this morning, i heard popo shouting at grandfather in their room as usual, walked into their room and realised it's because my grandfather's belt was spoilt and the black material on it was flaking.. and it was all over the floor lol. so gong gong was making a ruckus about how the belt is not his (even though popo keeps saying it is), and that he needs a new belt.

so grandma told me to get him a belt haha. and so after school i happily went to get him one from his favourite brand - goldlion. black leather with silver buckle. went home, gave him the belt, and he was so happy i cant even describe it. he tried it on, looked at it for at least half an hour and kept going on about how this belt is nicer than my uncle's, that i have good taste, and that it's very very very nice hahaha!

so it's moments like this that i hope i will remember.. so heartwarming :') to know that one small action of yours can really make a loved one's day..

---

this semester is going to be too slack for my own good. my 3 day week could potentially turn into a 2 day week.. and i just generally feel no motivation to study at all, since my class of honours is more or less fixed. except that i realise how difficult it will be for me to apply for grad school :( but time will tell, and as always i think things will turn out fine.

hopefully summer will be great, with the possibility of internship, japan and oxford/yale..

:)
11:32 PM

Back from London since Monday, it was really fun travelling with B and we really enjoyed all the eating, shopping and sightseeing! Oxford was pretty nice too, though it got a little boring after two days haha.

Now it's back to school, and a summer to look forward to!

:)
12:40 AM

It's already new year in Singapore, but about 8pm here in London! travelled for so long and finally reached London in one piece :)
we went to visit Tower bridge, London bridge, the closed Leadenhall market, Tower of London and shopping at Harrod's winter sale wahaha!

Great countdown to the new year in London yayyy

It's been a new year with new experiences, and I'm ending off year 2011 feeling very blessed, especially thankful for my family. I really enjoyed Switzerland and Paris, will miss it very much..

:)
3:55 AM

about halfway through my 18day europe trip! here's a record of the places ive been to, one day i should list down all the countries/cities/states ive been in just so i get reminded of how lucky i am!

Switzerland: Zurich, Lucerne, Lausanne, Interlaken, Bern
France: Dijon, Paris

last day in paris tomorrow before heading to London!

:)
6:50 AM

a chapter comes to an end at MOF, and another one begins soon in Switzerland, Paris and London! :)
i must say this is probably the best internship I can ever go through.. us interns celebrated a birthday and had gift exchange and my semi-farewell lunch today. it's been great meeting this new fun bunch of friends. and the job has really been so enriching and eye-opening. glad i survived and did this! i will miss you, Treasury, and especially our pantry gathering sessions and lunch.

:)
12:19 AM

got this off prof's facebook post,

"You find real peace of mind, by accepting your life as you have it now, even in the midst of great tragedy. What a wonderful thing that is. How do you find this peace? Let go of all the past and guilt, by forgiving, don’t worry about the future, and learn to appreciate the moment. Do your duty and put fun into whatever you have to do. Peace of mind is as free as the air: Drink it, enjoy it, and take it with you. It’s always there, if only you look in the right place."

Mt faber here we come!

:)
10:47 PM

MOF's dinner&dance tonight, after which a very kind bf came to pick me up and send me home haha. anywayyy the d&d was really quite fun and as usual, this internship is allowing me to learn more about myself/ reinforce what i already know..

"it does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop" -Confucius

will be off to Switzerland, Paris and London for a long 19day trip from xmas eve!

:)
12:29 AM

this might be the first and last time im saying this, though i really hope it isnt: i love my job!!! i love the culture and what i'm doing now. i think it's really eye-opening, so meaningful and impactful and exciting. i've always wanted to do something in which i can contribute/impact society, and i really see it in what i'm doing now. plus, my project is probably the MOST EXCITING PROJECT you can EVERRRRR work on during an internship!!!!!!!!

:D

:)
11:57 PM

it's the reading + exams week now, reading week was spent sleeping and shopping and slacking. i never knew reading week could be like holiday week! and the most ironic thing is that i'll be busier after exams than during/before exams :(

starting internship at MOF 2 days after finals, a significant improvement from last sem where i started 2 hours after finals. b says that my life is sad haha.

