Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, November 29, 2007
misquoting Esther
Anyways, i sure did spend a lot of time following this - having cable proved a boon cos i watched the election returns on the Australia Network - in some ways it was more exciting than election night here, just cos there actually was a competition going on... Am pleasantly pleased with the result - no surprise i'm not a fan of Howard anyways. Oh the perils of associating oneself with Bush...
I also was sad to hear of the deaths of the five national dragonboaters. It's so hard to believe that something like that could happen. At the same time though, i wonder how many people actually know that there was a sixth person killed during the same event as well, just that he happened to be a Cambodian. The local coverage of that was limited to one paragraph in the Straits Times, to the best of my knowledge (and forgive me if i'm wrong here) Although definitely five Singaporeans ought to receive the bulk of the local coverage, at the end of the day should we really forget that there was someone else who also died? Kinda reminds me of what happened in the wake of the Virginia Tech Incident - one country's own tragedy (and i'm not taking anything away from this) blots out everything else.
And lastly, ah so yet another coup thingy in the Philippines - sigh will these never end? I know that typical S'pore crisis mentality means that no one here would be too interested in going there now (or at least their parents would not be), but oh well, that's just part of life over there really... I'd personally still go there in a heartbeat, and anyways, if i perish, i perish :p
Saturday, November 03, 2007
vaguely voyeuristic
In the mood for some randomness so...
About two weeks ago went together with Clem, SJ and Weichang to Astons, where we had a real good meal. Here's a more-than-decent New York Strip with house salad and coleslaw, all for just $13.80.
What was a bit intriguing about the meal is that we did not head over to near my old place in Katong to have dinner, but rather we went to, of all places, pgp... Yup Astons has just opened an express outlet in the pgp food court, which is really quite an unlikely place for so atas an establishment wouldn't you say? But well business appears to be good for them, even though from my observation the prices are no cheaper than they are at Katong. But well, the prices are really reasonable given the quality anyways, so no complaints there. One other good thing is that while the ambience is hardly as good as that in Katong, at least one doesn't have to wait in line for at least half-an-hour outside the restaurant inhaling car exhaust to even get seated. I suspect that a good proportion of their clientele comes from western exchange students who are hard-pressed to find more authentic so-called 'western' food close enough to nus than that at Astons...
Anyways, yours truly is looking for excuses to go there again so if anyone is ever in school with a somewhat padded wallet and in the mood for a good steak/burger etc just buzz me heh...
In other news, it was a little sad to hear of Martina Hingis' abrupt second retirement from pro tennis under a cloud of suspicion, especially when it involves something like cocaine of all things. Well drugs aside, it's a pity that such an impressive career had to end in such a manner... Women's tennis is nowadays chockfull of hard-hitting banshees in the general mode of Maria "make every shot a power shot" Sharapova, and Hingis' clever and nuanced way of playing flies in the face of all that. Even though Hingis used to be a bit of a brat when she was playing long ago, since she returned to the sport all that's by and large gone, and she'd become one of my more favorite players. And with Anastasia Myskina also out of commission for now, it's hard to find another top-tier female player in that mould... Ah heck, i reckon most people reading this wouldn't have a clue what i'm rambling on about... Heh.
I was wandering around Cold Storage yesterday when i came across this - Saffron - the world's most expensive spice. One gram of the stuff retailing at $11.01. Fwah. But in any case, you must admit, the packaging is such a clear example of excess - the stuff is so expensive that i suppose it has to be well-showcased... I don't see what's the big deal about saffron though, all it does is add a nice orange-y color, i don't taste any difference when it's added to food...
After that, and while killing time before heading to law for some thingy, i took a brief walk around the botanics, and chanced upon the Wildlife Stampede thingy that was going on - to spread the conservation message, something close to my heart as well. While there was a really long line of people who took part, definitely more than half of them were ang mohs, and even many of the Asians who i saw were from SAS. Sadly, i don't think most S'poreans could care two hoots about conservation. While S'pore doesn't really have a lot left to conserve, it doesn't mean we should not bother to do anything at all... The recent motorcross thingy that they agreed to open in Kranji or somewhere in the general northwestern direction at the expense of an important site for local birdlife, and @#$% golf courses that take up lots of space, destroy valuable habitat, and are by and large catered to the elite do so annoy me...
Oh, but anyways, i've digressed. My point in mentioning this was that i managed to catch sight and take a distant picture of Dame Jane Goodall. Cheap thrill, but ah well...
And in keeping in the spirit of boliaoness, she's probably about the fourth most famous person i've ever sneakily taken a picture of, after John Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, and Chris Matthews (Well actually, if you're not American, you'd probably not have heard of these three people, but conversely, i reckon that most Americans have no idea who's Jane Goodall but will know who the other three are, in descending order...)
In other news, the Tar Heels are #1 - woo! Go heels!
About two weeks ago went together with Clem, SJ and Weichang to Astons, where we had a real good meal. Here's a more-than-decent New York Strip with house salad and coleslaw, all for just $13.80.
What was a bit intriguing about the meal is that we did not head over to near my old place in Katong to have dinner, but rather we went to, of all places, pgp... Yup Astons has just opened an express outlet in the pgp food court, which is really quite an unlikely place for so atas an establishment wouldn't you say? But well business appears to be good for them, even though from my observation the prices are no cheaper than they are at Katong. But well, the prices are really reasonable given the quality anyways, so no complaints there. One other good thing is that while the ambience is hardly as good as that in Katong, at least one doesn't have to wait in line for at least half-an-hour outside the restaurant inhaling car exhaust to even get seated. I suspect that a good proportion of their clientele comes from western exchange students who are hard-pressed to find more authentic so-called 'western' food close enough to nus than that at Astons...
Anyways, yours truly is looking for excuses to go there again so if anyone is ever in school with a somewhat padded wallet and in the mood for a good steak/burger etc just buzz me heh...
In other news, it was a little sad to hear of Martina Hingis' abrupt second retirement from pro tennis under a cloud of suspicion, especially when it involves something like cocaine of all things. Well drugs aside, it's a pity that such an impressive career had to end in such a manner... Women's tennis is nowadays chockfull of hard-hitting banshees in the general mode of Maria "make every shot a power shot" Sharapova, and Hingis' clever and nuanced way of playing flies in the face of all that. Even though Hingis used to be a bit of a brat when she was playing long ago, since she returned to the sport all that's by and large gone, and she'd become one of my more favorite players. And with Anastasia Myskina also out of commission for now, it's hard to find another top-tier female player in that mould... Ah heck, i reckon most people reading this wouldn't have a clue what i'm rambling on about... Heh.
I was wandering around Cold Storage yesterday when i came across this - Saffron - the world's most expensive spice. One gram of the stuff retailing at $11.01. Fwah. But in any case, you must admit, the packaging is such a clear example of excess - the stuff is so expensive that i suppose it has to be well-showcased... I don't see what's the big deal about saffron though, all it does is add a nice orange-y color, i don't taste any difference when it's added to food...
After that, and while killing time before heading to law for some thingy, i took a brief walk around the botanics, and chanced upon the Wildlife Stampede thingy that was going on - to spread the conservation message, something close to my heart as well. While there was a really long line of people who took part, definitely more than half of them were ang mohs, and even many of the Asians who i saw were from SAS. Sadly, i don't think most S'poreans could care two hoots about conservation. While S'pore doesn't really have a lot left to conserve, it doesn't mean we should not bother to do anything at all... The recent motorcross thingy that they agreed to open in Kranji or somewhere in the general northwestern direction at the expense of an important site for local birdlife, and @#$% golf courses that take up lots of space, destroy valuable habitat, and are by and large catered to the elite do so annoy me...
Oh, but anyways, i've digressed. My point in mentioning this was that i managed to catch sight and take a distant picture of Dame Jane Goodall. Cheap thrill, but ah well...
And in keeping in the spirit of boliaoness, she's probably about the fourth most famous person i've ever sneakily taken a picture of, after John Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, and Chris Matthews (Well actually, if you're not American, you'd probably not have heard of these three people, but conversely, i reckon that most Americans have no idea who's Jane Goodall but will know who the other three are, in descending order...)
In other news, the Tar Heels are #1 - woo! Go heels!Monday, June 18, 2007
nyet, not yet...
The other day the family went down to Borshch in Serangoon Gardens for dinner. Once upon a time we used to go there at least once a month, but that ritual ended when we moved over to the East, and it's been years since i last went there... But going back there reminded me of the umpteen times i'd go there and order the same thing time and time again - the $12.80 (now $13.80) set dinner with appetiser choice of shrimp cocktail or caviar with egg (no prizes for guessing which one i went for); soup choice of borshch or cream of mushroom (choosing the former is a no brainer - if they name the restaurant after the dish then it had better be good...); main course choice of several things which i barely remember cos my eyes would almost always automatically be drawn to the sirloin steak (first medium, then later in life, medium rare after i discovered the joys of semi-bloody meat - and i never contracted mad cow disease or salmonella, dun worry); drink choice of coffee, tea, coke or sprite (almost always took sprite - though now they've switched allegiances and offer pepsi or 7up instead); and dessert choice of fancy pancake or peach melba (and with the 'fancy' part of the former amounting to it being filled with banana, i'd automatically go for the latter...)
Um, looks like i got carried away there heh... But my point is that the food is not exactly the best around. It's really just above average at best (one thing that never changes is the ever-yellowing newspaper article from some time in the 80s promoting the restaurant, proudly displayed on one of the walls). But the draw of the place (such that by the end of the visit i resolved to go to the place a little more regularly - at least once a year...) lies for me purely in the nostalgia value that it holds. I've been going to that place since before it moved and was about half the size of what it is now - which is probably like since p1 in 1990 (which i now realize is a heck of a long time ago - after finding out that Keisha Castle-Hughes, the once 13-year-old star of Whale Rider was both born that year and also had her first child a couple of months ago) or even before that, and those memories all came flooding back when i went back there... Like how that's the only place i recall ever having eaten frog's legs (tastes like chicken). To top it all off, one particular waitress whom has been there for as long as i can remember took one look at me while we were ordering, and then before she left asked if i was the small boy who once upon a time was half my present height and who once frequented the place...
It's all but confirmed that this thurs nite will be the last night spent at my old house. However, that's dependent in large part on whether i can muster up the necessary willpower to pack everything by then. Sheesh. In the meantime, i'm continually unearthing stuff postmaturely like quiet time material that i had thought had not arrived but in actual fact was hidden under a pile of paper on a shelf somewhere, or old vouchers that expired months, if not years ago... It's almost like i'm conducting some sort of archeological dig...
Really need to settle travel details - i was just wondering if i might need to take a new passport picture, but i guess the aforementioned waitress recognizing me from more than half my life ago puts paid to those thoughts... Just hope that when i go through immigration wherever i am going to, no one will think i'm a terrorist...
Um, looks like i got carried away there heh... But my point is that the food is not exactly the best around. It's really just above average at best (one thing that never changes is the ever-yellowing newspaper article from some time in the 80s promoting the restaurant, proudly displayed on one of the walls). But the draw of the place (such that by the end of the visit i resolved to go to the place a little more regularly - at least once a year...) lies for me purely in the nostalgia value that it holds. I've been going to that place since before it moved and was about half the size of what it is now - which is probably like since p1 in 1990 (which i now realize is a heck of a long time ago - after finding out that Keisha Castle-Hughes, the once 13-year-old star of Whale Rider was both born that year and also had her first child a couple of months ago) or even before that, and those memories all came flooding back when i went back there... Like how that's the only place i recall ever having eaten frog's legs (tastes like chicken). To top it all off, one particular waitress whom has been there for as long as i can remember took one look at me while we were ordering, and then before she left asked if i was the small boy who once upon a time was half my present height and who once frequented the place...
