Being Happy

A meaningful quote I found on the net.

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirement of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."

~ Charles Kingsley ~

Right. Now bring on the food, the cars and the money! I'm enthusiastic about comfort and luxury!

Honestly, although I do find the quote very true and I realise many would agree with me in its widespread acceptance, I seriously wonder how many people actually realise the real depth of its meaning.

Put it this way, as I always like to view things, how many people will actually believe in it when they are in an uncomfortable situation (i.e. no income and an uncertain future)?

How many people will realise that comfort and luxury are the by products of having an enthusiasm for something instead of seeking comfort and luxury and thus having the enthusiasm for something?

It is probably a very idealistic thought because do such things really exist? I kind of doubt that they do. At least not on this little island I live on. Perhaps in the countryside where people realise self-sustainability and stability through means other than monetary.

Still, it is a nice quote to have and believe in as we move along our daily lives.

Trash

From beauty queen to trash. God. She should have just disappeared quietly into the night. If she's thinking that since she's already viewed negatively and she might as well just go all the way, then that's really sad. does she even have any self-dignity left?!

MJ was a Penguin!

I knew it!!!!

The 5 Most Powerful People in the World

Apparently this is one of the topics that a certain business school asks applicants to present on during interviews. I came across it while surfing for info on business schools and it stuck with me through most of yesterday as I thought of an answer to it.

So here are who I think are the five most powerful people in the world without going too in depth as to why I think they are so.

1. Lee Kuan Yew
Has anyone seen a company built and run as well as Singapore?

2. Ban Ki Moon
Most powerful man on this planet without an army.

3. Barack Obama
Duh. Leader of the free world. But I think what makes him powerful is his ability to inspire.

4. My father
Lim Pei can solve all arguments and conflicts. He can possibly even bring world peace if he were given the chance.

5. My girlfriend
I'm sure none of the other four will deny that their other halves are probably their only true equals on this planet. Even their fathers and the other halves' fathers will admit the same. Likewise for me.

Photos

Something funny to start the midday with.

Suspense

All this suspense is killing me.

I submitted the last of my applications to my first three choice business schools last week - INSEAD, LBS and Chicago GSB. After a couple of months of much self-reflection and much essay writing/editing, the applications finally went out. How strong they were I do not really know. I do know that the later applications - LBS and GSB - were probably better written than the INSEAD one. Fortunately, I would much prefer getting a favourable reply from LBS than INSEAD.

Still, if INSEAD doesn't like my application, I'm not too sure how LBS or GSB will view it. I'm inclined to believe that they think along more or less the same grain.

So now, I'm just waiting for some form of reply. If they like my application, then I'll get invited to interview. If not, I'll get dinged. It is uncertain times like these that I dread somewhat. If I get dinged, then what?

I'll probably apply for other schools. Except, I'll probably be applying into their second round admissions which is not ideal.

Or I could apply to do a Masters in Finance instead. That's my contingency.

Or I'll end up going back to work. Which isn't that bad an idea. Only thing is then what am I going to do with myself? For some reason, I don't really want to do that - go back to work. Not because I'm feeling lazy. On the contrary I want to work and I'm trying to keep myself occupied. It's mostly because I want a job that I want to work in and unfortunately that kind of job doesn't show up easily or is gotten easily. Not with my background and experience so far.

I could just do something, anything, and apply again later. That's not off the table yet.

Ah well.......if only I had an idea of what's going on with the admissions committee right now.

Waiting

I submitted the last of my first three B-school applications yesterday. I've applied to INSEAD, LBS and Chicago GSB.

Now it's a matter of waiting for an invitation to interview. INSEAD's latest notification date is 6 Nov, LBS and GSB will notify me by 11 Nov.

I just hope I get one. Any one. Fingers and toes crossed crossed crossed.

The Marshmallow Test

I'm back from Europe. Reluctantly. It's depressing to be back honestly. But anyhow, here's something funny called "The Marshmallow Test".