don't look back. Having the chance to taste a glamorous job with a ridiculous salary this early in my career made me realize that it's not about ego-boosting job titles or short-term financial gain. If you feel that your life is wasting away in a cubicle, then it's just not worth it.

When faced with these new and difficult challenges, we all feel the urgency to just quit – to move on to the next place and start anew. Yet, what's hindering us from doing so is the fear of losing security along with that incessant nagging that we shouldn't disappoint the people we love the most. The thing is, it's okay to quit. Now.

You're probably thinking, "hey I'm still young, it's okay to stick it out first; maybe things would eventually change and I'd end up liking whatever I have right now." That kind of mindset is just plain wrong. That means you're ready to settle. And the sad thing is, yes, there's a 92% chance that you'd end up liking your current state, but only out of habit.

What you don't realize this early is that, as you go further in the journey of life, your choices will slowly start to dwindle. As each responsibility comes along, like a wife, a kid or an ailing parent, the doors to your real passion creak to a close. Before you know it, you're 40 and still lugging yourself to your cubicle or maybe to your grand office now. There you are, busy as hell, a ton of papers on your desk, thinking and evaluating your life - or the lack of it. And then the regret comes, "what if I had chosen to quit 18 years ago?"

Don't be scared. Quit early and find what makes you happy.

Yet, in that search, never had it occurred to me that employment also meant losing yourself. I thought it would give meaning and significance to my life. I assumed that I would finally find my genuine worth beyond classrooms, Calculus and lectures - out of the unreal.

I was wrong.

People who have shifted (or plans to shift) into entrepreneurship are right. In a multinational company, being a mere foot soldier is tantamount to being a "cog," an insignificant (and replaceable) part of a well-oiled gargantuan machine.

The HR department, the managers, the GMs and the CEOs constantly remind employees that they matter, that a corporation cannot function without them.

But that's just a load of bullshit to hide the truth, to temporary lift the morale of people in order to keep them working. The "encouraging" words, the money and incentives they offer are modern-day whips used to force workers into following their "vision."

To some extent, little things do matter. You cannot accumulate a billion dollars without one mere dollar. Bolts, bricks and cement make up and form skyscrapers and conglomerates.  But, really, do these minute parts actually feel their worth beyond what is expected of them?

No, they don't.

We don't my fellow slave.

We are part of an inverted networking pyramid scheme, where the builders and the pioneers gain the most wealth and fulfilment, while the last in line, the ignorant and the gullible – us – get virtually nothing.

Only the "visionaries," builders, and architects believe that we matter, because, ultimately, we are just instruments to their success.