It was 11:50P.M. and my local blockbuster is 2 blocks away on Hillside Avenue. During the day, Hillside is zooming with cars. During night, it can be pretty quiet. I felt an urge to get the movie Pursuit of Happiness. I needed some type of motivation and I just felt some type of calling that I needed this movie tonight on DVD. I already have the movie on my computer, but I wanted it on DVD. I know, I'm a little wierd, but some people pray for motivation, I watch movies.
So, to the story that just agravates me every single time... I left my house, and I was running to blockbuster. As I'm running, there are 5 kid's(male) probably the age of 16-18 across the street parallel to me and I just knew it wasn't good from there. "Run Nigga, Run!... Let's get that Nigga... Get em' Get em'" I decided to not turn back and keep running and act normal ... which was running towards blockbuster to beat the clock.
I get to blockbuster and I look back. No one there. Had a feeling it was only done for a scare this is common as a joke. I look for 10 minutes and even ask the lady if she had a copy. She found one on the system and helped look for it, but it was not where it was supposed to be. 1 copy only too. I looked for another 5 minutes... nothing there.... I went up and down the aisles of movie listed P & H, checking to see if they were there. I said to myself, if I find this 1 copy, it must mean something... I looked for another minute going one by one and finally it caught my eye. The 1 copy! I brought it with high spirits and left the store.
Now, two blocks from home... was I to run? I decided to walk. It's midnight now. I start walking and now one block away from my house, 4 kids pop out of nowhere within eye sight, yet since I was in the middle of the block, there was no where to turn. I kept walking as normal and they all gathered around and looked as I was walking closer... and closer. My adrenaline rushing, my fists clenched inside my pockets, heart pounding as it used to pound when I was in High School. Then suddenly, they start filming one of their friends dancing as they formed a circle when I was right next to them and I inched towards the street to avoid the film, yet 2 of the kids laughing on the left spread out to where I couldn't walk around them. As I walked through, I felt they formed the circle to jump me... The one guy in the middle dancing, and the one towards the right walked towards me and had no expression of laughter but eyed me down. I walked through it and I looked back as the filmer pointed the phone towards me and he quickly turned away as I kept walking.
This wasn't the first time that I was "scared" for my life. I hate my neighborhood and I only want to experience the finer things in life because the life of living where I am just is and never really was safe. I'm glad I got my movie. It might even be a little wierd, but I workout because I just feel like I have to in order to survive if it ever come to that point. The point is, each day I may bitch and moan about the grades, the interviews, the money, but in the end my main goal is always the same. I want a better life, not only for I but for my mom. If my father had tried, I mind as well die trying as well if that's the farthest that will ever occur. Currently, my task is to win first place in this competition to create a business plan, it turns out this past weekend after doing several extensive researches, the idea has been taken, but this time.... I won't stop just because there's one out there. I gave up my last idea because my friends doubted me, but this time I won't stop and well... let's see what happens.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
I'm planning out my new venture
So it's been a couple of days since my state of depression and stress. It's back to the book's and time to focus on what's ahead. One of my biggest difficulties at this time is managing my time to apply for internships, learn about the industries and maintain my studies in school. In one big category, you can say this is simply time management, but on a chopping board, you can see managing issues in each sector. I'm even entering an entrepreneurial contest in PA with a buddy of mine who spoke briefly about it. I just came up with this idea that I thought would be great! It's currently in the phase of creating a business plan. My main problems at this point is to manage my time and keep up with my studies like I mentioned earlier. Obviously, I have to prioritize school first, but I feel like I also have to put so much time into this business plan to make it work and on top of that, my birthday is coming up on March 7, and I have some credit card debt because I just had to charge the tuition on my card, and I even have to worry about the work I do at the job. Honestly, I want to quit my job at this point because I feel like it will be beneficial for my analytical skills to prosper, but I still need the pocket change for me to eat and stay in the city as much as I do. Waking up at 6:30 and staying out until 10:00 on weekdays basically means I have to eat out. There's no other choice. That's another problem, budgeting. I'm gonna have to focus, plan and focus!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Back to School....
After the past two - three days, I needed to relax. After my shutdown interview at Bear Stearns, I needed to chill out and stay away from the entire "get there fast" mentality. I decided to head up to my old school Stony Brook University to hang out with some friends.
I realized, now that I'm back at home. I did screw up that interview. And yes, I did walk out of the internship fair on Friday because I just wasn't feeling as confident as I usually do. I've been to career fairs all my life, but I wasn't up to the mood for it. So yes, maybe I did screw myself up by missing all the deadlines on CDC. But, in the end I'll have to deal with it. I just gotta keep moving on and just because that interviewer mocked me throughout the interview, I'll be damn sure that it won't happen ever again. I hate losing, and sometimes you just gotta lose first before you can dominate the next time.
So it's Sunday at 1:45 P.M. First thing is to finish my paper that I have to write. Then, I need to plan ahead, get a step ahead of the game. It's a lot tougher when you don't really read a lot of books, but I wish I did like reading because I'd prolly be smart as Ben Stein.
