Some clouds.17C
Problem with my classes is that they are not that interactive, as I've whined about it before - the students don't ask that many questions at all. If there were any raised, be assured that they would be coming out from the mouths of the foreigners in class (yes, exchange students or somehow... there are foreigners working here). Sometimes I have questions, but I tend to mumble comfortably in my seat and swallow them eventually. If I really can't hold them in, I usually ask during break or at the end of the class. So, look who's talking, I'm no good interactive student neither.
Sometimes I have lots of questions but I don't know to start with which so that I won't sound dumb. But there are just times that there is nothing I want to ask. It could be because I've lost interest in the class (so why did I take it in the beginning?) or I was simply brain-dead. And usually, when I have no questions to ask, I'll get stuck with the professor/lecturer in some confined space, and silence doesn't seem to be the gold at these moments - because I'm supposed to be all excited to get the chance to speak with him/her!
Anyway, one of those chances landed on me again tonight after class. I really should have dashed out of the classroom when the class ended but somehow I lingered and ended up in the same elevator with the lecturer and two other classmates. Seeing that nobody spoke (I should have followed suit), I pretended to be interested in one of the points in tonight's lecture and asked, "So if the model is a black box, how does the fund house actually sell them to clients?" [OK, that sounded pretty intelligent.]
"Based on their reputation," said the lecturer with a smile on his face.
"Oh," my mind went blank. It's that simple? People have so much money that they would just dish them out to someone who has a reputable track record, without knowing what the strategy or what they are investing in? Hmmm... 5 seconds later... "So, it's like buying a LV bag, it's purely based on the brand name?"
The lecturer still had the smile on his face, but was totally unresponsive. I consoled myself that he didn't catch that phrase.
But. O-M-G. Did I just blurt that out?!
I totally felt like I've just stepped out from Legally Blonde.
Gosh, I need sleep.
Legally Blonde! ha!! :) maybe the elevator was just too crowded, no one heard u... :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem lah. Elle Woods is smart. AND pretty... anyway, that's what the movie's trying to convey.
ReplyDeletemd: i think it was too fast for them to respond even if they've heard it. grrrr...
ReplyDeletesis: well, i should have said... i felt like elle woods but smart AND pretty... grrrrrrrrrrrr...
oh.. am not rich neither. >_<"
ReplyDeletekaka. r u back to school doin more studies? good for u!
ReplyDeletetelling from my limited TA experience, the only way to get students talking is for me to crack more jokes in btwn hardcore maths explanations.
once they feel like hanging around with a funny person instead of an uptight "lecturer", they will start talking.
and the problem is totally ur professor's. he just doesn't have a sense of humour. :S
cr: i'm almost done with it. i have to say i'm really glad about that XD
ReplyDeletethe art of cracking jokes is delicate and it really depends on what sort of humour is "acceptable" among your audience. but i guess a truly humourous person wouldn't find any problem in cracking the right joke.
the worst type of lecturers/profs i had was the ones that thought himself to be funny (tends to be more "he"s than "she"s somehow), but actually the jokes were either not funny or quite offensive (maybe i was being over-sensitive then).
anyway, i had that line running in my head, knowing that they prolly wouldn't understand, but didn't think that i'd have the guts to blurt it out! oh well :)
It's not really black box but they won't tell you the details but just the strategies which I don't think it means much. So, I think reputation and track record is very important.
ReplyDeleteFor those type of investments, I need a very long track record at least going through a down cycle. When the market is up, anyone can be genius. It's only in the down cycle and crisis that seperates the men from the boys.
ruth, actually after i think about it, it doesn't matter how detailed the advisors tell the client what the strategies are, unless they know about investing as well. i mean, out of all investors, how many really cared what the investment strategies were as long as they made good returns? (of coz, unless there are mandates/regulatory requirements... but i doubt if they truly understand what's going on.)
ReplyDeleteyup, we also talked about not needing a genius to make returns in good mkts. but then there are also those IMs who didn't gain as much when the mkt was up. maybe they were being conservative, otherwise, i'm curious what happened when the mkt is down.
what exactly was/is the course? sounds uber complicated to me. :S maybe i m just dumb. XD
ReplyDelete