My year ends!

As they say, $AAPL whiffed - it delivered mediocre performance against popular metrics, though its cash pile is growing at a steady clip - so whether the stock recovers or not, over the this final quarter that I have bet on, I'll be looking for jobs after a few more hours of sleep.

$AAPL cash and equivalents

Last year was a complicated year, but I am glad that amidst miscellaneous trauma, I managed to implement key priorities. Got a few months of studying done, set up the flat I'm now in (hopefully for good), killed off last bits of filial distraction, and managed to do it all without going into any serious debt.

Pretty much wiped out all my cash and equity though. That's the maximum risk I've been willing to take - but it hasn't really gotten there yet. Getting a job now is still just a precaution. Perhaps I don't value / challenge myself enough financially, and that is why my performance is mediocre / poor. As stress built up in other areas, I had severely deprioritised micro-management of investments in favour of a naked long-term position. I also trashed a so-called non-relationship that was just returning less and less on resources, and that is sad, but such is life. Besides that and entertaining the mother for 15 months, the most stressful bits were chasing lawyers (more of that to come), and chasing an ex-employer on statutory fulfilments.

As much as these are all wonderful people, I have been hugely relieved to be done with these particular scopes of interaction.

It's really hard to not-understand a new language that you're learning, or its environmental context, among other vaguely-understood subjects that are being studied under a broader plan, while needing to frequently explain yourself to (and anticipate the needs) of a partner, while trying to figure out where the resourcing leaks are in the relationship, while needing to frequently delete everything you hear your housemate-parent say because it gets stuck in your head without intrinsic value-add, while your investment portfolio is crashing, while sandbagging finances for a flat that refuses to transact, while you are intentionally jobless. Hey, but I tried. It was fun. It turns out that I'm much, much, better at active asset management than picking what to buy and hold. Losses happen. This time, still within preplanned limits, albeit extreme ones. One day, you die.

Moving on! Up next, I wonder what the decade will bring. I am excited. But first, as promised, forty winks.

$aapl PE 2x less than $csco etc. let's wait another quarter. Bunker up! Nonchalance, stupidity, and desperation, are each sufficient causes for bravery. I often wonder if I am more the first, or the second. What I've learnt from trading $aapl for 9 months : my market intuition is way better than my product intuition, is way better than my intuition of fundamental growth potential due to a company's internal team (viewing it from outside).

2012-02-27: The one thing that keeps coming back to me about the past two years: don't wait for fools. Cut them off, fast. Even family. Otherwise sloth ensues.