Mr. Haxa Does The Blogs

The Three Men Journey Into Tennis

Post marital scare of becoming sloppy had encouraged two of my college friends to start on some activities that would keep us fit, as if the singles aren't sloppy! So far we have in mind tennis games, gym, ping-pong, and some jogging. The planning was done yesterday over a text messaging conference system, that we would be starting today, and only to have me changed the whole plan, because I will be going to a soccer match tonight. So much of planning that even made some plans to get some new gears; shoes, racket, shirts, etc. Wow! Time for shopping! And for crying out loud, the shopping carnival is just three days away!

In the News Today

Raja Ahmad Zainuddin talked about the "demam" Yob in Jakarta and Jamal Nasir announced that Perak will be bringing in a new striker, Baichung Bhutia from East Bangles, the team that won the LG Cup in Jakarta yesterday. Bhutia was the best Asian player in May 1999, and apparently he played for a Division Two club in England circa 2000-2001. Hopefully, with Khalid injury, Flavio dismissal, Bhutia will be the new force in Perak forward together with Seator and Saravanan to win the three remaining matches in the Premeir League.

Jamal Nasir reportedly saying that the team had gained more that they could have ever imagined. Despite the loss in 3 & 4 position game, the team was awarded the Fair Play and it seems that LG had invited Perak to an LG invitiation game in Vietnam soon. And Perak had agreed to this.

New players such as Harizul Izuan Abdul Rani, Ahmad Norafandi Mohd Yatim, Ravitheren, some other players who haven't had any international experience, Surabaya has provided them with the new experience playing at regional level.

[1] Fair-Play untuk Perak
[2] Perak bakal dapat khidmat Buthia
[3] Pro&Kontra - ‘Demam’ Akademi Fantasia dan ‘demam’ Yob di Jakarta

Updates on "Thank You Mr. Markowitz"

- Analogy of life-long learning optimum portfolio based on the Modern Portfolio Theory

Thanks to both of you Jikon and Alvin for providing me some perspectives to argue this on this analogy to the MPT. Jikon posted an argument about being Jack of Trade and how it has turned out to be to his disadvantage and hence recommending me to argue from Malaysian perspective. Alvin noted the missing risk free investment in the analogy and the measure of risk to those skills, of which we have to refer our HR text as well as trend to try quantify these skills market value.

Thank You Mr. Markowitz

Early this morning when I was cracking my head to find the best solution to my Modern Portfolio Theory paper structure, I came to a wonderful discovery that I thought I would want to write it here after the exam; but I could care less since moment like this doesn't come often. And thank you to the Sumatra coffee that had kept me awake to see all these new development.

50 years ago, Harry Markowitz paper on "Portfolio Selection" was published in the The Journal of Finance in 1952. The ideas introduced in this article have come to form the foundations of what is now popularly referred to as Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). Throughout the years, his work has been the foundation for the financial community, that in 1990 Markowitz was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Review: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

This is without a doubt one of the best non-fiction book I have ever read. Praise to Greene who had properly put his thought clearly into the most linear'ed' and segmented idea organization you can ever found in a book.

Each law is supported by its Judgment, Trangression & its Interpretation, Observance & its Interpretation, Keys to Power, and its Image .

Read insights into some of the ancient war moves e.g. Bonaparte, Alexender the Great, etc; political and modern day strategist like Henry Kissinger. Even better, read the ways of how some of the famous con men in history; e.g. Yellow Kid Weil preyed their victims.

The first law: Never Outshine the Master is the best start for me as after reading it, I understand better one of the Malaysian's most scandalous political action.

The Judgment of the first law reads:
"Always make those above you feel comfortable superior. In your desire to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite-inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power."

Will Perak Walk Away?

Seriously, why is it that whenever Malaysian participate in sport events in Indonesia, like it was reported during Thomas Cup few years ago, that our athletes would usually get down with virus or the food poisoning. This time, seven Perak players and the manager, Jamal Nasir are down with typhoid at the Asean Club Championship. It is no wonder that despite the victory 2-0, the team wasn’t playing at their best against the Cambodian’s SAMART.

Filthy food and accommodation perhaps? Or plain hate crime? Or neighborly bad faith likes the American and the Canadian? But this one has gone too far though, that the Singapore’s AF team is also affected.

The Mental Blog

This Sunday I will be sitting for an examination, and I am not well prepared for it. With Philip Glass's score on Escape to India playing on my earphones right now, my mind is trying to escape from the mental block that I have been experiencing lately. Juggling between the exam preparation and the paper for submission can be cumbersome, though I got used to it already, this time it is not the same.

The best thing about writing any paper is that you got so many materials to your findings, but it sucks when you have the InfoSmog syndrome, when you are overwhelmed with too much information, the exact state I am in right now, and I can't seem to decide what goes where.

It is already Wednesday, I am scared as hell like I have never been before. The paper has yet to have a proper structure, although I have most of the answers already. It probably require a one nighter to get a better attention to it.

Last week was a total waste. Thought that I needed some break, I took some days off, only to find out that I too much of a break. Procastination is creeping through my veins and my attention has been slowing, I admit so.

Anyway, with about an hundred odd hours more to go before the exam, I'll figure things out and get through with this one.

