Saturday, October 30, 2010
I feel like I'm having a words drought. The ideas and arguments can form in my head, but the words just won't flow. Maybe I have a words quota every year, and the 10000 word thesis just pushed me past my limit. Much like how the internet plans work in Australia, which sucks by the way.
I don't even have the words to finish this post.
Oh, I just realised that I didn't mention why I need more words. I have a 5000 word research essay due ):
Dan
11:16 pm
Friday, October 29, 2010
Theory and Application. Many people argue that the two go hand in hand, and whilst I think that that is quite true, I feel that a good majority of people will always lean toward one more than the other.
Personally, I've always felt that I've had a stronger inclination towards theory. It's neat, at times simplistic, and you can assume anything. Theory can take on any situation and analyse it to get some result. And while in university, I think that leaning towards theory has served me well. But as I embark onto the next phase in life, I start to wonder whether I should abandon my support for theory and focus on application.
Application is what the world is built on because people want to know what works. Who has the time to sit and think up new theories everyday, or alter existing theories? Application is realistic, and I guess that is what matters. Putting ideas into practice.
Dan
1:36 pm
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The final week of the semester is coming to its close, and as much as I look forward to days without any school, I cannot help but look back and wonder if this will mark the end of thought-provoking days. It's strange how we strive for the end, and at the end we yearn for the beginning. But coming to the end of this course I have gained invaluable insight, which I've now realised.
A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience. - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Dan
10:19 am
Monday, October 25, 2010
Continuing on the topic of love and marriage (no idea why!!), I found this quote from Francis Schaeffer. I was going to put up a short biblio about him, but I figure you can just do that on wikipedia right?
There is no place for love in a totally closed cause and effect system. - Francis Schaeffer
Economist by training, I've come to appreciate both the benefits of assumptions and the flaws it produces. One of the key elements to being a good economist (I feel), is to know what assumptions to apply, and when to apply them. Over the years, I've noticed the change in my speech patterns as a result of my education. Good or bad, I'll let those I socialise with decide, but I think that all of us cannot deny that what we study, what we think is important and therefore worth paying so much to study, will eventually shape the way we think, and maybe even shape how we perceive the things around us.
Such is the double-edged sword of education. It can open our eyes to the things unseen, and at the same time close them to the things right in front of us.
Dan
4:02 pm
Sunday, October 24, 2010
"You do not marry the one you love, but you love the one you marry"
This quote divides many people into two broad schools of thought.
When I first heard this saying I felt sadness and pity for the one who said it. Why should anyone not marry the one they love? It feels like one party is being forced to be with another without any choice. Marriage is a life long commitment, and should not be taken lightly. If you end up having to love the one you marry, then it seems to suggest that you did not give much thought to the level of commitment that is involved, and now you are living in regret.
But is such a view too impulsive? Is there more to this saying than what meets the eye? Everyone in a committed relationship will know that nobody is perfect, and everybody will have their flaws. Baggage if you will, that slowly comes to the surface with time. Nobody really knows that the full extent of the baggage is, and maybe nobody will ever be fully aware in their lifetime, but is this saying that true love is greater than any baggage? Suddenly, I feel respect for the one who said it.
Do I agree with this saying? I'm not sure. We all wish that it said you marry the one you love, and you love the one you married. Perhaps the original quote maps reality better, perhaps ideals are dreams in imagination, perhaps some find the pleasure of living a dream in reality. But what I am sure of right now is that I should stop dreaming of a reality, and start preparing for my presentation on Tuesday.
Dan
4:59 pm
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
It's been a long time since I've read an article in the Straits Times that has captured my interest. Now I'd like to first point out that I'm not laughing at this lady's misfortune, but exclaiming at the doctor's HUGE error. And what error did they make? They amputated the wrong leg!!! I can't imagine what the doctors were thinking after they realised their mistake, and worst still, how they broke the news to the lady! Though I think she would have realised it herself. Of course, the problem still had to be fixed, and the lady went to another hospital to get the job done. And here's the funny bit in the article. It ends with this "The elderly woman finally had the correct limb amputated in a second operation a few days later." Like the doctors could get it wrong a second time round.
Dan
12:21 am
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Commonwealth Games is here! I know I'm Singaporean, but there is some thrill in watching and supporting Australia. I can still remember my very first year in Melbourne back in 2004. It was the first time I watched Australia in action, and opened my eyes to a whole variety of other sports like rowing and cycling, one of the two which I've developed an interest in watching.
But back to the Commonwealth Games, I was watching swimming yesterday and guess who I saw in lane 8 of the men's 200m relay! SINGAPORE!!! It's sad that my first instinct was let's not get last (of course we did get last), but when you look at the timings we came in 3m30s, just 23s behind the winning team (3m13s). That doesn't sound as bad as last does it?
Sigh... When will Singapore ever excel at sports.
Dan
2:04 pm
Monday, October 04, 2010
The break is over! It was so quick. Trips were great, work could have been better, but more importantly, I think I learnt more about the importance of social skills.
I was doing some counting the other day, and I realised that in about 2 weeks I'll have to submit my thesis, and after that another 4 weeks and it's the exams! I don't know why I'm so surprised. I guess being able to finally see the end is starting to set in. But it's not setting in in a good way. I get this feeling like I want to just stop studying! I attribute it to constantly getting stuck in the writing of my thesis. I wish I had a way with words such that they would just flow. Every time I sit down to type it's only a few hundred words. How hard is it to put thoughts into words!!
Anyway, I'm done for the day. Got to drag myself to school again tomorrow ):
Dan
1:18 am