Sunny Monday

Sunny day today! Jumped out of bed because the sun was already out at 7:15am (we are now 13 hours behind Singapore due to the end of daylight savings). Still, it was a bright and sunny day so it was quite a pleasure to get out of bed.

Took a slow stroll to class on this beautiful day. LHC 250 was boring (as usual) but more tolerable since it wasn't dark and gloomy when we had class. Went to Wendy's and took breakfast / early lunch before going for my Finance 300 class. The usual kick ass intense Finance 300 class. Damn, Josh is one hell of a teacher.

Headed over to Kresge after class, fiddled around with Bloomberg, caught up with some financial news and with the league tables. I went for my first in three marketing experiments. What a waste of time.

After I got home, I promptly changed into running attire and drove out to Markley. I sprinted right into The Arb with my camera, enjoying the wonderful warm weather (for a change). Since it was only around 3pm in the afternoon, the sun was still up and the woods were even more stunningly beautiful than yesterday. The sights were simply amazing.



I randomly ran into small forest trails, admiring the pretty fall sights and smelling the woods.


Somewhere inside The Arb, I came to this huge area where there were shoulder height "lalang". It was like running through a mini plantation, except that the paths were perfectly lined with green grass. Pacing along the path with the plants on boths sides was simply amazing.



Ran into the trails more. I ended up at the scenic viewpoint overlooking the open patch in the centre of the woods again. Was totally lost for words at the beautiful sight. Heart pumping, sweating and feeling the ache in my legs from sprinting up and down the trails. The feeling is just undescribeable.



Reluctantly, I left my favorite spot and ran out to my car. Headed home for a nice cold shower before getting back to my school work.

I went for the Goldman Sachs corporate presentation in the evening. The company and the people are simply awesome. Definitely going to try to get an internship and hopefully work there. Quite a good day on the whole, except for the times when some stuff resurfaced to make me feel a little down

In case any of my family members are reading this: Don't worry about me! I'm fine okay? Take care.

Sunday - Peace and Tranquility

It was a bright and beautiful Sunday morning. I camped out on the couch last night because I felt like it. Haha. I think the couch only feels nice when I'm pulling all-nighters. Not really all that nice when I'm sleeping there for the fun of it.

Spoke to sister and mom for quite sometime and saw dad too. Glad to have had the chance to talk to them. Don't worry about me mom and dad. I'm perfectly fine!

When Ming woke up, we decided to head to Great Lakes for dim sum! It wasn't exactly fantastic but it was good enough to satisfy our craving for dim sum for awhile. Asked Manch along. Haha. 小妹妹 you better eat more next time. Not pulling your weight with the 油条.

We went to Meijers to grab some groceries before heading home. Took a short nap and did some work in the afternoon. I went for the hedge fund team meeting, which was really a waste of time at the Tozzi Lab. Probably will learn more exploring the programs and reading the financial news myself. I drove to the meeting because after that, at 5pm, I drove over to Mary Markley Hall, where I was staying last year.

After I stopped my car, I pulled out my camera and set off for the trail into Nichols Arboretum. The place is also more fondly known as The Arb to the students here. It's a wooded area by Huron river, and also next to a very peaceful cemetery. As I strolled into the cool foilage of The Arb, I could feel the wave of peace and quiet that overwhelmed me. The smell of the forest, the colors of fall, the feeling of the earth beneath my feet.

As it was turning dark pretty quickly, I jogged along the path and sprinted along some at times, pausing to take photos of the beautiful scenes that opened up in front of my eyes. I took a slow walk through a large grass patch in the middle of the woods. Cool and tranquil. It really made me calm down alot just closing my eyes and being there.

As I raced against time when the sky turned dark rapidly, I came across this nice view point where I caught the sunset. There were benches at the small platform, just like the other wooden benches spread out throughout the Arb at the most scenic places. Sat there and watched the sun disappear below the horizon. Couldn't help thinking how nice it would be if I could be there with...

I almost forgot to take photos of the spot before I sprinted off for the exit. I finally found the exit from the trail and paced towards my car. One of the most fascinating sights here is when you can see the smoke trail left behind by aeroplanes when they take off into the clear sky.

