So, I realised that every time I get back to school, I have to get sick. Getting sick two weeks before classes began apparently doesn’t count. So here I am, sitting on my futon, thinking that I should do my Micro before that class eats me alive. Yet I feel so dizzy that I’m not sure how I’m going to do it. Maybe pizza will motivate me…

So, the final exam schedule is out, and I have my only exam on the 21st, but I couldn’t book any tickets to Shanghai before Dec. 25th, so I’ll have 4 days to putz around and be cold. As my life grows ever more complicated, I wondered for a bit about whether I should plan a mini-getaway during the half-week. But it’s too early for me to plan anything. I just wish I could convince the Professor to move the exam to the Friday or something. Then I’d get an extra week of vacation.

That’s the scary thing about working. Do you realise that the world of 4 months of holiday per year is disappearing and there’s nothing I can do about it? It’s really annoying, especially when you feel the odd need to be in relative control of your life like I do. It’s hard work being a control freak.

Who eats cinnamon toast crunch for lunch? Oh, right. Me!

There are way too many things going on in my life right now. Even as I struggle to keep up, if I’m not careful enough, I find myself engulfed by the unexpected.

But anyway, here’s a excerpt from a pretty hilarious commentary piece from the FT about how the iPod is an isolating force.

People around the world have wondered how Bush could be so distant in the days after hurricane Katrina struck the US. But the more I think about it, the less surprised I am. Whatever his faults, Bush is representative of his time. He’s doing his own thing. He’s listening to his own music. He’s another guy who can’t hear what you are saying because he’s wearing little white earphones.

So, I don’t know if I should be pleased or disturbed by these NYT “findings.” Yes, I agree that parents should have an important role in a child’s life. What I’m not so sure about, is whether having that role requires either parent to stay at home for an extended period of time. Perhaps you don’t want to be working 18 hour days after you’ve just given birth, but for many students who have sacrificed so much to attend top educational institutions and pursue higher degrees, it’s a strange thought to not really use that education, or at least not for very long.

I have personally very rarely encountered women with this thought process, but I do believe that the culture at MIT is very different from those at some of the Ivies. Our backgrounds are different, our beliefs are different, so obviously, our aspirations may not be the same. But again, so many resources are poured into educating these young women, who in the long term, do not necessarily want to use that education in the traditional sense. Will the impact on their children compensate for their other losses?

It’s similar to the whole argument about home-schooling your children. Sure, if you’ve got a top class education and you think you can teach your child better than the best primary/secondary school staff, great. All the more power to you. However, if society is siphoning off so many highly-educated, incredibly intelligent people to simply stay at home and teach their children, is that an efficient use of resources? *sigh*

Maybe I’ve just been doing too much economics.

Don’t Believe the Truth – Oasis
11 – Let There Be Love

My poor neglected Blog. I had so much fun during the summer that I didn’t have time to write to you, but now that school has begun once again, you’re the only one who can serve as the constant procrastination I need to maintain sanity.

I’ll put up pictures of my puppy soon. She’s so adorable…