It's all but confirmed that this thurs nite will be the last night spent at my old house. However, that's dependent in large part on whether i can muster up the necessary willpower to pack everything by then. Sheesh. In the meantime, i'm continually unearthing stuff postmaturely like quiet time material that i had thought had not arrived but in actual fact was hidden under a pile of paper on a shelf somewhere, or old vouchers that expired months, if not years ago... It's almost like i'm conducting some sort of archeological dig...
Really need to settle travel details - i was just wondering if i might need to take a new passport picture, but i guess the aforementioned waitress recognizing me from more than half my life ago puts paid to those thoughts... Just hope that when i go through immigration wherever i am going to, no one will think i'm a terrorist...
Thursday, May 17, 2007
while the rain continues to fall...
I was intending to get out of the house for a spot of cycling this afternoon, since i've been finding myself rather free and lounging round the house doing nothing much more than sitting in front of the com, eating and sleeping for the good part of the last couple of days. But then the sudden afternoon downpour has put paid to those plans so here i am back in front of the com again... Meanwhile Bingo sits outside in the hallway after i chased him out of my room and closed the door cos he was affected by the thunder and hence was drooling all over my floor.
Well, since i've not been doing much i've actually not much to say heh. Let's see - what was there? Oh yeah i finally got to eat at Astons yesterday and it was well worth the wait. I can't believe i've stayed so near to this gem of a restaurant for so long and have only been to it now. And how convenient that just as i finally experience for myself what so many people have been raving over that i find myself not more than three weeks away from shifting out of this house...
Anyways i decided to try their much ballyhooed (and very tackily-named) ieatSuper Burger and it more than lived up to its billing. Methinks it can compete with the Sutton's double bacon cheeseburger (the one on my current fb profile pic) back in Chapel Hill for the title of best burger i've ever eaten, although admittedly they're of two separate pedigrees. And how ironic that both these burgers have medical affiliations - the Astons burger being put on the regular menu at the recommendation of a local doctor, and Sutton's being a diner that is fronted by a drug store. Whatever the case, if anyone would try these two burgers for themselves, i'm sure they would not question me anymore as to why i've resolved never to eat McDonald's ever again... Aiyah really so wasted that i'm moving house leh - think even after i move i'll be wanting to spend time in the east. Got ecp, got Astons, got friends - that's three up on what i've at my new place...
I've been sorta figuring out what to do traveling wise, as i really have to get out of S'pore for at least a bit before the new school term starts. Have been keeping the option of following the parents to Japan (cos they've to use their miles as well) but well, they're moving at a similar pace of procrastination as i am (now i know where i got it from) so i can't confirm anything on that side. There's also lots of other possibilities but i'm rather fussy when it comes to choosing a holiday destination which hardly helps matters. This holiday also appears to be lacking in enough big blocks of time available for me to be away for. Ideally, i'd like to be away for at least a week but depending on how things go such an extended period out of S'pore may be impossible in July (which is when's best cos there's probably more options available than say for June). Ah i shall just comfort myself by assuring myself that something will work out...
I do wish that i was more daring when it came to planning holidays - like to go to new places which don't speak English, possibly alone, and for an extended period in time. Have been looking at Greg's awesome Eastern European graduation trip itinerary and wondering if i'd have the guts for something like that next year. Of course a trip of that scale would only be possible next year [since think that graduation is one of those life events that warrants one times tua zhong (sp?) trip like that] - the problem being that the dear folks at you-know-where appear to want all those moving on to nie to be available from mid-June, and even for stuff in May, which leaves me with precious little breathing space in terms of planning a big trip of say a month's duration... There's also matters of finding people (if there's any), funding, carbon emissions etc...
Hmm so that's holiday plans for ya. One more pertinent matter at this point in time of course what to do in the year ahead. Hopefully decision for that will eventuate within the next couple of days...
Trust no one will read this before then, so suffice to say be prepared for a big shock if you're watching idol results tonight. I know on my part that i'm done with watching the show for the season =(...
Well, since i've not been doing much i've actually not much to say heh. Let's see - what was there? Oh yeah i finally got to eat at Astons yesterday and it was well worth the wait. I can't believe i've stayed so near to this gem of a restaurant for so long and have only been to it now. And how convenient that just as i finally experience for myself what so many people have been raving over that i find myself not more than three weeks away from shifting out of this house...
Anyways i decided to try their much ballyhooed (and very tackily-named) ieatSuper Burger and it more than lived up to its billing. Methinks it can compete with the Sutton's double bacon cheeseburger (the one on my current fb profile pic) back in Chapel Hill for the title of best burger i've ever eaten, although admittedly they're of two separate pedigrees. And how ironic that both these burgers have medical affiliations - the Astons burger being put on the regular menu at the recommendation of a local doctor, and Sutton's being a diner that is fronted by a drug store. Whatever the case, if anyone would try these two burgers for themselves, i'm sure they would not question me anymore as to why i've resolved never to eat McDonald's ever again... Aiyah really so wasted that i'm moving house leh - think even after i move i'll be wanting to spend time in the east. Got ecp, got Astons, got friends - that's three up on what i've at my new place...
I've been sorta figuring out what to do traveling wise, as i really have to get out of S'pore for at least a bit before the new school term starts. Have been keeping the option of following the parents to Japan (cos they've to use their miles as well) but well, they're moving at a similar pace of procrastination as i am (now i know where i got it from) so i can't confirm anything on that side. There's also lots of other possibilities but i'm rather fussy when it comes to choosing a holiday destination which hardly helps matters. This holiday also appears to be lacking in enough big blocks of time available for me to be away for. Ideally, i'd like to be away for at least a week but depending on how things go such an extended period out of S'pore may be impossible in July (which is when's best cos there's probably more options available than say for June). Ah i shall just comfort myself by assuring myself that something will work out...
I do wish that i was more daring when it came to planning holidays - like to go to new places which don't speak English, possibly alone, and for an extended period in time. Have been looking at Greg's awesome Eastern European graduation trip itinerary and wondering if i'd have the guts for something like that next year. Of course a trip of that scale would only be possible next year [since think that graduation is one of those life events that warrants one times tua zhong (sp?) trip like that] - the problem being that the dear folks at you-know-where appear to want all those moving on to nie to be available from mid-June, and even for stuff in May, which leaves me with precious little breathing space in terms of planning a big trip of say a month's duration... There's also matters of finding people (if there's any), funding, carbon emissions etc...
Hmm so that's holiday plans for ya. One more pertinent matter at this point in time of course what to do in the year ahead. Hopefully decision for that will eventuate within the next couple of days...
Trust no one will read this before then, so suffice to say be prepared for a big shock if you're watching idol results tonight. I know on my part that i'm done with watching the show for the season =(...
Monday, May 14, 2007
revolving around raffles
Sat evening i went down to church for a lecture (and i wish they'd give it a different name apart from lecture - the negative connotations that it brings to this nus student are both manifold and unappealing) by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan 'no-i-am-not-mr-bean' Williams who so happened to be in our neck of the woods over the weekend. The topic was Christianity: Public Religion & the Common Good. I wasn't expecting much out of the lecture especially since it was obviously intentionally not overtly Christian in nature ("with special reference to Christianity" was how the lecture was billed) and also since my previous experience with the public speaking of archbishops-cum-theologian/academic people has not been an entirely positive one.
But anyways, since it was the Archbishop of Canterbury after all, i did a bit of advertising for the lecture so a handful of thursday people past and present came down - specifically two dinos (Kevin n Eunice) and two year ones (or as they are so upliftingly titled in the states, rising freshmen - Grace Koh and Pheobe).
And the lecture actually went far better than how i'd thought it would - he addressed many pertinent issues that immediately struck a chord with me since he basically focused upon the role of the Christian in society. At the same time however he was careful not to strike any raw nerves with regards to so-called sensitive topics such as the evolution-ID debate and homosexuality when they came up during Q&A time, and also with regards to other religions. Can't fault him on that though...
Less than twelve hours later i found myself back in the same place for service, after which went with the family over to the British Club, where my aunt had organized a Mother's Day family lunch thingy (which my mother could not attend cos of speaking engagements). Incidentally, i just so happened to bump into Jeremy from UNC who had just arrived back less than a week ago - that was really so coincidental - apparently my extended family knows his - which just about further extends the intriguingly large circle of people whom i know and who also know people in my extended family in some way or other...
Anyways it was an appetizer and dessert buffet coupled with a choice of main course. I chose the Sunday Roast Beef with au jus and Yorkshire Pudding - and by the end i felt like one of the five thousand that Jesus fed cos the three slices of beef on my plate had been supplemented from two more plus lots of veggies from my lola who could not eat any more. This coupled with the more-than-ample appetizer and dessert spreads left me really bloated by the end of it...
Some people obviously were a tad overeager at the chocolate fountain...
But anyways, since it was the Archbishop of Canterbury after all, i did a bit of advertising for the lecture so a handful of thursday people past and present came down - specifically two dinos (Kevin n Eunice) and two year ones (or as they are so upliftingly titled in the states, rising freshmen - Grace Koh and Pheobe).
And the lecture actually went far better than how i'd thought it would - he addressed many pertinent issues that immediately struck a chord with me since he basically focused upon the role of the Christian in society. At the same time however he was careful not to strike any raw nerves with regards to so-called sensitive topics such as the evolution-ID debate and homosexuality when they came up during Q&A time, and also with regards to other religions. Can't fault him on that though...
Less than twelve hours later i found myself back in the same place for service, after which went with the family over to the British Club, where my aunt had organized a Mother's Day family lunch thingy (which my mother could not attend cos of speaking engagements). Incidentally, i just so happened to bump into Jeremy from UNC who had just arrived back less than a week ago - that was really so coincidental - apparently my extended family knows his - which just about further extends the intriguingly large circle of people whom i know and who also know people in my extended family in some way or other...
Anyways it was an appetizer and dessert buffet coupled with a choice of main course. I chose the Sunday Roast Beef with au jus and Yorkshire Pudding - and by the end i felt like one of the five thousand that Jesus fed cos the three slices of beef on my plate had been supplemented from two more plus lots of veggies from my lola who could not eat any more. This coupled with the more-than-ample appetizer and dessert spreads left me really bloated by the end of it...
Some people obviously were a tad overeager at the chocolate fountain...So what better thing to happen than Steven, my monthly buffet buddy calling me to go for dinner that night. After some delays owing to restaurant closures and Mother's Day mark-ups (and finding myself back at Raffles City for the third separate time in 24 hours) we ended up at Pariss (and what a stupid name btw) at Marina Square. I'm not usually one for eating there cos of the preponderance of seafood that is precisely what makes the buffet as expensive as it is. But well, the price was relatively reasonable and there was enough non-crustacean seafood around for me to eat (though i'm beginning to have issues with eating some kinds of fish because of overfishing of certain stocks - but i couldn't go up to the sashimi and ask it whether it came from sustainable fisheries could i?), along with lots of other food too of course, so i went ahead and proceeded to stuff myself for the second time in the same day. I'm sure all that would have been more than enough to disqualify me from the under-60 club...
Anyways, two successive heavy meals in a single day was enough to strengthen my resolve for a run today - my first in more than a month if i'm not wrong, and hence i really felt like i was troddling along at a snail's pace. Managed to make my usual route though - from Amber Road up round the cable ski lagoon and back - in 48 minutes - which is super slow i know but well it's been a month... Now i'm just wondering where i can run after i move...
