Friday, June 30, 2006

It's over




















It is officially over for my first year in the Ph.D. program. Hopefully I will see great results for my prelims next week. I have never studied this hard since the college entrance exam. During the preparation time, the university's chancellor jumped off the tallest apartment building in San Francisco. I've never seen her before(you can see how distant graduate students are from the place where we spend our youth), but the news still sent a shock wave throughout the campus anyway. The first thing we discussed right after the prelim was exactly the death of the head of school. Of course, her being gay added some gossip ingredients. Well, it's over for her, too. I don't know her, but rest in peace.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Give him a Ph.D. right now!

I got my TA evaluation back today. One of my students compliments my work and concludes with that line. I am totally elevated. During the grueling prelim preparation, I do need such an encouragement. Too bad teaching is only a small part of graduate study and I need more than compliments to complete my study.

Back to study!

Thursday, June 22, 2006

The Wall Street Journal

This was originally written on 11/18/2005

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was to subscribe to The Wall Street Journal. I did just that when I first came to America to get my MBA at UC Irvine. Reading The Journal somehow changes my life. It is one of the reasons why I started studying economics. I admire The Wall Street Journal's authentic journalism. Unlike New York Times, it might be the only national newspaper that clearly separates news and editorial sections. Not just I see it this way. I recently found out Milton Friedman said the same in his memoir, Two Lucky People. Of course, you have to be a true libertarian to appreciate The Journal. If I were at the position to give advice, I would urge you to subscribe to it.

Let's blog!

In addition to the website maintained in the school, I decided to begin blogging. I like to tell people what I think (trust me, lots to say). It is a natural move for me. Let's see how far I can go.