Backyard Capitalist

Because Seduction has to be Flawless

2010-09-19T23:23:00.003+08:00

'nuff said.

Math

2010-08-16T14:01:00.002+08:00

And I'm wishing it'll happen sooner rather than later because it seems like I signed up for a graduate degree in mathematics instead of economics. In attempts to make themselves seem smarter, economists prefer to bamboozle everyone with pages and pages of math that don't mean anything to common folk, otherwise known as me.

Although I have to admit that I've gotten pretty well reacquainted with Calculus 101.

To be the Wunderkind

2010-07-16T22:45:00.004+08:00

Getting through the first week of classes is always a right pain in the arse but I did anyway and will continue to do so for the next 14 weeks. I admit that I was apprehensive about it all at first but everything and everyone thus far has been reasonably professional in the quality assurance department. While I wish that they were more standardized in their procedures (read: study materials), the lecturers know their stuff and are able to communicate them. That's what's important.

What perplexes me most though, is the number of texts per course. Up to five for one course. And to think how some undergrads stubbornly refuse to buy even one per course.

What vexes me is the math. It's a living nightmare. Brings back memories of 4-hour add.maths. practice sessions. Holymotherogod.

I wasn't kidding when I said this.

But I need to be the wunderkind so here I go!

Pro-Crastination

2010-07-08T22:01:00.002+08:00

I've got notes written everywhere.

I've got books randomly tossed around the room.
I've got papers, scattered all across the table.
I've got (mal)functioning stationery lying about.

But I haven't finished my paper.

And classes begin Monday night.

I'm a professional crastinator.

I propagate crastination.

Crud.

Lordy Lord!

2010-07-04T22:48:00.001+08:00

Am I the only one which finds this scary?

Baa!

2010-06-30T23:02:00.004+08:00

Oh... I'd like to move to a home
Where lots of sheep roam
And the sky is sunny all day

I can write papers here
And smile from right to left ear
When the editor says it's ok!

But I'm here. That's the problem.

Mooood

2010-06-29T22:22:00.003+08:00

Which very aptly explains why I haven't touched my article for two days now. You need to catch that buzz. Feel the warm glowing feeling inside you, saying "Now's the time to sit and write". And it's starting to really bug me since I really want to get it done before classes - mine and my students' - begin. The introductory talks begin this Friday so I'm really hoping to knock off another section tomorrow. I do wish that someone would invent a 'mood-colour' switch with certain settings which I can just turn on and off at whim. White, for inspiration. Blue for relaxation. Red, for a psyched mental-state. Purple, an inter-dimensional para-physical condition. Black, for sleeping.

Green, for Paris Hilton.

Grad School

2010-06-27T22:28:00.001+08:00

With all teaching commitments completed for this semester, I've got something else to look to this Friday.

Miracles

2010-06-26T22:26:00.002+08:00

Deedledum a'deedledee!

Sigh Sigh Sigh!

2010-06-24T21:38:00.005+08:00

When sales are in US dollars and the ringgit weakens against the US dollar, revenue in ringgit falls and therefore, the firm's ringgit profitability falls as the firm will receive less ringgit due to the depreciation.

*face palm*

Drought!

2010-06-13T21:57:00.007+08:00

Saturday night's dinner messed me up good. I haven't a clue what on earth's going on in my bowels but I've been laying siege to my chamberpot through rapid deployment of water bombs no less than ten times today.
This of course, has caused weakness to run through my entire system, productivity was shot and it's starting to really get at me. Not the lack of productivity no. At the rate at which I was moving, diarrhoea or not, I wouldn't have gotten much done. By choice. At least I did complete one section for my next publication.

How could I possibly slack off when everyone else I know has an assessment of sorts, one way or another. Although, realistically, I can. But the point is I didn't so.

Time to bail. I hear another air raid. And I'm gonna need some Mozart to calm the nerves.

Student Commentaries

2010-06-10T21:30:00.003+08:00

While my honest and hardworking students are working their socks off for their coming exams, I, on the other hand, am whiling my time away ~~doing absolutely nothing productive~~ working on another (yes another) article for publication. The first one, which took me more than 2 months to complete was sent to the editor for review last week (cue: applause) and I intend to get the current one in before I get kickin' on my masters, with classes, fyi, being held on most weeknights.

While most esteemed academics usually churn out a paper a year, I'm putting out two in half the time. Ambitious, but I can't help it seeing that for the next year and a half, I doubt I'd have time for anything else seeing that my students love me so and all (I believe) still wish to see me next semester. Don't scoff now. Read their comments below, completely unabridged.

1. Very supportive. Creative in his teaching style. Not boring. :P
2. Good explanation. Please check the tutorial question before start the tutorial (more on that later)
3. Calvin is an excellent tutor. It's indeed unbelievable that he just graduated. The tutorials are easy to understand and he's very informative. I did benefited a lot from his tutes. In conclusion, I'm glad that I chose him as my tutor. PS: more tips please :P Cheers =)
4. Dear Mr Calvin, u are a good teacher! your explanations are understandable, brief that make me easy to remember it. sorry I move the class from afternoon to noon. oftenly. :P. Thank u for ur understandability us as students. Haha. Keep up the good work!!
5. The tutorials conducted for the whole semester have been very fun, which is why I never skipped :) Thanks for being such a good tutor, and help me understand a lot for this terribly confusing subject. Well, just thanks Mr Calvin! Hope to see you again in future :)
6. Nothing to say. You are the best tutor ever I had. Thank you sir. Thank you for everything :) :) :)
7. One of the best & knowledgeable tutors I have so far met who made the class really interesting with his sense of humour. Also a very friendly person. All the best in everything you do.
8. Well, this will be easy, cuz as a tutor you are: cool. very cool. easy going. teach the students in simpler way. teach the most important question/topics and passed all the bulls*** things. the way you teach is easy to understand. you interacts with students is unbelievably amazing. you should be a lecturer one day. you know that I never enjoy any of my class before, beside this class cuz before, in X university, all students felt like they are family with the lecturer and tutor but in here this is the first time and maybe the last time I feel that in monash. so thanks a lot.
9. Please discuss more on theory question - sometime i got missed up when read it by myself. write a bit more properly in the white board. clearly understand enough when explaining with a few examples. let us know the exam hints!! or recommendation
10. your are good tutor, i learn so much as you give clear examples but sometime i lost track in calculation questions because you speak very fast and sometimes you did not write it on the whiteboard. please discuss more about the theory question. more exam hint please!
11. The teaching was very clear and understandable. All required materials were covered and presented in a way which I could understand. The tutorial was very interesting and the tutor was very interactive. The illustrations and examples provided a better understanding of the topics. Overall his teaching was very satisfactory. Thank you,.
12. First of all, I would like to thank Mr Calvin for being a wonderful tutor. His willingness towards teaching honestly keeps the class very enthusiastic and I always found it interesting. His explanation of every topic was very clear and easy to understand. He made use of a lot of practical examples which actually made it easy for me to remember the concepts. I was always able to consult him even outside consultation hours. Very understanding and interactive with the class. I enjoyed all his tutorial classes. THANK YOU SIR :)
13. At times, the pace of the tutorial is too fast, not always. It would be good if you could talk a little slower too. Overall the tutorials have been good.
14. The teaching method in the tute was very good. It seems clear that the tutor has a very good understanding and depth knowledge on the topic. He always relates the tutorial material with the current issues. It feels good to have such a friendly tutor. He was very supportive in the class as well as in the consultation time.
15. Mr Cheong is a good and helpful teacher. He is understanding and taught us by a good standard in tutorial class. Besides he is friendly and treat his students like his best friend :)
16. Mr Chong's teaching was very good. helped us to understand the theory concepts in a easy way and also in a way that can be memorized easilty. Calculation was also taught in a way that was easy to understand. help us to understand the concept and relate it to the practical situation. he was friendly and i enjoy his class very much. just want to say thank you for teaching this subject :)
17. your teaching style is amazing!
18. Well your tutorial is interesting. However, sometimes the answer is too short. short for is good but not always. we still need some explanation. that's all.
19. Tutorial questions and problems are explained in an understandable manner. Discussion is made on important questions draws my attention or focus on the particular area of study which makes my study easier. On summary, i am able to benefit from the tutorial class.
20. I can understand well the way the tutor teach. It is an interesting class. It makes the tutorial problem easy to understand
21. one thing that shocks me is the ability to memorize each student's name! haha... as you know student scares to be remembered as the tutor will always ask questions. Yet, this is a good thing as we will always prepared for the material. Thanks for having effort to memorize our name. Appreciate it. the class is moving in a good pace. It's just good for me. So I guess nothing much on the class.
22. Sometimes you did not cover all tutorial questions. However, I like the way you explain the tutorial questions to us and help us in giving the hints about the important area in this subject. I found your class very interesting and stimulating. Good interaction with the students.
23. The tutorials I attended from week 1 to week 13. never skip because all the tutorials are equally important for me. I learned many things under IBF tutorials. Many real life and practical examples were given which can let me know how to apply the theories we learned in the lecture/textbook into real life problems. very nice and helpful tutor. willing to help student as much as he can. overall, i enjoyed this subject very much.
24. Calvin is an awesome tutor. Honestly I do feel that your tutorials are helpful and beneficial. easy to follow and easily comprehensible tutorials even for the layman. clear and concise explanations about the tutorial answers. could have utilized the tutorial time fully to gain max benefit. could have just brushed through the topic summary at hand to make sure at least all students are on the same page.
25. Tutorial class for unit AFW3331 on tuesday at 9 am is one of the most refreshing class I hav ever entered. Although the unit is at times relative 'dry', Mr Calvin was able to rally his students (including myself) to participate in attaining solutions for the particular questions posed. His lively character brightens the morning sleepyheads in class so I hope he keeps up the good work in the future.
26. the tutorial class is conducted clearly and easy to understand. able to assist students when facing difficulties. focus on important parts. uses economic issues as example. overall, this is a very interesting tutorial and had a lot of fun (funny cartoon inserted)
27. for this unit it is actually the most fun and enjoyable among the other finance subject. during the 13 weeks, i would consider the topics are well & clearly explained. Interesting class, able to keep my attention for some time on the subject itself. gain new knowledge through this tutorial. overall, enjoyede my 13 weeks on this unit as a whole as well as tutorial. Thanks :P
28. The course throughout the semester was well explained, large portions of the unit were covered and made easy to understand. overall, tutorials were taught with relevant examples and I find it easy to understand the unit and relate it to examples in the real world.
29. extra knowledg gain. always act positively with the students' question. always be punctual for class. the comments in the assignment are very useful for future reference. but should spend more time on the theory part questions. try to finish as many questions as possible in the class. if can, maybe request a room (office).
30. the tutor has been very helpful in explaining the topics covered in this unit and has helped my understanding with regards to them. the tutor was also willing to assist students outside of tutorials and there were ample opportunities to do so. the tutor has also been very punctual in arriving for tutorials on time.
31. it has been a good 13 weeks coupled with good explanations and examples which helped me understand this subject thoroughly. well this probably explains why I havent' skipped a single class of yours, compared to my other tutorial classes which I certainly skipped some. good job sir and keep it up.
32. very interesting tutorial, informative. responsible and dedicated. keep up the good work!
33. should not be too focus on topics that are examinable... although some topics are not that important you must also talk about it rather than ignore it. should be more patient when giving advice/ consultation. however I like your style of teaching. your way of explaining is more clear and understandable!
34. Funny, entertaining and informative. 5 stars (what is this a movie?). >9000 minutes of awesome (The Reviewer). All thumbs up (The Monash weekly). The must see blockbuster of the year! (The Sunway Herald). Anyway in all seriousness, it was fun while it lasted. good job.
35. Well dedicated tutor. Overall, I'm happy with the tutorials conducted, can understand the unit well. Did not expect this when I first attended this tutorial. I remember that I've seen you last sem during audit lecture. Thought sir, you got no experience etc, thought I'm gonna die in this unit but end up, all the tutorials are great. Thanks for everything, hope everything goes well for ya.
36. your teaching is fin, better than what I expected after knowing a tutor-in-training was in my tutorial. haha. Overall your class is entertaining, simple and to the point. Plus yourself previously a student here, helps in relating to us. Good thing I registered in this tutorial.
37. Enthusiastic, pronounces words well, speaks good english, is able to illustrate problems well to enhance student comprehension and remembers our names! These are the reasons why I appreciate your tutorial sessions. Thank you very much for the entire semester and I do hope we meet again soon.
38. Tutorials are quite fun to be in. It makes this unit seemingly not so dull and boring. Presentation/teaching style is very effective and easily understandable. however it is quite fast and sometimes its quite hard to catch what is presented. thank you anyway for the teachings.
39. Mr Cheong is a good tutor. I like the way he teach as I can understand. You are cheerful and funny person. I admire you because in the young age you can be a good tutor for us. That all from me. Thank you for all guidance. Good luck for your PHD study ^^
40. The tutorials were conduct in an interactive manner which took my concentration within the hours. Explanation was well enough to explain the problem in the discussion.
41. nice lecturer, good explanation and give extra finance information
42. good & energetic. able to focus on the topic well. open to questions from students. available for consultation. good method of explaining key concepts.
43. feel very interesting and lots of fun in your tutorial class. learned a lot of calculation by giving clear explanation in the class and easy to understand. Good tutor :) !!!
44. basically I am happy with this unit. I found something useful by taking this subject. I hope I can do well in upcoming exam. So would u please give some exam memo so we can do better in exam. then pass this subject with smile hehe... thanks for Dr Jothee and Mr Calvin
45. Cover almost all the important part of the syllabus (good job) willing to explain / response to questions from students. nice assignment feedback. overall, keep up your good job.
46. Ya, I like the way you teach us. The way you give us hints for both exam and assignment. Glad that your are our tutor but too strict on assignment I think. Lastly sorry for not participating in the class.
47. Mr Cheong explains clearly during the tutorials the solutions are simple and easy to understand. but sometimes the explanation or answer is too brief. overall for a fresh graduate you've done great job! give us more hints hehe...
48. Initially I was not really keen on the way the tutor teach. after a series of tutorials I found that I really like the tutor's teaching method and feel fascinating to attend each week's tutorials as he teaches well and explains well. I do really hope that he will be the tutor of my next upcoming subjects like Treasury. A very delicate tutor! :D
49. makes the class pretty lively which enhances the teaching environment. knows what is most important and has multiple methods to encourage understanding for a topic. flexibility in the teaching method and others. would make a pretty good lecturer/tutor =)
50. For the last 12 weeks, the study is really helpful for me. It is easy to understand the tutorial question since Mr Calvin Cheong is teaching me clearly.
51. Good tutor. Gives easy to understand explanation. Why didn't appear earlier? Tutor for commercial banking / money caps... sure get HD. Gives good advices. Easy to understand language. Neat handwriting. Loud, clear voice. Dr Jothee should keep him. Sometimes speaks in a too flowery language.
52. Calvin always arrived on time 11.55 pm. He always whether we got anything else to ask at the end of class. He give a good comment on the assignment. He always come to class prepared. His language is easy to understand.
53. Clear and precise explanation for questions assigned for tutorials. easy to understand. reasonable pace during tutorials. willing to aid students when needed. ganbatte kudasai! very detailed explanation.
54. Teaching is very good. You are very knowledgeable. Interesting to listen to. When you took Dr Jothee's class you had a lot to do. You filled those shoes very well. You are my favourite tutor. Don't know what you could improve. Just keep it simple so everyone gets it.
55. "positive feedbak" yes I left out the c intentionally.
56. explanations are related clearly. relax class. stresses on important points which considered the backbone of chapter. thanks for the 13 weeks teaching! certainly helped me gain more knowledge in this tute!
57. Best tutor for this sem. thanks for the weekly tips. helpful. you are the most jokable / funny tutor. if got unit evaluation, sure give you full marks. hope you can teach my other accounting subjects next sem
58. to be honest, I was shocked that you are my tutor since we are course mates last sem. Haha! anyway, I am grateful and happy that I have attended your tutorial classes. I am happy with the way you are teaching, it was fun + beyond the suggested tutorial answer.
59. Yoohoo... hahaha. Funny why you need comments all of the sudden sir. LOL. Why not just do it through monquest? Well comments though, I 'd say you're one helpful person for a teacher considering how sometime my questions are, well, stupid. Haha. Please mark our exam leniently. Will really appreciate that & God bless you for tht. Mwahahaha... Tutorials -> well I understand most of it. Will be asking those which I don't real soon.
60. Hello, sometimes I was blur during class cause I didn't do my tutorial work sorry >< I found that your are enthusiastic & passionate in teaching, you can remember each and every of us, it's amazing. haha :D I've been enjoying to join your class & your sense of humour. thank you for everything.
61. Good communication skills. Details in explaining. Excellent in memory? (I'm quite impress that you can memorize all the answers! LOL!)
62. Can understand easily when explaining. Explanations clear and concise quick and to the point. Good emphasis on current issues. nice and friendly.
63. As a new tutor your teaching has been exceptionally good. You have made the classes very interesting & all doubtful areas were cleared after attending the tutorial. The assignment was marked lenient enough as it was a very challenging one. Thank you for all your commitment and dedication.
64. The teaching method and presentation was clear and was sufficient for me to understand the topic for each week. It is a pleasure to have such a tutor and probably one of the best in my 3 year uni life. sometimes i find that the pace of teaching was too quick for me to absorb the concept. one recommendation is to encourage students to raise questions are sometimes i feel embarassed to ask simple questions. students might not be as knowledgeable as Google so I hope you may tell us more about the world outside our syllabus and books.
65. Provide most of the topics covered with full clear explanation (something in Japanese) Provide some ideas for assignment and clear guide on how to do it. Critisize on and emphasizing on the questions in minute details.
66. I think the tutorial is good. I learned a lot from the tutorial. Furthermore, all my uncertainties are solved in the tutorial class.
67. Excellent descriptions of the topic and tutorial questions. very animated while conducting class. helps keep the enthusiasm. simplified explanations made IBF easier than it was 12 weeks ago. strict marking of the assignment. conducts tutorials with a sense of humour and by simple methods.
68. talk slower in tutorial if possible. good communication skill. able to gain what I want from the tut. theory Q -> some theory Q x discussed which can hardly find the answer from tut (should be discussed)
69. One of my favourite tutor & one (main) of the reason / factor that gives me confidence that I can do well in this tough unit. Attend your class always a fruitful one in terms of having better understanding about each week topic & the style of tutoring is not boring i.e. spoon-feed. despite of the fact that you teach very fast sometimes, i think that why I have to always be prepared (which is my responsibility to do so) before class. Too bad this sem I finished all my finance units.
70. I believe as a new tutor, you have done pretty well. Having been part of your class for the past semester, I have definitely benefited from your teachings. In fact, I think that you actually fare better than many tutors that have taught me. Guess could be that you're engaging and as such the tutorial doesn't get boring or whatsoever. Negative comments? As much as I want to write some down, I can't think of any just as yet so I'll leave it at that. And no blackmails, boycotts whatsoever, especially what with all these assignments going around I'm too tired out for all that. Anyways, thanks for being my tutor and guiding me through the IBF unit.
71. For the past 13 weeks, I was given the chance to be taught under Mr Calvin. From the 1st class until the last week in week 13, I had not experienced a single day which will make you feel bored or lost. Moreover, I had gained a lot of knowledge about what is happening to the world which is totally outside our learning scope. Overall Mr Calvin is the best tutor so far in Monash and definitely will be missed. Hope he will be taking over Investment or Lending for tutorials.
72. good way of teaching - easy to understand, straight to the point.
73. very sarcastic. talks too fast at times. good communication skills. quite enjoyable tutorial.
74. Dedicated tutor, knows his stuff, able to keep our attention / concentrate in his tutorial
75. well I have not much comments for you although I have been very quiet in class, I find that your teaching is quite good. I am quite happy that you have been quite lenient in marking the assignment. Thats all I want to comment . Thanks for giving us so much fun in this tutorial.
76. I personally think that you had done quite a well job in teaching us especially when you are considered as a new tutor in this subject. Frankly, you did a better job than of what I have expected I'm impressed! LOL!
77. The tutor is excellent in terms of presentation and a well grasp of english. Furthermore he clearly understands what was being taught and presented to the class. A firm grasp ofthe subject ensured a continuous flow of information for the growth of understanding of the subject. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this subject although it was certainly tough on certain basis. I definitely learned a lot from this tutor & subject to be applied to the real world!
78. Class is very entertaining (able to captivate attention) calculation is very clear. Very helpful in final examination revision. friendly and approachable (warm) very clear explanation on IBF (able to explain in our lingo). very informed on Dr Jothee's objective and goals hence is able to communicate very clearly effectively to us.
79. Like your way of teaching coz it is not boring. In fact, it's interesting.
80. Good at helping to answer tute questions but sometimes goes too fast. easy to approach and ask for help. sometimes wastes time by waiting for students to give answers.
81. overall, the tutorial classes have been very interactive. Mr Calvin Cheong has made IBF very interesting & tutorial questions were made easier to comprehend. Mr Cheong has also been very helpful in providing guidelines for assignment and directing weekly objectives. Oh, and you've built great camaraderie with students. Awesome!
82. Thank you for being the awesome tutor you are. I must admit, your classes have been very useful & informative + I've never bothered this much to come for make-up tutes if I had missed any of mine. Your explanations are mostly very comprehensive and a lot of the questions you posed were thought provoking, something I look forward to all the time.
83. Fun tutorial. Not evil for assignment. good feedback fun comments in my assignment. good explanation for tutorial (simple & short = perfect) some lecturers go on and on = not good. sometimes too fast during tutorial, can't catch up, you're punishing us for not preparing tutorial before hand so, acceptable I guess. oh during tutorial, when we give answer, please tell us we're wrong if we are, not give that look that you always give. overall, one of my better tutors.
84. good explanations were given weekly regarding tutorial answers (especially pertaining to calculation questions) sufficient assistance was given for assignment. the feed on assignment was very helpful and useful for future purposes and also made for an enjoyable read. thank you for being patient in answering all of our questions.
85. tutorial questions are all discussed in depth explanation. give me a very clear picture about what should have been learnt for the unit. draw my attention to all the important parts that will come out in the exam. and all these are done consistently throughout the tutorials. lovely tutor.
86. In my opinion, you already did a very good job. I can see that your style of teaching most likely like Dr Jothee. You are good not because you assist us by giving tip / recommendation for exam but because the first tutor without experience to deliver very good learning. the special about are you can remember the students name which cause we like you so much. i hope you can also teach in other unit such as lending.
87. good tutor. straight to the point, highlight only the important part of the syllabus. gave clear guidance on assignment, clarifying doubts on the vague context of the question. most importantly, remembers students name that you taught, showing that beyond tutoring and really want to help students achieve their best, while getting to know then a little bit in person as well. thank you for teaching us consistently over the past 12 weeks not missing a single class and really try to simplify the way to answer tutorial questions for our easy understanding.
88. For me, I will say that the tutorial classes is very nice a lot of funny stuffs. The most important thing is the tute classes are very useful to me really learn a lot of knowledge especially the calculation questions. You always try to point out the important things that are essential in the exam.
89. You are doing really well. Tutorial is quite interesting even though I find some jokes are quite lame. Anyway, I can see the effort there.
90. to be honest, I just really learnt this subject when I attended in tutorials so that I tried to not skip all my tutorials. past 13 weeks of lectures weren't boring but I just can't understand it until tutor explained it.
91. (Extensive cartoon inserted) Class is interesting, easy to understand & informative. precise and clear. thank kiu =)
92. I like the teaching of yours, humour you have and you've been helpful in our assignment. However I prefer more visual presentation in tutorial. Anyway you made the tutorial more lively, although we didn't much respond. Thanks for the past 12 weeks teaching us and feeding / torturing our brain with more info / knowledge.
93. clearly explain the important parts of every chapter which will be useful for the exam. able to give constructive advice / feedback. need to improve on the handwriting. funny. sometimes u ask so many questions to the students n take so much time to wait for the students to answer so sometimes a bit boring.
94. Mr Calvin Cheong is a great tutor that is objective in teaching AFW 3331. It has been an enriching learning experience as I am able to comprehend the subject with clarity. Furthermore, the tutorial has provided adequate knowledge for my finance major. It has been interesting semester under this tutorial and there is always ample amount of joy and interest then is being showed by Mr Calvin Cheong. You don't always get a tutorial that provide you a comprehensive and awesome time. More often than not, there is a sense of dread. But this is the exception. Great experience and 3 thumbs up!
95. Overall the contents of tutorial are explained clearly. important area for that chapter has been covered during the tutorial. feedback from assignment is quite complete and useful for me. overall i'm satisfied with this tutorial class.
96. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this unit as well as the lecturer and tutor. I find out the lecturer and tutor quite helpful and can guide me throughout the semester. However, sometimes Mr Calvin talked too fast and I not really can capture his words. Anyway, it's just sometimes nt every week =). Thank you so much, Mr Calvin & Dr Jothee
97. I am glad that you can teach me throughout the semester. Thank you for your efforts and teachings. Honestly you could be one of the best tutor I've ever had =). I could understand easily the tutorial questions since you were explaining well. It is also easy to approach you to ask questions regarding tutorials & assignments. However I heard that sometimes you cannot answer questions outside tutorials. Maybe it seems like you had not enough knowledge >.< Overall, you did a really good job!!
98. The tutorials have been great. You are a really good tutor and I hate this unit but the past 13 weeks tutorials have helped me understand it better. thank you and wish you all the best and i'll make sure all my friends pick you as their tutor next sem :) Oh and it's impressive that you remember all our names and address us by them. Probably only tutor in the past 3 years in Monash who does that :)
99. I have only attended your class twice as I am actually under another tutor. But I find that your explanations are pretty clear although you do talk very fast =)
100. well explained in tutorial lessons. good examples were given during the class. keep up the gd work!
101. He has an in depth knowledge of the unit and is willing to help at anytime as long as he's free. He is enthusiastic about the unit and despite being new as a tutor in monash, he teaches like an experienced tutor and in some cases much better than my previous tutors who made the already dry accounting units even more painful through long draggy explanations. Good sense of humour and keeps the class lively. Straight to the point which is the best part as we are not forced to learn and understand unnecessary things.
102. Very dedicated tutor. Keep up the good work... You're super duper awesome! =)
103. Loved the way on how you understood what the students needed and wanted. your messages of teaching can be easily & clearly understood. also, good effort on treating us as friends rather than as students. all in all, good job done as a tutor for AFW 3331. Star rating 5/5. PS: Although I dont hope to see you for this subject again, hopefully you'll be a tutor for my other subjects next sem!!
104. Mr Cheong is a good tutor, he guide us what to do for assignment and final exam. He discuss all the important topic of the subject with the real life example. I hope you will success Mr Cheong and next time if I come to monash, I want to see you become a lecturer of IBF. Thanks for everything.
105. I found that Calvin is a very good tutor can explain the tute quite clear. Calvin also places himself not only as a tutor but also as a friend who can also make jokes in class. One thing that I notice is he is quite close to certain students in class & sometimes respond differently to other students and sometimes I feel that Calvin a bit ignore me when I answered certain Q. For assignment, Calvin gave notes that were truly constructive & helped to improve myself. Overall, I think Calvin is a good tutor
106. Meeting most of the learning outcomes. emphasis on main points. tutorials seem to be more exam oriented. funny, relax tutorial class.
107. Classes were comparatively more fun. teaching method appropriate. keep up the good work.
108. I find you interesting and funny. Your classes are entertaining and teaching is very understandable.
109. Well, this is my first time attending you tutorial class. Nothing much to comment on you. However, I do receive some feedback from my friends saying that you are good and spontaneous. that's all I guess. Cheers! =)
110. entertaining. Interactive :)
111. Overall keeps class entertaining not boring. He highlights important key issues to students. He is also easy to approach out of class and makes an effort to know each student by name. Provides sufficient examples, not available in lecture notes while injecting humour.
112. A very good teacher. Very enough explanation for every tutor but still a tough subject.
113. Calvin's class is lively and interesting. His way of teaching enhances students interest and make them more interested in attending classes and the subject itself.
114. Overall, satisfied with the quality of this unit. Tutorials are helpful. Helped me understand any areas that I had difficulties with. Also, it was good that the tutor concentrated on particular topics. Very helpful. Thanks for the assistance :P
115. Great job on simplifying the otherwise complex calculation methods. Harap anda akan kekal mengajar di Monsh uni sehingga menjadi Dr Jothee look-alike
116. Answered any questions or inquries by students. went through all the important questions even when the time ran out. used helpful examples. Highlighted the key important aspects of each tutorial i.e what is expected from the student to know.
117. For the past 13 weeks, its my pleasure to attend your tutorial class. I have learned much from you & do hope to score well in exam. And also, under the assistance of your guide & lecturer's teaching, AFW 3331 this unit i found interesting
118. The class is interesting. you can relate very well to the students and understand how we think. Very friendly and approachable. Helps students a lot. Good tutor.
119. I'm the type of student who's very lazy to go to class. usually I won't go if attendance isn't compulsory or if the teacher is, frankly speaking, boring. However, I find myself going to the tutorial class every week and the times when I didn't go it was only because I wasn't feeling very well. Mr Kevin's way of teaching is interesting and as much as I don't like the subject, I still have the urge to go to class and learn.
120. Well, it was kind of boring at first. But after sometimes, it become quite fun. The class is helpful and the tutor is helpful as well. Friendly as well.
121. Very helpful and friendly always willing to help although appear a little intimidating at first. Tips given were very useful and simple easier formulas + calculations for tutorial answers. Noticed that always attend Dr Jothee's lectures therefore feels reliable as up-to-date with what Dr Jothee says and hardworking. Keep up the good work!
122. A helpful tutor who is very patient in his teaching. make learning easy and fun. explain in diagrams a lot, very helpful & useful for me to understand. easy to be reached for consultation purposes
123. I appreciate the guides that have been provided by you in the assignment. indeed, you are a good tutor.
124. the tutor is very understanding and make sure us to understand concepts. he also guides us in assignment. he is approachable most of the time. very nice guy and we will not feel bored in his tutorials.
125. Not an exaggeration but I would like to say that Mr Calvin Cheong enhanced & stimulated my knowledge. He tutored this unit in the most useful manner. No doubt the practical application which Mr Calvin demonstrated during tutorials and the healthy discussion environment was the best that I could have got throughout the semester. In the end, I would reckon that Mr Calvin by demonstrating his practical application of financial instruments such as futures, options forward gave me something beyond this unit which would broaden my knowledge platform. Thanks Mr Calvin.
126. Nice tutor. very good explanation. the tute was not boring at all and you always motivate us in learning and make the calculation simple to us and teach it in a way that was easy for us to remember. overall, I enjoy your tute. thank you very much. very much appreciated all your help.
127. Very lively tutor. Entertaining throughout the class (very important aspect since I usually sleep. I managed not to sleep) class not boring at all. He is able to make us understand all the concepts very clearly. He is always very helpful when it comes to difficulties in tutorials questions and even assignments. would be a good thing if other tutors were good at explaining as him!
128. It has been stimulating to be in your class!