I headed back to my apartment, covered in sweat; enjoying the cold Michigan evening. Jeff was preparing chicken rice so I showered and helped him to cook the meal. Nothing like a bowl of hot piping Hainanese Chicken Rice after a good workout in the woods.

The week starts again tomorrow. Back to the craziness of school.

At least now I know where to go if I need a place to quieten down...

Michigan 17 Northwestern 3

Went for the game today at the Big House. For the benefit of those who don't know, the Michigan football stadium is called the Big House because its the biggest college football stadium in the country.

We kicked Northwestern's ass today! Hail to the Victors! The Wolverines continue to plough through our opponents, two more little bumps on the road to clear (Ball State and Indiana) and then its the epic battle! Michigan VS Ohio State! Time to finally dethrone them after 10 years. The last time we were in the bowl championships was 1997. We're finally neck in neck once again, second place in the nation. Lets boot the buckeyes!

Going for the touchdown!

Half-time Show: The Michigan Marching Band!

Was freezing in the rain/snow/sleet. The stadium started becoming more empty after half-time since this (and the next two matches) are strolls in the park until OSU. Still, it was a great game and when Mike Hart rushed for the touchdown, phew. Awesome! It was almost comical to see the billboard with Northwestern have negative rushing yards. Hahaha...

Ate a nice warm meal at UCafe. Nothing like a hot piping korean meal after standing in the cold for 4 hours. Pretty tired. Finally a day off from work, or sort of. Back to hitting my homeworks and preparing for next week's classes again.

Oh and the highlight of the day: I got to talk to my parents and Wynne! *wide grin* Been such a long time since I've got the chance to talk to them and see them on the webcam. Hope you are all having fun at the beach. Wish I was there too. That was a nice way to end the day, speaking with the people who matter. =) Thanks mom and dad. Don't worry about me. I'm doing fine.

The Exhausting Week

The end of the week finally draws near. Just had my BE 300 exam. Completely blanked out on the last question and couldn't figure out how to do it. I'm totally disgusted. Argh. It was a pretty tough paper I guess, hopefully I did alright. Sitting in the b-school cafeteria right now having a crummy lunch of Buffalo Wings with celery and carrot sticks, ranch and blue cheese.

My family just came back from China. Isaw my mom online. Got the chance to chit chat with her for some time. It's been quite a long while. So tired I was going to crumble but stopped myself in time. Didn't know how to tell her some stuff because I know it would upset and worry her. Missing all of you. To my two grandmothers, hope you are both doing alright. Must have been really tedious to walk around in China in the cold. Wynne, hope you had a great time. Mom and Dad, hope it was a good break for the both of you, away from work and stress for a few precious days. Kendrew, hope all is going well in Penn for you. Study hard and go easy on the partying.

Anyways, another two more meetings to go. Marketing meeting and then corporate social responsibility conference panel meeting. What a Friday... Doesn't help that its dark and cold outside. Disgusting weather.

Open call to my buddies: Tiger time tonight? Feel like leaping off the top of a skyscraper like John Hancock Tower. That will be one hell of a kick.

Songs keeping me company: 勇气, Right Here Waiting, 愛是永恒, 流星下的願.

Pray for David... Memories

Chanced upon David's blog. David is a strong fighter, with a great spirit and big heart. He has been battling cancer for quite a long time and thankfully, from his last blog, it seems to have cleared up. I've always admired his great strength and the smile which he always had in the face of great suffering. I know that I will never be able to understand the kind of pain you are going through, but I know how hard it is on the people who love you.

Dar, do keep a look out for your old friend and bless him with good health okay? His wife and his kids need him. Please do pray for him. David, 加油 my friend. I wish you speedy and complete recovery.

Pray for David

Jolted back to my senses. So many things have happened. Have forgotten to treasure the precious little things in life. I miss the days when the world I knew was a little more normal; the time when we wanted to walk through life, hand in hand; the moments when silence was just comfortable quietness. I miss your laughter, I miss your tears.