For a shield, from the storm
For a friend, for a love
To keep me safe and warm, I turn to you
For the strength to be strong, for the will to carry on
For everything you do, for everything that's true
I turn to you

When I lose the will to win
I just reach for you and I can reach the sky again
I can do anything 'cause your love is so amazing
'Cause your love inspires me
And when I need a friend you're always on my side
Giving me faith taking me through the night

:)
11:58 PM

end of sem 1, AY201112. end of year 3 sem 1. it's been a different sem because the friends i always hung out with are on exchange. but it's been a pretty awesome sem.

sometimes you don't know why things happen for a reason, but when you look back, you see how the dots join..

had the most awesome butter crab EVERRRRRR with b today, and we ended up with butter hair(s) and a butter-ed ben sherman shirt :)

:)
11:30 PM

I think on hindsight, taking the masters module at LKY school is one of the best choices i made this sem. knowing more about Singapore's history and the challenges we faced really puts things into perspective and makes me appreciate the country I live in today even more than before. learning from a wise and probably the kindest professor i will ever meet in my life, plus such diverse opinions from all my working adult classmates was really eye-opening. and it really motivates me and reminds me of what i want to do, which i am proud of and extremely thankful for. :)

today's also the last class for economic analysis of law II, and i'm glad to have met this bunch of friends in our 7 people smallest ever tutorial in probably the whole history of NUS econs haha.

:)
11:46 PM

I must say that the talk with two renowned and knowledgeable public sector economists yesterday and today really kept my flame burning strong for public service.

And just last year, the dialogue inspired me very much, and so did one of my favourite local economists. this year, he inspired me again! what an idol economist :) it's times like these that remind me of what i did, what i want to do, and how glad i am to be able to learn about economics.

+today i'll remember is the first time i shook hands with a minister and asked him a question about minimum wage

Cheers!

:)
11:06 PM

I think there are always some photos that will never fail to bring a smile to someone's face. Here are the ones that make me smile:

:)
11:28 PM

i haven't blogged here in quite awhile.. so what's been interesting in the past few weeks?

lunch treat by a professor - don't think i'll ever have this again, dr lee has got to be one of the nicest people i'll meet in my life. been pretty lazy and at the same time swamped with work. had a presentation that lasted for ONE AND A HALF HOURS today are you kidding meeeeeeee :( i don't think i'll ever, ever, EVER have such a long presentation in NUS ever again. how is it even possible?! sighhh

anyway the one person who has been ever so important is the guy who will always carry my stuff for me, who thinks that my carbonara tastes great, who brings me to nice places to eat (while trying to stop me from eating too much), who thinks my ugliest photos are the prettiest, and who is always there for me no matter what mood i'm in and what i'm wearing. :)

we are having the ride(s) of our lives haha!

:)
12:14 AM

words to round off this bad day:

trying but persevering :/

:)
9:21 PM

Gong gong has been hospitalized again, yesterday he still looked pretty rosy and energetic in the ward. oh and he's in the same ward as the one he'd been in in March, except that it's two beds away.. so yesterday we accompanied him to A&E and subsequently he got warded. checked his blood, it was okay, checked his excretory system &stuff and today they said it's okay as well. he went for a brain scan this afternoon, results should be out tomorrow and if all is well he'll be coming home soon.

I'm not sure what to make of it if the doctors find that all is well/not well.. if all is well, but he is still feeling uncomfortable then? but at the same time i hope he'll be fine too.

So nowadays i keep harbouring the idea of going back to london in december, and i think of how life would have been completely different had i gone to sweden.. but at the same time, i know i would feel terrible knowing that my grandpa is in the hospital while i was out playing in the snow. we live by our choices.

Saw this quote somewhere before, "We are not defined by our gifts or abilities, but by the choices we make" - very often, happiness is a choice.

