My thoughts... My words...

I Was Wrong With GOOG but Still Bullish

2011-04-15T14:46:00.002-05:00

On my previous blog, I mentioned that I am over-bullish on GOOG. I cited 5 factors: (1) Larry Page, (2) Android, (3) Improved Margin, (4) Charts, and (5) ITA Software. However, after earnings report, the stock dropped 8%, down to 530 as of this writing. What went wrong?

Though net income has increased year-over-year, payroll expenditure has increased as well. GOOG has been hiring talents and paying them "extravagantly" perhaps to discourage them from moving to Facebook. Unfortunately, this impacted their earnings and earnings fall short market expectations.

Now that GOOG is down by 8%, is it a good time to buy? As I mentioned before, GOOG has been oversold since the Japan crisis, and with the current sell-off - will it drop some more? I can only guess which direction it will go.

There are 2 arguments: (1) The stock has broken almost all support levels and thus, nothing is preventing it from dropping some more. And, (2) The stock is so oversold that it is now becoming so cheap, and thus, it can only go up.

I'll still stick to my initial beliefs and remain bullish on GOOG - long term. GOOG is making investment on talents which definitely costs a lot. If you want the best, you have to compensate them appropriately. GOOG's investment will soon pay-off and the stock will be back to the 600s by end of the year.

Why I Am Bullish on GOOG

2011-04-11T10:24:00.001-05:00

Google will announce Q1 earnings after the market close on April 14.

The stock has been trending lower since hitting 643 in January. It dropped to 550 at the start of the Japan Tsunami/Nuclear crisis, and just as it tried to pull back up, after hitting 590 it has dropped again to 565 due to news of federal investigations and it's acquisition of ITA.

Despite the recent turmoils surrounding the stock, I believe that it is due for a rebound of 8% to 15% after earnings report. Here are the top 5 reasons why I am bullish with this stock.

(1) Larry Page - the co-founder of GOOG should have made an impact as to how the company is being run.
(2) Android - recent survey found Android surpassing both Apple and RIMM OS.
(3) Improved margin - with the economy deemed improving, businesses started to increase spending on advertising. Google is able to capitalize on this demand and able to increase pricing.
(4) Technical Charts - the stock appears to be over-sold and any good news during earnings report will give this stock a boost.
(5) ITA Software - the acquisition of ITA will prove to be a major milestone for this company.

I have opened a butterfly spread 615/620/625 expiring on Friday.

It's All About Keeping Yen Weak

2011-03-19T22:16:00.001-05:00

The Japanese economy thrives on a weak yen. Already known for its high quality manufacturing capability, the country remains competitive in the global market by selling their products cheap. The best way to sell it cheap is if the currency is cheap. Japan keeps it this way by keeping its interest rate near zero percent. It is able to maintain a near zero percent rate through the "carry trade" process. Investors can borrow Japanese Yen at near zero percent interest, and invest outside Japan and earn interest greater than zero. For instance, one can borrow Yen in Japan and deposit it in New Zealand where interest rate is at 2.5%. It's a win-win situation.

However, due to the recent devastation in the country, residents of Japan are withdrawing or liquidating their foreign investments and bringing the money back to their country. As the demand for local currency increase, so does its value. Thus making the Japanese Yen a stronger currency.

Intuitively, a strong currency will be bad for the country because their products will no longer be cheap. This is where the G7 intervention comes in. To keep the currency weak, the G7 nations will be selling Yen more than usual. The Bank of Japan has attempted to keep the currency weak but it still dropped to below 80 to a dollar. The G7 promise to sell-off 25Billion yen should, in the short-term, support the currency at the 80 level.

This is an artificial exchange rate because the level is manipulated by BOJ and G7. An artificial exchange rate will be good for the stock market because it removes interest rate risk. This is the reason why after the G7 announced support for the Japanese Yen, the market rallied back up and ended the week almost up to the level it opened the week.

However, the foreign exchange market is a trillion dollar industry. The G7 can only do as much tweaking. That is why this is only a short-term support. If there will be less speculators and hedge funds betting for a stronger yen, then the G7 action will be successful.

It's all about keeping the Yen weak. A weak yen makes a stronger Japan economy. And a stronger economy makes a faster recovery.

Let's Get Technical

2011-03-18T13:07:00.001-05:00

The Fibonacci Levels

The sell-off in Google shares this week is a good example for using Fibonacci levels. The first support was at 78.6% when GOOG was trading at 600. When this level was broken, it was downhill until the next level which is at 61.8% or GOOG at 564. As of this writing, GOOG has been hovering at this level for 4 days already. The market is looking for the next catalyst to either continue its downtrend or to make a reversal.

If you are planning to trade GOOG, you don't want to enter a position when the stock is hovering on a fibonacci level. Only enter a long or short position when there is a strong buy or sell signal by using RSI or other momentum studies.

Murphy's Law

2011-03-12T19:09:00.001-06:00

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

Thursday, 2AM CST, I awoke and had the urge to check the futures. Nasdaq Futures was up 12 points before I went to sleep at midnight so I was surprised to see it trading 24 points down 2 hours later. Moreover, I was surprised to see the Asian markets skydived, especially Nikkei. Something was definitely wrong. That's when I saw my sister and a friend tweeted about the Tsunami in Japan. This reminded me of the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

In 1995, the stock market was range-bound when the earthquake occurred. This time, the market has been trending upward and has just celebrated the 2nd year anniversary of the bull rally the other day. There were speculations that the market will rally on the day of the anniversary, but there were no celebrations. S&P 500 closed down 1.8 points, Nasdaq was down 14 points while Dow was down 1.3 points on the day of the anniversary.

It would appear that there were no more reasons for the market to continue climbing higher. With oil price ticking higher, the inflation worry is becoming a reality. Trade deficit has expanded. The unemployment claims have ticked higher. Middle East and Africa is in a political crisis. Europe financial crisis has re-surfaced with the Moody's downgrade of Spanish debts. And to add insult to injury, earthquake struck Japan. The whole world is in chaos.

Asian market closed the week down, and so did Europe. But irony of ironies, the US market rallied the day after the earthquake to close Friday's trading with gains. Although it wasn't enough to make up for the losses from the previous days. Dow and S&P 500 lost more than 1% for the week. Nasdaq fell 2.5% for the week. Moreover, oil price continued to trade lower.

Does anyone really know how to price the market? Or, is it all technical? I blame it on the robots that trade millions of dollars in milli- or micro-seconds.

What to expect in the coming week?

Just like this week, I am mostly sitting on the sideline and only enters a trade on GOOG, AAPL, NFLX, BIDU and OEX when they appeared oversold or overbought. Follow my tweets to see my trade @ kruntz143.

Congratulations to tradeMONSTER for keeping the top spot as "Best for Options Trading" 3 years in a row, while continually climbing higher on the ranking for the best trading firm from 8th last year to 6th this year. Not bad for a 3 year old brokerage firm!!!

And to my Irish friends, Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Love 'em Hot or Cold

2011-03-04T14:42:00.000-06:00

This week, we see market movement not seen since December of last year. The Dow Jones Index lost more than 200 points in Tuesday; recovered the losses on Wednesday only to drop again on the last trading day of the week. Day traders who perfectly time the market, that is, those who opened a short position before the market drops, close the short and went long before the market rebounds, could be reaping insurmountable profit.

The bullish run ended about 2 weeks ago when the DOW first experienced its 200 point drop in 3 months. Since then, the market has been range-bound. We see support at 12000 for DJX, 1300 for SPX and 2300 for NDX. Once these support values are broken, it could mean a 6%-10% drop. DJX could drop to 11300, SPX to 1210 and NDX to 2130.

One sign of a wavering bullish run is the reaction of the market to the iPad 2 introduction and Jobs appearance. If this were a bull market, AAPL should be trading above 365 right now but instead it hardly breaks the 360 level. AAPL might continue to be a winner the rest of the year as most analysts have this stock on its BUY rating.

Another sign is the market reaction to the jobs report. It is the first time the unemployment rate dropped below 9% since March of 2009. One can argue that the sentiment has been confounded by the crisis in the Middle East and North Africa. But if this is still a bull market, the bad news is usually masked by the good.
I am staying on the sideline at the moment. I suspect a major movement in the market next week either on the upside or downside.

Libya is no Matador - bulls live

2011-02-26T15:44:00.001-06:00

The market dropped about 5% in the middle of the week due to the North Africa (Libya) crisis. But the rest of the oil producing countries, primarily Saudi Arabia, assured the oil-dependent nations that the flow of oil won't be hampered. S&P 500 recovered some of the 5% loss (closed 2% lower from the multi-year highs). It would appear that the US market is immune to any international crisis at the moment.

Now, something about the stocks that I am tracking.

NFLX - the stock dropped more than 10% this week after surging about 40% since end of January. It was hard to speculate which direction this stock would run so I avoided this stock this week after the recent run last week. I might be watching this on the sideline for awhile until it starts to trade range bound.

GOOG - speaking of range-bound, this is the stock that has been moving range-bound since December. The market is waiting for the next big thing from this giant. Just like NFLX, there are bulls and bears who have compelling argument as to the direction of this stock. Last week, I bought an Android smart phone and am very impressed by it. I love it more than my iPad. I guess, that would put me on the bulls corner. This week, I made 2 good trades on this stock. Selling puts when it was close to 600, and selling calls when it spiked to 615.

AAPL - not much volatility on this stock. Jobs health right now seem to be not of a concern for the stockholders - which I think is good. I hope he gets better. AAPL is not Steve Jobs, so the market should stop over-reacting everytime they hear rumors about Jobs health.

