Black to Work

Just started my new job this week, am feeling really glad. So sudden as it was quite an immediate position, in a local securities firm, which I am quite happy. Although I am not working as a trader or remisier like that, but handling backend processes of equities. Hope to learn as much as possible and then we'll see. So far so good.

Will be trading and blogging less from now as learning curve is steep and I need to adjust my sleeping time earlier instead of 3am during unemployed days. Though if I happen to learn to trade some shares in the future I might be posting them up too.

Gd luck people on your trading, this blog is not dead yet we'll be back any moment!

Black.

Came Across This...

Came across this the 1Lot Trader's blog post on The Trading Precipice.

I definitely feel for him for what he is going thru' now. Its a good read and lots of great advices from experienced traders in the comment section which I recommend traders to read them too.

All the best to us and don't give up! :)

Black.

Moderation for comments due to Spammers

This is the firstime this blog ever received such overwhelming....spams. It used to be one and we'd close one eye. But this guy seems over-doing it. We have no choice but to put future (more welcomed) comments to moderation. Not so fun with such spams in a night:-

Ahh.. links, yes.

SEO expert indeed, we are impressed as well.

Not Dead

Been on four days sick leave last week and had a some personal issues. So for the past two weeks, I have not been thinking, playing, or touching poker. Taking a break at the moment. I have also stopped forex for a while now and looking forward to resume this week.

Been on intensive job search lately. Registered for an CMFAS exam from Institute of Banking & Finance. Hopefully I can land on a new job in the financial industry, although things are looking shaky at the moment.

Yesterday was the Singapore Presidential Election. The four candidates had the same last name. Congratulations to our new President, who has about SGD 4 million salary per annum. It was a very close fight between the winner and runner-up, a vote differential of about 0.34%. With the social networking and the new technology age, elections has become very popular in Singapore. Netizens are voicing out their hatred and loves for the ruling party.

Anyway the elections are over, despite the small winning votes, a win is a win. What I cannot understand is the 37,000s votes that were void. Was it so difficult to draw a cross in the voting ticket?

Black.

Today Is The Day! (Warning: Lengthy)

Chinese new year celebration was great. The reason besides gathering with relatives, is also because I'm not yet married and I don't have to give ang bao - red packets. But instead, I'm still receiving them from relatives and married cousins $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Like every year, I went to the cemetery to pay my late grandpa a visit on the very first day of lunar new year at dawn. It's tiring but I think it is still important for us to pay respect to our ancestors. Funny thing about this year was, while we were there, we saw a group of Bangladeshi workers strolling along the road in a group, singing and playing musical instruments like some tambourine and bass drums. They seemed to be having a great time, I thought it was cool too, but what's with the place they chose to party?

Visiting for me is simply gathering, eating, drinking and gambling. I think I kinda touched every form of gambling we played at homes. Nothing is greater than the yearly "bonding" session we had with one another. From Blackjacks, to Dai Dee (Big Two, some call it the chinese poker), Mahjong, and Texas Hold'em (the firstime we played this for new year). All the hyper-links to the explanation of these games seem to give police who are reading this evidence to nail me.

Our home game of blackjack are nothing like the casino's, this is much about luck to me. Big two is my favorite, I can safely say I'm good at it. Mahjong is a skill game to me, and I am super duper bad at it, let alone playing with my uncles' who are like old-timer to this game. I learned this game frm young simply sitting beside my mother who used to play with her frens. I can never quite anticipate opponent's hand as much as I could do in Big Two.

Hold'em is a new game to us. I had two home games last week. One with my cousins, one with Bottle and frens. My cards were good during the game with my cousins. I kept hitting sets and even quads on one of the hands. I didn't make the full use out of those monster hands becuz the pots that night were already a few times higher than usual, despite playing pot limit. Tried to keep it frenly and hopefully no one take things personal, unless playing with strangers.

