Life of a Traveling Philosopher

2012-02-09T04:58:00.001-08:00

Kind words never fail to make me smile :)

Dear Sebastian, Thank You, NTU Student volunteers for the App. V aluable is the work you do,O utstanding in how you always come through.L oyal, sincere and full of good cheer,U ntiring in your efforts throughout the year.N otable are the contributions you make,T rustworthy in every project you take.E ager to reach your every goal,E ffective in the way you fulfill your role.R eady with a smile like a shining star,S pecial and wonderful - that’s what you are!

A long day (and night of volunteering)

2012-01-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

Yawn... just woke up after one long, sleepless night up improving the mobile volunteering app, then one straight, tiring day volunteering at Highpoint Community Services.

It's surprisingly refreshing to go down to the ground and get our knees dirty in helping for a good cause! I had an interesting 'job rotation' as I carried sacks of rice with Meesala (an Indian MBA getting a job here), packed food with VL Jiaqi for homes of the elderly, being sent on a 'learning excursion' delivery route in a van with Ho Fai and Uncle Richard, and finally learning about high fashion while arranging old clothes with Anne. Along the way, I had a fun break drinking some weird ass drink some company donated crates of (for good reason i'm sure...) with Uncle Bernard, a 60 or 70-ish teacher who shared a couple of years of his life story and almost began proselytizing to me before i escaped =p.

I couldn't help smiling when I was doing some of the menial labour... guess I have a couple of bolts loose somewhere haha. I just felt a 'feel-good' sensation - and i guess it's the thing that keeps me going thru my past leadership experiences as well. Working for the sake of others cleanses the soul... it validates our common existence in this world of ours and makes you feel like you've gotten just a little closer to all the mass of human beings out there trying to eke out a meager living. It makes you feel alive - yes, for only when you are truly alive, do you think and care for others, do you share your love for the world. Otherwise, what differentiates you from a moving object, a machine?

It was invigorating, too, to get to share some of my thoughts and experiences with a common soul Ho Fai, whom I shared an hour or so on the delivery route! We really poured our hearts out, talking about our dreams and aspirations, our life stories that built us up. Amazing how a great connection just sparks like that, simply by being open to making new friends.

Ah well... I almost forgot my original purpose, to get more feedback for the mobile app! Still thinking about how to make it more engaging, more attractive towards users. How should we go about making people volunteer more? What makes people volunteer, and what makes them not volunteer? Will they do it if it's fun? If it's with friends? If they got recognition or rewards?

These are some of the questions i have been throwing around recently, to understand the real problem i'm trying to solve. It's not about thinking of what the app can do, but rather what people need or want. And there's no simple answer to this, so all i can do is to keep digging and digging, probing people, asking questions.

But truly, thanks to this project, I have gotten to thinking and learning a lot in more than one way. I like the new experiences i've been getting recently too. Even though there is much that doesn't excite me anymore, there is still a great part of the unexplored world out there for me to venture into.

After all, all we want is a reason to live.

One Night in Beijing, Two in Shanghai

2012-01-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Back from a grueling winter in Beijing and Shanghai, China!

I spent Christmas snuggled under the sheets, feverish and sneezing from a cold in the hotel. Not very merry indeed. And New Year's Day saw me climbing the Great Wall and leaving a trail of snot...haha.

I really loved the Great Wall though, it left me the same feeling as the Grand Canyon... 'Wow.' I must go back sometime and take a few days to walk and camp through the Wall...hmm is that allowed? They don't have patrols at night do they...

I feel like I still barely know China after having toured around the Jiang nan area. We were brought about to skim the surface of cities, a touristy ride through attractions and whatnots. But i still enjoyed getting a glimpse of how locals live, from the way they dress and walk, to the houses and shops they inhabit. The tour guides of course fed us loads of fun facts and themed stories, with the occasional historical tidbit. At the end of the day, I do not feel as though I have understood any of the great cities we have breezed through.

I breeze through Life not with Wind. - George Bernard Shaw

The propaganda was surely laid on thick, from the guide's resolute exhortation that we were 'people of China with Singaporean passports" to the incessant reminder of filial piety to our parents, our grandparents, whoever that could justify buying a new silk pillow, a kilo of green tea leaves for. I am proud to say that our group has bought it all and fulfilled every shop's sales quota along the way. My contribution to the table: $8 for a bottle of pearl cream that stun my eyes horribly after applying it like a facial mask. Well done.

I will never forget the impressive sales techniques practised on us, like we were little white mice rolling on a wheel. I have a true admiration for this art - it truly is an elaborate art - of putting thoughts into the minds of others. Kinda like Genjutsu, only better.

I especially like how we are so good at rationalizing things...religion and superstitions, all buttressed by half-truths and fallacies. Another thing that was rationalized - the Suzhou Industrial Park, gave me more food for thought. In the ever-present dilemma between development and conservation, we always talk about the benefit for the lives of the many versus the detriment of the few. In reality, it's a veil in disguise; very often it's not the majority oppressing the few, but rather the few with many oppressing the few with little.

It has still been a refreshing, enriching trip through and through, and I am grateful for this grad trip that has enabled me to reconnect with all my BCG coursemates. I pray the memories we have forged together stands strong like the Wall :)

Horizons

2011-12-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Back after a long hiatus!

It has been a refreshing blast of activity since the exams ended. I am actually hugely more busy now than during the exam period! I guess that hints at the mindset i hold towards taking exams now... haha. I studied maybe eight, nine hours total for each paper? The rest of the time, I have been indulging my passions...studying Go, reading Herman Hesse's books, taking long brooding walks, thinking about what I want to do.

After returning from overseas, I have been enjoying my new perspective on life.

Things like appreciating the simpler things in life, thinking up little projects like creative presents for friends, taking time out to admire a thunderstorm, and slowly chewing my breakfast despite being late for lessons.

Understanding and forgiving our weaknesses, observing people for who they are, and consciously giving praise and encouragement to close ones around me.