Anyways, two successive heavy meals in a single day was enough to strengthen my resolve for a run today - my first in more than a month if i'm not wrong, and hence i really felt like i was troddling along at a snail's pace. Managed to make my usual route though - from Amber Road up round the cable ski lagoon and back - in 48 minutes - which is super slow i know but well it's been a month... Now i'm just wondering where i can run after i move...
Sunday, March 25, 2007
All Blacks All Banned
Joanne Wilson. Stephen Wilson. Danny Tauroa. Monica Tauroa. Nicole Wilson. Sarah Reeves. Tanya Chee.
To most (if not all) people, the following names make no sense to you. My heartiest congrats to you if that is the case.
If anyone, however, finds these names familiar, its probably cos like me you've been on SBS buses quite a fair bit this past week and have had the misfortune of catching the endless reruns of the "Down Under" episode of this show with Andrea De Cruz in it (i forget the title) whereby she and her co-host visit expats from different cultures each week. Needless to say, this week featured expats from Australia and New Zealand; and i've somehow possessed the bad timing of always seeming to kena the second half of the show (which is when the Kiwis come on) just about every single day on the bus at least once. Which in turn means that i'm now very well acquainted with the above people, and can for all intents and purposes dictate to you each and every word from the Haka (and that kamate kamate kaura kaura means to live, to live, to die, to die), and know that Maori women dance this thanksgiving dance with these swingy thingies called poi which look like giant white onions attached to a string, and that The Cellar Door is the only place that serves New Zealand food in Singapore.
I've nothing against New Zealand, please don't get me wrong. It's just the @#$% tv mobile that i'm annoyed at.
So, the bottom line is, if anyone out there even remotely able to influence the programming of tv mobile is reading this, please, for the sake of my sanity, at least make the effort to have more variety in your variety programming (cos at the moment the irony is that from the rate at which you repeat your shows, it might as well be labeled monotony rather than variety programming...). If not, one day - mark my words, you will read a news report headlined "NUS Student Goes Berzerk, Frightens Passengers Off SBS Bus". I'd have finally made headlines...
Good news for most people...
To most (if not all) people, the following names make no sense to you. My heartiest congrats to you if that is the case.
If anyone, however, finds these names familiar, its probably cos like me you've been on SBS buses quite a fair bit this past week and have had the misfortune of catching the endless reruns of the "Down Under" episode of this show with Andrea De Cruz in it (i forget the title) whereby she and her co-host visit expats from different cultures each week. Needless to say, this week featured expats from Australia and New Zealand; and i've somehow possessed the bad timing of always seeming to kena the second half of the show (which is when the Kiwis come on) just about every single day on the bus at least once. Which in turn means that i'm now very well acquainted with the above people, and can for all intents and purposes dictate to you each and every word from the Haka (and that kamate kamate kaura kaura means to live, to live, to die, to die), and know that Maori women dance this thanksgiving dance with these swingy thingies called poi which look like giant white onions attached to a string, and that The Cellar Door is the only place that serves New Zealand food in Singapore.
I've nothing against New Zealand, please don't get me wrong. It's just the @#$% tv mobile that i'm annoyed at.
So, the bottom line is, if anyone out there even remotely able to influence the programming of tv mobile is reading this, please, for the sake of my sanity, at least make the effort to have more variety in your variety programming (cos at the moment the irony is that from the rate at which you repeat your shows, it might as well be labeled monotony rather than variety programming...). If not, one day - mark my words, you will read a news report headlined "NUS Student Goes Berzerk, Frightens Passengers Off SBS Bus". I'd have finally made headlines...
Good news for most people...
Friday, March 23, 2007
pumpkins and mice reappear
So for the past two nights (i.e. yesterday and today) my aim of sleeping by midnight each weeknight has not been successful. Yesterday i forgot why already, but today it's quite clearly cos i've work to do and i'm trying (in vain) to convince myself to get more of it done now so that tom when i'm in school i can spend more time just hanging.
Anyways, after more than a week's worth of trying to eliminate the six other question choices before finally settling on the chosen topic, and practically another week's worth of (sparingly) researching on the topic, i finally got cracking on the essay itself yesterday afternoon in school. Got a decent bit of it done, though got distracted as i usually do. This time it was cos i was seated in the library fourth floor com cluster directly on the other side of the glass from the video room, and the girl directly behind me on the other side of the glass was watching, for some strange reason, Toy Story 2. She also was using subtitles, so i was able to watch and figure out what was going on even though i couldn't hear the audio of the dvd. It was the scene when the cowgirl doll was singing the Sarah McLachlan song "When She Loved Me" cos she kena abandoned by her original owner. For some strange reason i started to feel really sad for the poor doll. Yup. oh but i digress, basically i got distracted by that.
Felt that i had enough time to take some of it off doing the essay to play tennis for the first time in more than a year methinks. Went with Evan and Junwen and William. Was a good break from studying and up till now my muscles aren't aching so maybe that's a good sign i dunno. Oh and btw, is it really so amazing that i can eat a footlong Subway and still be hungry?
With all the com-related stuff that i've been doing as of late and my laziness to bring my laptop along (not to mention the trouble of trying to find a powerpoint), i've been spending a lot of time in various com clusters. Would like to think of myself as someone who's a seasoned enough nus student to know where to go to find an available com which is not packed to the hilt no matter what time of the day it is. So today i found (ok, not really found, more like finally visited after knowing of its existence for a little while now) another good place to go (the exact place shall be kept a secret hee) to use a com, particularly if it's for stuff like essay writing. Managed to spend almost four (relatively) productive hours there writing the essay, which is now waiting for around 400 words in order to be completed. Only problem is that all the staring at the screen left me feeling really tired, and so have not really been myself since then and have gotten all contemplative again. Ah maybe i need some of that...
Later
Anyways, after more than a week's worth of trying to eliminate the six other question choices before finally settling on the chosen topic, and practically another week's worth of (sparingly) researching on the topic, i finally got cracking on the essay itself yesterday afternoon in school. Got a decent bit of it done, though got distracted as i usually do. This time it was cos i was seated in the library fourth floor com cluster directly on the other side of the glass from the video room, and the girl directly behind me on the other side of the glass was watching, for some strange reason, Toy Story 2. She also was using subtitles, so i was able to watch and figure out what was going on even though i couldn't hear the audio of the dvd. It was the scene when the cowgirl doll was singing the Sarah McLachlan song "When She Loved Me" cos she kena abandoned by her original owner. For some strange reason i started to feel really sad for the poor doll. Yup. oh but i digress, basically i got distracted by that.
Felt that i had enough time to take some of it off doing the essay to play tennis for the first time in more than a year methinks. Went with Evan and Junwen and William. Was a good break from studying and up till now my muscles aren't aching so maybe that's a good sign i dunno. Oh and btw, is it really so amazing that i can eat a footlong Subway and still be hungry?
With all the com-related stuff that i've been doing as of late and my laziness to bring my laptop along (not to mention the trouble of trying to find a powerpoint), i've been spending a lot of time in various com clusters. Would like to think of myself as someone who's a seasoned enough nus student to know where to go to find an available com which is not packed to the hilt no matter what time of the day it is. So today i found (ok, not really found, more like finally visited after knowing of its existence for a little while now) another good place to go (the exact place shall be kept a secret hee) to use a com, particularly if it's for stuff like essay writing. Managed to spend almost four (relatively) productive hours there writing the essay, which is now waiting for around 400 words in order to be completed. Only problem is that all the staring at the screen left me feeling really tired, and so have not really been myself since then and have gotten all contemplative again. Ah maybe i need some of that...
Later
Sunday, March 11, 2007
still lost in transition
Today for church i went to SAC again, but this time to check out the later and more contemporary service. The rest of the family went for the earlier service, so i was more or less alone this time. While the service itself went well (it was the church missions Sunday which was nice, felt reminded of MEET), i couldn't help but feel irked to a certain extent, because there i was having to try and get used to yet another church environment (which is the main reason why i'm somewhat reluctant to say i'm really leaving SHC just yet) - after like five or six church moves one tends to get somewhat weary of it... It takes so much to settle down, to get to know people and to find one's place within the whole structure of things; and yup, assuming at the end of the day the Lord wants me to move on to SAC (which i feel is more and more the case), this will mean a grossly long integration process for me i fear...
So you know when people ask me if one feels pressure being a pk, while the answer to a certain extent is yes, at least for me it's relatively easy enough to keep a low enough profile, so in my opinion the far greater problem is getting used to (at least within the Anglican context) having to be shuffled around so very often and the difficulties that arise with each move.
And speaking of moving, i also had my first look at the new house - oops, i mean apartment. Yes after 23 years i no longer will be staying in a house with a garden, and probably not for the forseeable future either. Actually the place itself exceeded my expectations (which were set very low anyways cos i was, and still am, dreading the move away from the east to some funny knoll in the far boondocks of town...), it's bigger than i thought, and after a decent renovation it shouldn't be too bad... That being said i still wish i could stay put...
Was a tad overambitious just now with the run, and was trailing far behind for much of it. Predict aching calf muscles for tomorrow when i wake up... And ate so much for dinner that whatever was burnt has probably already been replaced. Bah.
So you know when people ask me if one feels pressure being a pk, while the answer to a certain extent is yes, at least for me it's relatively easy enough to keep a low enough profile, so in my opinion the far greater problem is getting used to (at least within the Anglican context) having to be shuffled around so very often and the difficulties that arise with each move.
And speaking of moving, i also had my first look at the new house - oops, i mean apartment. Yes after 23 years i no longer will be staying in a house with a garden, and probably not for the forseeable future either. Actually the place itself exceeded my expectations (which were set very low anyways cos i was, and still am, dreading the move away from the east to some funny knoll in the far boondocks of town...), it's bigger than i thought, and after a decent renovation it shouldn't be too bad... That being said i still wish i could stay put...
Was a tad overambitious just now with the run, and was trailing far behind for much of it. Predict aching calf muscles for tomorrow when i wake up... And ate so much for dinner that whatever was burnt has probably already been replaced. Bah.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
mid-essay non-essay thoughts
More from me once this ridiculous amount of work which i have been clearing at a ridiculously slow pace is finally over and done with by God's grace alone but now just for a little bit of nonsense posting before getting back to working on essay #1, due in just about 17 hours' time (with essays #2 & #3 due this wed and fri respectively still very much in the exploratory committee phase at the moment)
A couple of lessons learnt from this week:
- As little as cny means to me, it still nevertheless takes up a heck of a lot of my time (which ideally would have been spent on the aforementioned essays #1, #2 and #3, but in all likelihood would have been spent wasted on nothing significant)
- Attempting to stay at home and do work will result in me clocking in at least seven hours of sleep every night plus at least three to four hours of sleep every afternoon
- Never decide to be a hero and finish off the remainders of reunion dinner's devil curry featuring at least ten whole chilli padis at one sitting - your stomach will hate you for it...
- The American and S'porean definitions of the word 'break' are vastly different - during my fall break in the States i was happily exploring Chicago, during my midterm break here, well, the only exploring i could get around to is around my desk trying to find discarded notes...
A couple of lessons learnt from this week:
- As little as cny means to me, it still nevertheless takes up a heck of a lot of my time (which ideally would have been spent on the aforementioned essays #1, #2 and #3, but in all likelihood would have been spent wasted on nothing significant)
- Attempting to stay at home and do work will result in me clocking in at least seven hours of sleep every night plus at least three to four hours of sleep every afternoon
- Never decide to be a hero and finish off the remainders of reunion dinner's devil curry featuring at least ten whole chilli padis at one sitting - your stomach will hate you for it...