HPQ - this stock might have found the resistance at 40, but if it continues to slide - then we are looking at last year low at 38. It would be a good time to buy this stock when it goes that low.

INTC - I am starting to love this company again. Congrats to Otellini for being Obama's advisor on jobs creation. Also, more power to the company for deciding to build a new fab in Arizona. It appears that the hiring spurge it will be doing this year is not really for the fab but for new businesses in the software arena. As much as I love this company, the stock still struggles to be loved by the market. This is a good stock to own for investment but not for day trader like me.

Trade for next week:

IWM - this ETF has spiked more than 2% last Friday. There might be a bit of a sell-off next week for Russel 2000 stocks next week.

Rocketeer

2011-02-13T13:03:00.001-06:00

Since September, the market has been trending up. There were a few pull-backs. One in November right before the Feds announced QE2, and the second one last month when the Egypt crisis started. There were days that the market pulls-back only to end higher at the close. Pull-backs are usually caused by international concern whether it is the European sovereign debt, Asian inflation or the Middle East geopolitical crisis. The local economic report has mostly been positive. Two major issues that is still haunting the local economy are unemployment and housing. Unfortunately, no one seems to care about these right now. It seems that there is still some fuel left for the rocket to continue shooting upward.

With the Egyptian crisis subsiding, the bulls just found another reason to extend the uptrend. There will be numerous economic reports to be released this week but most of them are expected to be positive. There might be some confirmation that inflation is creeping into the economy but it would take more convincing before the bears can gain some ground.

This week, Netflix (NFLX) and Apple (AAPL) has made new all-time highs again. Short interest for NFLX has just dropped after one hedge fund firm announced that they covered all their short positions on the stock, while Apple also announced a smaller and cheaper iPhone version. Interestingly, there was a mini-crash on AAPL last Friday. The stock dropped more than 10 points mid-day before recovering most of it at the close. There were no official reason for the mini-crash. One speculation was that the Verizon opening wasn't that impressive. Another speculation was that one trader might be liquidating position and it wasn't done systematically, thus causing a panic sell-off.

It will be interesting to see if the market continue to shoot up this week, and if NFLX and AAPL will continue to make all-time highs.

No Love Lost

2011-02-05T12:53:00.001-06:00

Whatever the market lost on the last trading day last week, it gained 'em all back plus some more. The market ended this week up by 2 to 3%. On my blog 2 weeks ago, I mentioned that the resistance for S&P 500 (SPX) is 1300. After the pull-back last week, the resistance was broken this week. SPX is now up by 10 more points. With the rally that we have seen this Friday in spite of bad employment report and the geopolitical risk in the Middle East, I will not be surprised if the market rallies up to 1400 by end of February.

The question to ask now is, what or who is making the market continue to rise? Who are the buyers of US equities? The short answer is "everyone". That is, everyone all over the world. You will notice stock market indices of countries with a huge international buyers like China, India, Brazil and even Philippines to have dropped since start of 2011. The money right now is going in to the US. Based on a number of economic indicators like Auto Sales, Consumer Spending, Factory Orders, and Manufacturing Indicators, the US economy is expanding again. True as it may be, I am still not that convinced. Corporations should hire more and housing market should start to peak up before I will be convinced that a turn around has happened.

Bottomline, there is still too much risk in investing on the US market. However, with the market rally that is going on since mid-August of last year, it will be hard to convince anyone about this risk.

What I am trading: AAPL, NFLX, OEX

AAPL looks like it is about to rally above 345, NFLX above 220, OEX above 590. I still believe in the pump and dump trading mentality. This coming week, I will be looking for that opportunity to short these stocks again.

My trades are posted in twitter. Follow me @kruntz143

Finding A Reason

2011-01-30T13:03:00.001-06:00

Last week, I wrote about the market hitting the roof. One of two things happened. The market did sell-off but NFLX, which I specifically mentioned, became a bull's favorite. The day after earnings, the stock went up 20%. Thanks to its streaming only subscription, the company beats market expectation and appears to convince the market that the company is a good investment. However, I have another theory. That is, a number of huge hedge funds which have been selling short the stock were squeezed out of their positions. NFLX was one of a few winners on Friday when Nasdaq dropped by 2.5%. Having said that, I am not about to enter a short position. No sense going in front of a rampaging bull. Nor will I go long the stock. AMZN, on the other hand dropped, dropped 8% after earnings report. Hmmm... that still gives me a 50% hit-rate.

On Friday, it appears at the open that the market was about to make another weekly gain. That is, for 45 minutes it is slowly moving upward. Then all of a sudden, it was all down movement for the next 2 hours and still slowly pulling back to earth until end of the session. It was funny to see the analysts providing reasons why the market sold-off. Right after it started falling, they reasoned out that it was because GDP is below expectation. Then, they say its consumer sentiment. Lastly, they say it is the crisis in Egypt. Perhaps, each of these items were a factor for the sell-off but in reality, the market has just gone up so high that traders are only waiting for one good reason to start selling off. PLUS, don't forget the high-frequency traders who provides the jolt up or down, whatever the sentiment maybe.

In 2008, we have the crisis in US. 2010, it's Europe. 2011, will it be the Middle East? Asia also had a losing month. Next week, we will be celebrating Year of the Rabbit. I'm no superstitious but if I was, then this year will be a year of quick profit or quick losses.

Kong Hei Fat Choi Everyone!!!

Hit the Roof

2011-01-22T20:02:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year. After a month of absence, I am back with my weekly blogs.

SPX @ 1300, NDX @ 2350, DJX @ 12000 : these are the levels that will be hard to break.

January Effect: Since the start of the year, the market has been climbing and breaking 2-year high levels. The market has began to dip, though it is not that obvious on the entire market, the technology sector has already felt the pinch. The tech companies that have released exceptional Q4 earnings saw their stocks spike but only to be dumped at the end of the day.

Pump and Dump: This will be the story for the entire earning season. We will see most companies continue to report earnings that exceed expectations, their stocks spike after the report only to drop at the end of the day.

Unemployment and Housing: The US economy will continue to be challenged by these 2 major issues. It appears that companies have started to hire again but it will take years for the housing market to rebound.

Inflation and Sovereign Debt: The world economy continue to bail-out troubled nations and pumping their economy with cheap money. Inflation has been felt in some nations like China, and as inflation sweeps in, the federal government will soon increase interest rates.

Increasing interest rates will further deter a rebound in the housing market, thus, the economy. Corporate earnings hasn't been exceptional because of consumer spending but corporate cost-cutting. If the consumers will not start spending more this year, we will see companies disappoint Wall Street.

Right now, I'll say that the market has already hit the roof. If there will be a rally, it will be short-lived. The feds know this and that will be the topic this Wednesday when they announce interest rates and actions to continue boosting the economy.

As for my trades of the week, I will be pumping and dumping stocks after earnings report.

Breaking Out or Breaking Down

2010-12-11T14:15:00.000-06:00

The week ended with S&P 500 hitting 2 year highs. Is this a sign that the market is due for another rally or will it be a sell-off? With only 3 weeks before the year end, the bias APPEARS to be on the upside.

This week, a number of companies have announced to hike their quarterly dividends. But it was GE's announcement that started the rally especially for the financial sector. Moreover, the market looks at the government's exit from AIG and Citi as a good sign. We had a number of great indicators for the week with the trade deficit and unemployment decreasing, and consumer sentiment above expectations.

On the coming week, 5 S&P 500 companies will be reporting their 4th quarter earnings which COULD add fuel to the modest rally this week. A positive outlook, especially from Fedex, could boost the bullish sentiment. It is also worth noting that most fund managers are buying equities to position their portfolios for the coming year.

But we don't need to be overly optimistic, as there are factors that can cause a sell-off: (1) Europe's Sovereign Debt APPEARS to be contained but there are just too many skeletons in the closet, (2) North Korea can once again wreck havoc, and (3) other black swans.

A break down is probable but very unlikely as we end the year. Santa has already come and been giving gifts. Only Grinch or Scrooge can steal the Santa Rally from the market.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-21T08:56:00.000-06:00

Whatever the S&P lost last week, it regained most of it this week. Gravity has no hold on the market (yet), the Fed does. The Irish debt gave the market a scare, but the paranoia faded as they slowly succumb to a Euro bailout. The market has also accepted China's quantitative tightening. The latest Chinese policy of increasing bank reserves did not cause a sell-off the way it did at the start of the week. Interestingly, the market tested the 1190 level and bounced back to end the week with a slight gain.

Though we are expecting the coming week to be calm due to Thanksgiving, Asia will be busy with a number of countries (Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines) releasing their third quarter GDPs. Japan will also report last month's trade report.

Only a few S&P companies are due to report earnings. We have our focus on HPQ which will report this Monday after market close. We have been bullish with this company since it bottomed at 38. If Apotheker can provide a brighter guidance as to the future of the company, there is no doubt that this stock will once again be the market's favorite.

Another stock we have on our radar is GOOG. Before the market closed last week, there has been rumors about the company negotiating to purchase Groupon for at least 3B. GOOG dropped to 590 from the day's high of 600 after the news. It actually went as low as 581 for the week before regaining some ground. The stock is currently on a short-term bearish sentiment technically and the acquisition might cause an intermediate bearish sentiment.

As most of the traders will be on a 3 day vacation, we won't bet our horses on any major moves in the market.

Bets for the week: HPQ, GOOG and VIX

Long on HPQ if Apotheker can calm the suspecting investor.
Short GOOG if the deal with Groupon pushed through.
Long VIX if it drops to 17.