Dissolving my temper and negative feelings away, being more patient with things, seeing things from different angles, asking more questions about everything, and being thankful and amazed to know the answers.

Making dinner at home a priority, to talk more to my brothers, to cry more during sad movies, and laugh more during funny ones.

Taking charge in projects, learning to pay attention towards my teammates rather than the task at hand, giving myself hard chores and being hardworking for once... and rewarding myself after :)

Well.

Graduation is coming up soon, and job searching has been fruitless so far... ha. And i have just myself to blame... having applied to, say, 5 firms in total?

Guess i'm really stubborn about it. I swore myself to a life not of success, but of fulfillment. And I try to act on it. I realized that success-oriented, competitive environments or jobs that do not serve the greater part of society will not go with this. Hence I chose not to apply for financial, tobacco firms, etc.

I also aspire to be challenged in open and collaborative environments, to be pushed to reach new levels in my knowledge and skillsets... and so didn't apply for starting jobs in governmental, rigid organizations either. I'd love to hear from people who can share their experiences to refute my stereotyped views, but so far all my working friends have affirmed my beliefs in this.

Who's to say I won't conform to the rest of society and 'wake up' to reality? Nine out of ten friends around me absolutely adore bank jobs. The remaining one is already working in it. I've seen encouraging movements in the U.S., but the odds are stacked against me here in the zeitgeist of Singapore. I just hope to retain the new perspectives and mindsets I gained from my european friends, and be brave enough to fight for them.

Keeping my paradoxical aim of doing something challenging in a less success-oriented environment in mind, I have been actively tossing out competitive thoughts and ambition from my mind, and yet pro-actively seeking out opportunities to challenge myself in a fun, fulfilled way.

I find that strangely, my initiative towards things has actually increased as a result, while trying to be driven not by achievement but by fulfilment. To be pushed not by thoughts of myself, but of others as well. To be excited not by the chance to earn money but the opportunity to make a difference.

I set myself a midterm goal: to set up a nonprofit tech firm, something like Convio.

In the short run, I've recently made contact with Singapore's governmental agency in charge of volunteer orgs in Singapore, and managed to convince them to do a collaborative project with me and maran!

I have a dream of regular people, each and everyone of us, volunteering every so often for causes we believe in, people we want to help. I have a dream of reaching out to people, especially youths, to create a kinder, more caring society. It's an easy dream as far as dreams go, isn't it?

At least i know Technology can do this.

We're creating a mobile application that serves as a platform for people to freely logon, check out the latest volunteering events, and signup for them. Users can search for causes they're interested in, for events they have the time and energy to help out in. The best part? After using it for sometime, the app will smartly recommend the user what he's interested in, based on a model the app has constructed of him. That's what I call Artificial Intelligence :)

And to engage the youths and keep users going back to the app, we're making use of fun and social elements, such as achievements and reward points, and sharing on FB and twitter to invite friends to join the same event. How's that for viral marketing?

I'm really aiming to create something impactful and useful to society. We're in the heat of the action now, and some of my friends are joining me in this too, though we're still tight of manpower. Hopefully our creation will nudge up Singapore's volunteerism rate by at least 0.5% within the next six months. I'd really love to see that realized!

I don't think I would have gone this far in this project without my new perspective in life gained from my exchange in europe. I like that the lessons you learn, you experiences you gain, the people you meet, the memories you hold from traveling...they don't disappear the moment you leave, but simmer in your mind slowly, absorbed into your soul like little bits of your life.

Ah, what am i saying? Doesn't that apply to everything in our lives? Ha...

Anyway, that's all I have to rant for now. I guess it's a good enough update for these few months! Well, time to get back to work on my coding.

P.s.

It feels so good to realize that life is long, and meant to be good.

Thank you for teaching me that.

A Networking Dinner

2011-10-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

A break from my travel posts! I still have a backlog of travel logs from Copenhagen to Rome...it's going to last me till next year haha.

Tonight we attended a networking event with alumni from a couple of industries: a full range of financial sector players as well as the accounting Big 4. I roamed about and spoke to many different personalities... (one of whom was drunk, haha!)

I wanted to jot down some of my after-thoughts. Firstly, i felt that i could observe the 'comfort circles' they have built for themselves. It shows pretty clearly, from the things they talk about, the attitudes they portray towards certain issues such as career choices and development paths. It appears that based on the values and mindsets you hold towards the world around you, the same environment can provide different insights and knowledge for different people. You even absorb information selectively, to support your pre-existing perceptions perhaps. It's very interesting. I acquired some very valuable AND different advice from different personalities.

Of course, it makes a difference that they are from different industries. Yet I feel that these people have actually drifted towards the place where they feel they belong. And once they fit in snugly in these comfort circles, it reinforces their attitudes and perceptions towards things. I guess this is probably necessary for a stable, happy life: to find somewhere you belong, and mould your environment as you see fit. The environment may be simply the decor of a home (this is big for my dad!) or the way you make out the world to be.

I cherish my student life now, because we have the time to explore our passions and interest, to forge and reforge ourselves in a continual journey of learning and growth. To constantly be able to throw ourselves into new, uncomfortable places. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to go on exchange in Europe, and to travel alone around the US and Europe. I just had the intuition that i could not find the next stage of self-development in Singapore. And i was right. I wish that i am able to convey the lessons learnt in my travel logs.

In the meanwhile, though, I will continue striving on, in this next phase of learning. Let me pray that i will never fall into a comfort circle - yet. It's just too early to stop learning, to stop failing and making mistakes, to stop doing what i love, to stop having fun...

It's too early to stop living life the way you want it. Differently.

... and farewell, Steve Jobs. Your life will be forever remembered as an inspiration to all.

Experience, Barcelona

2011-10-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Media always gives you a distorted picture of the truth.

A brief snapshot, to be precise, of a long chain of events, bits and pieces that form up history. If you didn't know any better, you would probably come up with a perception shaped exactly by pictures, videos of the dramatic incidents shown by the Media. Yet the only way to feel and understand the present is to be there at that very moment.