And this isn't even the full populace of my students. Some didn't attend the last tutorial so I'm guessing there are about another 20 missing.

I must say though, it's been a great semester hasn't it? Heh!

Oh! Woe...

2010-06-05T21:50:00.003+08:00

You get the idea.

*Semester recap soon

Sounds Very Much Like Me

2010-04-03T18:25:00.003+08:00

3 Weeks in Short

2010-03-20T21:40:00.003+08:00

Some random thoughts that should summarize the past three weeks

March 1 - March 5

Booya! First week of the semester!
Just keep running. Just keep running.

March 8 - March 12

Tutorials finally begin. This time around, I'm on the opposite end of the class facing everyone else.
Oooh... my own err cubicle, which will sometimes err... be occupied by someone else
Consultation hours: Where the heck is everybody?
Just keep running. Just keep running.

March 15 - March 19

All my students are nice people. Just a touch too quiet and some a little nastier.
Consultation hours: Still extremely lonely
Slowly developing a habit of afternoon tea and accompanied lunch
Am starting to enjoy the evening drive home more and more
230 lbs! Oh yeah!!

Don't Talk, Just Walk - Week 5

2010-02-26T13:35:00.002+08:00

I say Week 5 when it's been six weeks since I started because the Chinese New Year week was a week of eating and eating and eating and eating.

Woke up this morning to 236 lbs.

It seems as though I hit a plateau for the 2 weeks after Chinese New Year. Week 1 of the Air Force Training Prep didn't seem to work and neither did Week 2. Fortunately, the elliptical machine got repaired and I've been at it for 2 days and suddenly the needle starts moving away from 238.

Of course I'd like to believe that the AFTP was adding muscle weight but at the moment, I've no intention of getting big. I am big enough already.

While the physical changes has been slight thus far, I now feel much better on the whole. Walking across shopping complexes isn't as tiring. Climbing stairs isn't as daunting. Pre-finals last year, my resting heart rate was about 85 bpm. This morning, it was 60 bpm.

Getting there. Getting there.

Unaccountability

2010-02-25T22:14:00.003+08:00

Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Harap maaf. Segala kesulitan amat dikesali.

The most popular get-out clauses Malaysians use which effectively absolves the party making the statement from any responsibility whatsoever, which I think, also implies that YOU are the one at fault, not them.

Selfish. Plain selfish. It's that simple.

Never do they once stop to think about what it feels like to the other party. Take for example, salaries for lowly-paid employees. Employers see it as chicken feet but to the employees, every cent counts. RM100 is no big deal for the standard business exec. but a fortune for a rubber tapper.

The first thing that comes to mind to those who are in charge of the company payroll is "What's so important?" and when confronted, a curt "Not yet la! Sorry la!". But God forbid if their cheque is a day late. You wouldn't see such behaviour in Western countries. Take Portsmouth FC for example. Facing a total meltdown, one of the most important thing to them was still employee wages, simply because the labour laws in the UK are extremely strict. Over here, there are labour laws but with poor interpretation and enforcement. And there's the even more irritating tidakapathy. Try bringing it up and you'll be told to not rock the boat.

Money, unfortunately, makes the world go round. And because of this, self-interest prevails.

So,

God, grant me the serenity
To accept things that I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to not bite someone's head off when there's a difference

Amen.

But Who Judges the Judge?

2010-02-23T20:43:00.003+08:00

I bumped into this while blog-hopping and I think all employers should take this into serious consideration.

Question 1:

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the response for this one.

Question 2:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts.
Here are the facts about the three candidates. Who would you vote for?

Candidate A.
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologist
He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B.
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never cheated on his wife.

Which of these candidates would be our choice? Decide first... no peeking, then scroll down for the response.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question:
If you said YES, you just killed Beethoven (the great German composer of instrumental music).

Pretty interesting isn't it? Makes a person think before judging someone.

Gong Xi Fa Cai II

2010-02-14T22:33:00.003+08:00

New year, new clothes, same places, same people.

Only difference is, everyone's got more unwittingly witty remarks to make. The 3rd generation's getting older and have somehow caught the smarmy bloke syndrome. It's hard to explain but if you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about, which makes me feel like a no-life loser but at least I know I've got my head on straight.

Anything you can do,
I can do better.
I can do anything
Better than you.

Kiasu? Me? Perhaps.

Now I've got some high finance to handle.

P.S: Ma's side still rocks.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2010-02-12T23:20:00.004+08:00

I doubt I'll have any time to do this in the coming days so I might as well do it now.

So Gong Xi Fa Cai to all of you, young and old, male and female and those in between.

Here's to a great new year ahead!

Don't Talk, Just Walk - Week 4

2010-02-08T22:25:00.001+08:00

Preparing for Air Force Basic Training

Week 1
Complete the following in one session 3-5 times a week:

5 minute stretch/warm-up
2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
5 minute walk
1 minute jog
5 minute walk
1 minute jog
3-5 minute walk
2 minute stretch

I was starting to get bored with the old routine of just walking and walking and walking so I nosed around and found this instead. There's a total of 14 weeks to it. This is number one which I can do without much problem save the sit-up push-up part.

I now tip the scales at about 238 - 240 lbs which is about 5 pounds less than what it was a week ago. While a healthy amount of weight loss in a week is no more than 2 lbs a week, I believe the amount I've lost is very much due to the fact that jump-starting a sloth (me) into action causes greater weight loss.

I intend to drop another 5 pounds by the end of February putting me in Week 3 of the above, meaning:

5 minute stretch/warm-up
2 minute sit-up/push-up intervals
4 minute walk
5 minute jog
4 minute walk
5 minute jog
3-5 minute walk
2 minute stretch

Now ain't that fun?

Don't Talk, Just Walk - Week 3

2010-02-02T18:53:00.005+08:00

Figure 1: Weight against Date

'Nuff said. And another 50 lbs to go.

Hoho.

Why I Hate Weighing Scales

2010-01-30T22:20:00.003+08:00

Why I hate weighing scales

Weighing scale #1 - 101kg

Weighing scale #2 - 110kg

It's pretty obvious that I prefer the former over the latter but I'm inclined to believe that the latter is the accurate one because if I really was 101kg, I'd be floating in the clothes that I bought prior to my new resolve.

While I may weigh differently from what I've said before, the amount of weight loss still remains the same, which is a good thing. The only difference is that now it'll take slightly longer to get to my target range of 80-90kg.

New short term goal?

Get below 110kg before CNY

What on Earth are You Supposed to Be?

2010-01-29T18:25:00.003+08:00

It seems to me, Malaysians are losing their true identity.

The Indians pretend that they're of the same creed as the African American 'gangster-rappers', calling each other 'nigger', dressing in all sorts of oversized clothing and the chains and the bling and the whatnots. And then of course, there are those who wish to follow in the footsteps of the more suave African Americans. They still, of course, call each other 'nigger'.

The Chinese pretend that they're either Korean or Japanese, having that god-damned half-covered face hairstyle or giving themselves pseudo-Japanese names. And then they pick up all sorts of pseudo-Chinese 'traditions' from TVB Hong Kong and suddenly, it becomes the norm here.

The Malays pretend to be extremely affluent in English and start using all sorts of English words to pepper their Malay conversations, of which most words are used in the wrong way. Either that or they mutilate Bahasa Malaysia so much that it reads more like Bahasa Indonesia. Or, using faux French to give Bahasa Malaysia more err... glamour (which incidentally, is another of their favourite used-out-of-context words).

And then, all three are guilty of partying from dusk to dawn at night clubs downtown. It looks like a race to the bottom to me.

The only difference is who falls the hardest.

P.S: I do hope another Yasmin Ahmad would appear to direct meaningful commercials that remind us of who we really are.

Write Read Right

2010-01-27T21:04:00.002+08:00

I can scarcely believe it myself but after a 3 month hiatus, I'm back to writing notes. Going through pages and pages of knowledge laden texts, plucking out what I deem important all in anticipation of the new semester.

