On an unusual role model part I.

Long time between posts again, but returning to university soon; so expect more.

I am writing this I guess after a lot of introspection and events I have witnessed and been part of this summer.

One of my role models is Joey Barton. This may be a shock to my newer friends (not my pre-uni lot), but he is a person I have admired for quite some time. I’m not going to go into details on whether he is a good or bad person, or whether the press accurately portrays him; but I will tell you exactly why I admire him.

He emphasises, above all things, working hard. Working hard, however clichéd it may seem, is one of the biggest and most fundamental abilities that lead to success. For him, it is working on his temper; it is working his way out of jail, working on his training, working on his reading and working on his reputation that have got him where he stands today.

He demonstrates that working hard is not just a short term effort. There are long and arduous paths that require a phenomenal amount of effort to get to something that others may perceive differently, but it is worth it to you. Working hard for something, no matter what your background is or what you are working for, is the greatest ability a person can exhibit.

I come from wonderful parents who did not have much when they were young, or when they were first married; but who have worked hard to get me to where I am and to provide for us all some comforts. My parents have made me work hard to get where I am. From a young age, I learned the value of money and working hard for it – selling sweets, investing and finally trading, I had to learn the hard way and to keep working at it to become better. I have also been boxing from the same young age, another sport where working hard is the only way to come out on top. Neither of these roads have been easy, and in the long run I have had setbacks and triumphs in both, but I always kept working.

The other reason I admire him was mentioned earlier and relates to my first point of admiration: “Working hard for something, no matter what your background is or what you are working for…”. For him, he comes from a working class family, and has worked hard to challenge perceptions about his origins – that a person can come from a tough road to home, and can still better themselves and be as equal and free as any other man. He reads Nietzsche, comments on philosophy, politics, ethics and numerous other topics, and has a criminal record and an undercurrent of violence. The latter does not make him any less of a person, and his honesty about everything and working hard to continue to better himself make him an equal. Regardless of your background, working hard makes you as equal as any other person and better than a person who does not.

I have faced numerous occasions here in finance where my boxing background and lack of prestige have been called in to question. Why would we pick you over him? Why didn’t you get into this place? How did you end up at this firm? This industry?

Answer: I worked hard to get here today. What separates me from them is that they have never had to graft as hard as I have to stand in front of you as their equal. I have had a rougher and harder upbringing, and still I possess all the knowledge they have and more.

And here I am, PnL in hand, two job offers and a fucking wealth of experience earned over this summer. I have more to say on the matter that ties in JB, his lessons and what I have seen nicely. It may even be a lesson to you. Stay tuned.

On music and work.

Noticed I have switched to old school rap and hip hop – Notorious B.I.G’s Life After Death, Nas’s Illmatic and Stillmatic, Dre’s 2001,
Rakim… The list goes on.

We trade aggressively, swear all day, speculate through misery and arb the shit out of the Brent & WTI. I wonder if this is the reason for my new music taste?

Still, I will always return to the Chili’s.

Have you changed your music taste with work? Do you always return to some staple?

On failing to sleep.

And failing to post in a while.

The oil markets are fucking incredible, and I know I always say this, but I don’t want to go back to university.

But there has been something on my mind. My dreams.

Have you ever fixated on something? Have you ever followed your dream so passionately that anything that isn’t related to the dream blurs away? I cannot stop myself from this. I find that every waking minute that doesn’t push me onwards to it, I can’t remember. I find myself hating myself for every hour I spend asleep.

Awake and alive.

Also… I read that traders make the best dates/flings. Just saying…

On anticipation.

Home from vacation, ready to intern.

Suit picked out for Monday.
Shirt and tie picked out.
Finally got a tan.
Spent all night with bottle service.

Bring it, GS.

On sleeplessness.

Sleepless in Seattle – great movie for the rain here in London…

On everything.

A little schmaltzy, I confess, however:

“You miss one hundred percent of the shots you never take”
- Wayne Gretzky.

Seize everything and don’t let it go.

 

On the path of life and dreams.

For you, at the beginning of your life, or whenever you are lost on your journey through life.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets.  Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry.  Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…

…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.  there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!  You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times
you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

One of the most inspirational poems out there, from Dr. Seuss himself.

On opportunities and ambitions.

Yet more requoted stuff from the people I look up to, but I am tired after having to conduct half DD and half technical analysis ’till nighttime on a bank holiday .

I direct you to this post from The Epicurean Dealmaker, which focuses upon the infamous Liar’s Poker author:

“…Liar’s Poker, a book which launched not only his own writing career but also the careers of tens of thousands of future investment bankers, including—full disclosure—Yours Truly.”

While the post is a musing upon Michael Lewis, there is one piece of wisdom that stands out brightest of all:

“Be open to your luck, and alert to the opportunities life presents you. Just because your success depends in large part on good fortune, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your damnedest to chase it.”

Seize the day.

On omniscience.

Yet more inspiring words from The Reformed Broker, on admitting that it is impossible to predict every twist and turn of the market. Too often recently, I have come across individuals who have ‘omniscience’, and can see every price move coming from miles out at sea.

It is okay to admit when you don’t have an edge.

It is okay to say that you simply have no idea what’s happening next.

It is okay to sit out the possibility of an oversold bounce or a big snapback rally.

It is okay to shut down the trading software and shut your mouth.

There are forces at work here that many do not respect.  There is “unprecedented” and then there is this, whatever the hell this turns out to be.

You have a trading plan for bank runs?  For the spontaneous dissolution of the world’s largest economy?  Congratulations on that, you’re the only one.

I understand that sentiment is so bad that literally any positive news will mean a sharp spike in the markets.  But so what?

And what happens after?  Why does anyone think that this spike will be sustainable in the absence of actual improvement on the China/Europe/US employment front?  Why would anyone other than the most nimble traders be worried about missing it?

And also, it can always get worse.

Respect the fact that we have no idea how far this can go before it has “gone too far”.  Respect the fact that once again, there is no leadership, no Man Behind the Curtain and that even the best and brightest and most connected and well-read are themselves grasping at straws here.

There is no solution, only a choice of what may be the least bad.  There is no consensus, no one alive has ever seen anything like this.

I opt not to try to be cute here.  I opt to look and listen and bide my time.

Sometimes there simply is no trade.  I believe this is one of those times.

It is okay to admit that you are adrift at sea.  It is okay to admit that you are surrounded by tidal waves and colossal icebergs. But you must not deceive people into thinking you are surrounded by smooth waters.

On finishing exams, friendship and work.

“I found your wave pictures and notes, I love it : ) it made me smile and brought a little tear : )”

Life, with all its’ richness and complexity, is enjoyed best through the friends you meet along the way. I hope you don’t mind me quoting you above, Stormy.

-

Here’s to my housemates.