Recharged!

Hello readers! I know its been awhile since my last update. Just wanna let everyone know that this blog is still alive and well. So here it is, a quick update of what I've been up to in the past month.

Those who know me will probably know that I'm affiliated with the technical charting community known as SRDC Worldwide. There's just so much excitement surrounding SRDC at this moment, especially with our recent annual "Bootcamp" that was held over at Tagaytay, Philippines. More than a hundred traders from over 10 countries gathered at the Development Academy of Philippines. (More on that from my next post)

Getting back to the purpose of this post, a quick update on my trading progress. I've been working on a set up known as A300e since my introduction to it in July. The potential of this particular set up is out of this world! And to think Sensei Orange said this is merely the tip of the iceberg! In summary, I saw a 20% ROI (return on investment) on my trading account. (How much are the returns on a savings account with a commercial bank?) And this was using a very conservative money management.

A cumulative harvest of about 2000 pips and this was 4 days of trading in November! Even though the A300e set up permits trading on a daily basis, my style of trading has always been a little bit more conservative. I started seeing results on my trading accounts after all the tedious backtesting on A300e. (Backtesting means studying previous data on the charts.) If I have to be honest, I never really was disciplined or diligent on doing my backtest. (And I wonder why I never saw results) Lets face it, nobody loves putting in the work but we all want that mansion or that shiny red Ferrari. But after putting in months of backtest, I can personally say that backtesting is essential towards your success in live trading.

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" - Muhammad Ali

I wanna end this post by giving thanks to Orange Roshan, the founder of SRDC and the person who made all this possible. The gains I've experienced throughout being in this community cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Thank you Sir for allowing us to learn alongside you as well as the leaders in this beautiful community.

(If you have no idea what I've been ranting on about for more than half of this post, dont fret! Make a decision to join us at the next SRDC preview and find out what we're all about!)

Unlearning

This is just going to be a short post and directed towards SRDC traders in general. Its just something that's been in my mind for quite awhile. The A300 set up was introduced a few months back and the general response is that pretty much everyone has been getting excellent consistency on that set up. Just have a look at all the SRDC trader blogs that are out there!

When the USU syllabus is first introduced to a trader, its pretty much like a piece of puzzle, your purpose is to put it together and find a particular set up to your liking. There's nothing new being introduced into A300 really. It just takes out all the clutter and keeps trading really plain and simple. Truth be told, when A300 was first introduced I didn't welcome it into my trading set up with open arms. Honestly, I was even apprehensive. But I got to talking with Iceman, telling him how I filtered my A300 trades (or rather lack of) with moving averages and other time frames which are not supposed to be part of the A300 set up. The eventuality of that was I ended up not taking any trades at all! He then told me the purpose of why A300 was ever introduced; it was to prevent "paralysis by analysis", which is a lot of trader's worst enemy! Ever since that counselling session with Iceman, I've been entering into the market with far higher frequency and with amazing consistency and harvest.

Which begs the question... Is it easier to learn or to unlearn? The students who are just entering (or rejoining) the SRDC community are very fortunate to learn the A300 with a blank canvas. Whereas senior members have to make like brand new traders and forget about all the other techniques swimming around in our head. At the end of the day, to be a great trader, you've got to humble yourself and be teachable. I'd like to take this opportunity to specifically thank Iceman for teaching me to "unlearn". A bigger thank you goes out to OrangeRoshan, because without him there would be no SRDC.

To all the SRDC traders that are reading this... May the pips be with all of you!

Leadership Seminar

Greetings! So I just got back this past Monday from a short weekend trip to KL. Purpose of visit? Both business and pleasure. Every quarterly, me and brother (also my business partner) along with a few of our associates will attend a major seminar over in KL. We've been asked several times before why we repeatedly spend money to keep going back to these functions. Well the truth is, we don't consider it as "spending" money but more so "investing". See the difference is merely perspective. The other agenda of our trip is of course going on a crazy food eating spree! You'll also see plenty of images of the food we gobbled up! (Which I will upload in a separate post) This trip also provided us a fantastic opportunity to meet up with the principal of our Precious Metals business to discuss expansion plans. The great thing about having mentors in our lives is that we don't have to scratch our heads figuring out what works or what doesn't. A mentor has already been where you want to be, so all you've gotta do is to just trust, listen and follow! She has certainly given us a bigger vision of where our precious metals business is headed.