Bottle played very well that night. He threw more hopeless hands away than he used to play, which was very loosely. He bet into monsters and was one of the winner. That night was the first ever hold'em session my cards ran worst than bad throughout the night. Besides hitting the wall with good hands, I didn't hit any top pairs on flop and missed my flop most of the night. Juz naming a few:

Worst Pot Lost

Me: 6d 7h - straight (i re-raised like no tomorrow lol)

Board: 4c 8c Jh 5c Ks

Opponent: Ac 3c - flush (we both made the set on turn)

Me: As 5s - straight (I folded on river)

Board: 2c 3c Qh 4c Jc

Opponent: Kc Jh - flush on river

Me: Ah As (pocket Aces, lost most of my buy-ins here)

Board: Tc 7h 3h Qs Ts

Opponent: Ks Th (set of Tens on river)

Me: 6c 9c (all-in on flop)

Board: 2c 5c Ac Th Kc

Opponent: Jc Ts (Jack-high flush on river)

I witnessed that night how cards could screw you up, just like the market, except its cheaper, totally. One full night of torture lol. I am lying if I tell you yeah that night was fun though. I seriously can't wait to go home lol, but of course I enjoyed my time with my friends. They are improving every time I played with them, it was my first lost against them so I need to work harder.

Back to work today and taking the next two days off to do my sch assignment. In fact I just completed a quiz earlier before posting. Gonna be busy. Tomorrow night dinner with my family. Gonna hunt some seafood fine dining.

Traded today and Asian session was a torture. I had awful entry for both Eur/Usd and Aud/Usd pairs and exited once they were in favor, took like the third hour of London session, when the bearish German Factory Orders, that pulled the skirt off Eur/Usd to my take-profit level.

After all my positions were closed, I finally, after six months in my Oanda account, do I see the balance at the profit level once again. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just recouped my Oanda account today. It is probably lucky and maybe short-live but it is a day worth celebration. My FXDD account is still under the blackhole and still can't see the light.

Anyway, I will still try to post whenever there are actions, thanks for all the support all these while. I know I'm boring shits out there with my wordy lame posts but I will do better!

Good luck to your charts and tables! For married couples out there, red packets is just a tradition, I accept paypal! :-)

Black.

Our Twitter and Currensee

Bottle asked me whether I'm free to go to this fair INVEST Fair 2010, held in Singapore on 21-22 August 2010. I hope to get the time to go there and have a look.

Anyway, my night classes has started this week, so expect less posts, trading and poker. We will do short miscellaneous updates via our twitter (BlacknBottle), please follow us for more short updates. I will tweet mini updates, besides, my FXDD trade results (individual trade) are also posted there live automatically whenever I trade. Thanks to Currensee.

Currensee is expanding and building up more and more features. They have also added a few new supported brokers. You need a live account to join. You can form a team and know their position. Or you can earn "credit" and attend Live webinar, quite an interactive social networking site. It's like a facebook for currency traders.

Sign up Currensee via my link and remember to send me your account name so that I can add you as a friend. It's free.

Night peeps. May the pips be with you.

Black.

We have Oanda platform training tomorrow :)

Rest Night

No trades, no poker tonight. Only yogurt, granola, boxer and the couch.. yes and the tv.


Black.

Strange Encounter & One of Those Days

I have recently switched all my bookmarks/google-following into simply a firefox add-on call feedly. Quite cool for a feed reader. At least now I gathered all my sites which I frequently visit into a single location and then only turn on the feedly and read, instead of visiting each sites. On top of that, it synchronizes with Google Reader.

Well, here's a strange encounter I had with Oanda customer service. Oanda Asia Pacific here in Singapore conduct a bi-weekly platform training in their head-office. So I receive an email and decide to ask Bottle along. I send an email to them to register for two seats this month-end. It shd be useful. Here was the email correspondences:

Me: Hi, I'm registering for 2 seats for your 30th July session, Black and Bottle, looking forward to your confirmation.
Oanda: Dear Alan, Thank you for your interest in OANDA Asia Pacific (OAP). We are pleased to confirm your attendance for our platform training on 30th July. Looking forward to see you.