I miss you.

Tiring Day

Some of the stress is burning off while more builds up with the BE300 exam heading up on Friday. Attended 2 workshops today and also Lehman Brothers presentation on campus. i like Lehman Brothers quite alot.

Anyways, I'm tired out. Grabbed a late dinner before Saigon Garden closed, semi-decent Vietnamese beef noodles. I think I like the noodles there because it's soup and probably more because I can put a ton of chilli while I'm at it.

Oh well, my entertainment for the day: picking some stock ideas for tomorrow. Disclaimer: I didn't put much effort into screening these stocks. Just quick picks off the daily losers and a quick glance at their ratios and news. What I'm saying is don't come crying if you lose money. Buy me coffee if you make some.

Possible long for tomorrow:
Lumera Corporation (LMRA)
Osiris Therapeutics Incorporated (OSIR)
FibreTower Corporation (FTWR)
BTU International Incorporated (BTUI) *
Saia Incorporated (SAIA) *

As you've noticed, all from the NASDAQ since they're generally the more volatile stocks. Read: dangerous, high risk, high gains. SAIA and BTUI are more worth more of a second look than the other three stocks. Both of them dropped beneath their lower bollinger band.

Words of caution: Bollinger bands should technically not be used to judge whether a stock price should go up or down just because the price has hit the upper or lower bands. However, since that is a common misconception, you can almost bet that traders would make that assumption and cause the price to rebound anyways. Its really a gamble at best. Also, MACD indicates sell rather than buy since their MACD (moving average convergence/divergence) has crossed downwards through their signal line. BUT then again, MFI (and if you must, RSI too) suggests that BTUI has been oversold. MFI and RSI for SAIA are not really indicative at a neutral 50. (or probably because I lack the knowledge to interpret this data. Will look that up when I have more time.)

An interesting point to note: Google (GOOG) has shot way past their top band (trend reversal supposed to happen?), has hit a RSI of almost 90 (way overbought), MFI a little more forgiving at approximately 60, a MACD that has shot way above the signal line. What I'm saying is, the stock is nuts. Made me a ton of virtual cash (a 30 dollar jump always does wonders for your portfolio) but I don't know how sustainable is this phenomenal growth. Don't get me wrong. I love Google and all the crazy shit they're throwing up. Just don't know when their stock is going to tank.

In my opinion, better ideas:

Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) -- strong fundamentals, expansion on China, price hike in Japan, investing in emerging markets such as India, looking at massive expansion in their current markets, which I believe might actually work given the absolutely ridiculous prices Americans are willing to shell out for a cup of Starbucks coffeee. (darn I'm one of those idiots too at times). One thing that bugs me is their (also ridiculously) high P/E but that can also be seen as a sign of strength or growth by some. Depends on how you study P/Es I guess.

Marriott International Incorporated (MAR) -- As mentioned previously (did I?), strong profits, expected 15% to 25% growth in profits through 2009, looking to increase number of hotel rooms, buying back 40 million shares, continuing to grow locally and internationally. I like the fact that they're truly international, might not that hard hit even if tourism winds down for some time in a specific region. Strong P/Es, debt to equity, ROE, ROA. Might want to look more in-depth into their financials if you're interested.

Of Cold Mornings and Nature

Opening my eyes at 7:30am in the morning, only to see that its pitch dark outside, isn't exactly the nicest way to start a day. Nonetheless, I pulled myself out of bed and got ready to go for class.

Finally went to Green Baxter Court yesterday and met up with my kids. Simply awesome to get to play with them again; playing soccer with a bunch of little kids, playing football and pretending to rush them. Lit up my day a considerable bit.

Went to bed really early last night. I knocked out some time between trying to catch up with the financial news and reviewing my virtual portfolio. Slept all the way through to this morning. Should have repaid a good part of my sleep debt, I think. 9 hours of sleep. It's been a long time since I've gotten that much rest, or sort of. Had lots of dreams last night. Woke up periodically with the sinking feeling in my heart, knowing that it was all but another dream. That's just another one of the reasons why I hate sleeping nowadays.

