Sunday, March 30, 2008
For those who find it hard to believe. It is true, I've been in Singapore for the weekend to celebrate my parents wedding anniversary. The responses I got back here were all the same really. Hand shake, followed by when are you going back, and when they find out that its sunday morning, it's always wow so fast. I was just thinking last night, I spent less than 48hours in Singapore. I know people are wondering why I didn't come back earlier since it was a week of easter break. To be honest, I don't really know why I didn't do that either.
Last nights dinner was good, the programme was great. Maybe one day if I ever get the video of the thing I'll let those interested see. I too am interested in finding out how my little speech went. The affair was well, grand? Very wedding like. My mum had this whole silver theme picked out, and my brother and I were supposed to fit the theme as well. I was to wear a grey shirt, and my brother a silver tie. However, unaware of course, I found the grey shirt too big, so I wore another shirt I bought during easter, and my brother found his silver tie too big, so he wore my brown tie. It wasn't so obvious that we didn't fit, but you could sort of tell if you looked hard enough.
Highlight of the trip, however, wasn't the dinner as grand as it was. It was the lovely cab ride I had on the way to the airport. The uncle was rattling on about how only the rich can survive in Singapore, how the compulsory annuity passed by the government didn't benefit him, and how increased competition in the cab industry has reduced his income by about half. Of course, I had to hold back from explaining to him the reasons for the annuities, and its benefits, from how increased competition benefited everyone as a society, and how being rich is not the only way to survive in Singapore. It also didn't help that all this happened in Chinese. I'll be honest I didn't understand him word for word, but I kind of managed to follow as he changed subjects. Impressed myself really to be able to converse with him in Chinese. Looks like I'm not that abd after all.
OK, final call for my flight. See you all in Melbourne.
Dan
11:53 am
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
What's with commisioning ball dinners? If you ask me they have become too highly overrated and should be abolished totally. What makes officers so much better and more dignified from the rest of the men in the army? The training they went through? Their rank? Their higher salary? And it's not just the guys who go crazy over these balls, the girls go gaga as well, awaiting their day to be asked to the comms ball, like some fairy tale, where a pumpkin carriage pulled by white horses will carry them in their gowns and glass shoes. Of course my opinion might probably be different if I had gone to OCS, but I didn't. Rach of course would have had many friends who went.
Rach: He bought her a golden necklace!
Me: So what? It's not like you can buy love, how can you buy love?
Rach: It's the thought that counts.
Me: I'm thinking of buying you a diamond ring now.
Dan
11:31 pm
Monday, March 24, 2008
Belgrave was great as usual. Fun games, a good get away from the stresses of the world, not to mention the great speakers. Now I have to adjust back to study life, and catch up on my readings for school =(
One of the things I learnt at the convention was that self-pity is a dangerous thing, and if we find ourselves in it we should immediately repent, than to continue in its self-centered path. What is self-pity? Feeling sorry for ourself. Like some form of injustice had been committed against us. What then about feeling angry at yourself? Self-anger if you will.
Dan
7:03 pm
Friday, March 21, 2008
These last few days have been quite hectic, rushing for meetings, making phone calls, replying smses, emails, updating lists, all whilst doing assignments, readings for lectures, tutorial work just to keep pace with school. Only comfort is that I'm not totally lost in any of the subjects yet, though I can feel it coming soon. But I also know that at the end of it all, I'll find my way back like all other students to get the grades I need. It's just the intermediate feeling of uncertainty that sucks.
On the bright side, easter is coming, and I'll be at Belgrave Heights once again to attend the convention there. Planned it this year, and I had to constantly remind myself of something my instructor said to me in SISPEC, Daniel, as the leader you don't have to do everything, you just have to know everything. Guess doing and knowing is very different, doing is less stressful, you feel more in control. But like friend Joey would say, "Knowledge is a tricky thing." (From the episode where Ross kissed Chandler's mum.)
