"Music is essentially useless, as life is." - George Santayana

***

Quotes:

[On Radical Feminists] Amazonian community... Separate and parallel lives... They're self-sufficient also in the erotic sense. Only women know how to pleasure each other.

[On Radical Feminists] They don't care what men do. They probably imagine men are just masturbating all day.

Post-moderns, especially the more radical, critical ones... They're critiquing the very basis of their critique. Post-modernism is very hard to pi ndown. They're accused of hypocrisy.

In Singapore, the anti-PAP thing, the anti-authoritarianism, we sometimes imagine the more critical we are, the more free we are. That's not true. The more critical with the PAP we are, the more obsessed with the PAP we are... If you look at a lot of the arts scene here, they're still obsessed. Samd with feminism. The father can die, but he will rise from the grave.

As a feminist, what she wants to do is promote this 'nonsense'. Writing that is not bound by male logic... Return to the pre-semiotic.

[Student: Is it 'Return of Pontianak'?] No, it's 'Return to Pontianak' [Student: Is it a really bad Malaysian production?] It's a Singaporean production... Here you have the Singapore mindset occupying the realm of the father... Southeast Asia is the mother... womb-like quality of the jungle... The pontianak kills them all... Our civilization is a return of that which has been repressed.

[Student: Some women like being weaker, the protected.] The abused [Student: Some women like men to hold doors open for them] We think violence is bad... How do we deal with rape fantasies? How do we deal with abused wives who say: 'He beats me because he loves me.'... Post-feminists are the closest to dealing with this... Sado-masochists... Let's not imagine we are all straight. We all have our own perversions. We're not all straight, in this room. Are we? Maybe it's just me.

[On rape and rape fantasies] The male model: Woman is just incoherent in her thoughts. At first she says yes. Later she says no.

[On Hoelling's Lemma] When you prepare for exams, when I prepare for exams - the things which have names - better to know... Hotelling. He was a great guy.

[On Hoelling's Lemma] If you ask any economist what profit depends on, you will get [a] wrong answer.

You just derivate with respect to this. (differentiate)

[On checking second order conditions] Big cross. *draws cross in air* I found a minimum, not a maximum... So everything was destroyed in one day.

[On grading] Sometimes I marked - nothing. But I added one point to the following exercise.

Your grade may change - 2 plus, 2 minus. so if you get 35, you may get 37, you may get 33... Marking of exam is a subjecive exercise... If one exercise is done brilliantly, [even if] you put 7 [marks only], you have good attitude. (mood as a marker)

You can come to my office only if your grade is less than 25 [upon 40]. If you get above 25, there is no problem... In some case if you come with me with 35 you come out with 33... [Student: He's doing the CJ thing. You come to me you get {an} increased penalty] (cases, to)

If you score below than 30, you are welcome. Otherwise... You study for the final exam... What do you need more? A 2 plus? (below, What more do you need)

We assume that each individual lives for 2 periods. Just before the end of his life, he eats a $2 plate of chicken rice. Then he dies.

[On a 2-period model with uncertainty] He wakes up in Period 1 and says: 'My God, I'm alive'... If he didn't save very much he's going to be in trouble.

Try and derive this for yourself. It's not that difficult. And it's not that simple either.

[On CPF vs an annuity] If you live beyond 72, there's no more money for you. So you're supposed to die at 72.

Family as an incomplete annuity market... If the father lives too long the son is in trouble. *laughs from audience*... This may seem very funny but there's articles in the literature. JPE...

[On her thesis] I was thinking of doing a book review.

Whenever you talk about the economic rationale, you must look at the mathematics. It's not just guessing.

You're not gay. You don't have the gay aura... The first time I saw you I thought you were a Red Indian.

[On leading one seminar] 'Play games'. Why don't you play the tudung game? Make everyone wear tudungs... The guys can wear a tudung.

[Student: My friend and I made fun of each other. My friend is Indian [, and I am Chinese]. Last time when I was in secondary school we made fun of ourselves. I made fun of the Chinese, the Malay made fun of the Malays, the Indian made fun of the Indians. Then we all laugh. That are the days. (laughed. Those were)

My hall lost about 5000 bucks for my hall production. [Me: Was it that bad?] It was that bad. [Student 2: This kind of thing is only viable if it's done in - LT13] (our)

[Me: Why did you change your shoes?] I don't know, I just felt like it. [Student 2: Never ask a girl about shoes.]

I want to be a housewife. I'll use my university degree - there's a pool of guys who're gonna be rich in the future... I can go for manicures, spas.

[On the term 'minah'] It's not racist, unless he says it.

I can so see you coopted into the PAP... Please remember us when you get coopted.

Indian men are huge, huge. Not [from] experience. [Me: I thought your boyfriend is in Sri Lanka] They can rival African men. Not [from] personal experience.

[On feminism, mate preferences and black wife-beating] Obama is half white. He's rich, he went to Harvard. If he beats me I don't mind.

Imagine if America has a black president: the country will die of a cocaine overdose.

[Student: What's with you and black people?] Come on. I got stalked by 2 black people... 'China doll'... [Me: China Dog or China Doll?] China doll lah. *slaps me* [Me: 'You're my bitch']

They say oysters are an aprhodisiac. It's not true. I ate 2 dozen. I only wanted to sleep. I was so full.

[Student on camp OGLs: You don't need Gabriel.] If you have Gabriel, you'll have a lot of little Gabriels next year. [Me: *Wth?!*]

[Student on me turning around: Shit.] See? This is why you shouldn't wear female footwear. You can't sneak up on people.

[On a camwhoring celebrity] She's had plastic surgery. She can't do more than one expression on her face.

[On my hair] I can imagine it being used as a seduction tool. But as a weapon? That only happens in Moral Kombat!

[Me: I don't like perk point. The chairs make me fall asleep.] I'll pull your hair if you fall asleep. [Student 2: I'll kick you in the balls.]

[On footwear] I think Arts girls like to show their toes... Science girls like to cover their toes.

[On racial harmony] You must have [a] Curry Puff with Char Siew inside.

I wasn't listening to you. I was combing my hair. [Me: I thought gils can multi-task.] I'm multi-tasking. I'm brushing my hair while ignoring you. (brushing)