The Original Borders!

Cool fact that you didn't know about Ann Arbor: Borders the bookstore opened its first branch in Ann Arbor, and it's spread all over the United States and ended up in Singapore as well. =)

Managed to buy a 27" TV for about $100, it's an old Sony with the curved screen. But I figured that it'll be a TV that I could sell for $20 at the end of the day and it wouldn't bother me at all. Unfortunately, carrying that damn TV from the Eclipse to the apartment gave me a massive backache... it still hurts when I try to get out of bed.

Also, I managed to buy a 1 month old PS3 from an american dude for the affordable sum of $385 USD (retail price is $499 USD). Great deal, I even have the receipt as proof. And the PS3 is something I can ship home to Singapore at the end of the study trip here.

School's started and it's been very interesting and stimulating. In particular, I'm taking a class on International Policy, which requires me to write and present an International Policy issue and discuss proposals to overcome it. Sounds a lot like work in IRAS, but on a much more macro scale. I'm also taking a class in Values, Ethics and Morals in Public Policy, which focuses on the softer, moralistic side of public policy. In essence, we ask ourselves questions on values and ethics: Should economic analysis be the only way in which public policies are evaluated? It's a good question to ask, seeing as how the Singapore public service bases a lot of its decisions on pure economic analysis.

With these classes come readings, a whole lot of readings. I think I'll be spending lots of time preparing for class, as opposed to actual homework. But it'll be fun, it's exactly what I need to jump start my brain again.