Week 14 – Day 98 – Sunday

Lot to think about today about my future and what I want to do in the financial industry.

I went to go look at some Toll Brothers homes for no reason with my mother and father.  Needless to say, they were amazing homes.

Week 13 – Day 91 – Superbowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday!  One of the unofficial holidays in the United States.

I went to Philly with a few people to see it on a big projection screen at my friend’s apartment in the city.

Drinking, eating, smoking, it’s all good.  I miss times like this, where you feel like you have no responsibilities.

What a game huh?  Holy shit, things turned around for the Saints.

Week 11 – Day 77 – Sunday

I think the tailored suit, shirt, tie look is coming back in vogue, if it hasn’t already been.  More and more “slim-fit” lines are being offered.

I’m wondering if I should go bespoke for dress shirts.  There’s nothing more annoying in clothing than having a shirt billow out like a tent or finding out that a “slim-fit” is basically the same boxy American cut.  Most shirts seem to come in one size.  Big Mac.  Tailored clothing in America basically means altering something on a shirt rather than starting from scratch.

I figure if I’m spending $200 on a shirt, I might as well just go the extra mile and go bespoke.  The fit of that Thomas Pink “slim-fit” french cuffed shirt I bought was borderline comical after I checked it out again at home.  If the slim fit shirts aren’t that slim, who the fuck would wear the traditional fit shirts?  I think most Wall Streeters are in shape, so I’m not sure why it’s okay to still have these shirts billow out like a tent.   That look was ok in the 90s.  Now it’s all about the fitted clothes.  Two of the best off the rack fitted shirts I’ve gotten have been a shirt from Thomas Mason from J.Crew and a shirt from Bloomingdale’s The Men’s Store.  The cotton still feels great after you wash it and not like sandpaper or ricepaper.  They cost 3x more than a typical Macy’s brand shirt, but they’re worth so much more.

I like Thomas Pink.  All their stuff just goes really well together for a flashy Wall St ensemble even if it doesn’t fit me perfectly off the rack.  I have one of their ties and it looks incredible.

I like their Prestige line of fabrics.  $275 to start with bespoke, but I’m sure Prestige will be over $300.  Probably overpriced but the only other places with the same pop sells shirts for even more.  Pink is like Tag Heuer in a way.

I don’t feel like I’ve earned my place to wear made-to-measure clothing yet.  Maybe I’ll just start out with one really good shirt.

Week 10 – Day 70 off Wall Street – Sunday

I have been playing C&C Red Alert 3, and I’ve been carpet bombing communists all day long.  Long live capitalism.

Not perfect but the only system with the power to drive creativity, opportunities, personal economic growth, and success.

“What kind of society isn’t structured on greed? The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm; capitalism is that kind of a system.” — Milton Friedman

Week 9 – Day 63 off Wall Street – Sunday

It was my sister’s birthday today.  We went to Mediterra in Princeton, NJ -> http://www.terramomo.com/rest_mediterra.php

Absolutely fantastic tender beef short ribs.  When I’m rich, I’ll be ordering this shit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Week 8 – Day 56 off Wall Street – Sunday

I stopped by my grandparents’ home in NJ because some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins were in town from various places; one family coming from Boston, the other coming from California.  There’s also my in-state aunts, uncles, and cousins…  Hmmm, my related family is much bigger than I thought.

Three of my cousins are half-asian, all of them boys.  They like the same things I liked as a kid, which would mainly be videogames and cars, ohh and animals.  I miss the days of being a kid; those days where you were secure in the fact that things are just as they should be and that they would always stay that way.

One of them thought I was rich because he saw the diamonds on my watch.  He likes Ferraris!  I laughed and told him not yet.  If he only knew what I was trying to accomplish…

Week 7 – Day 49 off Wall Street – Sunday

We live by the Golden Rule.  Those who have the gold make the rules.

Money is the problem and the solution, and money often costs too much.

Week 6 – Day 42 off Wall Street – Sunday

Snowed in.  Spent mad money online shopping.  Studied all day.

Week 5 – Day 35 off Wall Street – Sunday

What the hell happened last night?

I was with some friends at a pizzeria on Rutgers campus, and we almost got into a fight with two shitty looking white kids.  They were throwing racial slurs, and my buddy challenged them to call the black guy outside a “nigger”.  The other two girls in my group started to berate him.  Then I’m not sure what happened as I was sitting far away from my friends, but somehow it escalated into some guy getting really close up to my friend and doing the “wanna fight” stare.  He then followed my friends out as they were leaving.

I was sitting there just taking in the scene, because I wasn’t sure I believed what I was seeing.  This skinny white kid wanted to fight us alone?  Are you kidding me lol?  Guys have huge egos, and don’t like to be embarassed.  They’ll jump into situations where they don’t know what the hell they’re getting into.  When they get fucked up, that’s when they learn that the real world isn’t like high school.

In high school, you get into a little scuffle and someone gets a black eye or a broken nose at worst.  In the real world, you can get shot, you can get stabbed, you can get put in a hospital or a wheelchair for life.  A few weeks ago, I heard about some guy getting killed by a knife while riding the subway in New York because there was an argument over a seat.  A fuckin’ seat.  You never know when someone is armed or if they’re willing to take it all the way.  If you start a fight, you better be ready to finish it and accept whatever the consequences are.  Defending yourself is an entirely different matter.

Obviously, I couldn’t let something happen so I jumped off the stool I was sitting on, sighed, ripped the front door open and slammed it against the wall, said “God fucking damn it”, then I walked outside.  Ultimately nothing happened, and I’ll just leave the description at that.

If this was two months ago, the gym fueled rage would have come out.  Now I have too much responsibility and a goal to reach, so I have to just avoid getting into petty fights which could end up getting ugly.  They are lose-lose situations.  Once you’re a rich broker, this kind of stuff is usually handled by an entourage and a snap of your fingers.

Week 4 – Day 28 off Wall Street – Sunday!

I finally got a decent amount of sleep today.  Around noon, I went over to Manhattan to see an apartment complex on Albany Street, not very large, only 9 floors.  The 9th floor apartment was very nice though, a spacious 1br with a completely modified kitchen and decent views.

Afterwards, I went to go check out places at 77 Hudson, the brand new luxury high-rise across the Hudson river in Jersey City.  This tower is right across from 70 Greene, a similar luxury high-rise but with rental residences only.  Both towers share the same common outdoor area, garage, and base.  Both towers are sheathed entirely in glass so every unit is bright and airy.

77 Hudson and 70 Greene

The views in this tower are spectacular in all directions.  The amenities are top notch with .  The interior design is insane with beautiful European finishes, textures, and layouts.  Every single unit in this high-rise is incredibly luxurious, like living in an ultra modern hotel.  Prices range from high $300k to over a $1 million.

http://www.77hudson.com/