"After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together." - Hemant Joshi

***

Quotes:

A B pulls down your CAP bad. [Me: That depends on what your CAP is. If your CAP is 2.5, a B pulls it up]

My computer is so fast. I can't bear to install anything. That includes Outlook and Word.

[On 'Pam'] One mouthful. Whole thing can put in your mouth... 1 and a half A size. Or A/B.

[On statistics vs econometrics] Planets do not lie about where they fly. People lie all the time in surveys.

I was in the World Bank... measure savings in former Soviet countries... at the time GDP data was not being measured but negotiated.

[On ending early] This is a good time to stop. It gives you 5 more minutes to run around and get your life in order, and I'll do the same.

Some people may drop out of this course after the lecture, if I scare them enough.

To show that I'm catching up with technology, instead of a letter of introduction, as a substitute, if you have a Friendster or a Facebook account, you can send me the URL... I see a lot of scared faces.

How many of you have read 武侠小说 [Wu3 Xia2 Xiao3 Shuo1 - Chinese martial arts stories]?... How many of you have read 射雕英雄传 [She4 Diao1 Ying1 Xiong2 Zhuan4 - Legend of the Condor Heroes] and 倚天屠龙记 [Yi3 Tian1 Tu2 Long2 Ji4 - Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre]? There's 九阴真经 [Jiu3 Yin1 Zhen1 Jing1 - Nine Yin True Classic] and 九阳真经 [Jiu3 Yang2 Zhen1 Jing1 - Nine Yang True Classic]. Adam Smith wrote 'The Wealth of Nations' which is 九阴真经, [and 'The Theory of Moral Sentiments', which is] 九阳真经.

Irving Fisher. This is the great American Economist who also proclaimed just before the stock market crashed that 'The stock market has reached a permanently high plateau'.

[On skipping slides] Forget about this part. I was just trying to be cute. I will delete it in my next version [of the lecture notes]. That was [written] when Lord of the Rings came out.

[On applying lab results from surveys to real life instead of actual decisions] People don't like survey, because talk is cheap... the external validity of it could be low. (surveys)

[On the Income and Substitution effects and Labour Supply] In [EC]2102 we wave our hand and say that one dominates, so we have an upward sloping supply curve.

I'm not going to talk so much about theory, because I'm not a theorist - it's not my competitive advantage.

[On experiments] They either behave according to what you want to study, or they try to sabotage you.

[On a psychological experiment] This preacher was going to go give a sermon. On his way to his sermon, they put someone there in need of help. [He didn't.]... Typically people don't [help]

[On economics] Is your theory just cute math?

Experimental economists typically design experiments to support standard economics, and it generally finds evidence to support it. Behavioral economists typically design experiments to disprove standard economics, and it generally finds deviations from standard economics.

[On the rationale of finding good things to say about papers] If you [only] see the problems with the paper you will only see the problems of the paper. You canot do research.

Time New Roman (Times)

In research, if you just see problems, you cannot proceed. But if you don't see problems, you also cannot proceed.

[On skulduggery] If you try to cheat by changing the margins or all that, you will be penalized.

I understand that this is very hard, and I don't want people knocking on my door all the time, because this is the critical time when I should be thinking of my tenure.

I don't want it to take the following form: people don't have any idea what to do, so they come to me for ideas. So in the end I'm grading my own work.

All you're allowed to do is talk about the paper in works. Without any maths, without any formula, without any table. (words, formulas)

In our standard curriculum, people are so used to the math that they don't know how to explain the idea without the maths... You walk into an elevator, your potential employer is there. You have to explain your research... You can't pull out your laptop... You can't use any math. You must explain your idea in an intuitive way.

In general I don't read anything in 'Econometrica' and 'Journal of Economic Theory'.

There's [a] grade distribution... If you read something you don't understand, if your classmate also doesn't understand [it], you're okay... There're multiple equilibria... High effort equilibrium... That may be a bad outcome for your perspective.

Auditing is a very dangerous thing to do... On the surface the marginal cost is 0, but there're a lot of costs later. (allow)

[Instructor: Can you say something so that people can remember you?] I just had a bad haircut[, so don't remember me like this]... My hair will look better if you see me later.

Everyone is in this course for a reason. Either they have run out of choices or they are interested. I can't think of a third reason.

[Student: I spent 11 days in Tokyo. I realised it's quite a cheap place to shop.] Where did you go?... What are the Chinese characters? What is the subway station?... How did you end up in this particular place? I don't think it appears in the guidebook... 'Cheap' is not a word I'll associate with Tokyo.

Pray that you don't graduate in a year of recession, because there's research showing if you graduate in a year of recession your lifetime income will be lower than if you graduate in a year of boom. Sorry.

In my free time... I spend my time at Kumon, a Japanese enrichment centre, because I like torturing little kids... [Instructor: Is it a paid job?] It's a low pay job.

You all can remember me because I'm the only person in [a] tudung.

[PRC on why he learnt foreign languages] Aside from Chinese and ENglish, Japanese, French, German and Russian... the powerful countries.

I went to Macau during the holidays, to gamble. *laughs from audience*... [Instructor: You went to Las Vegas twice. Is that because you have a relative there?] I went there to gamble.

