Providence is a strange thing sometimes... And all too often, the one thing we can be sure of is that there are so few things we can truly be sure of.
And keeping with the tumult of recent days, as new facts are uncovered, my friend and I are once again not sure which MBA we are going to do.
So, in keeping with character, my friend tried to find some signal from the cosmos and went to a temple to pose the question to the heavens. I don't really know what people do there - draw lots, flip coins or something else - but the results she obtained were equivocal, to say the least. In order to tame the ferociousness of chance, she asked the question in a best-of-three sets format and the results were:- 1st set to NTU, 2nd set tied, 3rd set to NUS, which leaves one with an effective tie (Of course, the purists would argue that the methodology is flawed because then the game isn't really best-of-three but maybe that is best for all concerned, for it would be quite arbitrary to leave a major decision to random movements of inanimate objects).
Having finished with the quantitative testing, my friend decided to do something more qualitative and went to draw a 'Fortune Lot'... And this is what it said:-
The chosen lot:
An unsheathed sword will be bright if its sheath is clean. A wise man can see its beauty and began to appreciate it. In time, those around will do likewise.
Interpretation: Good
One is appreciated even from afar. A Benefactor comes along to teach. Future dealings lead to success.
I'm glad she picked a good lot (does it apply to her only or is there a trickle down effect to me, since I'm doing the MBA with her) but does it really tell us whether we should do our MBA at NUS, the National University of Singapore, or NTU - Nanyang Technological University? I am also glad that I did not accompany her to the temple, for oracle visits appear to me to be a tad stressful at times....
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Bliss Amidst The Madding Crowd
I think it was once said somewhere that true happiness is being able to find peace even when everything around you is a-fluster....
Apologies for the recent dullness in my life (as opposed to the breakneck, globe-trotting one Jac is currently leading, for those of you who read the Slog Reviews), but that is what I thought of when I found this cat at a crowded bus-stop along Sims Avenue during morning peak hour. Apparently, it just wanted to bathe in the morning sun, and nothing, not even a horde of people waiting anxiously for their bus, was going to stop it...
Of course, if you are going to get a tan than you have to make sure it is an even one over your whole body. It was no different with this cat...
And if the sun in your eyes is too bright, all you have to do is shield them...
Don't we sometimes long for carefree moments like this?
Apologies for the recent dullness in my life (as opposed to the breakneck, globe-trotting one Jac is currently leading, for those of you who read the Slog Reviews), but that is what I thought of when I found this cat at a crowded bus-stop along Sims Avenue during morning peak hour. Apparently, it just wanted to bathe in the morning sun, and nothing, not even a horde of people waiting anxiously for their bus, was going to stop it...
Of course, if you are going to get a tan than you have to make sure it is an even one over your whole body. It was no different with this cat...
And if the sun in your eyes is too bright, all you have to do is shield them...
Don't we sometimes long for carefree moments like this?
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
And The Winner Is....
"So, as I was saying, while the curriculum seems more rigorous here, that has to be balanced with the fact that we would have more flexibility at the other place.... Hey, could you pay attention and concentrate?!?!" I rasped.
"Aw... But do let me watch this stretch first... Ooh... Ann Kok...."
Obviously, the Star Awards were proving quite a distraction to the small matter of deciding which university we were going to do our post-graduate degree in so I decided not to compete for my friend's attention.
I thus got up, went to the table and grabbed the envelope enclosing Jac's wedding invitation card (more on that event at later time), which was addressed to "Lih Wei & Partner" (despite the fact that I be veritably free and footloose at this moment. ie NO partner, metaphorically or literally) and passed it to her.
"What's this?" she asked, puzzled.
"It's an envelope. Since you're so engrossed in the Awards, let's get into the groove. Take your time, think hard and then when you have decided which university you want to go to, write the answer and pass it to me. I will open it and announce the winner Oscar-style."
"And you're gonna use this envelope?" she asked.
