Nomed's Chop Shop aka 杰式风格II

Trading mini contracts due to funds in movement

2011-03-23T09:00:00.003+08:00

March 22nd
Short Eur/Yen
Short Gbp/Eur

15/Mar/11 - Trade USD/SGD Long

2011-03-15T14:12:00.002+08:00

Long USD/SGD

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
15,000	1.26782	1.27650	87	102.53
15,000	1.26782	1.27470	69	80.85

15/Mar/11 - Trade Eur/GBP Short

2011-03-15T13:47:00.002+08:00

Short EUR/GBP

Profit: $103.46

15/Mar/11 - Trade CAD/JPY Long

2011-03-15T10:22:00.004+08:00

Long CAD/JPY

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
20,000	83.986	83.752	-23.4	-57.08
10,000	83.826	83.718	-11	-13.17

11/Mar/11 - SCALPING Eur/GBP Short

2011-03-14T16:43:00.002+08:00

Got burned for scalping attempt

10/Mar/11 - Trade Eur/GBP Short

2011-03-10T16:21:00.002+08:00

Short Eur/GBP

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
10,000	0.86026	0.85555	47	75.65
10,000	0.86026	0.85664	36	58.00

08/Feb/11 - Trade GBP/JPY Short

2011-02-08T21:32:00.002+08:00

Short GBP/JPY

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
10,000	132.490	132.453	3.7	4.27
10,000	132.656	132.604	5.2	6.07
10,000	133.054	131.952	110	123.08

08/Feb/11 - Trade CAD/JPY Short

2011-02-08T19:47:00.002+08:00

CAD/JPY Short

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
20,000	83.288	83.038	25	59.88
10,000	83.507	83.062	44.5	53.07

08/Feb/11 - Trade USD/CAD Long

2011-02-08T07:08:00.004+08:00

USD/CAD Long

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
20,000	0.98721	0.99055	33	66.46

04/Feb/11 - Trade USD/CAD Long

2011-02-04T07:17:00.006+08:00

USD/CAD Long

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
10,000	0.98833	0.9960	77	83.31

04/Feb/11 - Trade GBP/JPY Short

2011-02-04T01:01:00.011+08:00

Short GBP/JPY

Size	Open Price	Closing Price	Pip profit	$ Profit
10,000	132.851	131.692	116	140.15
10,000	132.447	131.692	75	91.34
10,000	132.148	130.991	115	139.53

ZOMBIE ANTS

2010-08-18T09:39:00.000+08:00

Ants controlled by parasitic fungus
READ HERE

Consumption & utility

2010-08-13T10:41:00.002+08:00

Article on new findings between consumtion & utility

Read Here.

Why do men have nipples?

2010-05-25T14:42:00.002+08:00

Men have nipples because, as an embryo, everyone is a female until the Y chromosome kicks in.

After conception, the human embryo develops as a female. Only after 6-8 weeks does the Y chromosome kick in and the fetus begins developing male characteristics. By this point breast tissue, milk ducts and nipples have already formed. This happens in all mammals, the only exception being stallions, who do not posses nipples.

Generally evolution will only weed out a characteristic if it proves harmful to the creature, and of course, although having nipples provides no benefit to a man it has no ill effect either. Darwin (and others) wondered if at some point in the very distant past the males of a species from which we are descended suckled their young.

I'm sexxay!!!

2010-04-22T11:15:00.001+08:00

AND THIS STUDY PROVES IT!!! Click HERE.

Brian Cox

2010-03-31T15:55:00.002+08:00

Finally we got the LHC up and running. This post is a tribute to that.
I particularly like this interview of Brian Cox.

Survival of the fittest

2010-03-23T13:03:00.001+08:00

Why everything we've been told about evolution is wrong.

Read HERE

Immortal beings found

2010-03-19T17:13:00.001+08:00

Read the article HERE

SOMEBODY

2010-03-04T12:32:00.000+08:00

The Science of Low Blow

2010-03-03T15:12:00.003+08:00

Darkness Begets Dishonesty

2010-03-03T11:17:00.002+08:00

A very interesting article. Read HERE.

Something I can relate back to the Stanford Prison Experiment which I read about in the book, The Lucifer Effect.

Wearing sunglasses, a darker environment all leads to deindividualisation.

The 8 stages of beer drinking

2010-03-02T12:31:00.000+08:00

Click HERE to read. :)

The women don't get it!

2010-02-08T17:15:00.002+08:00

I want one of these!!!

2010-02-04T14:23:00.003+08:00

Economics Rap Battle

2010-01-28T12:56:00.000+08:00

Keynes vs Hayek

Alien maths to explain why men can't find a girlfriend

2010-01-15T13:16:00.002+08:00

Maths originally used to determine the presence of aliens, now used to solve why single men can't get attached. How the female mind works puzzles men. It was rumored that the last words of the famous Sigmund Freud before he died were, "What... does a woman want?" In conclusions, girls = aliens.