See you all on Monday
Dan
1:10 am
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
It's really great studying commerce. Actually, to be precise, it's really great studying economics and finance at a university level, because it always involves real world situations. To some extent at least. Drawing all the conclusions, seeing how things from subprime mortgages link all the way to increasing oil prices in Singapore. But I guess understanding why prices rise, and knowing that it will happen, does not mean as economists we're fine with it. But what can we do but let prices rise? We always preach that markets are the best thing in the world.
Recognition is so highly regarded in society today that if we fail to be recognised for our works, we feel like we have been cheated, robbed of the effort we put into achieving success. Yet Matt6:3-4"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Dan
3:39 pm
Monday, March 17, 2008
Star light; star bright,
first star I see tonight,
I wish I may; I wish I might,
have the wish I wish tonight.
If you had one wish what would you wish for?
I would wish I knew what to do. So that my blog would not have to be some cryptic message for you to read, and others to try and crack.
Moomba festival was great. Almost forgot about it this year.
I'm sorry.
Dan
1:09 pm
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Easter is just around the corner!!! It's all so fast. I'm glad though that I've been able to follow well during my lectures. I think it's the first time... ever. It's still summer here, and the heat is unbearable. It's worse than Singapore. Today it was in the high 30's, tomorrow the forecast is for 40!!! And my apartment doesn't have a fan or an air con. On the bright side, forecast is that next thursday it'll be 21 max, so I hope they didn't get that wrong. The heat is just giving headaches.
Got scolded in lecture today. No, not just me, the entire lecture, because apparently some students complained that too much noise was being made during lecture, so we were scolded. Actually, we were first posed with a economic problem of incentive. What would be a proper incentive so that people would stop talking during class, and that people who wanted to listen would ask those who were talking to stop. Of course she being the econometrist would of course already have the answer, just like I did while we were being scolded. No more lecture notes.
God bless us all.
Dan
9:48 pm
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
It's only the second week of school, but it feels like it has been like a month. I think it has to do in part with the sudden load of information to take in on all fronts, school, OCF. I have my first assignment due next Thursday!! I know I've mentioned this already, but I still can't believe its all happening so fast.
Tutorials started this week, and I had my first econs and finance tute. For starters, my econs tutor is super super super (and for lack of a better word) fat. He is so fat that when his whiteboard marker cap dropped to the floor, I had my doubts if he could bend down to pick it up. I know very mean, but its a possibility. But he is a fine example that we should not judge a book by its cover as he has a Masters in Finance!!! He has a knack for explaining things clearly, and succinctly too. I guess I do appreciate him as my tutor, but I'm going to take some time to get over his size... if I have enough time... He's huge!!! Ok moving on...
My finance tute was very quiet, but I did learn something during the introduction. China people are only interested in making money. We were asked why we chose IPF, and the only 2 china people in my tute said because they want to make money, and they believe the subject will help. Ok, so it's a biased conclusion, but I wasn't the only one who came to that conclusion. My sad tutor picked up on it as well.
Sad not by any means of his own I should add. Apparently no tutorial participation marks are given out, so why should people bother to go for finance tutorials right? There is nothing he can do. Well, he doesn't care that he can't do anything, but my lecturer finds that not posting the answers to the tutorial questions is a strong enough motivation to go for tutorials. Boy was he shocked when technology hit him in the face, and students started using their camera phones to take picture of the answers and lend it to their friends, why bother scramble to copy furiously when u can just click a button right? So, guess what? No mobile phones allowed, and more specifically, no photo taking of any kind in class... yes I told you its sad.
Dan
4:49 pm
Monday, March 10, 2008
We always complain life is so hard, so complicated, and I used to think so too, and we turn to God and ask him why?? But after studying Matthew 5, I think that if I were God, I would be baffled by my why question, not that God can be baffled. Life has been made so simple for us, but we screw it up ourselves. Then in our process of trying to untie our first knot in life, we tie another and another. Perhaps thats why coming to Melbourne to study has been a real refresher in years. Being able to start all over again. God knows how many knots I've made in Singapore. So my challenge for this week?
"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
Matt 5:37
In a world where swearing can be used as a punctuation in sentences, I have to ask, really, why can't we just say no? Why must it be damn, or crap, or shit, or something worse?
