this is the life

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Greetings from Sydney!

Hope everyone is doing well in sunny Singapore!
If anyone wants financial news emailed to them just give me a ring and i'll forward you daily reuters/goldman sachs reports. Might be worth your while having a read.

After much thought and consideration about quitting and moving back to Melbourne to get a normal job, i've decided to stay. Winged a couple of interviews and realised that i didn't want to do anything else other than trade.

Making money for a living is an art, not a science, and i think im getting the hang of it. Been doing pretty long hours most days, 9am to 3am, with breaks inbetween every now and then.

Hopefully everything works out well and maybe, just maybe, 2009 was a stepping stone to something far greater.

Am booked to return in January/February, how long for i don't know, but am looking forward to hanging out!

Peace out,
xoxohomolomodomoxoxo

another year older.
thanks everyone.
it was awesome. as always. (this year was ultra special, i got surprised with a cake coupled with a very "enthusiastic" bunch of choir hahaha)

until next year :)
i am loving my present by the way, one more reason to go shopping!

HEY ah TIAN,

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY!

hugs, jen.

hey guys, thanks for coming to visit me!
and leaving the receipt behind as well for the stuff that you bought.
cross my fingers, i hope that i will be able to have a proper decent meal with you before i head back to aussieland.

just for the rest of you, a quick update.
basically i am back in singapore seeking medical treatment.
1) i have a dislocated right jaw
2) a severe infection on the right side, the stitches from the wisdom tooth came loose and irritated the wound.
only discovered all of these (particularly the dislocated jaw) when i came back and did an X-Ray.

to cut the long story short, i am now in recovery stage. they popped my jaw back and cleared most of the infection. i am still on medication and got to see the doctor regularly. can't eat any solids, strictly on a liquid diet. (which is great cause i can lose some weight- thats what everyone has been telling me)

and here i was thinking it was going to bea quiet year. it turned out to be eventful! not in a good way though.

but still it is great to catch up and see old friends again!

alrighty take care people.
see you when i see you

It is almost a week since i came back to Jakarta. I really enjoyed the break in Australia. It was very relaxing, I had a really good time just doing nothing, enjoying the cities and hanging out with all of you. Reaching there made me feel the difference between the two countries, after coming back to Jakarta the difference felt even greater. The first few days that I was back, I had strong feelings of going back to Australia and live there.

Thank you to each and everyone of you for coming out and just hanging out. It is too long since we all last come together and just enjoy each others company. Hopefully, that opportunity will come soon.

Next year, during the Hari Raya festive period(I think it is in early September), any takers to a trip to Taiwan? A group trip will be a good thing before some of you settle down. :)

You know you guys dont give me enough credit for my chinese.
i'm actually pretty good compared to the rest of you.
perhaps i should teach you the ways of the chiinese one

1) That's not right .......................... Sum Ting Wong

2) Are you harboring a fugitive?.......... Hu Yu Hai Ding

3) See me ASAP.............................. Kum Hia Nao

4) Stupid Man ................................ Dum Fuk

5) Small Horse ................................ Tai Ni Po Ni

6) Did you go to the beach? .............. Wai Yu So Tan

7) I bumped into a coffee table .......... Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni

8) I think you need a face lift ............... Chin Tu Fat

9) It's very dark in here .................... Wao So Dim

10) I thought you were on a diet ......... Wai Yu Mun Ching?

11) This is a tow away zone ................ No Pah King

12) Our meeting is scheduled for next week ... Wai Yu Kum Nao?

13) Staying out of sight ..................... Lei Ying Lo

14) He's cleaning his automobile .......... Wa Shing Ka

15) Your body odor is offensive ........... Yu Stin Ki Pu

16) Great ....................................... Fa Kin Su Pa

i woke up thinking that it is evening cause i slept pretty late last night and the sky is orange. so i did a check on my clock, which reads 10.45 'am' (i presume). went to google on it and realised that there's a dust storm sweeping through brisbane and sydney. no wonder the sky is painted in an eerie orange. on a brighter note i gave myself a day off, excuse being: heath hazard condition. that is all for today, hope everyone is working their butt for the dough.

the indo- dude is in town.

hey guys and girl,

"Probably the only taxi driver in this world with a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments, I have been forced out of my research job at the height of my scientific career, and unable to find another one, for reasons I can only describe as something "uniquely Singapore". As a result, I am driving taxi to make a living and writing these real life stories just to make the dull job a little more interesting. I hope that these stories are interesting to you too." here

yoyoyo!!! i happen 2 took tis pic while walking back aft lunch...the grp was out jogging @ botanic gardens...i rem mi n wg quite jia liat...haha...coz haven run 4 ages....den we headed 2 adam 2 makan!!!! den chill @ my place...haha...it sure brings gd memories!!! hope we all can gather soon!!!! cheers!!!!

everyone!