Read the Article HERE.

Are we better off without religion?

2009-12-10T17:30:00.002+08:00

Thought provoking article. Read it HERE.

How men &women argue

2009-12-07T15:07:00.004+08:00

Birth of a new species - WITNESSED!!!

2009-11-18T14:25:00.002+08:00

Darwin's Finches birth to a new species witnessed by Peter and Rosemary Grant. Read the Article HERE.

Fancy being a hamster anyone?

2009-11-18T14:24:00.000+08:00

Hamster Hotel. Read the Article HERE.

Placebo power behind many natural cures

2009-11-11T17:31:00.000+08:00

Read the Article HERE.

Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life

2009-11-11T17:26:00.000+08:00

Read the article HERE.

Good and Evil BY TIM KNIGHT

2009-11-07T20:30:00.007+08:00

This post is done up by a trader I admire a lot and someone I aspire to be. :)

Link to the original blog post HERE.

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GOOD & EVIL

The nature, definition, and manifestation of good and evil are subjects I have pondered many times in my life. All cultures, philosophies, and religions have their own views on these subjects. Some of them dismiss the idea that evil even exists. This is something with which I disagree.

The best definition of evil I remember reading was this: "That which destroys life and liveliness."

But how does one comprehend goodness? Do we simply invert the aforementioned definition, yielding "That which creates life and liveliness."?

I think that is a step in the right direction. But the thought of goodness conjure up, for me, a variety of other properties. In no particular order - and surely this list is incomplete - I think of:

Balance
Harmony
Order
Love
Faith
Compassion
Generosity
Kindness
Honesty
Bravery
Moderation

None of this is terribly controversial. But there are some subtleties in human nature and behavior that make the topic less simple.

Self-Perception

The mass of individuals on Earth don't align themselves to a standard yardstick of principles and behaviors in order to present themselves as being on a particular point on the continuum of good and evil. People are, in my view, self-interested creatures, and it is tempting for a person to consider someone "evil" who is simply dissimilar to themselves (or whose world-view differs from their own).

I seriously doubt Osama bin Laden stares at his fragment of a mirror hanging in the cave wall, cackles mischievously to himself, and declares, "Oh, what a fine life it is to be evil. I shall crush all those goody-two shoes that oppose me!" Nor do I think the likes of Hitler or Stalin considered themselves to be evil. They were consumed with their own motives, and those in opposition to those motives were going to either get out of the way or be destroyed.

I think the vast majority of humanity would agree that such individuals were, in fact, evil. But what's required to make this sort of assertion is some perspective.

Is Heroism Chosen?

What constitutes a hero?

On a regular basis, the newspapers and television shows have stories of individuals who, in the face of danger to themselves or loved ones, decided to act with remarkable courage and strength in order to attempt a positive outcome. A man runs into a burning building to save the life of a stranger; a woman dives into a frozen lake to rescue someone who fell in; a dog drags an injured dog off a road to prevent it from being killed.

These are all heartwarming, and as sentimental as I am, I'm probably even more affected and moved by these stories than most others. But do heroes choose to be good, or are they simply "wired" that way? And if they are wired that way, are they any more deserving of our praise as anyone else blessed by other genetic dispositions, such as having blonde hair or a nice singing voice?

In the end, I don't think anyone really cares if it was a person's conscious choice or not to behave heroically. The fact is that they did, and the action itself gives that person heroic attributes. It is all the more alluring and praiseworthy to the public that these decisions are usually made in a split-second, because deep inside we're all wondering if we would have done the same thing; we ponder, no matter what our self-image, if we have that goodness within us that we so admire in others.

What Does This Have to do with Trading?

The reason I bring this subject up on a trading blog is because I believe there is a big misunderstanding about the actions of traders and what those actions represent. Specifically, the notion that buying stocks (and being bullish) is "good" whereas selling or shorting stocks (and being bearish) is "bad."

Let's start with a few basic facts:

Unless one's trading size is so gigantic compared to a given security's volume that you are going to push the market substantially up or down, your actions are immaterial to the market as a whole;
Unless you are actively and effectively spreading malicious untruths about a given organization or security, you are trading morally
Your participation in an aftermarket does nothing to help or hinder a public company.

Let's focus on that last point. If you buy 5,000 shares of AAPL, the company Apple doesn't care. You're not helping them, or their employees, or their sales, or their customers, or their management of expenses. If you short 5,000 shares of AAPL, likewise, the company doesn't care.

Now, if it were 1976, and Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak came to you for startup funding, and you gave it to them, Apple would care very much. Because you are providing them what they need to create a business. And if, in 1980, you as an investment bank agree to underwrite their public offering, Apple again cares, because you are providing them with a source of financing that will help them grow as a business.

But once a company's public, your actions as a trader really have nothing to do with them. Sure, a company (and more particularly, its shareholding employees) like to have a stock bid up to higher prices. But your actions as a trader aren't creating any good (or evil) for that organization. You are operating in a realm outside the bounds of that enterprise.

