Swamped!!

Swamped looking for house, moving house, settling in, closing project, reading textbook, finding company for industry analysis, bringing folks around... These goodness are too intense!

OMGGGGG!!!

Mom told me to open the large plastic bags in the living room and pick whatever I wanted. I opened one of them and OMGGGG...I counted what was 40 Coach bags!!! >.<''' Craziness!!

I miss my family!!!

I'm not a very expressive person, I really am not; but i want to say that I am missing my family sooooo much!!! You know what's the weird thing? I'm missing them even more now that they are actually right beside me. I can't explain this. Is this what love really is?

Picked them up at the airport yesterday and it was crazy having to juggle work (with a presentation due this Friday) at the same time. Thankfully, I love what I'm doing; otherwise I'll drive myself nuts with having to give up family time for work stuff. :)

We had to stick religiously to the plan I made for them and brought them to Hollywood after we got settled down. They literally brought me food supplies that can last years of battle!! Hard to imagine as my mom & aunt are super health conscious folks who are against snacking!!

Brought them to Avenue of the Stars and Highland Mall to catch a glimpse of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign :) It was a pity the Chinese Mann Theater was closed for a movie premiere! But well, it was cool that they got to see a REAL MOVIE PREMIERE LIVE IN ACTION!! :)

Of course, we had to go to the Kodak Theater - home of the Academy Awards. Guess it'd be a whole new different feeling the next time we watch it now that we've been here :)

Decided to bring them to this yummy korean BBQ place near my home for dinner and here's my very cute little sister acting like a rabbit with the HUGE bowl of salad in front of her...

But before you think "wah...so healthy", this is the REAL SOLID STUFF!

By the end, we were sooooo full, we looked like that!

Amidst the fun, joy, happiness and reunion, there were actually many times I felt rather poignant. I looked at my parents and saw that they've really aged through the years. Much of their youth has been spent caring for us and it's not till I'm older now that I really appreciate their selflessness and 用心良苦-ness. I also thought of my grandma back home and boy! I really want to be back in Asia. Ang moh land is no fun. But I guess every extra day I spend here brings me closer to home by 1 extra day! So I'll be sure to make every moment memorable!

Sworns in Los Angeles

It's really 苦境干来, 先苦后甜！ Sworn came to LA straight after my CFA exam ended n we had such a blast! Besides just chilling out, yakking n catching up, we also had much fun attending a charity auction, checking out Santa Monica pier (one of my fave places on earth) and chasing characters in Universal Studios! :)

I remembered I first came to Santa Monica with Fayfee & cK 6 years ago and fell in love with the place instantly! I later read this book, "Five People I met in Heaven" and felt that it reminded me so much of Santa Monica pier; and voila! It was really inspired by the same pier! Never did I imagine I'd get a chance to come back again- much more, to bring my BFF over here! :)

Without going into details of our trade secret, I am really delighted with the last minute breakthrough in our SSP! :P
Goal of hitting it before turning 30 - lots to do, can't wait to get started! :)

Liberation time!

Yahoo! It's all over. Pun intended. ;) I just couldn't wait for the CFA exam to be over because it was Byebye Books and Hello Sworn! :) Picked her up from her hotel in Torrance and we went to Santa Monica for an atas charity auction then to Santa Monica pier, one of my favorite places on earth. That's not too bad for someone who hasn't slept for the past 36 hours!! -_-'''zZzZzZ

We had korean food for dinner but Sworn wasn't "satisfied" cos it was just one of those days when the carnivorous streak in her went completely berserk. :) So we went scouting for meat at 1am and ended up at..... TAADAA!!!

Got free fries somemore since we were their very last customers. :) Come to think of it, it's pretty interesting that I haven't been to any McDonald's the whole time I've been in the Land of Fast Food. That's not too bad for some 成就感！

And then ROUND 2 of my post-exam serious work started. It's SSP (Secret Sworn Project) time! Lots to discuss and plenty to think about...I think we could be on to something great!

It was real fun just catching up and laughing till our bellies hurt. I mean seriously, who would put a black marker in my coffee (& get away with it!!!) other than Sworn? lolx! I think she was subconsciously either trying to make me black coffee or trying to make the marker brown.

Well, for now, the cabin crew is jetlagged and the muggertoad is wiped out. We need to zonk before another crazy day starts! - we'll hopefully have a really nice breakfast, have some fun at Universal Studios, continue on with SSP and research, do some shopping and then chill at her hotel before MY FAMILY ARRIVES on Monday! Woohoo! I can't wait!!! :) This all feels too much like a perfect, magical dream that I really need.