This past seminar was certainly one of the most emotionally charged ones we've been to in recent memory. (and we've been to a few) It served as a reminder of the things that are truly important in life. The invited guest speaker hailed from India and has successfully built an international business in multiple regions around the world. He held an important corporate position in a little company you may have heard of called "Oracle" in the States, and one day just decided to just quit and return to his home country of India to start building his business which has yielded him no results in the past 5 years straight. Did he know whether its going to work for him? Certainly not, but all he knew was success was non-negotiable. He now lives a life free of financial concerns and travels around the world to inspire others to do the same. He is living evidence of faith in action.

Attendees filling up the hall at Menara PGRM.

Our senior business partner Hj Aman (L) and Michael Kee (R).

The key word is "leveraging".

In our line of business, we also help people attain optimal health and also get paid for doing it!

Business owner, Amit Sondhi in action!

Your emcees for the evening!

What's your excuse?

Other people's opinion about me does not change my reality. How about you? Are you concerned about what others think about you?

Amit Sondhi receiving a standing ovation from the audience!

The speaker closed out the 3 day weekend leadership seminar with an impactful statement, he said that all the attendees of the function had left our loved ones at home for a few days in search of information and knowledge that we can bring back to build a better future for our loved ones. Logically, there are plenty of reasons why you should build a part time business. Things are certainly not getting any cheaper whilst paychecks remain stagnant. Can your retirement fund support your standard of living when you retire? In this economy, is ignorance really bliss?. To me, it is no longer an option to build multiple sources of income, it is a MUST.

I'll close out this post with a quote from one of my heroes, Nick Vujicic. "Risk, then, is not just part of life. It is life. The place between your comfort zone and your dream is where life takes place. It's the high anxiety zone, but it's also where you discover who you are." Question is, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone?

The Pips Are Strong With This One!

Today we're doing something a little different. Those close to me will know that I'm a day trader. Its just one of the few opportunities I was fortunate enough to be presented with that has provided me with an alternative stream of income. What's a day trader you ask? Ever seen movies like "Wall Street"? Well its exactly like that! Only less dramatic... much less...

This will be the first of many posts that I will share of my journey in derivatives trading. So without further ado, I present to you my latest entry in the Gold market. Just a few things to note, vertical axis is the spot price of Gold in USD and each candle representing one hour in price movement.

My entry was on the 30th of May 2013. Prior to the 30th, the price has been relatively crabbish so I was pretty much expecting the price to explode at any moment. So upon waking up close to noon, I noticed the price had already broken past yesterday's high (29th May). Fortunately, I hadn't missed the entry. After a brief analysis, I predicted an entry at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

(Click to enlarge)

At 2pm, I returned to my charts and at the close of the hour, the entry was proper. A300 activated on a BUY but there was already a fairly large movement before and the price needed to "rest". However, with a busy schedule ahead of me, I decided to just enter by placing a 300 pip take profit. 7 hours later, a comfortable 300 pips was harvested. The price did encounter a slight reversal in between. However, by applying "ambuyat" (not the food, but a technical charting technique), I was aware that it will not go beyond the horizontal line A1. By also applying ambuyat, the day's limit was noted at A2, which was super predictable.

This is my 6th A300 trade, all of which have yielded positive trades. And within a mere 30 days, a conservative 10% ROI (returns on investment) was easily achieved. When you're thinking of venturing into derivatives trading, there's only a couple of simple questions you gotta ask. Is there a proven, predictable trading system that yields results? And is there a mentor willing to guide you along the way? Fortunately, for me it is a solid and resounding YES to both. With SRDC, and the recent A300 set up, it couldn't be easier! I owe a debt of gratitude to the SRDC community ,especially its founder Sensei OrangeRoshan. When you're an SRDC trader reading this post... May the pips be with you!

Fast & Furious 6 Review

(Spoiler alert!) If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you... look at some of my other posts instead.

So here we are at the 6th installment of what seems to be a never ending franchise. The fast and the furious series of films certainly has its ups and downs; some memorable and some honestly that should stay forgotten.

Fast & Furious 6 takes off where Fast Five left off; a heist which left them each with a hefty sum of cash. Fast Five certainly made us believe that it was the last in the series.