Creation and Destruction

Some people get the idea that bears are malicious, nasty, grubby creatures that relish the thought of destruction and collapse. I can't speak for all bears, but I would say for myself - - and I would think most sane people - - that this notion is absolute junk.

An objective technical trader does the following:

Examines a chart;
Reaches a conclusion;
Acts upon that conclusion.

There is nothing malevolent in the above. Nothing. If I believe the stock BIDU is going to fall, and I short it, then I am taking actions that I hope will be profitable for me. I am taking a risk. Yes, I am hoping the stock will fall, because that benefits me and aligns with my analysis. It feels good to be right, and it feels good to take a profit. But this "hope" has nothing to do with wishing ill on others; it is simply a supposition made based on analysis.

Others might say bears want America to fail, or that they hate America. Again: utter crap. I love this country. I built a business here, creating employment, products, and profits - - and I sold it to a much bigger firm. I raise my family here. There is, on the whole, no other place I'd rather live.

But my perception that this country is going very bad places doesn't make me un-American. If anything, my willingness to perceive and talk about these concerns makes me that much more of an American. I would like to see this country come out on the other side of this mess in one piece. I would say blind optimists who figure things will get better just because they ought to get better are unpatriotic by way of their apathy.

As for corporations: if you really want to destroy a company - - - if that's your fondest wish - - - then create a better competitor!

Who do you think had a more destructive effect on Yahoo.............(a) short sellers, or (b) the founders of Google? I think even 2 million short-sellers couldn't even approach the damage that the 2 co-founders of Google created. So Joseph Schumpeter's notion of "Creative Destruction" wins the day.

The Amorality of Trading

For 99.9% of traders out there, trading is an amoral act. You're not good for buying; you're not evil for selling; you're not virtuous by being bullish; you're not malevolent by being bearish.

What about the circumstance where you actually make a profit as a direct result of the suffering of others?

Let's suppose that, on September 10, 2001, you were strongly of the opinion that airlines were going to go down in price, so you put all of your trading capital into puts on American Airlines, United Airlines, and the like. September 11 happens and - when the market finally re-opens on the 17th, your puts soar in value hundreds of percent (I do not know what the options actually did during that month, but I am guessing this is close to the truth).

Was there evil intent in your trade? Did you contribute to an evil cause? Did you assist the terrorists? No, of course not.

Did you (unwittingly) profit because of a terrorist act? Yes. Does this make you evil? Based on hypothetical circumstances I have described, I would say the answer is no.

Now, it certainly might feel unseemly if you were in this position (and we won't even go into a potential visit from federal authorities, curious about your prescient timing). Your profits might feel like blood money to you - - you might even donate all the profits to the Red Cross, since it would seem like the right thing to do.

I propose that you have no sin which you need purge, although I do agree it might be fitting, and erase a perceived stain on your soul, to surrender the profits, since the circumstance would be profoundly unusual.

But, let's face it, 9,999 times out of 10,000, a profitable short sale or put position doesn't do well because of an event that causes human suffering. But I think the wise bear keeps his mouth shut about profiting from a company's troubles - - - no matter how morally neutral a trade might be, there is still room in this world for decorum and common sense.

The bottom line, for me, can be expressed simply as this..........

You simply are; and your trading is; and the markets are. These things are neutral, and it is yourrelationship to the market that will dictate your profits and losses. Outside of those boundaries, nothing matters, and no one need care.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

This issue has been bugging me for some time. Thanks Tim, I needed this.

Jungle Economics

2009-11-07T10:30:00.000+08:00

Read the Article HERE.

Unromantic truth about why we kiss.

2009-11-03T12:35:00.001+08:00

Read it Here.

Dolphins

2009-11-03T12:20:00.002+08:00

Interesting article about dolphins.
Read it HERE.

Seahorses

2009-11-02T14:50:00.001+08:00

Interesting article about sea horses.
Read it HERE.

By Request :-)

2009-10-31T09:09:00.000+08:00

Gauge Your Bias

2009-10-30T11:42:00.003+08:00

Are you a sexist, racist etc...? consciously you may say no, but what does your unconscious mind say... hmm...

Read the article HERE.

Take the tests HERE.

REJECTED "SAW" TRAP

2009-10-26T13:44:00.001+08:00

I wanna play a game... The rules are very simple....

Articles Monday

2009-10-20T12:40:00.002+08:00

The average men cries 6 times a year... Does that include when my eyes are dry or swollen? If it does, then I've gone over the average.

Read The Article HERE.

Breaking up hurts, but here's 10 things you need to remember.

Read The Article HERE.

He's in the army now. *sob sob* crap! I'm gonna hit the sensitive new age guy quota soon...

Read The Article HERE.

COLBERT AND ME PART DEUX

2009-10-14T11:19:00.002+08:00

Burgers anyone?

