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Apr. 21st, 2011 @ 03:37 pm Hello World
I'm alive.
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Jul. 9th, 2009 @ 08:32 am (no subject)
My dreams are almost all about work now...

Its taking over my life.
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Jul. 5th, 2009 @ 12:50 pm Overpaid Intern II
Second week is done. I've been to work every day, but the staffing is such that I've really only been busy for 3 days or so, and the rest I've had to find work for myself to do. I'm also beginning to suspect a major divide in how people are staffed, based on the fact that the three people who I know got this job via connections are all sort of not on harder deals. Such is life I guess. I'm still learning a lot, although the work I'm doing is sort of lawyer's work rather than banker's work. Not entirely a bad thing that, but not a great one either. IN any case, we'll have to see how many offers they give out this year. Its odd that I've shifted so quickly in my thinking but if they made me an offer I'd find it very hard to say no.

We'll see. 8 more weeks of this extended interview first.

Went out to a bar, and then to smoke shisha, and then to a karaoke place last night. This is a very Asian experience. I'm not sure how much more of it I can survive. On the plus side, one of the full time analysts took us out last night, which was good. Otherwise it'd have been way more expensive. We opened a bottle of champagne and a bottle of tequila at the bar, which means that every time we've gone out hard we've had at least two bottles. Its a dangerous precedent, but I guess its part of the lifestyle we lead.

I'm going in on a Sunday again. I intend for it to be my boast that I missed not a single day of work (weekends and public holidays included) this whole summer. That way when I go back to school, everything will seem super easy and chill (which it is). I'm looking forward to having free time again, but if you don't have any you stop expecting it. So thats ok.
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Jun. 13th, 2009 @ 03:05 pm (no subject)
Back in Singapore for one week, before work. Tropical weather is a massive downer.
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Nov. 5th, 2008 @ 09:21 pm (no subject)
Obama's election last night was probably one of the high points in my semester. As college students are wont to do we gathered in my and my roommates common room to watch the election, played a variety of drinking games based on electoral college votes won, and then went nuts when the election was called at a little past 11 PM EST when the polls on the West Coast finally closed. It was the end of months of speculation and conversation, and although I obviously didn't put a lot of effort into the election my roommates and many of my friends did, volunteering for Obama by making phone calls, canvassing in New Hampshire, and donating money to the cause of a Democratic, change bringing (we hope) President. While we're a cynical bunch (debaters generally are), and realistic to a fault about politics, it was still a fairly heady evening as we watched the Republican party crumble across the United States. Its always fun when the good guys win, and if all politicians are bastards, at least the less evil side won last night. It was a fairly emotional time in the room (and throughout the college) when Obama made his acceptance speech (many teary eyed individuals among my very liberal friend group), and after he had finished we went downstairs and joined the rest of the college community to sing the American national anthem and generally indulge in a lot of backslapping, hugging and fist pumping enthusiasm.

So the moral of the story is, I feel much more of a connection to America than I do to Singapore. Enough so that I'd want one day to be a citizen here I think even though being an American is not particularly rational from a future taxation point of view, and for a variety of other reasons. Perhaps this is all silly collegiate sentimentality. We'll see. In any case, its been an amazing week, and homecoming is this weekend, so hopefully Amherst's football team (American football) will cap off my week with a rare win against Williams. It is weeks like this that I love being a student in America, and at a school that is as small and collegial as Amherst is. Here's looking forward to another big celebration this weekend, and then a bigger celebration on January 20th, when Obama is inaugurated, and we can really bid farewell to 8 years of the worst leadership America has seen in our lifetimes (and hopefully that stays true).
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Sep. 23rd, 2008 @ 10:42 am (no subject)
Haven't written much recently, following my usual trend. School is busy, and a little harder this semester than I expected it to be, but nothing unmanageable, thankfully. Chinese is WAY harder this year, but I'm dealing with it ok I guess. Debate is eating up all the time it usually eats up, but whats worse this year is that I'm taking a science course that really might kill me. I'm not good with the whole neuro-anatomy thing. It makes me sad that its a required class for my psych major, but what does not kill me (and its Amherst, so it won't) will make me stronger. Makes me wish I had taken bio in the bad old days of high school. The major change this year is that I'm on student government, which means many contentious meetings where I end up being angry with my fellow 'senators'. I suspect a lot of them are on a power trip, which is funny, since I'm the one who is usually on one of those. Anyway, life continues.
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Aug. 11th, 2008 @ 12:51 am (no subject)
The summer is winding down, and as one of the few remaining guaranteed holidays of my life draws to a close, I am left with an overwhelming sensation of...

Well, nothing really. It just doesn't seem particularly significant. I intellectually appreciate the fact that in 3 weeks the penultimate year of college starts, and I take another step towards the working world (or grad school), and an end to my life of parentally supported leisure. This summer has been a fairly good one, if rather more quiet than I'd like.

I attended a couple of weddings in Indonesia while I was there, for a cousin i barely know, and a family friend I actually do know. I was struck by the lavish expense required to throw a good wedding, and wonder if a simple ceremony might not in fact be the better way to go. My parents were certainly hinting at that when they dragged me along to my cousin's wedding. Anyway, that all seems like a concern far off in the future.

I'm heading to Bali on Tuesday for what hopefully is a fitting and epic end to the summer. Perhaps there I'll make up for how boring I've been the rest of the break. I really should have arranged to travel somewhere interesting. Anyway, I've enjoyed Singapore, and especially enjoyed time spent with friends and family, and of course, the new car. The new car is gorgeous and amazing. I love BMW all over again, and remember why BMWs were my first car loves. Its impractical as hell, and I'd never buy a two door car for myself, but as long as we're not spending my money, its awesome. :)

Looking forward to school already. I've been keeping intellectually fit, thanks to a spate of interesting non fiction books, and extensive involvement in debate stuff here, which is all pleasant, and should make the transition back to school life easier. Although the thought of 2nd year Chinese scares me. Sigh. I might take that pass fail, depending on how things go. If I do that I'll take five classes though, so that I don't feel like a useless bum.
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Jun. 3rd, 2008 @ 10:10 pm (no subject)
Semester didn't go as badly as I might have feared. 2 A's and 3 A-'s put me in not so great shape, but not so bad shape either.

Thank God for grade inflation. Its an amazing, amazing thing. :)
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Jun. 2nd, 2008 @ 03:49 pm (no subject)
I woke up today from what was undoubtedly the most profoundly sad/happy dream I remember in ages. It was happy till the end, which was just before I woke up, and then it was all very sad, both because the actual content of the dream turned very melancholic, and also because I woke up knowing it wasn't real.

Singapore is turning me into an emotional mush. Argh.
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May. 26th, 2008 @ 10:54 pm Singapore days
Holiday time is somewhat more lazy and direction-less than usual. No plans until work starts, and no plans after means that I'm very very free. Free to the point where I wish I had something to do. On the plus side this has meant me being bored enough to actually exercise, which is nice, although its a sad sign of how much time I have on my hands that I actually do spend time working out. I've met up with people, spent some time helping out the national debate team, and caught up on my sleep and reading. Its going to be a long and slow summer...

Oh, and the weather is terrible. And my car's AC isn't working all that well. I miss my Audi.
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