Going through hell week !

I'm going through hell week and have nothing much to share with the readers.

Apparently due to fate or some may even argue, good luck, SMU has decided to slam me with three subject presentations over 7 days and a graded legal memo, making this the most intense week in the entire semester. Things got so bad, I had to cancel my Dungeon's and Dragons game and I did not even bother monitoring my portfolio even with the talks of Scottish Independence and the actions of the Fed.

Here are some random thoughts until I can come up with something more interesting :

a) Becoming a student again can save money.

I noticed that my expenses have reached the three digit level this month. There were so many cases to crunch and books to read that it's impossible to spend on other pursuits, I can't even hang out with my friends after school.

b) Scottish Independence referendum turned out to be a non-invent.

I was following this pretty intensely and actually hoping that the Scots will decide to leave the United Kingdom. Singapore left almost 50 years ago and we're doing ok, But I acknowledge that economically it's better to stay together. Damn, I was hoping for a cheaper pound so that I can go shopping for RPG books at the Orcs Nest at Charrings Cross Street.

On the whole, people are rational and voting for the wallet sure beats some nationalistic sentiment.

c) Philip Holden's Critique on University rankings.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/university-rankings-a-need-for-critical-reflection-philip-holden
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If it is'nt for my punishing schedule, I would be railing at this article full time.

In Singapore, English Literature majors do pretty well and get fairly decent jobs. This needs to be sustained by local universities keeping their good reputations which means that we can't really negotiate with KPIs which rank universities. I rely on the good name of NUS and SMU when I look for jobs in the future, we're in a tough market where many US graduates might settle to work as Baristas in Starbucks.

I think the tirade is too similar with William Deresiewicz's appeal to bohemian authenticity over getting a solid job in the industry.

Hey we can't live on ideals. I say we keep the KPI. That might prevent more academics from holing up in their ivory towers.

Anyway, hope that I can write a better article next week !