2009-10-12T14:46:00.001+08:00

Winners of the Nobel economics prize

2009-10-12T12:46:00.001+08:00

Recent winners of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, and their research, according to the Nobel Foundation:

-- 2008: American Paul Krugman for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity.

-- 2007: Americans Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin and Roger B. Myerson for laying the foundations of mechanism design theory.

-- 2006: American Edmund S. Phelps for furthering the understanding of the trade-offs between inflation and its effects on unemployment.

-- 2005: Robert J. Aumann, of Israel and the United States, and American Thomas C. Schelling, for their work in game-theory analysis.

-- 2004: Finn E. Kydland, Norway, and Edward C. Prescott, United States, for their contribution to dynamic macroeconomics.

-- 2003: Robert F. Engle, United States, and Clive W.J. Granger, Britain, for their use of statistical methods for economic time series.

-- 2002: Daniel Kahneman, United States and Israel, and Vernon L. Smith, United States, for pioneering the use of psychological and experimental economics in decision-making.

-- 2001: George A. Akerlof, A. Michael Spence and Joseph E. Stiglitz, United States, for research into how the control of information affects markets.

-- 2000: James J. Heckman and Daniel L. McFadden, United States, for their work in developing theories to help analyze labor data and how people make work and travel decisions.

-- 1999: Robert A. Mundell, Canada, for innovative analysis of exchange rates that helped lay the intellectual groundwork for Europe's common currency.

-- 1998: Amartya Sen, India, for contributions to welfare economics, which help explain the economic mechanisms underlying famines and poverty.

-- 1997: Robert C. Merton and Myron S. Scholes, United States, for developing a formula for the valuation of stock options.

-- 1996: James A. Mirrlees, Britain, and William Vickrey, United States, for contributions to the economic theory of incentives under asymmetric information.

-- 1995: Robert E. Lucas Jr., United States, for having developed and applied the hypothesis of rational expectations.

-- 1994: John C. Harsanyi and John F. Nash, United States, and Reinhard Selten, Germany, for their contribution to the theory of noncooperative games.

-- 1993: Robert W. Fogel and Douglass C. North, United States, for applying economic theory and quantitative methods to explain economic and institutional changes.

-- 1992: Gary S. Becker, United States, for extending microeconomic theory to a wide range of human behavior.

-- 1991: Ronald Coase, Britain, for discovering and clarifying the significance of transaction costs and property rights for the functioning of the economy.

-- 1990: Harry M. Markowitz, William F. Sharpe and Merton Miller, United States, for pioneering work in the theory of financial economics.

-- 1989: Trygve Haavelmo, Norway, for clarification of the probability theory foundation of econometrics.

-- 1988: Maurice Allais, France, for contributions to the theory of markets and the efficient use of resources.

-- 1987: Robert M. Solow, United States, for contributions to the theory of economic growth.

-- 1986: James M. Buchanan Jr., United States, for research in the theory of economic and political decision-making.

-- 1985: Franco Modigliani, United States, for analyses of saving and of financial markets.

-- 1984: Richard Stone, Britain, for contributions to the development of systems of national accounts.

-- 1983: Gerard Debreu, United States, for the reformulation of the theory of general equilibrium.

-- 1982: George J. Stigler, United States, for studies of industrial structures and the causes and effects of public regulation.

-- 1981: James Tobin, United States, for the analysis of financial markets and their relation to expenditure, production, employment and prices.

-- 1980: Lawrence R. Klein, United States, for the creation of certain econometric models.

巧合

2009-10-12T05:49:00.004+08:00

现在是清晨五点半了。在偶然的情况下，游览youtube的时候，听到了这首歌。天啊！为什么会这么巧！已经听了至少二十几遍了却还不腻... 也许因为这首歌不会油吧... 好冷哦... ：p

The Fragrant Spirit of Life

2009-10-01T12:32:00.003+08:00

How I wish I could drop everything I'm doing right now, fly over to lesotho and see my sponsored child, Mahlomola.

I agree totally with what the narrator said on clip 1 at 4:30 about most organised religion spending resources on defending dogma and destroying dissonance... Or spending millions of dollars on building lavish homes for their religions... I'm sure Jesus went around spreading Christianity in beautiful grand churches back then.

But it touches me so deeply that an 8 year old kid could display such acts of selflessness in the narcissistic world we live in today.

PET PEEVES

2009-09-29T12:44:00.002+08:00

DOES IT MATTER WHETHER IT'S PAEDOPHILIA OR EPHEBOPHILIA... THEY'RE STILL KIDS!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE.

COLBERT AND ME PART 1

2009-09-23T15:25:00.000+08:00

KRUGMAN'S VIEW

2009-09-22T14:57:00.002+08:00

Brilliant blog post from 2008 nobel prize winner in econs, Paul Krugman.

Read the post HERE.

The boy paradox

2009-09-11T11:41:00.003+08:00

SMART + NICE + HANDSOME = PERFECT GUY = GAY

Apparently the perfect guy is gay.