- The American and S'porean definitions of the word 'break' are vastly different - during my fall break in the States i was happily exploring Chicago, during my midterm break here, well, the only exploring i could get around to is around my desk trying to find discarded notes...
Sunday, February 18, 2007
grounddog day
Well after being reminded of a similar bout of antipathy toward cny that i felt a year ago, i'm more or less convinced that you can count me as the grinch of cny, if there ever were such a thing. Today has really been the most blah of holidays that i've had in a long time. Especially since this cny was on a Sunday again, and looking back at what i wrote about last year's cny experience, it almost seemed as though i was reliving the start of the year of the dog all over again, the only difference being that this year's was more boring.
Ah well, whatever it is, i've come to realise that there really is no such thing as healthy food when it comes to cny stuff, save for maybe the mandarin oranges (which i don't really like anyways). Today i was searching the house for something to eat and found lots of stuff, but it all was unhealthy stuff like pineapple tarts, cookies with tons of butter, fatty bak kwa and the like... Yesterday's cny dinner featured a grand total of one healthy dish - a token plate of sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, which i feel was palced there just to assure ourselves that we were eating our veggies. Even the yusheng, which at least without the fish is technically vegetarian, is full of unappetising and sodium-and-sugar-laden preserved thingies which i doubt are very healthy either... But i guess given that this year is the year of the pig (though of course i don't believe in such stuff), perhaps it's only apt that we pig out eh...
Oh and speaking of yusheng, thought that it was pretty funny when my brother, some of my cousins and me, all proudly ACS-educated, were thinking of suitable cheng(2) yu(3) to use when preparing it, just as the waitress does in the restaurant. "wu(3) yan(2) liu(4) se(4)", "luan(4) qi(1) ba(1) zao(1)" and "feng(1) he(2) ri(4) li(4)" were some of what came to mind =p - not bad actually rite, at least the first two can apply in this context rite...
Anyways, i decided to skip visiting in the afternoon today and get some rest, cos already after the first house i was feeling extremely sian and tired. I can't imagine that i once actually looked forward to all the stuff that we'd do during cny. Nowsaday, i'm just glad for the reprieve from school (and btw let me reiterate the fact that the clash of cny with the midterm break sucks big time), even if it means being subject to horrible cny music that relentlessly attacks my eardrums. Oops i digress. Woke up and went with Mark for our fortnightly ecp run, which was great though i'm still quite unfit at least when compared to before i left... Shucks i dunno what i'm gonna do for running (or cycling, for that matter) once i move to my new place, which is somewhere up the slope of a hill in town...
What i'm rather pleased with myself about is the fact that i finally got down to doing some forum posting today - yup that's two overly-long-drawn and confusing posts down, so at least i know i won't get 0 out of 10%. Was just thinking back to the annoying formalities that i encounter on forums and i came up with a perfect new one which i was so tempted to add in just to be a pain, but i decided to refrain - instead of "here's just my two cents' worth," i wanted to say "here's just my ten percent's worth..." But anyways, tomorrow i've to head back to school to catch a video on my laptop that is only accessible on campus. Too bad the lib is closed, so have to find some good secret place with a powerpoint where i can watch it - dang...
Ah well, whatever it is, i've come to realise that there really is no such thing as healthy food when it comes to cny stuff, save for maybe the mandarin oranges (which i don't really like anyways). Today i was searching the house for something to eat and found lots of stuff, but it all was unhealthy stuff like pineapple tarts, cookies with tons of butter, fatty bak kwa and the like... Yesterday's cny dinner featured a grand total of one healthy dish - a token plate of sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, which i feel was palced there just to assure ourselves that we were eating our veggies. Even the yusheng, which at least without the fish is technically vegetarian, is full of unappetising and sodium-and-sugar-laden preserved thingies which i doubt are very healthy either... But i guess given that this year is the year of the pig (though of course i don't believe in such stuff), perhaps it's only apt that we pig out eh...
Oh and speaking of yusheng, thought that it was pretty funny when my brother, some of my cousins and me, all proudly ACS-educated, were thinking of suitable cheng(2) yu(3) to use when preparing it, just as the waitress does in the restaurant. "wu(3) yan(2) liu(4) se(4)", "luan(4) qi(1) ba(1) zao(1)" and "feng(1) he(2) ri(4) li(4)" were some of what came to mind =p - not bad actually rite, at least the first two can apply in this context rite...
Anyways, i decided to skip visiting in the afternoon today and get some rest, cos already after the first house i was feeling extremely sian and tired. I can't imagine that i once actually looked forward to all the stuff that we'd do during cny. Nowsaday, i'm just glad for the reprieve from school (and btw let me reiterate the fact that the clash of cny with the midterm break sucks big time), even if it means being subject to horrible cny music that relentlessly attacks my eardrums. Oops i digress. Woke up and went with Mark for our fortnightly ecp run, which was great though i'm still quite unfit at least when compared to before i left... Shucks i dunno what i'm gonna do for running (or cycling, for that matter) once i move to my new place, which is somewhere up the slope of a hill in town...
What i'm rather pleased with myself about is the fact that i finally got down to doing some forum posting today - yup that's two overly-long-drawn and confusing posts down, so at least i know i won't get 0 out of 10%. Was just thinking back to the annoying formalities that i encounter on forums and i came up with a perfect new one which i was so tempted to add in just to be a pain, but i decided to refrain - instead of "here's just my two cents' worth," i wanted to say "here's just my ten percent's worth..." But anyways, tomorrow i've to head back to school to catch a video on my laptop that is only accessible on campus. Too bad the lib is closed, so have to find some good secret place with a powerpoint where i can watch it - dang...
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Back am i
Wow it's been quite a while hasn't it... Well since the last post i've truly been too busy to type much with Urbana and all - as i heard someone say, the Urbana schedule was truly one meant for college students - days that officially started with Breakfast served from 6:45am and ending as late as 12:30am. So think i got an average of five hours or less sleep a night for the duration of my time there, and of course i also didn't have time to update this...
Anyways, i'm very thankful that things worked out such that i was able to go for Urbana, for at the end of the day, it truly was a very enriching experience for me, and i took away a lot from it (in all senses of the word - not only spiritually, but physically as well in terms of the stuff that i bought which i now have to create a miracle in order to fit them into my bag...) There's way too much to put into this one post, and to recall as well, so i'll just provide a couple of snippets here.
It was truly amazing to see 22000 people gathered in one place for Urbana - have never been at such a big thingy of this kind before. It struck me especially during the worship sessions, which were very powerful times. Liked especially when we sang songs in other languages, both at the general sessions and the international students' track. (MZ be warned!) Couldn't help but be reminded of Revelations 7 when that happened... Well, in short the worship sessions were very effective at ministering to me, and i'm pretty sure this went beyond the mere emotional rush that came with it...
Met many great people there too. It's a comforting thought that since this was a Christian convention, everyone is at least sorta nice by default. Yup but even with that the Lord provided opportunities to meet with many other like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ from all over, which was a real swell experience to say the least...
Some of the Singaporeans at the international students' track at Urbana
The crave case (box of thirty small cheeseburgers) that i shared with Kai
Dan, thanks for the great recommendation =p mmm...
Anyways, i'm very thankful that things worked out such that i was able to go for Urbana, for at the end of the day, it truly was a very enriching experience for me, and i took away a lot from it (in all senses of the word - not only spiritually, but physically as well in terms of the stuff that i bought which i now have to create a miracle in order to fit them into my bag...) There's way too much to put into this one post, and to recall as well, so i'll just provide a couple of snippets here.
It was truly amazing to see 22000 people gathered in one place for Urbana - have never been at such a big thingy of this kind before. It struck me especially during the worship sessions, which were very powerful times. Liked especially when we sang songs in other languages, both at the general sessions and the international students' track. (MZ be warned!) Couldn't help but be reminded of Revelations 7 when that happened... Well, in short the worship sessions were very effective at ministering to me, and i'm pretty sure this went beyond the mere emotional rush that came with it...
Met many great people there too. It's a comforting thought that since this was a Christian convention, everyone is at least sorta nice by default. Yup but even with that the Lord provided opportunities to meet with many other like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ from all over, which was a real swell experience to say the least...
Some of the Singaporeans at the international students' track at UrbanaThe many speakers at Urbana were also a very anointed bunch. They gave me a lot to ponder upon in several areas, including my walk with God in general as well as specific areas of ministry too. At the same time, the Lord also provided me with some idea of what He may call me to in the future, yup but still am praying about that, and probably will be for some time to come...
In the midst of Urbana there also were some opportunities to relax a bit. One such opportunity that afforded itself was the visit that some of the S'poreans made to the White Castle just beyond our hotel for lunch. I'd actually already been there before, but since the others wanted to go, and i didn;t mind eating there again, i went along... Somehow after things transpired i decided to share a box of thirty burgers with another S'porean guy (of course, these burgers are small, around half the size of my fist). Just a little heads up, White Castle has just about the greasiest, most gas-inducing food around... So you can imagine how i felt after downing a total of 16 burgers... Needless to say, will probably never eat at White Castle again, and i also wonder why Harold and Kumar decided to go there in the first place...
In the midst of Urbana there also were some opportunities to relax a bit. One such opportunity that afforded itself was the visit that some of the S'poreans made to the White Castle just beyond our hotel for lunch. I'd actually already been there before, but since the others wanted to go, and i didn;t mind eating there again, i went along... Somehow after things transpired i decided to share a box of thirty burgers with another S'porean guy (of course, these burgers are small, around half the size of my fist). Just a little heads up, White Castle has just about the greasiest, most gas-inducing food around... So you can imagine how i felt after downing a total of 16 burgers... Needless to say, will probably never eat at White Castle again, and i also wonder why Harold and Kumar decided to go there in the first place...
The crave case (box of thirty small cheeseburgers) that i shared with KaiWell, after Urbana, took a 14-hour bus ride all the way back to Durham - it actually seemed far shorter than it was - i guess American countryside is far more enjoyable to watch zip by than oil palm and rubber plantations. But anyways, at the end of it, i write this now finally back on the Hill (well, Carrboro, just next door, actually, but close enough). Think it's also pretty neat that my time at NC has both started and ended at this house...
Anyways, these two days here have been/will be spent going around UNC for the last time/meeting up with whoever i know who's around/packing (i'm so gonna be overweight man). Feeling pretty ambivalent about going back, especially with the latest bombshell that my mother just dropped on me when i called back this morning - more on that another time. But in any case, will be trying to have as great a time here with whatever's left...
Anyways, these two days here have been/will be spent going around UNC for the last time/meeting up with whoever i know who's around/packing (i'm so gonna be overweight man). Feeling pretty ambivalent about going back, especially with the latest bombshell that my mother just dropped on me when i called back this morning - more on that another time. But in any case, will be trying to have as great a time here with whatever's left...
Dan, thanks for the great recommendation =p mmm...Thursday, December 07, 2006
Countdown begins...
In exactly a month's time i'll already be back in sweaty S'pore preparing for the new school term - thirty days - that's just about as long as the MEET Thailand trip earlier this year - but somehow at the start of that one i was like "gosh a whole month - that's soooooo long", and now i'm like "ahhh only a month left till i go back - so short =(" Granted, of course that the activities involved in each month are totally different, but in any case think it's fascinating when you come to think of it...
