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| a few thoughts that have been lingering in my mind.... - germans are very straightforward, even german women. - living away from home/home country makes you grow and become more independent. it also makes you appreciate things in a different way. - way too much sitting these days that i want to get out of the building and run along the streets of london, particularly around 4pm everyday. - being in college is a luxury, a privilege. i am missing college life so much (and again, i thought i wouldn't miss NU, but now I do). i could skip a class simply because it's too far away and i want a few more minutes in bed. i could choose not to study for a test simply because i don't feel like studying. i could go out for a jog or a nice relaxing swim at spac at whatever time i want, but now, there are limitations on the time i can use the gym/how long i can spend at the gym/finding a decent pool. the three years in college is priceless. - from observing the people i often interact with these days, patience, humbleness, gratefulness are several important virtues. - i want to travel around the world, live around the world. - my laptop is dying, the probability of a successful startup is approaching 1/20. i wonder how long it can survive... - if you want to do something, just do it, don't wait, there is no promise on tomorrow. | | |
| When We were called Sick man of Asia, We were called The Peril.
When We are billed to be the next Superpower, We are called The threat.
When We were closed our doors, You smuggled Drugs to Open Markets.
When We Embrace Freed Trade, You blame us for Taking away your jobs.
When We were falling apart, You marched in your troops and wanted your fair share.
When We were putting the broken peices together again, Free Tibet you screamed, it was an invasion!
( When Woodrow Wilson Couldn't give back Birth Place of Confucius back to Us,
But He did bought a ticket for the Famine Relief Ball for us.)
So, We Tried Communism, You hated us for being Communists
When We embrace Capitalism, You hate us for being Capitalist.
When We have a Billion People, you said we were destroying the planet.
When We are tried limited our numbers, you said It was human rights abuse.
When We were Poor, You think we are dogs.
When We Loan you cash, You blame us for your debts.
When We build our industries, You called us Polluters.
When we sell you goods, You blame us for global warming.
When We buy oil, You called that exploitation and Genocide.
When You fight for oil, You called that Liberation.
When We were lost in Chaos and rampage, You wanted Rules of Law for us.
When We uphold law and order against Violence, You called that Violating
Human Rights.
When We were silent, You said you want us to have Free Speech.
When We were silent no more, You say we were Brainwashed-Xenophoics.
Why do you hate us so much? We asked.
No, You Answered, We don't hate You.
We don't Hate You either,
But Do you understand us?
Of course We do, You said,
We have AFP, CNN and BBCs...
What do you really want from us?
Think Hard first, then Answer...
Because you only get so many chances,
Enough is Enough, Enough Hypocrisy for this one world.
We want One World, One Dream, And Peace On Earth.
This Big Blue Earth is Big Enough for all of Us.
from Washington Post
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| Sadly, it's exams week. (which I would blame partly on for bringing me to this site)
Gladly, it's my second last quarter of exams at NU! =)
So much has happened in the market lately, and the recently happenings at Bear Stearns were what I shall put the rest of the blame on =P
A year and 59 days ago, it reached its all-time high of $172.61, and yesterday 7pm-ish saw the startling WSJ Breaking News headline - Bear Stearns sold for $2 a share... in other words, around $236 million.
It was nevertheless the 5th largest investment bank in US, a leader in prime brokerage and global clearing business, a firm with 85 years of history.
From $172.61 to $2.
$172.61 could get me a round-trip ORD-LGA air ticket, or one night of lodging inside Grand Canyon next week,or probably more than one US-published textbook for next quarter.
$2 could get me two regular-sized boxes of rice, or a one-way El ticket down to Chicago, or for lolo - a two-way megabus ticket from Ann Arbor to Chicago for three months later (plus two days).
(and this - "Bear Stearns is worth $236 million–at least to J.P. Morgan Chase. Do
you know what else is worth that much? Well, its less than compensation
of the top four executives at Goldman Sachs Group.")
While the price of $2 (and the deal details) is interesting and the speed at which they conducted (the use of past tense here is questionable I believe, but let's assume the norm - they struck the deal after completed all the DD) the due diligence is shockingly fast, I couldn't help but think of how easily the value of such assets could be destroyed. Those who based their wealth, and sometimes, their worth, on such values are pitiful, particularly for those who singularly devote to the accumulation of such materialistic possessions. Given this, the verse "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) Ask yourself - what is wealth? Where have you stored your wealth?
Putting that aside, last Friday 20080314 was a day of noteworthy! It was such a 'diocesans' day!
Athletics - Girls Overall 1st DGS (A grade 1 B grade 1 C grade 3) Boys Overall 1st DBS (A grade 1 B grade 2 C grade 2), and then Choir Finals - Best Girls DGS Best Boys DBS Best Mixed + Choir DBGS =) If my memory serves me right, the last time 0314 meant something was 20030314 - grandslam for diocesans in choir finals, but dgs was only 3rd with 407.5 marks (93 marks behind the 1st place). congrats you guys =)
(yeah i know, 3 years, and I still fail to let go. But these are two of the many impt things that have molded me into who I am today. I have decided that next year if work schedule permits, I am going to wanchai and city hall definitely! =DDD )
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If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son! | | |
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