What's wrong with Singapore

2009-09-10T13:58:00.002+08:00

Web Services that help save money

2009-09-10T11:02:00.001+08:00

Save some money and spend it elsewhere... preferably on me

Read the Article HERE.

Men lose their minds speaking to pretty women

2009-09-07T15:33:00.003+08:00

Hmm... looks like I'll have to swear off the female species during examinations.

Read The Article HERE.

VIDEO CLIP TO CURE THE MONDAY BLUES

2009-09-07T09:46:00.004+08:00

Uncle!!! I WANT NOBARDY NOBARDY BUT 'CHU!

My Favourite HK drama of all time

2009-09-04T16:19:00.003+08:00

Nowadays you talk about HK drama, the hype has been about 溏心風暴 aka "the heart of greed" made in '07. It has however been unable to attract me. My favourite HK drama of all time was shown back in '92. Cable TV has been so nice to show it again now and I have been faithfully following it every weekend.

I can picture myself then sitting quietly in front of the tv licking my lollipop, all of 8 yrs old. LOL! I think I only understood 20% of the plot then (what do you expect of an 8yr old boy). However the show still managed to capture my attention somehow. That was probably the first time I came to know about stocks and shares. To an 8yr old boy, the world of equities seemed fascinating. You wondered what was it that was so valuable? was it something like gold, shiny and hard? or can it be eaten? haha!

大时代 aka "the greed of man" remains to this day my favourite HK drama of all time. I watched the show last weekend and this song has been ringing in my head ever since.

Please do let me know where I can find the DVDs for the series. I would love to keep it as collection.

Performing magic for a chimp

2009-08-31T13:22:00.002+08:00

Watching this clip perked up my day. The chimp's reaction is hilarious.

The Wedding Post

2009-08-26T16:53:00.004+08:00

After being made known to me last week, I was gonna be one of the 兄弟s for my buddy's wedding. I felt honored and delighted to be able to take up such a role as I know both the bride and groom. I have treated the bride like a little sister ever since I have known her, the groom is like a brother to me...

BUT!... Knowing how wonderfully f%$ked up my brain can be, all kinds of crappy ideas, scenarios start popping up. Coming up with stuff I can be able to do... and stuff I can't do such as wreck havoc at the wedding because as a 兄弟, it will be my duty to "serve & protect" the groom... Darn it!

This video which created a buzz a while back came to mind...

Of course with all the king of pop craze going on right now, one might expect this to happen...

And my brain will also come up with scenarios like this... hopefully it won't come to this as I am very happy for this union to take place.

Hmm... Maybe I should get forrest to teach me some moves. After all, as a scout our motto has been "BE PREPARED"... It wouldn't hurt to do so. Hopefully, He'll go for the military option. LOL!!!

Woo Hoo!!! A NAKED CHEF RESTAURANT IN SG

2009-08-26T11:20:00.001+08:00

Jamie Oliver is opening a resautrant here in SG.

Read the article HERE.

I love Leverage!

2009-08-25T17:54:00.003+08:00

I just watched the 1st episode of Leverage season 2. Brilliant! Hilarious! Loved the song "Not Sure Yet" featured at the end of the show. Watch the clip below.

OMG! SHE SAID YES!

2009-08-21T12:07:00.002+08:00

Economic implications from the destruction of Singapore & EMH of Dating

2009-08-20T13:01:00.002+08:00

The economic implications from the destruction of Singapore.
Read the Article HERE.

The Efficient Market Hypothesis of Dating.
Read the Article HERE.

The Fastfood Post

2009-08-20T09:16:00.003+08:00

Jason Mraz's I'm Yours - Fastfood version
Good stuff! But if this happened in Singapore, the customers behind them in the queue will be complaining, take photos or video with their cell phones and post on the net to vent their frustrations. The service crew would have ignored them and started to serve the next customer in line. LOL!

I knew MacDs and KFC were competitors... I didn't know the rivalries ran this deep. Neither will you see me messing with them, They're badass.

Playing for change

2009-08-17T15:59:00.002+08:00

Enough of commercialised music, time for some real music from playing for change. Music from the heart and soul.

Stand by me

Don't Worry

For twilight addicts.

2009-08-13T14:55:00.003+08:00

Twilight Addicts... Time to wake up your IDEA!!!

4 Reasons Why Twilight is bad for your Love Life
Read the Article HERE.

The math of gambling

2009-08-13T11:28:00.003+08:00

Brilliant article on newscientist.com

Especially loved the example of diminishing returns using the marriage problem and the explanation of sunk-cost fallacy.

I'll be ready when the IRs are opened... BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Read the Article HERE.

Sudden Death Syndrome

2009-08-13T11:27:00.004+08:00

We mourn the death of Espanyol captain, Dani Jarque, whom I thought was a very promising player. At the same time, I think we should really look into the sudden death syndrome, what can be done to identify people who are susceptible to the syndrome. So far the deaths that I know are all, surprisingly, male. Ranging from soccer players, triathletes, members of the SAF. We need to do something to prevent these from happening!

