Me: People change after they have girlfriends.
DG: No~ I'm still perfectly abnormal.
=P
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Count your blessings
I was watching the news last night and the Indonesian authority predicted that there might be floods in Jakarta in the coming weeks. This reminded me of an incident which occurred when i was in Jakarta a few years ago. I was on the bus when we passed by a huge water body on my right. I commented to my friend that it was a beautiful lake. Immediately after commenting, a thought struck my mind. It may not be a lake after all! Having read about some parts of Jakarta being flooded earlier that day in the newspaper, i considered the possibility that it could be a low-lying area that was simply flooded! It was a daunting thought. Think about all those people who turned homeless due to the flood. That's why we should count our blessing that we are living in Singapore. Floods are a thing of the past for our government has an efficient drainage system in place. At least not those floods that go to two or three storeys high.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Maid? Made?
Someone related an incident which set me thinking about a relatively current issue in Singapore -- the presence of maids in our society. (To be politically correct, lest someone accuses me of being racist) Ermz... i mean domestic helpers. Let me provide some background before i give my five-cent worth.
This particular domestic helper is from Indonesia and has been working at my friend's house for 5 1/2 years. Since i visit my friend quite often, she (the domestic helper) is not just some stranger, but someone i know personally. I have never chatted with her, so i cannot claim to know her well. However, she has always been polite and hardworking and always offered me food and water whenever i visit my friend. Hence it came as a surprise to me when my friend mentioned to me that she had been caught stealing money and had been sent back to Indonesia. I mean stealing was the last thing on my mind and it was something that i never thought she would do.
Now, in case you are wondering whether the domestic helper had been mistreated, the answer is a firm no. I understand that the employer has always regarded her as part of his family and never mistreated her either physically or mentally. Proper rest days were given and salary paid on time. The family had been satisfied with the domestic helper's performance and never thought of finding a replacement. The dramatic twist took place a few months back. The employer had a practice of leaving his wallet on the study table. Since there is no outsider staying in his house, other than the domestic helper whom he treated as a family member too, i guess he probably felt safe to do so. I'm not sure about the exact date but starting from a few months ago, the employer realized that some cash had been consistently missing from his wallet. And it was usually $50 notes. This went on for a while and the employer decided that this cannot go on, so he decided to install a pin-hole camera in his room. And indeed, the next day, footage captured revealed that the domestic helper was the culprit.
Probably out of goodwill and her consistent good performance, the employer did not immediately accuse the domestic helper of theft, but asked her if her family in Indonesia was facing any type of financial difficulties and whether she was having any personal problem. The answer was negative. She acted as if nothing had happened. The employer had no choice but to refer her to the agency and confronted her in front of her agent with the footage and charges. She was given a chance to explain herself but failed to provide any satisfactory explanation. In fact, when they wanted her to cough out the money she had stolen so far, which had amounted to thousands of dollars then, she even pretended to faint. Well in the end, it was no happy ending -- she was returned the money and was sent back to Indonesia. Surprisingly, when she was taking back to the house to pack her stuff, the employer found that she had in her possession a MP3, a handphone and some accessories -- things that revealed her spendthrift nature.
The family was taken aback by the whole incident, so was I. How could a thrifty and diligent domestic helper have undergone such a massive transformation in such a short time? It was a thought-provoking incident which i could not make sense of. I went on to inquire whether there was any mistreatment or grudge of any sort, but no. If there had been any indication or signs that she was unhappy, but no either. If she had appeared unusual, out-of-sort or showed any sign of guilt, but the answer was still negative. However, there was one point raised which could possibly shed light on the incident. My friend commented that she had been hanging out with a group of Indonesian friends in her free time. It was possible that she had been influenced by them or even coaxed into stealing by them. Indeed, for a person who is far away from home, she has no home support to fall back on and is more easily influenced. I guess environment plays a big role in affecting a person's personality. Perhaps her friends had not been good company at all and being her only friends in Singapore, peer pressure and her friends' negative influence could have changed her from a simple person to what she is now.
Just an incident to demonstrate that people DO change and it is easy to succumb to pressure. One's environment determines one's behaviour. Choose who to hang around with wisely!
