Alrighty, here're some of the layouts I've been working on!

Interestingly of Interest

Had an overdose of a certain word today. I shall let the conversation speak for itself...

D: so, tell us. why are you interested in finance?
A: well, i have an interest in finance because it's interesting. (ok, so maybe she'll elaborate here...) it's interesting seeing how things work in finance and in the world. (vague vague) and i have this interest because my finance professor made finance interesting.

Let's count... firstly, in an interview, cut down on the "like". Or you will "like totally" appear to be a pre-teen fresh out of the Mickey Mouse Club.

Next... "nice" and "interesting" are big words for a lower Primary child. At this age, do think up of more adjectives.

Anyway, I was so tempted to reply to A:
me (dreamed up answer): hmmm... A, you are quite an interesting character, and you have very interesting reasons for wanting to try out finance and see the interesting bits for yourself.
i have an interest in seeing how interesting you will find the research that i personally find very interesting. for starters, why don't you write a paper on interest rates? i believe that will be very interesting. and also, talk about how interest in interest rates first started. i think that will be interesting to read. after all, i bet you're an interesting writer.

Ok, i think the creative juices are flowing coz it's 1.25AM! One of my scrapbook teachers mentioned before that her sec sch art teacher proclaimed 1-3am as the time of creativity, where creative juices flow best. I think i'm starting to see where she's coming from...

It doesn't matter that you're a trained engineer and that talking to computers is your livelihood. Sending emails with a person's name highlighted in RED is just plain insensitive and offensive.

Highlighting a few people's names in different colours (except strong colours like red) to alert them to a bunch of action items in a long email is permissible. Colour-coded is fun at times too. But putting just one person's name in red in a short email just.speaks.of.your.EQ. No matter how emo you can be, that was just plain insensitive.

Alright. This piece got 'rejected' so it's kicked off my drawingboard totally. "Too esoteric" (i quote). Well, when lil' miss mouse is having writers' block... lots of nonsense come out ya. This time, the nonsense took shape in the form of a melding of Lit and Finance. Lil' miss mouse revisited The Merchant of Venice, a book she studied 10 years ago, and which lil' miss mag just studied this year. Oh well. Here goes!

Warning: written diarrhoea expected. approach this article from a very literature point of view and with a very strong literary eye.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“In sooth, I know not why I am so sad: It wearies me; you say it wearies you…” so said my sister over breakfast one morning. It almost made me choke. It was after all, Shakespeare first thing in the morning. But I must thank that imp because, were it not for her, I’d still have been at a loss as what to write for this month’s Markets Decaf!

That’s right, I’m going to borrow that famous play by Shakespeare to ramble on about some finance history. The Merchant of Venice is set in Venice, a nation known for its trade prowess. Its small size (plus the fact that it is pretty much surrounded by water) created a breeding ground for cohesion and co-operation in handling daily affairs. Such close acquaintance within the Venetian merchant aristocracy led to a kind of trust that promoted efficient business administration.

In fact, there were so many different kinds of business in Venice. The character of Shylock in the play embodies the moneylender of that time – shrewd, knowledgeable and a charger of usury. Moneylenders of olden Europe filled the gaps of lending to borrowers with weaker credit (high-risk high-return instrument of that time) that the larger banks left. Huge sums of interest were thus charged. In the play, Shylock did not charge Antonio interest. Antonia is another Venetian merchant whose ships were all out at sea. In all probability, he was unable to borrow money from the banks as there was no guarantee the ships would return with their cargo intact, safe from pirates, storms and ship captains with poor navigational skills.

European moneylenders in that era also exchanged high-risk high-interest loans to achieve the kind of risk exposure they were comfortable with (I’m thinking, credit swaps!). Gradually, they started selling some of these debts to individuals who were not moneylenders, thus creating the first fixed income market. Venetian moneylenders went a step further. They started selling and trading debts from other governments as well! Doesn’t this sound familiar? The products have gotten more complex over the years, but the concept is still the same!

More from the play! Tradition has it that Shakespeare based his plot on colleganza, a system of short-term partnerships that enabled any Venetian with a little money to contribute some portion of travelling costs (such as food or clothing for the crew), and receive a share of the profits in return (I’m thinking, shareholders in private equity!). Antonio, the merchant who had 3 ships at sea, was probably part of such a colleganza. It was a risky thing, sending ships out to sea, so whoever helped fund his venture would get a cut of his profits. If you have to know, it was initially thought that Antonio’s ships were all lost at sea, but at the end of the play, it is revealed that all the ships returned safely with their cargo. Profit!

I could go on, but that would lead up to a literature essay worthy of the exam halls. What really left an impression on me is that, centuries ago, finance was already quite established. Credit swaps and shareholding are not recent innovations. The concepts were there eons ago, just known by different names. And much as I do not enjoy poring over the history books, it is certainly enjoyable coming across such nuggets of history from which our modern world has built on! More nuggets to come!