Happy Trading and Happy Thanksgiving.

China Spoils Party

2010-11-13T05:08:00.000-06:00

The market has been climbing higher for 5 weeks, peaking at a 2 year high after the Fed re-affirmed more quantitative easing last week. But it only took one policy from China to spoil the party - China's Quantitative Tightening. China hiked interest rates on fears of inflation and an overheated economy.

The week has been choppy because of credit crisis in Ireland but the market reaction was counteracted by bulls by the lows. However, the bulls get slapped on the last trading day by China's new policy. Bulls tried to pull the market up from its lows, but the bears keeps pushing the market lower. Dow Jones ended the week more than 2%, Nasdaq more than 2.4% while S&P 500 shed about 1.2%.

There will be a mix of good and bad news coming next week. Retail is expected to report an increase in sales but the housing sales remains low, same with unemployment. As the market might have already factored in these news, any surprises will shake up the market either on the up or downside.

Our trade for next week: The tech stocks we are following appears to be very cheap. GOOG closed the week at 603. We might enter into position again if it drops to 597. The dollar has strengthened since it last dropped after the Fed's news. We are expecting the dollar to continue to rise in the short term as the result of QT by China and the crisis in Europe. Volatility is expected to drop since rising more than 10% this week. The market might continue its upward movement since it now appears oversold but will meet resistance at the 1250 level until another catalyst will push the market any higher.

One thing I've learned about the Fed is never fight the Fed. For the bears who want to push the market any lower, their success is only temporary. The Fed will do everything in its power to revive the economy even if it means printing more money.

The Chicken or The Egg

2010-11-07T16:42:00.000-06:00

Though most economist can agree that a double deep is highly improbable, no one can predict yet when the economy will peak up. There are 3 questions that boggles the mind. (1) How will a weak dollar impact the international community? (2) How will US address the unemployment? (3) When will America start buying houses?

In order to prevent a double deep, the Fed infused 600 Billion to buy Treasuries. As the supply of money increases, its value decreases. A weak dollar means that the foreign currency is stronger. This is bad news for exporting countries like Japan, Germany, Vietnam, and Thailand. This is also bad news for countries with high dollar remittances like the Philippines, Mexico and India. Moreover, an over-supply of money can lead to hyper-inflation. So far this doesn't happen because the money released by the Fed stops at the banks. The financial institution, having learned their lesson from the sub-prime crisis, made it really difficult for consumers to borrow money. This leads me to ask the next 2 questions.

Unemployment will be addressed if the government will start spending for infrastructure projects, more small businesses will be created, or big businesses start hiring again. Unfortunately, most states have difficulty balancing their budgets and with the current success of GOP, 2011 budget might be reduced by several billions. Individuals who wanted to start their own businesses might not be able to because of poor, questionable or no credit history. Even with good credit, it takes some time get approved for a loan. Big corporations current motto is do more with less. It's not that they don't have the money, they are hoarding the cash and wait until economy peaks up.

The third question is with regards to home sales. Economists believe that one good indicator of the economy peaking up is when consumer start buying homes again. This is why I entitled this blog "The Chicken or The Egg?". How will the consumer start buying houses when they don't have jobs? But jobs aren't created because banks are not lending money and corporations are not hiring. The financial institutions and businesses are waiting for signs of economic growth before investing but growth won't happen when people don't have jobs.

The main question remains: Was the Fed's action enough to spur the economy? This question is just as tricky as "which comes first, the chicken or the egg?"

Fed Brings Good Tidings

2010-11-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

Last week, I blogged about the Calm Before The Storm. The storm turned out to be a storm to the north. After the Fed's announcement, the market wavered north and south, but at the end of the day - it decided to go north. And momentum just continued the following day. The market ended the week above more than 3% and on a 2 year high. We might see sideway or more upward movement on the coming weeks until end of the year. Irregardless of the economic reports, the market bias is now set to the upside. But in spite of the market movement, now is the time to be more cautious than ever. As the market swings north rapidly, it can go down south at twice the speed. VIX has dropped below 18, the second time only since April. Note that April was also the month we hit 1-year high before the crash.

VIX, also known as the "fear indicator", is at a low level not seen before the crash. As fear disappears, so does being prudent. There was an arguement to buy OTM calls to prepare for the next crash. However, no once can actully predict when the next one will come. Some speculators say that it is still 6 months from now, but others say that it will be a year before that could happen again. Instead of buying OTM calls, we decided to collar our positions. That is sell OTM calls while buying OTM puts.

Last summer, when the market was rallying, gold was dipping. Now, gold rallies with the market. The only instrument dropping in value is the treasuries. We might get into T-Bills this coming week as the the yield continue to rise. We will be targetting the 20-year T-Bills. We remained bullish on technology stocks specifically AAPL and GOOG.

Calm Before The Storm

2010-10-30T12:49:00.000-05:00

We have seen smooth sailing in the market for the past 10 days. VIX has dropped below 19 before settling around 21 to end the month. OEX has tried to break above 540 or tried to drop below 530 But everytime it touches those levels, the market auto-corrects and go the opposite direction. For those who have iron condors, those past 2 weeks have been very profitable. The bulls hardly made money because the market refuse to go any higher. Nor did the bears made any money because the market refuse to drop.

The market direction for the rest of the year will be decided on the first week of November. Two major catalysts: US election and FOMC Meeting Minutes.

US election: Wall Street loves a GOP dominated congress and senate. We would assume that the market will have a short term rally if the GOP re-captures the house majority. We would also assume that there will be no tax increase on dividends and capital gains.

FOMC Meeting Minutes: One other thing Wall Street loves is buying the rumor then selling the news. Majority of the governors of the federal reserve system favors additional quantitative easing. It is most likely that another round will be announced next week. After the speeches from the governors last month, the market rallied only to meet a roadblock at 1190 for SPX. Only NDX has been able to break through barriers, thanks to GOOG and AAPL impressive run. DJX has been the laggard of the 3 indices. While the market is anticipating the QE, only a few people believe that it will boost the economy. Having said that, the market might experience a correction which is overdue once the Fed give the announcement.

Company Earnings: Hundreds of S&P companies are due for earnings this week. We don't expect any of these companies to dictate the direction of the market.

We decided not to take any positions on the first 3 days of November. We expect spikes on both ends as the market digest any political changes. After that, we can once again say that the trend is our friend. It will be a short term rally either on the upside or downside, so we won't bet the bank on it. However, we will try to make some profit on either side of the trade.

*Currently LONG on VIX only.

Market Watch Week 4 of September 2010

2010-09-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I was unable to post blog for the past 4 weeks. I had been busy with moving and a lot of demand from my day job. While we are on the topic of my day job, I would like everyone interested in options trading to check-out our trading platform at trademonster.com. We have upgraded our system and offering a lot of new functionality like screener and ranker, auto-trade and chart drawings. We are also launching a trading contest this November. For more detail, check out tradelikeamonster.com.

September has been a bull's month. We have 4 consecutive weekly gains and with the last week of the month low on economic report, September might be a grand slam for the bulls. One thing to note though next week is the earnings guidance from a number of corporation and how the investors will react to these guidance. This week, AMD provided a disappointing forecast but the investors see the glass half-full. With the bias on the bull's side, we might be seeing the glass half-full the rest of the year.

This brings me to the main point of this week's blog. With unemployment at 9.6%, interest rate at 0% and trade deficit ballooning, why do the investors see the glass half-full. Everything boils down to liquidity. The Feds promised to do everything in its power to avoid a double dip - that meant printing more money. The nations are weakening their currencies - that eliminates deflation which is bad for the stock market. With more money, but no yield when invested on the treasuries, the investors only choice is either bonds or stocks. And since the emerging markets are experiencing multi-year highs stock indices, it seems to be a positive indicator to the US market since the world economy are interdependent.

We have been closely monitoring a number of tech stocks... AAPL, GOOG, HPQ and INTC. All are showing bullish signals. AAPL being on all-time high... the street are predicting that it can go higher even up to 1000. GOOG has not violated the fibonacci and if it continue to follow the pattern, we might see the first resistance at 545. HPQ might be introducing their new CEO by Tuesday which might become a booster for the sluggish stock. INTC is about to meet its first resistance at 19.5, and if it breaks through this barrier will continue to rise to 21.

The last quarter of the year can be a great quarter. But let us not become to bullish at this point yet. September has been a great month so far but it can still be a bull's trap. The main test from this time onward is the reaction of the market to corporate earning guidance.

Happy trading everyone!!!

Pre-Market Watch Week 1 of Sept 2010

2010-08-29T19:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry... no blog for this week.
I had to move stuff to my new apartment.
No time to do my research.

Market Watch Week 4 of August 2010 - Analysis

2010-08-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

Worst than expected home sales and durable goods report pulled down the indices by more than 2% but were able to recover by end of the week after re-assurance from the Fed.

However, INTC's cut on its forecast just re-affirmed slow-down in the technology sector. It would be exciting to find out the ISM Manufacturing Index next week and get a better measurement as to how bad factory operations really are.

Volatility hit a high of 28.92 but closed the week at 24.45 primarily because of Fed's re-assurance.

We are assuming that the worst indicators have already been reported. We are not expecting a sudden improvement on the economic condition. However, we are expecting economic reports for the month of September to be better off than August.

Trader's Blog: Week 4 of August 2010

2010-08-27T11:30:00.000-05:00

The home sales data on Tuesday prompted us to be bearish on the stock market.