:]

:)
11:25 PM

过去的就让它辗转过去
不要一味回顾
收拾起我们破碎的心情
不再停下脚步
让我们试着开拓新旅程
把华初灿烂的光芒
照亮路上无数次的黑暗

never will we ever forget all the times we had in Hwa Chong :')

met up with people, saw much less people from our batch than i did the past few years, feel like we're really getting old, and still miss the good ol' times. went for supper, and sam came over to my place to say goodbye to my mum and maipo haha it was kinda cute. will miss my best male friend very much!!!!!

:)
12:08 AM

meeting up with 2 friends today over dinner and starbucks green tea latte was just nice. even though the driving and heading to/from the really ulu and freaky carpark is quite frightening.

today just sort of reminded me of how pure, simple friendships like these are precious and hard to come by. it's been awhile since i'm reminded of it.. i feel that there are so many many friends i want to meet and talk to but the sheer number to meet and effort/time i will have to spend is such an inertia.

already i feel that i'm packed for next week.. i just want to settle down in my studies and hang out with people i enjoy hanging out with, especially after stepping down, but i realise that's almost impossible to do and even that alone is so time consuming and exhausting!!!!!

okay dinner tomorrow and kayaking on sat

:)
12:28 AM

白云奉献给蓝天　星光奉献给黑夜
我拿什么奉献给你　我的爱人
长路奉献给远方　玫瑰奉献给爱情
我拿什么奉献给你　我的爱人
白云奉献给草场　江河奉献给海洋
我拿什么奉献给你　我的朋友
我拿什么奉献给你
我不停地问　不停地找　不停地想
白鸽奉献给蓝天　星光奉献给长夜
我拿什么奉献给你　我的小孩
雨季奉献给大地　岁月奉献给季节
我拿什么奉献给你　我的爹娘

:)
2:06 AM

lesson learnt:
- never do things you don't want to do, you might end up with a ton of regret

AGM is over, time for me to focus on more important things..
a nice end to the year: The Economaniac, of which i contributed mainly to the WithiNUS section

click on NUS Economic Society's Economaniac 2010/2011!!!

there's also a nice photo of myself taken by my boyfriend :p

:)
11:33 PM

it's been one year. i still remember quite clearly how it was like organising nefmq 2010, but it's been one year. nefmq 2011 officially comes to a close today. it feels really weird, things happened so quickly and ended so fast it feels simply surreal. so this year, i wasn't the stage manager anymore. this year, i went up on stage to give a speech to all the profs/judges/friends/jc/poly students and their teachers, one of whom is an ex econs lecturer from hc haha. this year, i sat in between two profs at the front row instead of at the backstage controlling lighting/music etc.

big giant kudos to the organising committee, and all the awesome people who helped out in one way or another. all these will be nothing but great memories. the last official event, i'm glad it's nefmq, and it's almost time!!!

and for memory's sake,

NUS Economics Society President Opening Address
National Economics and Finance Management Quiz 2011

A very good afternoon to Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser, Vice-dean of the NUS Office of student affairs, Associate Professor Wong Wei Kang, Advisor to the NUS Economics Society, Dr Lee Soo Ann, Chairman of the NUS Economics Alumni, Mrs Tan Say Tin, Curriculum Planning Officer at the Economics Unit, Humanities Branch of the Ministry of Education, Mr Salim, a chartered financial consultant and immediate past president from the association of financial advisers (Singapore), ladies and gentlemen. A very warm welcome to the National Economics and Finance Management Quiz 2011! I am indeed honoured to be standing here today to address you.

As an Economics student myself, I often ask, what is it that I am studying and for what purpose I am studying it. Economics is a social science, and its definition is, “The branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth”. But to me, Economics is not just a branch of knowledge; it is also a lens with which I can use to view the world and more specifically, to understand real world issues and to be able to make an impact.

In fact, when one looks around carefully, Economics is everywhere! It can be applied to everyday decision making processes, and can be particularly useful. Take for example the rule of marginality. I’m sure you have been told in class that optimization occurs at the point where marginal benefit is equal to marginal cost. Have you ever wondered whether that applies in the real world? Subconsciously, I think you have. Whenever you make a decision, you subconsciously or consciously weigh the marginal benefits and costs to the decision and then decide on what to do. For example, when you attend a buffet, the first bite into a piece of abalone will probably taste heavenly. The marginal benefit it brings to you is obviously high, whereas the cost of having to chew and swallow it is low. But as you eat more and more of it, such as when consuming the 20th piece, the benefit from consuming the abalone becomes extremely low, and the cost to you of potentially vomitting is really high! Hence to obtain the maximum utility, you should consume up to the point where your marginal benefit is equal to your marginal cost.