The world, 2011, has seen the Arab Spring, and in Europe, a long summer of discontent arising from the financial crisis' still ongoing reverberations. I was there, ignorant and unaware of the historic Spanish protests recently. All over Madrid, and later Barcelona, young people demonstrated against high unemployment and the political establishment. What better way to feel the current situation than to live with my 20-ish host Joan, who is a university graduate and yet, like many of his peers, can't find a full-time job in one of the economic capitals of Spain! He had to accept a pay-less internship now for months, and survived on his own savings over the years.

With his friendly, happy-go-lucky predisposition, however, Joan isn't pressured into signing up for any of the protests - yet. But who knows how many disgruntled young adults facing the same predicament are readying themselves to take the streets. Spain's growth is lagging behind that of Central European countries and unemployment is at over 21 percent, the highest in the European Union. While unemployment under 25-year-olds in Spain is at a staggering 45 percent. 45 percent! That is a LOT of unhappy people, folks.

My first few days in Barcelona, I explored the city with a different slant. Walking down from the Arc de Triomf to Ciutadella Park, I witnessed a labor demonstration against the Catalan government, with blazing banners, loudhailing crowds, guards with tommyguns. Chatting up some of the protesters, I found out they were showing their discontent with some of the labor laws being proposed in Parliament today.

After all the MPs entered the building, they dispersed without any fanfare. Hum. So that's what a protest is about. It sure looks scary, but it really didn't feel so. In fact, just a few steps away, the protestors marched past a group of toddlers at play.

Scarryyy.. maybe not.

Cute!

I feel that there is so much information lost, from being in the moment, to written and visual media. Even an accurately captured video footage cannot convey every nuance of the atmosphere, the tone, the feelings at play. There is never a substitute for personal experience, i guess.

Anyway. Back to Barcelona.I scurried through the city with the local walking tour groups, and was lucky enough to get to know a Spanish guy from Madrid, here on vacation! That's basically the first thing i do - grab someone who speaks the local tongue (well, sort of... Barca speaks a closely related Catalonian actually). It just makes it so much easier to explore and understand the city, the culture. We managed to get a great tip on a local food joint (from an old lady, no less!).

I still count it among my favourite food experiences...Especialidade de la Casa during lunch time, a completely crowded little shop that is absolutely hidden from the masses of tourists filling the streets of Barca! In fact, it doesn't even have a signboard outside. I ordered (well, my friend helped to order - ) a sandwich: Lomo, Serrano, y Pimientos, with some Morcilla and fruity rose wine to go with it. All less than SGD10, too.

In the evening, I got to meet and know Yana's two Barca local friends, Eduard, an archaelogist, and his girlfriend, a singer. They treated me to an evening at the Poble Espanyol, admiring the musical fountain performance, Font Magica, and having an amazing Tapas dinner (at a cheap joint for students of course!), with dishes like Jamon Iberico, Tortilla espanola, Morro del Cerdo, and of course Sangria for drinks. A perfect way to spend a comfortable evening with new friends, local food and simmer in the culture. Oh, and they reminded me to grab some preserved ham for Yana, and to send their regards to her back in Munich!

Self-shot Fail.

Sometimes I wonder why all these european friends I've met seem to hold such interesting jobs and interests. I mean, archaeologist? Singer? Not to mention: DJ, Madagascar teacher, etc, etc... Singapore's career choices seem dismally woeful by comparison. I'm pretty certain a standard of living should be measured not just by economic well-being and freedom, but also socio-cultural freedom, personal freedom. Just by being here and talking to people, I feel like i'm slowly being weaned off on my ignorance of the wider range of choices out there, be it in work or personal aspects. It's a liberating feeling... and I feel happier just by this knowledge that I can live out my life in so many, different ways.

Well, to sum up the rest of my Barca trip...i went to the beach with a couple of female couchsurfers (pictures censored), caught Messi in action at Camp Nou, hanged out with leather-clad tough bikers at the Harley Days exhibition, then took the train to Reus to meet a very, very interesting host...

But that's another story, for another time :)

Travel, Portugal

2011-08-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

One fantastic thing that travel does to you is to free you from your comfort circle and your old self. I feel most at ease speaking to strangers then, who of course no longer feel like strangers... since now the whole world is your home, and all its peoples your family. So it came to be that in Guimaries, the birthplace of Portugal, I got to meet Atty and Hieke from the Netherlands, who brought me licorice, Dutch pancakes and good company :)

We explored Guilmaries, a quaint medieval castle town, as well as nearby Braga. There we crashed a regal church wedding and listened to riveting, melodious choir music... till humorless guards chased us out. Crap. And then off we were to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal!

I find that it always makes things easier traveling when you have someone who speaks the local tongue. But we can't all travel with some hyperpolyglot! My favourite solution: just keep looking till you find that person :) In this case, Joao, a brazilian named after John Paul the Second, fell right into our lap. Speaking Portuguese fluently, he led us through the town and introduced us to some cultural tidbits: Brazil's history with Portugal, (in)famous kings and rulers, 5-years-old tuna, fava beans and famous salted codfish. We ventured to a meaningful district, Belem, where we tasted the Original Portuguese eggtarts (Pasteis de Belem), and refind the excitement of the Age of Discoveries, where luminaries like Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama paved the way for the New World... the Americas.

Somewhere along the way, I realized that my knowledge of European and American history and famous figures was essential for me to understand, appreciate and enjoy the sights and scenes all this while. Now where did i pick this up from? Not from school, where I hated history lessons. No, i have historical games like Colonization and Civilization to thank for teaching me about everything from the discovery of the New World, the European Wars, even cotton-growing, to wonders like the Colossus, the Sistine Chapel. These were perhaps the most educational games I have ever played. Games that make history come alive.