8/24: Today, we placed a credit vertical spread-spread on OEX @ 0.10

Buy To Open OEX Aug10 465 Put

Sell To Open OEX Aug10 470 Put

Sell To Open OEX Aug10 485 Call

Buy To Open OEX Aug10 490 Call

On Wednesday, the durable goods orders data was worst than expected and this pulled down OEX to 472 but it seems that it found a support on that level.

8/25: Today, we decided to close 50% of the debit put spread @ 0.75 to lock in some profit and anticipating a positive sentiment from the market when the Fed reports on Friday.

Sell To Close OEX Aug10 465 Put

Buy To Close OEX Aug10 470 Put

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We remain bullish on HPQ in spite of their stubborn attempt to acquire 3PAR at a premium. If HPQ drops below 36, we might re-consider our positions.

8/25: Today, we open a calendar call spread on HPQ @ 0.52

Sell To Open OEX Oct10 40 Call

Buy To Open HPQ Nov10 40 Call

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8/26: Our sentiment on INTC has turned bearish due to announcement of weaker PC demand. We closed some of our bullish option position for a 50% loss and created a collar to our equity position.

Sell To Open INTC Sep10 19 Call

Buy To Open INTC Sep10 17 Put

Buy To Close INTC Sep10 21 Call

Sell To Close INTC Oct10 21 Call

Pre-Market Watch Week 4 of August 2010

2010-08-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

Pre-Market Watch Week 4 of August 2010

3 Wrong Assumptions New Option Traders Make

2010-08-26T17:36:00.000-05:00

3 Wrong Assumptions New Option Traders Make

Market Watch Week 3 of August 2010 - Analysis

2010-08-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

WMT's earnings report indeed surprised the market. They exceeded the market's expectation but it is not because of the domestic market. The revenue from local stores declined while that of off-shore increased - an indication that the US economy is slowing down.

HPQ gave no surprise on their earnings report. They only re-iterated what they announced two weeks earlier. Though it was a stellar performance for the giant technology corporation, the stock price continue to struggle due to the void in management caused by the firing of their CEO.

In my opinion, HPQ is now undervalued but WMT is priced accordingly. If the economy continue to struggle, WMT might drop to 47.5 while HPQ will rebound when a new CEO is announced.

INTC made a surprise announcement this week to acquire MFE. The market wasn't happy and it pulled down the stock price by 3% for the week. The acquisition of McAfee is a risk because integration of the acquired company might not work. It is no surprise that INTC dropped. I believe that in the long term, security will be a critical issue in mobile computing and Intel will be successful to integrate the new company.

Economic data reported this week continues to confirm that US is definitely in economic slowdown. New jobless claims have unexpectedly spiked to 500K. This is 20K higher than what economist expected. The Fed Survey on business climate also shows a steep drop on the index from +5.1 to -7.7. The Treasury yields continue to drop while oil price also dropped to 6 week despite the drop in the inventories.

Trade for the week:
(1) If you are a long-term investor, HPQ and INTC are now a bargain. It's cheap due to risk factors mentioned above. But fundamentally, these are impressive companies.
(2) Stay away from Consumer Stocks until there will be indications of better economic conditions. Home Sales and GDP will be reported next week.

Pre-Market Watch Week 3 of August 2010

2010-08-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

Two big names will be releasing earning report this week: WMT and HPQ. A number of retailers are scheduled to report as well. But how big of an impact will their earnings and guidance affect the direction of the market? Moreover, housing and unemployment data will be released this week. As week 2 closed, the market was without a direction. It might have dropped 3%-5%, but it seemed to find support on that level already.

WMT is expected to report a 10% rise in earnings and HPQ is also expected to report a stellar quarter. Economic data are expected to meet or beat consensus. But fear of double dip now abounds in the market place. If the support level is broken, the market might drop another 3%-5% this week - conservatively speaking. This will bring the DOW to around 10000 and SPX to 1020.

We might have averted doomsday on Friday the 13th, but the risk of another down week is still real. Volatility (VIX) last week closed above 26. This is an indication that traders are buying protection on their portfolio.

However, since this is option expiration week, the market might not necessarily make sense this week. Thus, we are not planning to make any directional bets on any equity or stock market index but VIX.

Trades for the week:
(1) Watching for VIX to hit 27.5 and we will set limit order to sell credit call spreads
(2) Continue selling VIX call spreads if it continue to rise above 30

Market Watch for Week 2 of August 2010

2010-08-14T12:26:00.000-05:00

There were 3 things we were watching closely this week: (1) HPQ, (2) BP and (3) FOMC Meeting.

HPQ seems to find support at 40. The company will release earnings on week 3 but since it has already announced last week how the earnings will look like, there might be no surprises during the earnings report.

BP seems to find resistance at 42. We believe that this stock will now be range bound and selling call spread at 44-46 will be profitable.

FOMC meeting didn't soothe the investors' nerve of the feared economic slowdown. After the meeting, the market rebounded and we immediately placed a position on OEX with the assumption that the market took the announcement positively. Unfortunately, 12 hours later China delivered a more gloomy news of a slowdown in its economy. Market dropped 2% the following day. We were fortunate to have adjusted our positions and still became profitable on OEX by end of the week.

GOOG was the darkhorse for the week. There were no critical events that supposedly to happen for this stock. Unfortunately, their CEO, on an interview announced that their new investments are not really turning out as profitable as they expect them to be. Thus, they will continue with their acquisition but at twice the rate as they once targetted. The stock dropped 15 points for the week. We currently see a bearish signal on this stock. But as easily as it dropped, so it will be easy for it to rebound. We will stop creating Iron Condor position on this equity.

Trader's Blog: Week 2 of August 2010

2010-08-14T12:12:00.000-05:00

08/09 - Today, we placed a limit order for a 0.45 credit on a custom spread:

Buy To Open HPQ Aug10 42 Put
Sell To Open HPQ Aug10 44 Put
Sell To Open HPQ Aug10 44 Call
Buy To Open HPQ Aug10 46 Call

This position is similar to buying HPQ shares @ 44 but with limited risk (and limited gain potentials). We believe that the 8% drop on HPQ is exaggerated and that the stock will rebound in the near future. However, to limit our risk on further downward movement, we didn't create a synthetic stock but a custom spread. The long position 2 points above and below 44 hedges our losses (and gains) to 200.
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08/10 - Today, our limit order for a 0.55 credit on OEX iron condor was filled:

Buy To Open OEX Aug10 490 Put
Sell To Open OEX Aug10 495 Put
Sell To Open OEX Aug10 520 Call
Buy To Open OEX Aug10 525 Call

We believe that by end of the week, there is only a 5% probability that OEX will hit either 495 or 520.

08/11 - The market dropped about 3% for the day but we were able to adapt from the sudden drop by adjusting our position:

Buy To Open OEX Aug10 500 Put @ 3.50
Sell To Close OEX Aug10 490 Put @ 1.45

We bought the Aug10 490 Put @ 0.60 for a gain of 140%. The adjustment in our iron condor resulted to a vertical spread - spread. Later that day, we closed the OEX Aug10 495-500 Put Vertical Spread. The cost basis for the spread is 2.55 and we closed it at 3.00 for a gain of 18%. We still have a 520-525 Credit Call spread open which we will let expire for a gain of 4%.
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08/10 - Today, our limit order for a 0.50 credit on BIDU iron condor was filled:

Buy To Open BIDU Aug10 75 Put
Sell To Open BIDU Aug10 80 Put
Sell To Open BIDUAug10 90 Call
Buy To Open BIDU Aug10 95 Call

We believe that by end of the week, there is only a 5% probability that BIDU will hit either 80 or 90.

By end of the week, BIDU didn't touch 80 or 90, thus we keep the premium.
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8/11 - Today, our limit order for a 0.75 credit on GOOG iron condor was filled at market open for 0.95.

Buy To Open GOOG Aug10 480 Put
Sell To Open GOOG Aug10 490 Put
Sell To Open GOOG Aug10 520 Call
Buy To Open GOOG Aug10 530 Call

Getting filled at a higher price than desired might have been a good thing but with the entire market on the downward trend, we got into a risk of greater loss.

We set a quote trigger order on the put spread to fill at market when GOOG <= 490. To limit maximum loss, it is our strategy to exit the position when the inner strike prices are touched.

8/12 - Due to the increased volatility of the equity, GOOG dropped to 482 before climbing back up to 495, but still end the week at 486. Since we have a quote triggered order to close position when 490 is hit, we got filled at a worst price of 7.5.

Pre-Market Watch for Week 2 of August 2010

2010-08-07T06:29:00.000-05:00

As the market closed for the week, the financial news headlines worth noting for next week are (1) H-P CEO resigned in wake of sexual harassment investigation, (2) BP seeing success in static kill attempt, (3) FOMC Meeting might address the slowdown of economic recovery by buying more securities.

HP dropped about 10% after market hours. This is a good buying opportunity. HP is fundamentally sound and the void left by Hurd's resignation can be easily filled. The stock might rebound right away when the market opens next week, or we might be given a buying opportunity.

While most oil stocks dropped last week due to the disappointing unemployment report, BP continues to rise. Another good news this week on the oil leak might push the stock higher by another 3 points, but a bad publicity such as its announcement of drilling back on the same area might pull it back by 6 or more points. Due to the volatility of this stock, this is a great opportunity for a volatility play.

The market might be relatively quiet on the first 2 days of trading. The minutes from the FOMC meeting will be the catalyst for the market movement. More quantitative easing from the Fed will be a bullish sign but it they can provide no action to the slowing down of the economic recovery, then the bears can immediately jump in. The old saying, "Calm before the storm" holds true for the stock market. Make sure SELL-STOPS and BUY-STOPS are set on your portfolio.