Well, things are definitely beginning to wind down over here - today was the last day of lessons proper, and tomorrow is reading day (yes you heard it right - reading day - one day, that's it) and then finals start on Friday. I myself have four papers to do, one of them being a take home, and the other three being non cumulative (i.e. they only cover what's not been tested so far this sem, so i'm hardly skipping a beat over them (hence my typing of this post). Should get down to more prep soon though...
I originally had five papers in all, the other was for the really killer gender of welfare course that i'm taking, but somewhere down the line my prof also concluded that this was a really killer course, and to that end during our last class this past Monday she announced that, with our approval, she'd scrap having a final altogether - and you can imagine it didn't take much persuasion for us to approve that... Anyways, as much as i initially was dreading every moment of this class, i'm glad in the end that i took it (and not just because it turned out to be non-examinable) - really broadened my horizons a lot... To celebrate the end of the very gruelling course we all had dinner at Los Potrillos - a very nice but still quite affordable Mexican place here - good food - have already been there a couple of times in fact - had enchiladas done three ways, one of them in mole (moh-lay, not as in the animal) sauce, which in fact contains lots of chocolate - and it tasted really good in fact - first real taste of chocolate in an entree - too bad though, it's got no nuts =p
Some of my gender of welfare class with our prof at dinner
- and speaking of gender, apart from me only one guy and like five girls are missing...
Well, things are definitely beginning to wind down over here - today was the last day of lessons proper, and tomorrow is reading day (yes you heard it right - reading day - one day, that's it) and then finals start on Friday. I myself have four papers to do, one of them being a take home, and the other three being non cumulative (i.e. they only cover what's not been tested so far this sem, so i'm hardly skipping a beat over them (hence my typing of this post). Should get down to more prep soon though...
I originally had five papers in all, the other was for the really killer gender of welfare course that i'm taking, but somewhere down the line my prof also concluded that this was a really killer course, and to that end during our last class this past Monday she announced that, with our approval, she'd scrap having a final altogether - and you can imagine it didn't take much persuasion for us to approve that... Anyways, as much as i initially was dreading every moment of this class, i'm glad in the end that i took it (and not just because it turned out to be non-examinable) - really broadened my horizons a lot... To celebrate the end of the very gruelling course we all had dinner at Los Potrillos - a very nice but still quite affordable Mexican place here - good food - have already been there a couple of times in fact - had enchiladas done three ways, one of them in mole (moh-lay, not as in the animal) sauce, which in fact contains lots of chocolate - and it tasted really good in fact - first real taste of chocolate in an entree - too bad though, it's got no nuts =p
Some of my gender of welfare class with our prof at dinner- and speaking of gender, apart from me only one guy and like five girls are missing...
Yesterday had another farewell event - this time dinner with IV international small group folks at Jim's (our staffworker). [I wanted to post a picture here but too leche (sp?) lah - so once again you'll have to look there =======> once i post it] We had really good food cooked by Jim's wife Beth, and good fellowship too - fun - looking back, i'm really thankful for how the Lord has provided a group such as this for us international folk =)
Just now it was yet another farewell-ish event - the bunch of us from nus met for dinner with the unc people who were at nus last sem and the unc people who'll be in nus next sem - probably the last time i'll get to see some of the middle group, but it also was good to meet up with the next batch - got me a biiit excited about next sem when they'll be in S'pore. We ate at this place called "35 Chinese" though, and if you know me, judging from the name of the place you'll know how much i enjoyed the meal...
Yup, the time for farewells and goodbyes has come - quite sad i must say - time here has really gone by so fast, have only just over a week left here on the Hill before i go travelling. Well, i'll be back here early in the new year, but don't think will get to see too many, if any people at all in those few days. Though i haven't met as many people here as some of the others have, i'm definitely very thankful for those whom i've met - they've all really been a great blessing to me during my time here - again it makes me realise how important it is to not ignore foreign students back home, which i sometimes tend to do - a little bit can definitely go a long way...
Oh and did i mention the weather these past few days has been wonderful? (Well at least to me, most others are complaining about the freezing cold). Great weather to just take a nice walk in and enjoy the cool, fresh air. No snow though - whenever the temperature is well below freezing the forecast always seems to be for 0% chance of precipitation of any kind *bleah*. And i know when i get back, i'll suffer all the more...
Hope none of my flights kena this sorta thing - talk about a story to tell the grandchildren eh ;p...
Just now it was yet another farewell-ish event - the bunch of us from nus met for dinner with the unc people who were at nus last sem and the unc people who'll be in nus next sem - probably the last time i'll get to see some of the middle group, but it also was good to meet up with the next batch - got me a biiit excited about next sem when they'll be in S'pore. We ate at this place called "35 Chinese" though, and if you know me, judging from the name of the place you'll know how much i enjoyed the meal...
Yup, the time for farewells and goodbyes has come - quite sad i must say - time here has really gone by so fast, have only just over a week left here on the Hill before i go travelling. Well, i'll be back here early in the new year, but don't think will get to see too many, if any people at all in those few days. Though i haven't met as many people here as some of the others have, i'm definitely very thankful for those whom i've met - they've all really been a great blessing to me during my time here - again it makes me realise how important it is to not ignore foreign students back home, which i sometimes tend to do - a little bit can definitely go a long way...
Oh and did i mention the weather these past few days has been wonderful? (Well at least to me, most others are complaining about the freezing cold). Great weather to just take a nice walk in and enjoy the cool, fresh air. No snow though - whenever the temperature is well below freezing the forecast always seems to be for 0% chance of precipitation of any kind *bleah*. And i know when i get back, i'll suffer all the more...
Hope none of my flights kena this sorta thing - talk about a story to tell the grandchildren eh ;p...
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The circle game
Hmm this is becoming like an eerily-recurring pattern - me posting an entry after close to a week of not being able to do so because of work commitments that seemingly take forever.
Well, the cycle continues, and does the fact that by this stage, yours truly has once again forgotten a lot of what he wanted to say, which means, back to good old random posting again...
The weather's really wonky, i must say, the temperature can jump from below freezing to in the late 70s (think that's early 20-ish celcius wise) within the span of a day - never before have i realized the power that the online hour-by-hour weather forecast could hold over me, and in particular how i dress - berms/jeans? one shirt/two? hoodie/none? - all decisions made on a daily basis with great help from the folks at weather.com =) The thing that's definitely most annoying is stepping in and out of heated buildings when it's really freezing outside - i find it so troublesome to have to keep on putting on and taking off insulative layers of clothing - especially since doing so really messes up my already long and messy hair (when combed down, i kinda look like a Beatle now) - it makes me look as though i'm using - so nowsaday if it's not too cold i'll just eschew the hoodie/sweater altogether to cause less hassle for me...
The other day because of my choir concert in Fayetteville (about two hours due southish from the hill), i had to figure out how to wear the $100 tux that i bought about a week or two ago, including all the attachments like those tiny button thingies that you use instead of normal shirt buttons (i forget the name), and the matching cufflinks, which i was really absolutely clueless as to how to fix on (and in fact still have only a token clue as to how to fix on even now)... Well, tomorrow (or technically, today) marks the second and last performance that i have - that means probably the last time i'll be wearing the tux for a long time to come probably - so i suppose i'd better learn how to put all the stuff properly, to get my full money's worth from the tux... (and for all that effort and expense, i end up looking like a waiter at the Ritz-Carlton...)
I just ate another Sutton's burger today and have come to the conclusion that it's probably the best burger i've ever eaten so far in my life - Sida, your recommendation is much appreciated =)
I've also recently become a fan of eating dogs. No, of course not real dogs, nor hotdogs. I'm talking about these babies *yum* =p
Yeah, judging from the amout of greasy, cholesterol, trans-fat-laden, but oh-so-delicious food that i'm eating here, which can't be obtained back home, i'll definitely be losing weight once i get back to good old S'pore...
Have more or less finalized end-of-year travel plans -that's definitely very exciting - though perhaps my excitement and enthusiasm will dim somewhat once i take a look at my credit card bills...
Well, the cycle continues, and does the fact that by this stage, yours truly has once again forgotten a lot of what he wanted to say, which means, back to good old random posting again...
The weather's really wonky, i must say, the temperature can jump from below freezing to in the late 70s (think that's early 20-ish celcius wise) within the span of a day - never before have i realized the power that the online hour-by-hour weather forecast could hold over me, and in particular how i dress - berms/jeans? one shirt/two? hoodie/none? - all decisions made on a daily basis with great help from the folks at weather.com =) The thing that's definitely most annoying is stepping in and out of heated buildings when it's really freezing outside - i find it so troublesome to have to keep on putting on and taking off insulative layers of clothing - especially since doing so really messes up my already long and messy hair (when combed down, i kinda look like a Beatle now) - it makes me look as though i'm using - so nowsaday if it's not too cold i'll just eschew the hoodie/sweater altogether to cause less hassle for me...
The other day because of my choir concert in Fayetteville (about two hours due southish from the hill), i had to figure out how to wear the $100 tux that i bought about a week or two ago, including all the attachments like those tiny button thingies that you use instead of normal shirt buttons (i forget the name), and the matching cufflinks, which i was really absolutely clueless as to how to fix on (and in fact still have only a token clue as to how to fix on even now)... Well, tomorrow (or technically, today) marks the second and last performance that i have - that means probably the last time i'll be wearing the tux for a long time to come probably - so i suppose i'd better learn how to put all the stuff properly, to get my full money's worth from the tux... (and for all that effort and expense, i end up looking like a waiter at the Ritz-Carlton...)
I just ate another Sutton's burger today and have come to the conclusion that it's probably the best burger i've ever eaten so far in my life - Sida, your recommendation is much appreciated =)
I've also recently become a fan of eating dogs. No, of course not real dogs, nor hotdogs. I'm talking about these babies *yum* =p
Yeah, judging from the amout of greasy, cholesterol, trans-fat-laden, but oh-so-delicious food that i'm eating here, which can't be obtained back home, i'll definitely be losing weight once i get back to good old S'pore...
Have more or less finalized end-of-year travel plans -that's definitely very exciting - though perhaps my excitement and enthusiasm will dim somewhat once i take a look at my credit card bills...
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
A Tricky Treat
It's definitely an understatement for me to say that i'm feeling rather uneasy right now.
A good kind of unease though - unease at seemingly having little, if any schoolwork to get done at this point in time.
Usually monday evenings at this time are marked by my frantic scrambling (ok i paint a way to hardworking picture of myself there but you get my drift) to get work done in the library, where i usually stay till at least past midnight.
But today, i'm happily seated here in my room typing this at my own leisure, and am probably gonna have an early night as well...
Well, the past few days have been a good time of self-reflection for me, in large part i guess thanks to the lesser-than-average amount of work that i had to do over the weekend - was able to spend time meeting with and talking to people, talking to God, being still, that sorta thing - so the past weekend was definitely one of the most refreshing for me so far - and at least in terms of spiritual refreshment far better than the two previous and otherwise refreshing weekends that i spent out of town. Next week promises to be good too methinks, since many others will either be out of town camping near Boone or going for IV Chapter retreat, while i'll not be able to go for either cos i've a choir concert on Friday night at Fayetteville and so i won't be around the hill on Friday afternoon, which is when both trips leave... While i'd really love to go for either trip (definitely more so than having to perform), at least things will be quieter around here over the rest of the weekend while so many people are gone - which i'm sure could go a long way...
Also managed to get a good long run on Sunday morning - the first in many weeks - and the weather was nice and cool too - that was nice - when i get back to S'pore the first run i go for will definitely be a very painful and dehydrating affair when compared to this - here i feel like i could carry on running for hours on end...