Anyway. At night, we had a most memorable meal of Dutch pancakes with bacon and cheese, and my very own veggie soup dish :p

The next day, I was already off to Barcelona. Sunny weather, beautiful beaches and FC Barca, here I come!

Leader, Portugal

2011-08-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

On the spur of the moment, I borrowed some money, packed my bags and flew off to Porto, Portugal, where I started on a two weeks long trip across Portugal and Spain, right smack in the middle of the semester.

I arrived at twilight, and met with Carlos, who ran a chain of gaming hardware shops in Porto. I felt his kindness and considerate hospitality in no small way, and we talked freely, randomly I might add haha. Carlos had just started to host, and had not actually ventured to travel afar often. Yet I sensed his budding wanderlust and interest for travel, and expect him to come by SG in the future!

To me, the most astonishing thing about Carlos is that he is completely close pals and buddies with his employees. In my last night, I was introduced to them over dinner (which they had nicely treated me, a most memorable traditional northern Portuguese food Francesinha!) Miguel, Favio, Daniel, all colorful characters that I will have a hard time forgetting! It was so much fun talking to them, and picking up tidbits about Portugal along the way. We even played Texas Holdem poker at night, where I got eaten like a newborn lamb :p

Regardless, I wish to take away this simple principle of his: there is no more effective leadership than that which bonds your people with you. I remember vividly my experience in chairing Hall FOC, where I worked hard to forge my own leadership style. I later identified it to be servant leadership, when I saw how it resounded deeply with Pat Williams’ book The Paradox of Power. Yet I still have a long way to go, to bond so closely that there is no difference between the leader and the follower; only you and I.

I also meditated on the past times when I was led, both good and bad. The last time was traumatic, perhaps one of the worst experiences in my life; yet it enabled me to personally feel the effects of bad leadership, and to strengthen my resolve never to fall in these footsteps. I admittedly committed the same mistakes before, and I may have regretted it then but now I swear to myself: Never again. Never to alienate, to put down, to injure.

We all learn, and forge our own identities. I recognized myself to act at times like a driver type too, forceful yet tactless, or an analytical worker, methodical yet unassertive. Now I aim to abandon all rigidness, and to adapt my style to the situation, the cards in my hand. There are no bad cards, only bad players. And though everyone might know this principle and be able to spout it freely at the tip of their tongue, few ever internalize this truth of life in the way they think and act, or realize the full significance of its meaning.

When we played poker that night, I survived till the very end, then lost with my hand of cards and all my chips.

Well.

Not bad, for a start.

Pause

2011-08-21T02:22:00.000-07:00

It is a silent, silvery night in Dubai, where I await my flight back to Singapore after having arrived here from Munich.

These past six fleeting months have been the most fruitful, growth-inspiring period in my life. I have scarcely a moment where I am not tormented, excited, stimulated by events, environment and the people around me. I will hopefully pen down my learning thoughts over my travel journals in my next entries, but it is hard to contain the rush of ideas, the recall of memories and experiences so alive they seemed to have happened yesterday.

It feels strange now, to reflect on my past self, a distant person, a blurry image of haphazard purpose and characteristics. At this moment, I have never felt more defined, as a person, a living thing. They say travel is a journey of self-discovery and exploration. For avid travelers, it might not be the most magnificent of stunning views that stimulates the mind, but rather the simplest of thoughts. Thoughts that inspire, thoughts that are inspired.

I guess, this is the path that I took in my exchange. I ventured, I sought new experiences and inspiration across Europe, deeply engaged in introspection and conversation with people from various cultures, various spheres of society. In return, I sacrificed many things which I deeply regret. I lacked the time to fully know and understand my newfound friends from all over the world. I lacked the commitment to pursue various computer science classes, which had finally began to interest me. I lacked the focus to truly develop a particular skillset, be it coding, socializing or leadership.

But I have grown, in a deeply meaningful way. And I pray to retain this modicum of wisdom in the journey of life ahead.

Travel

2011-07-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Due to a strange twist of events, I am now crashing in Paul's room, stranded on a narrow, musky mattress :p It feels that time is fleeting by so fast here on exchange... 5 months in the blink of an eye, and a month left for exams and my last bout of travels. I just have to to write something about my thoughts and feelings before i forget them.

Why am I on exchange? Why do I travel? What do I seek? These have been constant questions plaguing my mind since the start. I don't know why, but despite my parents' lax upbringing style, i have grown to constantly enforce pressure on myself. To be conscious, judgmental of my thoughts, cognizent of my actions. Perhaps it was those Enid Blyton books i read during childhood days, and their traditional value system ringing throughout. Or RI's environment and high achieving culture.

Regardless, i am not satisfied with the typical answers: We travel to see the world, broaden our horizons, for the cultural experience, to understand and appreciate similarities and differences between people. Blah blah blah. To me, these are mere words with surface meaning, simply fashionable statements that should make anyone with sense go nodding in agreement. "Ah true." "Yes indeed."

What does it actually mean? How much truth does it actually hold? Among all the friends and travel mates that i have met here, i have seen more the desire to sightsee than the hunger for cultural knowledge. I have wandered for hours alone in Barcelona's museum of Catalunya history, but been almost trampled at London's daily change of guards. I have been 'wasting my time' joining locals at outings to their favourite, unknown places rather than fulfilling completist dream checklists of things to do, places to see.

What do they want, what do they seek?

Well, I am glad to couchsurf. To me, that is the loveliest point of traveling, to meet the locals and really get to feel the local culture. More specifically, i want to crash headlong into a little microcosm of life within that society, to get a glimpse at my host's life.

I saw how free some led their lives; my last host never worried about how to get rich, only how to live richly. She never worried about her future, only how she can help herself and others in the present. She never worried about how to make it big, only how to do something small with great love. She is one of many who have taught me about what life is like, what we can, ought, must, should, would, and most importantly, love to do.

She is one of many, and they are all inspiration in my life.

Why do I travel? What do I seek? Perhaps i will never stop asking these questions. I might never be satisfied with the answers i give myself. But i will always find consolation that i have seen more now. I have seen so much more, and understood a little better.