The plot for Fast & Furious 6 seemed straight forward enough at first glance from its trailer. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) believed to have been killed in the 4th movie is alive and well, and apparently in bed with the enemy now. Dom, wanting to find out the truth for himself is forced into a mission by Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to take down criminal mastermind, Shaw (Luke Evans). So the entire crew reassembles and well you know the rest.

Furious 6 (the film's title in the opening credits) is just one of those "leave your brain at home" kinda popcorn flick. It does nothing more, nothing less. It also doesn't try to be smart, which it does so successfully. Is the plot predictable, yes. But we're certainly not expecting this film or any in its series to be nominated for an Oscar anytime soon. So I would definitely recommend walking into the film with the right kinda expectations.

I believe a very important part of the Fast & Furious franchise has got to be the cars featured in the movie. (Seems kinda obvious, but hear me out) I felt strongly that its predecessors always seemed to face an identity crisis when it comes to car selection. But not in this. It was clear from the get-go that Furious 6 was gonna be about American Muscles, and it did not disappoint. The roars of the classic muscles sounded great in the theatre. And there is certainly something unique about American muscles featured against the backdrop of London. This time, they finally got it right.

I'm sure some of you had your guesses of why Letty is now with the baddies. I certainly had my guess and thought that she might have been undercover with another law enforcement agency. It seemed like the obvious choice considering that she was shown in the trailer clipping Dom in the shoulder, purposely missing a kill shot. And in the film, she actually used a rare FMJ round to clip Dom in the shoulder, allowing Dom and the crew to trace her steps via the bullet. But in the film, she actually suffered from amnesia (due to the events in Fast Five), which completely threw me off guard. I certainly believed they could've done a lot more with Letty being an undercover agent.

Former MMA fighter Gina Carano was the latest addition to the cast. She plays Riley, Hobbs' new sidekick in the flick. She's certainly a welcome addition to the team and had a fantastic girl fight with Letty in one of the scenes! But what was really off was when they revealed that she was a traitor and was actually working for Shaw. This betrayal was highly unnecessary as it was never integral to the plot.

Overall, even with its flaws, it was still an enjoyable summer flick. The pace was fantastic with over-the-top, physics defying action sequences that were laid out perfectly across the duration of the movie. A short surprise clip was also included in the credits that almost confirms a sequel is certainly in the works. (Hey, if you're gonna milk the franchise, might as well milk it to the max!) However, the biggest question that was left unsolved was... Which airport runway was that in the final sequence? It will probably win the Guinness World Record for longest runway!

Verdict: 7.5/10

Charcoal BBQ & Grill Food Review

So when it comes to food, you've gotta understand that I'm extremely critical. Nothing short of superb meals will satisfy my senses. Here it is then, my very first post on a food review. I will be critiquing the meals itself and not the restaurant as that wouldn't be very fair. (Unless I have an appetite to gobble up the whole menu!)

(Click to enlarge)

So as to avoid overcrowded and fully booked restaurants on Mother's Day itself, me and brother decided to do lunch with mom and grandma a day in advance; And after much deliberation, we'd decided on Charcoal. (Charcoal is a local BBQ and grill place here in Brunei) Honestly, I've never really been a fan of Charcoal. I've heard time and before that this place serves up one of the better lamb chops in town. (Which is debatable) But we decided we'd give some of their other items on the menu a chance. If you've ever been to Charcoal you'll be familiar with the image above. If I'm not mistaken its deep fried wonton skin, complementary every time you dine in there. Which is good, because they really do take a considerable amount of time to prepare your food.

I'm a fan of Charcoal's sparkling juices. At B$3.00 a pop, it doesn't really burn a hole in your wallet as well. Its a great thirst quencher and something to cool your tongue with after you've had something really hot from their menu.

