Rosebud

The Only Existing Film of Anne Frank

Seven Characteristics of an Objective Trader

1. You feel no pressure to do anything.

2. You have no feeling of fear.

3. You feel no sense of rejection.

4. There is no right or wrong.

5. You recognize that this is what the market is telling me, this is what I do.

6. You can observe the market from the perspective as if you were not in a position, even if you are.

7. You are not focused on money, but on the structure of the market and how you trade.

If you can see any of the above qualities in yourself, you're on the right road. You need to release yourself from the need to be right. If you constantly need to be right, you are in the wrong business.

Putting Things in Perspective

I was a bit frustrated yesterday. Some unforeseen delay of transaction in one of my banks has caused an avalanche of problems in another. End result? My account is in total disarray! I spent most of the day talking to one person after another, apparently getting no where fast and more frustrated with each phone call. Finally, I gave up and went home.

After a rather unproductive evening I went to bed with a new book just arrived in mail: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I read for two hours before I fell asleep and then read another hour after I woke up at five. I like to quote you a small passage in the book:

This morning, when I was sitting in front of the window and taking a long, deep look outside at God and nature, I was happy, just plain happy. ... Riches, prestige, everything can be lost. But the happiness in your own heart can only be dimmed; it will always be there, as long as you live, to make you happy again. Whenever you're feeling lonely or sad, try going to the loft on a beautiful day and looking outside. Not at the houses and the rooftops, but at the sky. As long as you can look fearlessly at the sky, you'll know that you're pure within and will find happiness once more.

• This was written on Wednesday, February 23, 1944 by Anne Frank, after been in hiding from the Nazis for two years.
• She was 14.
• She and seven other people lived in a secret hiding place for two years in constant fear, starvation, and isolation.
  
• One year later she perished in the concentration camp, along with her sister and her mother.

And I was frustrated over a banking problem.

Note to self: Try to put a little more perspective in how you view life, learn some maturity and courage from this 14 year old Jewish girl who had no more than a year to live, and get out there make a difference.

My Favorite Thing

Random Thought

I miss Angela Chase.

Where are you Angela? I hope you are happy wherever you are, but I miss you. Terribly.

I wish you are here with me so I can hold you and whisper your name. I think of you often and my heart aches for you. I wonder if you know when I do.

There is so much I like to tell you, but I am afraid time is running out.

...

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream
Lingering in the golden gleam
Life, what is it but a dream?

Meditation

Meditation is giving a huge, luscious meadow to a restless cow. The cow might be restless for a while in this huge meadow, but at some stage, because there is so much space, the restlessness becomes irrelevant. So the cow eats and eats and eats and relaxes and falls asleep.

If

by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

(One of my favorite poems; it is precisely in this manner how I want to live my life.)

To Live

"To live content with small means," observed William Henry Channing, an eighteenth-century inspirational and spiritual American leader, "to seek elegance rather than luxury and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently. Act frankly. To listen to stars and birds. To babes and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never."

"In a word, to let the spiritual unbidden and unconsciousness grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."

There is no ...

amount of money in the world can buy hunger and desire.

Wimbledon

Today, a magnificent epic tennis battle took place at Wimbledon between the 14 Grand Slam winner, Roger Federer, and his American challenger Andy Roddick. It was a battle of roller coasters where both players tried to wrestle the control away from each other.

After four hours of hard fighting, the match reached its climatic end in the fifth set, where both players exhibited impossible nerves and will. 8 all, 9 all, 10 all ... audiences both in the arena and around the world could not believe what they were watching and how long the players could play at such a high level - they simply will not quit.

Unfortunately for Andy, after giving everything he had, a couple of mistakes finally crept in in the 30th game of the set (the set!), and went down 16-14.

This perhaps will be hailed as one of the greatest tennis matches of all times. As a tennis fan, I feel blessed to have the privilege of watching both of these men competing with everything they have; they are not just a testament for their sport, but for human spirit as well.

Congratulations to Roger Federer - you are the greatest tennis player that ever lived and probably ever will live. It is unlikely anyone will ever surpass your achievements in future generations. It is a gift to watch you play with such grace and elegance.

As for Andy Roddick, you are a hero with tremendous heart. You never gave up today and you inspired so many people around the world with what is possible when you have the will.

When Roddick was asked if he struggled to stay positive after losing the second set, he replied: “You know, at that point, like everything else, there's two options: you lay down or you keep going. The second option sounded better to me."

And what else can one add to that? That's as plain as it gets, both on and off the tennis court.

Keep going Andy. You da man!

Can you ...

stop the murmuring of the brook?

When you can, you'll have true freedom.

Love to Take a Loss

A good trader loves to take a loss.

Successful traders confront the possibility of being wrong, and thus, when the time comes to take a loss, he does it without hesitation.

Your losing trades do not diminish you as a person. You are not you losing trades. You are also not your winning trades either.

They are simply by-products of the business you are in.

Once

Well, this Memorial weekend turned out badly - I was not feeling well and consequently was rather unproductive. As a treat before going to bed, almost half-hearted I decided to watch the Netflix film I been ignoring called "Once", and it was irresistibly charming.

What a sparkling little gem! It is powerful in its simplicity; completely unpretentious, it captures your attention and never lets it go. Real characters, authentic emotions, and the music just captivates you.

Why can't we make more movies like this?! Almost with no budget and stars, "Once" is a much more enjoyable film than most of the Hollywood's today. Go see it, you'll be enchanted.

There was this one scene in the movie when the guy and the girl first met and played a song together in a local piano shop. This is possibly one of the most intimate and powerful scenes I have ever seen - it captures that magic moment when two human beings really connect with each other, those precious moments that make all other moments in your life seem dull and lifeless. Yea, those ones, the ones that you really lived and never seem to fade from your memory.

The song they were playing is called "Falling Slowly".

I adore Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for making this beautiful, beautiful film in a time when watching bad ones is the norm. Bad movies rob you of life, this one enriches yours.

Even though I feel terrible from my sickness, watching this made me smile.

The First Turn

The first turn toward success comes when you remind yourself to relax and find that center of calm within yourself that is always there, always present, always available.