Tuesday 25 October 2016

That's it! Send in the reserves now!



As some readers may have deduced, I'm a fan of military history.


When you read the historical accounts of famous battles, you'll find military commanders withholding their reserves and committing them only at right moment of the battle.






The reason you don't commit your forces all at once (show hand) is so you can deal with the fluidity of the battle and react if there's a breakout or counter-attack from the enemy.

Unless of course you are a military genius who can predict your opponent's moves - always one step in advance.


Now look at your portfolio.

Have your fully committed all your forces?


If yes, that means you are fully exposed to the vagaries of the market. Can only hope and pray the battle outcome is in your favour.

Or you have high conviction in your thesis (or plans, or goal settings).


If no, then you can react accordingly - depending whether the market goes up or down (crash got sound).

You don't forecast what the market will do; you just bend with the wind.


I'm only a Lance-corporal (ikan-bilis) during my National Service. So take what I say with a pound of salt. I am no officer.

Although during my reservist in-camp trainings, my army mates always scold me for frightening them as from afar, I look like officer from the way I walk and carry myself.

Some active new birds even salute me. 

LOL!

Life is funny. Got work that time, always hated reservist for the disruptions. Now nothing to do, don't mind going back to camp for 1-2 weeks of "staycation"!?


And that's the irony of life. Nothing has changed. Only our thinking.




18 comments:

  1. Huh. So you are opposite of Kee Chiu from far from the way he walked?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CW,

      I never met Kee Chiu. So no idea how he walked?


      But I do know I sleep better with Dr Ng Eng Hen as our Minister for Defence ;)

      He got that warrior demeanour. A man's man.




      Delete
  2. I've no particular interest in military history, but I do enjoy the occasional shows on History channel.

    有看三国演义吗? I do enjoy reading it despite being largely fiction. Oops. Either way, many lessons that we can learn.

    Don't play play hor. Ikan-bilis in rank, big-shots in the real world. As yrs go by, our entire section began to see ICT as a yearly break. The irony!

    A top strategist would deliberately let his opponents know his move. Or two. Ha! 完全玩弄在掌心中。Do I have reserves? Yes, or maybe not. Nobody would believe what I say anyway ;)

    养兵千日!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevin,

      Yes, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, and Dream of the Red Chamber are the 4 great classical novels of Chinese literature ;)


      For anyone interested in climbing the corporate ladder or winning in politics, it's all there!


      We study literature not to ace exams.

      No, we study literature so we can read people ;)


      When people invite financial bloggers to PR events, you can tell who are chess pieces and who are chess players ;)

      Chess pieces can only share what they've told - hook, line, and sinker in verbatim, parrot like...

      Chess players, well... You can't herd cats...

      LOL!


      Delete
    2. Last time "study" RotTK to better appreciate the computer game hahaha ;)

      Well I can't comment too much abt PR events, but when it comes to such things, I guess it is what people aren't telling you that is .. important.

      Delete
    3. Kevin,

      Romance of the Three Kingdom is full of inspirations on how to recruit and motivate shepherds to fight for you if you are a landowner.

      And if you are a shepherd, how we go about choosing the "right" landowner to swear our allegiance to ;)


      As for PR events like AGM, there's a reason why brokerages and hedge/mutual funds only send junior analysts to such events ;)

      Unless of course it involves special situations like takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, or shareholders activism - then the big guns will attend - never to listen; but to forward their vested interests!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Jimmy,

      In Dungeons and Dragons, I would think I came with a few extra Charisma stats points ;)

      At the expense of Intellect and Strength stats though :(

      I make a good Bard class player in real life - a jack-of-all-trades.

      Sadly, this player class is now long forgotten, and often replaced by Assassin or Rogue nowadays - which are not the same :(

      Those who have played Baldur's Gate will still find the Bard class ;)

      I know a bit of everything; master of none!

      LOL!

      Delete
    2. i used to play bard's tales, if u know the game
      bard is a support class, can sing to heal party members or other songs to make them more aggressive etc
      but kinda of gay, not garang :)

      Delete
    3. Jimmy,

      LOL!

      Yes, I'm the cheerleader; not mancho like warrior class as in knights or barbarians.

      That's why support class players need high charisma points!

      If not how to leverage on Other People's Time/Talents (OPT)?

      In real life, we are natural salespersons and motivators ;)

      "If you think you can, you can!"

      But we wouldn't go so far as to say "I can do it; so can you!"

      That will be too "over"!

      LOL!

      Delete
  4. Hi guys,

    If u like romance of 3 kingdoms, u got to read the comic 火凤燎原。I am not bluffing when I said it's better than the classic.

    The writer knows all the classics from sun tze, Confucianism at his fingertips and merge it into the storyline.

    In overcoming bigger enemy, there are few ways.

    1) use your strongest and most elite to attack the enemies weakest.

    2) split the enemies and use your strongest against the weakest

    So in sun tze strategies. There are cases of all out (show hand) warfare. If only we can read the enemies as well as him, everyone will
    Throw in the sink lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sillyinvestor,

      I second what you said! It is really ridiculously good. I've reached volume 45. Though I think if one has background knowledge of RotTK then would be able to fully appreciate it since he doesn't explain the plot etc. I just hope the author lives long enough to finish it considering he started in 2001 haha ;)

      Got money must support and buy the comic k?
      If no money can read it here :
      http://www.dm5.com/manhua-huofengliaoyuan/

      Delete
  5. Hey SMOL,

    "In Dungeons and Dragons, I would think I came with a few extra Charisma stats points ;)

    At the expense of Intellect and Strength stats though :("

    The above not true leh. You high Int/Wis one too. (Okay, I know conflating Int and Wis is debatable). Wisdom, life exp, and street smarts can stand toe-to-toe, or even triumph, book smarts.

    Gardner even recognizes interpersonal intelligence as one of many forms/expressions of intelligence too. It's just that our social environment seems to esteem a certain form of intelligence over others. Hmmm

    I've seen people who are too fixated on a particular form of intelligence try too hard even when it's clearly counterproductive. It's not a pretty sight. How I know? I'm one of them. -.-

    I'm a Lance-corporal too. I rejected promotion :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unintelligent Nerd,

      It's settled. Kopi on me!

      Whenever you free during weekdays, just jio me out ;)


      I've learnt quite early in life never to just mix with our "own kind".

      Just like in D&D, having a party of mixed classes is a lot more fun ;)


      There's a lot of diversity at this watering hole!

      Delete
    2. Sure :D

      Should be the other way round. Youngling must treat qian bei instead. :)

      Delete
  6. temperament,

    Truly, its not easy to find kindred spirits!

    知音难求啊。。。


    What you say, in Zen Buddhism, we call it "No Mind" ;)


    ReplyDelete
  7. temperament,

    No worries.

    We are the minority individuals; not herds nor legions.

    Still safe ;)



    "Crash got sound" is a lot more intuitive to us with less formal education.

    We have an edge over those who studied too much until they can't think for themselves...

    The thinking educated ones have to first unlearn what they have been taught. And that is not easy.

    We?

    Our cups were already empty in the first place ;)

    LOL!

    ReplyDelete

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