One thing that's been on my mind quite a bit is Halloween. It's a really big thingy here (Franklin Street, where my hall is on, closes every Halloween night for festivities - apparently between 50000 to 70000 people from all over the state will descend upon the hill, and Franklin Street in particular, and party the night away) but i'm far from big about it - apart from the more typically matt reason that i'm too lazy to bother to dress up as anything apart from a study abroad student at UNC from S'pore (i.e. as myself), there's also my own reservations that i have regarding the dubious origins and the poor basis (in my opinion) for celebrating such a holiday in the first place - especially with the roots in paganism and all that (this probably an inheritance from my father). Yeah as much as the holiday can be rationalized in such a way that there really is no issue with Christians celebrating it (and don't get me wrong - personally i see no problem in this rationalization), but on a personal level it just doesn't sit well with me... Yeah really appreciate the advice that some of y'all have given me regarding this - one the one hand i feel like i'm making a mountain out of a molehill but on the other, don't think that i can just brush aside the whole issue like that...
Well, whatever it is, one thing is clear to me - whatever candy comes my way this Halloween will definitely be welcome with open mouth...
A good kind of unease though - unease at seemingly having little, if any schoolwork to get done at this point in time.
Usually monday evenings at this time are marked by my frantic scrambling (ok i paint a way to hardworking picture of myself there but you get my drift) to get work done in the library, where i usually stay till at least past midnight.
But today, i'm happily seated here in my room typing this at my own leisure, and am probably gonna have an early night as well...
Well, the past few days have been a good time of self-reflection for me, in large part i guess thanks to the lesser-than-average amount of work that i had to do over the weekend - was able to spend time meeting with and talking to people, talking to God, being still, that sorta thing - so the past weekend was definitely one of the most refreshing for me so far - and at least in terms of spiritual refreshment far better than the two previous and otherwise refreshing weekends that i spent out of town. Next week promises to be good too methinks, since many others will either be out of town camping near Boone or going for IV Chapter retreat, while i'll not be able to go for either cos i've a choir concert on Friday night at Fayetteville and so i won't be around the hill on Friday afternoon, which is when both trips leave... While i'd really love to go for either trip (definitely more so than having to perform), at least things will be quieter around here over the rest of the weekend while so many people are gone - which i'm sure could go a long way...
Also managed to get a good long run on Sunday morning - the first in many weeks - and the weather was nice and cool too - that was nice - when i get back to S'pore the first run i go for will definitely be a very painful and dehydrating affair when compared to this - here i feel like i could carry on running for hours on end...
One thing that's been on my mind quite a bit is Halloween. It's a really big thingy here (Franklin Street, where my hall is on, closes every Halloween night for festivities - apparently between 50000 to 70000 people from all over the state will descend upon the hill, and Franklin Street in particular, and party the night away) but i'm far from big about it - apart from the more typically matt reason that i'm too lazy to bother to dress up as anything apart from a study abroad student at UNC from S'pore (i.e. as myself), there's also my own reservations that i have regarding the dubious origins and the poor basis (in my opinion) for celebrating such a holiday in the first place - especially with the roots in paganism and all that (this probably an inheritance from my father). Yeah as much as the holiday can be rationalized in such a way that there really is no issue with Christians celebrating it (and don't get me wrong - personally i see no problem in this rationalization), but on a personal level it just doesn't sit well with me... Yeah really appreciate the advice that some of y'all have given me regarding this - one the one hand i feel like i'm making a mountain out of a molehill but on the other, don't think that i can just brush aside the whole issue like that...
Well, whatever it is, one thing is clear to me - whatever candy comes my way this Halloween will definitely be welcome with open mouth...
Friday, October 13, 2006
No, not the salad place...
Finally am here in Waldorf, MD; in the metropolitan D.C. area. Am staying with one of my Filipino cousins and the family - including their two children, whom technically i am the uncle of, even though they're like 16 and 14 years old... Freaky...
Anyhoos, today was a very fulfilling day, in the sense that two things on my to-do list have finally been struck of, one being (on Sida's behest) to eat a Sutton's burger (which i did for lunch and had no regrets whatsoever about doing - in fact i'll definitely try to find more opportunities to eat there, in spite of the inconvenient hours...), and the other being to take a plane ride by myself (which i did between RDU and here, even though i suppose to get a fuller experience i should also make my own way to and from the airport; which i have no clue as to how to do so).
Additionally, a little bonus came my way in my having an A&W Rootbeer Float - my first this millennium i reckon - while waiting to board the plane at RDU - and since the only A&W that i know of here is in RDU, that provides the perfect value-adding device to any trip taken in and out of there - i shal bear that in mind for next week...
At RDU i stopped at one of the shops to buy some food as gifts, and it so happened that the lady at the cashier was a Filipino - somehow i can often tell who are my kababayan (fellow countrypeople) - and apparently so can she, since she asked me if i was Filipino when i was paying for the stuff. I tried to reply in Tagalog that my mother is Filipino but instead it came out as "nanay mo..." which means "your mother" instead - so i just gave up and conceded that i can't speak the language... Ah well...
It's nice to see my relatives after so long - the last time was 1997 in the Phil - my niece and nephew (gosh is that creepy or what?) look totally different from when i last saw them... Think this weekend will be a very enjoyable one...
The only dampener on the mood (and what experience would be complete without one of those?) is of course the four books and many other notes that i've to consult while i'm here in preperation for my three midterms on three successive days next week. One is a take-home paper with the question only just released - looks like i'll be attempting it while i'm here - while the other two require the reading and reviewing of four books plus lots of notes so naturally i'm choosing to put them out of my mind for as long as possible, though i don't envision this escapist solution as being very beneficial in the long run...
Anyhoos, today was a very fulfilling day, in the sense that two things on my to-do list have finally been struck of, one being (on Sida's behest) to eat a Sutton's burger (which i did for lunch and had no regrets whatsoever about doing - in fact i'll definitely try to find more opportunities to eat there, in spite of the inconvenient hours...), and the other being to take a plane ride by myself (which i did between RDU and here, even though i suppose to get a fuller experience i should also make my own way to and from the airport; which i have no clue as to how to do so).
Additionally, a little bonus came my way in my having an A&W Rootbeer Float - my first this millennium i reckon - while waiting to board the plane at RDU - and since the only A&W that i know of here is in RDU, that provides the perfect value-adding device to any trip taken in and out of there - i shal bear that in mind for next week...
At RDU i stopped at one of the shops to buy some food as gifts, and it so happened that the lady at the cashier was a Filipino - somehow i can often tell who are my kababayan (fellow countrypeople) - and apparently so can she, since she asked me if i was Filipino when i was paying for the stuff. I tried to reply in Tagalog that my mother is Filipino but instead it came out as "nanay mo..." which means "your mother" instead - so i just gave up and conceded that i can't speak the language... Ah well...
It's nice to see my relatives after so long - the last time was 1997 in the Phil - my niece and nephew (gosh is that creepy or what?) look totally different from when i last saw them... Think this weekend will be a very enjoyable one...
The only dampener on the mood (and what experience would be complete without one of those?) is of course the four books and many other notes that i've to consult while i'm here in preperation for my three midterms on three successive days next week. One is a take-home paper with the question only just released - looks like i'll be attempting it while i'm here - while the other two require the reading and reviewing of four books plus lots of notes so naturally i'm choosing to put them out of my mind for as long as possible, though i don't envision this escapist solution as being very beneficial in the long run...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Give and take...
Ok once again i've a backlog of things that i want to talk about over here, thanks to the need to clear work first, so humor (American spelling cos am in America) me here while i go about the process of trying to recall all the stuff...
Well, this was like from two weeks ago, but anyways i saw my first wild deer since coming here - It was when i went running in the nearby woods (believe me it's much less dangerous than it sounds) two Sunday mornings ago and went off the main trail onto some rougher trail up a slope when i heard a lot of rustling, then i turned to my left and said "Oh, deer!" (ok so i didn't say that =p) as i saw the rapidly bobbing away backside of a white tail, either a female or a juvenile methinks (If it was a female then i wonder if when she saw me she went "Doh!" (geddit? =p)... Well, anyways i was thinking that the deer was a little kancheong, cos i would not even have noticed it had it not decided to flee in fear of its life. If i were a hunter, it would so be dead meat now (or more specifically, venison)
Speaking of running, i've sort of decided to do so every Sunday morning somewhere around UNC cos the church service that i regularly go to (i.e. i've been there twice so far) is at 11am, and my ride only leaves campus at earliest 10:30am; so there's more than ample time to exercise in the morning before service. The weather is also way more condusive for running, at least 10 degrees celcius cooler and way less humid too - which means that i don't end up with a shirt that carries a wading pool's worth of liquid in it. And talking about pools, maybe one Sunday i'll try out the indoor pool here instead, if not just for the been there, done that experience of swimming in an indoor pool...
And from the way i've been eating here recently, i think i'll need all the exercise that i can get. It's especially so whenever i end up eating at one of the two dining halls, which basically offer buffet-style stuff all the time. Thankfully i didn't get a meal plan, or i'd be eating from these places far more often... The problem is that, true to the url of this blog, not only my language (dis)abilities, but even my food preferences also are very angmoh-oriented (including potatoes), so i have no problem with wolfing down burger after burger, pizza slice after pizza slice, wrap after wrap and then some - you get the picture... Even when i hit the salad bar the veggies are inevitably smothered in ranch dressing - heck - i even smother my pizza in ranch dressing... Yes, i know for many of the readers of this blog it's basically the same old same old, but ah well i guess this will be a constant lament of mine...
I just had my first two midterms on Friday and this afternoon - they were not the best of papers, but they're definitely passable - though honestly i am still aiming for something higher than that - but will make do - i don't want to be obsessed over grades again - it would be really toot of me to do so when it's pass/fail after all... In other academic news it was quite a surreal experience just now when i went for my Monday 5-8pm class only to find a note pinned on the doorpost saying that lesson was cancelled for the week - this is the class that i'd been having loads of problems with before, and that i've to do a book report and a presentation of the report + of the other readings for the week of too - and did i mention Monday 5-8pm? Of course once it hit me, i was pretty happy - and i celebrated by eating a giant steak burrito (about a foot long) for dinner at Cosmic Cantina (oh gosh that makes me sound like a real glutton doesn't it... well in my defense, i had a voucher...)
Oh ya, frisbee - did you know that they (i.e. IV) play ultimate every friday here? And the attendance when i went was really big - like more than 40 people over four teams - and each game definitely had an abundance of people as a result. We should do that back home - though i have the feeling that the attendance would be pretty bad if not solely cos of work - which is quite tragic given that on average there definitely is more work to do over here than back home - yet over here the people still come down for an hour or two or de-stressing... It was great fun [even though i re-aggrevated my left pinky injury (kinda like Joce's from Mongolia only far less gross-looking) that i obtained two days earlier while i was playing ultimate with some of the guys on my floor; and had also just recovered from another finger injury obtained a few days earlier when i was, you guessed it, playing frisbee at the beach during the IV new student retreat - thankfully all the affected digits were on my left hand so i could write properly...].
Ok think i should do something about my food issues - right now all i can think of is the bag of day-old bagels that i'm planning to buy tomorrow from Alpine at only $1.70...