Quotes I found today

2009-08-12T12:23:00.002+08:00

I went through this article on mademan.com on quotes by great men.

http://www.mademan.com/charles-bukowski

I'm gonna list the ones I found interesting here.

Charles Bukowski

Genius might be the ability to say a profound thing in a simple way.
If you're losing your soul and you know it, then you've still got a soul left to lose.
You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.

Ernest Hemingway

An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.
Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.
Man is not made for defeat.
Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.
There is no lonelier man in death, except the suicide, than that man who has lived many years with a good wife and then outlived her. If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it.

Frank Sinatra

I feel sorry for people who don`t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that`s as good as they`re going to feel all day.
You better get busy living, because dying`s a pain in the ass
Hell hath no fury like a hustler with a literary agent.
I'm gonna live till I die.

George Carlin

By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth.
The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.
Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.

Peter Chao! You R DA MAN!!!

2009-08-11T12:28:00.007+08:00

Check out his youtube channel. I laughed my ass off.
http://www.youtube.com/user/pyrobooby

Something to pump you up for the work week ahead

2009-08-11T09:22:00.004+08:00

Good morning, Have a milkshake! Darn, I'm craving for 1!

TURN UP THE VOLUME!!!

Are we fooled by randomness?

2009-08-04T08:58:00.004+08:00

Flipping Out | The Big Money

When Hustlers need help

2009-07-31T13:03:00.002+08:00

Movies I wanna watch that are not forcasted to reach our shores

2009-07-30T17:23:00.005+08:00

The trailers of these 3 shows caught my eye. 2 are from sundance '09, the other from Toronto film festival. Unforunately, I checked the "coming soon" list on yahoo! movies, these 3 are not on the list.

$9.99

Paper Heart

Adam

Rarely do I want to watch a romance comedy, but the plot of "Adam" caught my eye. It's about a guy with asperger's syndrome. I used to suspect that I have AS (doesn't matter me anymore), which is primarily the reason why I wanted to catch this one.

If these shows don't come to our shores. By hook or by crook, I'm gonna catch 'em.

OMFG! OBAMA IS MORPHEUS!

2009-07-27T14:55:00.002+08:00

I knew there's more than meets the eye with Obama! Obama is Morpheus in disguise!

Obama

Morpheus

Harry Potter has no ethics

2009-07-25T23:25:00.002+08:00

Thought I'd give a shot at analysing the character of harry potter after reading the first 30 pages of the book, "Batman and Philosophy" 2 hours before the show.

After all, I had nothing to do during the show. My review... one word... boring. My utility also wasn't maximised. Given a freedom of choice, I'd watch public enemies...

*Warning - whatever that is written below is solely the opinion of the writer, based on his insights after reading 30 pages of "Batman & Philosophy" and what he observes from the movie itself as the writer does not follow the harry potter series.

*Warning - Spoiler alert! Pls do not continue reading if you do not wish to know the ending of the movie.

At the end of the show, after the gay wizard, Dumbledore died. Harry decided to continue the quest that Dumbledore embarked on, to find the missing pieces of artifacts that hold Voldemort's soul. He then accepted Hermione's proposal that the three of them embark on these journey together.

Based on the utilitarian school of thoughts, To have Ron and Hermione join the quest increases the probability of success, success of the quest is what we term the best outcome. But based on the deontologist's view, which judges the morality of the act based on features intrinsic to the act itself, regardless of the possible consequences stemming from the act. In simpler terms, the end never justifies the means. By allowing his 2 friends to join him on the quest, Harry has put them in potentially lethal dangers. that is unethical.

Also, given the context that harry was the chosen one, a status he certainly wasn't shy to admit. Being the chosen one means it was certain he would be the one to destroy Voldemort. Given this certainty, whether or not Ron and Hermione joined the quest shouldn't have changed anything. Therefore proving no justification to utilitarian point of view.

And also, given the unclear relationship between Ron and Hermione at the current progress of the story. Allowing the 2 of them to join the quest not only endangers all three members, It might potentially impede or even cause failure of the quest.

In conclusion, Harry Potter has made a very unethical decision by allowing Ron and Hermione to join him on the quest. That's it, I'm heading off to bed.

Heineken Commercial

2009-07-22T12:33:00.002+08:00

The Heineken tv commercial has been getting on my nerves along with tons of other things such as the king of pop's songs playing everywhere, the korean "nobardy nobardy but'chu" song.

Came across this parody by Snoop Dogg on the net. Nice 1 Dogg!

Need to get the edge and swagger back

2009-07-22T11:00:00.004+08:00

Heard this song over the radio on the way to work this morning, got my blood pumpin'. I'm no fan of sly stallone but you think of this song, you relate it to Rocky. Since I got no classes in the eveing, I'm gonna go workout and whack myself silly tonight. Freshen up, get the edge and swagger back. TURN UP THE VOLUME!!!