Thank you.

Inspired

2011-06-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

I feel blessed to have the Englischer Garten in my backyard. And today i went for a jog, watched a herd of sheep graze, fed a goat freshly plucked leaves from a tall branch, and silently let the waterfall wash my morning sickness away.

My ode to nature and the world...

When I roam freely in the forest,
I follow not the path of roadsigns,
but the whispers of a waterfall.
I stop not where the road ends
but where my heart feels at peace.

When I pause before a herd of sheep,
I admire not the pristine white pedigree
but the black sheep of the herd.
I worship not the shepherd;
Yet I love the sheep.

When I listen to the silent Earth,
I hear the universe roaring.
I join the multitude of voices
crying in both joy and sorrow.

And among people, I watch.
Till the happy day when one asks,
"Let us share about the world we know."

An Exhange Student Who Studies. (somewhat)

2011-06-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Technische Universität München, one of the finest institutions of technology and engineering in the world.

Sometimes I wonder, how much time do i actually spend studying here on exchange? Probably just five, six hours of classes per week, maybe throw in an hour or two for the sporadic tutorial...

Yet, how much exponentially more do i feel that i learn and experience much more than the typical lessons back in SG! Here, the independent style of teaching has been a huge challenge to me from the start, from catching up on presupposed knowledge that i do not have, to the take-it-beyond-the-classroom approach that leaves external readings and exercises up to the learner. Lectures and tutorials give you completely different sets of teachings and stimulation. And i guess you could say the level is pretty high, if a double deans lister feels like an idiot in every class :)

I am lucky, of course, to take some of the most interesting modules available in computer science now. Admittedly, there are also professors here who have found the cure for insomnia, course materials impossible to arouse any form of interest. My solution is to go for classes very, very discriminatingly :p

Anyhow, the modules i go for are pure fun and amazement, and i'm constantly thinking of ideas to incorporate them in my research project this coming year back in SG :) There's Machine Learning, that enables the evolution of computers based on data fed in. It is perhaps the most important discipline for things like Google, Facebook. Or Algorithmic Game Theory, a cutting-edge field where computing truly is empowered to solve complex human, real world problems. As well as Social Networking: User Modeling and Personalization, again a highly fascinating and useful area of knowledge that I'll be phasing into my research algorithm.

I once asked my mentor back in NTU...Why is computer science so boring? To which he replied, you just haven't gotten to the fun part yet. And it is fun. At the higher levels, i can see Math, Economics, Psychology, and perhaps any other field and discipline, being melded together to form useful tools, machines, by the forge of Computing.

Now that's what i call Technology.

Perhaps now, my friends back in SG are experiencing the same euphoria and excitement with these higher level subjects. If not, then i should point out this serious gap in teaching and curriculum standards to the school. It is a sin to let students graduate in Computer Science, or any other course for that matter, without the same sense of curiosity and excitement for the unknown that propelled them to enter this vast, unexplored world in the first place.

UKulele in UK 3: Encounters with the Hairy Coo

2011-06-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Twenty-seventh May, 2001.

I stumbled out of the overnight bus, frazzled and bewildered, a tad tired from the long ride. Time to begin grabbing bus and train brochures, then to decide what to do here in Scotland. I had originally planned to go to the Isle of Skye, a far-off island off the northwest coast via one of the greatest railway journeys of the world. Still, I decided to wait till i first met my host here in Edinburgh to make further plans.

Walking out of the station, i stood awed by the sight of the city. Scotland proudly presented its crown jewel, Edinburgh, Athens of the North, to all who entered its wild lands. The architecture and layout, the way the streets ran up to the Royal Mile was, to me, the most beautiful and refined of my travels thus far. I walked up the streets full of Gothic, neo-classical feel; later I found out i was in the New Town, a rich, intricately planned district still built centuries ago. I reached the railway station, and in the distance, Edinburgh Castle loomed majestic atop a sheer cliff, reigning over the picturesque Princes Street Gardens.

What a city. What a city, really. I made a call to my host Andy to arrange a meetup time, then headed off into the Royal Mile. (An old man who curiously served in the British Army and was in Singapore before WW2 showed me the way. He promised to come visit Singapore again and witness its modern transformation.)

If there were ever an equivalent of les Champs-Élysées in the UK, this would be it. A fine, cobbled avenue, ageless yet modern, running down churches, restaurants, souvenir shops up to the Edinburgh Castle. Dozens of little streets, or closes, ran by its side, waiting for the adventurous to venture and explore. Each told a different story, as derived from its name; Fisherman's Close, for example, used to lead to a seafood market.

I hitched onto a free walking tour, and it took up through delightful tales as we wandered through the Mile. From the Eleventh step, to the national food and drink, right down to the reason the Nor Loch was drained to form the Princes Street Gardens (and why a hundred female corpses were found decaying inside!), we relished the deep, interesting history of the city.

I met up with Andy, and putting Edinburgh aside for the moment, we took off on a train headed for North Berwick,which used to be Andy's hometown. I finally fulfilled my dream of visiting a small seaside town :) We explored much of the place, trying out local foods and checking out the sights. Wish i had gotten onto Bass Rock, where seabird colonies lay breeding at this time of the year. I did climb up to a volcanic rock ridge though, where i spotted puffins nesting among crashing waves! But i couldn't get too close to them, since it would disrupt their breeding environment, so i left after a glimpse.

Along the way, Andy and i had a great time sharing cultural information, from politics to economics to lifestyles. I am still amazed that he is just 18, the same age as my younger brothers! Now if only they were as mature and knowledgeable...

Edinburgh remains one of my favourite cities, not least because it is just so easy to lose yourself in its winding alleys and dingy shops, where you always expect a lovely surprise, perhaps a rustic book shop or a hidden foodie heaven. Its old city quarter is so small I have probably ventured through it at least eight, nine times, each being a different, riveting experience. Edinburgh, on foot. A must.