Dan
9:44 am
Sunday, March 09, 2008
I was going to load pictures of my room, but its super slow. I'm inclined to blame the internet system at college squares, but who knows? Maybe it's a Mac problem. Anyway, I'll try to do my best with words. My room is neat.
I went to Ikea the other day, and it was fascinating. They had a whole range of stuff (duh!), but some pretty random too. Just made me feel like throwing everything in my apartment and getting whole new DIY stuff. So what did I get? I got stuff for my cupboard, very space saving, so now my floor is not so cluttered. I also got myself a couple of cushions, which are so nice, I think I might use them as pillows for awhile. The best part of it all? They were all cheap. I think next time when I have to furnish my first home I'm going to be Ikea's best customer. Speaking of which, I think they should invest and build an Ikea hotel, where everything in it is made by Ikea, how cool will that be? And I hear that their cafes are famous, so that can be the dine in hotel bar or something.
Second week of school coming up, and I've been quite on track I must say. Tutes being done, lecture notes being printed, readings pretty much on track. I just hope that it continues to keep up. I can just feel the time where I'll be slacking behind coming really soon. My first assignment is due next thursday!! And I've no idea what it's about still... so much for being in track huh??
Dan
10:04 pm
Thursday, March 06, 2008
First week of school is coming to a close. It's been great so far. IPF reminds me vaguely of management 101 last year, which isn't good, because I never did like that subject. Though on the bright side, I'll be studying something much more interesting that management...I hope. Also, my micro lecturer is also my lecturer for Econs of the Environment, and tutor for that subject too, because the lecture size for that subject is like 40 to 50 people?? I know!! Very small. I was commenting that it'd just be a matter of time before he knows all our names, and since he lectures micro as well, no way am I going to sit near the front during lecture and risk being singled out to answer. Not because I don't like answering, but it's just super paiseh if I don't know the answer.
I finally managed to download the driver for my printer, so now all the appliances in my new apartment is working, which reminds, I should take photos of my new, NEAT apartment. Been brooding over whether to buy textbooks or not. I've already succumbed to buying IPF, seeing as how close it is to management, I think I would need all the help I can get. If anybody knows of cheap textbooks, let me know!!! Somehow nobody seems to want to sell second hand this year...or maybe its just a year 2 thing.
Dan
1:51 pm
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
I've landed safely for all who are concerned!!! Started class the very day I landed. I know, crazy, very rush, but I think its been fun so far. A bit weird attending lectures, but I think I'll get used to it. I learnt one of three things in the last couple of days at lectures, one, I'm a genius and I remember everything in first year, or two I had my knowledge stored up so well that a little stir and it came back, or three, God is so good that I did not get lost in lecture. I reckon its a no brainer there.
I got a new apartment too, and its awesome. I think much bigger than my previous crummy apartment last year. I will put pictures up soon, and this time I won't have to stand in one spot and turn in a circle, if you get what I mean. I'm quite proud of my apartment too... very neat.
First mac-related problem that I've encountered. I'm trying to find the driver for my printer... otherwise I can't print my notes!!! And I'm thinking if I should buy textbooks this year, or settle for just photocopying the relevant chapters. Of course the former will be a lot more convenient, and give me a sense of security, but the latter will save so much more money. HOW???
Dan
2:56 pm
Saturday, March 01, 2008
I've started my packing, and it's been quite exciting, knowing that I'll be starting school soon!!! I can't wait. I was on the bus and I was watching TV Mobile, and there was an interview from some economist in America, commenting on the current economic situation in the states. The feeling I got inside me just hearing him voice his views about the economy... it was so... I can't find the right word to express that feeling. I can't wait to go back to listen to my lecturer, and form my own ideas in my head. But back to packing, it's been a craze. Somehow I have more stuff to bring back than I brought here. But needless to say my packing skills have been so good I've been able to squeeze it all in!! And to cap off this entry, want to hear something funny??
My parents thought my flight was on sunday afternoon (it's sunday night), so they made preparations for dinner to arrange their wedding anniversary. Which means... they won't be at the airport to send me off!!! Classic huh??
Dan
3:46 am