I've more or less got a foot in to the position already. Those of you who are close enough to me already know what it is. Those of you who have yet to know, you'll know soon enough. I'm not saying anything until then. Don't wanna jinx anything now. Plus, I've got workplace ethics, unlike many people I know who gripe about their work on the web, thinking, in their naive minds that they are safe behind the anonymity of cyberspace.

But I digress.

Back when I was still working on my undergrad studies, writing notes was to make things easier for mindless memorization and exam regurgitation. Now, it's more for my own knowledge. I'd like to see it as a critical perspective on the subject matter since I'm no longer bound by 'examinable topics'. I've also been swallowing book after book ever since finals ended 3 months ago. The list to date includes:

Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus
Mobs, Messiahs and Markets by William Bonner and Lila Rajiva
Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan
Empirical Analysis on the Speed of Stock Price Adjustment to Firm Specific and Market Wide Announcements: Evidence from Malaysian Stock Market, PhD Dissertation by Jothee Sinnakannu
PhD Dissertation by Cheng Fan Fah
My Life as a Quant by Emmanuel Derman
The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs by Charles D. Ellis (still reading)
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (still reading)

It isn't an extensive list. Far from it actually. They're all pretty lengthy texts which pretty much explains why the list is so short. Age of Turbulence was about 3.5 inches thick. The Partnership, in its paperback form which I'm reading, has the type set at at least half the normal size with footnotes even smaller. Nevertheless, I should be able to finish Beat the Reaper and The Partnership before the semester begins, which would require me to take morning tea breaks and lunch longer than my usual 15 minutes.

All in the name of Ancora Imparo.

Don't Talk, Just Walk - Week 2

2010-01-25T16:14:00.003+08:00

Exactly a week ago, I mentioned that watching what you eat, especially in Malaysia where food is everywhere and when you're not the one cooking, can be a daunting task.

To make matters worse most Malaysian food do not have any nutritional information on them, say, one very popular Hokkien Char Mee aka KL Black Fat Noodle, which makes taking note of food swallowed a tad frustrating

Going at it for 2 weeks now and the one very important thing I realized about losing weight is to simply cut down on the portions at every meal time. At the moment, I'm not bothered about maintaining the dietitians' 55% Carbs, 15% Protein and 30% Fat nonsense since in Malaysian food, estimates on the amount of each is extremely dodgy. Heaven knows how much zhu yau they've ladled into my Hokkien Char. So I'm just sticking to cutting down portions.

Which has been more or less effective I must say. When I first psyched myself to lose weight, I tipped the scales at about 112kg. That was about 3 or so weeks ago. I woke up this morning to a weight of 106kg. I'm trying to cross the 105kg mark before CNY and hopefully drop to a double digit weight by the end of February. Here's to hoping then.

Don't talk, Just walk.

P.S: I really need to get a pedometer and an accurate weighing scale @_@

Peanuts for Buffaloes

2010-01-21T21:48:00.003+08:00

Malaysian employers, ladies and gentlemen, are kiam siap. Not only are they kiam siap, they are also kiasu. When I say Malaysian employers, I mean strictly Malaysian, not the MNCs that have established base over here.

Why so?

Malaysian employers want the best employees but are not willing to pay for the best. Example: B is a professional accountant i.e. CA, ACCA whatever that has worked in one the Big 4 accounting firms for the past 3 years, which should make him approximately a senior associate by now, commanding a salary of an estimated RM3,000++*. Ali Sdn Bhd, advertising in the classifieds for an accountant would require all the riff-raffs for an accountant e.g.: professional qualification, minimum 3 years of relevant work experience blah blah, would on average pay less than RM3,000, sometimes lesser than RM2,500. If B were to work for Ali S/B, he'd be hard pressed to earn more than RM3k. This is the kiam siap employer.

The kiasu employer are those who will only employ those who have already had a minimum of 2-3 years of relevant work experience. Just glance through the daily classifieds. Try counting the number of recruitment ads which states "Fresh graduates are encouraged to apply". I run through the classifieds quite often and I can safely say that within a week, not more than 10 ads are looking for fresh grads. And even if they are, the pay does not commensurate the work you're expected to do. Which makes me wonder, with the number of graduates being churned out by the numerous (some dodgy) tertiary institutions in Malaysia, where exactly will everyone obtain their relevant experience from? And because of the sheer number of graduates churned out, we get the above kiam siap situation. Simple economics. When supply increases and demand is stagnant, prices or in this case, salaries, fall.

It's as though we're being paid peanuts to do a buffalo's job.

With more sensible issues such as these at hand, we seem to be more concerned over 'internal security'.

I guess what Voltaire said is true then.

*Figure arrived at through various hearsay sources. No guarantee on accuracy.

Don't Talk, Just Walk - Week 1

2010-01-18T18:02:00.007+08:00

It is now exactly one week since I started being mindful of what I was stuffing down my gullet. I've even started to take note of (approximately) how much of each I was stuffing. It hasn't been easy of course since

the stuff we eat in Asian countries are very much different than those available in the Western side of the world
when you're staying with family, it's almost impossible to determine what exactly you'd like to have during meals, especially if you're not the chef. Try it and you shall earn the ire of the chef*

which makes estimating portion size and amount consumed as accurate as a model that estimates the next LIBOR.

But by estimating what I've been stuffing and the exercise^ I've been doing, I have since bid adieu to 1kg within the week, which means to say, while my little daily guesstimates of my calorific in/outs are dodgy at best, I must be doing something right.

Don't Talk, Just Walk.

*Which can usually range from cold war or to being served bitter gourd for a good part of the week
^Exercise is relative. Having been a sloth for most of my 21 years, even climbing four flights of stairs is exercise

Hark the Athletic Meat

2010-01-17T22:33:00.002+08:00

I can't help it if every time I read or hear David Nugent's name, I can only think of fried meat that comes in boxes.

Don't get me wrong. He's a fine player judging from his performance against the Mancs yesterday but still.

Must be the damned diet I'm on.

Thy Brains be Seized

2010-01-12T18:57:00.004+08:00

While working in the library...

A: Eh, what's a mortgage?^
B: No idea la
C: Collateral right?
D: Eh wait wait, collateral and mortgage same kah?
A: Dunno la. Wait wait see this. Whenever one fails to make payments on the mortgage, the asset will be repossessed.
C: Same as collateral la
A: So mortgage and collateral are both the same la. Why tell long stories?
C: Hahaha
B: So means we can type 'mortgage *warble warble warble* which is the same as collateral'
All: Hahaha ya ya ya.

This is clear evidence of a deep systemic failure of our national education, signaling the end of humanity (in this country) as we know it.

^Translated from our beloved official language

My 9 to 5 Distraction

2010-01-05T19:28:00.004+08:00

At the office where I interned during the summer of '08, the only form of entertainment to lift office morale were two radios, one at the front line office and the other, in the administrative section of the office, at the back.

While this can already be considered a luxury (I know of offices which are far worse), it the morale booster often turns to a damper by noon. Not the fault of the radios but the stations that are playing, Mix FM in the front, Lite FM at the back. It's perfectly fine for the first hour and then the second hour but once you've heard Beyonce bawling If I Were a Boy every hour for 6 consecutive hours, you'd wish you were deaf.

The more contemporary stations i.e. FlyFM and hitz.fm are no better. No. As a matter of fact, they're worse. Especially if there's an international artiste coming to town. I've experienced David 'Anchovies' Archuleta every hour for 8, EIGHT, friggin' EIGHT consecutive hours when he came to town sometime in '09. On BOTH stations mind. If that isn't a nightmare, I don't know what is.

But recently, I've found a much better option. And no it's not Malaysian. Malaysian radio stations are only ridden with cheap corny commercials (like TMNet's low blow 'potong' rip-off) that seem to go on forever, songs that are chronically overplayed, DJs who talk too much crap and speak in heavily faked accented English and wrong pronunciation of words and an over zealous censorship oversight. Which I find funny how they can bleep out 'damn' from Avril Lavigne's Best Damn Thing and leave the whole of Pitbull's Hotel Room Service intact.

Anyway, I've found a much better avenue in internet radio stations that are streaming from other countries. Much better quality. While the DJs can still be very corny, at least I don't hear much of them. The commercials make more sense and are minimal. I can reasonably expect to listen to music for a whole hour without having a dumb DJ interrupting with all sorts of nonsense. Malaysian radio stations, you'd be lucky to get by 3 songs without hearing the DJ. And then as though intentionally, the DJ will keep warbling even when the music's already playing, shutting up only when the lyrics are sung. I don't get that nonsense from the foreign radio stations. Today, I listened to a song which I've heard many times before but didn't realize that it had a beautiful violin ending, simply because I've never heard the violin ending prior to this. The DJs just chop the song off and start their rambling. And the songs played are more varied, unlike our local fare where you can expect to hear the same song play every hour without fail.

But there is one problem with internet radio though. When you have piss poor internet connections, you're screwed.

That's why I choose to work in the library. Heh.

2010: Year of Possibilities

2010-01-04T17:40:00.005+08:00

Half of me is secretly grateful that 2009 is over, while another half of me wishes that I could have 2009 all over again.

The things I said I'd set out to do in '09, I did. At least some of it. The others were a bit too far-fetched to render any possibility of attaining within the year.

Those that I did manage are (quoted verbatim):

1) Ace my remaining 8 electives - The term 'ace' is relative. All I'm saying is, I did what I knew I could, and came out on top.
2) GRADUATE! - Yes I am going to, thank you very much.
3) Learn to ride a damn bicycle - Again, 'learning' is relative. I still can't move in a straight line though.
4) Re-design my room - I got more than I bargained for actually. I moved to a bigger room.

Those that I didn't manage are (quoted verbatim):
1) Save more money and possibly stash some in a mutual fund to meet short-term liquidity needs - Somehow, 2009 was a year of more expenses. When the price of everything increases while your allowance is stagnant, there isn't much you can do really.
2) Gain admission into Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt (what??) for the MSc Finance OR
3) Gain admission into Hochscule Heilbronn Reinhold-Wurth-Hoschule (what??) for the MiB OR
4) Find a kind, blessed soul to sponsor my emigration to Australia

Looking back, I don't regret not having achieved #2, #3 or #4. The date I wrote those, which coincidentally was exactly a year ago (Jan 4, btw), the idea of pursuing graduate studies in Germany was an interesting one. That was because then, my choice of career was, well, conventional. Now, it's taken a 180 degree turn. Nevertheless, had I really charged ahead to Germany, I wouldn't be where I am right now and from this angle looking back, I prefer what I have now.

2010 I believe is gonna be a good year. I won't be making any cliched resolutions, and by the way, I'd appreciate it if everyone would stop using the phrase "My resolution this year is not to make any resolutions" because by saying "My resolution" you've effectively made one. So please shut up already. Anyway, this year, no short term resolutions or objectives. It's all long term from now on.

1) Obtain a MBA - I'm not really bothered where it comes from since my purpose for the MBA is to learn. With every other MBA course in Malaysia teaching more or less the same thing, I get the best that I can afford. You'll know soon enough where.

2) To help subsidize family expenses or at the very very least, not be a burden to the parents - American, European, Hispanic, Asian, African etc whoever you are, it's the least you could do whether or not the parents are still fully able to support themselves.

I've been on the job as a research assistant for almost 2 months now and it has been by far the best working experience I've had. Rather than pay to learn, I'm being paid to learn, relatively speaking. And learning, irrespective of method and field, is what I really want.

With so many prospects lying ahead, 2010 truly is the year of possibilities.

Deep Learning

2009-12-22T22:54:00.005+08:00

Deep, adv: to a great depth

Learning, noun:
the act, process or experience of gaining knowledge and skill
knowledge or skill gained through schooling or study
behavioural modification especially through experience or conditioning

What is 'deep learning'? How great is 'great'? What constitutes 'knowledge' gained? Even with such a clearly spelled out definition, it clearly is still a dodgy concept. The depths of knowledge gained is relative. Understanding of a particular field vary among individuals. Fama's EMH is as mindless as a pot noodle to a PhD in Finance. To undergrads, it's mentally daunting.

If so, then 'deep learning' would simply mean acquiring knowledge that you have not known but are required to know in your current state of being. Which on a second glance at the former sentence, actually makes you quite a sorry sod, simply contented to know what others think you should know.

Deep learning goes beyond what you're required to know; that eagerness to absorb new knowledge which may or may not have anything to do with your main field. But what do you have to lose? Nothing, to be precise.

People who tell me that I've wasted three years of my life simply because I choose not to be an accountant, should ruddy well go soak their heads. They will be the ones who are able to solve the most complicated contentions in accounting standards but (dis)contented with their rudimentary daily routines with practically no knowledge of anything else besides and absolutely zero capabilities to impart anything on eager learners. A pathetic state of being.

I could go on forever on this matter but there are more important things for me to do as of now, like read. I've ploughed through so many titles over the past month, I'm starting to lose count. But I'm not the least bothered.

For knowledge gained is never wasted.

Justification for Higher Education

2009-12-20T22:20:00.002+08:00

Which really irks me because my dear country has extremely limited options when it comes to postgraduate studies.

Ichiban!

2009-12-10T23:23:00.003+08:00

Sometimes, it's the simplest things in life that make you smile, like this, when I was trolling around the www:

So Cute!!! OMG!! Hahahaha. The resemblance is uncanny

Tis the Season to Study

2009-12-06T10:26:00.005+08:00

December, the most important month for tertiary institutions across the country. 'Tis the season to lure aimless school leavers to siphon their (parents') money in hopes of education. And then comes the advertising which gets cornier by the day. The lengths the institutions go to entice students are shocking. It used to be an exception but a lot of them are now giving out free laptops (or netbooks) upon registration.

Which makes me wonder, if they have the funds to purchase x number of laptops, wouldn't the money be better utilized to improve their teaching (skills and facilities) rather than induce students to enrol just to make up the numbers. But they're not the only ones to blame though seeing that Malaysians can't seem to resist 'Free' stuff (terms and conditions apply -.-").

And then of course the aimless school leavers, who I strongly believe these days simply don't have a mind of their own. When asked why they've chosen College Y, the oft provided response is "my friends are going there". Easily succumbing to peer pressure. Spineless. So we wonder if we really are in a capitalist society where individual assertiveness reigns supreme or is this just another case of communal contagion? If it's the latter, then students below my age group will simply be no better than, well, cows. Not to say those my age and above were free from the clutches of herd mentality but it's more pronounced now.

Funnily though, the students who are enticed by peers are the very ones who proudly declare to anyone and everyone that they are shunning 'conventional' fields (which in Malaysia usually includes accountancy, medicine, engineering or law) in search of something which portrays individualism, something which makes them different from the rest. Oxymoronic no? And there's a subset of this group of cow-like-individualistic students, those who suddenly gets smited by a revelation and decides to make a 180 degree turn on their education which to me is a huge waste of parental sacrifice.

Since I've decided to be a professional student, and since I've got a younger sibling whose about to walk the path of an educated-cow, I can't wait to see how all this pans out.

P.S: Even now, if I could turn back the hands of time, would I still choose the former photo over the latter? Hell YEAH!

So Long and Thanks for the Memories

2009-12-03T18:26:00.002+08:00

3 years of bitching and whining
3 years of sweat and saliva
3 years of slogging night after night
3 years of arguing with airheads
3 years of exams (good Lord!)

3 years...

and this is the end!

Henceforth, there will be no more exams.

Now on to Year 4!

Why? Simply because

Ancora Imparo

The Epic is Now an Epic Failure

2009-11-29T19:42:00.003+08:00

Now let me spell this out loud and clear. I'm not a Twilight series hater but this, THIS boys and girls, girls especially, is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous.

Dear readers, I present to you the womb of Bella Swan. In felt. Yes, you read that right. Bella Swan's womb. I'm not going to even ask why for.

This Twilight fanaticism is really getting out of hand. While I don't have anything against literature, but I do urge parents to exercise some restraint on their children, especially the young impressionable girls from going apeshit over the Twilight riffraff.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a story but please, please get back to reality.

All of you.

Ga Ga Oh La La

2009-11-24T09:58:00.002+08:00

This is imo, much better than The Fame. It's a bit short though. 8 compared to The Fame's 12. The songs this time around carry a darker tone as compared to the disco thingamajig in The Fame. There isn't exactly any track on the album that deserves particular mention plus, there's only 8 so picking one in particular is tough. I do admit however that Bad Romance has been stuck in my head for quite some time. Anyway, Lady GaGa fans should find this appealing. Non-GaGa fans might want to give it a try.

By the way, work's been extremely fun. As much as I'd like to talk about it, I too try to respect intellectual capital, especially since I'm partially responsible for the outcome. To say the least, I'm being paid for doing what I really enjoy and that by itself should suffice.

Done and Done

2009-11-13T19:39:00.002+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

I have just completed what seems to be the final finals of my (mandatory) education. After much apprehension and trepidation, the worst has come to pass.

And I have absolutely no intention in sitting for another bloody exam in my life.

To place your future in a single 3-hour game of pitch-and-toss is ridiculous. Especially if the paper borders on esoteric philosophies.

But thus is the way of the world. Exams, in spite of everything, are still the measure of a man's intelligence. Thankfully though, there are other avenues for those who have a knack for seeing things differently, those who choose to find their way through the infinitesimal nothingness instead of the well-trodden, common path.

Learning, the prevailing methods at least, are like sausages, continuously stuffed until the wrappings are filled to the brim, finally bursting out, leaving nothing but an empty shell.

Like how students are persuaded, harangued, heckled, cajoled, threatened to devour page after page after page of Stuff That They Don't Really Need until they're up to their eyes in worthless content, finally regurgitating everything out onto sheets of paper in a matter of hours, leaving nothing but an empty shell. Is it any wonder then that students suddenly develop bouts of nausea before an exam? They're about to puke that's why. There's no better explanation than that.

Real learning or deep learning lies outside a rigid syllabi.

And that's where I'm off to.

Work starts next week.

I can hardly wait.

Going into Anaphylactic Shock II Part 2

2009-11-06T23:01:00.002+08:00

Now that's two out for the count.

A D for macroeconomics is a likelihood. Possibly even a HD who knows?

Financial Accounting Issues.

There's a saying in Hokkien:

Mai hiam ah eh sai, Ai hiam ah ka nah sai

If they do buy into the tosh I came up with, a D is possible. A HD, while remote, is still possible. Who knows?

And there's two more, which, in a twisted sort of way, I don't mind much since there's no numbers involved. Just words. All about them words. Over numbers, unencumbered numbered words. Hundreds of pages pages pages for words. More words than I've ever heard.

And I feel so alive.

Going into Anaphylactic Shock II Part 1

2009-10-29T22:25:00.003+08:00

It's that time of the year again. The time where I root my rear end on a chair for hours on end staring into sheet after sheet of words in hope of something actually rooting itself in one of the deeper recesses of that large (small) grey thing up the nose between the ears.

Triple accounting papers and a macroeconomics paper this time around. Unlike the quad-finance last semester. Can't really complain about the timetable though. It's not too spaced out, nor is it cramped like tuna though I would've preferred it if there was some time between Auditing and Accounting Theory.

First paper's on the 2nd, Monday that is. Macroeconomics. Shouldn't be a problem I dare say. A D's a given lest I really mess up. Might even scrape a HD, who knows.

Next up is Financial Accounting Issues on the 6th. No problems that one. Got some time to go over everything again. D's a likelihood. A HD if luck permits.

Then there's Auditing on the 11th. I'm not losing any sleep over it coz it's not entirely impossible. I mean, there are some wonky terms that we really need to know but for the most part, I can say that it's common sense really. Pray that common sense becomes common on that day.

