Recently, the 18th annual retreat of the Quantum Investors Society (QIS) was held at the Shigar Fort Residence in Pakistan, by far the most exotic locale every chosen by the group. As you may already know, the QIS is a society of professional investors and prime brokerage managers who use different forms of Investment Wave Theory (IWT) as the basis for trading. IWT was developed as an offshoot of the Schrodinger equation of 1921; in essence, eigenvalues are derived for different investment scenarios. The QIS chose the Shigar Fort Residence out of a spirit of adventure and exploration coupled with luxurious opulence that underlies the core principles of the society.
The retreat was attended by 15 intrepid souls with various degrees in mathematics, physics and finance. This year’s chairman, Jarrod Smolensky, is a PhD from MIT and runs a hedge fund, investing with two other partners. On the first day, all 15 attendees gathered in the main boardroom in the second level of the Old House for the opening breakfast meeting. This set the tone for the next three days of meetings, all of which were catered by the hotel restaurant. A traditional Pakistani breakfast, called Nashta, was offered to the delight of all in attendance. In Pakistan, breakfast is often the heaviest meal of the day, though in truth the rather corpulent group of investors that make up the QIS never opted for anything approaching a light meal during their entire retreat.
In any event, the breakfast kicked off with a serving of halva puri, which is actually a mix of halva, which is sweet, and aloo cholay, which is spicy. Of course, no Pakistani breakfast feast would be complete without egg khagina, which is best described as a cross between scrambled eggs and a vegetable omelet. No toast here – the bread served included roti and paratha. Then, the QIS was introduced to Siri paya, a brain stew which on this occasion featured a mix of cow and goat brain. Of course, the delegates were not told of the ingredients until after breakfast was finished, at which point all 15 rose in unison and erupted into spontaneous applause.
Lassi and tea were the drinks of choice. Lassi is a yogurt milkshake that is sweet and delicious. The three vegan delegates dove into the hot rusks served with fresh orange juice in what was to become a daily ritual of dining on twice-cooked biscuits.
At the concluding address given by Dr. Smolensky, he generously praised the catering offered by the Shigar Fort Resort, and announced that the next year’s meeting will be held once again at this delightful resort.