I realized, now that I'm back at home. I did screw up that interview. And yes, I did walk out of the internship fair on Friday because I just wasn't feeling as confident as I usually do. I've been to career fairs all my life, but I wasn't up to the mood for it. So yes, maybe I did screw myself up by missing all the deadlines on CDC. But, in the end I'll have to deal with it. I just gotta keep moving on and just because that interviewer mocked me throughout the interview, I'll be damn sure that it won't happen ever again. I hate losing, and sometimes you just gotta lose first before you can dominate the next time.
So it's Sunday at 1:45 P.M. First thing is to finish my paper that I have to write. Then, I need to plan ahead, get a step ahead of the game. It's a lot tougher when you don't really read a lot of books, but I wish I did like reading because I'd prolly be smart as Ben Stein.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Boy did I feel at a disadvantage today more than ever...
It's been a while since I had felt at a disadvantage, probably since the time I had dislocated my hip and I couldn't play basketball for a year. Today, I felt it again and it wasn't through sports. It was at my interview for the Sales & Trading Internship at Bear Stearns. I'm here to vent my frustration and through this, I know for a fact that it will help others learn from my mistakes, or I would call it, unpreparedness.
For the past couple of months, and yes I do express my opinions alot. You probbaly don't see it in class cuz I'm just dead tired from being up since 6. Anyways, for the past couple of months, I started learnign about the financial markets. I xfered from SBU and not bashing the school because I loved it there, but the business classes there that I had taken were general business management theories and strategies. As I heard BUS 1000 here talks about stocks, bonds, ipo's. Now it may seem easy stuff as we talk about it now, but I should of rightly learned all of these basic market lingo's freshman year, but I didn't. So in short, I had to learn the market lingo by myself, additional self-learning on my own. I wanted to land a job in these top investment banks because I was certainly working my way up on my resume. So at a disadvantage, there was a lot of technical questions about the market which I had basic knowledge about, but not quite confident about the subject entirely because it was all fairly new, given the circumstances of only watching the markets consistently for the past 3-4 months.
I got the interview and I needed to basically cram as much information as possible. My original plan was to gradually learn everything that I can possibly learn. BUT, there is just so much you can grasp in the world of Finance, it's not just number crunching, because you need to know the economy as well and theres news everyday that affects thousands of people everyday.
So some tips for future reference.
1) Know about the industry thick and thin about what your applying for.
- I read about Sales & Trading for the past couple of days, but I guess I gave a slightly BS answer because I didn't know everything that there is to know about it.
2) Don't just know how the DOW or NASDAQ did the previous day, but actually know what the index is at.
- How can I be so dumb not to know the actual index and what it was at when I have been watching the movement's daily.
3) Know the commodities market and how natural resources are affected through economic changes.
- The interviewer asked about a energy fund and quite honestly, I was more concerned with businesses and how they profit and how stock prices moves and how to figure out wheter or not if the stock is undervalued or not. I did not get to read up on commodities, and yes the question he had asked could of been answered logically, but I guess I was stumped to hear it so I froze.
4) When you're pitching a stock, Know exactly how and why you chose it, technical and logically.
- I did this part semi-ok. I pitched Starbucks, I gave my opinioned analysis of the stock in terms of logical reasons according to what's been previously stated on the media but also an analytical point of view. I then explained why I felt it was undervalued and I explained what ratios I used, but since the material was all fairly new to me, all these names of "P/E, Quick, Current, PEG, EPS" all rang in my head.
Yeah, I screwed up. Yes I'm dissapointed. It bothered me the entire day at work and at class. I was just out of it today and I just can't believe how stumped I was and how I prepared for everything else but the questions he asked, I just couldn't give a good answer. This is my second out of 15 interviews that I would say that I most porbably will not get.
My plans: I will continue to keep moving. It's a short grieving period, but come Friday morning, I'm just gonna walk up to these same companies I applied to and did not recieve an interview and also the same company I screwed up on the interview and still give it a shot. Why would I? Because I got nothin to lose, hopefully it will get across that I'm determined, not desperate.
THE END ... for now. Please feel free to comment or tell me to go cry me a river and better luck next time. I already know you're thinking of it.
-PCE, time for a beer.
For the past couple of months, and yes I do express my opinions alot. You probbaly don't see it in class cuz I'm just dead tired from being up since 6. Anyways, for the past couple of months, I started learnign about the financial markets. I xfered from SBU and not bashing the school because I loved it there, but the business classes there that I had taken were general business management theories and strategies. As I heard BUS 1000 here talks about stocks, bonds, ipo's. Now it may seem easy stuff as we talk about it now, but I should of rightly learned all of these basic market lingo's freshman year, but I didn't. So in short, I had to learn the market lingo by myself, additional self-learning on my own. I wanted to land a job in these top investment banks because I was certainly working my way up on my resume. So at a disadvantage, there was a lot of technical questions about the market which I had basic knowledge about, but not quite confident about the subject entirely because it was all fairly new, given the circumstances of only watching the markets consistently for the past 3-4 months.