Summer time never felt so goooooooooooooooood!
now that the hermit's out of the shell and the muggertoad's hitting the roads!

Procrastination...

Maths and I share a relationship similar to like poles of two magnets put together. Progress at studying today has been super slow in part due to binomial distribution and a splitting headache I attribute to brain fatigue.

I really love acquiring new knowledge, but that under the context of deadlines and exams just makes it a chore. :( So I'm treating myself to a cathartic release by blogging now. A few rewards are coming my way after this exam ends on 6 June!

1. Sworn is coming from 6-7 June

2. My family (including cousin, Derek and aunt - my eng) is visiting from 8 June - 29 June

3. Peiying my darling is also coming from 25 June to 5 July

4. Carmen xiao mei mei is arriving for internship in LA on 27 June- Sept

5. Peiying, Carmen and I are planning to look for Sue in Arizona over independence day weekend (2 July-5 July). Something tells me we're gg to head to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon again!!!

6. Buddy zj is coming to visit from Sept 13-18

Fun times! It will truly be 苦境干来！The not-so-fun part is having to juggle work, company/industry analysis, studies and house-scouting-and-shifting during the same time. My life is always so packed whether I plan for it or not...!!! Now I just need the CFA exam to end, but yet I don't want it to end so soon because that means it has to start, which also means I'm not prepared for it yet!!! -_-'''

Sunday Morning

What a great way to start off Sunday morning! Peiying called me early while I was just hitting the not-very-exciting books and we got to enjoy an amazing darlings-TTCS session :) - all four of us! Technology never felt so good. Priceless moments like these should be scheduled to happen on a monthly basis at the very least! Girl friends are so very important in life. I think some are just angels with their wings hidden. Our friendship has blossomed, deepened and strengthened through the years in ways that words alone can't describe; my darlings were there with me through my toughest hours and I will always be grateful to them.

Sue and Bong are together in Miri now; while Peiying and I will get our turn together in less than a month when Peiying comes to Los Angeles! It's so heartwarming that distance does not keep us apart- I'm eagerly looking forward to our Darlings-Bonding-TTCS-African trip! Or wherever we might eventually end up at...It's not where but who we're with that really matters. It's about time we all got together again and have a sweet reunion of our very own! :) Love you girls! :)

Funny coffee shop talk

Just read the following and couldn't stop laughing: aww mann, I miss home!!

From : Chin Chai Wan

Dear Prime Minister,

We citizens of Singapore urge you to PLEASE MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
We DO NOT NEED your help. Every time, you mention HELP, we have to run for cover!!!

Help the poor? Raise GST!

Help traffic flow? Up ERP!

Help passenger service? Up Bus fare/MRT fare!

Help us get taxi? Raise taxi fare!

Help us get good government? Raise Minister and Civil servant salary!

Everytime YOU WANT TO HELP, we all PAY FOR IT!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU…TOLONG LAH, please, we will HELP OURSELVES, no need your help liao. We DARE NOT ask for help any more!!!

Sir, most honoured sir, I urge you NOT TO HELP Singapore INVEST also! Everytime your wife invest, we all lose money! Kao liao, kum siah! Just let us have a dose of bad governance, like recently the Mat Selamat case, like dat….so far, it is ok, your incompetence, we ACCEPT!

PLEASE DO NOT help us have better security! Wait we all kena PAY FOR IT!!
I believe ALL SINGAPOREANS PREFER NOT TO HAVE CRUTCH MENTALITY!
I think it is ok lah, please just take your salary and enjoy life ok?

Thank you thank you,
I am very chin chai one, any how any how, no need to help oso can one.


Following is a reply from the Prime Minister's Office (obviously, this is a satire):

Dear Chin Chai Wan,

10Q you for your letter. On behalf of the Prime Minister, I am replying to your letter as follows:

As the erected party of Singaporeans, we are here to serve.

We are demon-cratic country, you are master, we gahmen servant, we serve you. You got problems we must help. You say no need our help? That means you're not Singapore's master. You say you run for cover? Cannot one, our police will find you..

GST is to help the Gahmen to help yourself. The Gahmen Service Tax is everywhere, you go America also have one, cannot run one.

Traffic very bad, so bad that we have to hold car racing at nite to avoid traffic jam. We believe there is no free lunch like PM's father say before, you use, you must pay, so Every Road Pay.... So you see no ERP cannot one.

Needless to say, passenger service also must pay. The increase in bus fare and MRT and taxi fare are very little already. We foresee world inflation coming: oil, steel, pay of foreign talents, etc, so we have to pay for the service.