What's Next?

2008-11-07T12:17:00.010-06:00

Now that America has chosen it's next president, what's next? As I watched how the world accepted president-elect Barack Obama as the 44th president, I can't help but wonder how much things would really change in the new administration.

As of this moment, it is not known yet if the US House and Senate will be filibuster proof. Though, we already know that the Democrats will be the majority. A filibuster proof majority would give the next president a blank check on implementing his plans.

A day after election, Russia has presented plans to install missile launchers close to the Polish border. Iran congratulated the incoming president. Hamas offered for a negotiation. These events only shows how the foreign policy might change under an Obama administration.

Two days after election, Dow dropped by 10%. Nikkei dropped by 5%. GM and Ford are running out of cash and lobbying congress for $50 Billion . Unemployment is on an 8 year low at 6.5% and might get lower to 8% by early next year. Home sales is still on a slump after a good month in September. Volatility is still in the 60s. These indicators also shows the economic challenges facing the new administration.

During these times, we can only hope for the best. The near future will be very challenging - not only for us, the middle class but especially for the new president. He will need our prayers and support. Right now, he needs our prayer for wisdom on how he selects his cabinet and staff. Also, let us always pray for protection for him and his family. God bless America!!!

Freddie and Fannie... saved to save

2008-09-08T10:53:00.003-05:00

As of this morning, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have been federalized. This is a stockholder’s nightmare and a debtor’s dream. FNM and FRE have been diluted too much that their current value dropped to a few pennies above the dollar from a high of 60s. For the past two quarters, these firms have lost billions of dollars from mortgage write-offs. It was very clear that the government is going to intervene eventually. In spite of the denials from the Treasury Secretary early on that the government will not bail out these firms, the turnover did happen.

Bad for the stockholders. Investors who have not sold their shares yet have lost almost all value from their investment. The government take-over was bad for the investors. It diminishes the confidence of the investors. And it increases the risk for future investments.

Good for the debtors. At least, for the 50% of debtors whose mortgages are under Freddie and Fannie – the takeover means lower rates for an extended period of time. The government will infuse up to 100 billion for each firm. With the new funding, this could save the deteriorating economy and could convince banks to start giving loans again.

What’s ahead? Dow is currently upbeat by the news. Other than FRE and FNM, most of the financial stocks are up. Investors are becoming optimistic about the economy. Unfortunately, I remain cautious. Here are my reasons.

(1) Where will the government take the $200B? – From the taxpayers. With the current tax cuts, and promised more tax cuts from the presidential candidates… can the government really provide these funds? Watch out trade deficit.
(2) What about the other 50% of homeowners? Data shows that homeowners with good credit standing are currently missing monthly payments due to higher interest rates. I say it again, the housing crisis is far from over.
(3) What is the effect to the dollar? I doubt that injecting billions of dollars could strengthen the currency.

Though I don’t like the bail-out, I don’t think there was anything else that could be done. If the government did not act on this, a Freddie and Fannie crash will definitely lead to an Armageddon for the financial sector. What the government did is the lesser evil. Sacrifice the investors to save the debtors and by doing so, hopefully will save the economy. This is history in the making, and as a student in finance - a good opportunity to learn from such world changing activities.

Bottomed Out?

2008-09-04T16:04:00.002-05:00

Since last November, Dow Jones was down more than 20% which indicated the start of the bear market; Shanghai Composite is down more than 50%; Philippine Stock Exchange lost about 40%. It couldn’t get any worst than it already is, right? One can only wonder if the market has already bottomed out and for the investor savvy – wonder if the timing is right to buy stocks which appear to be at a bargain price.

What kind of crisis exactly am I talking about? Primarily, the mortgage crisis which resulted to the financial turmoil of investment firms who bought securitized sub-prime loans. Unfortunately, the ripple effect also affected other financial firms even though they are not exposed to these types of loans. The Feds have to step in many times and reduce interest rate until it reached 2%, though it did not really help a lot because banks are not lending money. With interest rate so low, the dollar weakened and contributed to the dramatic increase in oil prices. From there on, it was a domino-effect. The impact of high oil prices is handed down by suppliers to the consumers. Suppliers and business owners increase prices and lay-off employees – which means higher inflation and unemployment rate.

Even though the oil price now has dropped to $110 from a high of almost $150, this doesn’t resolve the housing problem. A lot of homeowners are still at-risk of defaulting from their mortgages. With no jobs and higher prices, compounded with higher mortgage payments - is the economy about to turn around???

For those who are risk-averse, the time is right to start buying stocks. But be sure to diversify and avoid the financial sector. The financial sector continues to be very volatile. Other sectors are showing signs of a rebound. There is still not much confidence in the market and a single bad news continues to pull the market down. But if you want to ride the bull, I believe that the time is right to get those green bucks out of the closet and invest.

Loop-the-Loop

2008-08-27T11:34:00.001-05:00

I wake up early in the morning to catch the 7:30 bus to the Loyola station. I read the Red Eye while riding the train and doze a bit once it goes through the subway. I stretch as the train reaches Monroe and off I exit at Jackson. With my body still in sleep-mode, I go to Starbucks for my daily kick of caffeine before checking in to work.

Tick-tack-tick-tack… code after code I write, simulate and later on debug. Knock-knock-knock, someone needs help with their PC, off I go troubleshooting. Tick-tack-tick-tack… where was I? Oh right, I am debugging this error. Why is it not working? Why does the code behave this way? Tick-tack-tick-tack… at last, I got it! Just in time before lunch.

What’s for lunch? Where should I eat? What day is it again? Monday? Then off to the Korean fastfood. Tuesday? Then we go Mexican. Wednesday? Let’s go Indian. Thursday? It’s sushi time. Friday? Sub or Salad?

Back to work by 1:00. What else needs to be done? Have you checked the Help Desk? See if there are accounts that need to be created. More deliverables? Tick-tock-tick-tack… code after code, and so it goes again.

Look how time flies. It’s now 4 in the afternoon. I better get ready for my night class. Am I prepared? I still need to read that chapter or two, and off to the Library I spend the next hour to catch up with the reading before going to class at 6.

By 9:30 I am already exhausted. Where’s the train? Why does it take so long for the train to arrive? Here it comes? Thank God I can now take a nap, but don’t get too comfy or I might miss my stop. At 10:15, I am back at Loyola… waiting for the bus home. If I am lucky, I am at my doorstep before 11.

What’s for dinner? Pasta or salad? Tonight, I’ll just have a yogurt and a cup of tea while I watch the 11pm news. By midnight, I am tucked into bed… ZZZzzzzzz

Has it been more than a month?

2008-06-14T19:25:00.003-05:00

Boy, look how time flies. It's already been more than a month since my last blog. The quarterly school term can be very demanding. With the weekly coding homework in data structures, simulations homework in monte carlo and bi-weekly exams in managerial economics… I am glad that it is finally over. Spring term is over.

But now comes summer term. By Tuesday, I will be attending summer class. I guess, four days of rest is enough vacation time. I need not complain. I didn't have four days rest before when I was still working. I'll say that I am excited about my summer class. After studying accounting and economics on my first 2 terms, I will now be learning financial management. This is a primer to a series of finance courses that I will be learning in the program.

Looking back to my spring term, it wasn't all academics. My father, sis and her family came to visit Chicago. Thanks to the more cooperative weather, I was able to check out some great places to eat in the loop area, lincoln park, magnificent mile and china town. I now understand why Chicagoans love Chicago. The torturous winter is nothing compared to the beauty of spring, and now the hot and steamy (I meant humid) summer. Last week, I went out to a movie with a friend. AMC River East 21 is just awesome. The seats are just like what we have in Greenbelt and the sounds are so real. There is just one more thing in my checklist I haven't tried out. I haven't visited any museums yet. I always pass by the museums but never had the time to get inside. Oh well, that's something I have to do this summer.

Meeting new people is always a wonderful experience. On my first day here in Chicago, I only know two people - my housemate and my bro's friend. But now, I hardly stay at home. On weekdays, there are projects and group activities in school; and on weekends, there are lots of church activities.

Life is indeed beautiful. And, I am glad that I chose Chicago.

Kudos to DePaul

2008-05-10T01:54:00.002-05:00

DePaul’s Part-Time MBA Program Springs Forward To Sixth In U.S.News & World Report’s Annual Rankings

DePaul University’s business school ended its spring break by springing forward in the annual graduate school rankings released by U.S.News & World Report March 28. The school’s part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program advanced three places to No. 6 in the annual rankings, which are closely watched by prospective students and colleges across the country.

“The fact that our program has appeared 13 times in the top 10 reflects our consistent dedication to offering working professionals a high-quality degree that helps them advance in their careers,” said Ray Whittington, dean of DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

The majority of MBA students nationally study in part-time programs, which provide students the opportunity to earn degrees while holding full-time jobs. DePaul’s business students can choose to attend an evening, weekend or morning schedule of courses. The university’s multiple Chicago-area campuses and Internet classroom technology add to the flexibility.

DePaul’s part-time MBA program enrolls 1,583 students in 28 concentrations of MBA study taught by faculty members who bring a blend of scholarly achievement and real-world experience into the classroom. To complete their studies, students take 14 to 18 courses, depending on their level of undergraduate business education. Graduates benefit from the College of Commerce’s 50,000-strong alumni network.

In other rankings, DePaul’s College of Law was again rated by U.S.News among the top 100 law schools nationally and moved up to 88 from 91. U.S. News also noted the law school’s diverse enrollment.

