Singapore, Modern while Asian

This is the video my group mate and I prepared to introduce Singapore to the Scandinavians. We choose the theme of 'Modern while Asian' for our video. This was to reflect and emphasis an aspect of Singapore we feel the Scandinavians might not know about. Do check out this video and leave your comments and suggestions!

Taste of Scandinavia in Singapore

So today officially marks the end of the pre-trip preparatory classes. Over the course of these classes we had 3-4 guest speakers, visited 3 companies, 2 presentations and 2 out-of-class gatherings. All in all it has been a nice introduction to all things Scandinavian.

The out-of-class gatherings have been the most fun!
The first one we went for was the Young Scandinavian Professionals networking session at Indochine (Clark Quay). It was a nice relaxed evening with drinks, classmates and young professional Swedes. I not only got to learn more about Scandinavia, I also got to know my fellow BSMers. I personally felt that that was the most important take-away of that evening. After the networking session we went for the Lifestyle Launch party at Barfly. There our group got photographed by the magazine photographer and we got our 5 seconds of fame :)

Our next out-of-class outing was a dinner reception at the Swedish ambassador's house. Now I have to tell you he has the most beautiful, breath-taking house I have ever seen in Singapore! Once again the evening was lovely. Mingling with the ambassador, his beautiful wife, some other Swedish people, Tom (our prof) and fellow BSMers was a needed change from the hectic schedule I have been having. Most importantly I got to wear my little black dress again after my birthday!


Anyways after hearing just how wonderful Scandinavia is, I am really excited about finally going there. Good thing too cause only 9 days are left! Just wish I didn't have 4 exams before that...

Exams Frenzy

Yikes where does the time fly..

Wasn't it just yesterday that I was enjoying my Chritmas holiday weekend with my girls in Genting? Or wasn't it just yesterday I had started with my Investor Relation classes? Or wasn't it just yesterday that I had my first Tax Planning class and hated it?

All the slogging, all the tears, all the hardwork and all the torture culminate in the 4 exams I will soon be sitting for. I have never hated exams as much in my 12 years of schooling as I hate them in university. The time never seems enough, I never feel prepared enough and the atmosphere doesn’t seem conducive enough!

A semester in SMU lasts for 15 weeks. 13 weeks are for lessons with a one week break in week 8 and week 14. Week 15 is exams week. The 1 week break in week 14 is coined the study break as it is before the exams. It is supposed to give students time to concentrate fully on exams. However I think 1 week is just tooo little, especially with professors stubbornly holding tutorial and revision classes in the same week. Where is the time to sit and down and burry myself in books if I am going to be running back and forth SMU and home?! That is the normal state of things during the weeks of classes anyways. That leaves nothing special about week 14 break week.

Also no matter how much earlier I want to start studying for exams, I can’t.

1. The syllabus doesn’t get completed before week 13, or week 12 at the earliest.
2. There is a rush of project, report and presentation deadlines in week 11, 12 and 13; sometimes even in week 14!

I usually end up staying in SMU till crazy hours in my bid to meet these deadlines

Making the library my 2nd home, I have stayed in the library latest till 3.30am!

So it all boils down to the week 14 where I have to manage/ attempt to cover my studying for all my exams; 4 for this term.

My exams are as such,
2^nd June, 9am: Advanced Audit
3^rd June, 2pm: Ethics
5^th June, 9am: Tax Planning
6^th June, 9am: Advanced Management Accounting

My carrot to survive through the exams is my flight to Sweden on 7^th June!! :D

What Happens In Vegas

Date Watched: 17th May 2008
Venue Watched: My Room
Watched With: Alone
Ratings: 4.5/6
My 2- cents worth: Predictable story line but still enjoyable. Cameron looks really skeletal, miss the vibrant her. Ashton looks hot.

12 Reasons Why a Geek Will Steal Your Girlfriend in 2008

As a fellow geek, you may wholeheartedly agree with this article. If you are a non-geek (do they really exist?), you might take offense. Regardless… how you feel about the matter is largely irrelevant – the truth is that a geek probably will steal your girlfriend this year (or steal away the girl you may have designs on), and while we hate to be the ones to break it to you, it’s simply a friendly forewarning. Without further ado, here are 12 reasons why a geek will steal your girlfriend this year:

1. Geeks make more money than you.

Claiming that women value money over everything else is not going to fly. Instead, you must consider the more practical angle - when all other things are considered equal, the guy with more money is simply the better option.

