Freaking out!

Despite the title, here I am, typing my blog even though I should be doing something more constructive. Supposed to be studying for my Finance exam on Tuesday over the weekend. Rejected going out with Yee Lin and Lu Hai to the Sweetcorn Festival in the afternoon, but ended up going out with Beth, 'cos she's been asking me to join her for like the 6th time I think. Was afraid if I continuing rejecting going out, she wouldn't ask me anymore. Did have fun with Beth and her friends from the Navigators, an on-campus Christian organisation, though there were only 7 of us. Spent our time walking around the Marketplace, and found this candy store that sells all kind of chocolate, and M&Ms in different colours: Light purple, pink (light and hot), orange, blue (baby blue and cyan) etc.. And you can buy them separately!

K, I'm digressing... So basically spent yesterday not doing anything constructive. Told myself I must start studying today. Spent the morning chatting online and over the phone with Jingyi and also my mother... Fell asleep while trying to *ahem* study on the bed. Ok, here comes the freaking out part - My finance module on Tuesday has 2 parts: one's the maths and the other's the finance. Thought I could give the maths a miss, but just looked at the questions, and realised I don't even know how to calculate decimal places properly! And to be honest, the finance part is tougher than what I've learnt last year. My finance has always been 'terok' to begin with. Even though Leon gave me tuition in Warwick, and claimed I'm a fast learner, for I got 78 for my accounting and finance, the truth is finance has probably came out with like 3 multiple choice and 10 marks of calculation in the paper.

To make matters worse, I just learnt about the existence of "business calculators" in the last Finance lesson. Everyone is to buy one and use it during the exams. Got one, and thought it'll just function like the normal sharp ones we usually use. BUT NO. U're supposed to adjust the number of decimal places in the calculator, and they've got "interesting" functions like NPV (net present value) and IRR (internal rate of return). Well done Elvelyn Low, good luck...

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Was reading Straits Times Interactive and saw this article that's quite close to heart http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,269995,00.html? (To my friends from Warwick, let's guess what's the bus number? Hee hee...)

Was telling people around that it's easier to mix with the Americans than English, 'cos they are immigrants themselves and more willing to open up to other cultures and races. However, I'd want to share this incident that happened yesterday when I went out with Beth and her friends. Was walking in the shopping mall with Amy (a white friend who's helping out with the Navigators as a full time job) while the others were shopping in a nearby shoe shop. There was an Afro-American lady walking towards me and bumped quite hard into me while scolding away, but I didn't really catch what she said. When I turned and looked, she stared real hard at me. At first I thought she was scolding her daughter who was with her or something; but I realised it was the back of my arm that hurt, i.e. she gave me a hard jab after walking past me, and it was definitely deliberate. I was quite taken aback, and turned back a few times, realising that she's still staring. Amy was very apologetic though, and I felt better that I was with her when it happened, probably 'cos of superficial reason that she's a white.

Hmm... Not that it hurt me or anything - I'm proud to be a Chinese Singaporean. But I guess it's quite an interesting experience to share, and doesn't such things spice up your life and pity these people for being so myopic?