Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Aiyuh, why is it always so hard to be smooth around the-person-whom-i-am-romantically-inclined-towards? Doesnt help that I feel so fugly every day now, with my shitty complexion and ever-increasing waistline.
On a totally unrelated topic, Note to myself: Must stop myself from bitching about other people and making sweeping politically incorrect statements during drunken stupors. Someone could seriously blackmail me.
he rocked the party at 12:13 AM |
Sunday, October 29, 2006
This trend of posting "i did this and that and I loved it" posts is not healthy. But seriously, I'd feel like the event would have been a waste if I didnt lock it into this blog for later viewing, and perhaps force my grandkids to visit this URL (if its still around 50 years from now) and tell them that their gonggong was such a happening dude back in Penn.
So barely 2 days recovering from Fall Break, it was time for the festivities of my very first Halloween to kick into place!
Thursday: Visit to Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia's haunted and historic prison site which housed notorious gangster Al Capone and whose "hub-and-spoke" design is reproduced in prisons all over the world today. I was kind of expecting spooky empty corridors like this:
There were so many corridors like these but they were all closed. The tour consisted mainly of over-the-top props and special effects, with people jumping out of holes in the walls trying to scare us. Quite a disappointment. Nevertheless, we had lots of fun screaming into the faces of the poor ghouls who have to scare hundreds of laughing tourists every night.
To get into the proper mood, Friday was spent watching 2 halloween themed movies: Shaun of the Dead (with my hallmates), with British humour and accents making me ever more inclined to study/work abroad in the UK (more on that in another post!) as well as Shutter with Singaporean seniors, which, even though i'd seen it before, still gave me the creeps as I was walking home at 5am.
I woke up just in time to catch the Penn homecoming game against Brown, and to participate in the tradition of throwing toast yet again, a feat made even cooler when Penn scored an amazing try in the last 12 seconds of the 3rd Quarter! Too bad we sucked in the last quarter and ended up losing 27-30 though, but ah well, since when has Ivy League football been a major concern for anyone?
Penn cheerleaders have to do 20 push-ups everytime we score a try. No wonder they dont seem to be too enthu whenever we score. Haha.
And of course, who could forget the Halloween party of the year: Jointly organized by Club SG and HKSA, we had the venue packed to the brim with Penn students all decked out in full halloween glory! (cheap) drinks were free flowing, the DJ spun R&B, and yours truly, being part of the organizing committee, even got to be a bouncer for an hour and turn away grumpy students who didnt want to pay 5 bucks to get in! Hahah.
Yours truly the 70s Pimp Daddy, Peony the Pirate, Nadia the Campbell Soup, and Melvyn the clown/lumberjack/mad hatter - ie random set of clothes = costume
No, those pointy titties arent real, you perv.
Best Alaskan buddy Justin, on hearing it was a Singaporean party, decided to come as Michael Fay, complete with spray can of shaving cream.
Elements of Channel 8: the gongfu master and the aunty.
What's a pimp daddy costume for if he doesnt get a picture with 3 hot schoolgirls?
Me heart crazy memorable nights like these. I have long abandoned reason/thrift when it comes to these weekends, because they're just hindrances when it comes to enjoying myself. Why scrimp and be all cautious/practical when I'll probably never be able to let it all go again after these 4 years?
he rocked the party at 11:01 PM |
Monday, October 23, 2006
Last friday was spent helping the Club SG exco sell kaya toast, cheng tung, and logan almond jelly at the Mid Autumn Food Festival. Wah all the asian food lagi shoik! Russell's not looking at the camera cause he's painstakingly spreading butter on his special homemade kaya.
But as for this week, 3 out of 4 days of Fall break were spent, yet again, in NYC, blasting a hole in my bank account so big that Im resigned to school dining hall food for the next 2 months to make up for it. Die la, I'll never make it to Summer next year at the rate im going.
Friday night started out with a Penn salsa party, where I was both amazed and humbled at how every guy in the room could just randomly dance with anyone and still improvise fantastic slick salsa partner work. I have a loooooong way to go.
Followed by silly drinking games at the Quad, which was a mistake, since we had an 8.30am bus to NYC to catch. Mental note to self: Stop drinking knowing fully well I've got an early appointment the next day
Well, our fatigue couldnt put a damper to sights of the Statue of Liberty:
Relack-jacking on the grass at Liberty Island
Buying overpriced snacks from the reFRESHMENts stand.
Typical FOB (fresh off the boat) Singaporean behavior: Standing in the middle of the road taking pictures of Grand Central Station! (did u watch Magadascar? Where all the animals were confronted by the police? It looks just like that!)
We were pleasantly surprised to find some sort of club for Penn students in the middle of NYC, complete with comfy armchairs, chessboards and a fireplace! I suppose its like what Guildhouse club is to NUS students. Shit la, gotta travel all the way to NYC just to enjoy the perks.