Only 2 people in Australia trade the Korean Kospi,
you're looking at the first one =)

damn, some of the boys in the office joined the http://www.supercarclub.com.au/
shucks i want to join too

90 million draw this tuesday.

ah ben, ah tian, ah tan and me are going to win it.

simply because
1) i kena bird shit for the first time ever in my life
2) we saw a double rainbow

wish us luck!!

pervert tan. trader in day time, psycho killer in the night

the three stooges we love megan fox! so bloody hot. all our love from canberra!

where is everyone??

i am too bored

it is that time of the year again! (for me at least)

EXAMS!

it is turning cold in melbourne. eeks.
i am so not built for the cold.
i was hoping someone could invent some heater thingy that can be fitted into jackets and all.
so i could feel warm and nice all the time.
people always say winter is depressing and i agree
1) the sun sets early.
2) i just want to stay in bed all day cause it is so cold. i don't even want to step out of my room!
3) more importantly, there is a huge electricity bill looking right at you at the end of the month

other than exams, there is nothing much to update.
i have been making friends, mostly girls in fact from all over asia.
sometimes i wonder, what happens to these kind of "friendships" once everyone leaves and returns back to their respective countries.

they say there are tons of singaporeans in melbourne.
maybe due to the nature of my course, or maybe cause i am simply a loner,
so far i have met only a handful of singaporeans,
most of whom, are not very interested in making friends with me.
neither am i lah in them, but i do try to initiate a conversation with them, but they are not very interested.
so which leads me to think, do i SMELL?

okie dokes, going back to studying. wish me luck!

P.S wk is here in melbourne. yippie i got a friend!
oh and they say, the colour purple is in fashion now. thats why.

Today i lost the plot.
Smashing my mouse on the table, kicking the table, cursing and swearing profanities, and acted like the world was against me with every step i took. Every other person in the room was doing the same. It seems to help relieve distress and disappointment.
I can now see why people don't last long in this industry, the stress and strain is pretty intense. Even taking a sip of water from my cup made me miss a potential move.
Suddenly it all changes when adrenaline is pumped throughout the body, everything slows down, suddenly you see everything clearer, hear the whispers in the corner, see the market tick by Milli by Milli second, you then feel like the master of the universe.

Some sniff coke to stop the adrenaline, some embrace it.

The aim is to make as much as you can in a day, but when you do, its never enough

Once i get a proper house i shall get a cat! Big big one!

There must be something in the air at mgs and acjc, they seem to produce girls of a whole different class.

anything but singaporean...

first my classmates insist that i look like karen mok
and then they say i have a malaysian face
and then they go on to say i have indonesian skin.

seriously...

im going to be an aunt. so congratulate me (and my morning-sickness-suffering-sister)!

amidst my busy-ness with working with a complete idiot of an "english teacher" who cannot spell 'school' or 'eraser'; has no common sense whatsoever and should seriously reconsider a change of profession; i have been searching for names for my nephew/niece (i've placed my money on a nephew but it's not within my control).

my sister and brother-in-law specifically requested names starting with either an 'A' or a 'J'. any sane suggestions?

sorry jen and andreas, im not going to name my newphew/niece after either of you. >_<

it is so strange to hear my brother giving me advice.

i hate looking like karen mok.

Its been awhile since my last post and since i'm the most active member of this blog, i must post!
Anyways life in Sydney is rather vanilla, same ol same ol everyday. Wake up, go to work, meet tianli for dinner, meet tian li for supper, sleep!

Although i'm still not paid i find myself spending alot of time in the office, i think this week was the record at nearly 100 hours.

I've decided on what market i'm going to specialise in and its going to be the Kospi! Its the SGX equivalent in South Korea. It moves alot, and probably has the most potential for money to be made.

A month has gone by since i first started and i'm starting to get alittle consistency in my trading mannerism. Best day i've had so far is about 1/2 of what i earnt the whole of last year. thats alot.

I want to head up to brisbane sometime sooon, but dont have the time to at the moment, wait for me Mj and Ben! wait for me!!

hey everyone...

What not to do, this is what i do!

Kelvin tan with his new arm to improve his performance at the workplace!

This is my life:

Welcome to TT Trader, an interactive platform that links me (the aspiring newbie trader) to the market (the money eating machine).

Basically what it is, is a ladder of price depth. All the bid against the offer prices, and the volume traded at each price.


The office pros, which include my boss and the partners, dont even use a friggin chart to trade, because technical analysis takes time, and by the time you analyse something, the opportunity is gone. Apparently this is sufficient to trade, and they make shitloads, like up to 20k a day sort of thing.

Well outside when people ask what i do i talk it up as if its easy money, but here i'll let you in on the inside scoop, its not.

Its a tough life if you're new, it really is.