Jasper Maskelyne

2009-07-20T17:28:00.003+08:00

Jasper Maskelyne, a magician who put his talents to good use during WWII, serving the british military. I learned of his exploits while watching a documentary during the weekend. Interesting stuff. Find out more from wiki HERE.

Going Live!

2009-07-16T14:07:00.004+08:00

After 3 months of paper trading with FOREX, couple of weeks spent on researching brokers providing the best rates and system for my money and another 2 weeks spent on administration stuff to open an account and funding of account. I'm finally ready to go live.

I've been dreaming, the past few days waiting for my funds to reach my trading account. I can't recall everything but I distinctly remember scenes of the sea and scenes of me running. As the saying goes "日有所思，夜有所梦" , I think the sea represents the trading of forex, and the action of running represents the apprehension that I'm feeling right now... Though the boat is built and well supplied, I have fears of sailing off.

I never felt this way when I first started with stocks and options.
Understandably so, as Robbie Burns, author of the Naked Trader, said in an interview that Forex was the most volatile of all the products available to trade. Hmm...

And what coincidence that Tim Knight, a trader very much revered by me, did a post today on his trading rules. Reading that post and his rules gave me quite a boost. THANKS TIM!

Read the post HERE
Read Tim's Trading Rules HERE

"My state of mind, when trading, will be carefree and fearless, and my total focus will be technical considerations and I will only trade what I see."

The 3 months of paper trading have shown that I can do it! YES WE CAN!!! C'MON NOMED!!!

Misc. News

2009-07-16T13:31:00.003+08:00

A 15 year old Matthew Robson, an intern with Morgan Stanley, writes a report on the media habits of his peers which causes an uproar. C'mon people, He's just stating the obvious. Duh..

Read Article HERE

It's not like he found the solution to The Riemann Hypothesis or P vs NP, which are 2 of the remaining 6 unsolved Millennium Prize Problems. Solve 1 problem and become a millionaire.

Read more HERE

Hmm.. Maybe I should do a report on my peers as well, and hopefully land me an opportunity with Goldman Sachs. LOL!

Speaking of GS. Somebody's real pissed at them, calling them blood suckin' undeads! Read more Here

Heck! I'll gladly become a vampire in order to work for GS. Since girls nowadays have the hots for the undead with all the Stephanie Meyer crap. HA!

A lesson from Uncle Karl

2009-07-16T12:45:00.004+08:00

An article on personal finance, capitalism based on Karl Marx's teachings.
I have been been enlightened, Uncle Karl.

Read Article HERE

Who is Karl Marx? Click HERE

WTF!!!

2009-07-15T10:25:00.002+08:00

According to a study done by Keele University, Swearing helps to reduce pain.

Read article HERE

So next time you see someone who's in pain, ask them to swear. It'll make him/her feel better. Husbands, when your usually demure wife goes into labour, and she starts swearing like nobody's business. Be understanding.

Also, swear less in your everyday life, I quote "If they want to use this pain-lessening effect to their advantage they need to do less casual swearing."

Cheers

The Disappearing Male

2009-07-12T16:27:00.004+08:00

I feel compelled to do this piece. It started with a comic series, Y the last man on earth. Then a documentary shown on CNA a few weeks back, The Disappearing Male (I managed to get my hands on it & watched it again last night after the Mahjong session... Proceeds from Mahjong sponsors the coffee I'm drinking now. I slept at 7 in the morning... Crap). Then an interview with Nick Kristof on the Colbert Report, who did an article on the subject as well after watching a frontline special "Poisoned Waters".

Read Nick's article HERE.
Watch The Colbert Report Interview HERE.

Basically, there's a group of synthethic chemicals which came about during the 20th century chemical revolution, actually disrupts the male endocrine system which takes charge of regulating metabolism, stimulating growth and controls reproduction. Hence the name endocrine disruptors.

It has caused male fish to produce eggs, male alligators with stunted genitals.
In humans, a higher miscarriage rate with male babies. If the baby can successfully come into this world, there's also higher rate of male genital deformities.

Interesting fact:
WHO have lowered the standards that would classify men as infertile. So some guys today classified as fertile might be considered infertile years back.

Do we want to wait until the problem is as serious as global warming before we start to take action? This issue is potentially more serious than global warming as experts have labeled it the first signs of extinction.

Maybe the rumors that megan fox is a man might actually be true after all... Hmm... Food for thought.

So ladies, the male population is becoming a rare commodity. Grab yourself one today, while stocks last*.

*Terms & Conditions Apply

A familiar face

2009-07-10T11:22:00.006+08:00

As I was heading to get some breakfast this morning before heading to work, I saw my ex Branch Warrant Officer, WO Teo. What a coincidence! A face I haven't seen in a long time, a face I think I will never forget. LOL! I called out to him, we had a brief chat while we crossed the road. Apparently, he was on course at the army camp nearby (the camp's name always escapes me). He left in a jiffy after "tar bauing" his breakfast... *Sigh* I wished we could have spent some time catching up.
I spent the rest of the time during breakfast and the bus ride to work reminiscing the good ol' days.