You see, many foreign talents come to Singapore . If we don't pay our ministers well, they will go other countries to be their foreign talents. So must raise salary to keep them. If not, Nathan, Shanmugam, Bala etc will go India and work. Khaw will go Malaysia . etc etc. Must keep them. To keep them must pay well.

You are right, any help also must pay.

To help yourself? No, it's illegal. You mean you can build your own MRT? Run your own buses? Drive your Ba-Ong-Chia? Build your own roads? Seow liao!! Every one help himself then how? No social order lah! Ga ga ask for help, we are here to serve you.

We understand some of you have temporary problem. Don't worry, it is only short term. We must look long term. We must invest long term. Now lose a bit don't cow beh cow boo, long term! Yes, remember. 30 or 50 years later we will own Swiss banks, US banks, UK properties, maybe even South Pole condominiums. We must tighten our seat belt and bite our false teeth. The future very bright. As long as you continue to support the gahmen 30 to 50 years you will see bright future. So Chiang See Tong a bit lah. Also, investing is very complicated business, not easy. We must pay school fee to learn from advanced countries.

On Selamat's case, we also must learn our lesson. We encourage life-long-learning. I learn whole life time, you learn whole life, Mr Wong Can't Sing also whole life learning. It's actually good. Mr Wong already apologise, don't force a dog to jump over the wall, the wall may collapse. Old dog cannot jump high also.

Selamat's case gives us many lessons. We must be on alert, not too complacent. Now every Singaporean know there can be a terrorist among us any time. This is the best self defence education !! PM will give Mr Wong another salary increment for that.

Also now we merge the prisons and detention centre, more space will be available now. We will build it like another IR, Integrated Retention - so those don't want our service and thinking of doing illegal service will go there. We will pass a new law too, the expenses for stay in that IR will be deducted from your CPF money.

Remember we must be grateful to people who help us -- and pay.

I hope I have explained the situation and give you the message clearly... If you still need help, please call my handphone: 9990-6767 , it's toll-free.

By the way, Mr Chin Chai Wan, our pioneer Toh Chin Chai already toh long ago. So if you choose to be Chin Chin Chai Chai, you will also Toh.

10Q you again,

Reguards,

Ah Beng
Grassrude secretary

Kindle vs Kindle DX

I just came back from Borders after treating myself to Benjamin Graham's SECURITY ANALYSIS. It was available for 40% discount on Memorial Day so I decided it was too good of a deal to pass. The only thing is, it's really bulky and heavy. I went online at Amazon to see if it's also available on Kindle and I found out that the new Kindle DX is coming out!



Aww mann, Kindle DX will be out in summer and looks really really good. At 18ounce, that's about 500g, the weight of a filled 500ml water bottle. I think I'd very much like the bigger screen and larger area but I think 500g is a little too heavy for holding and reading on a train (say, when I return to Singapore - yay yay, can't wait to return home!). The Kindle 2 is only 280g, but then it kinda looks too tiny... What would you do/ choose?

Actually I really like reading a physical book and being able to highlight things that speak to me. But the problem comes with storing these books and esp. having to type out these highlighted stuff to bring them as tidbits of wisdom with me whenever I relocate from place to place, which is ever-so-often. So being able to highlight, scribble notes etc. and have it all appear instantly on the Kindle is especially appealing to me. And I just like having my 'library' collection at my fingertips. :)

Nonetheless, USD$359/$489(!!! that's a 36% premium to Kindle 2) feels kinda steep to pay for an electronic screen, esp. since I won't get to download the books after I leave the USA so I will have to do a mass download of everything I want prior to leaving. Ugh...how how how???? Ok, I've spent an hour agonizing over the Kindle..time to hit my CFA books. So if I pass, this shall be a perfect Birthday-come-Reward present- this is just about the ONLY thing I REALLY want, less the iPhone which I can't buy because of the 2 year AT&T contract (I hope I'll get posted back to Asia by the end of the year). :) Please lend me some inputs- what do you guys think?

Deceived

Being deceived is not a nice feeling. -//-

Got a good cathartic laugh over the next few sentences when I read it- it's the usual argument about Internal loci vs. External loci.

You know the old adage, "teach a man to fish" ?

"Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime."

What a load of crap! What I want (and hopefully you want too) , is not only the knowledge of how to fish but I want the fish cooked to my specifications, chopped up in convenient bite-sized pieces ready to be eaten.

-//- Current thought: Saying you'll be happy when things change in your experience is like saying you'll smile when your reflection in the mirror smiles first. -//-