I'm betting that this will happen.

My journey, your journeys, and everybody’s journeys will end in roughly around 1284 days, that is, December 21^st 2012.

According to the Mayans.

Whose civilization kinda collapsed around one millennia ago.

Whose predictions, in all probability, are not any less bullshit than some random stuff a typical modern-day stoner can make up on the spot for you. 

I’ve been looking for somebody to have a bet with about this whole 2012 doomsday thing, but so far nobody is daring enough to take me up on that. 

It’s simple, really. Let’s define and agree on a few catastrophies on a global scale. If on 22 December 2012, those catastrophies haven’t happened, you donate USD1000 to a charity of my choice, under my name. If they do happen, in which case we’re probably won’t live much longer… well… it’s kinda tough. But I’ll try to donate USD1000 to the charity of your choice under your name, before we all go extinct.

Do we have a deal? We can use Long Bets for this.

But before that, please read this, and this. And stop being so gullible!

(Image courtesy of simonlesleyphoto @ flickr.)

I am designed to be financially successful. How awesome is that? And it turned out that scientists have been talking about this digit ratio thing since the 1800s! 

So now I suppose I can apply to be a trader tomorrow. Or sire many children. Or start composing some legendary symphonies. The possibilities are endless!

(Seriously, naaah. Like the linked articles above, experience as well as things like ambition and drive obviously matter a lot more than just the length of your ring finger.)

Here’s to a very geeky Christmas to all CFA candidates around the world who happen to stumble upon this blog! And a very Merry Christmas to the rest of you

(It’s a very cool day today. I feel so peaceful, after a full day of soft, cooling drizzle. Life is indeed, very good.)

The Langham @ Mongkok was a fantastic hotel! 

Hong Kong dim sum was beyond expectation as well, both the Beijing variety and the Hong Kong variety. 

All in all, a fantastic holiday with a beautiful woman by my side–I wonder what else I could ask for sometimes. 

I feel so good right now. So grateful.

It hit me then: I hadn’t felt passionate about something for a long time. I couldn’t even remember the time when I was working on something other than other people’s projects for the past 10 years.

The good ol’ days

I remember how much I enjoyed writing a simple ASCII-based Space Invader game as a kid, with BASIC. It wasn’t a very good game, but it wasn’t bad, it was working. I enjoyed writing that immensely.

I remember picking up English as a teenager, poring over the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, watching sitcoms after sitcoms, absorbing word after word, trying to get the different connotations and nuances. I still remember the very first time I caught somebody saying “exaggerated” in one of the sitcoms, after reading about it in the dictionary. Very fun.

I remember writing my first article, enjoying every second of it. When I found out that I was going get 600 dollars for it, I was ecstatic. I mean I didn’t know doing something that fun could get me paid so much. That was big money for me at that time! I was so happy!

Then work happened. Don’t get me wrong, I think I’ve been blessed. I have no complaints. I am grateful for all the jobs I’ve been able to secure so far. They develop me to who I am today. They put me in touch with all the great people, most of whom become my friends.

But…

But I want to do something different with my life.

I want to feel that passion again, working on something longer than a few days, on something other than other people’s projects. I want to wake up in the morning, jumping skyhigh out of bed because I can’t wait to go back to working on the project. I want to work on something long-term, that will pay off big in the end. Something that I can attribute my own name to, if not in front of anybody, at least in front of myself.

So what do I do?

I want to generate $5 million. Within a decade. That’s my personal long-term project now.

And today is the first day of the project.