I got the interview and I needed to basically cram as much information as possible. My original plan was to gradually learn everything that I can possibly learn. BUT, there is just so much you can grasp in the world of Finance, it's not just number crunching, because you need to know the economy as well and theres news everyday that affects thousands of people everyday.
So some tips for future reference.
1) Know about the industry thick and thin about what your applying for.
- I read about Sales & Trading for the past couple of days, but I guess I gave a slightly BS answer because I didn't know everything that there is to know about it.
2) Don't just know how the DOW or NASDAQ did the previous day, but actually know what the index is at.
- How can I be so dumb not to know the actual index and what it was at when I have been watching the movement's daily.
3) Know the commodities market and how natural resources are affected through economic changes.
- The interviewer asked about a energy fund and quite honestly, I was more concerned with businesses and how they profit and how stock prices moves and how to figure out wheter or not if the stock is undervalued or not. I did not get to read up on commodities, and yes the question he had asked could of been answered logically, but I guess I was stumped to hear it so I froze.
4) When you're pitching a stock, Know exactly how and why you chose it, technical and logically.
- I did this part semi-ok. I pitched Starbucks, I gave my opinioned analysis of the stock in terms of logical reasons according to what's been previously stated on the media but also an analytical point of view. I then explained why I felt it was undervalued and I explained what ratios I used, but since the material was all fairly new to me, all these names of "P/E, Quick, Current, PEG, EPS" all rang in my head.
Yeah, I screwed up. Yes I'm dissapointed. It bothered me the entire day at work and at class. I was just out of it today and I just can't believe how stumped I was and how I prepared for everything else but the questions he asked, I just couldn't give a good answer. This is my second out of 15 interviews that I would say that I most porbably will not get.
My plans: I will continue to keep moving. It's a short grieving period, but come Friday morning, I'm just gonna walk up to these same companies I applied to and did not recieve an interview and also the same company I screwed up on the interview and still give it a shot. Why would I? Because I got nothin to lose, hopefully it will get across that I'm determined, not desperate.
THE END ... for now. Please feel free to comment or tell me to go cry me a river and better luck next time. I already know you're thinking of it.
-PCE, time for a beer.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Nerves Are Pouring In...
Why am I nervous?
It's because I have an interview tomorrow with Bear Stearns and I would have to say that I'm a bit intimidated by the competition. I already know of two candidates that were also selected and I had a feeling that they were goign to be selected for an interview as well the minute I met them at Baruch. I have been reading here and there about Sales & Trading positions, what it's all about, a little here and there about the current state of the economy, read a couple of books on how to rightly do your homework on stock tips, company's previous financials. I would say that I read a lot, but my only concern is the readiness to explain all that I have read. If any of it had made sense... Boy is a lot of things on my mind. I guess we will know tomorrow morning...
It's because I have an interview tomorrow with Bear Stearns and I would have to say that I'm a bit intimidated by the competition. I already know of two candidates that were also selected and I had a feeling that they were goign to be selected for an interview as well the minute I met them at Baruch. I have been reading here and there about Sales & Trading positions, what it's all about, a little here and there about the current state of the economy, read a couple of books on how to rightly do your homework on stock tips, company's previous financials. I would say that I read a lot, but my only concern is the readiness to explain all that I have read. If any of it had made sense... Boy is a lot of things on my mind. I guess we will know tomorrow morning...
Sunday, February 3, 2008
We Are the CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG-MEN!!!!!
Congrats to a New York TEAM! FINALLY!!!!
Unbelievable Game.
Giants WIN 17-14.
I can't imagine anyone who did not tune in to watch this years Superbowl.
COME OUT TO THE PARADE THIS TUESDAY!
"The parade is scheduled for Tuesday at 11 a.m. on Broadway at Battery Place and is expected to follow a route north to Chambers Street.
It ends with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza."
Congrats to a New York TEAM! FINALLY!!!!
Unbelievable Game.
Giants WIN 17-14.
I can't imagine anyone who did not tune in to watch this years Superbowl.
COME OUT TO THE PARADE THIS TUESDAY!
"The parade is scheduled for Tuesday at 11 a.m. on Broadway at Battery Place and is expected to follow a route north to Chambers Street.
It ends with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza."
Friday, February 1, 2008
Here's basically the jist Of my blog.
I needed this blog for quite some time. It's a sort of escape where I can reflect on the events that occur in my life as well as my never ending path to reach my goals. Most recently, I made a huge decision to leave some of the most genuine friends I have made throughout my entire life to further my position in the future. Follow me as I find out if it will all be worth it in the next two years while there may be times where I get 0-2 hours of sleep just to have a sense of a social life, or glued to the books to only receive the disappointments of sub par grades.
Join the HYPE!!!
It's going to be the biggest sports event this year. You know you can't get enough of the GGG-MEN! Here's a clip of how much is spent for a Superbowl of this magnitude.
SuperBowl Spending
SuperBowl Spending
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)