Stretching the Dollar

When the tsunami hit Japan, it not only affected the country's economy but also those of the surrounding countries. Australia wasn't spared either. It's currency rate went down, the lowest (against Singapore dollar) since I arrived in Australia last July. That was the best time to exchange for aussie dollars but guess what? For some reasons, my father didn't. (It was SGD1.26 for AUD1 then, now it has risen to SGD1.32. That comes up to an additional SGD600 for every 10k transferred.

Since then, the aussie dollar has been rising steadily while my bank account has been decreasing substantially. Unlike many of my friends who receive their allowances on a semester or yearly basis, I receive mine when I run outta cash. Basically, I call home and ask for more allowances each time my bank account is depleting. Sounds good? Not really.

Because I'm sensible enough to not squander unnecessarily, because I feel really bad having to ask for money (钱来伸手), because my parents aren't as rich as my friends', I only ask for money when I really need it. Depending on the currency exchange rates and how much they can afford, my parents will transfer a few thousand into my account. When I mean a few thousand, it's really a few thousand; as little as two thousand and at most, five thousand.

That sounds like a lot but it isn't. Really. My rent cost me $235 per week, groceries and other expenses cost $100 to $150 per week. That comes up to $1500++ per month. This excludes any other expenses such as medicine (pray hard that I won't fall sick this semester), supplements (yes, I'm a weakie), shopping (stationeries, clothes, sanitary pads, eating out etc), gym (yes, this is neccessary), transport (bus rides aren't cheap), phone bills (IDD cost a lot okay!) and printing (no, I do not own a printer or a copier machine).

This means that I have to request for fund transfer every month or two. In case you're mistaken, I'm not blaming my parents for not giving me sufficient money. I just feel bad that I have to keep asking them for it, especially when exchange rates are bad. My parents, on the other hand, are very understanding. They never questioned on how I spend the money or criticised me for spending too much of it. They trust me with the money and it is only fair that I spend it frugally, which I try to. I really do.

As compared to last semester, I spend lesser on groceries and shopping this semester, purchasing most items only when they're on sale. I eat out less frequently (it gets a little crazy when you cook 2 or 3 meals a day, 7 days a week) and cut down on dessert and coffee sessions (trust me, this is a huge sacrifice on my part because these are the only things you look forward to when you live in a boring state like Canberra).

After paying for rent (till mid April) and putting aside money for phone bills, I'm hoping the remaining $140 in my bank account can last me till then. Thankfully, I still have some staple food, such as rice, noodles and pasta. They'd better last me for the next 14 days or so. Hopefully, by then, the exhange rates would have dropped, so my father can transfer a sum of money to me. I still gotta purchase textbooks (half the semester has passed and I still haven't gotten all of my textbooks) and the textbooks cost more than what I have left in my bank account.

Since food is the main bulk of where I spend my money on (other than rent), I should go about solving the problem by cutting down on the amount I spend on food. Not only do I save more money, I can also seize this opportunity to slim down and get back my 'pre-australia figure and weight'.

Let this be a new challenge for me. I am confident that I will be able to survive this 'ordeal'. *fingers crossed*

Assessment of Intellectual Abilities

I was studying the above mentioned topic as part of my Personality & Individual Differences module, when I came to realise that I have a really wise and smart mother. Despite not being highly educated (no degree or whatsoever), she was definitely not an ignorant woman.

In fact, I just came to realise how well informed she was of the different visuomotor and cognitive skills that are essential for the development of a child. A lot of the test items that I see in my lecture notes for the assessment of intellectual abilities are similar to those which my mum had let me practised and worked on when I was much younger. Quite a number of them fall under the subtests of Perceptual Reasoning and Processing Speed. [On hindsight, my mum didn't train me much on Working Memory. Maybe that explains why I am so forgetful.] To some of my classmates, it was something novel.

My mum always emphasises on the importance of general knowledge and encourages me to read up widely. On top of splurging on a few full set encyclopedia for me (when I was a kid), she subscribes to Newsweek, The Reader's Digest, National Geographic and The Economist. Though I enjoy reading them, I thought little of how it will have an impact on me (apart from increasing my general knowledge and not being a frog in a well) until I realise (from my lecture) that it is a subtest of an intelligence assessment.

Looking back, my mum had put in a lot of effort in my development to not only groom me as a fine and presentable individual but also one with intellectual abilities. Suddenly, I feel so guilty and ashame of myself for underachieving. If I were to put myself in her shoes, I will feel as though what I reap doesn't seem like what I have sowed.

Dear Mummy (though you probably wouldn't read this because I never told you the existence of my blog, however if you happen to chance upon this one day, some day), I will like to tell you that I really appreciate your efforts and I will try my best to do you proud. I will let you feel that all that you have done and invested in me from the day I was born, is worthwhile. I will. Just wait and see =)

Love,
Yours Truly.

Will you consider someone like that a friend?

Skipped Lectures

I skipped the 10 am to 12pm lecture (time now is 11am) because it rained so heavily, there was no way I could cycle or walk there without getting wet (even with raincoat and/or umbrella). Moreover, the lecture theatre is too far in and it's located up slope; in other words, as I walk uphill, I would have rain water seeping into my shoes with mud stain on my shorts and bag.

Oh, did I mention that the cool weather was so good to sleep in? *Woops*

Nah, I didn't sleep in for long. I decided to wake up and study hard. Hence, my blog post shall end here.

*Off to do audio lecture*

Dear All, I'm Good!

Oh gosh! I just realised that it's been a month since I've last updated my blog. I used to blog a lot on my iPhone last semester because I spent most of my time waiting for buses (it can be quite long, ranging anything from 5 minutes to an hour) or travelling (bus rides took 45 minutes on average).

However, this semseter I travel mainly by walking or cycling (yes, I bought a bike. Please don't tell my parents & grandparents about it). There is no way I can walk/cycle and blog at the same time. I know, I'm not professional enough a cyclist. Oh well.

Anyway, I will put up a stick-it note on my wall to remind myself to blog on a weekly basis so that I can keep everyone back home in Singapore, updated on my life and/or current progress in Aussie.

This semester has been good so far. However, my workload is a little heavy, mainly because I am taking 4 modules ( as compared to 3 last semester), of which 2 are Year 2 and 2 are Year 3 modules. The stack of notes and readings I have printed so far has piled up to 10cm. This is on top of textbook readings and research. I have just SO much to read. It's not so much about reading in literal terms but more of reading in depth. The content of each reading is so dense, if my concentration level were to dwindle, I will not be able to fully comprehend or grasp the deeper meaning of my reading and this can prove to be a little challenging at times, especially for someone like me who has a short attention span, gets easily distracted and drifts off easily (lack of focus). Nonetheless, I will grit my teeth and continue to persevere, working towards my goal/s in life.

Recently, I read the following from a friend's facebook post and found it quite inspiring. May it inspire you as much as it inspired me =)

哈佛告诉它的学生：“学习时的痛苦是暂时的，未学到的痛苦是终生的。”