But aside from allowing you to make decisions about how much abalone to consume at a buffet, Economics also allows you to better understand real world issues and equips you with the tools that you will need to be a researcher, policymaker, or analyst. Economics has many insights about inflation for example, which is a pertinent issue that everyone faces. Singapore's inflation rate last month - driven by higher housing, transport and food costs - hit 5.2 per cent compared to a year ago - the highest level in five months since it peaked at 5.5 per cent in January. The pinch of higher prices may or may not be uniform across all income groups, but the question remains – how can one manage their finances given the rise in prices across the board?

It is precisely with the purpose of improving Singaporeans’ financial literacy that MoneySENSE, the national financial education programme, was set up in October 2003. It is also with this aim of improving the financial literacy of students, as well as to enhance the understanding of real world issues using Economics, that the NUS Economics Society organised NEFMQ; and we are extremely glad to have MoneySENSE as our main sponsor for this annual event.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors: MoneySENSE, chapter 2, botak jones, gardenia, frolick, the public utilities board, as well as the NUS Office of Student Affairs, the NUS Office of Alumni Relations, and the NUS Economics Department for all their help and support rendered throughout the organization of today’s event. The organising committee for NEFMQ 2011, led by Abhinav and Hoiting, have also put in much effort and hard work into the smooth running of the quiz.

Last but not least, I will conclude by sharing that the reason why I enjoy Economics is because I believe that I can make a difference with it, so that I can be able to (quote The Economist), “ work to build society's safety net so that those hit by life's inevitable unfairness aren't left destitute and hopeless because of it." (end quote) And with that, I hope you have an enjoyable afternoon, and continue to enjoy and appreciate the beauty and study of Economics.

Thank you.

:)
12:01 AM

About today: woke up really early in the morning to go to school, prepared for the presentation to the freshies for the department talk, and had a really short one in the end due to time constraint. attended the briefing after that, talked to professor again for cca-related stuff, went back to the room to draft my speech for saturday, had a meeting, then looked for prof again.

it has really been a long journey, it has been trying; though i do admit that sometimes it's really worth the pain. some professors have been like angels to me - they have inspired me and encouraged me to search for what i enjoy doing. of one positive and inspiring conversation i probably will not forget, was with a prof last friday. i literally just sat in his office to talk to him for 1.5 hours! at first he told me he had 1.5 hours to spare cos immediately after he had to chair a seminar, but i thought i won't take up too much of his time (i'd expected at most half an hour lol!), afterall, it's just an interview with like 5 questions..

but he ended up sharing alot more, not just about academics, but alot about his personal experiences, his beliefs and what he enjoys doing. i don't think i'll forget what he said. he made me so glad i decided to do this and happy that i'll be writing all of this down and publishing it (though sad to say i cant record everything down). he talked about how students always feel that grades are important, but it really is not. what's important is to work on what interests you and what you enjoy - in that way, you will discover your true self and what you do will impact you positively and help you somewhere along life. he also shared that one of his best choices in life was to become an economics professor, then he corrected himself and said that his best choice in life is to find his wife. :]

moments like these make it worth the sacrifice..

:)
11:22 PM

It feels abit weird but at the same time kind of nice to be home. nice because it's all so familiar, it's so safe, now i'm no longer worried about walking anywhere in singapore in the middle of the night (although my bf might disagree :p)
but weird because i'll start comparing things to what they're like in london, i'll miss london, and get abit sad cos it's just so near but also so far away.

as time goes on and as i grow older, i also see that i have to grapple with what life and death truly means. today my granduncle got warded into the ICU, it's my first time there, and i hope it's also my last. i hope he'll get well very soon. it's sad to see some of your elderly relatives grow old and some pass away, but this is a part of life and a part of what i need to cope with.

we had the meeting with the alumni, exco and potential exco today. looking back it's been one year, i'm reminded of what i was doing this time last year, what motivated me to run for elections, and i see where i've come..

