This the season to be Jolly. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Well, albeit too early for the season, Thanksgiving is just moments away.

Never celebrated Thanksgiving in my life, and this is a first for me. Feeling a bit weird-ed out because of the whole festivity. Its really affecting me being all away and family-less here.

But a friend once said, that only I can choose my Happiness, for which I will choose.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends.

pss: I'm Thankful that I have the opportunity to be here, in New York, family-less :P

John

Just when I rant out my frustrations, I am reminded of how the only person that affect the way I feel about life is Me. The only person who truly can make me happy is only Me, and I can always choose to see things in a different way. Determining my true focus and taking ownership of my decisions is a key to this Happiness.

I am further reminded to be Proactive and actively search for greater heights and never limiting myself. I was just telling you of how "helpless" I felt being in a foreign land with disadvantages and obstacles ahead of me, but truly, they were all just illusions. Illusions in my head, put there to hinder the Dream ahead. Illusions that periodically blind me in times of darkness. But I will always be reminded that these, are just Illusions. A false idea. A deception. Only pressed to destroy the weak. But I am not weak. And I will thrive above this challenge. If I start filling my Circle of Influence with responsible actions, then I am, at the end of the day, responsible for my own effectiveness, my own happiness and ultimately, for most of my circumstances. I say here most of my circumstances because some circumstances are without a doubt, permanent eg: I am, Chinese LOL. But having said all these, I believe it is important to know that WE, ourselves, is ultimately responsible or "response-able" to our own effectiveness.

Its time to step up and take responsibility for my own choices and not blame others for it. It is a trap to go into the blaming, accusing mode. Work on things you have control over, work on You. I like this saying to "look at the weaknesses of others with compassion, not accusation. Its not what they're not doing or should be doing thats the issue. The issue is your own chosen response to the situation and what you should be doing about it". Its about time to stop pointing the finger to say the problem is "out there". The problem isn't "in here" either, but that very thought is just very dangerous.

Tonight, I also began to realize how much of a opinionated person that I am. I don't know how many people I have worked with realized this or have even told me. I was watching an episode of the Apprentice where a 'dictating leader' was fired because she thought she had it all and dictated every step, even till her loss. I somewhat felt that I had that kind of leadership style as well. I didn't listen too much to others and often thought my ideas were there best (but in fact, most of the time they are :/ ) Haha. But the point is, its time to listen to what others have got to say. I am, just human. And I apologize here tonight, if I had ever offended anyone along the way if I was too strong headed or offensive

Today was a good one. We were down on Wall Street for a visit to the Bank of New York Mellon, the largest Asset Management Bank in the whole of United States. We were at the headquarters and had lunch with the current CFO, Thomas "Todd" Gibbons in the Boardroom. I told the the Finance Society's President, Anton, that these trips were the kind that inspired Dreams, and it sparked that flame in me. Mr Gibbons told us, that he aspired to be a CFO when he was in college when he first opened a Finance Textbook and read the page where it described the role of a CFO and he told himself "I want to be a CFO". And there I was, sitting on the Boardroom chair and said to myself "I like this. I want to be a CFO too". Today, a Dream is birthed.

CFO John Lim? :)
My Bloomberg Terminal :)

Blistering through the storm. Scurrying through the thick fog.

Looking through for a clear path amidst the dark smog.

Sometimes I wonder how'd I got so caught up in myself to get this far. It ain't a bad thing, but it ain't an easy thing to do either. I'm in this place thats so foreign to anyone I know. No one has ever been here to tell me stories of how they fought through the rain, of how they victoriously won the battles, of how they rose high and above the rest. No one. Yes, if you're asking me, I do feel dumbfounded sometimes at how I never fail to amaze myself everyday. Just fighting for my happiness. I've never allowed anything to let me down or tear me apart or to tell me no. Where'd this determination came from you ask? I really can't say. I guess it came from all the strive I had to survive from. I'd must admit I never came from a preppy home/background or white collared privileged white boy who schooled in the greatest schools, robed in the finest Kashmir.

Growing up, I guess I developed this sense of "I must just do more/above average than others to just make it pass that mark". I came to understand that I had to work harder, I had to be better. I had to prove something to myself just to be "like others". Don't get me wrong here, I'm not complaining nor am I comparing, but I just knew I had MORE to do.

Coming here made me realize how much and bad I really want "it". "It" you ask? Yes, IT. Its hard. I'm gonna name a few things now that may sound controversial or unfair or just plain ignorant, but I'm just gonna do it anyway because I am entitled free speech and a fair opinion of my own. Coming here I'd realize how much "background" and "status" matters. This has just further enforced my fight for success. The Asian, totally UN-filthy-ly rich, petite, baby-faced kid has arrived and he ain't planning to move.

I think about it all the time. If I was born here, I was sure I'd be in an Ivy League now. Truly, the weight American Companies put on your education is just heavy. Every other Ivy alumni is practically just monopolizing the Big Four, Silicon valley's galore of multi-billion giant companies. Google, Facebook, Oracle, Microsoft for instance, are just filled with Yale, Brown, UCLA, and Columbia graduates. Everyone is just practically classmates. And the little boy who hails from Adelphi wants to play with the big boys. I've been trying to get my hands dirty with some of the networking events with JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs to realize that "due to overwhelming response", God knows who they'd pick them from. No need to mention names here, but we all know who got in dont we?

Ladies and Gentleman, I really hope you don't get me wrong here. All I am saying here is that though fo the most of you who will or are reading my blog right now don't hail from Yale, Harvard, Columbia or even NYU, need not fret or belittle yourself, because I am definitely NOT belittling my ownself! The purpose of this post is to encourage you out there, that it isn't impossible to fight for your happiness! Trust me! Hardworking, positive thinking and smart people do make it somewhere! Follow my little stories and you'll see how my life turns out. Though I may not hail from such prestigious preppy institutions, Adelphi has been bringing me to greater heights and allowing opportunities in different ways. This weekend I have an appointment with the CFO of Bank of New York Mellon's where I will meet him in the headquarters on Wall Street.

I'm optimistic and you should always be too because you can never know what opportunities will pop your way. I've seen so many friends only bumping into the love of their life at 30 or sort, and hell, I'm ONLY 21!

Friends, Family, and guests, I urge you, don't ever give up your Dreams or Hopes because if you fight for it, you'll get it. Though you may not have the upper hand most of the times, be realistic, plan, prepare and attack. This is not a game for the weak, because there will always be losers on one end, and winners on the other, and if and unless you are sure to win, don't try ;P

I have always believe in the Power of Projection and Determination. So if you're not game for it, don't sign up honey :) And for the rest whos names are on the list, we're in for a ride!

Raise your glasses to this!

Love from New York,

John