*FLASHBACK*

WO Teo was the 1st person I met when I first came to G5, haha...
he was the first interviewer (thinking back... why did we need to do an interview? I thought we're just posted wherever manpower was needed). Anywayz, I remember the first impression he gave me, he would have fitted in as the quirky old men at Taipei's ximending ogling at SYTs. LOL!

As time got by, I got to know WO Teo better, I felt he was still quirky but in a good way.
One particular event that sticks out in my mind right now, was when we had some sort of dinner celebration at marina square. During the meal, while the Officers were all talking about work, the NSF group (me included) were checking out the "scenery" if you know what I mean. I guess WO Teo "overheard" our discussion, and told me that I should go ask for the girl's contact number. I politely declined stating I was just enjoying the "scenery". The next thing I knew, he stood up, walked over to the girl and started talking to her, pointing to our general direction. Me and my buddies immediately feigned ignorance, continued feasting on our food, acting as if we were oblivious of what WO Teo was doing or who he was.

5 minutes later, WO Teo came back with a smirk on his face, handed me a piece of napkin with a number on it... WO Teo may be quirky, but he has "balls".

EPILOGUE
~~Me and my buddies~~... OK... I tested out the number and expectedly... it turned out to be fake. Bummer. I didn't tell WO Teo though, didn't want to damage his ego. Though I doubt it would.

The time I spent at G5 as a weapons specialist will forever be one of the most memorable periods of my life.

I got sexually harassed by a secondary school girl, molested twice, posed for a magazine centerfold, went to Paris, got Tasered... and so much more memories. Stories to be told next time. This was truly, for me, the NS experience.

GAME THEORY

2009-07-09T10:19:00.005+08:00

A look at game theory using DARK KNIGHT as example. Interesting perspective.

PART 1
CLICK HERE

PART 2
CLICK HERE

gotcha!

2009-07-08T09:03:00.003+08:00

First, rain rejects a date with megan fox. now this.
Another piece of evidence to prove my hypothesis that S Korean men are mostly homos!

(Extracted from yahoo! news)

Almost three-quarters of South Korean male office workers feel uncomfortable when female colleagues show too much leg or cleavage in the workplace, a survey has revealed.

A poll of 1,254 employees by the job portal site CareerNet found that 74 percent of men felt upset with the attire of their female co-workers.

Some 56 percent of them cited micro-miniskirts as their chief complaint, while 51 percent objected to excessive cleavage.

Low-rise trousers that reveal women's underwear, "killer heels" and flashy outfits in general were also cause for complaint.

Women meanwhile complained mostly of stains on the shirts and ties of their male colleagues.

Both sexes disapproved of colourful underwear under a white top, slippers or sandals and sleeveless clothes.

Up your ARSES!!! FIs!

2009-07-08T08:58:00.003+08:00

(Extracted from yahoo news)

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has, for the first time, imposed bans on the sale of structured notes by 10 financial institutions (FIs) which had distributed toxic structured notes linked to the collapsed US financial institution Lehman Brothers.

The bans took effect on July 1 and will remain in place until MAS is satisfied there are adequate measures to address the findings of its investigation into the sale of the failed structured products last year.

The 10 FIs are ABN Amro Bank, CIMB—GK Securities, DBS Bank, DMG and Partners Securities, Hong Leong Finance, Kim Eng Securities, Maybank, OCBC Securities, Philip Securities and UOB Kay Hian.

Kurosagi

2009-06-15T17:22:00.002+08:00

I've been watching a japanese drama series recently, Kurosagi based on a manga on swindlers. Apparently, there are 3 kinds of swindlers. The first type defraud people of money, the Shirosagi. Then the Akasagi who deceives others by manipulating their feelings. Lastly, Kurosagi who preys on the first 2 types of swindlers, the "anti-hero" if you want to call it. Omoshiro!

Recently, V has been troubled by affairs of the heart. There's a guy she likes, whom I believe is a player or an Akasagi as I will call it. At first I believed her when she said she was over him, after the loads of common sense the whole group of us bombarded her with. I thought she finally cracked and something got through, she finally saw the light.

How wrong I turned out to be, my hypothesis was flawed. Regarding affairs of the heart, it will involve emotions. Emotions by nature are irrational, using common sense or being rational is fruitless.

Looks like other solutions have to be implemented, time being a very important element and factor. To heal a wound takes time...

Monstrous Food Portions!!!

2009-06-03T14:17:00.001+08:00

I gotta visit this restaurant named Waldgeist in Hofheim, Germany. Apparently, They have the biggest steak in Europe ,a plate of fish & chips that can solve the world's hunger problem. And burgers bigger than my arse. I'm salivating just by looking at the photos... :P n I only just had lunch an hour ago, I'm such a glutton