Anyways, packed day today. Had a pretty informative BIT200 class just now, gearing up for my Finance300 class, which would definitely give me a nice kick since its so tough. I'm sure everyone else would beg to differ. Follow up workshop by the OCD (Office of Career Development NOT Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) on networking at 5pm, Lehman Brothers Corporate Presentation at 7pm, MII Sector meeting at 8pm. Going to be a busy day/night.

Been so caught up fighting my battles that I've almost forgotten to stop and enjoy the beauty of fall. Ann Arbor is disgustingly cold (and getting worse by the day), but also stunningly beautiful. Red, yellow, orange, green, brown leaves, everywhere. Beautiful. Maybe I'll go take a walk in the Arb soon before the trees have all shed their leaves. Its simply amazing when I was driving down the quiet road yesterday through a "wooded" area. The colors that throw themselves in my face. Wonderful...

Missing some things which are dear to me... The emptiness. Gets a little scary sometimes.

Blown Away

After a long night of studying at Angell Hall, I think the accounting exam was manageable. Not fantastic but shouldn't do too bad. Marketing was pure hell... Couldn't figure out which answer to pick for MCQs, don't know what kind of one word answer they wanted in the short answer section. Totally crappy paper. What good is it when the practice exam they gave us doesn't even remotely resemble the actual paper we did today? Darned course...

Back from class slightly early today since BE 300 ended early. Grabbed a sandwich from Jimmy John's but I don't feel like eating it anymore after 5 bites. Sitting here in my warm apartment doesn't warm me up. Freezing from within my body. Cold hand, cold feet, cold everywhere. -shrugs- Wrecked body functions. Just wonderful. Maybe I should get some sleep.

In 2 hours time: Bear Stearns S&T corporate presentation or pumpkin carving with my kids whom I haven't seen in such a long time? Maybe I should just go play with the kids... 我好累，好累......

The All-Nighter

Pulled off a surprise birthday party for Jeff just now at midnight. Happy 22nd Birthday buddy. Decided to leave the house and took a long, painful walk in the cold to the Angell Hall computing site, better known as the Fish Bowl.

Been mugging here furiously for the past 2 hours, trying to fully grasp all the marketing and accounting theories I can cram into my head. Was pretty warm here when I first arrived but it seems to be getting colder by the second. Freezing hands, tired eyes, hyperactive brain from the apparent overdose of caffeine.

End of time out. Back to my books. Long, freezing night ahead. Just a few words would have made a world of difference... Painfully cold.

Hell Week Begins

Here we go. Hell week has started. Studied until late last night and camped out on the couch. Tired. Mugging for my accounting exam now. My day: got out of the couch to a dark and cold day. Lazy me decided to be the garang Singaporean and headed out for class in my t-shirt. sweatshirt and jeans only. I can't describe how much I regretted that decision. It was hovering zero today. Jeeze. Froze my ass off.

Studied, looked at stocks and managed my virtual stock exchange game in between, catching up on financials (more on that in awhile). Ming cooked curry for dinner so yay! I had curry chicken noodles for dinner! Nothing beats a bowl of steaming hot curry noodles on a sub-zero day. The rest of the day was just books. Nothing interesting.

Now, STOCKS. Let me just gloat for this one day I got all my picks right. Spot on for all my predictions yesterday (alright, maybe less the financials but I actually bought into Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS) and made a killing on those). If you had bought 100 of each of the stocks, or shorted the same amount accordingly this morning when the stock exchanges opened, you probably would have earned *ahem* about 3500USD less trading costs.

ExxonMobil (XOM) climbed 0.53% (+$0.37)
Toyota Motors (TM) climbed 1.57% (+$1.82)
Walmart (WMT) climbed 3.87% (+$1.91)
Morgan Stanley (MS) climbed 1.24% (+$0.95)
Goldman Sachs (GS) climbed 2.38% (+$4.30)
GameStop (GME) climbed 1.64% (+$0.84)
Bestbuy (BBY) climbed 0.51% (+$0.28)
Marriott (MAR) climbed 0.67% (+$0.28)
Wendy's (WEN) climbed 0.49% (+$0.17)
Google (GOOG) climbed 4.59% (+$21.11) to a historic high of $484.64 and to close at a historic high of $480.78

msystems (FLSH) fell 3.29% (-$1.22) -- I said yesterday to short since the chip/memory card makers were going to hell. You would have gained from their fall.