Finally there's Accounting Theory on the 12th. Hard or difficult doesn't fit the bill for this paper. If you enjoy the more esoteric elements of life, this is the paper for you. Like me, I found this paper quite intriguing actually. The course title is deceiving. It should be renamed as Accounting Philosophy. You read that right. Philosophy. And philosophy isn't a discipline that is examinable. Which is why the exam is such a bitch.

The format is simple enough. 2 sections, A and B. 12 questions in total. 5 in A, 7 in B. 4 marks for each question in A, averagely about 20 marks for each question in B. Expected length for questions in A, half to 3/4 page. Expected length for questions in B, about 2 to 3 pages. Duration, 3 hours. Answer ALL questions. Go figure. Student protests against this format has been ignored outright. The CE quite blatantly refused to even broach the topic. At this rate, I'll probably pop some Speed before I sit for it.

Looking back at three years of tertiary education, I'm back at the very first opinion I formed before embarking on this mad journey:

I really hate accounting

Now when is this darned semester gonna end?

What Was

2009-10-18T22:43:00.003+08:00

Looking at this photo reminds me of what used to be and what will never be. I found this photo whilst being a troll in the www, a photo from this year's SJAM Selangor State Review. This photo doesn't say much to be honest but the entire album only spelled one word: disappointment.

Disappointment, in terms of quality and quantity. All the Reviews I attended were always on a much grander scale. The Guard of Honour was much larger. There were more contingents at the back and the parade grounds were of much higher stature. Perhaps the photos taken doesn't do the whole event justice. Perhaps the whole do was much better than what I think it is. Perhaps the photographer, whoever it was, was more interested in, what's the term for it, syok sendiri photos rather than the event itself. Having not been there myself, I wouldn't know. But as far as the album shows, it was dour.

I think the bigger problem here is the faltering interest of the younger generation who prefer sleeping-in on weekends rather than baking their hides under the sun. It's happening. No doubts about it notwithstanding government efforts to encourage co-curricular activities.

It's like a cancer. It'll spread. It'll manifest. It'll grow. Thank God I'm no longer around to witness the growing disappointment.

Pending Litigation

2009-10-16T18:49:00.002+08:00

Is it possible to take tort action against lecturers who mislead students into believing that only certain topics are examinable?

Pragmatist [prag-muh-tist]

2009-10-13T21:46:00.003+08:00

- noun
1. a person who is oriented towards the success or failure of a particular line of action, thought, etc.; a practical person

2. an advocate or adherent of philosophical pragmatism

- adjective
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pragmatism.

Which is to say, philosophers are only good for beating around the bush.

Fresh Fruit

2009-10-11T15:55:00.006+08:00

Tiesto's back with a new album ladies and gents bringing some totally err fresh stuff into the scene. Funnily, while I find trance a seriously whacked genre of music, Tiesto spews out trance that's, frankly speaking, fun. Not the em zhet em zhet nonsense blaring from made-to-look-like-Evo-Wajas, heavens no. Tiesto's music has more class. A more elegant style of trance. And since I don't know anything about this genre whatsoever, I won't risk myself getting flogged by comparing it with others, Armin van Buren for example.

Regardless, the tracks on Kaleidoscope are extremely different from Elements of Life and imo, the former's much better. Elements of Life was more em zhet em zhet-ish. Kaleidoscope has more collaborations with other artistes such as Nelly Furtado among others. It's difficult to find something not to like about Kaleidoscope if your music taste is as eclectic as mine. If you despise trance with a passion, then don't touch it. As it is, I'm playing it for a second time and I figure that if you like Cascada, you should like this.

Danny once showed me this:

But me thinks that those who actually want to see Marge Simpson in the nude is a bigger fucking idiot.

Yes We Can!

2009-10-09T19:34:00.005+08:00

US President Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize 2009. While many have expressed their surprise, frankly, I'm not simply because since 2008's Martti Ahtisaari whom I'm not ashamed to admit I've never heard of before, there hasn't been anyone else who has done (or at least taken a stand) more on peace and diplomacy issues than Obama.

In the Wall Street Journal article, the Nobel committee's reasons for picking Obama as the receipient are:

giving the world hope for a better future and reinvigorating the role of multilateral diplomacy in the international community
diplomacy, founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population
vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons
a leading force in the debate on climate change

among others.

It could however, also be due to Obama's global popularity. Who knows?

What I do know is Malaysian politicians will never be in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize. They can however, be in the running for the Ig Nobel Prize. The Ig Nobel Prize is awarded yearly to ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think" [emphasis added]. Which is precisely what the Malaysian political scene is. The stuff the powers-that-be blurt out are laughable on first glance. It then allows more educated Malaysians to think about the stupidity of it all. Fitting eh?

Regardless, I personally think Obama should have won the Peace Prize even without the above reasons because 1) he restored peace in a White House interview by, with much dexterity, swatting a fly and 2) he restored peace in the US entertainment industry by calling Kanye West a jackass. I would have added 3) he just looks cool but I remembered there's another person of power that's way cooler than Obama is.

Anders Borg - Finance Minister, Sweden: sports pony tail and left earring. Very cool.

Hachi-Roku

2009-10-07T17:22:00.004+08:00

Toyota's got new mojo for folks with moolah.

The Toyota FT-86, a rear wheel coupe which, jointly developed with Subaru, is supposed to be the new generation AE86 (of drifting and Initial D fame).

While by Toyota and Subaru, I've got a feeling that they took some styling cues from the Nissan 370z. I don't care. I still love it.

We'll see it soon in all it's glory at the Tokyo Motor Show next month.

This Is It

2009-10-04T21:04:00.003+08:00

Like all others before it. Five times I have done it. Five times I came out unscathed. This time will be no different.

This time, there ain't no MasterCard to save me. I only have myself to rely on. The road to the final finals. The final month.

Katsumomo: What happened to the warriors of Thermopylae?
Cpt. Algren: Dead to the last man

This is it.

Yuet Kwong Kwong

2009-10-03T22:50:00.002+08:00

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival Everyone!

Dey! Macha!

2009-10-03T15:32:00.007+08:00

Money, money, money
Must be funny,
In a rich man's world

And decades after this famous line by Abba, we begin to see that the monetary system is indeed, funny (to those who pay attention at least). P. Gunasegaran, in his weekend column commented on the possibility of having a single global currency (SGC) i.e. every country in this world would use the same currency for all their transactions. Think the European Union's Euro.

The basic argument on the successful implementation of a SGC is that, if the EU could do it, so can the rest of the world. They fail to however, consider economic diversity. The Euro, with much difficulty and compromise, succeeded eventually since member states of the EU are somewhat similar economically. And as self-interest is placed above all else (go ahead, deny), the likelihood of all 200+ sovereign states coming to a compromise is nil. The economic big-wigs would not let it pass. The best we could hope for would be regional monetary unions, like the EU's. Our ex-premier mooted this idea once for the SEA region but it failed to materialize due to various political and economic reasons. I highly doubt an Asian monetary union would succeed either. Again, self-interest.

Having a SGC would however, put an end to currency speculation and grossly excessive remuneration to the capital market wolves. It would also mean lower prices for goods traded globally, which means cheaper cars (yay!) [not likely to happen in Malaysia - bray], no balance-of-payments issues, a joy for many, no need for central banks to manage foreign exchange reserves etc.

But the drawbacks are many. No longer will central banks be able to adjust its monetary policies to counter changes in the domestic economy. Nations will have to find other methods in which to boost productivity. No longer can they rely on intentionally devaluing their currency to make exports cheaper, a headache for many export oriented nations. (and not to mention rendering all foreign exchange research papers obsolete and having to rewrite multinational finance textbooks, good God!)

The Single Global Currency Association however, asserts that having a SGC would not mean that other currencies will be abolished, they will co-exist. I don't know about you but by saying this, the concept is fishier than ever to me.

Economic issues aside, there's still the problem of what the SGC should be called. It's an ongoing debate. There's quite an extensive list of suggestions here. Gunasegaran focused on dey which is mish-mash of the dollar, euro and yen. That, I think, is a good start. But remember, other currencies will co-exist. And if we are to prevent the fish&chips imperialists from monopolizing the global economy, we need an Asian monetary union, pronto. I even have a name for it already. I call it the Monetary Association Culminating Heterogenous Asians (MACHA).

Having both in Malaysia would be an awful lot of fun.

A tentative deadline for the SGC is 2024.

I can hardly wait.

Call 012-8947501: Instant Approval

2009-10-02T22:57:00.007+08:00

There was an article in The Star Online today saying that Ah Longs in Penang have transactions worth RM 15m in the past three months. This has, no doubt, struck a nerve with many Ah Long haters, and I'm with them on that because their methods are for a lack of a polite word, misguided. But should we really be concerned over this sum? RM 15m in three months equates to about RM 5m in a month. Still a staggering sum. But there's more to it than this. Let's do a little math.

Penang's population = about 1.7m
Let's assume that 0.1% of them are Ah Longs. Keep in mind that the Chinese aren't the only money lenders in Malaysia.
So, 0.1% of 1.7m = 1,700 Ah Longs in Penang. Not a surprising figure really.

Since Ah Longs in total handled RM 5m in a month, with 1,700 of them around, that will be about RM3,000 for each Ah Long. Even IF say there are only 800 Ah Longs in Penang, their individual share would be RM6,000. Reduce the number of Ah Longs to 400 and they'll each have RM12,000. Quite a sum surely. Not many proprietors can boast that amount of sales in a month.

But most people often forget that sales figures aren't an accurate reflection of the business. Assuming that the Ah Longs don't incur any other overhead expenses, which is unlikely given that they need to pay for advertising, telco charges, red paint, machetes, he'd still have to pay wages. Wage rates vary according to job difficulty (see Young & Dangerous series) Nothing's free in this world. Not even throwing red paint. In the end, the (mini) boss Ah Long would take home just a few thousand a month.

And since Ah Longs aren't deposit-taking institutions, how are the loans funded? That is the power of compound interest. Interest on the interest on the interest on the interest on the interest and so on.

Having a secret Tan Sri as your backer helps too.

Why I Hate Messenger

2009-10-01T22:02:00.002+08:00

I've often been asked this question: "Why don't you come online?", the term "come online" meaning to log in into WLM or MSN whichever term you fancy, MSN being the more enduring term since WLM seems to be a mouthful. Try saying WLM when speaking in Hokkien. You'll see what I mean. And even if it flows out beautifully, the wide-eyed looks of Quoi? aren't really worth your time explaining.

So why don't I come online more often? ~~Coz I'm a ninja~~. Simply because there is a demon from the past which I'd do anything to avoid. Yes. Just one. Whence this demon? CIMP, where giving out your email address is like Russian Roulette. Why the animosity? ~~A typical conversation~~ The only conversation I have with her is:

She: hey
She: you there?
She: i need ur help
She: i want you to rephrase this for me
She: i want to put in my ass
[emphasis added]

No kidding. Just like that. Word for word. Like the Lady Boss from Hell. A kinky one at that. Everytime I see this, I have to gag myself for a good five minutes before I can come up with a tangible reply of some sort. But the best part is, she isn't in Monash. Which perplexes me further.

I really should start charging for consultation. Kinky individuals need not inquire.

I’m Addicted to Fresh

2009-10-01T21:31:00.001+08:00

Whither the black, white and red theme? I got bored and at the moment, I’d do anything but study so.

The first thought to mind was Armchair Communist but there are some quarters that would take it the wrong way, particularly since the PRC’s celebrating its 60th anniversary. Also, I don’t buy into Communism. What’s mine is mine and mine alone. Armchair Capitalist brings to mind a couch potato.

My woefully limited scripting abilities has prevented me from placing a chat box so until I enlighten myself, everything goes to the comments section.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish up The Prince.

Read and Read

2009-09-30T22:34:00.001+08:00

While some people I know have turned the city inside out, some have laid siege to their textbooks and notes. I, on the other hand, have done neither what with grandma being warded. Instead, I’ve been reading. And reading. And reading. And reading. First one to be decimated was this:

Very good imo. The pace isn’t as fast as Angels & Demons and the Da Vinci Code but the time frame’s about the same, under 12 hours. While A&D and DVC had Robert Langdon running around Europe, LS has him running around Washington DC. Which to me, is a little more interesting because the symbology run-around in A&D and DVC is more or less expected, coming from cities such Vatican City. I didn’t however, expect stuff like that to appear in DC. Like George Washington as Zeus in The Apotheosis of Washington. Had to look it up to confirm if it really did exist. And it does.

And there’s our sonny jim smack in the middle.

Oh sue me. I’m not privileged enough to walk the halls of the Capitol Building. I’m not giving any spoilers, but novel is as novel does, there’s always a woman involved. Go figure.

Anyway, second book.

I’ve absolutely no idea how to categorize this. Novel? Biography? Novelioraphy? Biovel? Regardless, it tells the tale of John Hunter, Father of Modern Surgery. Very interesting especially since I still harbour that mad inclination towards medicine. Still, it amazes me how Moore managed to piece all her notes together since Hunter existed way back in the 18th century. Oh, I didn’t buy this book though. I got it off the Monash library shelf.

Third book:

I’m still halfway through this. And I wouldn’t really call it reading, since I managed to get the audio version from Project Gutenberg. From what I’ve gathered so far, it seems to me that Machiavelli’s observations seem to transcend time, providing an uncanny reflection of the manner in which the bodies I have been part of have been run. Heh.

Now before you report me to the authorities to have me exiled to Thailand, let me clear the air by saying that I’m not turning communist. I happen to propagate Adam Smith thank you. No, I have not read it (or rather heard it. I got the audio version btw). But there’s always something to be learnt from it. Why else would it have been so popular? And I highly doubt that Marx and Engels ideology had anything to do with what the Communist Party of Malaya did. Rape and pillage that was. Hardly the struggle of the working class no?

Believe me when I said I tried studying. I tried for five macroeconomics chapters and I bailed. I don’t think I’ll do anymore. Not least ‘til break ends.

P.S.> I just remembered tat LS wasn’t the first book I read for the hols. It was in fact, a manual on emergency aid in military circumstances. Ah, the world I left behind. Tra la la.

In Times of Need

2009-09-24T23:26:00.001+08:00

When you pack an Intel GMA4500, software companies usually don’t show you much love.

So you resort to desperate measures, like Slave Zero blasting the SovKhan out of the sky

Or giving disloyal trolls a good slapping.

Then again, if you just need mindless action…

Happy hols Monashians!

Aus Liebe Zum Automobil

2009-09-18T22:26:00.001+08:00

Frankfurt Motor Show people, has already begun and is on until next weekend. I’m not going, sadly but I’ve got the scoop on it anyhow. There’s a whole lot of new releases by the companies and some concepts finally coming to fruition. As usual, I’m not one for all those technology and gadgetry and other hibeedijibeediees. I’m one for the design. There’s a whole lot of new err… for a lack of a better word, supercars released. Most of them look very normal. Nothing which stood out. ‘cept this:

The Mercedes SLS AMG. The return of the Gullwing last seen in the old 300SL. It retains much of the 300SL’s design with sharp touches here and there that mimic the SLR McLaren. And check out the 19” and 16” ceramic brakes and the bright yellow brake calipers. Absolutely spiffing. And it’s not due to my obvious bias towards the 3-point star. It’s a hate it or love it thing. And I love it.

Mercedes-Benz 300SL – I would really love one of these. Not suitable in tight parking lots. Go figure.

And then of course there’s the Citroen DS3

The DS3 first appeared as a concept during the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. And the dudes at Citroen have managed to apply the concept’s design to the production model, if to the dorsal-fin like B-pillar. Apparently, the only differences between the concept and this are the interior and some minor touches on the exterior. But who cares? I know I don’t.

Another one that caught my attention:

The Peugeot RCZ. By the way, it’s pronounced “PER-jee-oh” not “Peeu-gi-ott” like a lot of Malaysians do. There’s some talk that Naza might bring it in for local assembly, keeping the price tag at the RM100k region after taxes etc. That I like. However, knowing the trade idealistas, a greater likelihood would be Naza still bringing it in, but at the Level 2 trim that includes gadgets-galore, plucking the price tag and sticking it deep into the RM200k region. This I don’t like. I see no need for the extra whatnots anyway since Malaysia has a very technologically advance market for in-car gadgets and systems. pfft!

The eagerly anticipated release from MINI was met with much pomp and grandeur. The teaser videos MINI revealed prior the press release implied that they would be revealing two separate vehicles and here they are.

Firstly, the MINI Roadster concept. From the other pictures, I gather that there doesn’t seem to be any difference between the Roadster and the current MINI Cabriolet JCW except that the Roadster has its 2 rear seats removed. It’s still a concept anyway so. What I’m more concerned over is this

The MINI Coupe. And then you ask, “A MINI Coupe? But isn’t the MINI already a coupe?” To that, my friend, I haven’t an answer. Dictionary.com defines “coupe” as a closed, two-door car shorter than a sedan of the same model. But then was the MINI a sedan in the first place? No, unless one’s referring to the Clubman with its suicide doors that take on a literal meaning in Malaysia. So we’ve got ourselves in a loop here. You gotta love the way it looks though.

I loved the Volvo C30 when it was released. I love it even more now. Take a look at then:

And now!! OMGWTFBBQ!!:

Hot damn! I’d really like to have this Volvo for Life!

But the Swedish marque also has the C70 which imo, bears a strong resemblance to the S40

Something else worth noting:

Rolls-Royce showcased its new Ghost. I still like the Phantom Coupe more though. And the Bentley and Maybach driving gangsta-wannabes can just shut up now thank you.

The concepts on display aren’t particularly noteworthy since 90% of them don’t make it to production since they’re mostly unrealistic. Some were tree-hugging technology vehicles. And one was from Lexus. Some were really OTT:

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics – not sure what Van Hooydonk was up to if it even is his idea.

But this really takes the cake

Full chromed Audi R8 5.2l V10 – this is what the Hokkiens call chiak pah boh su zhoh

And what’s a motor show without the Frauleins?

like a cross between Aishwarya Rai and Cindy Crawford.

Ich liebe dies Deutsch Frauline. Dies Frauline ist sexy

Dies ist verdammt erschreckend

Me Likey

2009-09-14T20:04:00.001+08:00

The new McLaren MP4-12C retains some resemblance to its predecessor the McLaren F1. Still the most expensive car out there. Me like.

Mercedes SLS AMG. Herald the return of the Gullwing

Very sexy. Me likey lots lots.

am waiting eagerly for Frankfurt Motor Show to begin.

kthxbye.

Eight Flew Over but I Ran Aground

2009-09-03T20:32:00.001+08:00

It’s times like these that I love the most. The in-between assignment times. It’s times like these where I get to work at a leisurely pace without deadlines breathing down my neck.

And it’s times like these where I get to try out new music. Ok not exactly new, this. Mew’s Frengers was released in 2003 and I started listening to them in 2004, all thanks to June. Their tracks didn’t really appeal to me back then save a few like Snow Brigade. It was only recently i.e. in 2006 when I started to discover the joys of listening to stuff that everyone I know doesn’t. And the rest is history. It’ll take a few loops of the album to appreciate Frengers due to its… err… eclecticism.

If not, you can try And the Glass Handed Kites which succeeded Frengers which has a heavier rock-ish tone to it.

If you wanna dive deeper into things different, then try Mew’s latest album, No More Stories, which, to me is in a whole new league of eclecticism. I like.