This particular domestic helper is from Indonesia and has been working at my friend's house for 5 1/2 years. Since i visit my friend quite often, she (the domestic helper) is not just some stranger, but someone i know personally. I have never chatted with her, so i cannot claim to know her well. However, she has always been polite and hardworking and always offered me food and water whenever i visit my friend. Hence it came as a surprise to me when my friend mentioned to me that she had been caught stealing money and had been sent back to Indonesia. I mean stealing was the last thing on my mind and it was something that i never thought she would do.
Now, in case you are wondering whether the domestic helper had been mistreated, the answer is a firm no. I understand that the employer has always regarded her as part of his family and never mistreated her either physically or mentally. Proper rest days were given and salary paid on time. The family had been satisfied with the domestic helper's performance and never thought of finding a replacement. The dramatic twist took place a few months back. The employer had a practice of leaving his wallet on the study table. Since there is no outsider staying in his house, other than the domestic helper whom he treated as a family member too, i guess he probably felt safe to do so. I'm not sure about the exact date but starting from a few months ago, the employer realized that some cash had been consistently missing from his wallet. And it was usually $50 notes. This went on for a while and the employer decided that this cannot go on, so he decided to install a pin-hole camera in his room. And indeed, the next day, footage captured revealed that the domestic helper was the culprit.
Probably out of goodwill and her consistent good performance, the employer did not immediately accuse the domestic helper of theft, but asked her if her family in Indonesia was facing any type of financial difficulties and whether she was having any personal problem. The answer was negative. She acted as if nothing had happened. The employer had no choice but to refer her to the agency and confronted her in front of her agent with the footage and charges. She was given a chance to explain herself but failed to provide any satisfactory explanation. In fact, when they wanted her to cough out the money she had stolen so far, which had amounted to thousands of dollars then, she even pretended to faint. Well in the end, it was no happy ending -- she was returned the money and was sent back to Indonesia. Surprisingly, when she was taking back to the house to pack her stuff, the employer found that she had in her possession a MP3, a handphone and some accessories -- things that revealed her spendthrift nature.
The family was taken aback by the whole incident, so was I. How could a thrifty and diligent domestic helper have undergone such a massive transformation in such a short time? It was a thought-provoking incident which i could not make sense of. I went on to inquire whether there was any mistreatment or grudge of any sort, but no. If there had been any indication or signs that she was unhappy, but no either. If she had appeared unusual, out-of-sort or showed any sign of guilt, but the answer was still negative. However, there was one point raised which could possibly shed light on the incident. My friend commented that she had been hanging out with a group of Indonesian friends in her free time. It was possible that she had been influenced by them or even coaxed into stealing by them. Indeed, for a person who is far away from home, she has no home support to fall back on and is more easily influenced. I guess environment plays a big role in affecting a person's personality. Perhaps her friends had not been good company at all and being her only friends in Singapore, peer pressure and her friends' negative influence could have changed her from a simple person to what she is now.
Just an incident to demonstrate that people DO change and it is easy to succumb to pressure. One's environment determines one's behaviour. Choose who to hang around with wisely!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Quote from Dr Han
"There are a lot of unexpected things waiting for you. Whenever you turn a corner of your life, something you had not expected is waiting for you."
"Those unexpected things make your life better or more interesting."
Haha~ How true!
A meaningful quote from Dr Han, my Econometrics II lecturer. Coincidentally, it fits the theme of my blog.
"Those unexpected things make your life better or more interesting."
Haha~ How true!
A meaningful quote from Dr Han, my Econometrics II lecturer. Coincidentally, it fits the theme of my blog.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Economics Jokes
Explains why i like economics... =p
Unfunny Economists One-Liners!!!
(Mostly originals while a few are partial derivatives from jokes on the Net…)
1. Do not get into fights with economists. Beware of their invisible hand!
2. When you slip and fall down in the wet market, you know that the market is not in equilibrium.
3. We can assume anything under the sun and yet still get bad grades.
4. Economists have exotic taste. Their burgers come in all shapes and sizes (Hamburger Triangle). (From EC4351 Public Economics)
5. We can be classical economists and yet love rock music.
6. When you fall out of love, you know that it is just frictional and not structural (unemployment).
7. Do not marry economists. They promised you a lifetime but they only give you 2 periods. (From EC4102, Sinha Model)
8. Economists don’t like Lord of the Rings. They have Tobit, Logit, Probit but no Hobbit. (From EC3304 Econometrics II)
9. My JC Economics teacher is an agent. She always hides things from the principal. (From EC4321, Asymmetric Information)
10. If we eat too much, we say we are putting on weight. An economist would say endogenous growth. (EC4102 Macroeconomics III)
11. Econometrics is like a bikini. It shows what is important but hides what is vital.
12. Money makes better referee than humans do in a soccer match. They can be super neutral. (From EC4332 Money and Banking II)
13. Economists enjoy their lives. Chemists solve problems using experiments, physicians and mathematicians solve problems using Maths. Economists solve problems using models.