"Yeah. Why not. In this enterprise at least, we're partners, embarking on a costly adventure which may be profitable or a waste of time...."
"Um... Ok... But what do I write my answer on?"
I thought for a moment, picked up another small piece of paper, and passed it to her. "Here, write your answer on the back of this because whatever it is, our choice will feel very much like a gamble, a bet. And if you can, give a summary of your reasons.... You make the decision, because I think I'm ok with either university,"
And just like that, the responsibility having shifted to her, she began to feel the pressure. She did not enjoy the scintillating Awards Show after that and could not make the decision that night. The next day, gathered once more at my place, she read and re-read the core curriculum of both universities, zipped to and fro between their respective websites and checked out assiduously both sets of time-tables. It's amazing sometimes the effect a little weight on one's shoulders has. From a disposition of general nonchalence, her attitude changed to one of utmost concern and then to significant frustration. "Arrghhh. My choice keeps changing..." she complained.
I, on the other hand, was now absolutely serene, having made peace with myself that I'd be happy either way and having delegated the responsibility of choosing to her.
And then at 9pm, the results were out. And the winner (or loser, depending on which way one sees it) is.........
It was a tough choice and we hope we'll be happy with it. Wish us luck.
"Aw... But do let me watch this stretch first... Ooh... Ann Kok...."
Obviously, the Star Awards were proving quite a distraction to the small matter of deciding which university we were going to do our post-graduate degree in so I decided not to compete for my friend's attention.
I thus got up, went to the table and grabbed the envelope enclosing Jac's wedding invitation card (more on that event at later time), which was addressed to "Lih Wei & Partner" (despite the fact that I be veritably free and footloose at this moment. ie NO partner, metaphorically or literally) and passed it to her.
"What's this?" she asked, puzzled.
"It's an envelope. Since you're so engrossed in the Awards, let's get into the groove. Take your time, think hard and then when you have decided which university you want to go to, write the answer and pass it to me. I will open it and announce the winner Oscar-style."
"And you're gonna use this envelope?" she asked.
"Yeah. Why not. In this enterprise at least, we're partners, embarking on a costly adventure which may be profitable or a waste of time...."
"Um... Ok... But what do I write my answer on?"
I thought for a moment, picked up another small piece of paper, and passed it to her. "Here, write your answer on the back of this because whatever it is, our choice will feel very much like a gamble, a bet. And if you can, give a summary of your reasons.... You make the decision, because I think I'm ok with either university,"
And just like that, the responsibility having shifted to her, she began to feel the pressure. She did not enjoy the scintillating Awards Show after that and could not make the decision that night. The next day, gathered once more at my place, she read and re-read the core curriculum of both universities, zipped to and fro between their respective websites and checked out assiduously both sets of time-tables. It's amazing sometimes the effect a little weight on one's shoulders has. From a disposition of general nonchalence, her attitude changed to one of utmost concern and then to significant frustration. "Arrghhh. My choice keeps changing..." she complained.
I, on the other hand, was now absolutely serene, having made peace with myself that I'd be happy either way and having delegated the responsibility of choosing to her.
And then at 9pm, the results were out. And the winner (or loser, depending on which way one sees it) is.........
It was a tough choice and we hope we'll be happy with it. Wish us luck.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Hiatus For A Reason
Hi Everybody,
So sorry for not having written anything for such a long time. I have, for the past few days been caught up with a bad neck strain, followed by a severe bout of food poisoning and am now being troubled by pain in the sinuses.
Looking further back, my time was occupied by the closing stages of the trial at the Ministry of Manpower which I spoke about earlier. This was my co-counsel and I (remember the picture of us in safety helmets) in battle garb...
The trial lasted a total of 4 days, for which I am proud that I only cross-examined for 4 hours, the rest of the time being taken up by my long-winded opponent.