I shall always remember, too, a most memorable trip through the Highlands of Scotlands, foraging through spiny forests, luminous Lochs or lakes, and medieval castles, all on a bus modelled like a cow. Introducing... the Hairy Coo, the most amazing FREE tour ever. Comes with highly knowledgeable, humorous and friendly guide. Lunch at a wee bit town with fantastic local food. What's the catch? Nah, there's no catch. Where did your faith in mankind go? (p.s. Remember, don't follow the herd!)

My cousin-in-law Chen recommends Edinburgh at New Year's Eve, where the fireworks blast majestically over the Castle. Andy and Jack propose August till September, when the world-renowned Edinburgh International Festival takes place, and the Royal Mile is transformed into a bustling street of arts and performances.

Well, just take it from me. Edinburgh is good January till March. Also July to September. Maybe October to Dec. Let's not forget April to June too.

Heck, come any time of the year. You will still fall head over hairy coo in love with it :)

UKulele in UK too: family bliss

2011-06-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Lichfield, a short, fun detour to enjoy quality family time with cousin Eileen, her husband Chen and my lovely nephew and niece Kieran and Caitlin :)

I still remember fondly the fun times i've had with my cousins during our childhood days. Playing real life-scale checkers with Janice, Diane etc, sleeping to softly playing classical music with Joshua, being showered in a rickety tin hut by Sis Ah Girl, and playing hide-and-seek in a black room with glow-in-the-dark stars with Jason, Ben and my brothers...

But i remember nothing with cousin Eileen. Non, nada, nein. Well, she is many, many years older than me!

I'm glad then, that we made new memories in UK, as we shared the tremendous ordeal of the day: babysitting little rascals Kieran and Caitlin :) I'm still pretty sure they were more well-behaved than i ever was though. Anyway, i hope they will remember these times when...

-the tent fell down on us.
-they got thrown high into the air when i jumped onto the trampolin.
-i trickled water from a watering can on them in the local pool.
-they watched (and i listened to) the 247th viewing of Toy Story.
-we learned the trades and lifestyles of 18th and 19th century English industry at Shugborough. (they probably only remembered the goats and cows)

Thanks to Eileen, Chen and their bundles of joy, i felt completely refreshed and at home, the first time since i left Singapore in Feb/March. Nothing comes closer than family, and i fully enjoyed every moment of their hospitality :) Also fulfilled my dream of going to a small English town with brick houses and countryside greenery!

Anyway. If you ever visit Lichfield, the must-sees are: the Lichfield Cathedral, Shugborough Working Estate, and two of the most adorable kids in the world.

UKulele in UK: I'm Londoning!

2011-06-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

Wow... i'm finally back from ten days in UK! Still can't believe it, every moment still seems so fresh in my mind, from watching a musical about cross-dressers to babysitting my adorable nephew and niece down to being gored by a hairy Coo :p

I cannot begin to describe how much i have enjoyed traipsing across England and Scotland, all without a single plan in mind! I have been incredibly lucky and spoiled along the way, meeting great new friends and hosts, and having loads of new and fun experiences :)

It all began at Memmingen airport near Munich, when i had hours to spare before the flight. And what better way to while the time away than meeting new friends... so i turned around, introduced myself to Heidi and Archie, and had a fun time chatting away till we split in London! There, i orientated myself around, caught shuttles here and there to get to my host, Dan's place! He works till night as a bartender, so his housemate Dean settled me in. We shopped and cooked dinner, and i chatted with his other housemates, like Emre from Turkey and Mario from Columbia. Exchange of cultures!

The next day, i harried down for the free walking tour, and met the brother-sister-and-her-bf group, Dan, DL and LX from SG. I connected easily to them, and in the end spent the next two days attached to their itinerary :p Anyhow, the tour was a quick, interesting whirlwind adventure through the city, loads of stories on London's history and culture. Everywhere you turn, there is a monument, an artefact of culture. Still, it does get a little kitschy somehow, seemingly touristy at times.

Personally i loved the nation's commitment to the arts scene: keeping the best museums in London free is a fantastic idea, and we made the best of it by immersing ourselves for hours in myriad museums of art and history. I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent in the Tate museum of modern art, especially the beautiful yet sobering exhibition, "Burke + Norfolk: Photographs From The War In Afghanistan", and emerged with some new perspectives towards truth and beauty. "Beauty is a useful tool," Norfolk surmised, as he masterfully crafted beautiful lorelei photos to entice the masses into the ugly truth within, like moths to a flame... Only then are we baptised by the blazing truth, of war, death and destruction.

Night after day, a memorable musical to wow. Personally, musicals felt way too arty-farty for my taste, and I thought i'd be getting over my head by going down for the new award-winning musical, "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert".

Yet it completely blew my mind.

Within the ludicrous premise of a group of crossdresser friends searching for a place they can call home, a ton of magic happened and vivid characters came to life and danced and sang to their hearts' joy. Ours, too, leapt countless times in thrill and amazement, sorrow and sympathy, love and heartfelt gladness towards the end. It was not a production; it was a dream, a lovely dream that we all woke up from feeling refreshed and alive, saying to each other, 'That was great, wasn't it?'

And it truly was.

Two days later, after going through various tourist hotspots, Harrods, Primark, Camden market, a model agency, and a goddamn missed train!%#$*... I left London for Lichfield town near Birmingham, bringing with me solid memories of London and the new friends and experiences i've made.

Walpurgis Nacht

2011-05-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Woodstock happened here in 2011.

No, really. Here in Thingstaette, Heidelberg, a little castle town off to the west of Munich. On the last night of April that beckons on the eve of May Day, we celebrate the coming of Spring with dancing and bonfires. German tradition dictates, too, that on this night, witches congregate and eagerly await the arrival of Spring... Walpurgisnacht.

