I had been holding the degree application form for almost three months and finally handed it in last week. Boy, it took great convicing. I only decided to officially apply for graduation after three months of consternation. Consternation might not be the right word but the real world is scary nonetheless.

And then, I received an email from the auditors' office:

[...]

Date: January 18, 2005

Name: Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams
ID#: ********
Degree & Degree Period: Bachelor of Science, May 2005
Status as of end of: Fall 2004

You have completed the process of applying for your degree.

[...]

CONCENTRATION/MINOR REQUIREMENTS

[...]

Economics - Fulfilled

Most of my colleagues in economics are planning of doing their graduate work. I'm not sure whether I want to follow them to hell just yet. My game theory class, of which I almost failed, and later I found out, full of graduate students, was crazy. So, I've sort of tasted graduate classes and it left a sour taste in my mouth, and to my grades. But whatever it may be, it has been a long and winding road.

I need to listen to the Beatles more often.

Alright, back to some accounting work.

p/s - Last week, the American Meteorological Society met in San Diego.

One of the findings presented was the relationship between greenhouse gases and drought. According to the model, there is a positive correlation between the two. Greater quantity of greenhouse gases leads to more drought.

This depiction of linear trends in the Palmer Drought Severity Index from 1948 to 2002 shows drying (reds and pinks) across much of Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa and moistening (green) across parts of the United States, Argentina, Scandinavia, and western Australia. (Illustration courtesy Aiguo Dai and the American Meteorological Society.)

More could be read here.