SanDisk Corporatoin (SNDK) fell 3.45% (-$1.69) -- also to short since they're chip/memory card makers

Texas Instruments (TXN) as I guessed, beat earnings (no surprise here) and the stock went up, making me think I got that wrong, but after the market closed, they predicted a grim outlook for the next quarter on slow/low chip sales. Haha... Did I just read their minds or what? Since I've shorted their stock, I'm going to make a killing tomorrow when the market adjusts the share price to reflect the lower forecasts. They fell a little in after-hours trading so hopefully the fall keeps up for tomorrow so that I can buy to cover.

Thats all for today. No stocks picks for tomorrow since I don't have time to do any research. Will look at the fundamentals for value companies or growth opportunities later this week. Until then, if you really want to, go for the stocks that have had a significant drop with no news for quick buys tomorrow. Thats all for today. Wish me luck for my exams!

Calm Before the Storm

Hell week starts in an hour. Been cramming hard this weekend and I'm not even prepared yet. Disgusted with the amount of information I have to squeeze in. Now, I'm going to take some time off to regain my sanity. I'll rant about my day.

Woke up, studied (surprise surprise) and then cooked porridge for lunch. I ate canned fried dace with black beans (the kind my mom always cooked on Sunday afternoons). Simple and warm meal. I went out to the b-school and camped out, studying and preparing for my 3 consecutive meetings which kick-started at 4pm. Had my CSR conference meeting. I was the only representative from my panel there so I gave them a run down on what we had done so far.

The next two meetings were for MII. Went over to Tozzi to research on stocks before the Hedge Fund team meeting. Hope these skills I pick up along the way will help a little. This meeting was followed by the Consumer Goods sector meeting. Discussed some stock ideas for long term investment of our club funds. Gave my two cents on what I thought about the economy, inflation rates, fed hikes (or lack thereof in the fed annoucement coming up this week), oil prices, macro economics and all the technical jargon. Fun.

Dinner was a quick affair at Za's (again). Headed home, brewed my coffee and here I am mugging away with a cup of hot Vietnamese coffee in my hand.

Hope the first day of school is going well. Jiayou everyone. To the friends who dropped in to chat or ask about things, thanks. I'm so burnt out. Haha... Markets re-open again tomorrow. Trading daze (days?) again. Yay. This is nuts. I am actually pissed when the stock market takes a break for the weekend. Haha... Lets see.

Stocks I think should be held: Wendy's (WEN), Marriott (MAR), buy and hold Best Buy (BBY) and JC Penny (JCP) for the holiday season, short Texas Instruments (TXN) because I think they will beat earnings but forecast a slower quarter. Most of the tech stocks (especially the card/chip makers) are going to tank so you can basically short most of them. Financials are also having a really shitty quarter, which means lower stock prices, though I think most of them are priced in already. Can't be bothered to type in the rest of my thoughts. Ask me for my opinion if you're interested. Oh ya, I don't dare to predict which way Google will go since they're so darn volatile; I think they'll be trading between 450 and 480. I think they're overpriced and going to torpedo sometime, just don't know when. (Disclaimer: Don't come crying if you lose money)

Oh and one more thought, Dad, I hope you took my advice last year and bought Gamestop (GME) when it was 30 dollars or so. It's now trading at $51.25. And of course my fav predictions that Exxon Mobil (XOM) will rocket, which they did, from 58 bucks or so to current $69.55 and the classic Toyota Motors (TM) which was 90 bucks and now 115.60. I liked Philip Morris (MO) but it didn't really sky rocket (not that I expected it to) since it's a stalwart (go look up what that means). If you did buy as I adviced, you would still have a modest gain of 8 bucks or so. Drat, I'm darn sure no one listened to that advice. With just these 4 stocks, you would have beaten the S&P500 Index, NASDAQ Composite Index and DOW Jones Industrial Average by a substantial margin, enough to make most fund managers jealous.