That raises two questions - do geeks have more money, and how does a geek match up at everything else? For the former, here’s a thought:

Remember that pimply faced, awkward, AD&D player who everyone made fun of in high school? Chances are he has come up with the concept for the latest gadget the masses have been drooling over ( Steve Jobs with iPhone), a social networking site that has taken the world by storm ( Kevin Rose with Digg) or created the coolest cartoon in history (Trey Parker and Mark Stone with South Park).

The other question? That’s a subject for the rest of this article.

2. Geeks are smarter than you.

They might not have a player’s social skills and graces but they do hold degrees in anything from literature to nuclear physics. And even those without a degree (think Bill Gates) can converse about more then how much they earn, what kind of car they drive and the latest football scores.

Stimulating conversation goes a long way towards winning her heart – and compared to the average guy, a geek has far more to talk about and is undeniably far more interesting.

3. Geeks pay attention.

Men in general cannot multitask. That is why when you are on a date, your eyes glaze over while you stare at woman’s cleavage and all you hear is bla,bla,bla (to be fair you’re probably not missing much, but that’s not the point here).

So how do geeks differ? It is not that geeks do not appreciate breasts (they are men after all) but what’s almost universally common in geeks is the presence of old-fashioned chivalry and plain old good manners. You’d be surprised at how far that can get you with a girl (as long as you don’t roll over and play dead).

Given the choice between breasts and listening to the bla bla of their new lady friend, odds are that the geek will be discreet in his stares and learn to multitask (see #2). Hey, you can’t avoid great cleavage…

4. Geeks remember what matters.

I’m not talking about when Chicago Bulls won the championship for the third time in the row or how many times Jessica Alba was in Maxim magazine. Geeks have super powers – they can remember birthdays and anniversaries and all other little nuances women love so much.

In itself, having a good (nay, excellent) memory is just a regular trait (and can be annoying if you feel the overwhelming urge to correct others), but combined with #5, it is an overwhelming advantage for the geek.

5. Geeks pick out the best gifts.

Not only will geeks remember when it’s her birthday, they will remember what her likes and dislikes (and if she hasn’t told him, see #6 for the kicker). With all this information at their disposal, geeks will also come up with perfect gift. It really does take minimum effort, regardless of what men might think.

And let’s face it: when was the last time you remembered your girlfriend’s birthday in time, let alone found a gift that has made her squeal with delight?

6. Geeks put in the extra effort.

Missed her favorite show? Can’t find that obscure Indian movie her friends have been telling her about? Interested in a new underground band that could be the next big thing? Leave it to the geek to find it for her.

And if they haven’t been together for long, you can trust the geek to ask her the right questions and find out what she wants and doesn’t want - and then give that to her.

You don’t have to obey her every wish - giving her what she truly needs is often the key to a successful relationship, and not only are geeks ahead of the curve in finding out what she needs, but they’re also ahead in terms of putting in the extra yards to ensure that she gets it.

7. Geeks are better lovers.

Before you laugh…actually, go ahead, laugh this one out. I’ll wait.

Once you’re done claiming your superiority, here’s the harsh truth - men are, on average, unsatisfying. Experience doesn’t do much for a guy if all he’s doing is trying to hold it in as long as possible - yea, practice makes perfect but you’re only going to go so far when your limit is 3 minutes.

Notice that I didn’t say geeks were better endowed or lasted longer - but that geeks were better lovers. Compared to an average guy, a geek is going to be better prepared, knows exactly how to please a lady in bed and will actually pay attention to her needs instead of trying to catch the early train back home.

8. Geeks get the best gadgets.

Lets face it: diamonds and pearls went out fashion a while back. Now it’s all about the latest gadgets - iPods and smartphones, iConnect pillows and singing yoga mats. And who has the finger on the pulse of what is hot and what is not in the electronics world? The geek of course. Not only she will be hip and cool with her latest gadget, she’ll also be the envy of her girlfriends.

And that, my non-geeks friends, holds one of the biggest secrets to a relationship - make a woman look good, and she will go through a lot of trouble (like dumping her current boyfriend) to be with you.

9. Geeks will nurture the child within.

What man will not run screaming if she wants to play dress up, admire that doll in the window or suggests an outing to the latest amusement park? All these things are normal and accepted in a geek’s world.

10. Geeks are the new handymen - except that they’re good at what they do.

Geeks can upgrade, maintain, upload or fix anything that is plugged into a wall. You want your computer to be fast as the speed of light, want the best sound system, TiVo playing , want your tea kettle to whistle a tune while brewing your coffee? Ok that last one might be an exaggeration, but you get my drift. Anything technically related is something geeks can do and if it is not their area of expertise, they have friends who can handle it.

