Teleological Suspension of the Ethical

Amidst studying for my exams. And amazingly, out comes the fourth post in my lifetime.

Been slightly more than half a year since my last post.

This semester must have been the most disastrous for me - five-day week leaves me with hardly any time to deal with business. Result - stagnancy, a thing which I dread - even more so when this stagnancy is in myself. But perhaps it has been worthwhile.

Modules taken this semester:

Classical Confucianism and Daoism
Philosophy of Film
Thoughts in Traditional Indian Philosophy
Metaphysics
Theatre and Drama (taken just for fun and relaxation, but took up the bloody most of my time)

This adds on to the philo modules I've taken so far:

Reason & Persuasion
Logic
Art & Philo
Philo of Religion

Well... not a lot actually, but at least I've got my minor in my pocket already.

The real good news is that I have upped my writing standard from C+ to B+, altho I haven't really seen any A at all... absolutely none. But grades are nothing to me. It excites me just to know that I have progressed, as there are greater things in life than grades. My target is to up one more grade in my final year beginning this August. Also because I see the outlines of the book I intend to write already.

Well what sort of book is it? Likle Immanual Kant, I intend to create a complete metaphysical construct, a world-construction project as I would call it, but actually, it is an attempted speculation on the nature of the world we live in. Just like Kant, I intend to formulate a construct so that we know what we should logically be encouraged to do in life - unlike most philosophers, I concur with Kant that a guide of direction for action is a necessary result of philosophy. Pure philosophy with no attachment to action would be building castles in the sky.

Maybe my project is too high-strung, but considering I have a substantial draft already, I don't think it is that impossible. I will probably publish the book when I have had sufficient confidence in my writing, probably after my 3 years in uni.

Nevertheless don't be mistaken. I am still very much in favour of doing business. Which I will get off my butt and start working on once I finish my exams next week.

Another piece of great news I have failed to share: my girlfriend (and fiance) officially stepped into the doors of Goldman Sachs exactly a month ago, on the 26th of March. Before you guys start to ask silly questions, here's a summary of what the company is:

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is the third best securities firm in terms of revenue, and the top firm in terms of compensation to employees. Forbes ranking was 56 in 2005, 42 in 2006, and 25 in 2007. Fortune 500 ranking was 59 in 2005 and 41 in 2006. Record net profit in 2006 at US$9.34 billion or US$19.69 earnings per share. Average bonus payout in Dec 2006: US$622,000 per employee, with a minimum of 13-months bonus less secretaries.

Now I will share the hilarious things that have been said over the past 2 months. I don't even know where to begin.

Jiefang with her tuition kid's parent who's an accountant.
Parent: Oh, so where will you be working?
J: Goldman Sachs.
Parent: Oh ok. Don't worry about your first job, take a few years of experience then move on to a better job.
J: But with my BBA degree with no honours, I think this is already the best job I can possibly get in the market.
(Goldman Sachs normally takes in 2nd upper and 1st class honours. Jiefang got in cos she's native Chinese, and they're expanding to China late this year)
Parent: Oh... but why don't you move to better banks like OCBC or Standard Chartered? Their pay is quite a lot right?
J: Actually it is something like Citibank, investment banking.
Parent: Oh...ok... then it's still ok lah.
J: -_-"

Conversation with my Aunt (senior accountant) and Uncle (SIA Flight Engineer) :
Aunt: So after you didn't get into OCBC last time, where will you be working?
J: Goldman Sachs.
Aunt: Oh. Erm... what's that? Never heard of leh...
Uncle: Alamak! Goldman Sachs you also never heard of?? Investment Bank right?
J: Ya, correct.
Aunt: Oh ok. I don't know much about banks. (fair enough, and very honest)
Uncle: But OCBC like better right? Quite wasted you didn't get into OCBC.
J: -_-"

My conversation with a NTU Biz major, final year, graduating:
N: So where is your fiance working?
K: Goldman Sachs. You should know right?
N: Erm...sorry, no. What's that?
K: An investment bank, haven't you come across in school?
N: Erm... no. Maybe it's not an outstanding investment bank that's why I haven't heard of. (... wall street record-high net profit and bonus payout in 2006...)
K: -_-""

And countless other anecdotes.

Well I'm not saying tt it's like wrong to not know, but I get a good laugh out of your ignorance at these instances. like LOL. haha.. quite hilarious. But anyway, the pressure has turned to me. If I sit in my butt all day, I will actually be earning less than her, which is half good, half bad. I prefer to take it as bad, so I get motivated to earn as much as or more than her in doing business and investments. Well we wanted to have a competition between my instincts vs her insider tips, but sad thing is that company policy disallows her to trade in any personal investments. In fact, if I'm her spouse I've to declare all my investments annually to the company to prove that I'm not earning off insider tips. SIANZ....

Well...I should go back to studying. Hate studying. I am so damn disadvantaged at written examinations, cos of my stupid handwriting, which is damn slow. Others write about 10 pages in 2 hours, and I would be lucky to even exceed 6. No matter how well I do for my CAs, my final papers always pull me down a grade or two - except when there were MCQ exams, which I'm usually first to leave the examination hall, and end up with spectacular grades. Wish everything could be MCQ and CA and no written exams. =(

Back to studying. Till next time.