On a very bimbotic note... These pretty red shoes have caught my eye! They're Mary Janes (won't fall off my feet) and flat (won't kill my ankles and knees) and... they're suede which are oh-so-nice to touch!!!

See shoes.

Came across this article while reading the Wall Street Journal today. Was so inspired by Mr. Tateno's story... that was the tale of a pianist who grew up surrounded by music, loves music, and played music for a living. His hands were his livelihood. Yet, at the age of 65, he suffered a stroke after a recital that left his right side paralyzed. He was devastated! I'd have been as well... it's tantamount to a triathlete losing his legs and not being able to get a prosthetic.

Therapy helped a bit, but he still has not regained that same strength in his right hand. And he refused to play pieces meant for the left-hand at that time. But one day, his son left some pieces for him... he played them, and since then, he's been hooked on left-handed pieces. And boy, does he sound fantastic! And you know, i've realized too that there are loads of pieces written for left-handed pianists around, because they were written for soldiers who'd lost the use of their right hand in war. Yups.

Found two videos of him on youtube. I can't believe that just one hand can create such beautiful melodies! So simple, yet so rich. I'm going to buy his CD if i can find it!

Izumi Tateno playing Scriabin Prelude for Left Hand Op. 9-1


Izumi Tateno playing Scriabin Nocturne for Left Hand Op. 9-2

Safe in a Crazy World

Corrinne May

I try to smile my tears away,
I try to keep my cool.
Oh but one more door gets in my way
I feel like such a fool
Trampled and bitter,
My heart just wants to bleed and stop believing in me.

It feels like nothing is for certain
and that nothing comes for free
When they're lowering the curtain to the theatre of my dreams
I stumble and I crumble and I'm sinking to my knees

But You, You cradle me

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world
You understand me
Embrace my fragility
You keep me safe in a crazy world
And in your arms I find the strength to believe in me again

Noise keeps chasing me
No matter where I go
Oh and life likes pretending that it's on a TV show
When it's hard to tell what's real
From what the world just wants to preach
You are the voice I seek

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world
You understand me
Embrace my fragility
You keep me safe in a crazy world
And in your arms I find the strength to believe in me again

'cause when I'm wrapped up in your arms
Nothing else can touch me
What a wonderful way to recharge
I feel like I can breathe again

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world
You understand me
Embrace my fragility
You keep me safe in a crazy world
And in your arms I find the strength to believe in me again

Calling for music directors cum stage managers cum choreographers.

Project:
Develop a musical from scratch. This entails directing the script writing team, searching for music, and procuring all relevant background instrument tapes. Should background instrument tapes be unavailable, you are to record it.

Duties & responsibilities:
- keep the script team together as a team and not let the molecule split up into atoms
- search for music
- record music
- be the liaison person when communication lines break down
- write out the instrumentation of songs regardless of your music theory skill level
- think of classical movements for choreography
- teach choreography to choir members
- keep discipline in choir members
- emphasize the importance of accuracy and crispness even if choir members hate you and think you are nit-picking. you're not. they look and sound sloppy.
- think of appropriate facial expressions for every single member of the choir. many need hand-holding. instructions like "relax and sing earnestly" are not translated into the deed.

Requirements:
- a giant tub-ful of patience
- musicality
- an ability to pao-ka-leow and swallow your anger when others say you are not doing anything
- loads of tact
- a loud voice. (not essential. microphone provided.)
- a good singing voice for demonstration purposes
- a plethora of attention-grabbing tactics
- experience keeping discipline among children is an advantage. keeping discipline among adults follows the same principles.

Salary:
- none.
- lots of murmuring.
- insensitive statements

Timeframe:
1 month to develop script. Do note that script is subject to changes because of prop and costume constraints.
2 weeks to gather all song scores.
2 weeks to gather instrumentation and place orders for tapes.
1 month to record all necessary music.
3 months to teach a choir that, week after week, comes back and says they cannot remember the steps. even 8 weeks after the first step was learnt.

Please do apply if you are willing to take up this project or similar projects. Simply email your resume in to indicate your interest. Contract is for 2 years. Your employment may be terminated by yourself on giving one year's notice.

Got the runs. So has Janice. And Ben. And Elissa. And Jon. And the common thing? We were all at Billy Bombers yesterday for dessert. Even Clarence feels unwell. Jason escaped coz he had so little dessert. But gah. Not a nice feeling to have the runs and keep on having to run to the loo... no sir-ee!

On another random note... i went to a bakery today. Singapura bakery. Best thing about it... it's a mom and pop shop with mom and pop people manning the shop, baking the buns and packing them all... and with mom and pop type of people buying the stuff... all to the strong pom chak chak of techno. Yes, believe it. Those old-style bakeries with a small disco light ball. And a pom chak chak that can be heard miles away! Happening uncles and aunties!