Oh well, enough ranting for now. Feel better. Time to eat my books again.

Later!

Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Than somebody bends
Unexpectedly

Just a little change
Small, to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast

Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will arise

Tale as old as time
Tune as old as song
Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong

Certain as the sun
Rising in the east
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the beast



Guess I'll be heading to bed soon. Tired. Can't get any of these marketing terms into my head anymore. Here's a nice clip from Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Had the chance to catch the "musical" on stage at MGM Studios last spring. A beautiful heart-warming show performance. My mind totally crammed with information and with all the rest of the thoughts that refuse to go away... Good night.

Somewhere Out There

Just done with my BE (business economics) assignment. Phew. Tough one but glad I got the concepts ironed out somewhat. Time out.

Was just looking for this song since it's been a long time since I've heard it. I actually go to know this song because it was the piece that my brother's graduating class at Yamaha Music School (Electone Course) played when we were all kids. Chanced upon this cute version in An American Tail. Enjoy!

An American Tail


Somewhere Out There

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true


And here is the version which we are all more familar with, coupled with a random AMV...

Somewhere Out There
by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram


Lovely song...

Part of Your World

Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?
Look at this trove
Treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Looking around here you think
Sure, she's got everything
I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I've got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more

I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see them dancin'
Walking around on those - what do you call 'em?
Oh - feet!

Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a - what's that word again?
Street

Up where they walk, up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun
Wanderin' free - wish I could be
Part of that world

What would I give if I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Bet'cha on land they understand
That they don't reprimand their daughters
Bright young women sick of swimmin'
Ready to stand

I'm ready to know what the people know
Ask 'em my questions and get some answers
What's a fire and why does it - what's the word?
Burn?

When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above?
Out of the sea
Wish I could be
Part of that world



Another classic Disney song. Heard the advertisement on TV and decided to go check it out. Little Mermaid is going platinum in the US. Anyways, had a pretty tiring day. Studied for my exams, watched some parts of the game (Hell yeah! We beat Iowa 20-6. Go Blue!), then headed out for a quick dinner at Za's with Jeff and Ted. Didn't realize that the cakes they sell are actually from Cheesecake Factory. No wonder they taste so fabulous! Going to work on the BE 300 assignment now. US Sugar Import Quotas. Whoever knew sugar was such a big issue for a country? Interesting... Will be back later with another tune when I take my next break.

A Whole New World

I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you
Now I'm in a whole new world with you

Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky

A whole new world
Don't you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath - it gets better
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be

A whole new world
Every turn a surprise
With new horizons to pursue
Every moment red-letter
I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world
That's where we'll be
A thrilling chase
A wondrous place
For you and me



Time out from mugging: A little touch of the magical world of Walt Disney never fails to brighten up a day right? Reminiscing the time when I watched the fireworks at Disney, shivering in the cold while staring in awe as a magical world unfolded before my eyes.

The Start of the Weekend

I just got home awhile ago from a friend's place. Went out for dinner with Ming and a bunch of friends from TWSA. Pretty good dinner, albeit a super long wait at Cherry Blossom Jap Restaurant. Just wanted to get out to take my mind off stuff for a little while.

Woke up this morning, submitted my BIT Open Source assignment, then headed out for the GIC Recruitment talk. Pretty attractive I must say, worth considering. Will keep that option open. Had a quick lunch with Ming Cheng then headed over to Kresge (b-school library) for my marketing group project meeting. It was quite a productive one. I quite like my marketing group Hardworking go-getters.

