Transition.

Dear readers,

If you are following me from Facebook, you would most likely have known that I have graduated from my undergraduate degree and slowly transitioning into working life. Everything seemed so smooth as I went through 3-week On-boarding Programme without much problems, but only constant inspirations being poured out over and over again from my colleagues. How blessed more can I possibly get?

Never had I got the opportunity to get close with many of my fellow scholars colleagues, but this 3-week On-boarding Programme was nothing short of awesomeness and close kinship built. First week spent on the Outward Bound School was very inspiring, and turned out beyond my expectation. Only three words can be concluded - friendship, inspiration and teamwork.

Part of the reasons why OBS was beyond my expectation is due to the structure of activities planned. Most of them if not all, were catered in such a way that ignites the teamwork spirit in us and from within build bonds between our future colleagues. No doubt the activities were mentally and physically demanding, but if given a second chance with the same group of people, I won't give a second thought.

Knowing that all these colleagues are quite awesome and fun to begin with, I am rest assured that working life with these people is not at all scary. Up till now, we are still hanging out together even as the second week of our working life is coming to an end. Let's hope that all this will persist for much longer time than I anticipated, because when workload starts piling up, we may be too caught up with them and gradually slide back into becoming strangers.

Just as I was having my reflection time, I realised how much I have changed over the span of one year. Through things that have happened, both good and bad, I noticed a change in my mindset and I no longer yearn for things I wished I could own a year ago. One example that pops up to me was my teenage dream of owning a sports car. When you come to look at the secondary market of used cars, you will probably have realised the value depreciates substantially once it was driven out of its showroom. Take for instance, Subaru Impreza WRX-STi. No doubt I still love its Boxer engine sound and excellent performance, but the fact that even the second hand price of approximately RM80k put me off.

I learnt to live frugally, having realised my 20s are the best time to start saving and picking up investing/trading as my secondary income source, because time is on my side and the best leverage I could possibly utilise on. First truth about trading is that you will lose money, but one of a few ways that sets aside the winners from the pool of crowds is defensive trading, i.e. ability to cut losses when things don't go the way you want them to. I do not have the required experiences to be on the winning side, but these are probably the only ways: educate yourself, being extremely patient and disciplined, coupled with lots of practices, there's no shortcut to succeed in this area; that is if you are even interested in trading at the first place. Reading blog and books written by Conrad Alvin Lim helps, highly recommended. I am still educating myself, long way to go.

Now that I am still waiting to be assigned to a specific division within my department thus less works, I am trying to form a habit of reading. Unless I am too tired after work, every night I will try to read part of some books I have collected since ages, some even before I flew to the UK for study. Insofar I have progressed pretty well, 1.5 books in one week is not a bad start in my opinion, given that I am not yet an avid reader.

My dad has been discussing since ages about buying a new Honda City for himself, and in turn I will be able to take the Myvi my mom currently using, to work. I am more than happy for the suggestion, since I don't have to fork out another sum for auto purchase. Once I start driving the car to work, I will try my best to beat the crowd on traffic. That means I will have to depart from home very early at 6am and reach the Bank at hopefully by 6:35am. That way I will have no excuse not to go gym and exercise my butt off, I have been giving too much excuses prior to this. Nobody is going to take care of your own body if you don't even give a damn on it.

Oh! One amazing feat I never expected myself to have achieved, that definitely worth mentioning, is I have stopped drinking carbonated drink altogether, all thanks to a dear friend who encouraged me not to. It's been two months now, and I have no desire at all to drink any sip of it. I am truly encouraged and I hope you will be encouraged too. If I can do it, so can you! Now my next challenge is, to gradually reduce my sweetened drink consumption, ultimately stop drinking them altogether.

That's it for now... Kudos if you have read it this far, you deserve an applause. (Y) A real gem that I have yet to uncover, but I truly appreciate you.

I am going to be more active from now on, and will probably write some reviews on the books I have read and going to read. Hope that will help you in one way or another. Stay tuned!

Signing off.