Posted 10:03 PM by Andy
It's a fairly quiet day at the office so let me catch up on some journaling.

October holidays. I went to Hong Kong and hung out with Pui for a weekend. We walked around the usual places around Victoria Harbor and had drinks at a couple different bars. It's fascinating that he's trying to learn the game of professional investing when Chinese companies are so nebulous. I don't understand commodities markets as well as he does. I also spent a week in Taipei. I met up with Enoch there and Jeff, who was also visiting from Shanghai. I joined Enoch's fellowship meeting and a barbecue at his friend, a music producer's place. I also went clubbing again on a Wednesday night. By 2 a.m. I was exhausted but the crowd was still amped at that point. At the Shilin night market, I consumed a small sausage wrapped in a big sausage. Talk about gluttony. Then I shot baskets with Jeff in the arcade nearby and was soundly beaten as he had a quicker release. Taipei also has this mega bookstore chain where boutique design shops are embedded within and around the core book merchandise. They have an ample supply of foreign magazines, albeit at a hefty markup.

Work. I am splitting my time between Community enhancement projects and the migration project to our Korean site. Migration is a lengthy process since we need to first understand the site and the gaps before deciding what to change or add. We'll be sending some people over this month to Korean to learn from our counterparts the nuances of their platform. We are definitely still in a dogfight with our competitors. Taobao is maintaining its lead in market share and Paipai, the e-commerce play of Tencent, the creator of the instant messenger application QQ, is hot on our heels. Q3 results were good, and management has awarded us with re-priced options, so I'm cautiously optimistic of the long-term outlook of the firm my and future with it.

Extracurricular activities. Socializing or partying has been on the wane as I fill my schedule with more service-oriented commitments. I am volunteering with my church's Alpha course where seekers are encouraged to explore who Jesus is. I've also tried to make a more conscious effort to attend cell group more often even though it's on a Friday night and the diversity of the folks there causes me to wonder why I'm part of it sometimes. Lately I've also been pulled into a couple social gatherings with King where the intent is missions-focused. Last Saturday we shared with some people about our faith and had a good exchange. Afterwards, we met up with King's cousin who just became betrothed to her fiancée and hit up a club opening. On the way in, King prayed we would not be tripped up by the temptations there. It was quite surreal. I have had a few visitors including James H and Hanron who has relocated back to Shanghai and my parents. Next week Jen M will visit from Beijing. Next month Annie will move here. That'll be sweet to have her around.

Fantasy football. I'm a relatively new player to the game but I have to admit, it's quite entertaining to manage a virtual team of real players. You need to value your players correctly and maneuver to put together a winning team. I drew the number 1 pick, and selected the reigning league MVP, Shaun Alexander. He promptly gets injured in the third game of the season. Despite that setback, I'm 5-2, currently third in my league of 12 teams. With a keen insight into numbers and intuition about future trends, I've been able to pick up stud players from the waiver wire who were improperly valued.

Books. I read “Feeding the Monster” about the Boston Red Sox and the joys and travails of building a championship team. It's very insightful to see the foibles of superstars like Garciaparra who was disgruntled for many of the years he was in Boston despite being their franchise player. “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator” is the best investment book I've read. It's the eponymous memoir of Jesse Livermore and was a master trader at the turn and beginning part of the twentieth century. I picked up a translated copy of the “Go Go Years” about the runaway exuberance and expansion and eventual bust of the stock market in the 1960's. Most of these books espouse mastering the inner game with external results as a secondary consideration. In other words, as long as you make the right decision in poker/basketball/investing/life, you should be at peace with the outcome.

Next time: My 31st birthday and Korea trip.