After which, we somehow got conned by Penn-grad-studying-at-Columbia Edward "The MAN" into spending USD 35 bucks to go see ATB (some DJ who mixed 9pm - Till I Come). Pre-gaming before clubbing was good with Edward's barcardi and vodka (like how it always is with you la, ed. grin), but buzzed feeling was lost when we spent an hour trying to sneak the girls into the club with only one ID. Still, the music was surprisingly as good as trance could get, or maybe its just me trying to convince myself that 35 bucks was worth it.
The next day we dragged our didnt-sleep-for-2-nights asses down to Woodbury Commons (again!!) where I blew 400 bucks on a Guess leather jacket, a pair of Ray-Bans, a pair of jeans, and a CK sweater. Didnt take any pictures. Too depressed. (Keep telling myself that the jacket is a good investment, it keeps me warm and will last me at least 4 years here!)
Day 3 was spent at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Im getting increasingly interested in art. Which is a good sign. Perhaps I will take an art history class when Im not so obsessed about getting a good GPA.
We also checked out the United Nations HQ, where we (ironically) made fun of ahem, another country right at their doorstep. There must have been over a hundred flags lined across the entrance of the UN, all arranged in alphabetical order, so I guess no one can complain why their flag is pushed to some obscure corner. Spot the Singapore flag!
Spotted directly opposite the UN HQ. Looks like New Yorkers have a sense of humour too.
Travelling's such a pocket burner, but I've come to the stage where I've just decided to heck with scrimping and saving. Its the reason why I came here to study in the first place anyway.
Next up on the itinery: Snowboarding at Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving (that's less than a month away!) and exploring Mexico, Guatemala and Cancoon for winter break!
he rocked the party at 11:44 PM |
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Okay, I know I should've done this before I came to Penn, but I'm not the typical overachieving Singaporean with his whole life mapped out since I was 12.
So its a little late, but better late than never in defining my goals for the next 4 years, subject to change:
1) To take as diversified a course load as possible.
2) To gain at least some business skills, and to progress on if I like them.
3) To pick up a new language.
4) To study or do a summer abroad.
5) To be involved in both overseas and local community service.
6) To be involved in a performing arts group.
There: they may not sound particularly Singaporean, but at at least its a whole lot better than just plain ol "study and paaaarty".
he rocked the party at 11:36 PM |
My my.. it looks like once again, this blog has been quoted and is the topic of yet another hot debate!
http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1432895
Interesting perspectives indeed.
Goodiegoodie, it meets my objectives of providing quote-worthy blogposts. Something which, sadly, has not been the case for the past few weeks (months?) haha.
he rocked the party at 8:11 PM |
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
I just love it when professors join us in the spirit of inter-college rivalry.
Heard during Psychology today:
"This is a representation of a brain before alcohol abuse"
(shows slide of Penn logo)
"This is a representation of a brain AFTER alcohol abuse"
(shows slide of Princeton logo)
he rocked the party at 12:57 AM |
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Big Dilemma has been partially resolved. And I am happy.
Tonight, I attended the Careers in Finance for College students session, organized by the College, expecting it to be a grand ol time of bashing That Business School. (Which cannot be named here, given the thousands of prospective students who Google it daily)
Well, it wasnt what I expected it to be, but I left the session feeling inspired, motivated, and so much less confused about how I'm going to make the most of my time here. The session involved 4 College alumni sharing their successful experiences in Finanace, armed with a liberal arts College degree. Takeaways as follows:
1) That I dont need a Wh@r+on degree to clinch/succeed in a career in Finance. A liberal arts education would give me the broad foundation and arts and sciences, as well as critical thinking skills neccessary for an ever changing Finance industry. In fact, restricting myself to just a pure business degree would mean specializing way too early, since I dont really know what I wanna do in life anyway. Business is best learnt from the first day of my job.
2) To take part in as many interesting activities these 4 years. As quoted by one of the speakers: "When investment firms recruit, they come across over 500 resumes from Penn (Wh@ar+on) alone, and they all look the same: Everyone has a GPA of over 3.7, everyone majors in finance or accounting, everyone was active in some business society. I, on the other hand, listed all my performances, all the community service I did, and the other interesting internships in south africa, etc. That, and networking, gets you the job" Resolve to fill my days with as many diverse and interesting activities as possible. Study abroad, overseas community service, teaching West Philly students how to dance? All the reasons I listed in my application essay and which got me excited about Penn in the first place!
3) To take as diverse a course load as possible. "Dont look for classes that seem closest to experiences you've already had"... I honestly feel like i'm wasting a semester of valuable opportunities by taking so many basic, (boring), safe courses this semester. Even though I'm doing well in them, I dont really feel like I'm achieving anything. Plus, if I'm just gonna stick to major-related courses, I could have gone to any other university. But I've got so many resources at my fingertips which I'm simply not utilizing. As quoted, "Do you honestly want to restrict yourself to finance and accounting, stuff you'll be doing for all your life in the future? You might never get the opportunity to study political science and economics again. I took economics for the precise reason that its not practical."
4) That an MBA is probably most useful after a few years of work experience. Which is what everyone says all the time, but I never understood why. Because I would probably get more value out of it, since I can relate my experiences to concepts which I'll be learning. And now that I've got that out of the way, I now have 4 years to do whatever I want, and whatever I'll never get the chance to do after college!