U.S.News & World Report’s specialty graduate program rankings–such as the part-time MBA ranking–are based on survey ratings provided by deans and administrators at peer institutions. Highlights of the rankings are scheduled for publication in the April 7 edition of U.S.News & World Report magazine. Full rankings appear in the “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2009” guidebook and a premium Web site.

The U.S.News 2009 top 10 part-time MBA programs are:
1. New York University (Stern)
2. University of Chicago
3. Northwestern University (Kellogg)
4. University of California-Los Angeles (Anderson)
5. Georgia State University (Robinson)
6 (tie) DEPAUL UNIVERSITY (KELLSTADT), University of California-Berkeley (Haas) , University of Southern California (Marshall)
9. Southern Methodist University (Cox)
10. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ross)

So True...

2008-04-24T13:17:00.003-05:00

I got this link from a friend to find out what your personality is like, so I tried it and I THINK it turned out right.

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education:

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Bomb Threats and Gun Violence

2008-04-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

DePaul is evacuating Lewis Center and O'Malley Place at Loop Campus due to a bomb threat. This is the email message I received two hours ago while watching Dancing with the Stars. It turned out that the two buildings were evacuated at around 6:30pm after the administration consulted the police about the threat. For the past few weeks, a number of public schools in the suburbs have also postponed classes due to graffiti in their restrooms about threats of death to the students.

Are these threats for real? Or is this the latest MO of some unscrupulous students just to cancel classes? Whatever the reason might be, the school administration choose to be safe rather than risk the lives of the students. Aside from the shooting incident at NIU last Valentines Day, there are other gun violence mostly in the south due to gang wars. Just last weekend, 3 dozens were injured and 4 were killed due to a gun fight. Since start of the year, at least one NPS student is killed due to violence.

The legislators should act fast in banning the sale of guns and impose harder penalties to those who carry unlicensed firearms or send hoax information in order to miss classes.

More Than What I Expected

2008-04-03T23:46:00.000-05:00

This is my first week of spring term and I've just finished my last class for the week. And I'll say that this term will be far more challenging than the first one.

Data structures in C++: This time it's more than just coding. It's optimizing codes… creating the most efficient programs by utilizing special features of C++. Other than that, it's also analytical because before we can code, we first need to figure out the algorithm and make sure that the program gives the result in the shortest time possible.

Managerial Economics: I had the impression that this will be about case studies and lots of research, but it turned out to be mathematical. They should have named the course 'econometrics' instead of 'managerial economics'. But, I guess they choose 'managerial economics' so that some students won't be intimidated in taking it.

Monte Carlo Simulations: Perhaps the most challenging of them all. You must have knowledge of calculus, probability and statistics in order to survive this course. In addition, you need not only be learned in C++ but also in Python. And, that's just the basic requirements.

Oh boy! This is not going to be an easy term. I hope that I am up to the challenge...

Parts and Parcels

2008-03-24T20:07:00.000-05:00

After only one quarter of regularly writing my blog, that is 2 to 3 blogs a month, I feel that I already run out of topics. So, as the spring season begins, let me just write about what I am looking forward for this season.

Pennsylvania Democratic Primary : I am for Hillary and even though she is currently trailing Obama by about 150 delegates, I hope that there is going to be some turn-around on April 22.

Bullish market??? Oh I hope that the positive results this last 2 days is a sign that the market is becoming bullish.

NBA Western Conference Playoff Teams. Who's going to make it? Who's going to be eliminated? I don't think Portland and Sacramento will make it. But, can Denver make a run? Will Golden State perform another miracle and will Nowitzki's injury mark the end for Dallas? Go Kidd!!!

Dancing with the Stars: I am voting for Marlee Matlin.
American Idol: Who else, but Ramielle Malubay. The other 8 contestants are sensational and she is not really one of the favorites but I am still hoping that she make it to the Top 3.

End of winter - ok, it still keeps on snowing and the locals say that this might continue until mid-April. Come on!!! Let the flowers bloom!!!

What's In Your Diet?

2008-03-01T12:10:00.000-06:00

They say that a person is getting older when he started to analyze the nutritional value of the food he takes. If that is the case, then I would say that I started to get older back in 2005 when after a blood test, the doctor alerted me of a high bad (LDL) cholesterol level. From that time on, I started to watch the food that I eat. Before the test, I usually eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, "bulalo" for lunch and, muffin and coffee for my afternoon snacks. I never expected to have over-the-limit LDL because I exercise regularly. It turned out that cholesterol level is independent of a person's physical activity.
After I was diagnosed with high bad cholesterol, I eliminated beef, pork and egg yolk from my diet. Instead of eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, I eat cereals and milk. Instead of beef or pork for lunch, I eat vegetables and fish. Instead of cake or pie for snacks, I eat salad. Three months after I adapted this strict diet, I returned to the doctor for my follow-up check-up. As expected, my LDL level went down.
It's quite difficult to stick to a low-cholesterol diet. Steak and deep-fried food are famous in the US. Fortunately, a few months after I adapted the low-cholesterol diet I was assigned to Israel. That means, adapting to a new type of diet… the Mediterranean diet, which is not very much different from a low-cholesterol diet. They eat salad at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pork and seafood is non-kosher so they are not popular. What makes the Mediterranean diet unique is their common use of olive oil which is high in unsaturated fat - meaning, rich in good (HDL) cholesterol. Thus, the next time I had my regular check-up, my HDL level went up to a very good level while my LDL dropped. I doubt if Europeans suffer from high cholesterol as much as Americans do.
After 2 years of work in Israel, I repatriated back to the Philippines. That means, eating salad and the use of olive oil in cooking would be expensive. Additionally, Filipino food is known not to trim the fat in pork. Filipino dishes are also oily - which is usually corn oil. As expected, in less than 6 months my bad cholesterol ballooned up again.
Oh well, I guess that I really have to constantly watch what I eat. While it was easy to stick to a low-cholesterol diet in some countries, it can be difficult to do it in others. I think that is the reason why a large percentage of Filipinos have high blood or high cholesterol. It doesn't matter what your age is, we must constantly watch what we eat. Because you are what you eat.

Looking Forward To Spring

2008-02-22T23:21:00.000-06:00

This has been one of the coldest winter I have ever experienced. Sad to say, this is actually one of the coldest winter in Chicago. Ironically, none of my classes ever got cancelled in spite of snow storm alerts we regularly receive. I would sometime assume that the professor would be absent (just like they were back in college) but they are always present. As a matter of fact, the syllabus has always been followed. Unlike in college where we would usually miss a few topics because of class cancellations due to floods or strikes, I believe that we will be able to cover all topics mentioned in the syllabus. I guess, being in graduate school means expecting more not just from the students but from the professors also.

We have 3 more topics to discuss in financial accounting and 1 topic to discuss in programming before the finals. 4 more weeks before the winter term ends. 26 more days before spring season will be official. And 5 more weeks before spring term begins. It is still more than a month before the spring term begins but enrollment has already begun last week. In fact, I have already enrolled in 3 classes which my advisor told me to take: Data Structures in C++, Economics for Managers and Monte Carlo Algorithms for Financial Engineers. I had a hard time trying to take a slot in Economics because students in the business school are given priority, so I have to talk to Advising and they took care of my enrollment. My advisor will be teaching Monte Carlo, and I am so excited to finally learn more about stochastic processes and how to translate these algorithms to computer programs.

I am so looking forward for the spring term. Not only will I be taking up more challenging courses but I will finally have a chance to visit attractions here in Chicago. 26 more days… and counting.

10 Things I Learned This Winter

2008-02-12T17:03:00.000-06:00

1. Be prepared always. Don't leave the house without your jacket, gloves, scarves, etc.
2. Don't trust the weather but listen to the weatherman.
3. When buying a jacket, choose the one with higher feather content.
4. Bundle up. Wear layers of clothing i.e. thermals, polo, sweater and jacket.
5. Rehydrate.
6. When snowing, wear waterproof shoes.
7. Always apply moisturizer.
8. It is always colder the day after snow has fallen.
9. Drinking hot coffee increases the body temperature.
10. Life goes on in winter… just because there is a foot of snow in your front door doesn't mean you don't have to go to work. =)

It's A Small World After All

2008-01-20T21:43:00.000-06:00

One of the first things I searched when I arrived here in Chicago is a church where I can continue to grow spiritually… so I searched the web... I googled for the keywords: Filipino church Chicago… and the first result that came out was "Filipino Immanuel Baptist Church of Chicago. There was actually no website for this church… only a direction and a phone number from "maps.google.com". I dialed the number but I only reached the answering machine… I left a message that I am looking for a church and I would like to know what time their Sunday service is. That evening, the church pastor returned my call. We had a short chat and he provided me with the information that I need. The Sunday School starts at 10AM and the worship service starts at 11:15AM. It was the second week of the month.

That Sunday, I left my place at around 10AM. I was only planning of attending the worship service. Sine the church is about 6 miles only from where I live, I still might be able to attend the Sunday School. However, even though it 's only 6 miles, I need to take 3 bus rides to reach the place. I never accounted for the waiting time in each bus stations. It took me about an hour and 45 minutes to arrive. I was late for the worship service.

The pastor was already preaching when I arrived. It's a small church. So when I entered, I feel that all eyes were on me. I took the first available space. The pastor was preaching about service - that we are a part of a body, and that as part of the body we have a function to serve. The church reminds me of my local church in Bacolod - conservative, small and familial.