Well, this was like from two weeks ago, but anyways i saw my first wild deer since coming here - It was when i went running in the nearby woods (believe me it's much less dangerous than it sounds) two Sunday mornings ago and went off the main trail onto some rougher trail up a slope when i heard a lot of rustling, then i turned to my left and said "Oh, deer!" (ok so i didn't say that =p) as i saw the rapidly bobbing away backside of a white tail, either a female or a juvenile methinks (If it was a female then i wonder if when she saw me she went "Doh!" (geddit? =p)... Well, anyways i was thinking that the deer was a little kancheong, cos i would not even have noticed it had it not decided to flee in fear of its life. If i were a hunter, it would so be dead meat now (or more specifically, venison)
Speaking of running, i've sort of decided to do so every Sunday morning somewhere around UNC cos the church service that i regularly go to (i.e. i've been there twice so far) is at 11am, and my ride only leaves campus at earliest 10:30am; so there's more than ample time to exercise in the morning before service. The weather is also way more condusive for running, at least 10 degrees celcius cooler and way less humid too - which means that i don't end up with a shirt that carries a wading pool's worth of liquid in it. And talking about pools, maybe one Sunday i'll try out the indoor pool here instead, if not just for the been there, done that experience of swimming in an indoor pool...
And from the way i've been eating here recently, i think i'll need all the exercise that i can get. It's especially so whenever i end up eating at one of the two dining halls, which basically offer buffet-style stuff all the time. Thankfully i didn't get a meal plan, or i'd be eating from these places far more often... The problem is that, true to the url of this blog, not only my language (dis)abilities, but even my food preferences also are very angmoh-oriented (including potatoes), so i have no problem with wolfing down burger after burger, pizza slice after pizza slice, wrap after wrap and then some - you get the picture... Even when i hit the salad bar the veggies are inevitably smothered in ranch dressing - heck - i even smother my pizza in ranch dressing... Yes, i know for many of the readers of this blog it's basically the same old same old, but ah well i guess this will be a constant lament of mine...
I just had my first two midterms on Friday and this afternoon - they were not the best of papers, but they're definitely passable - though honestly i am still aiming for something higher than that - but will make do - i don't want to be obsessed over grades again - it would be really toot of me to do so when it's pass/fail after all... In other academic news it was quite a surreal experience just now when i went for my Monday 5-8pm class only to find a note pinned on the doorpost saying that lesson was cancelled for the week - this is the class that i'd been having loads of problems with before, and that i've to do a book report and a presentation of the report + of the other readings for the week of too - and did i mention Monday 5-8pm? Of course once it hit me, i was pretty happy - and i celebrated by eating a giant steak burrito (about a foot long) for dinner at Cosmic Cantina (oh gosh that makes me sound like a real glutton doesn't it... well in my defense, i had a voucher...)
Oh ya, frisbee - did you know that they (i.e. IV) play ultimate every friday here? And the attendance when i went was really big - like more than 40 people over four teams - and each game definitely had an abundance of people as a result. We should do that back home - though i have the feeling that the attendance would be pretty bad if not solely cos of work - which is quite tragic given that on average there definitely is more work to do over here than back home - yet over here the people still come down for an hour or two or de-stressing... It was great fun [even though i re-aggrevated my left pinky injury (kinda like Joce's from Mongolia only far less gross-looking) that i obtained two days earlier while i was playing ultimate with some of the guys on my floor; and had also just recovered from another finger injury obtained a few days earlier when i was, you guessed it, playing frisbee at the beach during the IV new student retreat - thankfully all the affected digits were on my left hand so i could write properly...].
Ok think i should do something about my food issues - right now all i can think of is the bag of day-old bagels that i'm planning to buy tomorrow from Alpine at only $1.70...
Friday, September 29, 2006
DRYER 1, MATT 0
Today i did the laundry myself for the third time ever - i dunno why after using it twice i suddenly seemed to forget how to use the dryer - after loading it i swiped my card and pressed the appropriate button but then nothing seemed to happen - so i repeated the process a couple of times, but to no avail. There were no other free dryers available (one of them had a pair of track shoes and nothing else in them and was not switched on but didn't want to take them out just in case the owner would get angry) so i waited patiently for someone to clear her own clothes from another dryer before transferring my laundry to that dryer.
It was then when i realised that i didn't know where i had put the softener sheet that i'm supposed to chuck into the dryer together with the clothes - i had taken it out a minute before but within that minute i had lost it... I searched among the laundry and in both dryers but could not find it. And rather than potentially wasting another sheet, i just happily assumed that it was somewhere in the dryer with the clothes.
It was when the same problem occured with this new dryer that i finally realized that the first dryer wasn't spoiled, it was just that i was not following the proper procedure. Then later on, after i had unloaded the dryer, i took a casual look in the original one and lo and behold, suddenly the softener sheet decided to appear visible to me again, when just half an hour prior to that i could not find it in the same dryer...
So that's basically a long-winded and boring way of saying that i've been pretty blur today - on top of this whole dryer fiasco there also was my leaving the room key dangling from the key hole facing the corridor and earlier on my failure to look carefully at the laptop screen which, to cut a long story short, resulted in my having to pay at least US$30 more than i should have for my Chicago tickets... It's highly annoying...
Well, in other noteworthy news, today also marked my first day in living memory whereby i had a purely vegetarian diet. Glazed Blueberry Doughnut from Krispy Kreme (though i'd think that it must be one of the most unhealthy vegetarian thingies around - and i dunno - maybe they use animal shortening too), Berry Lime Sublime smoothie from Jamba Juice , a free (it's some charity thingy with the Make-A-Wish Foundation) scoop of Cole's Creation at Cold Stone Creamery, a huge slice of artichoke and sun-dried tomato pizza with some fancy name that i can't remember from Pepper's Pizza, and then a Twix bar just now. The food wasn't bad, but this is honestly something that i could never keep up doing - i need my meat...
It was then when i realised that i didn't know where i had put the softener sheet that i'm supposed to chuck into the dryer together with the clothes - i had taken it out a minute before but within that minute i had lost it... I searched among the laundry and in both dryers but could not find it. And rather than potentially wasting another sheet, i just happily assumed that it was somewhere in the dryer with the clothes.
It was when the same problem occured with this new dryer that i finally realized that the first dryer wasn't spoiled, it was just that i was not following the proper procedure. Then later on, after i had unloaded the dryer, i took a casual look in the original one and lo and behold, suddenly the softener sheet decided to appear visible to me again, when just half an hour prior to that i could not find it in the same dryer...
So that's basically a long-winded and boring way of saying that i've been pretty blur today - on top of this whole dryer fiasco there also was my leaving the room key dangling from the key hole facing the corridor and earlier on my failure to look carefully at the laptop screen which, to cut a long story short, resulted in my having to pay at least US$30 more than i should have for my Chicago tickets... It's highly annoying...
Well, in other noteworthy news, today also marked my first day in living memory whereby i had a purely vegetarian diet. Glazed Blueberry Doughnut from Krispy Kreme (though i'd think that it must be one of the most unhealthy vegetarian thingies around - and i dunno - maybe they use animal shortening too), Berry Lime Sublime smoothie from Jamba Juice , a free (it's some charity thingy with the Make-A-Wish Foundation) scoop of Cole's Creation at Cold Stone Creamery, a huge slice of artichoke and sun-dried tomato pizza with some fancy name that i can't remember from Pepper's Pizza, and then a Twix bar just now. The food wasn't bad, but this is honestly something that i could never keep up doing - i need my meat...
Monday, September 25, 2006
Retreat
Just got back from the IV student retreat at Emerald Isle - first i'll make the usual announcement that for pics, since i'm too lazy to upload them over here and also because if i did so i'd be posting them in two seperate sites which is pretty redunxant methinks, do take a look over there =======>
Well, the retreat took up almost the entire weekend, which meant that i had to cram as much work as possible before i left - which is also good in the sense of having the bitter before the sweet (xian1 ku3 hou4 tian2 - i like bitter stuff though, particularly bittergourd so maybe that isn't the best figure of speech to use...). Thankfully the more pertinent stuff (the weekly response for the tough gender welfare course i'm taking) was cleared by the time i left on Friday afternoon - and i even had time to clear my emails and waste some time in mindless chilling here and there in between... There's still two tests this wednesday to keep in mind though, especially since i have not really done much reading for either of them, and i looked at the past papers for one of them and i really didn't know how to go about answering the questions asked. I'll see if i can leave them as much for the week itself though - am trying as far as possible to keep my Sundays work-free (it helps to be lazy in this sense i guess =p)
The retreat itself was a great experience - the venue itself was really cool - it's in the southern Outer Banks - basically a chain of barrier islands along the northern NC coastline - which basically means that the island is very thin and long, and you can see the coast on both sides when you stand in the middle of the island - i reckon that as some points, it's no more than 200 metres wide. The water on one side is a sound - an inlet of sea water seperated from the open ocean by the island itself, and needless to say the water on the other side is the open ocean itself...
I don't want to always draw comparisons between how things go about in IV and the same back in VCF, but anyways, basically it's different... But i still had a good time at the retreat - time to spend some good (and some not so good) time alone with God, to meet new people, to have some fun, to have old and new things alike (re-)impressed upon my heart; that sort of thing...
The weather was just at it's minimally-acceptable temperature to be doing stuff at the beach - so i got acquainted (or at least tried to) with American Football - till the end i still was pretty clueless as to stuff like which direction am i supposed to run if i do catch the ball (and i managed to do so once - hooray for that) and that sort of thing... Frisbee wasn't very successful either - cos the strong winds blowing in from the sea muddled the course of practically every frisbee throw. Riding the surf didn't work out too well either - the waves were much stronger than the other time, so often the waves just picked me up and deposited me in shallower waters - but not before giving me nasty scratches on my chest, elbow and knee from rough contact with the sand (looked like i kena mauled by a domestic cat) - there was one wave which even caused me to do an underwater half-cartwheel before landing hard on the sand left shoulder first - not exactly a painless experience - and of course i probably exceeded my day's required sodium intake in all of an hour in the water... But even with all that, it was fun you know...
Yeah and on top of that there was other stuff like singing bizarre action songs (Baby Shark!), stories told that one will never forget, an ice-cream eating contest out of the gutter (that was an experience for sure)... Yup but too bad i have no pictures of those, and it's no fun to just verbally describe all this stuff without y'all actually seeing it, so i'll just leave it at that...
We had good lodgings while we were there - they rented some nice beach houses - far better than what we have in sentosa that's for sure - only problem's that they had to spread everyone out - less than 10 per house, and there were 130 people in total, so it was harder to get to know more people (oops i'm comparing again...)... I enjoyed how i was able to wake up early in the morning and sit on the porch and read the Bible - such a refreshing environment...
This morning i actually wanted to go for a run - reminds me of running at ECP, only far cooler and far more scenic - but i decided to pass because of a lack of time. I was semi-regretting not running afterward cos i helped myself to some Hostess frosted chocolate donettes - then i took a look after that at the nutritional information at the back of the box, only to realise that just three of the little donettes (only two inches in diameter) - incidentally the number of donettes i ate was three - would already account for 45% of one's daily recommended saturated fat intake or something or other - troubling... (though of course those thingies were so addictive that i ate one more anyways...)
Alright, back to school tomorrow then, hope can find time to finalize fall break plans...
ta!