14. What motivates Solow to come up with his growth model? Because he is sick and tired of being so low.
15. I heard that the female economics lecturer is the hottest in Arts Faculty. All the students are lost in her curves (IS-LM).
16. My economics tutorials are in a steady state. They all get more and more disgusting at the same rate.
17. Why is literature a more power field as compared to economics? While economics have the invisible hand, literature has the invisible man!
18. There is a pile of shit on the floor outside LT14. No one takes ownership over it. Why? Because it’s so gross man! (EC4321, Grossman-Hart Formal Model of Ownership
19. Why economists never progress? It is because they like to do regression.
20. Which city do the economists like to live in? Elasti-city.
21. In order to profit maximize, Economists propose that everything should be Free of Charge. (FOC Condition)
22. What is economists’ favourite board game? Monopoly.
Enjoy! =)
Unfunny Economists One-Liners!!!
(Mostly originals while a few are partial derivatives from jokes on the Net…)
1. Do not get into fights with economists. Beware of their invisible hand!
2. When you slip and fall down in the wet market, you know that the market is not in equilibrium.
3. We can assume anything under the sun and yet still get bad grades.
4. Economists have exotic taste. Their burgers come in all shapes and sizes (Hamburger Triangle). (From EC4351 Public Economics)
5. We can be classical economists and yet love rock music.
6. When you fall out of love, you know that it is just frictional and not structural (unemployment).
7. Do not marry economists. They promised you a lifetime but they only give you 2 periods. (From EC4102, Sinha Model)
8. Economists don’t like Lord of the Rings. They have Tobit, Logit, Probit but no Hobbit. (From EC3304 Econometrics II)
9. My JC Economics teacher is an agent. She always hides things from the principal. (From EC4321, Asymmetric Information)
10. If we eat too much, we say we are putting on weight. An economist would say endogenous growth. (EC4102 Macroeconomics III)
11. Econometrics is like a bikini. It shows what is important but hides what is vital.
12. Money makes better referee than humans do in a soccer match. They can be super neutral. (From EC4332 Money and Banking II)
13. Economists enjoy their lives. Chemists solve problems using experiments, physicians and mathematicians solve problems using Maths. Economists solve problems using models.
14. What motivates Solow to come up with his growth model? Because he is sick and tired of being so low.
15. I heard that the female economics lecturer is the hottest in Arts Faculty. All the students are lost in her curves (IS-LM).
16. My economics tutorials are in a steady state. They all get more and more disgusting at the same rate.
17. Why is literature a more power field as compared to economics? While economics have the invisible hand, literature has the invisible man!
18. There is a pile of shit on the floor outside LT14. No one takes ownership over it. Why? Because it’s so gross man! (EC4321, Grossman-Hart Formal Model of Ownership
19. Why economists never progress? It is because they like to do regression.
20. Which city do the economists like to live in? Elasti-city.
21. In order to profit maximize, Economists propose that everything should be Free of Charge. (FOC Condition)
22. What is economists’ favourite board game? Monopoly.
Enjoy! =)
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Experience
Sometimes in life
we can never learn lessons just by reading the textbooks
or just by people teaching us
some lessons are just meant
for you to find it out yourself
to actually experience it yourself
you may have to learn lessons through the hard way
but it's really worth it
it is only through the lessons that you experience
that you truly muture.
A truly meaning prose i got off my friend's blog...
we can never learn lessons just by reading the textbooks
or just by people teaching us
some lessons are just meant
for you to find it out yourself
to actually experience it yourself
you may have to learn lessons through the hard way
but it's really worth it
it is only through the lessons that you experience
that you truly muture.
A truly meaning prose i got off my friend's blog...
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