After the pastor preached, it was time for offering and some announcements by the worship leader… oh well, during the announcements, the pastor came back up the lectern and announced that they have a guest. He pointed to me and called me by my name. I never signed any slip where I gave my name as a visitor but I thought that since I am the only new face in the congregation, then he might have assumed that the guest could only be - me.

After the service, I received more warm Filipino hospitality. I felt so welcomed in this church. I was introduced to almost all of them. I barely remember any of their names… but what amazed me is the last names of some of the members. They are familiar to me… then I found out that most of them are Ilonggos… from Bacolod, Kabangkalan, Ilo-ilo. There were some who even lived on a street next to my home. When they found out that I am studying at DePaul, they introduced me to some members who also used to study at DePaul. There is actually a Christian fellowship going on at DePaul… LIFT (Living In Faith Together). So, I got the name of the person leading the fellowship and contacted him that evening.

FIBC is an answered prayer to me. I came to Chicago barely knowing anyone but a week later, I found a family of fellow believers. And I don't have to take the bus(es) any longer. A couple volunteered to give me a ride every Sunday.

That event was last Sunday. More surprises awaited today… my second Sunday of attendance. This time, I was able to attend the Sunday School. I never realized how I missed Sunday School… I am glad to be in one again. After the Sunday School, I met this couple… we had a short chat… later on the lady asked me for my last name. I told her it's "Lowie"… there was amazement in her eyes when she asked me… "Are you a son of Tiyoy Aloy?" To my surprise, she knows my father! It turned out that she was a cousin of Manang Lita. They used to come to our store back in the 70s. After the service, an older lady approached me and asked when I will be going back to the Philippines. Then she began asking me about the people living in my home… Tiyay Marlene, Tiyay Norma, Auntie Lalit… oh man, this is just becoming more exciting.

I called my mom this evening. I told her about the unbelievable events that transpired throughout these 2 weeks. I am only almost 3 weeks old here in Chicago… but God has blessed me so much. I can't wait what He has in store for the rest of the year!!!

The Weakening INTC

2008-01-15T23:07:00.001-06:00

We are back to where we were middle of 2006. The Intel stock price dropped more than 14% on the after hours trading today. It is now down more than 15% since start of the year. When the stock price hit 27 last year, I told a couple of friends to sell it because it is definitely going down this year. But my reason back then was that it will be a cyclical drop. Unfortunately, this is something more serious. Even with a gross margin of 58% and an increase in net profit by 51%, it is not enough to please the investors as the corporation missed earnings per share by 2 cents. Paul tries to appease the paranoia of investors by commenting that he sees no signs of recession, but unfortunately he cannot provide a better Q1 outlook also. Bottom line, Q1 does not look good for the Intel stocks.

My Daily Commute

2008-01-11T17:15:00.001-06:00

My place is 15 miles away from my school. Since I don't have a car, I have to use the public transportation. I have to take a 15 minute bus ride to the train station and 45 minute train ride to the school. In a day, I spend 2 hours for commuting. This doesn't look so bad considering that it takes 2 hours to travel from Makati to Cavite. It's just that I was so used to driving my own car and taking the public transportation limits my independence. Even so, I feel that taking the public transportation is the better option. Here are my reasons:

(1) More economical. With the constant increase in gas price, driving 30 miles a day is a waste of money.
(2) More environment friendly. The train is electrically-powered and since the bus transports many passengers, it is the better option than riding your own car.
(3) No parking problem. Since my school is in the loop, problem could be difficult.
(4) No maintenance obligation. No oil checks. No car washes.
(5) Bottom line, not having a car now means that I have one less thing to worry about.

Taking the bus/train can be fun. I just hope I could find some things to do while in the vehicle.

My First Day In Class

2008-01-08T13:30:00.001-06:00

January 3. I took an early flight out of New Jersey to Chicago. Thank God, there was no delay or flight postponement. My plane took off at 8:00AM and arrived in Chicago at 10:00AM. By 11:00 AM, I am already in my apartment. I rested for an hour and proceeded to the university. It will be an hour commute so I grab food from McDonalds prior to taking the train.

By 1:30PM I am already in the university. My first business was to process my student ID. It was only a 5 minute processing. Then, I went to the cafeteria for my U-PASS. By 2:00PM I am already done with my preliminary tasks. Since my class won't start until 6:00PM, I spent most of my time at Starbucks. At around 4:00PM, I decided to go to the library instead.

The library - my favorite hang-out place when I was still in college. Now, I am back in one. I spent the next 2 hours reading magazines.

By 6:00PM, I decided to proceed to my classroom. I was surprised to see the room full of students already. I should have left the library earlier, I told myself. In about 5 minutes, the professor arrived. I felt jitters all over. Perhaps its fright or just excitement of being back in the academe after 12 years of absence. We spent the first half hour introducing ourselves. There were only two international students - myself and an Indian. Most of my classmates are working either in the banks, investment firms or the stock market. There are a few who are IT or HR managers.

All of a sudden I felt that I shrunk. I was intimidated by my surrounding. Now, after having the time to think about it… I shouldn't be intimidated at all. The fact that we are in the same class meant that we need to learn the subject. It doesn't matter if they are bankers, traders or managers… we are all on the same level.

My class lasted for three hours. We discussed the basics of accounting. The professor gave us the syllabus and schedule of exams. Since this is a quarterly semester, the schedule is really tight. We will be having our midterm by end of January and finals by middle of March. It's going to be a hectic first semester, but I am glad that I am finally here - living the dream I have long planned for.

My White Christmas

2007-12-31T22:42:00.000-06:00

Most people would love to have a white Christmas. I have lived in the US for years but I have never experienced one. Most of the time, I will be relocated in the west coast where it seldom snows. At times, I will be in the east coast to spend the holidays with my sister but it will only get cold and never snow.

This year, I arrived in Chicago on the 15th of December and I was greeted at O'Hare International Airport by a snow storm. For the next five days, I experienced temperature below freezing point. Dreaming of a white Christmas doesn't seem appealing any longer.

It was a relief when I have to leave Chicago on the 20th to spend the holidays with my family in the east coast. Compared to the chilly weather in the mid-west, east coast will be a better alternative. It was still cold in New Jersey, but I don't have to wear 4 layers of clothing to stay warm.

I was in New Jersey from the 20th until the 25th. We plan to visit my brother in North Carolina after Christmas. I took the opportunity to buy my winter clothing in New Jersey. There is no tax for clothing in this state. It didn't snow on Christmas, and I thank God that it didn't. I heard from the news that the snow storm hit the mid-west again and it was just devastating.

On the 26th, we drove from New Jersey to North Carolina. It was a 10-hour drive. If you include the lunch and dinner breaks, we were on the road for almost 12 hours. It was a tiring road trip but it was worth the journey. The weather in North Carolina is between the 40s to 60s. I don't even have to wear a jacket during the day.

We stayed in North Carolina until the 30th. My sister is going back to work on January 2, so we have to be back in New Jersey before the new year. Now it is the 31st, I am writing this blog while waiting for the clock to strike midnight. It's still chilly in New Jersey but thankfully, it is not snowing. I still have not experienced my white Christmas, but I don't wish for it any longer.

The Big Change

2007-12-18T16:32:00.000-06:00

December 10, 3:00 PM: I went to Bob's Café for my afternoon coffee break. As usual, I brought my IBM T40 laptop so that I can check for new Outlook emails. That afternoon, however, is not like any ordinary afternoon coffee break because this time I cannot connect to my Intel Outlook account. I also tried to access the Intel intranet website but I cannot. My access to the company network was already cut-off. December 10 was my "last-day-office" and IT did not waste time to remove my access to the network. Officially, I am no longer an Intel employee.

December 12, 9:00 AM: I went to Intel Cavite to return my laptop and company badge. When I entered the building, I was expecting my badge not to work because I am no longer an Intel employee. However, I was surprised because the badge detector did not alarm when I passed through. I was able to enter the building just like any employee. I returned my laptop and bid farewell (again) to my friends and peers. I did not realize that I have been chatting with them for more than an hour already. When I went to the security office to return my badge, it was already closed. I decided to return in the afternoon after my lunch at Mylin's house. Technically, I am still an Intel employee.

December 12, 2:00 PM: After a wonderful lunch and chatting with my friend Mylin, I went back to the office. Before returning the badge, I decided to use the restroom first. However, this time, when I passed through the badge detector, it alarmed. I tried to pass the second time to see if there was just a malfunction, but it alarmed again. The guard asked my to have my badge checked in their system. The system showed my badge status as "TERMINATED". Technically, I am no longer an Intel employee.

December 14, 12:00 PM: My sister, brother and father came to Manila to bid me farewell. It was a pretty busy day. I was to be a groomsman to my best friend's wedding in the afternoon. We just checked in to Shangri-la and I left them to go to Manila Peninsula to have a pre-wedding pictorial. By 3:00 PM, I and the entourage were on the way to the church. By 4:00 PM, as I saw my best friend march down the aisle with his parents, I feel as sudden touch of anxiety. My best friend was one of my few single friends and he is now getting married. When I saw him took the hand of his bride, I realized that he is now a different man. I used to see him just as a kid I used to hang out with. Now, I see him as a responsible man who is about to walk in the path of family and marriage.

Life as I know it was changing at a very fast pace. A few days ago I still have a job. A few moments ago I never thought about marriage and commitments. In the next few hours, I will be leaving my family and move to Chicago, a place I have never visited, to study a degree I have no experience working with in my professional life. This is just too much change to handle in a week. Am I ready for the big change???

Who Moved My Cheese?