That night, we, like witches under the power of the pagan gods, came under the dark influence of ... alcohol. Tens and thousands gathered in Heidelberg, drawn by an unknown spell. We and the others scrambled our way in the dark, across the river Neckar, then slowly ambled our way up the mountain Heiligenberg. Up there, the allure of a great altar awaited, and thus the pagan followers climbed obediently, up wooded trails shrouded in blackness. Below us, the innocent city lay glittering like a starry galaxy.

The summit beckons..

Oh, how long the path winded! And how many stragglers fell by the wayside, how many unfaithful followers we saw retreating from above, succumbing to fatigue, to sleepiness. No, we would not fall to these corrupting forces! And we strove on, to hike up the uneven, rocky mountain road.

An hour later, our faith was rewarded. A million times over. For that were the number of fellow disciples that had gathered there in unison too, disciples of the magic of Walpurgisnacht. There they sprawled across the Thingstaette, a gargantuan coliseum that stretched across the mountain summit, surrounded by creepy, towering woods. It was surreal, it was crazy; yet how real it was! Fires burned and glowed like eyes in the dark, and the people brimmed and bristled like they were struggling to keep the energy within them. And i thought, it was the energy of the Universe.

The fires burned. The people sparkled.

And I felt, this was it. A million souls swirling in unity around these fires, and i was but one of them. The feeling was powerfully humbling, and yet infinitely redeeming. I felt liberated. From myself, from society. I felt a deep sense of acceptance. By whom? Well, i can only guess: the Universe. The God that surrounds us all. And it was such a life-changing experience to me.

I wandered around alone. And i spoke to ex-strangers, Germans mostly. Ex-, because i bonded with them in the short time we spoke, about German culture, about nuclear energy, about life. If that sounded a tad weird, you may consider that i was drunk. From a quirky girl, about how to turn your body like a barbecue spit in front of a bonfire, to keep warm. From a friendly guy, about how much Germans love and hate their country.

From everyone, how to be happy being ourselves. It's ok. It's really ok being me. You are loved for who you are. Because there is just so much love in this world, you are accepted without question, without judgment.

There is no God who does not love.

If we had a mic to speak to all these souls gathered here in unison, what would we say?

My message would be...

Understand each other. Understand that we are all the same, that we are all part of this great, beautiful world. Greater than all our petty differences, greater than intelligence and wisdom, art and history. Greater than success and the achievement of kings, greater than the ego and pride of individuals and society. Greater than all religions, of this "God" or that "God". We just have ourselves, and the world. So let's take care of each other, ok?

I'm pretty sure that rang close to Woodstock, didn't it.

I learnt tonight, that perhaps of all the things out there, i treasure basic, simple kindness the most. How should i put it? I now know that i aspire towards kindness. What a strange ambition that would be! "My dream is to be a kind person." Haha. To me, i feel some people (some very few people!) are naturally kindhearted souls. Not me. Yet all i can do is to travel, experience and learn. To talk to people and understand the cultures of the world. Because...the more i know about this world, the more i want to protect it.

...

Someday, i will come back here again.

And i will say to myself, this is where it all started.

My own Woodstock in the Spring of 2011, on top of a billowy mountain, surrounded by a shimmering nightsky, darkened woods and a million beautiful, beautiful souls...

An Ode to Friends

2011-05-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

I am too comfortable here in Munich.

Good friends, good food, good parties. We came from different parts of Asia: Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam etc. And yet we came together to create a great company of friends, sharing about cultures, exchanging native foods and just plain having fun.

Thank you for giving me a surprise birthday celebration, for feeding my insatiable appetite for delicacies, for testing out my game ideas :p Thank you for being good, friendly people who clean up so quickly after the meal (except for someone who runs to the toilet right away...wtf haha).

To my Kieferngarten buds Young, Jane, Paul (and also Yupeng and Ivo), thank you for being there for me. Thank you for the honey drink when i have a sorethroat, for going down to pubs and parties together. Thank you for all the laughs, the memories.

As school begins, and with my move to another dorm, i pray to keep these friendships even as i make new ones.

Here's an ode to my friends. Prost!

Central Europe Trip - Budapest, Hungary

2011-05-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Budapest, Hungary...

Our favourite city in our trip, and one of the most beautiful cities in Central and Eastern Europe :)

There's an incredible variety of things to do, on both sides of the River Danube: Buda and Pest. The city tour gave a historical overview of the history of the Hungarian capital, from the times of the Romans to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to today, where its rich, distinct Magyar culture stands out from the rest of Central Europe.

I personally loved the Central Market, with its vast range of gastronomic delights! From delightful sweets, cakes and meats to fresh dairy products and colorful spices.

The House of Terror, a museum featuring the World War 2 and its atrocities in a visual, immersive tour, was also a very enlightening experience. I teared at some of the video exhibits, which included personal interviews with survivors - many of whom broke down in the midst of the interview, sharing about their stories of children, husbands, wives taken away. Definitely a must-go to understand the backdrop to the War, that greatest Terror of all.

In the night, when cold settles in the city, go to the famous hot baths of Budapest! Ranked as the City of Spas, because of its natural thermal springs, Budapest features many spas that promise a fun, therapeutic experience. Ours, at the Szechenyi baths, was more fun than therapeutic though! We played around in the swimming pools, got boiled in the sauna, as well as froze our asses off in an icy cooling pool. Come with a swimsuit and a sense of adventure :p

It was refreshing, too, to have cheaper prices for everything in the city, and we could relax our budgets to enjoy good restaurant meals. Alot of great foods and beer to be had! Plus, cheap alcohol in bars and clubs keeps the party mood up. Overall, a lovely city to see and a very comfortable place to live in :)

Next stop: Bratislava, Slovakia and then Krakow, Poland!

A Glimpse

2011-04-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

It has been so much fun...thank you my dear gang of 4/5 :)

Central Europe trip - Austria

2011-04-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Witam wszystkich! A quick update from Krakow :)

Our eastern europe trip has been a hugely fun, enriching journey, a blast to the past back when Mozart made pieces, empires fought over land, communists ruled the day and fascists ran amok. Austria-Hungary-Slovakia-Poland-and still ongoing!