A mistake most lay-people make with trials nowadays, however, is to think that once the Court hearing is over, most of what has to be done has been done and all one needs to do is to wait for the verdict. That cannot be further from the truth as almost all trials of any complexity entail written (often lengthy) submissions. It took me a month, during which my co-counsel was conspicuous by his absence, citing other work demands as a reason for his non-participation, to complete the Submissions, which ran to 74 pages. I then took another week to complete the Reply to my opponent's submissions. Somehow, I still get the feeling we'll lose because the case law seens against us but we will see...
The rest of the time was spent with my friend preparing our MBA applications - filling in detailed forms, procuring referee reports and perhaps, most tiring of all, writing essays about all manner of topics. As we applied for 3 universities, I think I wrote close to 20-odd essays as well as prepared a two minute video introduction of myself. And then there were the interviews, for which we had to take leave and dress up and go to places which we last frequented close to a decade ago (the universities)...
I am pleased to say that we were both offered places by both Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Which in a way makes for a very painful dilemma - which university do we go to? NUS is ranked higher in the latest Financial Times rankings, seems to have the more rigorous syllabus and is offering us a $5,000 Alumni Bonus for we had completed our undergraduate degrees there. NTU on the other hand seems to have a more flexible schedule, appears to provide more travel opportunities for Business Missions or short exchange programmes and has more weekend classes, which really does matter because it means less rushing from work to make classes which start shortly after 6pm (NUS's starts at 6pm, NTU's at 6:15pm - ie. you have to beg your boss to let you leave early). To that end, NTU has the more accessible study premises at OneNorth at Buona Vista as opposed to Kent Ridge for NUS.
Tough choices, which we have debated and vacillated upon for a long time. But time is running short. Anybody has any ideas or advice?
So sorry for not having written anything for such a long time. I have, for the past few days been caught up with a bad neck strain, followed by a severe bout of food poisoning and am now being troubled by pain in the sinuses.
Looking further back, my time was occupied by the closing stages of the trial at the Ministry of Manpower which I spoke about earlier. This was my co-counsel and I (remember the picture of us in safety helmets) in battle garb...
The trial lasted a total of 4 days, for which I am proud that I only cross-examined for 4 hours, the rest of the time being taken up by my long-winded opponent.
A mistake most lay-people make with trials nowadays, however, is to think that once the Court hearing is over, most of what has to be done has been done and all one needs to do is to wait for the verdict. That cannot be further from the truth as almost all trials of any complexity entail written (often lengthy) submissions. It took me a month, during which my co-counsel was conspicuous by his absence, citing other work demands as a reason for his non-participation, to complete the Submissions, which ran to 74 pages. I then took another week to complete the Reply to my opponent's submissions. Somehow, I still get the feeling we'll lose because the case law seens against us but we will see...
The rest of the time was spent with my friend preparing our MBA applications - filling in detailed forms, procuring referee reports and perhaps, most tiring of all, writing essays about all manner of topics. As we applied for 3 universities, I think I wrote close to 20-odd essays as well as prepared a two minute video introduction of myself. And then there were the interviews, for which we had to take leave and dress up and go to places which we last frequented close to a decade ago (the universities)...
I am pleased to say that we were both offered places by both Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Which in a way makes for a very painful dilemma - which university do we go to? NUS is ranked higher in the latest Financial Times rankings, seems to have the more rigorous syllabus and is offering us a $5,000 Alumni Bonus for we had completed our undergraduate degrees there. NTU on the other hand seems to have a more flexible schedule, appears to provide more travel opportunities for Business Missions or short exchange programmes and has more weekend classes, which really does matter because it means less rushing from work to make classes which start shortly after 6pm (NUS's starts at 6pm, NTU's at 6:15pm - ie. you have to beg your boss to let you leave early). To that end, NTU has the more accessible study premises at OneNorth at Buona Vista as opposed to Kent Ridge for NUS.
Tough choices, which we have debated and vacillated upon for a long time. But time is running short. Anybody has any ideas or advice?
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