Life was like a box of chocolates.

As I making my way through the security check before the departure hall for my flight I had an interesting encounter with one of the policewoman there. After the metal detector, I went straight to collect my stuff and put them back into my bagpack. Police: Eh, la Melayu ke? Me: Aah, Melayu lah. Kenapa? Police: Taklah, ingatkan Cina tadi. Me: (Sambil tersengih) Mungkin sebab saya tak ada misai janggut agaknya. Police: Belajar oversea ye? Me: Aah. Police: Wah balik tiap-tiap tahun ke? Rajinnya. Me: Mak ayah ada, baliklah beraya dengan dorang. Police: Untunglah dapat balik beraya, akak pun tak dapat balik raya tau. Me: Okaylah kak, saya gerak dulu ye. Jumpa lagi, bye~ Assalamualaikum. That was not the only noteworthy conversation I had that day; in the flight I was seated next to an Australian who works as an accountant in London. I never got his name though. He was back from his holiday here in Malaysia. He was away for the summer to surf arou...

In econometrics, when we are trying to investigate the impact of education on wages we have always assumed that ability to be constant. This is a crucial assumption in order for our regression analysis to actually work, because it is usually the case that individuals with higher ability are the ones who chose to spend more time in education. That is our topic for today, people with higher ability, or to make things a whole lot simpler, lets refer to them as smart people. The diagram I have for you is an oversimplification, of course but nonetheless it is useful to highlight the role of smart people. You see, some might argue that these ‘gifted’ people exist to inspire us, to motivate us to be better. They act as a beacon of hope for the rest of us, reminding us that we can actually do anything we set our minds to. In fact, given what their achievements, surely they would know what they were doing, so why not share their secret to success with the rest of th...

First of all, I would like to wish you all Selamat Hari Merdeka! Let us cherish this gift of freedom rightfully earned by our forefathers, may we all continue to press on our efforts on making our country a better place. Every year when August 31 st comes around, one of the most popular questions being asked by the media to the general public would surely be… What does 'Merdeka' mean to you? Being independent means that we are free. We are the rulers of our own land. In a way, it is almost like when you finally managed to buy off the plot of land you once leased from someone else, hence you are now forever free to do whatever you want on the land. Yeay, you now no longer need to pay the rent for that plot of land, all the income of the land goes directly to you. Most important of all, since you are now the one calling the shots, you get to make the decisions that will be of benefit to your own self. If say, after doing much research you learn...