It surprises me really, the stuff I consider listen-able then and now. Then, it was all the mainstream loop-de-loop gibberish that I kept hearing on the airwaves. Now, it varies greatly. In fact, it varies so significantly that I’ve lost track of what I have. Sometimes I just leave the player on shuffle and I unearth hidden gems. Like Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in B Minor. Or Utada Hikaru’s Automatic. Or even Simon & Garfunckel’s Scarborough Fair. Interesting eh?

And if you’re still feeling up to it after all that madness, go try Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Lisztomania
Think less but see it grow
Like a riot, like a riot, oh !
I’m not easily offended
It’s not hard to let it go
From a mess to the masses

King of the Road

2009-08-28T22:59:00.001+08:00

I usually ignore developments in 4x4 vehicles in Malaysia as it seems to me Malaysians view 4x4s from a very narrow perspective – to carry loads too big for sedans and too small to be worth the effort to get a lorry. Hence, all 4x4 models in Malaysia look extremely bland and as such, are labeled as trucks. The Nissan Navara looks like hell to me. The Isuzu D-Max looks as though it was shaped simply by stacking cardboard boxes together and the Ford Ranger isn’t any better. Things might be a little different if Malaysian 4x4s looked like the Dodge Ram

Tough luck. Nevertheless, I see some hope shining from the (facelifted) Mitsubishi Triton’s tailpipe.

I don’t know about you but everytime I look at it, the first thing to mind is Stormtrooper.

There’s still some hope for Toyota’s Hilux coz it by itself, looks pretty decent.

Room for design improvements abound. It’s as curvy as a 4x4 could get, minus the Triton. In the event I get a Hilux (which I’ve actually contemplated before) I’d make sure the end product will be like this.

Looks as though it eats 1,000cc cars for breakfast.

Then, those (richer) ah bengs in their Civics won’t try to be funny.

It won’t make me King of the Road doubtless. But it sure helps a lot. Unless it’s mano-e-mano with a 120 tonne crane.

March On

2009-08-26T23:17:00.001+08:00

That’s four assignments down. And four more to go. Then it’ll be the mad rush to what I hope will be the final of finals.

I’m finally starting to regain my footing in the accounting field after having abandoned it for a year. Macroeconomics was / is / will continue to be a breeze. Auditing is finally starting to make sense as the pieces are starting to fall into place. And despite my decision not to be an auditor, I actually find the elective quite interesting. Accounting theory was a real pain initially but it too has started to make some sense. The trick to it is simple. Read. A lot. I still have some issues with Issues though. Still wobbly around the foundations. And I need to rekindle my knack for double entries which I seem to have lost after the Company Reporting exam last year.

I’ll get there soon enough. There isn’t a cause for worry. If I managed to wangle it for Performance Measurement, Issues isn’t going to be a problem seeing that it’s more comprehensible than the former.

‘til then, just keep marching on.

Nature Calls

2009-08-23T20:33:00.001+08:00

To say the least, I’m actually quite sick of the city. I long for a run walk through the jungle.

I want to blaze trails.

5 years in secondary school there was only one thing I looked forward to. Camps. Long, arduous, dirty, wet, mosquito-bitten camps. I don’t get that anymore. I half wanted to join the Monash Wild Adventure Club but I thought better of it. I don’t like going with strangers. Yes yes go ahead and say that I should get acquainted with them, make friends blah blah blah. Nope. Not for me. I only camp / hike with people I already know. Then at least I wouldn’t need to put up with wise-guys.

I want to go and I want to go now. But I can’t. Not in the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar. Of all the months, I dislike this one the most. Coz I’m more or less forbidden to do anything out of routine. I shall have to wait for another 30 days. Crud. That’d mean after Hari Raya. Just in time for the mid-semester break. And nothing will stop me.

There are 13 places that’s good for a hike within an hour of the city. Which is good. First stop, most definitely, would be FRIM which is the most accessible seeing that I’ve driven past it countless times. Another interesting spot would be the Kanching Rainforest Waterfall. Or Bukit Gasing which is the nearest to my place.

Mid-sem break where art thou?

To Infinity

2009-08-18T22:46:00.001+08:00

While I resolved at the beginning of this year to gain admission in to Hochschule-something or Hochschule-thingy, there seems to be a slight deviation in my future plans. Masters courses in Malaysia, sadly, are sorely lacking. By coursework at least. MPhils are in abundance but, imo, it’s nonsense. The prospect of keeping your nose to the same topic for years isn’t very inviting. I’ve managed to narrow it down to two places; IIUM or good ol’ Monash. I’m more inclined towards Monash’s MIB because 1) I’m more familiar with the system and 2) location location location.

But there’s also this for example:

MGX5730: International Trade Policy

Synopsis

The unit will provide students with key insights regarding how trade policy is formulated, negotiated and implemented; the economic, social and cultural implications of international trade rules; the pattern of relationships that exists between trade policy and prosperity; and the implications of the global financial crisis for international trade policy. The unit focuses on the GATT/WTO System and Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements.

Objectives

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

assess the advantages and limitations of the multilateral trading system in terms of its decision making processes and its agreements (agriculture, services, intellectual property, etc.)
explain the recent surge of bilateralism and regionalism and assess the implications of this surge for the multilateral trading system
evaluate the opportunities and the limitations of formally linking human rights and environmental issues to the global trading system
judge whether the current global trading system treats trade liberalisation as a means to an end (the end being sustainable and equitable development) or an end in itself
evaluate the implications of the global financial crisis for the global trading system.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 100%

Contact Hours

3 hours per week

Not that I’m particularly interested in trade policies but look under assessment. There be no final exams yo! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!

There are also a few other electives that has absolutely zero final exams. Those which do mostly have the 60/40 (assessment/exam) ratio. Some have 50/50 while a handful have the signature 30/70.

Now all I need is RM50,000.

Donations are most welcome

You Got Bamboozled!

2009-08-10T23:15:00.001+08:00

and when the management tries to hoodwink auditors…

As is evident from this, the radar-gun-meter the security guard zapped me with showed that my brain capacity was low. The result is an overly creative mind stimulated by a lecture most mundane on a Monday morning

Break the Monotony

2009-08-07T22:29:00.001+08:00

I still haven’t gotten into the rhythm of this semester yet. The subject matter isn’t a problem. It’s just the timing. Last semester was more laid back with deadlines towards the end of the semester. This time around, it’s one deadline after another and it gets annoying.

I decided to break the cycle of my weekly routine by attending the Treasury Management lecture this morning. Dr Jothee is still the best lecturer I’ve had thus far and his enthusiasm for teaching has not wavered despite everything else.

Anyway. Highlight for today.

Kinky yield curves. I’m not even going to explain how it came about.

Vreng Vreng!

2009-08-02T00:31:00.001+08:00

It's late into the night / early into the morning. I haven't a clue what I'm doing awake so I thought I'd share this since I haven't said much in awhile. Final semester's acting like arsenic.

Damn! Damn it looks good. Am waiting for it eagerly. Since the Nissan GT-R (more on that some other time) is already here, it shouldn't be long before the 370z arrives. Just hope that it's priced the same as the 350z

Edit

The 370z is already here. Limited stock. And Edaran Tan Chong is pricing it at RM370,000. To match it's namesake perhaps. I was hoping for the price to compete with the Golf GTi but alas. Swindlers.

Me, Architect #3

2009-07-25T23:46:00.001+08:00

Ok, this is actually design #5 already but I didn’t feature #3 and #4 here, so it’s number #3. #3 and #4 is in my FB album. Go look it up. Impossible to miss.

This time around, I placed more emphasis on the interior architecture rather than the exterior and I didn’t disappoint myself. The screenies of the house looks better than the actual house itself.

The central theme was a house meant for partying – sunken lounge included for novelty’s sake

Backyard featuring partially outdoor kitchen/bar and screened off pool

View of the sunken lounge from the balcony

View of the partially outdoor kitchen from far corner of the pool

Le piece de resistance – view of the entire backyard from far end of the pool

Took me more than 6 hours to put this whole thing together. I placed more emphasis on the insides and landscapes this time around, hence the mediocre exterior and elaborate interior.

Am wondering when I’ll learn to merge both elaborate interiors and exteriors together coz I just can’t seem to do it.

It Is A Bit Of A Bummer

2009-07-16T19:49:00.000+08:00

Customary exam results post. Blah blah blah. I half expected what I got. I half wished that it'd be better but I'm not one to complain. Did I ace the sucker? Yes, I can damn well say I did. I took a gamble in my electives this time around and it paid off.

From what I hear, close friends are progressing smoothly towards next semester. Some did much better than I, but I'm not one to compare so I'm not bothered. In fact, I'm happy. Happy that I won't have to hear any sob stories when we get back, yet for I haven't heard from the rest. I do hope they'll progress as well.

That's it then. One more semester. Triple accounts. I will ace this mo'fo

Almost there, we're almost there
How wonderful, wonderful our love will be
For you, for me

We're almost there where we will share
A warm caress, tenderness, a dream come true
For me, for you

Love has waited such a long time
Now we're a kiss apart
Darling, this is the right time
To let the kisses start

For you're almost mine and soon we'll find
Our paradise, paradise so rare
Close your eyes for we're almost there

You're almost mine and soon we'll find
Our paradise, paradise so rare
Close your eyes, close your eyes
Close your eyes for we're almost there
Almo-o-ost there
A-a-almost there

Triple Threat!

2009-07-15T22:43:00.001+08:00

First up! Food. Food. Food and more food. ‘nuff said. I didn’t take any pictures though coz Teresa’s got a better camera for that. Plus, I was raised to NOT err… play with my food. For the record, we went to Dave’s in 1U for lunch. A bit pricey but the food was good. We ordered a crispy pork salad thingy, which imo, is for dieters in denial. You figure that out. Then we had some home-made pizza which tasted very much like mum’s. Very good. Finally with had some angel hair mushroom olio. T’was very light and wasn’t soaking in olive oil like most places. And it wasn’t extremely dry either. Also very good.

Proceeded to walk off the food by scouring 1U before heading to the arcade in the seedy corner above GSC. Wai Leng left us soon after while me Ming Han and Teresa went to scour the Curve and everything else in its immediate vicinity before settling for some light Thai food at the outdoor Garden Cafe outside Tesco. The food wasn’t too bad considering the price. 5 bucks for quite a large bowl of Thai laksa. And their deep fried prawns were heaven. Too bad they were pre-fried. We shimmied over to Marche since Ming Han was eager for bread pudding which we shared together with a bowl of mushroom soup. Should’ve tipped the entire bowl of croutons into the soup bowl.

We landed in Italiannies for dessert. Tiramisu. (insert favourite complimentary superlative here) before stopping awhile to watch a game of Dodgeball. How does it go? Products of Malaysian government schools should remember the game called Bola Racun. Exactly that. Just more orderly.

Some random pics

We must open it quietly. Or people will scold us for making noise. Oh En, please please translate that

That shows that there’s one helluva scary mother lurking inside. Translate this one too please. I’m eager to know what this thing is all about coz the packaging looks dangerous. And definitely not funny.

Sharing is caring. ‘Nuff said.

************************************************************************************

Timetables were released last night. I’m still at a lost on how to describe it.

Monday: Fin. Acct. Issues (Tissues) Lecture, 9-11am; Acct Theory (Coli) Tutorial, 4-5pm (wtf)

Tuesday: Audit Lecture, 4-6pm (niaseng!)

Wednesday: Audit Tutorial, 9-10am; Macroecons Tutorial 10-11am; Acct Theory Lecture 2-4pm; Fin Acct Issues Tutorial, 4-5pm

Thursday: Macroecons Lecture, 930-1130am.

At least I got back my Fridays though Tuesday makes no cow sense and Wednesday is too much. I’ll probably gate crash Mr Manoharan’s Tuesday morning tutorial for Tissues. It seems as though the Department of Accounting doesn’t like to work on Tuesdays coz there were only a handful of tutorials on Tuesday for all three accounts electives. Ah well.

Oh! Results may be out tomorrow evening or Friday morning via the uni’s SMS. VU got theirs a few days ago. And it seems that the people I know over there didn’t fail. And that’s all that matters.

************************************************************************************

Oh have you seen it yet? Definitely not in Malaysia la of course since our dear country is about a few years behind in the automotive industry. The VW Golf MK6. No, I don’t think anyone of you has seen it on the road coz the Golfs we have in Bolehland is the MK5. The MK6 looks a bit like the VW Scirocco.

I can’t remember which one came first and I’m too lazy to check it out right now. Nevertheless the Scirocco has received rave reviews from most automobile journalists and ultimate petrolheads. However, the folks at ABT Sportline decided to twiddle the Golf a little and came up with this.

The rims look as though they could take your head off if you messed with it. ABT is to VW what AMG, Brabus, Kleeman or Hamann is to Mercedes by the way. Or what AC Schnitzer is to (ho hum) BMW if you prefer. Or what JohnCooperWorks is to the MINI. AMG, Brabus, AC Schnitzer and the likes are all tuning companies. Companies that dabble in modifications to vehicles of a particular brand. Except for AMG which is a subsidiary of Mercedes Benz, the rest are all third party tuning companies that specialize in their err… favourite brands. I’m a Merc-freak and I’ve quite a prejudice against Bayerische Motoren Werke vehicles but I won’t say no if it’s a steal. And therefore, I love AMG. Even the name sounds imposing. A.M.G. Quick and easy to pronounce. Unlike the others save Hamann.

Imagine a swakoo* pronouncing Brabus. Beh-la-bus. Or AC Schnitzer. Ack-Se-ke-nit-zer. You can almost here the guys at AC gagging on their sauerkraut and turn schizo.

And to blow MB’s trumpet further, here’s a vid:

*swakoo = direct transliteration from Hokkien = mountain tortoise which basically means the person referred to is a country bumpkin, ignorant of the world or in other words, a frog under coconut shell or a deer entering the village. Or the cow that jumps over the moon.

Burn Baby Burn!

2009-07-11T22:40:00.001+08:00

The last time I said anything about four-wheeled motorized contraptions was about 3 months ago when I said I wanted to fix up a 1990 Mazda 323

Yes siree. I still do. But I can’t seem to find anyone who wants to sell. And those that are up for sale requires too much work that it isn’t worth it. The automotive industry in Malaysia’s a real pain. Workmanship’s terrible. Parts are horrible. Prices are incredible. It’s no wonder that the only reality TV shows that Malaysian’s haven’t Xeroxed are Pimp My Ride or Overhaulin’.

But I digress.

More importantly however is the fact that car racing games for the PC have sucked for a long, long time now. The last one that was (close to) mindblowing was Need for Speed: Most Wanted, which was released in 2005. NFS: Pro Street released in 2007 was a downright shame. Never having played it myself, I still found it downright poor since it diverted the game from the street racing which is the very essence of the NFS franchise, to more stuff on the tracks, which is plain boring imo. NFS: Undercover looks more promising though it received only a lukewarm reception from many. The plus-point for Undercover was Maggie Q. Niet.

In the same year though, EA released Burnout Paradise, which gave Undercover a royal duffing up. And I strongly agree, having just gotten my hands on it.

The gameplay brings a fresh change from the more common NFS type gameplay. If NFS was Lady’s Choice Peanut Butter, Burnout is its No Frills cousin. Burnout allows you to just jump in and get burning without the hassle of fixing this and modding that and yada yada yada. I don’t really have to say all this since the Burnout franchise has been out for quite awhile but since this is my first time proper on Burnout…

The Burnout Paradise Ultimate Box also features bikes. Bikes are crazy insane. They handle like raging bulls. Me go into hysterics controlling one. Me like.

Having ridden the bikes, the cars seemed to move much slower. Damn. Still, there’s a substantial number of cars to unlock as the game progresses. All of them bear a striking resemblance to what’s available on the road, only with a different name. I have yet to determine if any of the brands exist for real. Nothing that resembles a Waja though so don’t worry.

I pride myself in knowing that my car racing skills are pretty good, having annihilated every release of the NFS franchise, save Porsche Unleashed, NFS IV and Hot Pursuit 2 (all pointless), Pro Street (just so wrong) and Undercover (soon soon). But all that NFS expertise only helps a little in terms of the Burnout experience. In NFS, you race through the city like super jet powered tank, plowing through anything and everything that happens to be on your lane. Static objects simply block your path. It’s like walking into a brick wall. Steer round it and off you go.

Static objects in Burnout however, eat you for lunch.

Therefore, I hereby urge all future gaming competition organizers to make players compete in Burnout rather than NFS. It’s the ultimate test of reflexes. Is that a shortcut I see? Oh! There’s a gate! Let’s ram through! Crash!

Much better judge of racing skills.

In spite of everything, I still prefer the NFS franchise though. The real cars being the main reason. Tell someone you’re driving a Chevrolet Camaro SS and they go oooh!

Tell someone you’re driving a Krieger Pioneer and they wide-eyed and say Quoi?

We Go Round in (a)Ss(es)

2009-07-08T22:15:00.001+08:00

Yes. Barely more than a week from visiting Taiping Zoo, I shimmied over to Zoo Negara this morning with Ming Han, Teresa and Wai Leng. Zoo Negara, located somewhere in the middle of KL is quite a long journey from uni. And that place is friggin huge compared to Taiping Zoo. But Taiping Zoo is more well maintained. Zoo Negara was a tad dilapidated. At least the animals looked spritely. However, Zoo Negara offered more close-ups of the animals. Overall, Zoo Negara was ok, not impressive but definitely not as bad as a lot of people paint it to be. I think the root cause of its dwindling visitor numbers if because of its location. Supremely hard to get to. If they were to relocate, it to say, near the Paya Indah Wetlands where there’s more space and less development, I don’t see a reason why people wouldn’t visit more often.

Anyway, some pictures:

The friggin huge Arapaima Gigas. The same species they claim to have eaten two fishermen in Tasik Kenyir. I think the arapaimas are more afraid of humans than we are it.

Sup ladies?

Monsters vs Aliens II – Malaysian Invasion

Green Scorpions anyone?

Oh! And I realized that I haven’t blogged about any cars for a long while. There’s been a lot on my mind really regarding the automotive world (mostly regarding my insatiable appetite for anything automobile and my inability to afford ANY of it). That’s all coming up!

Gong Gong Tut Tut

2009-07-03T21:30:00.001+08:00

It’s back to the city after 3 days of food, drink and mindless chatter in Taiping. The full guest list was Choon, Jit, Daniel, Yun Theng. Chia Her, Tsui Han, Kenneth and yours truly. We (as in me and Ken) were the designated drivers.

Day 1

Journey northbound took close to 5 hours since we shimmied to Simpang Pulai to savour the renowned Ipoh Taugeh Chicken and Hor Fun. It, by itself, was good. But to say that the one we had trumps all the others would be an exaggeration. Of course, the taugeh we had can’t be found anywhere else la, save the northern regions of West Malaysia, I think.

We then shimmied to a supposedly quite famous Tau Foo Fah stall. The stall itself, is supremely small. Probably about the size of those half-lot handphone shops you see everywhere. But the queue. It was about lunchtime when we got there and the crowd was spilling out to the streets. Heck, the stall itself functioned like a drive-thru too, with cars lined up by the roadside, and you see the workers serving tray after tray after tray of Tau Foo Fah. I personally, am not a fan of Tau Foo Fah but the others said it was good, so I’ll take their word for it. One thing did catch my attention though.

Ok pardon the supersized photo. This is the first time I’ve seen a stall which has business hours such as this. 10.30 am till finished. Business must be really good then. It’s not over till it’s over. We’re not finished till we’re finished.