:)
11:48 PM

the past 3 weeks have been a mix of sadness, sian-ness, joy, peace, love and a greater sense of confidence, independence and appreciation of things around me. and with that, i say goodbye to you London, thanks for the beautiful memories.

and thanks to my family for giving me the chance to be here.

goodbye:
russell square, holborn, strand campus, king's college london, tottenham road court, oxford street, bond street, marble arch, knightsbridge, harrod's, selfridges, dorothy perkins, zara, sales, hyde park, covent garden, leicester square, buckingham palace, portobello road, borough market, big ben, westminster abbey, london eye, st stephen's church, houses of parliament, king's cross, trafalgar square, piccadilly circus and all the great places i've been to, you'll be missed :) :(

:)
6:06 AM

London has been nice, i'll miss this place so much :( can't believe how time flies, it's been 3 weeks but just felt like yesterday when i arrived at Heathrow and entered the apartment.

I've explored London, walked around so much, been to Oxford street like 20 times in 3 weeks, have 9 pairs of shoes to bring home, and have a beautiful home to go home to.

Goodbye London, time for me to leave in 2 days, i'll see you soon <3

:)
4:20 AM

Today, i travelled to:

Westminster first, where i saw the Big Ben, London eye, Westminster Abbey and St Stephen's church :) then walked over to Trafalgar square and the National gallery + National portrait gallery. then, i continued walking to Covent garden (had some macaroons from La duree omg love them!!! and shopped around at the markets and shops) and then to Leicester square + Chinatown!

after Leicester square i decided to walk to Tottenham court road (tried looking for sam's apartment but failed haha i think his description of his place is just too lousy), then to Oxford circus and finally Bond street (been there for like 10 times seriously). walked like crazy, felt the crazy weather, felt really carefree and happy just to be by myself, exploring the streets of London..

Gong gong said he wanted to come pick me at the airport :') he sent me off went i left, on his wheelchair.. the power of love and the amazing-ness of my grandpa :)

:)
4:59 AM

I've travelled to Knightsbridge, Oxford circus, Regent street, Bond street, Marble Arch.. shopped at Harrod's, Selfridges and pretty much everywhere else from Zara to Topshop! walked around Trafalgar square, the campus is just beside the Somerset house, cooked awesome meatballs and mushroom spaghetti..

Bought lots of stuff, skyped my family and b, and still miss them very much :)

And I keep going to Harrod's.. gonna go there for a fourth time soon i think haha this is bad :(

:)
2:53 AM

London's weather has been really nice, but everything else is pretty expensive, and on a whole, london is quite overrated.
Miss my family and boyfriend :(

Hopefully i'll make the best out of this! there's an essay due this fri, presentation next wed, and 2 more essays on the following 2 fridays. hai...

:)
1:21 AM

this is really ironic but i think i'll be busier now that my internship has ended, and suddenly i feel that there's too many things on my plate!!!!!!!!!!! i want to spend time with some friends before i leave so ends up i'll be meeting like more than 20 people next week which means that i dont have much time with my family and bf too :( but they are the ones i will miss the most haha

and i gotta pack the luggage and prepare, and try to complete economists withinus and maybe the research work!!

AHH why do i always get myself into this :/ ok back to nus tmr zzz

:)
12:11 AM

I've survived the internship, looking back i guess it always looks better than it was while going through it. about 1 week more to london, i'm totally unpacked and unprepared, a little scared but excited as well!

we're celebrating mum, wenyan and b's birthday tmr, i love what i bought for all of them :)

and gosh there's so much stuff to do.. settle london trip, settle the publication, settle the research work!
am getting a taste of research work as an undergraduate research assistant with an econs prof now, it's really quite exciting to know how your work may potentially have an impact and i must say, it's so interesting!! at least much more than scientific research, to me :p

:)
12:11 AM