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Archive for December, 2011

I was planning to spend Christmas in SF as usual, but happened to stumble across an extra vacation day and used it to spend the weekend with family and friends at home in LA!  It came to be an aggressive plan, considering I am planning to drive down to LA the very weekend for New Years.  Nevertheless, it was great times, time well spent, and well worth the drive!

12/23/2011: Beautiful drive down I-5! The drive back up was infinitely painful, for reasons I cannot disclose.

12/23/2011: I found Santa! The 21st century Santa apparently drives a Subaru.

12/23/2011: First stop: Merry Christmas weekend from Vibe!

12/24/2011: Christmas Eve dinner @ Beach 활어! Love their uni rice mix.

12/24/2011: Celebrating Christmas @ home with cake & wine! Took a long time to convince my dad that good wine must be opened.

12/26/2011: Best part of Corona? Quiet Starbucks with plenty of seats!

It’s not everyday you get to meet the governor of your home state, less a chance to shake hands and share a few words. I was a nervous reck when I introduced myself, but she was very personable from the start and really made it feel like she was just ‘one of us’- a feeling that many of us in the room shared. I was able to make a connection with her right away because she was the governor of Michigan during my college years, and I remember very clearly many of the events she shares in her book. It’s pretty hard to imagine being governor of Michigan during one of its worst decades… and I only have the highest admiration for her and her family (especially after reading the book). Many of her key points to improving the U.S. economy seems to be right on as well.  It’s easy for many economists and journalists, as observers, to make bold suggestions and predictions sine their words have no consequences.  Having been through the trench and experiencing “the toughest job” according to President Obama, I can’t help but respect what she has to say.

Luckily, I was a less nervous talking to the Gov and Dan after the event, even cracking a joke while they signed several books for the Alumni Club that we had to start with the most important book, mine. We then took several pictures with the board, then some by myself. It felt like I was standing there for an hour, and I got really nervous again just standing between them for so long.  I guess it showed in my face because one of my board members asked me to smile, so I replied, “I can’t because I’m super nervous right now.” They got a good kick out of that too. Best wishes to Gov Granholm and Dan, Go Blue!

12/11/2011: With the amazing Governor Granholm and her wonderful husband Dan Mulhern. Can you sense my uneasiness?

12/11/2011: Gov. Granholm kept on referring to me as Mr. President, and I would giggle every time.

09/19/2011 - 12/03/2011: Life of a CFA Candidate

So… studying for the same exam second time around wasn’t too bad.  It was tiring and stressful at times, but the material (for the most part at least) seemed familiar.  The biggest difference was that I really didn’t have much to lose last year.  But this year, I felt a whole lot of pressure realizing that failing for the second time would bring unimaginable pain and shame, not to mention the disappointment I would feel in myself.  If anything, that was the most stressful part about this process.

I didn’t leave the exam room feeling any better than last year, and the only consolation I have is that NOBODY leaves the room feeling like they crushed a CFA exam.  Well, except for maybe the guy that left the exam 45 minutes EARLY- though that could mean really good or bad. The exam room was FREEZING… so maybe he left early to get warmed up.  Who knows?

My favorite observation was the fellow sitting diagonally across from me.  He had four HUGE pencils, TWO large erasers, and a calculator with TWO extra batteries.  Really dude, really?  And just in case he went through his ginormous pencils, he had a sharpener.  But I can’t blame the guy for being prepared, since there were those that were severely underprepared.

Example:  It was clear that you had to bring a passport to the exam and that all information had to match.  I realized Monday morning that my passport expiration date didn’t match (I clearly stand closer to the underprepared group), made a chaotic and disorderly phone call to the CFA, and got my information updated in time to sit for the exam.  On exam day, I witnessed at least a few that didn’t follow directions or apparently make frantic calls to the CFA, and were turned back.  I cannot imagine studying for six months, only to be turned away one hour before because you didn’t follow rather simple directions.  Well, that’s not true.  I could and did imagine it, because that was almost me… including… “What the hell am I going to tell my boss?”, “Would she fire me on the spot for being really dumb?”, “Would I have to somehow give back my study day PTO?”  Sad.

With these exams, all you can do is study, hope for the best, fear the worst, and wish a few  guesses fall your way.  Thankfully, luck usually tends to be on my side… I just hope I have some saved.

I was given the entire week off before my second attempt at the CFA exam, a much needed break from work to cram and a crucial week imo.  The week was pretty uneventful as you would imagine, consisting mostly of studying, taking study breaks, eating, and studying.  And also spending a good amount of time with the parents and a whole  LOT more with Lubs.

11/25/2011-12/02/2011: A whole week with Lubs

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