Just read this from a daily quote from The Universe:
The real reason so many have trouble with the baby steps, Yukki -- doing all they can, with what they've got, from where they are, no matter how humble or seemingly futile -- is because they haven't yet grasped that the baby steps trigger unseen forces that throw wide the floodgates of unstoppable momentum, infinite abundance, and eternal life.
Why baby steps matter
A song to those who pass the exam
Queen- We are the Champions
This is just my little way to congratulate my friends who pass the exam in May.
You are the champion, my friend.
And you keep on fighting til the end.....
You are the champion...
A song you should listen when you feel discouraged when studying
Beat it - Michael Jackson
Here's a song for those of us who feel frustrating while reading that 2600+ pages exam material.
Just Beat It, Beat It, Beat It, Beat It
No One Wants To Be Defeated
.....
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
A song for those who didn't pass the exam this time
You are not alone- Michael Jackson
My friend Socrates suggested this song to all the actuarial students (including yours truly) who didn't pass the exam in the May sitting.
You are not alone. ;)
Miley Cyrus - The Climb
I was talking to an exam buddy last night and we both feel this is the song that describes exactly how we feel about taking the exams.
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
Lifestyle Adjustments
As our financial reporting work is switching from quarterly to monthly routine, there are several adjustments me and my fellow co-workers need to make to our lifestyles.
"Honey, I don't think it's a good idea if the baby is born during the first two months of the year. You know, I need to make sure I finish the annual filing on time."
"Ok, try not to plan our vacation to Hawaii on the first week or the last week of the month, ok? My team expects me to be there to do the monthly reporting."
"Let's make plans for dinner and a drink afterward. Don't plan it too late because the admin data downloads will be coming in at midnight and I need to kick start some runs."
"I can't go to the outlet mall with you because I need to start mentally preparing for the quarterly work starting next week."
Beggin' (Madcon)
The original version of this song is sung by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I also heard this song in the Jersey Boys. What a good song, when I first heard it on the radio, I wanted to dance. :)
Jersey Boys London perform at The Royal Variety Performance 2008
I watched this musical in Chicago last week. The song Sherry is just so catchy and memorable. Sherry becomes my morning boost, gotta listen to this everyday before I start my day.
Serena Cuevas and Serena Williams Gatorade G2 Commercial
Good commercial with a message. Serena and Serena. What's common between them is that they both try as hard as they can to be the best that they can.
An Actuarial-related celebrity news
I've been watching Make Me a Supermodel on Bravo every week. Just want to give a shout-out for the contestant, Salome here. You go, girl!
I don't really know Salome personally, but me and my entire department are rooting for her to win this show. Why? She's remotely-related to the actuarial community! (Salome's older brother, who's also an actuary, used to work with me.)
And what a small world- another contestant, Colin, the medical school student, went to the same high school with my co-worker's wife.
One thing I notice from the show- it takes more than good look and good body to be a super-model.
Motivation on studying for Actuarial Exams
I saw this on a friend's favorite quotation on Facebook and I thought it's worth sharing.
"U.S. (and Canadian) actuarial examinations form the most difficult system of professional examinations that exists in the known universe. The exams are not just hard because they are hard, but they are also hard because they are unreasonable -- you can't see how your test was graded, model solutions posted are not model but so-so, tests are often not published, and there is no clearly defined pass mark. Just suck it up and do not waste time on complaining. If you are in the top 5% in mathematics skills in the U.S.... you will make it if you work hard.... But you will get the best job there is, bar none."
-Dr. Krzysztof Ostaszewski
If you go to Dr. Ostaszewki's site, you can find some tips on how to pass actuarial exams. I like the way he compared how serious the actuarial exam is - "Becoming an actuary is not just about getting a job. This is a prominent, prestigious profession. Be very, very serious about it. The day you take an actuarial examination should be as real in your mind as if you were a quarterback playing in the Superbowl, an athlete competing for a gold medal in the Olympics, a tennis player in Wimbledon final, or the Yellow Jersey cyclist in the last stage of Tour de France."
Three Places you want to visit
Towards the end of a house-warming party, about 10 of us from my department were having a group Q&A session. Here's how it works- someone asks a question and then we all take term to share our answer.
It reminds me of the campfire talk while everyone tried to open up to share their feelings etc. Dwight talked about his top 3 criteria to select a mate, while another girl shared her most embarrassing moment...
Co-worker A: Tell us 3 places that you have to visit.
Co-worker B: I have to visit an small island with beaches because I like the sun, Thailand for the food and New Zealand.
Co-worker C: Building 1, Building 3 and Building 4.
