Last Week in September

What a week: busy, but not achieved anyting...

Monday, Sept. 24:
Due to an error or misinterpretation in the course Negotiation Skills for Business I loose the negotiation (but indeed I had the best chances to win it).

Tuesday, Sept. 25:
I read just one paper about Korean Monetary policy, thn tried to learn Mandarin with a Chinese, but I fail on how to distinguish a Pinyin z from a c... (orally)
Then there was an interesting panel discussion about China and India and the question of democracy.
After the panel I got to know a UK-German prof, but couldn't talk, since I had to rush on. LAter on, he wouldn't answer my mails.
Then I attended the reception at the Swiss House in Biopolis (near Buena Vista MRT), good food, good contacts, few time.

Wednesday, Sept. 26:
Slept late, too late. I barely manage to review 1, 2 chapters in Negotiotion (due to mid-term exams next week). Then my MPW group has an interview with Leslie, former Singaporean master swimmer, in his "Elements" massage saloon in Orchard Hotel; we discuss our proposal for a employee satisfaction survey.
In his firm, this doesn't exist. If the cheap labor starts to complain, the management screams, try to keep 'em under control. If too many problem, ppl get fired.
I guess you call this "hard-core hammer method of management - hire, shout-shout, fire"

Thursday, Sept. 27:
I should actually organize a seminar still (but just don't get to it), AMP class is interesting, but cannot follow really. Then meet the AMP prof, but he didn't read my (crappy) paper outline, at least I got some new ideas. About grad school application: to be postponed, he has no time yet to discuss/recommend me sth.
Then I had a good discussion about Chinese organizational behavior/university administrative mechanisms etc.
A prof. in pol. science (Gov and Pol in SEA) comes up with the exam content (4 days prior to the exam). It appears that half of the stuff we didn't cover in class nor do we have appropriate material on it available. --> we prob end up learning from wikipedia for this (why the hell then I am at a university??).

Friday, Sept. 28:
I am too slow in reviewing the materials for next week's mid-term exams (4, 3 of those on Monday!!).
In Mandarin we got back our first exam/results. I have only a B (too weak in oral, listening stuff).

Saturday, Sept. 29:
Get up at 4.40am, take MRT to Changi Airport, arrive there at 7am, to pick up my parents (SIA flight from ZRH tba 7.05am). We take MRT to Aljunied, put the baggage in the Hotel (next to the red-light district...), proceed to SMU, where we talk and have coffee.
I learn while they're experiencing the city.
Dinner we get together at Newton's hawker center (boah, you should have seen how much I've eaten, crazy!). At home too sleepy to learn.

Sunday, Sept. 30:
Learning, but growing anger about those fucking exams. Either they seem to ask redundant "learn-by-heart" stuff, but demand a lot to have read, or they are assembled (apparently) that chaotic, that you do not even know how to learn for them.
I go crazy