This above image is why I keep coming back over and over again to Charcoal. Its a Creamy Pesto Linguine topped with Smoked Salmon. You get to choose your own combination of pasta type, sauce and also the topping. The creamy pesto sauce is brilliant if you like the strong smell of basil leafs and the linguine just soaks up all that goodness! On top of that, Charcoal really gives a generous serving of smoked salmon. The salmon is just right, not too salty and still has that bounce when you munch down on it. By far my favorite dish on their menu. (Which is ironic as this meal is neither BBQ'd not grilled!) Verdict: 9/10

This next one is called the "Texan 1/2 chicken", served with sides of mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. The 1/2 chicken here is grilled to perfection, where the meat just tears right off the bones and its still juicy all the way to the inside. Unfortunately this is where the good ends. On the description in the menu, it says the chicken was marinated with mustard, honey and BBQ sauce; but I do not even taste a single hint of mustard or honey. On top of that, the chicken was way too salty! This makes it supremely hard to taste the other flavors. Verdict: 5/10

Our final dish was the "Pineapple mint lamb" cooked to medium rare. When it comes to lamb, I'm extremely critical. This may be due to the fact that my mom cooks up one helluva lamb chop. (Now I may be a bit biased here but those that have tried my mom's grilled lamb chops will concur) I ordered this particular lamb dish cooked to medium rare, but as i sank my knife onto the meat, I found it to be still too overcooked! (Can i order it to be "bloody" next time?) One positive I can say about this dish is the sauce; Its very zesty and chock full of herbs. But this sauce didn't translate well onto the lamb. Perhaps it wasn't marinated quite long enough. Verdict: 3.5/10

All in all, the food was pretty disappointing. Price wise was ok, but a bit on the high side. Will I come back here again? Sure, but maybe just for the pasta! Well what's really important at the end of the day was the quality time you spend with your loved ones. And me and brother were very grateful we get to spend time over lunch with mom and grandma. Too often, people complain about things they do not have, whereas instead, be grateful for the things you do have.

Ever had any experience dining in Charcoal yourself? Feel free to drop me a comment below to tell me about it!

The Dream Debt

I often find the topic of "Dreams" a particularly interesting one. Dreams not in the literal sense, "dreams" as in things you'd like to achieve, things you'd like to have and what not. I've had the luck of coming into contact with people that actually taught me what its like to have a dream. Trust me, when you have a dream, it'll make each and every day of your life all the more purposeful.

There have been plenty of books written on this topic. But I'd like to bring up one specific book that I've read that's particularly engaging. Its called "Dream Making in a Dream Taking World" by Dr. Steve Price. Dr. Price talks about something called "The Dream Debt" in his book. What's a dream debt? Perhaps you've heard of the saying "a debt of gratitude". These are the people in your life that have sacrificed so that you can have what you have in life at this moment.

Now why did I bring up this subject? As I write this post, Mothers' Day is just coming to a close. I can tell you my mom has certainly given up plenty to raise me and my brother to be the person we are today. (I'm not going to go into the details) How do I pay off my "Dream Debt" exactly? Will your actions ensure that their sacrifices are worth while? This subject goes even deeper as you move up your family tree. What sacrifices did our forefathers have had to make to ensure the next generation will have a better life?

Are you just going to coast through life in a mediocre fashion? Or will you find a cause worthy of fighting for? A cause that will make those who come before to be proud of who you are. I personally make it an obligation to make sure I pay off my dream debt.

I was grateful to have the opportunity of dining with my mom and grandmother (mom's mom) to celebrate mothers' day. And I will soon be reviewing the food in my next post. Look forward to that as there will be plenty of yummylicious images. With that, I wish all the mothers around the world a very Happy Mothers' Day. Go and make your momma proud!

The Dream World

I'm not really certain if I'd be any good at this whole blogging business honestly. Since I recently took up photography as a hobby and will shoot anything and everything; I guess this will be great place to showcase my work. As I'm still uncertain for the personality for my new blog, I will blog about practically everything, from food reviews (I know its pretty cliche) and even Silver and Gold Coins (which I involve myself in as my day job).

Some of you here are probably wondering what the title of my blog means. For those who are familiar with the film "The Matrix", you will undoubtedly know what "The Red Pill" is. For the benefit of those who aren't, go ahead and watch the movie, cause you're missing out big time! In short, the title character Neo (Keanu Reeves) was offered to choose from either the Blue or Red pill from... You know what, just check out the video below.

The Matrix in 60 seconds

Still don't get what's going on? Then you must watch the movie! The reason why myself and so many fans of the film find it so fascinating is how much the metaphor of "The Matrix" is alike to the world that we're living in. The Matrix is merely a simulated dream world. Are we living in this "dream world" ourselves? Oblivious from the truth and living day to day passively without questioning. If you like me, like to question everything, then I invite you to join me in this journey.

Free your mind...