I'm back.

My golf lesson started today. My instructor reminds me of Larry the cable guy physically and through demeanor. He's quite funny and makes the two hours pass by effortlessly. I hope I'm able to actually learn some golf this summer.

My finance part of the blog will be moved to a different wordpress site and taken more seriously. This blog will just document my day to day musings, writings, ideas. Since I don't have cable anymore I've started reading again. I'm hoping I'll be inspired to write some over the summer. I will post whatever I come up with here.

School is going well, been going to class and taking copious notes. Work is going well too, except it's really boring. I need to send out applications to all the other opportunities that are out there. I don't want to be stuck working in the South. It's a lot slower and I would just honestly rather work in the North.

Watching "The Darjeeling Limited" online streaming... will post a review...

My CCRT Position is Sinking

I am down nearly 50% since my purchase on March 10th. I have to cut my losses this coming week. This is my best option because CCRT is performing decent compared the the Financial sector, specifically the Yahoo credit services index.

Menta Capital LLC has been buying up CCRT, most likely contributing to its recent popularity and rising stock price. They bought 49,800 shares and reported it a day ago 05/07/08 which perfectly coincides with the acquisition trends in the stock price. What happens next week when CCRT is back on the market at 10.50? Will other big players devalue the company due to its obvious weaknesses and risk exposure? I don't think the stock price will stay above 10, the question is how far will it go down, and in what time span, before the end of June?

It didn't hit 08Q1earnings May 7th, and it dropped ~7% that day but it has been above 10 since then. I have until the third week of July for this option and I think a dramatic pullback would not be surprising. Still, I want to get out of this position and move on to a different play. Chalk it up as a loss on the big board and move on. This is one of the few times I'm glad that this is all paper.

The gameplan:

Watch the markets this week and forecast general trend. Follow the financial sector and compare CompuCredit's performance with the pack. If it looks like it's outperforming and there is no chance any major news announcement to come the following 2 weeks, I will find a good selling point and cut my losses short.

If CompuCredit appears weak int eh financial sector, specifically credit services industry I will think about holding on to it. This will be decided based on what news events, announcements might lie ahead. If there are indicators of a broad market pullback based on high oil prices, economic indicator releases, I think I will still have a chance to make money.

Try to cap loss at 10%. If it looks like it's only getting worse sell immediately at 50%. Don't wait for any chance of being in the green. It's too risky, just get out of the position and move on. Fast, aggressive, next play, next spin.

2nd to Last Semester Done

My results for Spring 2008 are in:

ECE 4175 Embedded Microcontroller Design with Professor Peatman - B (4 Credits)

PST 3127 Ethics with Professor Hans Klein - A ( 3 Credits)

ECE 4884 Senior Design with Professor Schlag and Whit Smith - A (4 Credits)

That gives me a 3.63 GPA - the best GPA I've EVER received at Tech. This is the result of picking an awesome senior design group and applying myself in school. I was also working about 15 hours every week this semester and tutoring. I've turned a new leaf, I'm shooting for the stars from here.

A State of Trance Episode 350 is Awesome!

I finished downloading the 350th episode of Armin Van Buuren's "A State of Trance". For those that don't know, ASOT is a live trance radio show hosted by world renowned DJ Armin Van Buuren. It is simulcasted live over the internet as well, catering to its world-wide international appeal.

This was the 350th Anniversary episode with several guest DJs, including John O’Callaghan, Aly & Fila, Nic Chagall, DJ Shah, and Markus Schulz. This set is 8 hours long, yes..... 8 HOURS OF TRANCE. Taking place live from Club Noxx in Antwerp, Belgium, it is my favorite live set of the year. The file is some 660 MB and is available here.

Download each RAR for Part 1, 2, and 3. Then extract part 1 into a folder and the whole file should be ~660MB. Enjoy.

My Schedule This Summer

I am two classes shy of graduation. So, in 3 months, I will FINALLY graduate my undergrad engineering program. Here's what my summer schedule will be like. This is just a framework, needless to say, there will be many adjustments.

CCRT CompuCredit Short Play

So currently my CCRT Puts are down slightly around 2% but I am still betting that I will be in the money by July. The current stock price is $8.08 as of the 4/30/2008 close; my strike is at $7.50. The Q1 earnings come out May 7th after market close. Depending on these numbers I will be able to decide whether I want to continue holding on to my puts or cutting my losses short.

Bid/Ask Spread is HUGE. Currently the contracts I hold (CCRT July 08 7.5 Put) have a bid price (sell) of $1.35 and ask (buy) price of $1.60

Based on technical indicators and the general line of business CompuCredit is in, I am betting that the stock can fall much further.

Position Recap:

04/09/2008
+ 1 CCRT July 08 7.5 Put @ $1.43
-$143

04/10/2008
+1 CCRT July 08 7.5 Put @ $1.58
-$158

These two purchases average out to:

+2 CCRT July 08 7.5 Put @ 1.50
- $301

UNREALIZED PAPER LOSS:
As of 04/30/2008

2 CCRT July 08 7.5 Put @ 1.35

$270

- $31 (10.3%)

Stressed Out is a Terrible State of Mind

I have heard the saying that you can never control what is going to happen to you, you can only control the way you react to the event.

This is very true, in the sense that no matter how meticulous your plan is, something unplanned will always arise. In such situations it is a waste of time, energy, and resources to be "stressed out". Being stressed out is simply a state of self-pity. I learned this after experiencing my 10th semester in school dealing with finals.

I get very stressed out over tests and it is something that I have to actively improve upon. This semester I learned that you can simply prepare for tests and then take them. If you prepare in an organized, effective manner then taking them should be a breeze.

My goal is to keep a balanced calm state of mind, instead of being uneasy and stressed out. This doesn't just apply to school but all situations in life, when dealing with unforeseen obstacles. Just like Bruce Lee said the mind should be like water, you put water in a kettle, it becomes a kettle, you put water in a glass, it becomes the glass: shapeless, formless, undisturbed. My goal is to analyze every situation and act with present mind and a high level of confidence instead of simply reacting and following the path of least resistance.

In such a state of mind, every present moment of life is absolutely critical and yet totally insignificant - a way of life very few people can truly attain.