As my (and our) first project goes live, I bask in feelings of fulfillment (not complacency though).

After years of what I believe is development, this is actually the first time I am producing a serious piece of work. It's also my first system development life cycle.

yes, ownership of a piece of work feels great. conquering issues feels even better.

I'm sensing continual growth again.

Where work life balance is concerned, I score badly.

Even while not physically in office, it's mentally unsettling to know there's a backlog.

I must learn to enjoy and not worry so much. Why is it so hard?

i like my job working on a trading application

good benefits, nice environment, talented technologists.

Much to learn and explore. :)

Finally, after much consideration, i bought my first e-book reading device.

So much thinking and deciding while others are rushing for iPhones and iPad.

And I ended buying iRiver Story.

Why not iPad?

Too much for plain reading, way past my budget.

Why not Amazon Kindle?

Actually, Kindle is cheaper, even after shipping fees. But the major drawback is that it only supports Kindle and PDF formats, and there is no local warranty.

So far so good.

Now, I can finally put all my finance, technology and story books together and carry them with me. Next up: figuring how to use National Library's e-resources to extend my collection.

Untitled

6 weeks into work and it's the start of 7th week tomorrow.

Feeling? challenged absolutely.

I wouldn't think myself a fresh graduate, shirking responsibility.

I enjoy being ambitious, absorbing and learning all the time.

Programming, finance, people skills, etc.

I'm adapting to the pace and environment.

Knee deep in code.

Weekdays pass in a blink.

Weekends too.

I like Friday evenings.

I make it a point to dine and catch up with friends.

Friday is a "how're you doing?" day.

If we haven't yet met, please let me know :)

Tentative projections/plans:

- Start a long term investment

- achieve CFA level 1 by next year June

- Get a ebook reader (damn, why doesn't Amazon ship Kindles/ Kindle content to Singapore?)

- Ceteris Paribus, stay frugal !

Recently I started a black book.

I bought a black leather notebook, hence a "black book."

I realized no matter what i read, nothing sticks.

So it dawned on me that i needed to capture the essentials which could be useful.

The inspiration came from a friend whom i attended a weekend course with.

He used a notebook to jot down the subtleties while he was learning C++.

So far, this way has worked well for me.

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For the past few days at work, I went through any documentation I could find.

It was quite disappointing having no direction. I wanted to get ahead but I was getting nowhere.

The worst thing is not knowing what you don't know.

And I wonder why things are fragmented.

On my own, I am still using weekends to catch up.

it's almost 2 weeks into work.

i miss my days wearing t shirt, shorts and slippers,

although i readily embraced the experience of swimming in a big firm.

it's a boundless sea of systems & procedures. terms & abbreviations.

likewise, there is no dearth of new skills and knowledge to pick up.

team meetings were often. there were overseas visitors too.

emails came in hundreds every day. 2 weeks of email can easily beat my one year's worth of personal mail.

the corporate world surely exposed the chinks in my armor.

i was a wet blanket at recent social occasions because i was afraid to speak up. i couldn't articulate well at meetings too.

Certainly it's a high paced environment.

but i believe, slowly but surely, i will bridge my weaknesses.