I did some modules in Economics there, in Chinese. [Instructor: What's 'diminishing marginal utility' in Chinese?] I don't know.

[On NOC with Fudan] I worked with 3 companies. 2 of them closed down while I was there.

I'm working on 2 initiatives that will affect all of us... A tax on plastic bags... 10 cents per bag [given out on campus]. [Instructor: So blame him.]

[Student: I'm working at Settler's... I get to learn a lot of games and teach a lot of games.] You must be very good at game theory.

[Introducing himself] Hi. I, err, went to the zoo last year. *uproarious laughter from audience*... It's quite nice, it's like a rainforest. The army guys will know. There're fire and movement places everywhere.

[Instructor: XXX {incomplete part of a long name}] It's okay, it's okay, it's okay.

[On relief teaching] The kids are evil. They're getting eviler by the day. They're doing things I wouldn't have dreamed of doing in my time.

I've 2 contrasting hobbies: one is eating. The other is going to the gym. I'm trying to strike a balance between the 2.

[Doing an introduction] I'm XXX. I'm a person of few words. *laughs* *Next person speaks*

I got an A... I smoked him for one whole semester... You put in so much effort. [Me: I got a B+]... He likes smoke.

We decided if there was a Gabriel Pokemon there'd be 3 powers - Taupok, Hair Flip and Snide Remarks

Women are fucking crazy. When I tell my girlfriend she's not fat, she says 'stop lying'. When I say she's fat, she goes 'Can you please respect me?'.

I got a B- for Finance. This is the first time I studied hard... [Me: Maybe it's not your forte. What are you good at?] I'm not good at anything except eating chips and gossiping. [Me: And drinking Bubble Tea.]

[On 2girls1cup] I feel like having ice cream now. Chocolate ice cream... That cup looked like ice cream.

[Me: Basically the darker your lettuce the more expensive it is.] That's why cabbage is so cheap.

[On a girl clique] All of us are attached except XXX. Let's find her a boyfriend, then we'll all be attached.

[On my matriculation card] Your short hair looks okay... [Me: You think I looked horrible with short hair so I grew long hair?] Yeah.

[On AvP 2] I thought there was going to be a love scene between the Alien and the woman [Ed: Perhaps the person meant 'Predalien and the woman']

[On 2girls1cup] 2 guys were talking about it on the last day of school. Now today is the first day of school. [Student 2: You're fated to watch it.]

[Me to guy: Why are you wearing a sweater?] Hello Gabriel. Can I hug you for warmth? [Me: Okay.] No thanks. [Me: Be careful what you wish for.]

[On a lit class] He was reading to us the opening lines of The English Patient. [Student 2: The movie?] No, the novel... That was a dumb question.

My sister wants to see you. I think all sisters want to see you. Like Ruohui's sister.

[Me: 'Why did the Khmer Rouge build Angkor Wat?'] Why?... You have another story [to tell]

[On 'Pam'] Let's ask Jeanne. What do guys do with used panties? [Jeanne: They throw them away.]

[On who stole my Good Sex Bible] You know what would be really funny? If it was one of the Profs.

That's what the Engineers do. They spend 4 years learning how to tie musking tape around frayed wires.

[Indian:] But why does Thaipusam affect you? You're not Tamil... I've never met any other North Indian who celebrates Thaipusam.

[Me on a name: 'Daughter of S S G'] Staff sergeant.

[21 year old:] I liked Growing Up [the TV show]. Very authentic. [Me: How would you know?]

[On a bag] Is that underwear? [Student 2: Where do you get SK2 lingerie?]

Who likes whops? (wasps)

[On chalet escapades] I'm in bed with Gabriel. That sounds so wrong.

Stop staring at my... leecher. (lecher)

[To me] How come you know everything?... Everything that has nothing to do with your major.

What shall I eat? Western. Then I wanted to eat Pork Chop. Then I realised they were Halal.

[On 'Virgin School'] Pseudo-porn stuff... [Me: I don't want to watch it for the pseudo-porn. Why do YOU want to watch it?] I don't know.

[On 'Virgin School'] It was very boring. [Me: I told you it wasn't pseudo-porn]

[Me on the people outside: They sound very excited.] Reminds me of a visit to the Singapore Zoo.

Have you gone to Thaipusam before? [Student 2: Of course not, I'm Muslim. *stumbles*] Krishna is looking down at you. [Student 3: You only *think* you're Muslim.]

We were looking for saikang warriors for some XXX event and XXX asked, 'What sort of workers do you want?' 'The sort who will just do and not ask questions and don't think'. Then XXX said 'Then you can't ask Gabriel Seah'

I think anybody who is bigger than me is a bit on the round side. [Me: And anybody smaller than you is anorexic.] Yeah, I'm just nice.

I can only say you surpass yourself each time I see you. [Me: What does that mean?] That's up to your own interpretation.

[Me on donuts: Are they yummy?] Yes they are. Please come and buy. They're for a good cuase - Me.

[Me: XXX doesn't like YYY. Then XXX wished YYY a happy birthday.] It's what girls do.

I miss her friendly disposition. [Student 2: We all have friends in this position.]

[Me: Why are you flashing me looks of diadain?] That's how I always look at you.