11. Geeks are trustworthy

Trust is a funny thing. If a guy is too loyal, he might be seen as clingy and just another burden. If the same guy plays around and can’t keep his toungue in his mouth (so to speak), it’s going to magnify a lot of other problems that a girl would usually compromise over.

But if you get it right - if a girl can be secure in her relationship while retaining her freedom, she’s going to be on the moon (and that means more fun for the geek).

If she fancies a night out with the girls, she knows that her geek can be left unattended without any worries. She knows that the geek is into her for more than just the sex, and is loyal to her (ok, thats what she thinks, but you can’t fault us geeks for playing that card, can you?).

Remove the source of a women’s insecurity and she becomes a much more fun person to be with - as geeks know.

12. Geeks are a refreshing and attractive change from the regular stock

They are caring. They are NOT desperate for sex. They love sports, but won’t lose sanity if their team loses. And not only do they make the effort to take her out to a nice place, they also take her to places that she’s probably never been (all that research and attention comes in handy).

In short, geeks are unlike the majority of the men the girl will know in her life - in fact, they’re probably much better than the guys she knows, at least according to how she rates guys.

If that’s not an advantage, I don’t know what is.

Taxed by Tax

OMG Singapore tax laws is making me go bonkers! Nothing to do with the country, just the fact that I am unfortunately studying the Singapore tax laws..

It might seem interesting and I might just be. But when it comes to understanding it, remembering it and applying it, there is nothing remotely interesting left.

I thought my Income Tax and GST module was bad. Boy was I in for a surprise when I started the Tax Planning module! Now I am required to know the tax laws and concepts so well that I should be able to plan tax for companies and individuals to pay minimum taxes..

I have Tax Planning class every Thursday morning and there is a quiz each week. I spend each Wednesday frozen in fear trying my best to prepared for the quiz. The irony? Each quiz is only 2%! I am praying hard to survive the final exam. The professor very kindly informed us that the maximum marks a student can get in the exam in 65%. Now if the smartest of the accountancy mugger can only get 65%, I know I should be terrified.

All I know is that I am going to celebrate once I survive this module.

The countdown to the awesome summer has begun!

30 days from today for me to fly off to Scandinavia..

I am still overwhelmed at the thought of going to Sweden and Denmark. Each time I go for a BSM class it seems more and more real. I am getting really excited. The trip is not a simple tourist trip, it us a business study mission. We will be making company visits and be required to keep a daily journal to be handed in at the end of the trip. That sure brings some pressure along on the trip. But well no complains as I still get to travel extensively.

During the classes and via a lot of literature, I have gotten to know more and more about Scandinavia. Scandinavian culture, weather, food and lifestyle is so vastly different from what I have been exposed to living in India and Singapore.

I will be there during the summer time. For them summer means highest temperature of 20deg C and 18 hours of daylight in a day! The Scandinavian region is also known to be very windy as it is very high up north in the world. That explains the long-long summer days as well. This also means that even in summer some regions experience snowfall..

Food wise it is so different. The common meat is pork. Beef is considered the rich man’s food while chicken is rare! Potatoes are very common though fish is the most abundant. The fish is usually pickled with the most varied of ingredients. I’m actually considering going vegetarian for the 10 days I will be there.. Oh and they like their food salty. That goes for their candy as well! Their water is supposed “to be the best water in the world”, in the words of a Swede. So yup looking forward to tasting their water.

We’ll be staying at 3 different hotels. 1 in Stockholm for 4 days, 1 in Almhult for a day and 1 in Copenhagen for 5 days. In between we will be travelling all around these cities in chartered bus. It is going to quite the adventure. I just wish I had better company along with me on the trip. Good company is integral to having the maximum fun out of a trip anywhere!

Some photos of Denmark

Some photos of Sweden

Over her Dead Body

Date Watched: 4th May 2008
Watched With: Preeti
Venue Watched: The Cathay
Rating: 5/6
My 2-cents worth: Cute comedy but Ashely looks like a man! :P
The talking bird is damm funny!

Harrold and Kumar 2- Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Date Watched: 4th May 2008
Watched With: Preeti
Venue Watched: Lido
Rating: 6/6
My 2-cents worth: Amazing movie! I found it much more hilarious than the 1st movie

Krazzy 4

Date Watched: 1st May 2008
Watched With: Papa, Mummy, Dada, Bhabhi, Aayush and Akanksha
Venue Watched: Jade Cinema
Rating: 4.5/6