Soon after, we headed off in search of the supposedly famous Ipoh Salted Chicken. Again, good by itself. But to say it’s the best of the best is overdoing it coz imo, the one I had a few years back in some godforsaken lane in Taiping was much better. And bigger too!

Anyway, we continued the journey up north supposedly to avoid bad weather. Also partly because Kenneth was starting to look fatigued never having driven more than two hours straight. It is here that I would like to reiterate my love of driving on the winding roads of Ipoh northbound.

We arrived at grandma’s at about 5 or so before heading off to Prima for dinner and the first thing everyone realized was the price of food. Example, KL Curry Mee, almost RM 5. Taiping Curry Mee, RM 2.50. You do the math. I had curry mee for dinner so I used it as an example. The others had an assortment of food and all found it pretty good. Point for the little town.

After dinner we jetted off to Tesco to buy a few drinks and snacks. Nothing particularly eventful although the conversations were highly colourful but those are P&C to protect individual identities. We went home and had a little do for Kenneth since his 21st birthday was on the day before (Sunday) our trip (Monday). Of course there was the drink. And I’m pleased to say that I still don’t have a thing for alcohol. I’ll down a bottle of Ribena anytime though. It wasn’t so much of the food and drinks that made the whole trip fun. It’s the company and the worthless chatter that’s important.

Day 2

We went for breakfast at Prima before popping by Maxwell Hill, mostly to take in some fresh air and scenery. Went round the famous Lake Gardens again since they didn’t get much of it the day before (we went round before going for dinner).

We made our way to the Taiping Zoo shortly after. It’s been ages since I last visited the zoo, so long that I can’t even remember how it looked like inside. I was asked the question “What’s new in the zoo?” only to reply “Everything” simply because I don’t recognize anything. It’s as though I was a first time visitor.

The phoenix takes flight!

Who needs Tasik Kenyir when you’ve got Taiping Zoo?

Hrrumph! Fresh Meat!

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave.

How ‘bout a swim?

I’ve a strong suspicion that the animals in the zoo have been trained to come out from their cubby holes and pose whenever there are humans around. Like the orangutan for example, you deliberately climbed all the way to the top to sit and smile at us. Anyway, after spending a good 2 hours ogling at wildlife, we headed off to the Casual Market for lunch. I paid a visit to mum’s cousin’s mee rebus stall. Everyone fell in love with the keropok and promptly ordered a second round. Unfortunately, the fried chicken stall two stalls away was closed. So we decided to take a stroll around the area before ending up in a backlane DVD shop selling TVB Dramas, movies, PC games, PS2 games, BB Guns and an assortment of other thingies.

We proceeded back home later to get some rest since most of them were still hung-over from the night before. The culprit, was found to be not the vodka, but the Red Bull. Not surprising. Everyone took a shower soon after before falling asleep. Tough luck though that the ceiling fan fused in the late afternoon, instantly waking everyone from their slumber. Thank god for the kampung weather with a consistent breeze blowing. If we were in PJ, we would’ve strung ourselves up. Then again, if we were in PJ, we would have headed out. We left for dinner quite early and then spent a good few hours at a restaurant near Convent Taiping. The food was pretty much standard fare. The conversations were epic and not suitable for public discussion. Suffice to say, hearty laughter filled any remaining spaces in our bellies.

Back home, the drinking was a subdued one since everyone was too bothered about the heat and were getting sleepy. We simply carried on the mindless talk from dinner, choosing to retire early since we had a long journey back the next day.

Day 3

Nothing much happened. Everyone woke up late since we all slept so comfortably the night before due to the excellent weather (it rained like crazy, bringing the temperature down). Was supposed to go for dim sum but by the time everyone was done showering, it was about 10 so we headed to the old hawker centre for a simple meal before going to Pokok Assam to buy hneow pneah and tau sah pneah. After that, it was time to pack up and leave, but not before taking a slight detour to Casual Market to savour the fried chicken that we missed the day before.

The journey back was relatively uneventful save for the drive southbound to Jelapang. Fcuking dangerous, that stretch of highway. A moment’s lapse of concentration and you’ll be joining St Peter for tea. Twisty curvy bendy risky stretch of road. I love it!

We made a stop at the Tapah R&R for some food and toilet calls. Nothing eventful there as well save for a fruit stall manned by four ladies, 3 Chinese and 1 Malay. The Malay girl was trained to call out for customers in Cantonese, in a very robotic way. But that’s not the worst. The 3 Chinese ladies are creepier. Their tone of voice reminds me of those old Chinese Kiang Xi movies where the kiang xi disguises itself as a beautiful women and calls out to hapless wanderers in the dead of night. Scary. To make things worse, one of them was actually quite beautiful. Freaking hells!

We made it back to PJ in one piece at about 5, journey taking a much shorter time as compared to going up since this time around, Kenneth didn’t need much guidance and there were less road works going on southbound.

Will I ever do such a thing again? Yes, as long as I’m driving. I actually love driving long distance, sans traffic and roadworks.

With the same bunch of people? Yes. They’re extremely brilliant company in and outside the car. The driving’s extremely painful if it wasn’t for the great source of entertainment coming from the passengers. Rest time can get really dreary without such great company.

To the same place? That depends on the purpose of the trip. I’ve already concluded a long time ago that Taiping is only good for eating and sleeping. You arrive, you eat, you sleep, you eat, you sleep, eat, sleep ad infinitum. If it’s fun filled activities you’re looking for, you’re heading the wrong way. Unless you count mindless colourful ramblings about any damn thing.

All in all, it was a great trip. With great friends. Great food. Great talk. Great environment. Great weather.

Life is Great!

P.S> Bacardi + Coke >>> Vodka + Ribena + Red Bull

P.P.S> I need to get started on writing that damned paper!

R.I.P. Michael Jackson, King of Pop

2009-06-26T10:28:00.001+08:00

Michael Jackson, legendary pop artist passed away on June 25. He was, is and will always be the best pop artist the world has ever seen. Damn! And I was hoping he’d make a supreme comeback.

He’s a damn good entertainer as well. Especially his slick moves on the dancefloor. All you ah-beng kias who think you’ve got the dance moves aren’t even worthy of kissing the floors he danced on. He’s still the ultimate best.

And never will he ever grace our airwaves again. Rest in Peace Michael Jackson, King of Pop and the greatest artiste in modern history.

That you are not alone
For I am here with you
Though you're far away
I am here to stay

But you are not alone
For I am here with you
Though we're far apart
You're always in my heart
But you are not alone

Me, Architect #2

2009-06-24T23:23:00.001+08:00

I built another Sim home just now. Yes, just now. Completed in 45 minutes. Could’ve been less if the roofing wasn’t such a pain.

It’s essentially a starter home, which in Sims speak, means costing less than 20 grand and extremely bare-basic. I tried to keep it under 10 grand but it ballooned to slightly more than 12. Probably due to the little patio outside.

Note: The house isn’t an odd trapezium. It’s still has the conventional triangle shape only that the angle which I took this doesn’t show it coz I wanted the patio to be at least, partially seen and partly because the trees are blocking. And I admit, I’m the suxzors when it comes to taking photos, so sue me.

Me, Architect

2009-06-23T22:38:00.001+08:00

I’m amazed at how everything turned out. The Sims 3 engine is much better than I thought. I can’t really make any comparisons with Sims 2 since I never played it and comparing with Sims 1 is ridiculous. Anyway, the thing I liked the most about the Sims franchise was Build mode. I never really cared much about actually controlling the Sim. The architectural possibilities are more interesting, imo.

My first proper design, with inspiration from a custom Sims 2 design I found online. Took me slightly more than an hour to put this together. The insides are extremely minimal since Sims 3 doesn’t have many modern-looking furniture. The most I could do with it was fiddle with object patterns and colours. I haven’t tested it to see if everything was functional i.e. no blocked passages, coz, as Sims fans would know, the engine is exceptionally anal when it comes to walking pass objects.

I’m quite pleased with the final outcome seeing that I’m sorely lacking in the design department. I’ll construct another soon enough. Just need to get my pencils and sketchbook out.

Parapapumpum

2009-06-19T10:27:00.001+08:00

So yes… exams are officially over. For me that is. Everyone I know is still slogging at it. Wei Shiarn on the other hand, hasn’t even started his yet.

Final exam review: Investments. Better than I had expected. Plus we were allowed two sheets of notes. I only wished I had included every damn thing in it rather than just formulas and some crackpot wonky symbols. That’s always the case isn’t it when you’re allowed to bring notes in, the stuff that you forget to write down are the ones that are asked in the exam. Nevertheless, with my super-awesome skills of horse crapping my way through exams, I don’t foresee a F. Maybe a higher C. Or even a D maybe if they buy the nonsense I wrote.

Was out in Pyramid to ah… celebrate with the guys, even though they’ve yet to finish their exams. Waited for an unbelievably long time at Wendy’s just to get our food, which was, imo, half-baked. I expected it to be much better than McD’s but it’s just the same. And their fries were limp and seriously lacking in the salt department.

And we waited again, for an inhumanely long time to queue for tickets. Managed to catch Monsters vs Aliens. There wasn’t much choice actually since the ridiculously long wait at Wendy’s striked off all other options.

Monsters vs Aliens. Good movie. An ideal stress relief. It’s by DreamWorks so expect a very feel good, all’s well ends well, happy ever after feeling. The jokes they tell are even better. But again and again and again, the ordinary Malaysian audience didn’t get the more subtle jokes so I had to stifle laughter to avoid being chucked out. Plus, it stars Hugh Laurie, as Dr Cockroach Ph.D. Go watch, if you’re feeling stressed.

I’ve got a whole lot of stuff to do during the winter break. Yes, it’s called winter break. Coz Oz is on the opposite hemisphere, for the benefit of the uninitiated. Stuff to do include:

1) Go to IIUM, collect Master’s course prospectus.

2) Go to Metropolitan, collect Master’s course prospectus

3) Plan for road trip to Taiping

4) Collect material to write a paper. Topic unknown. Any ideas?

5) Attempt to teach myself tax, if I screw up #4

6) Get fit… again

I’ve got a month off so here we go!!

Going into Anaphylactic Shock Pt 3

2009-06-16T15:27:00.001+08:00

Wiggly-wee Wiggly-wee Wiggly-wee

I got off to a satisfying start for this semester’s exams. See previous post for details.

For the whole of last week, I was griping (to myself) about the stifling exam schedule I have, without much time to get any proper studying in. The same happened over the weekend after the Islamic Banking exam. Just two days to prepare for Lending Decisions (yesterday) and IBF (this morning).

Surprisingly, I managed to answer the whole Lending Decisions paper without much hassle. The questions caught me by surprise though. I mean, since Bob’s a guai lou, I’d have expected more guai lou kind of questions, like the questions that Mr Ley used to ask which require, ah… whatsit, more out-of-the-box thinking. Instead, the questions were pretty straightforward. It was so direct that it was scary. Especially for the calculations. “Too good to be true” was what I told him when he asked. Expected results you say? Passing’s a given. A HD’s overly optimistic but not out of the equation. A more realistic estimate would be a C, or a lower D.

IBF was disappointing. Disappointing because I expected myself to do better than what I did. For other electives, I’d be pleased at the way I sat for the paper. I wanted to do better than that seeing that IBF was the elective that I placed more importance on all semester, the one I was confident of doing well. Bah! I’ll be damned if I actually failed this paper. Answering every single question, it’s hard to see how I can actually fail. A C is more likely. A low D might be possible. A HD is totally out of the question.

It seems to me that Dr Kevin’s prophecy might just be true.

In your first year, you try to get as many HDs and Ds as possible.

In your second year, you try to get Ds and Cs at least.

In your third year, you’ll be trying your best not to fail.

Bummer that. Regardless, there’s one more paper left. Investments.

In under 48 hours, I’ll be ~~Liberace~~ liberated.

Going into Anaphylactic Shock Pt 2

2009-06-12T21:24:00.000+08:00

4 questions. 2 hours 48 minutes.

Finally got one paper down today. Islamic Banking & Finance. I'm just gonna paraphrase Yoong's earlier post on the same issue; exams.

Dayem… it’s finally here, that finals post that everyone does every semester. We somehow find new ways to express our pain and confidence in a pretty graphic manner. So far, I can’t say that I’m going to bleed from my ass any time now.

Had my Islamic Banking & Finance exam today. I’m pretty surprised I did alright, but what can I say, I was familiar with the stuff and I’ve been reading the stuff for about 3 days now. To boot, I was in the hospital the whole of yesterday, waiting on mum who had this probity-probe thing procedure going on. Can't say the time wasn't well spent. I mean, 4 and one half movies is pretty good time spent don't you say? Movies are: Nine Months, Fido, Apocalypto and half of Blind Dating.

*Italics are mine

So yes. The paper wasn't as bad as I expected though the first question was a bit of a bummer. I don't even want to comment on it for fear of being stoned by the extremists. Some of which, are / were once close acquaintances.

Anyway, it's done and done. No need to think about the extensive names and terms that can't even standardize the spelling.

And to think I put myself in this in the first place. Not that I regret it though. It was fun actually. Fun, if you want to side track yourself away from all the conventional banking and finance hullabaloo that we've been going at for semester after semester. I'm speaking on behalf of finance majors. For the rest, if you need something to balance off whatever nonsense you're doing, try it. Just to see what the hype is all about.

But I never finish off an exam post without talking about expected grades.

C's a possibility, though less likely than more likely
There's a bigger chance of a D, I hope
An HD isn't entirely out of the question, depending on the level of leniency (read: accepting my horse-crap)

A F is nigh impossible. I don't even wanna think about it.

I'll just go catch another few Eddie Izzard vids before burning my lending notes, mixing it with water and a pinch of salt and drinkin' it down.

Going into Anaphylactic Shock

2009-06-08T22:52:00.001+08:00

It’s that time of the year again.

The time when most Australian universities are kicking off their exam periods that would last the entire month of June.

It’d be a blatant lie if I said I didn’t like studying. Now before you string me up and have ‘Nerd’ hanging from my neck, read on.

Now then, why am I making such a blasphemous statement when the entire student population are pissing their pants off with exams barely 3 days away? (Monash’s official exam start date is June 11)

Simply because I enjoy studying really. This is the time where the accumulation of all the fangled mumbo-jumbo actually makes some bloody sense. The way Monash and I’m guessing other Australian unis go at it is that every single week, we cover a new topic relevant to a particular elective. Standard amount of electives undertaken in a semester is four. Multiply that with the number of weeks of study we have, thirteen in total, we have 52 topics, +/- four or five. Throughout the semester we too have a whole lot of other humdrum-conundrums to accomplish, there isn’t really any time to make sense of whatever that’s going in (or at least what the lecturers think that’s going in) week after week after week.

Exam prep cometh and this is the time where we (when I say ‘we’, I mean ‘I’) can actually start collecting the precipitations at the bottom of the skull and begin piecing together whatever that’s left over the thirteen weeks. Fish out some additional material from a towering stack of paper. Gluing back shredded papers and deciphering whatever’s legible. Ok the last examples a bit OTT but you get the point.

But things start to make little more sense now no?

Ask me, four weeks ago, what the Treynor’s Index signified, I’d would’ve started talking about the weather. Ask me now, I’d still talk about the weather. Ask me now, what the International Fisher effect means, I’d tell you. Ask me four weeks ago, I still would’ve told you. But that’s IBF. That’s different that is. IBF runs through me like blood through my veins.

Having had some, ok fine, a bit, oh alright, a tad, fine fine, do it the hard way, a miniscule amount of studying done, I prefer not to try any ah… practice questions for fear of stuff leaking out of my head. Call it arrogance or overconfidence or whatever the heck it is you want, doing practice questions just doesn’t work for me. Practice questions sound so… so… SPM. *shudder* I used to despise completing question sheet after question sheet for SPM preps. I still despise doing them. That’s why I usually don’t bother going over, damn I hate this term, Past-Year Papers. I get extremely annoyed if anyone comes up to me and asks “Hey! You prepared for the exam?” “Yeah, more or less” “Did you do this exam question?”. Ordinary denizens of this world would find nothing wrong with this scenario.

I’m not ordinary, in case you haven’t already noticed.

But I digress. I do enjoy studying. BUT only to the point where I’m not forced to memorize every damn thing that was covered in the semester only to find that we were tested on only 30% of the content. It’s ridiculous. That’s not studying. That’s akin to stuffing a sausage.

While I adore sausages, especially Bratwurst, I’m not really a fan of cramming stuff into my head if I can help it. I rather have exams that require me to understand a particular issue and then have me solve the issue with whatever concept that has been taught than one which requires me to count this, count that, Count Orlock, count this again. That’s why I kept telling everyone that cared to listen (which on last count was one and one half, me and the a quarter of the skeptical half of me) that Lending Decisions is a moderately challenging elective barring the calculations.

And it is really, having gone through most of it. But things are really starting to make sense. I figured that somehow, almost every topic went back to one thing. The 5Cs

Investments, on the other hand, is more akin to stuffing a sausage. Still a bit mind-boggling and still a right pain in the arse but I don’t expect to go tits-up with it. Which is funny seeing that the reason I majored in Finance was to do stuff like Investments and to get away from stuff that leaned more towards economics, which is what IBF is partially about.

Memory-work, memorizing, sausage stuffing. Whatever you call it, I don’t like it. Reasons being

1) I don’t understand whatever that’s stuffed and I forget it fast.

2) I start to spew cold sweat if I forget whatever that was memorized and then proceed to forget even the stuff I remembered

3) My memory seems to be failing me. June says it’s because I’m getting old. But I attribute it to the multiple GAs I’ve undergone. Must have addled my brains somewhat.

4) Memorizing requires an extra amount of studying effort, on my part. Not that I’m afraid of it, but the extra effort puts me into anaphylactic shock.

#4’s an exaggeration but it does come close. Every time I do study a little harder i.e. memorize stuff, I develop a blocked nose. My nose will start to itch. I’ll start to sneeze as though I breathed in a pound of pepper. I’ll be in such a foul temper that I chuck my notes away and there’ll be no more studying for the day. Perfect.

I’m allergic to studying.

When is this damned exam gonna end!?*

*Who am I to complain really? V’s got four exams in 3 days!!

You Are My Fire!

2009-06-03T23:39:00.000+08:00

Yoong's recent post on cover versions gave me exactly what I was looking. A few months back, I had a few cover versions of some popular songs but had to stop at just that as it proved a little difficult to find. This however, should satiate my appetite for covers for awhile.

This one's Vol 1. Apparently Vol 2 is much better. Can't really say since I haven't heard Vol 2 yet. Vol 1, however isn't too bad by itself. Problem is, I don't know half the songs on the album, such as Madonna's Like A Prayer or Mandy Moore's Candy. The one's I do know are, thankfully, pretty good. Like Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way or Michelle Branch's Everywhere.

I'd give it a 6/10. Marks off for some of them which were overly trashy and sounds as though the band was tone-deaf, resembling NOTHING like the original.

Side note: 3OH!3's Don't Trust Me lyrics: "Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips"?

What a bloody insult!

What's wrong about it you ask?

Don't know who Helen Keller is? Go read it up. Wikipedia's got a reasonable account of her.

Tis' unfortunate, the ignorant masses.

Can't expect you to understand her predicament.

If you say 'I feel you', clearly you're lying.

Don't you even dare ask whether I do 'feel her'.

Coz I do.

1/4th of it at least.

Music Makes Me Lose Control

2009-05-30T23:20:00.000+08:00

People!

I got it! I got it! I got it! Woohoo!

Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons / Le Quattro Stagioni

Supremely enchanting! Absolutely spiffing! Miraculously spellbinding! Awesomely invigorating!

Perfect salve for distressed souls!

Next target: Joseph Haydn's oratorio, The Seasons

(Note to self: Never ever listen to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata while studying)

Urgh!

2009-05-29T23:51:00.000+08:00

Investments = Killer. 'Nuff said

I'm actually quite perplexed though as to why I can't seem to find this

Or this

I managed to find Don Giovanni though. Will get it once I'm done 'evaluating' my performance ~~in bed~~

I also found Vivaldi's Four Seasons, which is a bonus really seeing that the thought did cross my mind.

Anyway, completing the Investments assignment by tomorrow shouldn't be a problem.

Then come Sunday, it'll only be 13 days left til finals. Which leaves me about 3 days of studying per paper. Last paper's on the 18th, giving me a longer winter break, to which I've already laid out a few plans. Attending the MPO's performance of Haydn's The Seasons for example.

To work! To Work!

(Note: The portfolio evaluation isn't going as well as I thought it'd be since based on the performance measures, I wouldn't even invest in MY portfolio. Qua?)

The Penultimate

2009-05-27T22:53:00.000+08:00

That’s 3 1/2 down, and 1/2 more to go. Unfortunately, I’ve chucked ~~most of~~ all my statistics out the window the moment the exam ended 2 years ago. Oh I still remember those good ol’ days, in the more secluded lecture theatres of the Sunway College building. Oh the quotes, those memorable quotes!

Huh? Why are you all talking? I’m very irritating you know? Huh?

You see this chart? See the fucktuation here and here?

You take this one *waves arm* times this one *waves arm* times this one *waves arm* equals this one *waves arm*

Brilliant!

It’s back to haunt me. Not as daunting but still!

But I digress.

The Lending Decisions err… report was quite a daunting task, that my brain was sapped by the time I was 2/3 complete. I whisked past the final 1/3 only yesterday. Not my proudest achievement since I’ve got this nasty habit of completing assignments at least a week before its due. Total time taken to complete the 20 page report was about 20 hours. (Unrelated: there’s a friggin’ bee perched on my curtain. It’s so close that I can see it’s striped buttocks. Let’s just hope it doesn’t find my nasal passage a nice cave to explore) I attribute my godlike speed to him:

I’ve always wondered, was his nose actually that BIG?

Mozart’s pieces does wonders for the mind as it doesn’t interfere, doesn’t obstruct your train of thought. It just flows around you. Lady GaGa’s like a concrete barricade from heaven. Stops you dead in your tracks. Makes you boogie down. Good Charlottes makes me bawl. Limp Bizkit makes me wanna scream my head off. (Unrelated: the little bee is feeling around the curtain with its feelers, hoping to get some nectar out of the flowers [prints] on the curtain. Is it blind or is it just mocking me?)

And him:

Wonder how he keeps the ‘fro in check?

Kenny G – his pieces are brill. His sexy tunes are the perfect complement to Mozart’s more sombre pieces (at least from my collection la).

And him:

Power arms, I’ve always thought

Maksim tops off the playlist with his err… remixes of the classics.

The three aren’t the only ones on my playlist though. There are others, JS Bach, Johann Strauss, Chopin, Antonio Vivaldi, Franz Schubert, Jon Schmidt, Hans Zimmer. Yes Hans Zimmer, speaking of which:

I spent most of my working hours yesterday morning playing the entire album in loops. Hans Zimmer, 20th Century Mozart. I can’t seem to find my collection of his The Last Samurai pieces though.

Oh and as an afterthought, I got this as well.

Don’t ask, don’t tell. It was a flight of fancy. I don’t really know how to rate English songs by Asian artistes. The album sounds err… Ciara+Beyonce-ish. Makes a good change from all that Black-Wannabe-R&B flers. Just that the album art needs some serious work.

Next targets:

Only foreseeable problem is my Absolute ~~Terror Field~~ zero knowledge of Italian. (Unrelated: the little bee’s moved about 3cm from his original spot. It’s probably wondering why’s the temperature getting colder)

But that didn’t stop me from amassing a total of six different versions of Ave Maria.

Death By Tray It Shall Be!

2009-05-24T00:25:00.000+08:00

Just a quickie before bedtime

I nearly laughed myself to death when I watched this the first time. It's been like 10 views now and I still laugh myself silly watching it.

Enjoy!

Musical Breakdown

2009-05-22T17:23:00.001+08:00

Usually I don’t do this sort of thing, y’know divert my attention to other… interests, for a lack of a better word, during peak studying periods. But I couldn’t resist. I’ve heard it over the radio countless times and I decided to give it a shot.

And I daresay that I didn’t come out of it disappointed. In fact, it’s ruddy brilliant! Reviews have been mixed, going as far as saying that Green Day seems to be lacking direction this time, whatever that means. I’ve vague feeling that the reviewers were referring to how each track starts off a certain way, climaxes in a different way and tails off in another way. Or it could be the fact no two tracks have the same, oh what the heck do you call it, (I was never cut out to be a music reviewer), rhythm. Err… how should I explain this?

Y’know how some rock bands have songs out of the entire album that sounds the same as each other? Like Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory and Meteora? Something like that. Pardon my lack of vocabulary when it comes to describing music. pfft!

Anyway, the reason for my affinity towards 21st Century Breakdown is the uniqueness of each track. Keeps things fresh. Imagine, there’re 18 songs on the album and if everyone of them sounded the same, by the time you get to #8, you’d be bored stiff. Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl) for instance starts off with a little depressing piano tune before bursting into something that spawned out of MCR’s The Black Parade which is in stark contrast with 21 Guns that kicks off with a little electric-guitar tune before turning into something which to me feels like a bit of Jet’s Look What You’ve Done and Green Day’s own Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The uniqueness keeps things unpredictable

Yes, unpredictable. Unlike the sub-prime mortgages that started this mess.

Updates on Life

2009-05-16T22:18:00.000+08:00

~~I was a lazy fat yob the past week~~. I was really working on an edge the past week, completing my Islamic Banking group assignment (Note: Despite the fun times, I still despise group assignments) on the due date itself. I used a few days to cool off my assignment head and get back to studying. I only managed on subject. No prizes for guessing which one.

Anyway, what's important by order of descending date:

1) The Barclays Premier League trophy goes back to its RIGHTFUL champions, Manchester United for the 18th time, the 11th for Sir Alex Ferguson and the legendary #11 Ryan Giggs. Sorry Scousers. Good try though. Second place, best finish you've had for a quite some time. Better luck next season which by then hopefully your gaffer has his screws on tight.

2) My birthday present came by delivery truck yesterday evening. It only serves one purpose though.
I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm sorely in need of exercise. I've been making excuses for myself for a long time now. With the cross-trainer, I effectively eliminate all of them. It's great really as I will do any darn exercise in this whole world except walk or jog. I despise the both of them. Why? Coz the heart is willing but the legs are not. I especially hate it when my calves start to get sore coz I'm prone to getting cramps there.

3) Thursday, I announced to practically the whole world and probably some on Mars that I was going to Sunway Pyramid after the Lending lecture to catch the opening of Angels & Demons after grabbing some lunch at KFC. Ming Han very nicely invited everyone in our immediate proximity to come along, apparently for some sort of belated birthday do for me, without telling me. Only found out when Jit sent a text message apologizing for his non-appearance. My instant reaction was "Whaa? What birthday do?". Big thanks to Ming Han for getting everyone, Chen Choon, Kenneth, Yun Theng and Chia Her (sorry, don't know how to spell your name). Had a great time, especially trying to guess what grandma likes (don't ask!)

Anyway, Angels & Demons, imo, was great. I kinda like missed the first few minutes of the show as I was waiting for WS to appear after changing his mind about tagging along. Apparently he du lan with his tutor and decided to go movie-ing to relieve stress. About the movie, it was ruddy brilliant compared to Da Vinci Code. Opinions are varied though. Most local movie critics kept harping about Tom Hanks' hair and felt that Da Vinci Code was much better. I think otherwise. DVC was just a mindless runaround. A&D provided more suspense. And at least in A&D, the creators didn't alter the plot. But the one thing that I really enjoyed about A&D was Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna. I found his acting very convincing, with McGregor's cool and calm voice. Very in-character.

The critics' views were largely about praising DVC rather than reviewing A&D. Today's movie review in The Star shows how well the reviewer actually understands Angels & Demons. In the paper, there was a picture of Ewan McGregor as the Camerlengo. The caption for the picture very brilliantly states:

Ewan McGregor (in black cassock) plays a young priest by the name of Carmelengo in Angels & Demons

Ewan McGregor in black cassock, correct.

A young priest, correct.

In Angels & Demons, correct.

By the NAME OF CARMELENGO!?!?!?!

Epic failure.

Simply goes to show that the reviewer:

1) Doesn't understand the story and/or
2) Didn't do his homework before handing in his article

My money's on both. A reasonably informed person watching the movie would have realized the term Camerlengo is a position in the Holy Roman Church. Geez, he (I'm assuming he's a he) even got the spelling wrong. C-A-R-M-E-L-E-N-G-O. It's like an insult to the Church. Honestly! Dude, if you had paid a little more attention to the movie, rather than Tom Hanks' hair, you would've realized that Ewan McGregor's character's name is Patrick McKenna, not C-A-R-M-E-L-E-N-G-O! All the teachers in the Harry Potter series addresses Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster. You don't tell the entire nation that "Michael Gambon plays an old teacher by the name of Headmaster". And the ideal punctuation mark after the prior sentence would've been dumb-ass. Seriously, if you really found the movie such a bad watch, the least you could do was get your facts right, or at worst, the spelling. Some movie critic you are.

Yes, as you would've already established, I have a very VERY high amount of respect for Roman Catholicism. All religions in fact. And I get extremely cheesed when people can't do such a simple thing as to read up on something before they actually start saying anything about it. Especially when it comes to religion.

All in all, I rate Angels & Demons about 7-8 out of 10 since it was one of those movies which I didn't want it to end although it ran for about 150 minutes. Points for McGregor's Camerlengo. Points for the serene portrayal of Roman Catholic traditions (did I mention I've got lots of respect for Roman Catholicism?). Brownie points for Hanks being more professor-like, rather than old-heavy-metal-fan-like and a few more for the hot co-star Ayelet Zurer. Brownie points for the great camera angles in the movie (I don't really care if they were the CGI or the real ones) especially the scene where they show Castel Sant'Angelo in all its glory. And a few more points because there were dumb-ass critics who didn't like the movie because they didn't understand it.

That's all there is to say. ESPN's broadcast of Man U's trophy presentation ceremony's starting soon. Toodles then

Random Stabs

2009-05-08T20:00:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought life was getting a tad predictable:

A few random flers and some students and alumni of Monash U, demonstrating for the release of Wong Chin Huat, a journalism lecturer in Monash who got arrested on sedition charges. I didn’t get any closer since, if I’m not mistaken, I was wearing black that day. And I’ve still got plenty of things to do than spend time eating rice and rassam behind bars.

This, is of course thanks to Joseph who very nicely gave me this Quarter Dollar coin.

Amazing no? Despite me having written extensively on America’s monetary policies and problems, I’ve never had any USDs before.

This just happened about 15 minutes ago, right outside my window.

I applaud the police for being vigilant in inspecting this crummy looking van that stopped for no apparent reason.

Two cops got out of the car. One of them (can’t be seen) was inspecting the inside of the van with his flashlight. The other one, in the reflective vest, was questioning the two occupants of the van.

This one shows the second cop who wasn’t shown earlier, inspecting the van occupants’ ID while the other dude… err… was probably sizing up the occupants, as if daring them to try something funny.

And this is a picture of my little dog going bonkers on a blazing hot day

I too do that when the weather drives me nuts. I just don’t do it in front of everyone.

Can’t risk trade secrets can I?

Guess Who?

2009-05-05T23:11:00.000+08:00

I’m sorry about the inactivity here. Especially sorry to those who keep popping by only to be greeted by tum tum tum tum tum TUM TUM TUM!!!!

It’s just that time of the semester again where my waking hours are dedicated to crawling through the dungeons of Jstor, hacking and slashing away at those foul red or black nasties very aptly named No Results Found. To make matters worse, the Jstor dungeon is riddled with extremely long and frustrating mazes called Irrelevant Journals which only serves to bring you to a dead-end. Thankfully though, I thought to bring along my trusty ‘X’ Bomb to save myself from having to make a 180 degree turn back through the Irrelevant Journal. A little flick and I’m back to whence I began, the crossroads featuring another gadzillion Irrelevant Journals.

Of course not all was doom and gloom. I did find little morsels of treasure after having to cross numerous underground rivers of this thick sludge-like substances called Confusing Terms. Right pain in the arse that one but prior experiences have enlightened me this time around thus I am better prepared. I brought along a dinky old and crusty jut rope which I call CTRL+F. Tie a simple knot round the ends and lasso a Key Term and I’m free from the clutches of the Confusing Terms. But things aren’t that simple. The little treasures required deciphering. Trust those darned Dungeon Masters to come up with something like that.

The deciphering isn’t all that hard. It’s pretty straightforward really. Or maybe it’s just because I have a MBBS*. What perplexes is how other dungeoneers find the deciphering part a monstrous task. But what baffles me more is how the devil did their damned courier pigeon actually find me when I’m in Basement Level 568 of Jstor. And that… that… bird has actually found me for four days in a row. How in blazes does it do that? I swear it’s got a sat-nav that’s a trillion-zillion years ahead of our time or I’m a pot noodle. It took me almost a whole fortnight to get to Level 568 and that bird managed to do it four times in four days. The distance of Level 568 to the surface is about 850km. It took me 336 hours to get here, an average of 2.5km/h, which is well, average. That bird got here four times in four days, so it travelled a total of 8 x 850km = 6800 km, an average of about 71km/h. Either it’s got a 1000cc engine attached to its rear end or he’s probably kept a plus-eleventy-two Damascus of Bird Strike somewhere in his feathers to fend of the red or black No Results Founds.

At the rate I’m going at it, I’ll probably reach Level 700 by this Friday, following which I’ll use a bigger bomb than the ‘X’ bomb I carry around. I haven’t a clue what this bigger bomb is called. It looks somewhat odd though. An incomplete circle, with a vertical line at the top. Something like this:

If all else fails, I still have my trusty Wand of CTRL+ALT+DEL which allows me to zap everything into oblivion including the kitchen sink.

Though I hope and pray to all that’s holy that I don’t meet the big mamma-jamma of a BSOD. But he can be beaten.

What’s worse is when THE BSOD appears.

Then I know I’m seriously fucked.

*Masters of Big Bull Shitting – no offense to actual Medicinae Baccalaureas, Baccalaureas Chirurgiae holders and students.

** I would like to reemphasize this point that me and Kuhanesh came up with during our latter months of Form 4: “Stress Breeds Creativity”. I wonder though, if my little drama still exists on Xanga.

*** I’ve been titillating myself with the idea of using Twitter since I often myself running out of things to say. Surprising, I know but quite true. Twitter allows me to tweet. Short and simple. Like a courier pigeon

Tweet!

Edit

Not half as sorry though for Mr Wong Chin Huat, a Journalism lecturer in Monash's Sunway School of Arts and Social Sciences who just got arrested (approx. 1 hour ago) on sedition charges.

(cue: wailing, shrieking, gnashing of teeth, gasps, sighs, thunder claps, lightning strikes, wolf howls, howling winds, O_O T_T @_@ -_-" >.<")

My God, what is the world coming to?

tum tum tum tum tum tum TUM TUM TUM!!!

2009-04-21T21:52:00.001+08:00

I seriously cannot get Johann Strauss’s An der Schönen Blauen Donau op. 314 out of my head.

It’s been playing in loops since 10 this morning.

Oh c’mon, don’t tell me you don’t know An der schönen Blauen Donau. Impossible!

It’s the one which goes te ne ne ne ne… NE NE! NE NE! te ne ne ne ne… NE NE! NE NE! te ne ne ne ne… NE NE! NE NE! te ne ne ne ne… NE NE! NE NE! te ne ne ne NEH… NE NE! NE NE! te ne ne ne NEH! NE NE! NE NE! ten teh ne ne NEH! NEH NEH NEH!!!! ten ten te neh ne neh ne.

I’m pretty darned sure you know this composition. You probably hear it quite often. You just didn’t know its title was such a mouthful. And it’s 11 minutes long. Beautiful.

Of course it still can’t beat Mozart’s Requiem. Not just the Introitus per se but all the other movements as well.

And I just realized that the I’ve been talking about stuff I scarcely know.

I should just get back to doing stuff I do know. Like “What would be the most suitable hedging alternative for currency exposure?”

An evergreen hedge? A hawthorn hedge? How ‘bout a boxwood hedge? Or even a privet hedge? Hedge hedge hedge hedge hedge. Don’t we ALL just lurve hedging?

Yet another reason as to how we got into this bloody mess in the first place.

~~IBF assignment 2/3 complete! Woohoo!~~

2009-04-21T21:24:00.000+08:00

Tax Schmax

2009-04-19T21:48:00.000+08:00

I couldn't really come up with anything mildly interesting to say and griping about classes resuming tomorrow is just, well, pathetic. So I thought I'd share this with you, something coming from a real, true-blue aspiring CA:

This is Why Your Tax Bill is so High

You’ve given your accountant half your information. You thought this was a good idea didn’t you? Oh, he’ll just work on this while I get my other stuff together. No. This is a weak-sauce decision. Your accountant will complete your file. Then he’ll have to go through it again. Every. Time. You. Give. Him. More. Information.

You’ve decided to prepare your tax return and then give it to your accountant. Did you really think this was a good idea? If you’re that competent, then do them yourself. Can you comprehend the ridiculousness that ensues when you do this? Someone will prepare your tax return and then they’ll have to check it against your numbers. This will take at least 4 hours and cost you at least an extra $400. Do you know why they’ll have to do this? Because if the accountant comes up with a different taxes payable than you, you’ll start thinking he screwed up. Ohhh, but I calculated my taxes to be $500, how did you get $1000? I’d rather be this bear then deal with that.

You thought it was a good idea to hand in a nominal donation slip after your taxes were filed. Everyone listen to me. If you have a $10 donation slip and your taxes have already been filed, DON’T GIVE IT TO YOUR ACCOUNTANT. When people do this, I get the urge to gouge my eyes out with a grapefruit spoon and listen to the hampster dance on repeat. It will take an hour to make the adjustment and it will cost you at least $100. Do you know what that donation slip saved you? At most, at the absolute very most? Under $5. If I use my accounting powers I can see that you’ve just cost yourself $95. LIFE FAIL.

Click on the title to see the original.

I thought of this when dad exclaimed he was filling out his tax returns.

And yet another reason why I don't feel like heading in that direction.

Awaiting Launch Orders

2009-04-15T22:31:00.001+08:00

I remember telling myself that I’d use this much needed break to get away from the important things i.e. studies and commit enrol myself into Couch Potato Club.

But I didn’t. Only 2 days into my mid-semester break and already I couldn’t stand the monotony of mooching around the house, eating sleeping and massacring some Nazi encampment. I just didn’t have the willpower to become a sack of wet cement lying in the sun.

I did the unthinkable.