A Beautiful Mind, A Beautiful Jenniffer Connelly

A Beautiful Mind, is a very inspiring movie to me, the one that really moves me. Lucky Russell Crowe to have gotten the chance to act with Jenniffer Connelly whom portrayal of Alicia Lorde, John Nash's wife, won her the Best Supporting Actress at the Oscar that year. She is remarkably beautiful, her radiant smile shine through the entire space, her dress at the governer's dinner on her first date was like WOW, her determination on putting up with the schizophrenic episodes for her husband illness will make any man to say how lucky John Nash is to have woman like her, just like Sol's (Nash's good friend whom also joined the Wheeler Lab with Bender) sentiment towards her, while on a walk through the Princeton campus, asked Alicia how does she fare. She simply talked about how Nash is recovering using the pill treatments, but instead, Sol's was apparently interested to understand how Alicia is getting through.

I have watched the movie for like four times now, and I want to watch it over and over again. Now that I have finally bought the book, which was well written by Sylvia Nassar, I understand John Nash much better than the movie, which Nash's illness experience was made up and totally fiction. I have yet to finish the book, but what I can tell you now is at that time, Nash was very much inspired by Von Neumann and Einstein, whom also attended Princeton. He really met Einstein once and explained to him a new theory in physics, only to have Einstein telling him to read more physics!

The inspiring part of John Nash is the fact that he promotes originality. Skipping class and pursuing problems from different perspectives indeed made it possible for him to come out with the famous Nash Equilibrium (thank you to the hot blonde lady at the bar) that has been used to solve complex negotiations, licensing problems, etc.

Ron Howard directed this movie, which had caused some controversy over the screenwriting because despite John Nash originality, the movie was so 'ORIGINAL' that it didn't tell the whole true story of John Nash. You gotta read the book to understand what I mean. The part whereby he gave the acceptance speech at the Nobel Prize was another Hollywood moment. It had never happened. Nash was not asked to give a Nobel lecture, presumably because of his instability. He did, however, give a short speech at a small party in Princeton.

Here is Nasar's synopsis:

He was not inclined to give speeches, he said, but he had three things to say.

First, he hoped that getting the Nobel would improve his credit rating because he really wanted a credit card. Second, he said that one is supposed to say that one is glad he is sharing the prize, but he wished he had won the whole thing because he really needed the money badly.
Third, Nash said that he had won for game theory and that he felt that game theory was like string theory, a subject of great intrinsic intellectual interest that the world wishes to imagine can be of some utility. He said it with enough skepticism in his voice to make it funny.

And this beautiful movie had inspired James Horner to compose this beautiful score; All Love Can Be.

-All Love Can Be -

I will watch you in the darkness
Show you love will see you through
When the bad dreams wake you crying
I'll show you all love can do
All love can do

I will watch through the night
Hold you in my arms
Give you dreams where love will be
I will watch through the dark
'Til the morning comes
All the light I'll take you through the night to see
A light showing us all love can be

I will guard you with my bright wings
Stay 'til your heart learns to see

All love can be...

The Typical Tropical Weather

The weather couldn't be any better, cloudy, gloomy, and dark, the kind of weather that makes me feel good. It's breezy, though humid, but still, too good to be true. After 'rainless' weeks before, this week, well it is only Tuesday, that this time, we are blessed with that much amount of rain. The heavy downpour yesterday surprised me in everyway, because as far as I can remember it has been a long time since it rains at that hour, that while I was just going to start on my literature review, the sound of thunder and the raindrops outside, makes me feel all cozy and comfy to start on my work.

This morning, the weatherman on the famous Malaysian morning show, Malaysia Hari Ini, forecasted that there will be some rain and thunderstorm this evening, probably by the time I am supposed to leave home. Weather review in Malaysia has now becoming better particularly on that morning show. I can't complain the lack of creativity since we only play rain or no rain, no thing on percipitation, no thing on pollen, like in the four seasons' countries. I miss the beautiful fall scenery in South East America. Romantic and inspiring. It brings out the memory of the bustling early morning walk to the halls, the packed cafetaria, the bagel, the coffee smell, the bananas, and the can of cokes of which some of the students take to the class for some caffeine treat.

So, believing in the forecast today, I brought myself my favorite blue umbrella. Another item that was enough to make me feel so busy with articles, my sling Gap backpack, the laptop, and that umbrella. Wouldn't it be great if we got snow here, that I could defintely put on a trenchcoat or jacket!

Who will cry for the little boy?

This poem is from another good movie, Antwone Fisher, though been dubbed by critics too formulaic, it's a great debut by Denzel Washington as a director. It is based on a true story of Antwone Fisher himself, who also wrote the movie. A great first person account.

"Who will cry for the little boy, lost and all alone?
Who will cry for the little boy, abandoned without his own?
Who will cry for the little boy? He cried himself to sleep.
Who will cry for the little boy? He never had for keeps.
Who will cry for the little boy? He walked the burning sand.
Who will cry for the little boy? The boy inside the man.
Who will cry for the little boy? Who knows well hurt and pain.
Who will cry for the little boy? He died and died again.
Who will cry for the little boy? A good boy he tried to be.
Who will cry for the little boy, who cries inside of me?"

by Antwone Fisher