interesting thoughts

part I
this morning was an intellectually stimulating talk when i went over my ex-superior's place for a visit.

i heard much of defence policies, to viewpoints of various countries economically and politically. As F joined in, topics such as stocks and bonds came in as well. I'm interested to see what China's $1 trillion foreign investment can do for me.

the most intriguing point was on the lowest class of Singaporeans, or any similar class in any country who experience the widest income gap in times of affluence or difficulty. I personally do not support the use of social welfare systems in Singapore. Our diverse culture will cripple the reserves - imagine locals not working because they think they are the superior locals and deserve free money no matter what. There's no free lunch in this world, unfortunately. Nobody would want to support these freeloaders by paying higher taxes and what not, too.

the next important point is - no matter what, most of the men in the street will not starve. Because of the strategic investment in education. The only worry is whether our fellow young are forward-looking. Will we realise the importance of education? Will we attempt to study hard and as far as possible, then create valuable opportunities for ourselves and loved ones (children, spouse) in future? Not overstating the important of education, however other traits of being a good player in the world's economy? Global view, borderless mindset, just to name a few.

as a young reader these might not matter, right? But as the country evolves into a city more unrecognizable later on, we cannot be sitting in a well and know nothing. Those xdd and xmm who gathers in a pack and roam around shopping centres all day long, playing PSPs and what not should wake up. There's a distinct difference between 'parents supporting you' and 'you living off parents'. Unless you don't mind being part of the vicious cycle.


part II
the university admissions are open for CAT B (poly) applicants. Do spend a few minutes reading more from NUS, NTU and SMU websites.

my personal advice is not to be very selective for the various degree programmes. Just shortlist what your personal interests lie in, but do not forget to include the degree programme that is linked to your diploma. The common fallacy is to drop out the associated course during university admission and apply for something else. The mentality is simple - *i'm sick of xxx, why study xxx again?*

this is the cold hard truth - switching to an unrelated field of study is risky. You have a lower chance of getting it, unless your results are extremely good. The course requirements are not easy, although you might feel it's in your interests. Interests and studies sometimes cannot be mixed because of potential effects of poor results, etc. What's worse, by not including the related course you lose all chances of admission. For example, leaving out Computer Science when your diploma is IT/BIT etc. Think twice, think thrice.

then there's another group of peeps that are afraid of getting the rejection letters, or handling the tough interviews. If you never try, you never know where you stand. Very sad if you give up without giving a fight.

another group prefers to work. But then again, the cold hard truth - very difficult career advancement with only a diploma. If you are a person who thirsts for personal progress, you will never be happy with a diploma. Going full-time immediately is better than having part-time arrangements for studies. Unless you're going into certain industries, such as financial advisers or stock brokers.