Me: Hi, This is Black, not Alan. I have registered for two seats in my previous email. Please confirm, thanks.
Oanda: Dear Black, My apologies on that. Yes, we have confirmed your attendance for tomorrow. Thank you.

Me: In my previous email, it was 3 attendance, for 30th July, not tomorrow!!!! (exclamation mark added in this post)

That officer called me the next morning and apologize to sort things out. Well, I wasn't angry, just find it interesting. I wouldn't say the same if it's talking about funding/withdrawing my money lol.

Anyway, today I mobile traded again and got punched in the face. It seems that the market was trying to tell me to take him seriously. It's not something I can simply buy/sell while sitting in the office. I longed the cable and it went 4 pips before my take-profit and went back all the way down into the drain. I came home to recover a little bit back. But was out too early, due to fear brought in from the day.

-50 pips.



Black.

Exams

Not quite active recently, because i have been mugging for exams after work. not exactly the kind of life im enjoying. well, one year to go and this pursuing of degree cert will be over and done with. when im reading up my uni textbook, im reading books; when im reading up trading books, im reading books. but the enthusiasm between the two are at both ends. obviously u know which is at which end :)

In Singapore, its considered a fast paced society. My previous company, many of them were like me, taking part time degree and a full time job. One reason being we need to pay our sch fees and sustain our lifestyle. secondly, when everyone is doing this, if u take a full time degree by the time u come out of working society ur a step behind. In my father era, we can afford to have one parent working and the other staying at home and take care of the kids. In my time, we have trouble even when both are working. things are getting costly, while salary are constant. Partly explains why kids nowadays are smarter and more independent becuz they are being sent to the child care centre, to learn.

Of course if my dad was super rich, i dont have to be troubled with such going ons around me. Property prices are at the highest now here, and government is encouraging us to have more kids when houses are getting pricer and smaller, where we gonna put the babies? Besides, before purchasing a car here, u need to purchase a paper called the COE. that paper alone can cost up to 10K. and ur car starts depreciating the moment u buy it. see i have so much reason why i want to be a profitable trader lol, aso on behalf of Bottle.

Enough of stories, i'll not be trading or working the whole of next week :) sounds good like im going for holiday, but no i am going to study for my exams which is on next thursday - 2 papers in a day. Java programming... oh my, wish me luck - because im gonna need it.

Black.

Black: Taking a Hiatus

I'm taking a hiatus due to personal reasons. I need to re-focus my personal life and re-claim what belongs to me which is important. I'll still post some review or update whenever i can, but wouldn't be as active as i was. I'm not joining the rest of the guys to feed Jules cat even if its juz within my country. I need some serious re-group and i really, really will be back.

Thanks all the readers, i really appreciate those who do drop by.

Black.

PS: This is something by posted Seeni in his twitter before, which i think is equally important for each and everyone to take a look. Caution: duration is as long as a movie. Enjoy.

Video: Home

18 Mar - No Trade & Update

No trade tonight. Had dinner with my parents and girlfriend after work, gave them a treat as a celebration for founding a new job. Spent the rest of the night with her and taking the time off trade. I still keep up with other fellow traders' blog and trading outcome, but its something i learned from Risk Control Master about keeping a balance and spending quality time with love ones.

I also do not find myself squeezing every little bit of time to sit infront of the chart like i used to. Going in to the market can mean either u win, or u lose. So i gradually prefer to go in at best state of mind and more luxury of time so that i had nothing else to blame if things goes awry.

Well, so far we're mid month through. I started off badly from the NFP night, and the night following it, and i was down almost -10% of my equity. Slowly fighting my way back. I hope to at least break an even by the time i do my March Review.

Happy trading and best of luck.