Well, the retreat took up almost the entire weekend, which meant that i had to cram as much work as possible before i left - which is also good in the sense of having the bitter before the sweet (xian1 ku3 hou4 tian2 - i like bitter stuff though, particularly bittergourd so maybe that isn't the best figure of speech to use...). Thankfully the more pertinent stuff (the weekly response for the tough gender welfare course i'm taking) was cleared by the time i left on Friday afternoon - and i even had time to clear my emails and waste some time in mindless chilling here and there in between... There's still two tests this wednesday to keep in mind though, especially since i have not really done much reading for either of them, and i looked at the past papers for one of them and i really didn't know how to go about answering the questions asked. I'll see if i can leave them as much for the week itself though - am trying as far as possible to keep my Sundays work-free (it helps to be lazy in this sense i guess =p)
The retreat itself was a great experience - the venue itself was really cool - it's in the southern Outer Banks - basically a chain of barrier islands along the northern NC coastline - which basically means that the island is very thin and long, and you can see the coast on both sides when you stand in the middle of the island - i reckon that as some points, it's no more than 200 metres wide. The water on one side is a sound - an inlet of sea water seperated from the open ocean by the island itself, and needless to say the water on the other side is the open ocean itself...
I don't want to always draw comparisons between how things go about in IV and the same back in VCF, but anyways, basically it's different... But i still had a good time at the retreat - time to spend some good (and some not so good) time alone with God, to meet new people, to have some fun, to have old and new things alike (re-)impressed upon my heart; that sort of thing...
The weather was just at it's minimally-acceptable temperature to be doing stuff at the beach - so i got acquainted (or at least tried to) with American Football - till the end i still was pretty clueless as to stuff like which direction am i supposed to run if i do catch the ball (and i managed to do so once - hooray for that) and that sort of thing... Frisbee wasn't very successful either - cos the strong winds blowing in from the sea muddled the course of practically every frisbee throw. Riding the surf didn't work out too well either - the waves were much stronger than the other time, so often the waves just picked me up and deposited me in shallower waters - but not before giving me nasty scratches on my chest, elbow and knee from rough contact with the sand (looked like i kena mauled by a domestic cat) - there was one wave which even caused me to do an underwater half-cartwheel before landing hard on the sand left shoulder first - not exactly a painless experience - and of course i probably exceeded my day's required sodium intake in all of an hour in the water... But even with all that, it was fun you know...
Yeah and on top of that there was other stuff like singing bizarre action songs (Baby Shark!), stories told that one will never forget, an ice-cream eating contest out of the gutter (that was an experience for sure)... Yup but too bad i have no pictures of those, and it's no fun to just verbally describe all this stuff without y'all actually seeing it, so i'll just leave it at that...
We had good lodgings while we were there - they rented some nice beach houses - far better than what we have in sentosa that's for sure - only problem's that they had to spread everyone out - less than 10 per house, and there were 130 people in total, so it was harder to get to know more people (oops i'm comparing again...)... I enjoyed how i was able to wake up early in the morning and sit on the porch and read the Bible - such a refreshing environment...
This morning i actually wanted to go for a run - reminds me of running at ECP, only far cooler and far more scenic - but i decided to pass because of a lack of time. I was semi-regretting not running afterward cos i helped myself to some Hostess frosted chocolate donettes - then i took a look after that at the nutritional information at the back of the box, only to realise that just three of the little donettes (only two inches in diameter) - incidentally the number of donettes i ate was three - would already account for 45% of one's daily recommended saturated fat intake or something or other - troubling... (though of course those thingies were so addictive that i ate one more anyways...)
Alright, back to school tomorrow then, hope can find time to finalize fall break plans...
ta!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
They evade me so...
I type this in another of my anything-but-schoolwork moods, since i am almost about to finish two killer readings on mainstream models of welfare states, after which i then have to proceed to do a two-page response to them to submit electronically by tomorrow. This is the only real killer course that i am taking - and i can honestly admit that at this point in time, i am only not dropping it because it is very favourably mapped. It is interesting, i won't deny that, but the level is just rather beyond me (like half of my class are grad students). For these two readings in question, my general response to them so far is "huh?". And this is only the first set of readings - i'm supposed to do this for every week's set of readings. And i ask myself, how am i gonna write a response to them if i really catch no ball?
And while we're on the subject of catching no ball, that was precisely what the tar heels did just now during the VA Tech game - a crushing loss (35-10) with annoying and very avoidable interceptions (not that i would be able to avoid them though...) - when i saw that the situation for us was helpless by the opening of the third quarter, i just decided to leave the stadium together with other jaded Singaporeans and go back to my room to continue with reading this incomprehensible stuff.
But basically, what i've been meaning to say is that it's extra frustrating because i think i'm really rather diligent a student here - this is like the most productive saturday i've had workwise in this entire calendar year methinks (for me to be able to start work anytime before noontime on a saturday is really an event worth popping open a bottle of champagne to) - and i started at nine... And yet in spite of my newfound chao mugger personality i'm still way behind work wise - i've barely given time to my usual time-wasting pursuits like typing emails at an over-leisurely pace, checking up on US Open scores online or taking forever to tag my facebook pictures...
Ah but it's hardly the end of the world like i probably make this seem like - this work will be completed in time and i will get through this whole atas welfare class which ironically has deprived me of much of its own subject matter...
You see things are already starting to get better for me - in an hour's time, i'm off for dinner at Arby's =)
And while we're on the subject of catching no ball, that was precisely what the tar heels did just now during the VA Tech game - a crushing loss (35-10) with annoying and very avoidable interceptions (not that i would be able to avoid them though...) - when i saw that the situation for us was helpless by the opening of the third quarter, i just decided to leave the stadium together with other jaded Singaporeans and go back to my room to continue with reading this incomprehensible stuff.
But basically, what i've been meaning to say is that it's extra frustrating because i think i'm really rather diligent a student here - this is like the most productive saturday i've had workwise in this entire calendar year methinks (for me to be able to start work anytime before noontime on a saturday is really an event worth popping open a bottle of champagne to) - and i started at nine... And yet in spite of my newfound chao mugger personality i'm still way behind work wise - i've barely given time to my usual time-wasting pursuits like typing emails at an over-leisurely pace, checking up on US Open scores online or taking forever to tag my facebook pictures...
Ah but it's hardly the end of the world like i probably make this seem like - this work will be completed in time and i will get through this whole atas welfare class which ironically has deprived me of much of its own subject matter...
You see things are already starting to get better for me - in an hour's time, i'm off for dinner at Arby's =)
Thursday, August 31, 2006
The return of the aching calves
Ok this morning as i woke up i remembered what it was that i wanted to type last night but totally forgot about just as i was about to type it. How did i immediately remember this? Cos as i was descending the top floor of the lofted bed, i suddenly felt sharp pains in my calf muscles - and then it struck me - i forgot to cool down after yesterday's run...
So yesterday, after having a bit more of a spring in my step owing to the TB free thingy (which in any case, really is a much smaller deal than i made it out to be), i went back to the room and decided that i should finally push myself to run - since that has been what i've been telling myself to do without any success ever since i stepped foot in this country - especially after having a taste of the kind of food that i'd by and large be eating everyday...
And i ran - pretty quickly might i add - from Spencer all the way down E. Franklin Street past the intersection with Roosevelt (read: Franklin and Roosevelt - cool huh...) Applebees to the next junction (i know to almost everyone reading this the preceeding had no significance whatsoever, but trust me, it was far) before i decided to turn back because i had already reached 17 minutes and my goal was to run a total of more than 30 minutes so that the workout would be effective.
Oh, but did i mention, that the 17 minutes spent sprinting down E. Franklin was all downhill? So that meant that when i turned back, the journey back to Spencer would be a long and arduous trek uphill. However, as the saying goes, from that point on, it was all downhill from there (though maybe not all downhill since the gradient of the route was uphill but you get the picture right...) - after only around nine or so minutes hobbling up the slope at a snail's pace i decided to just admit that i cannot make it and just walk the rest of the way. Just as well, since i was getting light-headed from the slow ascent - and it definitely had nothing to do with rarefied air as my altitude increased. Nope, it was just due to the fact that i was spent. So light-headed n fact that i was afraid that i would accidentally run myself onto the road and into the path of speeding cars - i might have made the front page of the Daily Tar Heel yet had i not given up and started to walk haha...
Well, after i got back i was dead tired and wanted to just shower and then rest and maybe go and eat a little later. But lo and behold it was tuesday (i.e. get-everyone-together-to-finish-off-people's-meal-plans-before-they-expire-the-next-day day) so i had to quickly hit the showers and then be off to the dining hall [btw, i didn't get a meal plan because i simply cannot imagine myself eating an all-you-can-eat spread the size (the kind of size of spread that in S'pore i'd typically starve a whole day for) of what's offered at the dining hall at least once a day every week, and at the prices offered it just was not worth it for me - and just so you'd know, the 'special' for yesterday's dinner was Kiwi Watermelon Soup - 'nuff said]. This meant that i forgot to cool down and to cut a long story short, accounts for my aching calf muscles this morning...
So anyway, i'm thankful that i'm starting to settle down better here now - i wouldn't exactly say that things are going smoothly, but overall things are working out fine - just the expected issues of coping with a different style of class (and feeling obliged to provide my international student's perspective into the class discussions - my TA dropped his jaw today when i told the class roughly how much certain office bearers back home make annually - and i would too - for goodness' sake his own president makes less than that...)
So yesterday, after having a bit more of a spring in my step owing to the TB free thingy (which in any case, really is a much smaller deal than i made it out to be), i went back to the room and decided that i should finally push myself to run - since that has been what i've been telling myself to do without any success ever since i stepped foot in this country - especially after having a taste of the kind of food that i'd by and large be eating everyday...
And i ran - pretty quickly might i add - from Spencer all the way down E. Franklin Street past the intersection with Roosevelt (read: Franklin and Roosevelt - cool huh...) Applebees to the next junction (i know to almost everyone reading this the preceeding had no significance whatsoever, but trust me, it was far) before i decided to turn back because i had already reached 17 minutes and my goal was to run a total of more than 30 minutes so that the workout would be effective.
Oh, but did i mention, that the 17 minutes spent sprinting down E. Franklin was all downhill? So that meant that when i turned back, the journey back to Spencer would be a long and arduous trek uphill. However, as the saying goes, from that point on, it was all downhill from there (though maybe not all downhill since the gradient of the route was uphill but you get the picture right...) - after only around nine or so minutes hobbling up the slope at a snail's pace i decided to just admit that i cannot make it and just walk the rest of the way. Just as well, since i was getting light-headed from the slow ascent - and it definitely had nothing to do with rarefied air as my altitude increased. Nope, it was just due to the fact that i was spent. So light-headed n fact that i was afraid that i would accidentally run myself onto the road and into the path of speeding cars - i might have made the front page of the Daily Tar Heel yet had i not given up and started to walk haha...
Well, after i got back i was dead tired and wanted to just shower and then rest and maybe go and eat a little later. But lo and behold it was tuesday (i.e. get-everyone-together-to-finish-off-people's-meal-plans-before-they-expire-the-next-day day) so i had to quickly hit the showers and then be off to the dining hall [btw, i didn't get a meal plan because i simply cannot imagine myself eating an all-you-can-eat spread the size (the kind of size of spread that in S'pore i'd typically starve a whole day for) of what's offered at the dining hall at least once a day every week, and at the prices offered it just was not worth it for me - and just so you'd know, the 'special' for yesterday's dinner was Kiwi Watermelon Soup - 'nuff said]. This meant that i forgot to cool down and to cut a long story short, accounts for my aching calf muscles this morning...
So anyway, i'm thankful that i'm starting to settle down better here now - i wouldn't exactly say that things are going smoothly, but overall things are working out fine - just the expected issues of coping with a different style of class (and feeling obliged to provide my international student's perspective into the class discussions - my TA dropped his jaw today when i told the class roughly how much certain office bearers back home make annually - and i would too - for goodness' sake his own president makes less than that...)
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