sunday update

i am incredibly tired having spent most of the day writing my response paper for ethics tomorrow and preparing for the diff eq test on tuesday and the linear algebra test on thursday. in between, i've checked my e-mail countless times and have drunk about 3 mugs of earl grey.
the coming week will be a rather busy one. in addition to the work and classes, i have three tests and on tuesday, temple is organizing their major job fair which i suppose i should go to. i will have to don my thrift store suit, comb my hair nicely, polish the resume a little and then print about 30 copies on nice 100% cotton paper, target the companies i'm interested in and prepare my 2 minute selling speech. the thought of it overwhelms me.
this afternoon, in between studying, i read a blog about GooglePages and i created my own test page that doesn't look too ugly and cheap. it's incredibly user friendly and i'm sure that as time progresses, the google whizzes will keep adding nicer customizing tools. give it a go if you have a gmail account.

South East Asian Events

Philippines: President Gloria Arroyo declares a state of emergency after a failed coup attempt to force her out of power.

Thailand: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dissolves parliament and calls for a snap election three years early in response to an anti-government rally. Shinawatra faced calls for resignation after his family's decision to sell Thai corporation Shin Corp to Temasek, the Singapore government's investing arm.

Singapore: Ex-senior ministerMr S. Rajaratnam, former socialist/revolutionary and one of Singapore's forefathers passes away.

busy busy

it all started last night with a spontaneous trip down to center city. after a couple drinks and some people stalking with my buddy nick, it was time to hit the dance floor. and hit it we did, until 2 a.m. on a school night which is atypical of me. i clambored into bed at half past two with the intention of waking up at 10:15 the next morning for breakfast and then my swimming class.
the alarm rang and i turned it off, deciding that i'd skip breakfast. in the middle of my fantastic dream, i jolt upright from bed and look at the clock and it was already 11:15 and my class was at 11:40. i gathered everything i needed, rushed downstairs for two slices of raisin bread, and ran to the pool.
i skipped my last class (microecon) because i really don't learn enough during the precious 1 hour and 20 minutes. instead, i returned to my room, replied to some e-mails, took a shower and started on my econ homework. then i applied for more jobs, exciting consultancy jobs.
it's all very nice and cushy now, my time is well spent and i am definitely maximizing my utility. i do enjoy being motivated and purposeful. in fact, i purpose to watch the women's free skate finals tonight.

m&a deals to watch

in the coming weeks, two mega-deals are on the cards in the european market.

first, mittal steel has launched an €18.6 billion hostile bid for european steelmaker arcelor. if the deal goes through, the combined entity would have an annual capacity of 122 million tonnes, three times more than its closest competitor. european regulators are resisting the takeover bid. arcelor itself is in bidding for dofasco inc., the canadian steelmaker, to expand its operations in north america.

second, german utilities company eon has launched a takeover offer of spanish utilities company, endesa. the €29.1 billion bid, if successful, will be the largest takeover bid in the utilities sector.

both mittal and eon have extensive coffers and their latest ambitions reflect their desire to expand through acquisitions rather than growth.

on a side note, hsbc, the relatively new kid on the investment banking block, is representing both mittal and eon.

power e-mailer

i spent the past hour or so updating my resume and e-mailing my dad, andrea - the receptionist at my old employers in london and my cousin who is an immigration lawyer in ny. at the same time, i was involved in an msn conversation with a london friend who was just recruited by barclays and will be in SF for a month later this year for job training. i've been in frequent contact with my dad these past few weeks because he seems confident that he can land me my first out of college job through his connections. and through his confidence, i have grown in mine. of all the employees at fbr london, i was closest with andrea and i recently e-mailed her to ask how things were going with her and in the office just to keep abreast with what they were doing and to keep my name circulating in the office. since my ex-boss has been absolutely no help in my job search, hopefully andrea, whom everyone tries to suck up to, can provide some leads for me. lastly, my cousin was really helpful the last time i saw her before i left for london. she had even offered to file my immigration papers for me free of charge but i e-mailed her to ask what i should be doing regarding immigration papers and work permits. the atmosphere right now is definitely buoyant, optimistic but also tense. do you have any leads for me?

the weekend

i plied my way through the tangled mass, emulating a birth process, fingers gripping my drinks (saving every last drop). as i emerged from the crowd with a trail of sorry's and excuse me's, half the contents of my drinks had spilled onto my hands and clothes. but there, in close proximity, were my friends shaking violently in nirvanic trances, HAPPY. this is the way it is always meant to be. HAPPY. but things change, and people change and i change so really, we all can't be HAPPY all the time, just making do with our circumstances, anticipating the next time when we can be HAPPY again.

in a few months time....

i wish to be dependent only on my cookbooks. i will live in a comfortable and cozy little apartment but with a complete kitchen and a well stocked larder. and i will have jamie oliver's dishes every dinner, with a glass of wine. and at night, i will retire to read a book or start on my own. so blissful.

amore

happy v-day loves. i'm rather lonely and destitute in frigid philly and as usual, wanting to be somewhere other than where i am.
if you can, drop me a message on msn okay? i miss having friends.

some london highlights (i'm missing it right now)

- lunching at berkeley square while people watching
- pret a manger and EAT sandwiches
- night buses (no. 93 to old brompton road for me please) (shit, i can't remember the bus no. from king's cross to trafalgar sq. 57 maybe?)
- drunken reveries
- sipping from my vodka flask ("vodka?")
- hi-fiving random equally inebriated americans at leicester square ("dude, we're americans too")
- house parties
- bar hopping with the flatmates, trying to find a cheap club, deciding that it was futile and having a dance party in the basement with tinny laptop speakers instead
- northern line delays
- sharing champagne on the bus with strangers the night of the company dinner
- a glass of wine, a frozen dinner and the bbc after a long day at work
- fucking expensive cab rides the first week we were there because we didn't know any better
- attending a by-invitation only gallery opening where a butler-like person made sure my champagne flute was well filled :)
- m&s simply food!
- bar room bar by city uni with their 5 pound lunch menu (1 pizza and 1 glass of wine)
- that green-awning sandwich shop near school with the fabulous chicken, mozarella, & avocado toasted panini/ciabatta
- ye olde routemaster, no.38 that went out of service shortly before i left
- somerfield's when i'm poor, sainsbury's when i feel like walking and m&s for buy 1 get 1 free promotions
- hot dogs and onions from a vendor after a night out
- customized salads and soup from salade
- tea at the savoy
- waterstones

edit:
- red velvet cupcake at portabello road market
- fresh sweet strawberries for a pound
- running and dining on fulham road
-walking across nearly every north bank/south bank bridge
- borough market (delicious exposed eclair and beautiful cheese)
- the reading room in the british library
- topman, h&m, next, fcuk on almost every street corner
- hyde park when it was still warm
- the frieze art fair in regent's park with posh and aloof europeans and haphazard art pieces everywhere
- high society on press night, getting lost in the rain at holborn but getting to watch jerry hall for free
- who stops at the gloucester road stop anyway?
- high street ken and it's very high street feel (and expensive contact lenses)
- IQ and Mind the Gap
- king's road and it's cute shops and cafes
- office party where i had a 2 blueberry bubbles, 2 champagne mojitos (good drinks, yo!)
- gifts from the office: a george bush stress ball, a leather flask, a bottle of champagne, and a picture frame which i promptly misplaced
- asking if a place had a cover charge while quite incoherent and having the motherfucker say quite coolly "would you like to pay a cover?"

?

what kind of fucked up country is this? how to maju if you have kampung/backward mentlity?