(Note: My company has 4 buildings on campus and my department is located in building 2)
On Self Defense
Big Boss was trying to teach a female co-worker self-defense in the narrow hallway between cubicles one day.
Big Boss: Ok, now if I grab your collar, what would you do?
When I was pondering what I would do with my rusty Wing Chun background, I thought, "Ok, is it too much when the first thing I thought is to poke his eyes? I mean, that's ABSOLUTELY going to work.....Wait, or maybe I can step on his toes like stepping on a cigarette butt and then run away....."
Actually what I heard from my co-worker was this and it really amazed me.
Female co-worker: Errr.....I guess I'd take my shirt off.
Cuddling with a Panda?
I have a weird sense of humor. Sometimes reading news like this just made me laugh.
Apparently there's a guy who jumped over the fence in a zoo and tried cuddle with a panda because the panda is too cute.
According to the news, "Yangyang was so cute and I just wanted to cuddle him," Liu was quoted as saying from his hospital bed. "I didn't expect he would attack."
Polar Bears and Grizzly Bears are quite cute too. Wanna hug them, anyone?
Passing....definitely not an exam
We are on our way to our Exam Passing lunch at noon.
Boss Cartman asked Co-worker A: You want to join us for lunch? Did you pass anything?
Co-worker A: No, thanks. You don't want to know what I just passed. (smiled dirtily)
Little Moments
Me and my Little sister went to make T-shirts today. Apparently I chose the wrong size of the t-shirt and this is too small for me. :(
Why are we still working
Co-worker A: If our company stock price keeps going down tomorrow, I'm going to buy some more.
Me: You are the ultimate investor! While other people are panicky about the stock market, we are talking about buying more shares here.
Co-worker B: That's why we are still working... :)
Warren Buffett on buying stocks
I read this Op-Ed piece by Warren Buffett on NY Times today about his investing philosophy during the financial crisis.
He wrote,:
"A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. And most certainly, fear is now widespread, gripping even seasoned investors...In waiting for the comfort of good news, they are ignoring Wayne Gretzky’s advice: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”.... In short, bad news is an investor’s best friend. It lets you buy a slice of America’s future at a marked-down price."
So looking at the stock market, who's feeling as if they are walking into the mall and everything is on sale?
On Arranged Marriage
S: Are you going to have an arranged Chinese marriage?
Me: Yes, I am. How do you know that?
S: I didn't know actually. That thought occurred to me yesterday.
Me: In fact, I got my engagement ring in the mail today and I need to go to the UPS to pick it up before they send it back to the sender, aka my future husband!
S: Stop it. Serious?
Me: Yes, I'm seriously joking.
This was the conversation me and S had through email today. It's just silly and funny that I need to post it here. :)
Your Piggy Bank of Effort
Something Michael Phelps said during the Olympics keeps popping up in my head these days.
"Bob has a saying about putting money in the bank. When we train, sometimes we have sets that I don't like, or don't want to do, and Bob says: 'This is putting money in the bank, and at the end of the year, you are able to withdraw everything'.
"I put a lot of money in the bank over the past four years, and we pretty much withdrew every penny so after Bob and I have a little break, it will be time to start re-depositing."
The idea of working hard as if you are putting money in the bank applies to all kinds of trade. To me, I put money in the bank (not just metaphorically, but literally) by doing a great job at work and also studying and passing the exams.
On the same note of effort, Seth Godin had a great post on Effort vs. Luck.
My friend Socrates likes to say, "Only luck alone won't make you successful. A successful person has to be self-disciplined, down-to-earth and hard-working."
I particularly like this part:
Effort takes many forms. Showing up, certainly. Knowing stuff (being smart might be luck of the draw, but knowing stuff is the result of effort). Being kind when it's more fun not to. Paying forward when there's no hope of tangible reward. Doing the right thing....
And that's the key to the paradox of effort: While luck may be more appealing than effort, you don't get to choose luck. Effort, on the other hand, is totally available, all the time.
It's official
Co-worker A: I friended you on Facebook last night.
Co-worker B: I've always thought we are friends. But now that you added me on Facebook, I think that makes our friendship official.
Trip to St. Louis
Exam Seminar: $1,450
Staying at Ritz- Carlton: ~$200 per night
Hours of studying each day: 8
I was so lucky to get to know Tycoon at Stratton's on my first day in town. And he was such a great host who drove me around and gave me a city tour. So getting to know a new friend who opens up my world, that's priceless. :)
Special Thanks to my company which paid for my entire trip to the Exam Seminar. Thank you!
Back from DC
Back from DC. Overall, it was great to tour around DC. Probably I have to go back to DC again for the National Gallery of Art. I can spend hours walking around inside with the audio tour.
Will post some pictures here later. :)
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