5) It is highly unlikely that at the entry level, I'm gonna be impressing the recruitment interviewer with stuff that I learnt at business school. What interviewers ask themselves: "Do I want to share my foxhole with this guy?" They're not going to ask me to balance out a balance sheet, they're gonna ask me questions about myself and the world to get an idea of what i'm like. A liberal arts degree can help me prepare for that, as well as the relationships I would develop in my career thereafter.
6) Having said that, basic knowledge of finance and accounting would help me hit the ground running in my first entry level finance job. Since I have Wharton as such an amazing resource, I should probably take some basic accounting/finance courses just to aquire some useful skills, as well as see if thats what I truly enjoy doing. But I dont have to feel obliged to fully specialize or take 500-level finance courses. I'd still keep the option of a dual College-Wh@r+on degree open, but I'm going to spend the rest of this year exploring other options as well. Have at least confirmed that I'd rule out a pure business degree.
Its really a wonderful feeling. Ever since arriving here, I've been trying to push academic, social and extracurricular demands, doing what others were doing, to try to "succeed" in Penn. But I honestly hardly felt excited about what I was doing. Today, for the first time since applying to Penn, I remembered why I came to study overseas in the first place: to take advantage of opportunities I would never have had back home, and to be different. This eureka moment couldnt have come sooner. Advance registration for next semester is starting in 2 weeks, alternative student activities are popping up in my email everyday.. so I guess this is my chance!
he rocked the party at 11:38 PM |
Thursday, October 12, 2006
I feel like im back to ploughing through life, without much thought really.
Im surrounded by friends, but alone at the same time. Its easy chatting with random people here, but everytime I want to go the extra mile being one of those great-to-talk-to dudes that everyone loves, I start to feel guilty for not studying.
Oh, and I have no love life whatsoever. Haha.
Activities are my life, and studying has become yet another drug. I cant go for 3 hours without it without feeling guilty. Friends complain that they "dont see me enough" during the week. Which is true.
Im excited trying out for a thousand different things, yet nothing really makes me exceptionally satisfied (as dance?).
I skipped dinner today cause I overslept from 4.30 - 7.15. Bah.
In other words, it feels like im back in JC again. Haha.
he rocked the party at 12:17 AM |
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Im becoming such an auntie. An impromptu decision on Friday night was made to follow Nadia and Cynthia to NYC , followed by Woodbury Commons for their Columbus Day sale!
We were joined by Amanda from Columbia, and i freakin spent more than any of the girls.
Total damage: USD $220 (excluding transport costs to NYC, woodbury, meals...) Would have spent more if we didnt have to catch the 4.12 train back. Ok la, 220 bucks would seem like peanuts to some of you, but to giam ol me its like an entire year's worth of food or something.
he rocked the party at 11:34 PM |
Friday, October 06, 2006
Just so you know, Kings Court English has a weekly publication pasted on our cubicle doors. Its appropriately called "The Toilet Paper".
I can tell you, it makes for fantastic reading, especially if you know you're gonna be in there for a long time. And surprisingly, I'm not the only one who thinks that the jokes are actually funny.
Taken from the Question and Answer section:
"Q: Why are there so many intelligent and outgoing squirrels at Penn? The other day I tried to scare one, and it just looked at me with big, round, pleasant eyes.
A: We evaluate our squirrel applications according to rigorous standards, and unlike Harvard, we lock them in with binding early admissions. Although SAT and ACT scores are taken into consideration, the personal essay also plays a major role in our decision."
Fearless squirrel that crept up to me and tried to steal my cookies while I was studying on College Green.
Hooray for random bits of humour!
he rocked the party at 1:15 AM |
Monday, October 02, 2006
A video made by some folks living upstairs in English House! Do you like Mulan? Do you like hot (?) college guys horsing around? You dont? Well, watch it anyway:
Isnt it marvelous? Hahah I tell you, I was so addicted to this song after watching it. Plus Friday night was "Disney on Ice" Night at the ice rink, where they played disney songs and Penn/Drexel students get in at discounted rates. And guess which song they played?? Hahahhaha
Posing on Ice
Saturday was outdoor rock climbing at a National Park in Jersey, which is waaay harder than an indoor rock wall, but so much more rewarding! And I love being outfield in the US man, you dont sweat at all and there're no insects. No wonder so many Americans wanna sign on.
Plus there was a (swift as a coursing) river about 80m from the rock face too!
After which, it was off to Chinatown for yummy (and expensive) Singaporean food at favourite restaurant Penang, before heading to the mid-autumn festival to support Kendrew and Ying Hui at a PennYo performance.
Penn Pride
Inspired by PennYo's singing, we decided to head to a KARAOKE bar to belt out a few off-key tunes. Incidentally, this is my first ever visit to a KTV lounge, and it had to happen 10,000 miles away from home.
The "ohmygosh i cant believe we're actually doing this" look.
So that's our first good clean fun weekend here without alcohol. Whoohoo! Ok now i gotta go do my work which ive neglected for 2.5 days. Jiatlat.
he rocked the party at 12:59 AM |
