TRADE YA!

The more people I talk to about their work situation (or what I'm able to gather from reading about it in their blogs), the more I feel blessed with my current placement. I hear a lot of complaints about long hours, office politics and lack of a meaningful purpose. It hits me that, although it's been a challenge overcoming the steep learning curve as a trader (which I'm still climbing; not quite there yet!), I really can't complain. A typical 'day' for me includes creating various reports, generating forecasts and commentaries about market conditions, and submitting an offer strategy to market our energy position. These routine tasks take no more than 3 hours to complete. So what am I expected to do for the other 9 hours? My role is one of those whose value is created by just "being there". Kind of like a firefighter or 911 dispatch; it's critical that I am "there" to do my job if/when something big happens. This usually means a significant change in the market landscape, like one of our generators breaking down. We have a very small window of opportunity to react in a situation like this and so it's key that someone in my role is constantly primed to go. And what is the trade off for this role? Honestly, the actual amount of work I do probably doesn't justify my salary. I get 4-6 days off at a time (typically, I only work 12 days in a month). When I do have to work on statutory holidays, the company treats me to fine dining. I can use the other 9 hours to do other things, like reading or studying. And, when my shift ends, it ends. No overtime, no having to VPN in, no having to take calls at weird hours. I had a nice chat with my HR rep a few days back, really so I could thank him for arranging to have all the details of my transfer looked after, and he asked me if I was happy with how this job has turned out. I told him that when I started, I had no expectations. I told him that I was really enjoying the role and that it was both challenging and rewarding. He was good in reassuring me that, if I felt this wasn't a good fit, he would be happy to help redeploy me elsewhere. I told him I still want to stick with trading...

"Hey Tim, what do you do for work?"
"I'm a trader."
(possible replies from people who ask me in the first place)
1. "Hey, that's great, I'm a trainer too! I help my HR get new hires up and going on the systems!"
2. "Who did you betray?"
3. "Huh?"

One does not know how much they miss the simple pleasures of life until a period of absence is shattered by a typhoon of ecstasy. I recently walked into the west side of a particular mall, falling for the signage out front that claimed the availability of income tax preparation services. Normally completed via software on my own, I surmised that this year's filing might be a tad complicated due to my move. It turns out that this "service" was run out of Walmart and was basically a satellite extension of H&R Block. Fine. I've seen their ads and they seem to be a reputable company. After waiting for 15 minutes (and with 5 minutes to when the kiosk announced that it would be closed), I asked about their rates for tax preparation. "15% of the first $300 returned and 5% thereafter". I quickly pick up my jaw off the floor and slowly turned around to exit said Walmart. Aghast at how much I was hosed (hey, an attempted hosing is almost the same as an actual hosing), I shuffled past a Pearl Tea Hut. What? Sure enough, a bubble tea stand right in the middle of a mall that is anchored by Walmart, 2 dollar stores and a liquor store. Not surprising, the person serving me was not Asian. But, I had to deploy the all-time litmus tests for these places. "Taro Milk Tea, please..." and before I could finish, he asks "With bubbles?" Mmmm. I was tempted to try some broken Cantonese on him, just to test him, but thought better of it. $3 later (for a large, with bubbles, no tax) I was in slurpin' heaven, having one of the best bbt's in a while. When I arrived home twenty minutes later, I barely made a dent on the drink and decided to go to Intuit's website. A few keystrokes later, QuickTax welcomed me back, conveniently retrieving for me the details of last year's tax filing! 2 hours later and costing less than a sushi meal, my taxes are done!

At what age do people develop the propensity to sleep when someone else is talking? I suspect that post secondary institutions has a lot to do with it, forcing naive, blossoming students to have to be alert during 8:30 a.m. lectures. As a result, I now find that many adults (including myself) have a habit of dozing off when other people are talking. It could be an indication that the topic discussed is not all that interesting, but not always. Last week, my Director was in an informal meeting with two of my colleagues, just sitting around our work area, discussing a particular issue. Since I wasn't part of the conversation, I wasn't really paying attention until I heard "Ken! Wakey wakey!" He fell asleep right in the middle of this 3 person discussion! Or today. I was at SAIT taking an electricity market seminar. Yes, the room was a little stuffy and the material wasn't super exciting. Yet, I observed many of my colleagues playing apple bobbing on a few occasions. Not exempting myself, there were moments where I felt like I was drifting as well. And I fight tooth and nail, either by drinking or eating something, pinching myself on the tricep (it really hurts!) or even stretching. It's weird, though. The one thing that keeps me from drifting is when I observe other people drifting. I wonder if there is some evil side of me that prides itself in seeing others stumble like this; perhaps the prospect of them getting caught is exciting. And yet, this is the only tactic that seems to work. Reminds me of something I heard at service this weekend. It was about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying at the temple. It seems to be a natural reaction that, as a reader, you tend to side yourself with the tax collector. Perhaps the context makes it easy for us to do this. I mean who wants to be related to the Pharisees, the ones who were always being criticized by Jesus for not understanding the spirit of scripture? But, isn't a point that if we pass such judgement, we are actually behaving just like the Pharisee? "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector."

This guy has some mad skills! I especially like the part during the drum solo! Now here's a man who REALLY loves his work...
Juggling Beatles