Black

Trade It Like Roger Federer

I'm not saying Roger Federer trades the currency market, he doesnt need to, but there are some traits in him which i think is good to follow, that i can relate in trading. i started watching tennis slightly more than a year back. i like players like Nadal, Del Potro, Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas, and of course Roger Federer.

One reason is that he goes emotional after the match, and i felt it with him too. i still remember he almost got the 2009 Australian Open but lost in the final but then later changed his role in the history of tennis. he has a facebook page where he did mentioned its his own in a video!! probably maintain by his agent or something, at least he plays a part in it. 3million fans at this point!



Secondly, so far i've seen him in matches, he is always calm during the matches. he does get taken aback by rare silly mistakes he made or poor luck at times, but he juz never gets his emotion overrun himself. thats a trait of a true champion. i can relate to trading from that. for example, a lot of times, i find myself pulling my hair or at the verge of throwing my mouse when a trade goes against me. it's bad!

Although the market doesnt take into account ur expression, unlike tennis, where u might boost ur opponent's confidence if u appear to look distress, it is still important to maintain calm. stay in ur setup, change only when tide turns, and never let emotion gets in your head!

Many times, i witness him down 2 sets, but still calmly claiming back 3 sets thereafter and winning the match. it feels to me like trading the cable, where i always have to face at least a -25 pips before it comes back. It is important to trust yourself and stay focus!



Celebrate or grieve only after the match (trades)!

Think like a champion, think like Roger Federer!

Black

Away For Holidays!

We will be away for the weekend, and probably next monday and tuesday too, which is a holiday here in Singapore for Chinese New Year!

Thank you readers and our trader friends! We'll be back for MORE action! in the meantime, good luck to your tradings! Happy Holidays! :)

Black
On Behalf of Black & Bottle

Short Updates on Black Bottle's

it's pretty busy past few days, doing up some house chores over the weekend. because Lunar New Year is coming, and its time for spring cleaning. my lessons are starting this week, therefore i would have lesser time to trade, and lesser time to blog.. running from full time job and night classes.

im thankful that more and more readers who have came by, dropped comments, and share opinions. our daily trade journal might reduce from this point, but not completely M.I.A, i might post some other forex reviews or thoughts in words, maybe review on Millionaire Traders by Kathy Lien & Boris Schlossberg, which i juz finish reading.

Bottle has been focusing a lot on his trades these period of time, and working around clock before the Chinese new year. Forex is always in our mind. after this week, we will do up our month's review to keep it updated by end of the week.

Happy trading all the best to you and to us!

Black

Merry X'Mas!

Merry X'Mas to everyone! Havent been trading for couple of days. Anyway me and Bottle wish everyone have a good holiday celebrations and next year will be a better for us! New year and new success! We had a good celebration last night over at Bottle's place with our friends. Good gathering and gifts exchanges, as usual, we made a hell of a mess there. Haha, but it was fun. Once again, Merry Christmas and advance Happy New Year!

Black

FXDD Holiday Hours

Christmas Trading Customer Service
December 24	Close @ 2:00 PM EST	Close @ 3:00 PM EST
December 25	Close	Close
December 27	Open @ 5:00 PM EST	Open @ 5:00 PM EST
New Years
December 31	Close at 2:00 PM EST	Close at 3:00 PM EST
January 1	Close	Close
January 3	Open @ 5:00 PM EST	Open @ 5:00 PM EST

Reuters - Factbox on Political Risk in Singapore

While surfing on Reuters this morning, i notice some interesting headlines on political risk factors in some of Asia-Pacific region. Its a good-to-know fact about some of these neighbouring countries. To my fellow Singaporean readers, here is the link to know more about some political risks in our own country.

Five Political Risks To Watch In Singapore

Under Reuters - Currencies section (can found under our blog links), u can also find some other Asia-Pacific risk factor like Indonesia, Malaysia to Australia. Happy Reading.

Black

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