I went to set up base in the uni library. (cue: women shrieking, wolf howl, lightning flashes)

And by golly am I thankful I did it. I wouldn’t have completed as much work had I stayed home, lolling about like an idle turd. (It is here that I’m wondering why Windows Live Writer doesn’t recognize ‘turd’ but recognizes ‘shit’). Anyway, I really do need to push my performance level ~~in bed~~ up a notch since the next few weeks are gonna be a killer. And I’ve a friggin’ group assignment to complete. Damn I hate group assignments. Especially when everyone’s equally stressed out, confused, lazy and uninterested. More importantly, I’ll end up blaming someone else in case the whole paper tanks. If I’m doing it alone, at least I can say “I Suck!”. Then of course there are those assignments with extremely obscure questions with answers that are speculative at best, so vague that Google too finds it a chore.

Like I said, I really have push it up a gear

At present, my drivetrain doesn’t have the capabilities to get past the second, what more the third. It’s like driving the Myvi, on 30 degrees uphill.

Good news is, I’ve already tendered in my resignation from SJAM, effective May 2009 so I should get that wee bit more time but more on that some other sunny day.

Until then, I’ve got this very big question that’s still unanswered despite sawing Google in 18 separate chunks and spewing its contents out the rear end all over Silicon Valley.

Where in nine blazes does the money come from?

He Made Me

2009-04-10T21:58:00.000+08:00

The Maestro is back at it again with quick-wit and sharp tongue, blowing all celebrity egos to kingdom come.

Warning though, not everyone appreciates his, well, tongue-in-cheek but I do. Especially his last two albums where he progressed from an angry disgruntled rapper to one who pokes fun at every damned thing there is to poke.

Eminem We Made You - The most amazing bloopers are here

There's no arguing that Eminem's still the best there is. All the new posers (Souljah Boy ftw!) can't hold a candle to him.

And his rhymes and MVs just keep getting funnier and funnier.

Damn I think Kim Kardashian's a man
She stomped him just coz he asked to put his hands
On her massive gluteus maximus again
Squeeze it then squish it then pass it to her friend
Can he come back as nasty as he can
Yes he can, can, don't ask me this again
He does not mean to lesbian offend
But Lindsay please come back to seeing men
Samantha's a two, you're practically a ten

Simply the best! Hahahaha!

Impervious!

2009-04-09T22:36:00.000+08:00

T'was nothing better to talk about so I decided to share this.

I can just imagine a similar one for Proton

Angel 1: Who are you?

Angel 2: I'm a guardian angel.

Angel 1: Me too. Who are you guarding?

Angel 2: A car driver.

Angel 1: What kind of car does he drive?

Angel 2: A Proton *sigh*

Angel 1: HOLY CRAP!! Why d'you even do this to yourself? Does it even pay well?

Angel 2: *sullen* The pay's ok. But the hours are really long.

Angel 1: *shocked* Why's that so? I thought all car drivers have the more or less the same schedule every day?

Angel 2: I know. But Proton drivers are a bit different. They tend to move about at the most ungodly hours at inhumane speeds.

Angel 1: What in the name of all that's holy do they do that for?

Angel 2: To prove who's the man with the bigger cojones I guess. My eyes hurt at the end of the day just trying to keep up with them.

Angel 1: Dayem man! How do you even put up with this crap?

Angel 2: Simple my friend. I keep telling myself, I could've been the guardian angel for a Mat Rempit, like Chuck.

Chuck : AHSHADDAPYOURMOUTHLAKTHXBYE

Err... What?!

2009-04-06T22:21:00.000+08:00

I was bored, stuck cursing at Investopedia who just messed up my portfolio AGAIN while wondering how in blazes am I supposed to fill up the NCO promotion form until I saw this excerpt piece of wonderfully written literature while bloghopping.

It's from the book, The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten by Julian Baggini. No, I don't have it in hard copy but I sure am gonna try finding it.

And the Lord spake unto the philosopher, "I am all-powerful. There is nothing that can't be done."

And the philosopher spake unto the Lord, "OK, your mightiness. Turn everything that is blue red and everything that is red blue."

The Lord spake, "Let there be colour inversion!" And there was colour inversion, much to the confusion of the flag-bearers of Poland and San Marino.

And the philosopher then spake unto the Lord, "Let there be a square circle." And there was.

But the philosopher protesteth. "That's not a square circle. It's a square."

The Lord grew angry. "If I say it's a circle, it's a circle. Watch thy impertinence or I shall smite thee very roughly indeed."

But the philosopher insisteth, "I didn't ask you to change the meaning of the word 'circle' so it just means 'square'. I wanted a genuinely square circle. Admit it - that's one thing you can't do."

The Lord thought a short while, and then decided to answer by unleashing his mighty vengeance on the philosopher's smart little arse.

Baggini's book was to encourage us to think, I think. But what can I exactly make out of this without sounding blasphemic?

All I can possibly deduce from this is that sometimes we just need to know when to say no to things, like a stop-loss order on 10,000 GM shares. Further, it shows that some people are just really kiasu.

And clearly, all that can be deduced from my deduction is that I can't think. And thus Mr Ley is proven right. I don't think very much. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 for no-brainer, 5 for Stephen Hawking) for "Thinking" skills, I've averaged about 2 in his class.

Just goes to show I don't think very much.

Probably explains how I can turn extremely convoluted Taxation laws into simple digestive biscuits. And I'm not even studying Taxation law.

How do I even manage it without making a fool of myself?

Why have all these people gathered?

What am I doing in the centre?

Why are all of them listening to me?

What is this book in my hand?

These questions beget a more important question:

Why am I not being paid for this?

I.Human

2009-04-03T23:42:00.001+08:00

And as such, I can only do so much.

That’s why I’ve decided to go on a sabbatical from SJAM related stuff. I’ve already told those who’ll be affected by my decision. I’ll be making a more official announcement tomorrow. I didn’t really make a formal application since the whole process is more bureaucratic than the public administration. And I think Lehman Brothers has a higher chance of getting back in to business than my application getting approved. I’ll just slowly wean myself off all the nitty gritties.

I’ve already charted out a near-perfect course for myself so I’m trying to remove every possible element that could possibly stand to disrupt this, this smooth progress. The initial steps have been taken and the results have been encouraging to say the least.

But that’s for the long term.

In the meantime, I’ve got a few mini-projects that I’m thinking of commencing. One of it, I already successfully completed, which was to learn to ride a darned bicycle (note: I didn’

1) Landscaping – I don’t mean gardens with flowers blooming at every corner no. In fact, I despise those. The ones I do like are those that are orderly, a trimmed row here, a neat hedge there. I’ve always had this thing for properly trimmed and prim gardens. The only thing stopping all this while was dad who has this big dislike about digging up the lawn. Says it looks ugly. Makes no sense. If one doesn’t dig up the lawn, how does one propose to alter the lawn? And of course the parents will massive objections with whatever hare-brained design I come up with.

Not like this per se, but you get my point.

I heart bamboo gardens

2) Cars – It’s a coming this one. It had to happen somehow. And you’ll probably be thinking the same thing. “When was the last time he ranted about cars?”. A long time, seriously. Since I did that one on the Top 7 Cars I’d Like to Have in 10 Years. Truth is, there wasn’t anything worth noting in the auto industry, especially in Malaysia where the motoring scene has been pathetic all this while. Vehicles released elsewhere in the world only get released in Malaysia a few years later where by then, another generation of the vehicle would’ve been released. Like the Kia Soul Anyway, this sudden revival is driven by my childhood dream car. Ferraris, Lambos, Jags, Astons, Porches. They all existed way back. And I knew them but they never impressed. THIS on the other hand, did. Oh yessireee. It impressed me a whole lot. And the owner of it too which happens to be this Aunty Boey, long time family friend.

The 1990 Mazda 323 Astina. Back then, this was considered THE hot hatch. But the shape wasn’t the wow factor for the 4 year old me. It was the headlights. Those that’d flip up when you turn it on. Aunty Boey would switch them on on purpose just to get a cheap thrill of seeing my awed face at the flipping headlights.

Of course, like all older cars, they’d probably need a makeover to a certain extent unless the car’s in a really immaculate condition. Then all that’s necessary is to slap a few mods on. Like this:

or this:

Then of course the parents cried foul and said “Why didn’t you ask for the Astina in from the start? Then we’d have gotten it over the Kelisa”. Yeah. Right. Anyway, the Astina’s a manageable purchase. A stock one from ‘90 costs about RM8k. At least the price hasn’t been driven skywards like the Toyota AE86, no thanks to all those Takumi Fujiwara wannabes. Maybe I can demand one as my graduation present. Hah!

Two projects. One me.

I think I’ll do both.

Starting with the ~~Mazda~~ garden. There’s a little patch in the backyard I can play with.

And it’s out of dad’s line of sight.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

2009-03-28T23:21:00.000+08:00

All the hype surrounding Earth Hour, you’d think the world will collapse tomorrow.

Before you flog me with stones, read on.

I’ve got nothing against the event. No, seriously. In fact, I find that it’s a worthy effort in promoting awareness for people to be more environmentally conscious.

Again, I don’t have issues with the event and its ultimate purpose. Rather, I have massive issues with the lay-advocates of the event. When I say ‘lay’, I mean the commoners who preach to every single person they know to partake in the event, the overnight environmentalists, the exact same people who became overnight expert political analysts during President Obama’s campaign. Not the authentic environmentalists who have slogged it out for the environment all their lives. These people I respect. The former can just go stuff their placards down their gullets.

Why? Why then do I have such an issue with the overnight environmentalists? Before I continue, let me warn that the reasons I give may be painted in broad strokes, so if it doesn’t apply to you, then congratulations! If it does, then, well… Anyway:

1) These instant tree huggers are (ITH) mostly taking part simply because it’s ostensibly ‘cool’ to do what everyone else is doing. Honestly, how many of you ACTUALLY understands what tonight’s event is all about?

2) Most of these ITHs, the ones I know at least, are the same people who have their lights on till the wee hours of the morning on every other day, for no bloody reason at all.

3) and this is the worse. These ITHs take part in Earth Hour, switch off all their lights but hey hey hey, guess guess guess, they’re friggin’ online! Facebook-ing, IM-ing with the “show what I’m listening” function on, blogging etc. Massive energy conservation that is. The irony just escapes them. How hypocritical can they get? Earth Hour was where you switch off unnecessary functions (I’m pretty darn sure that the organizers didn’t mean lights per se) to conserve energy. You switch off your lights but your PCs/Laptops etc are still on. If you really wanna promote energy conservation, you might as well do it right. If not, why do it in the first place? It’s like the acronym NATO: No Action, Talk Only.

Like me. If I did take part, the old old fuse in my old old house would blow. That’d be REAL energy conservation. And if I DID take part, you needn’t flog me with stones. Grandma would’ve already done that for you.

And after all’s said and done, will all these ITHs be more environmentally conscious? Will they start slogging it out with pickets in the capital city? Will they be able to keep up their energy conservation efforts, every breath they take? Kudos to those who will in the future. The rest can talk the talk but I highly doubt they can walk the walk. I know I can’t. That’s why I don’t do it.

I wonder how many fuses blew the moment the hour mark was passed?

************************************************************************************

I’m making up for all the posts that I didn’t write so pardon me if this get’s too long.

I seem to be getting myself hurt quite frequently throughout the past week or so. First it was the mini vampire bite as Danny calls it. Now this:

Proves that Victorinox Swiss Army Knives stay very, very sharp even after a few years.

And just my luck that we ran out of adhesive plasters. Typing is a pain already. Washing my face is gonna be a real bitch. Like the time where the Zergling was waiting to hatch out of my finger.

Studies have been quite… productive to say the least. We’re all attempting to turn into V prototypes i.e. studying before, during and after lectures / starting off and completing assignments WAY ahead of schedule etc as Ming Han likes to call it. He’s teeter-tottering between there and not there, still refusing to give up. I’m failing with flying colours. But I must say that it’s a bloody big improvement from what I used to do as a freshman. How V managed to stay this way for all the years I’ve known her, I really don’t know. It’s almost robotic.

On top of that, I’ve kept myself busy with a little entertainment. Firstly in the form of goo-like substances in World of Goo and secondly, in the form of Agent 47 in Blood Money. I’m an avid fan of the bald bar-coded assassin. The next Halloween party I go to (if any) I’ll dress up as 47. Bald(ing) head, check. Black suit, check. White shirt, check. Black shoes, check. Red tie, easily available. Black leather gloves, easily available. Barcoded head, that’s what magic markers are for.

Cool, poised and in control in a FBI agent’s suit

“This is for the money. It’s ONLY for the money” – Agent 47, forced to duck-walk

Note: not actual quote coz that’d wipe out 47’s cool factor

Besides hunting humans, I’ve also been hunting down cars but that’s for another day. And I intend on taking a sabbatical from SJAM.

The ITHs have all crawled out from their ironical self-inflicted darkness and are happily gnawing away at my already lousy bandwidth, I don’t know if this can even be posted.

Maybe all of you should just stay in darkness till kingdom come.

Haha Heehee Haha Ho

2009-03-24T23:17:00.001+08:00

Most of you probably think that I got myself stuck in the jungle never to be seen again.

Oh how I wish.

Seriously, the only highlight of last week was spending the night in the jungle. As usual Seaport Division had their biennial camp and this time we managed to secure the necessary permissions to hold it outside of school (thank God!).

I was there a day late. Dreadful classes held me back from staying for the whole 3 days. Nevertheless, I took off immediately after the Lending lecture on Thursday. Arrived at the isolated campsite at about 3, much later than what I estimated.

Got to work immediately, collecting firewood to build the bonfire for the night. The weather was all nice and sunny so there were plenty of dried branches around.

The drying of branches

Looks puny but it’s hotter than you think

It was at this moment (drying branches) that storm clouds started to appear. And it started drizzling. And all was for naught. In fact it drizzled quite rapidly so much so umbrellas were needed.

Of course the pessimists started to cry foul and whine about the weather. But Tne Kong saves the day with much pleading and egging on on my part.

True enough, the storm clouds blew over and the weather was perfect throughout the night.

We tried to do something funky for the bonfire – 50% complete

We thought we’d try to be clever and do something more elaborate. Something more complex. With a little more aesthetics.

100% Complete! – Full of aesthetic pleasure

The mechanics of this contraption is such that we set the kerosene-soaked twine and it’ll burn all the way to the top of the A-frame, then burn round and round the the bamboo pole across the frame and then eventually burning down to the twine attached to the ground behind whereby it’ll ignite the kerosene-drenched charcoal trail around the wood pile before setting the whole thing ablaze.

Needless to say, the whole plan went to blazes (pun intended).

Don’t we all LURVE bonfires?

This was taken without zoom mind. It was so effing blardy hot. I was wondering which would give way first, my camera lens or my face.

Different angle. Still damn effing hot.

The rest of the camp went by without much of a problem. Despite the communications breakdown before and during the camp, everything went well. That just goes to show that there’s always a rainbow after the storm.

Sign from Tne Kong that my request for clear skies have been granted

But that was then. Now nothing short of an elephant can drag me back to studying.

Oh! And what’s camping without scars?

I think I got bitten by something. I’ve tried digging it out but there’s nothing there. Interesting…

Watch My Bidding and Asking!

2009-03-16T22:32:00.000+08:00

I did mention once that I'm supposed to rake in some bucks for my Investments Portfolio Management project. And the only way to do that would be through some investment simulation program on the web.

We did the same thing once during CIMP and I emerged Lord Emperor of the class.

This time around, things are a real bitch.

Firstly, it's not the same simulation program we used during CIMP i.e. Stocksquest. It's Investopedia's Stock Simulator program. It's quite a detailed program, giving us the ability to make market or price-contingency orders while Stocksquest couldn't.

The problem with Investopedia however, is god-damned 20 - 30 minute delay before any transactions are made. Which is ridiculous. Stocksquest never had this transaction delay which made things much easier.

Take today for example. I put in an order for 4000 Bank of America shares at $5.76 each which was the last price it traded at before markets closed on Friday. When the markets opened today, the BAC shares jumped to about $6.02 each. So technically, I should've made a capital gain of 26 cents a share. But no... thanks to the god-damned delay, Investopedia put my order on hold until markets opened (I put in the order before markets opened today). And if that wasn't bad enough, it has a further delay so now my purchase price of each BAC share is $6.22. NIA SENG!! Bloody hell!! That's a friggin capital gain of 46 cents per share from the previous close! If my purchase price was ngam ngam $6.02 also not so bad. But it's $6.22 and the current price of BAC is $6.27. Diu loh. And looking at the trend for the past hour, the chances of it dropping below $6.22 is extremely high. Bloody scammers. If they were real brokers and they had this bullshit delay, people will seriously sue them until fu lat.

Add this delay to the pathetically useless Streamyx service and you have the perfect combination for an investment disaster.

Luckily, Dr Terpstra doesn't evaluate us on our portfolio's performance. And luckily I'm still in a practice session. The official one hasn't started.

I can just imagine the nonsense I'll be blabbering on the stock pick.

XXX charted yyy gains and has strong earnings during the year blah blah blah. Analysts highly rate XXX to be a good investment blah blah. At the price of $5.76, it's gonna be a real steal blah blah.

Boom! I end up buying it for $6.22 instead of $5.76 and the price falls to $5.90 and then the joke's on me. Then Dr Terpstra will be asking me what type of nonsense analysis did I do. I should put a disclaimer at the end of my assignment stating that I could've been the Warren Buffet of AFW3121 if it wasn't for Investopedia's useless delay.

Congratulations Investopedia!

Your transaction delay sucks big time.

Tagged!

2009-03-15T21:10:00.000+08:00

Again by Peck Jin. And since I got nothing better to do, I might as well re-develop my mad typing skillz on the keyboard since there's a slight difference between the Toshiba and the Dell. I haven't exactly found out what though. Anyway, here goes:

Directions:
Once you've been tagged,you've to write a blog or a note on Facebook with 16 random things,facts,habits or goals about you.At the end,choose 10 people to tag,listing their names & why you choose them.Don't forget to leave them a comment (''you're it'') and to read your blog. You can't tag the person that tagged you.

16 Facts :
1. I can either take a friggin short or a bloody long time to finish a book. Shortest being 3 hours, longest was 10 days.
2. My mind works in an extremely disorganized way. I can be completing my Investments homework while thinking of ways to organize a Blood Donation drive.

3. Despite my FA Trainer status, I find that I'm a clown in the theory exam
4. I've had 4 General Anaesthetics and that has addled my brains. Seriously. From short term memory loss to total annihilation of Add Maths skillz.
5. Never EVER mess with me in the morning.
6. Chinese Tea. Yum!
7. Footwear I own: a pair of slippers, 2 pairs of sneakers, a pair of hiking shoes and 2 pairs of black PVC shoes

8. I'm extremely protective over my junior members. You fcuk with them, you fcuk with me.
9. I prefer to be a beach bum or jungle bum actually.
10. I think I've got Bipolar Disorder. I think. Eh wait no. I think so.
11. I've a very strong affinity towards Mozart.
12. I'm either gonna end up as an Accountant or an Academician. Woah.
13. Either way, I'm will be the cool kind. I will be the antithesis of both professions.
14. I can stand in the sun for hours on end without passing out.
15. I absolutely love going camping / jungle trekking / river trekking / night trekking / getting muddy and smelly / eaten by leeches / mobbed by mosquitoes / saving myself from wild boars
16. I will be Lord Emperor and Supreme Ruler of the Universe.

17. I usually don't follow rules.

I Tag :
This is utterly ridiculous coz I've seen this tag for about a gadzillion times in Facebook and none of the people I know would reply to it. The people most likely to play along are Ennie but Peck Jin's already tagged her and Peck Jin herself but since she's done it herself, it's redundant. So that leaves Wei Shiarn and Yoong but they both have something against this sort of riff-raff. No point seriously.