30 Million

...Dollars, that is. What would you do if you unexpectedly received $30 million, tax-free?

I brought up this question among my lab chums. The answers tended to stay in the sensible range (buy a house, live off the interest, invest...). One friend said she would go on holiday, then decide what to do with the rest later.

That much money is a degree of responsibility, isn't it? People will watch how you spend it, even if it's all yours fair and square. If you have a windfall, you're expected to give at least a proportion of it to charity, never mind that charity is meant to be an act of altruism.

Which leads me to another point - if you're expected to behave in an altruistic manner, and you do so, are you really acting in a morally upright manner, or are you really being selfish because your actions are engineered to make others think well of you? Should we be judged on what we do or on what we'd rather be doing?

Hmm.

Take a Breather

It seems that I've barely been back home, and now I'm off again. First post of the year, by the way. Are less blog posts a good thing? I can't tell. There's no real pattern to previous years, not one that I can see.

While at home I baked bread, made nasi lemak twice and successfully attempted what is possibly the most difficult of Viennese pastries - the apple strudel. (Recipe forthcoming once I write it up.) Also, in my absence my household had acquired a large flat-screen television, so I showed my appreciation by watching large quantities of Doctor Who on said television. (I eventually returned to procure seasons 1 and 3. I refuse to feel shame.) Have I had a productive holiday? I think so. I'll have you know that watching Doctor Who is hard work. (No it isn't.)

So, you know. One more year in Australia, if all goes well. It's going to be a tough year. I'll be constantly thinking about the fact that I'm leaving, not just my second home, but also my childhood, for good. I've been in school since 1995 (eighteen years ago!) and it'll be over soon, to be replaced by working life. It's a new era. I'm obliged to feel nervous, but you know, after that there's no more scheduled changes until retirement.

I'm almost ready to settle down. 2013, bring it on.