The NUS administration appears to be a royal pain in the nether regions. It is also a money sucking device. For instance, having submitted two copies of my academic transcript to NUS in my application for an M.A. I am now told that I will need to submit another two copies (each copy costs about $5.50) of my completed academic transcript along with a "certified-true" copy of my degree certificate. The only problem is, I can only collect my degree and scroll at or after the commencement ceremony. Now this is a big problem, because the deadline for the re-submitting of documents is 14th July, but if you do the Math, you would realise that I am at World Youth Day from the 9th to 22nd of July. So not only can't I attend my commencement ceremony, I will need my guardian angel to help collect my degree scroll and submit a copy of it together with two more transcripts which have to be paid for, on my physical behalf to the department.

Bro. Collin gave a fantastic talk yesterday at the World Youth Day preparation regarding the notions of the Self and the Ideal Self and the placement of Self amidst community and expectations. I know I want to further my studies and continue with my M.A. yet at the same time, practical constaints are tugging at me. There is the student loan to account for, the notebook loan to pay off and to add to that, the family payments to HDB which dear ol' dad had been happily defecting. I am gettting a tad angry at him. No that is an understatement. I am angry at his selfishness and at his immaturity. Why marry when you are not ready to take on the responsibility of husbandhood and fatherhood? You sickening, selfish bastard. We sold the previous house, that had already been paid off, to pay tens of thousands of dollars of debts incurred by him truly and now the same problems occur and to add to that, the financial burden falls upon my mum, with threat of being evicted by HDB because he has not been paying his side of the deal. I can't do anything about it either, for I am not yet working. It makes me wonder if I am being selfish here in wanting to pursue my dreams - which will translate into long term investment yields of higher returns, or whether I am doing the right thing - yes rough it out for these few years with a greater reward at the end. The problem is, we can't wait out these next two years.