Got home, studied some and then dinner and dessert following that. There was my October 20, 2006. Jam packed with stuff so that I can have no time to breathe. Not too bad I guess. In between studying and events, checking and reading up on the stock markets, checking out financial analysis, then back to books again. Time to get acquainted with all the stock tickers, Bloomberg, marketwatch, technical analysis, fundamental analysis, P/E ratios, PEGs, moving averages, return on equity, return on assets, debt to equity ratios, current ratios, turnovers, margins, bollinger bands, buy, sell, sell short, buy to cover, good till cancel, day orders, GOOG, IBM, C, GS, MS, MSFT, AAPL, CS, ANF, WMT, TXN...

放手

每一天，每一夜，我都尽量不要想你，但我越想忘记你，反而会越想念你。真的好无奈。转眼间，已过了一个月了。也许我也应该放手了。

祝，

幸福

想念着那迷人，灿烂的日落

Light it all up...

Turning on all the afterburners and pushing on. Further and harder. Tired...

Before I go any further, to my mom, dad, two grandmothers and Wynne, have a awesome trip in China. Glad you are all taking some time off to relax and get away from the crazy hectic life in Singapore. Have a great time ya? Bon voyage!

3 exams 1 quiz coming on next week, countless corporate presentations to attend, numerous assignments due, long resumes to be revise and rewrite. Burnt up? Barely...

Woke up early as usual to a freezing Thursday. Went for my 3 and half hours of class as usual and then straight on for a group project meeting. By the time I got out of that, it was around 3:30pm? Starved... Lunch was a slice of cake from Za's. At least it was sugar. Energy of sorts.

Sped off to Howard Cooper to pick up my license plate, finally getting my car complete. Accelerating down the road pushes all the worries out. Okay, not all of it, just a little.

Got back and had to rush off for a Mutual and Hedge Funds talk by a b-school prof. Pretty informative. Another pile of events to add to my schedule. Tailgate party for Iowa game with Lehman Brothers and Deustche Bank on Saturday, Michigan Interactive Investments sector meeting on Sunday, Corporate Social Responsibility Conference general meeting on Sunday, Bear Stearns Sales and Trading presentation next Tuesday, Lehman Brothers Asia One Firm presentation on Monday, Resume II Workshop on Tuesday, OCD Networking workshop on Wednesday, Lehman Brothers Role of an Analyst presentation on Wednesday and that, is just the beginning. The list continues to build. Totally looking forward to the hell weeks coming up. The fight is on. Light it all up. Burners, afterburners, everything. Lets go...

Giving me strength: Right Here Waiting -- Richard Marx

Back into the Fray

It's back to school again. Feeling pretty drained out only after a first, albeit long day at school. Had a torturous LHC (Law, History and Communications) class this morning. Total killer. Almost bored me to death. I met up with my marketing group and discussed some stuff before heading out for my finance class. Pretty intense finance class as usual. Will definitely work even harder for the next test to try to make it into the top percent of the class. I need my As.

I grabbed a quick lunch at the b-school cafeteria before heading to my marketing professor's office hours. Discussed the group project with her and ironed out some details which we needed her to clarify. I got home, exhausted and did some work before rushing out again for a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference meeting. Totally whacked by the end of the day.

Pretty heavy heart today with lots of thoughts running through my head. With all that has been happening around me, I have forgotten to cherish the people who have stood by me and are dear to me. Just a sudden realization. Sorry to my family who has been pretty worried about me and to my friends who have taken time off to listen instead of walking away. Thanks guys.

Time to stop dwelling on the "could-be's"; time to start caring about the people who matter. Life is short. Thanks for reminding me of how foolish I have been dar. You're always missed. My sis misses her Patrina 姐姐 too you know? Watch over her just like the angel you are to me alright?

Right Here Waiting

Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesnt stop the pain

If I see you next to never
How can we say forever

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I cant get near you now

Oh, cant you see it baby
Youve got me going crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if Im with you
Ill take the chance

Oh, cant you see it baby
Youve got me going crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

It's been a long time since I've listened to this song. Brings back lovely memories of happier days. Pretty tired. Been working on my assignments and preparing for my group project discussion tomorrow.

