I will not (no?) play football again

When I signed up for the London Marathon last October, I twisted my knee on the day I received confirmation of my successful application. I told myself I will NOT play football again.

Or so I thought.

Ten months on, after weeks of training and feeling good about my physical state, I went to play football on Wednesday. Twisted my knee - again. And just three weeks left to the Duathlon.

I will not play football again.

Knackered!

Less than 4 weeks left to the Duathlon. Seeing that we have been running the same route for the last 2 months (and for SD who has been doing the same route for the last eight years), we decided to change the running scenery yesterday. From Canary Wharf to Greenwich. I have always thought of doing that route since Greenwich is seemingly a nice place for a run. Lush park with good slopes.

So off we went, running down Westferry Road before hitting Greenwich Tunnel which links Docklands with Greenwich across the Thames. That is when I realised my stupor and when I have not ran this route since my last a year ago. Long flights of steps going up and down the tunnel. And a killing slope up to the Royal Observatory.

View from Royal Observatory (of Canary Wharf)

We did manage to make it back to Canary Wharf less than an hour for the 10km. It probably provided a beter reflection of the condition for the Duathlon next month at Richmond Park. But right now, I am just knackered. My knees and calves are aching.

Yes, I wun be doing this same route for some time.

Yet another week

Had my first presentation to the Credit team on Friday. Surprisingly it went well despite my tender months in Credit and talking about a subject (ABX indices and subprime market) which I do not deal with on a daily basis.

It was a rather eventful week, first with counting down the days to Kay's departure on Friday. She was the de-facto manager in my team, despite reporting up to two associate directors since she was the most experienced in the team. Although the recent desk move had us sitting next to each other for only one month, we managed to strike a good camaraderie due to some "common interests". So it was quite sad to see her go. We raised a good amount for her farewell and had an exceedingly nice and long lunch at a French restaurant on Friday.

I mentioned earlier about my dislike for line control and, this week, I managed to negotiate a move out - courtesy of an arrangement between my immediate boss and the department head (SD). And in two weeks! What a pleasant surprise. Myself and SD has been working very closely together since the launch of our PCG credit research and, thank God, he has been sufficiently impressed to keep me and allow me to do stuff that would interest me.

Speaking of interest, we had to put aside our daily routine of watching the Hong Kong serials due to the "death" of our Wharfedale TV - a £40 acquisition when I first came over to London. I was determined to get a new TV this time round, hoping to "upsize" on the 26" TV and not hemorrhage my wallet at the same time (You folks back home in Singapore better be thankful for Sim Lim and Funan). Every other 28" TV costs around £150 - 250. Out of desperation and taking a longer-term view, I splurged on the following.

Nothing fanciful - a made-in-China, assembled-in-Czech 32" LCD but half the price of an equivalent Sony or Samsung. Might not be as spectacular (well definitely not as good from what I see) but if it works and provides a good return on investment, who cares.

After all, I am still an accountant.

Someone has to take the blame

Bear Stearns has taken a lot of heat in the recent subprime debacle. The closure of two hedge funds and a recent entry into hall of credit junk bonds.

Someone gotta take the blame - here's the scapegoat?.

Counting down the days

My first post of August and a week since I last posted. It has been a mad week, both in terms of work (since it's my "first" month end running the books) and activities. I have been counting down the days to 23 Nov, the last day of my programme in London. And because it's just slightly more than three months away, my current boss and ex-bosses have been talking to me re my next step i.e. permanent position after the three rotations. This sounds like PSLE isn't it? Where I have to choose to go to a particular "school".

Line control is out for me. Running marcos, preparing P&L and correcting misbooking is so "not attractive". And it is good that my current boss (SD) understands the situation and knows that it is a job that just has to be done. I might just be a square peg in this round hole. So he shared several exciting plans with me which I will share in due course. And I am glad that I am working for such a nice boss who trusts me and, most importantly, believes in my capabilities. That's after working with Chin Chin and Shoops who are the best bosses I have ever had (if you wanna join KPMG, make sure you join their dept). Then again, most of the bosses I have worked with in Barcap has been nothing short of excellent.

Other bosses have been "tempting" me with offers e.g. doing exotic products control, senior management exposure. This is usually the best part before a move. I learnt that an AD in my dept was wined and dined by the bosses before he joined us. Only to realise he has been dragged into a tough role. But that's i-banking for you. If it's easy, might as well get monkeys to do it. On my side, I will have to pray for discernment and wisdom. After all, I have Singaporean bosses to be accountable to and it is important the intentions and plans of all parties are taken into serious consideration.

On another good note, the colleague next to me has accepted a move to the front office - as a business manager this week. Having a good offer is like purchasing a wonderful set of make-up, evidenced by the bliss and freshness on her face. Possibly the best controller on my desk (given she was doing alone what six of us are currently doing now). Guess what, "her ticket outta hell" was actually helped by SD who knew that she was unhappy and wanted out. So SD went around, calling on his contacts and even negotiating an earlier release for her so that she can go travelling before she starts her new role! Amazing but also because SD does consider the welfare of each individual. It's not making things easier for him but it's all about the human factor at the end of the day.

That gave me fresh confidence and clarity of the road ahead. FYI, it's less than 80 business days to the finishing line!