2007-11-12T22:18:00.000-06:00

I first learned about this book more than 5 years ago when my friend Jonas brought it to our apartment at Tierra Grande as his reading material. I knew then that it is a book about what to do when your job security is lost. But I never realized that this book is more than just that.

Last week, I went to Powerbooks to indulge myself to some reading. I saw this book on the "Recommended Title" section. I convinced myself to order a cup of coffee and a slice of cake while reading this book. It is more than just a book about coping with lost jobs. It is about dealing with the lost of your comfort zone. It is about dealing with change.

I feel that reading this book is timely. I am in the midst of one of the biggest change in my personal and professional life, and reading something for encouragement is badly needed. Since I decided about resigning, I felt scared and vulnerable. I often think about what if I don't succeed with my plans. What if I fail… I didn't read this book 5 years ago because I thought I knew all I need to know about how to deal with moving away from your comfort zone. But I was wrong.

One thing I never forget from my reading is this phrase: "What will you do if you don't fear anything?" That is exactly what I am feeling right now. Fear. Fear of change. Fear of losing my comfort zone. In my heart, I know what I really wanted to do but fear is keeping me from moving on. Without fear, I should be able to move on. That phrase gave me comfort.

I realize that by moving away from my comfort zone, I will encounter trials and hardships. But I don't need to despair because without fear I believe that I can succeed.

With regards to my "old cheese", it hasn't totally moved yet. But it is getting smaller and less attractive. I don't believe that it will ever get lost, but I know that this is no longer my "cheese" My "cheese" is on a different station, and I am on a conquest to finding it.

Closer to Home

2007-10-23T06:57:00.000-05:00

I didn't went to work on that day. My brother was here in Makati and I decided to spend time with him. We passed by Park Square 2 at around 11 AM for a service in a barbershop. It was about 1230 noontime when we left Park Square 2. We passed by Glorietta 2 on our way to Zara where we did some shopping. At around 1:00PM we were already shopping at Celio in Greenbelt 3. At 1:45PM we went back to Renaissance Hotel. I feel annoyed on my way into the hotel because there were other people who were rushing into the hotel also. Since I have lots of shopping bags, it took me a few more minutes before I was able to get in. I was already in my room surfing the net when a friend of my brother called informing him that there was an explosion in Glorietta 2. Since we were just there an hour ago, I didn't really believe it. Still, out of curiosity I visited the inquirer website. Lo, and behold the news was true. There was an explosion and at that time there were already 4 reported dead and numerous casualties...
For 2.5 years, I was relocated in Israel. Inspite of the suicide bombings and constant threats from unfriendly neighboring states, I have never been this close to an explosion. I was only in Makati for less than 2 weeks and I was almost 'history'. It only shows that it doesn't matter where you are, if it's your time... it's really your time.

Leave of Absence - DENIED

2007-10-19T02:05:00.000-05:00

I met with my manager yesterday to discuss about my request for a long personal leave of absence. By "long", I mean, one-year of absence in order to pursue my interest of studying abroad. Before going to the meeting, I know that my request is most likely to be denied. It is going to be denied because: firstly, it has never been done in the Cavite site (except for those who went to study with Intel sponsorship); and secondly, due to the exodus of PE, my manager is hesitant to grant my request as it is her belief that I won't be returning in the end.

My meeting was supposed to start at 11:00AM in conference room 226. I went to the area at exactly 11:00 but somebody was occupying the room. I waited for my manager but after 5 minutes, she has not yet arrived and the people in the room don't appear to be leaving anytime soon. So, I went to my manager's cubicle. She was still on a phone conference, so I went back to my office. At 11:15, I heard our admin calling my name, she said that my manager is already waiting at room 221. I asked her what happened to room 226, and she said that somebody reserved it first. Ok, so I went to room 221. Before entering the room, I saw my manager massaging her temple. I asked her how she was and she said it was just migraine.

We started with a short chit-chat, and then she asked "Wyndell, what's your plan?". So, I told her what she already knew - that I was requesting for a long personal leave of absence. I told her that I have been planning this for a long time but there were attractive projects in the workplace. Thus, I keep on shelving my plans to study. I told her that now is the most opportune time to study because there are no more projects presented before me. I told her that I don't have anything else to do in the company. Suddenly, she seemed irate with my last statement. She asked with curiousity who told me that I have nothing else to do. Since I don't want to name names, I told her that it was just my impression. That since I won't be using the skills I learned abroad to the factory, then I am no longer needed. I think, my answer pacified her. She replied that there are plans for me. That I will be working on data analysis with the yield team. Uh-oh, this was the department I left 5 years ago because I can no longer see any growth, and she wanted to inject me back to this group. All the more I am determined to leave either by vacation or retirement.

I told her that I was really going to pursue my plans to study. Either she is going to approve my leave of absence or not will not hinder my plans. Realizing that there is no way for her to reason with me, she told me that she cannot approve my request. She pointed out the reasons of her disapproval. She mentioned that she doesn't want this request to be a precedence for future request approval; that she doesn't believe I am coming back; and that she never heard this type of leave being granted before.

I respect her decision. It was actually a cordial meeting. After I have presented my request and after she provided her response, we ended up chatting on what I am pursuing - she told me that since I am still single - that I should pursue my dreams; and hopefully, one day I will work with Intel again. Now, I feel as if a big load has been taken off my back. Now I can move on.

Heavy Commuter

2007-10-09T06:56:00.000-05:00

Today is my first day to commute after almost five years of being an expat.
I have to leave before 6AM not only to avoid the traffic at E. Aguinaldo but also to prevent from being fined for driving a 'color-coded' car. So I woke up at 4AM, had breakfast at 4:15, took a bath at 4:30 and I was on my way by 5AM. I arrived in the office at 6:30AM. That is 1.5 hours of commuting from Makati to Cavite.
Later that afternoon, just as it was only an hour before I am supposed to go home, there was heavy rain in the vicinity. Everytime it rain in Cavite, one should expect heavy traffic too. I left at exactly 4PM and I took South Super Highway to avoid the congestion in E. Aguinaldo. I was surprised because the traffic wasn't really that bad. There was heavy traffic on the expected locations such as Manggahan, Langkaan, Palapala, GMA and near the Sucat Exit. However, inspite of the 'acceptable' traffic, it still took me 2.5 hours to reach the hotel.
This means a total of 4 hours of commuting on a regular day for a total of 80KM distance, can you believe that - an average of 20Kph driving for 4 hours!!!

Do Over?

2007-09-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

It just hit me. I am leaving Israel for good. My life as an expat is about to end. It has been a great 5 years of luxurious lifestyle. Though I still don't want it to end, I understand that this was a temporary arrangement. I cannot live all my life as an expat nor can I expect IDC to request for my services always especially now that CV is no longer participating on new microprocessor designs.

Reality sets in. Leaving IDC is only the beginning. I need to adapt again to daily commuting in CV. I need to be patient with the traffic. I need to wake up early in order not to be late in the office. Additionally, I need to learn my new job - whatever it might be. I need to adapt to the new work environment. Also, I need to find a new place to stay. It's actually going to be like my first day at work after college.

Am I ready for this? Do I want to start all over again?

24 (TV Series)

2007-09-04T07:17:00.000-05:00

I don't like watching the series on primetime TV because the ending of each episode is hanging. But, I like to watch the series in DVD because I can always continue watching episode after episode until the crisis has been resolved.
What I like about the show is the thrill. It keeps me on my toes. It stirs up my emotions. It makes me ponder upon decisions made by the characters if they are right or wrong. Most of the time, there is no right or wrong answer. There are consequences on any decisions made. It could be death to thousands of lives today or the possibility of millions of lives lost in the future.
Also, I like the show for the twists. It could be a mole in the CTU, a government official with a personal agenda, or someone with no political inclincation turning out to be the terrorist. Inspite of all the twists, though how impossible the task could be overcome... Jack Bauer somehow finds a way to prevent a major catastrophe.
Lastly, I like the show for the drama. The series is not all about action, there is also pinch of romance and comedy. I can watch the whole series in one seating. The series is 18-hours long... but with all the thriller, action and drama... it's 18-hours worth of entertainment.

The Goodness Of Coffee

2007-08-20T02:22:00.000-05:00

I know a few people who don't drink coffee because they believe that it is unhealthy. This is a myth. Just like with any other food, coffee, if taken in moderation is actually good for the health.
Coffee is more than just a stimulant. Recent studies show that coffee prevents a number of diseases including diabetes, Parkinson's disease and colon cancer. It treats headaches and lowers the risk of tooth decay. It enhances physical endurance and athletic performance. It stimulates the brain and prevents depression.
Unfortunately, coffee is not for everyone. People who live sedentary lifestyles might suffer from palpitation, increased LDL and clogged arteries.
I am a habitual coffee drinker. I drink 1-3 cups of coffee a day. I need coffee to jump start my day. I need coffee after lunch. I need coffee to keep me alert in the afternoon. I love coffee. And to know about its health benefit is just an icing on the cake.

Future Of The Cube

2007-08-12T07:27:00.000-05:00

The Cube is a symbol of harmony and equality
A six-by-six work area to seat a laborer
It does not distinguish rank or prestige
Even Andy Grove worked in a cube
Never mind that he is worth more than 200M
We work in the same quality of space

But the Cube has lost its luster
Conan O'Brien mocked it in his "Late Night Show"
Calling it dull and monotonous
It has even been compared to a prison cell
The Cube has become boring
Its main purpose has been defeated

Otellini on his recent interview with FT
Promised to modernize the cubicle
He promised more common space and color
Modern furniture and most of all
It is configurable

I think Otellini knew about "Dilbert's Ultimate Cubicle".