A brief recount of my day: Went to Meijers with Ming to shop for groceries, came home, did some work and then headed out to Buffalo Wild Wings for an interaction session with representatives from PSC. It was a pretty interesting meeting and they are all really nice people. A little unexpected in that way but it was nice. Dropped by Za's and grabbed a slice of cake. Happy birthday dar. Sang a silent birthday song for my angel and ate the cake quietly. It was hard to swallow... Came home and then we all decided to go get some Korean food. Had a good dinner at Seoul Korner. We are definitely going to head back there again pretty often.

Fall Break is over. The day is almost over too. Happy birthday dar. -Hugs- I miss you...

My angel's favorite tulips

Fall Break - Chicago

I went over to Chicago over the weekend for a short trip with a couple of friends. Had a nice time there walking around the city, admiring the architecture and looking at the lifestyle of city-dwellers. Makes me miss the hustle and bustle of city life. Love the skyscrapers.

We left for Chicago early in the morning on Saturday and I drove a large part of the way into the city. We had dim sum at this restaurant in Chinatown. The food was decent but I guess we weren't too picky since it has been quite some time since we last ate dim sum. Walked around a little in Chinatown before heading off to the city. We walked along the shores of Lake Michigan and took some photos before heading into Shedd Aquarium. The place was pretty fascinating and we got to see dolphins. I love dolphins. =)

We headed off for our hotel which was located about 30 minutes away, caught a little of the game Michigan VS Penn State. That reminds me, we kicked their butts! Oh yeah! We're now in second place on the AP Rankings and 3rd place in the BCS Rankings. Go Blue~!

Dinner was a nice meal at this restaurant in Chinatown run by Malaysians called Penang. I ate Penang Fried Kway Teow, which was pretty good. Sent Lennard's sis back to her apartment before we all headed out to House of Blues, which was a jazz bar/pub in downtown Chicago. The music was pretty good and I drank this cocktail called "Pineapple Upside Down". Nice...

The following morning, we had our complimentary breakfast before heading out to the city again. We found a parking lot in the city and headed towards John Hancock Tower. The building was HUGE. Took an express elevator all the way to the 94th storey, where we had a magnificent view of the city and the regions surrounding Illinois. Pity the sky was rather cloudy when we were up there.

We took a late lunch at the famous Cheesecake Factory. I had the catch of the day, which was fresh grilled salmon. The serving was huge and it was really tasty, though I think the best salmon I've ever had is still the one at Mount Emily. Maybe it's just the company that matters... Oh well, I had a superb piece of Tiramisu Cheesecake. Yummy! Was so stuffed after that.

We took a walk down the prime shopping and business district of Chicago, all the way down Magnificent Mile. The buildings are amazing, ranging from the new skyscrapers to the old gothic looking ones which resemble buildings you would see in Batman Movies (think Gotham City). Beautiful. We also visited the famous Millenium Park, which held the fascinating Millenium Ball.

We headed home soon after that, driving by Navy Pier and also taking at look at Chicago's well-known theatre where all the musicals are held. Pity we couldn't get any tickets to the musicals when we were there. Maybe next time. Stopped over at IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for a quick supper before heading back home. An awesome trip in all. Thanks everyone for the great time.

As for today, did some work and went for dinner with a few friends at Hong Hua chinese restaurant at Farmington Hills, which is about 30 miles away. The food was good but a little pricey. We returned to Aaron, Lennard and Adhi's apartment to spring a "surprise" birthday party for Adhi. Happy Birthday dude...

Time to head to bed now I guess. Happy Birthday to my dear angel. You're always missed...

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to my angel,

Happy birthday to you...

Every year, without fail, at 12 midnight on October 17, I will call you and sing you your birthday song. Can't do it anymore for you this year dar dar. How're you doing up in heaven? I'm glad you're in a place where you don't have to go through all the pain and agony anymore. Just miss you alot sometimes. -Hugs- Happy birthday dar dar. Still remember last year when you clapped while I sang your birthday song for you. 好想你...

I was just installing Picasa the other day and as the computer archived the photos, I started looking at pictures of you. Happy memories, sad ones, beautiful ones. Brought many smiles and tears to my eyes. I miss you...

Happy birthday my dear angel. I love you and may you rest in peace...