30 Day Challenge -- Day One

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Since the first day of September falls on a Monday, it's an especially good day to start another 30 day challenge.  The challenge is not to drink any booze or beer, smoke cigars, eat junk (esp. Cheetos), have promiscuous sex, etc.  In short, I try to live like a monk for a month, abstaining from all my usual day to day pleasures.

What follows are my inscrutable notes on the day, which are either incredibly boring or completely fascinating:

98? cm above belly button

100? cm at underpants waistline

108? cm chest

07:04 4k row

89.0 25.0

07:20 mush (fresh squeezed soy milk, blueberries, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, cashews, apple, pear, banana)

07:33 scooter in motion

07:48 arrive FCD

08:00 arrive P3

08:03 arrive desk

Teekanne tea

245 cash in pocket

Finished watching "The East"

Office-wide wifi for the first-time, no need for 3G stick if I log on as "Guest" (2 week limit), iPad completely unlimited, sweet

11:06 E3 to gym

12:16 finished weights: back, chest, back, shoulders, chest, triceps, biceps. Bench 120 multiple sets.

13:33 finished cardio: 10 min tmill, 15 min bike, jump rope, stretch, 30 min stepper. Watched old La Liga games, still marvel at the Flea's skill

steam, shave, sauna (briefly)

14:08 84.6 on gym scale, completely inaccurate since they installed new carpet but could be consistently inconsistent over next 30 days (useful)

14:11 apple

14:16 E3 to office

14:20 75g beef tenderloin, 175g lightly steamed broc caul, one boiled egg, one bottle chrysth. tea (unsweetened)

Grace moved offices, closer to Ernest, will see less of her? One of the few people I will say bye to when I finally quit.

18:08 75g beef tenderloin, 175g lightly steamed broc caul, half a boiled egg, several slices of goose (HK diner), handful of almonds, a pickle, some eggplant, large slice watermelon, cup of raspberry yoghurt

19:25 bottle of chrysth tea

21:48 bowel movement (BM)

22:09 handful of almonds as tum tum feels empty at beddy

First week is always easiest for these challenges. Easy to maintain discipline and enthusiasm, see quick results.  Week two harder and week three a real trial as jonesing for booze, Cheetos and other carnal delights hits a peak and little progress in registered.

Movies Watched -- The East

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Not bad ... Gen Y / Millennial thing ... eco/corporate-"terrorists" and a mole ... token black guy and fat girl (also the computer nerd, kill two birds with one stone) and maybe even a Latino in the group, just to get that Sesame Street-like balance. Everyone else is beautiful so don't worry. Juno girl in there.  Had that Martha Marcy May vibe at points.  Ridley Scott a producer.  Not on my radar since only 68% Fresh at RT, but came across it on some other list.  Wasn't too thrilled with the ending, but as I say, not badly done.  Too long at 1 hr 56 mins. 

Annual Rowing Goal Met

Added on by C. Maoxian.

Every day I try to row 4,000 meters (slowly), it's a sort of meditative thing. I have a rowing machine in my study which is over 15 years old now, I think... still rock-solid, the Concept II.  

 In January I had the flu (despite having a flu shot) and missed over eight days which I had to make up in subsequent months.  In May we traveled somewhere and I didn't plan ahead.

Anyway, 1,460,000 meters rowed in the last year, right on schedule.

Sep. 2013: 120,000

Oct. 2013: 124,000

Nov. 2013: 120,000

Dec. 2013: 124,000

Jan. 2014: 90,000

Feb. 2014: 130,000

Mar. 2014: 140,000

Apr. 2014: 120,000

May 2014: 109,690

Jun. 2014: 134,310

Jul. 2014: 124,000

Aug. 2014: 124,000

Rap Tap on Wood

Added on by C. Maoxian.

From Born to Dance ... 1936 ... original title of the movie was Great Guns. Has one of my favorite verses (so many I love from Cole Porter though):

When ev'ry meal you take
Is made of milk and honey,
When ev'ry stock you stake
Is making mints of money,
When ev'ry heart you break
Is such a cinch, it's funny,
Careful, sonny,
Rap-tap, rap-tap, rap-tap-tap, rap-a-tap-tap....
Ra-ap tap on wood

Other songs in the musical that I enjoy include Love Me, Love My Pekingese ("'Spite of your antipathies") and I've Got You Under My Skin (best version done by old Blue Eyes many years later).

List of Stock Exchanges and Dark Pools

Added on by C. Maoxian.

List of US Stock Exchanges:

List of Dark Pools:

Independent dark pools

Broker-dealer-owned dark pools

Consortium-owned dark pools

  • BIDS Trading - BIDS ATS
  • LeveL ATS

Exchange-owned dark pools

Other dark pools

Dark pool aggregators

  • Fidessa - Spotlight
  • Bloomberg Tradebook
  • SuperX+ – Deutsche Bank
  • ASOR – Quod Financial
  • Progress Apama
  • ONEPIPE – Weeden & Co. & Pragma Financial
  • Xasax Corporation
  • Crossfire – Credit Agricole Cheuvreux