My current training stint is 6 months, first 3 months of pure trading and simluation trading (basically this simulator follows the markets exactly). During this period, you have to decide what you want to trade. (Indices like dow, nikkei, sgx; or commodities like oil, gold, water; or currencies/bonds)

After the initial 3 months, if you think you are ready, they pop you on the live market. We are initially allowed a $500 loss on a daily basis. Basically once you've hit the loss limit, you're out for the day, and have to explain your trades to the big boss. $500 is super easy to hit, its the equivalent of the ASX moving just 20 ticks in the opposite direction. (e.g. if it was trading at 3020, and went down to 3000, YOU'RE OUT BITCH) Basically unless you know how to cut your losses fast and manage your emotions and positions, you're fucked.

If you were down $20k last month, you basically have to make it back before you can make any money this month. thats fucked up. on top of that, there are equipment costs, see below.

Whatever profits you make in the next 3 months is the company's if you dont get a contract offer, if you do, you get a 50% split.

If you're successful on the life market, you get a contract. As mentioned, initial split is at 50%, if your account balance has >$50k, the split goes up to 55%, and 60% if it has more than $100k. And so on, highest split is 70%.

Every month we need to pay the company $2500 for equipment charges, news feeds, program charges, internet charges. Yes, we pay the company money, not get paid. Its basically me renting an office space from them, running my own company from that space.

So lets say this month i make $10,000. I take away $2500 for equipment, leaving $7,500. Take away 50% split for myself, thas $3,750. Take away the 30% company tax, thats $2500++. Thats 1/2 of what i was paid as an engineer.

Basically we have to register a trust/company in our name and trade under it. So i need to actually invoice the company to tell them that i need to get paid, and the amount requested will be deducted from the balance.

There are people who make easily 20-30k a month after the first 6 months, but also those who are struggling to survive due to the super duper high costs.

We'll know after 6 months if this is something that i'm good at, and if i can make a living out of it, else it was fun.

A man walks past our office this afternoon, and goes "Are you guys professional gamers?"
The people in the office were playing Counter-Strike after work.

My first day at work:

Wasn't allowed to take pictures of the office, but i found a similar layout on the Internet:


Everyone pretty much has their own desk, with a couple of monitors in front of them showing charts, spreads, live news feeds, its the ultimate nerd fantasy i guess.

Dress code was slack, people were more relaxed than usual today because it was a good trading day, one of the people on the floor made 20k today just like that, remembering that it is a good day.

Mostly under 30s, hardly saw any senior people on the floor, most people came to work for an hour or two, did their trades, then left, whilst others were working hard at their desks scalping the markets scraping off some profits.

Today i was fortunate enough to see the lighter part of the trading day, they recently installed CounterStrike on the network, after work everyone turned off their trading stuff and starting playing on the network! like full on 20 on 20!

It was quite tiring trying to give a 110% listening to every word spoken and getting tips from the gurus, tianli can attest to that, i was day dreaming at dinner.

On arrival we were given notes and readings to do, given some praise for making the selection, 500 applicants creamed to 20 people for the intake. A couple of investment bankers, commodity traders, superannuation consultants, brokers. Only 3 engineers! Mostly of them were from Macquaire Bank previously, they decided to quit their back office jobs for something for something more adventurous.

We were put back in our places, often reminded that we still have to earn our contracts with the company, proving that we can make money on a consistent basis, all the stories of getting rich in a day are true, but the day after the markets will give you a big kick up the arse and take all the riches back.

The greatest challenge for a trader is to get the opportunity to trade, now with this opportunity its time to shine. Loving every minute of it

To the people graduating this year:
www.brightminds.com..sg <- better start applying for work

i have a love hate relationship with this dog.

P.S ah tan as you can see, sticky is alive and kicking. the hat brings out the colour of her eyes. don't you think so? hahah.

Sydney is fucking awesome!
spent the last few days studying in the morning and early afternoon, then hitting town and playing board games with friends. I must introduce you guys to the games, damn fun! December..

Having korean housemates is a definate plus. they cook damn good food, are super duper ultra clean, dont make much noise, and know how to have fun. They even showed me a damn cool way to open your beer bottle! omg damn suah ku la

My housemates have the best jobs in the world.
Interviewing and taking pictures of beautiful people everyday, what a life.

http://www.uniquescott.com/ <--- Scott's website (the photographer)

Welcome to my new home! View from the corridor to the main door:

There are 2 rooms along the corridor, one is mine, and the other belongs to Chloe (Korean student). View from outside my room to the Living room.

This is the living room! damn cool right, Scott is a photographer 1/2 of the week and collects vintage cameras.


Couch and Fridge??? in living room, abit strange, but it seems to blend in i guess



View from the living room back to the corridor

The kitchen seems clean, this must be where all the kimchi is made. i'm hope someone decides to whip up something delicious soon, korean cravings are knocking on the door:





Then theres the bedroom! Well it still looks barren because i only moved in about an hour ago. Looks pretty decent though, feels alittle like home already






There are another 3 rooms upstairs, they;re doing alittle spring cleaning session so i guess i wont be taking any pictures of dirt

Thats it! home away from home away from home.