I am still amazed at the sheer serendipity, the fateful twists and turns that happens through our trip. One day before we set off, and Stephen convinces me to go for the school-organized trip to Salzburg. And we made it on the reserve list, saving loads on the travel there. Not to forget, we spent the day with our Potluck gang, Andrew, Paul et al as well as many other exchange students from TUM! Personally, it was too distracting talking to all the people around, and i could barely appreciate the beauty and wonder of Salzburg itself! I just remember being shuffled here and there into group photos with castles and statues, and meeting new friends from Iran, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, etc... (and more of the latter, at that.)

The day ended with us scrambling to look for transport to Vienna. The trains were ludicrously expensive; it would have been cheaper for us to travel from Munich to Vienna instead! As we wandered around looking for a last hope, we stumbled into an internet bar. We began to converse with the owner, but he barely knew English. Yet at that very moment, his english-speaking friend came in. And she actually took the time to help us look for a rideshare option (and the owner made free calls for us, to talk to the ride hosts). So it was that we happily spent the night riding to Vienna in our host's car, together with a student and a professional football player.

To make things more difficult (and exciting, of course), we reached Vienna only to find out that ALL hostels and hotels were full for the night. Turns out the Vienna City Marathon, 32000 participants strong, was about to begin tomorrow. Again, we stumbled from block to block in the freezing night, lugging our heavy bags along. Even the living rooms were occupied in one of the hostels! Finally we found Hostel Ruthelsteiner, and maybe it was our frostbitten faces or Stephen's charismatic begging, but we found ourselves invited inside for a free night's stay, comfortably settled in their bar couches :)

That night, we felt both the desolate feeling of being homeless, and the pure warmth of receiving shelter and kind hospitality.

Dawn arrived, and we were up to explore the city! Daybreak brought runners scrambling for a quick breakfast, and we chatted with them for a map of the marathon and tips on where to catch them in action :) And it was very, very interesting to go down to the starting point, where swarms of people in fancy running suits geared up for the race. (P.s. we took a picture with the medals and certificates later - will post up again haha.)

Vienna...a beautiful, refined city, it bustled with monuments, museums, statues and concert halls galore. We wish we had the time to go through these cultural learning experiences, but with the one day that we had, it was a big rush to navigate and explore the city centre (without a map, too). To our very, very pleasant surprise, along the way we met Marte, a Berliner, who was able to give us FREE train tickets to Budapest, our next destination! I cannot stress how casually our conversation went and how this windfall fell out of the sky into our laps. Just like that.

The night found ourselves grabbing some beers and socializing back at the hostel (we'd gotten ourselves a proper room this time haha). We got to know Eun A, a Korean who was just beginning to travel alone in Eastern Europe. That sounded kinda dangerous to us, so we thought it'd be a good idea to invite her along. And well, she's still here with us haha.

Anddd off we were to Budapest the next day. Farewell, Vienna... somehow i feel like i haven't grasped the full cultural experience you offer. Wait for me to come back in a more appropriate suit and bowtie next time!

Anyway, this first leg of our journey was the most unplanned, unexpected, and... exciting :p It fits Stephen's and my nature to go out there in this vast, wild world and just, you know... get lost. Because it's only when you find yourself lost, that you can discover new worlds of the unknown. Sometimes you have to let go of the control you assert upon the world around you, and instead ride the currents of fate to wherever they bring you. It may not be safe or reliable, and it may lead you to unintended territories, but... isn't that what life should be about? Since when did life degenerate into a little cubicle or flat, a tiny comfort circle where you took pride in the feeble control you had? Since when did life decay into an infinitely extending racecourse, where you scrambled to win and succeed? Since when did you begin fearing to live, to lose, to risk and to die?

We all need a little chaos in our lives. So don't forget to pack it in your suitcase the next time you go traveling :)

Bayern

2011-04-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Back from a three day trip around Bayern, traversing across historical and culture-rich towns like Nuremburg, Wuertzburg and Bamberg :) It has been a refreshingly fun journey with Jack, Guo Chuan and Edwin, who turned out to be my RI/RJ seniors! One thing we share in common: the love of learning, the passion for thinking... thanks for giving me a blast to the past, where everyday brought a new discovery, a challenge for the mind :p Not forgetting Goldfish, who was constantly being bullied by us guys haha.

Nuernberg, probably our favourite destination, had a majestic, quaint old city that was surrounded by towering watchtowers and walls and gardens. Look out for the Gingerbread man, and try the sweet-and-spicy gingerbread cookies in local bakeries :) And grab some savoury beer in the quality breweries and pubs across the city. Once groggy, head up to the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg at the top of the walls for a good view of the cityscape that it has defended for centuries.

Wuertzburg, with its splendid Residenz and Court Gardens, lives up to its title as Europe's most beautiful palace. Plus it has a grungy medieval castle - the Marienberg Fortress, seat of the Bishop Princes - that offers a fun, exciting route climbing up to it!

Bamberg... a much smaller town with an excessive number of two things: breweries and churches. Which makes sense, since monks were the first ones who made beer here. And this renowned Raunchbier - we savoured it at Schlenkerla's Tavern, down at Dominikaner Strasse in Old Town - tastes and smells of smoked ham. The monks made it so they could get around their fasting comfortably... smartasses. Anyway, a must-try, together with the great Bavarian food found here :)

Anyway, just a few snippets before I set off tomorrow for a two weeks long Eastern Europe voyage!

The Food Blog

2011-04-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Food Blog series.

Creation of the day:

Golden Salami Bowl

You need:
1x Schinken-sprinkled Cheddar
1x fine German bread
50g fatty Salami
150g Italian dumplings
1x weird sense of cooking
1x strong stomach* (impt)

Instructions:
1. Cook a pot of 315.252 ml water. Boil the italian dumplings.
2. You won't know when it's done. Just take it out whenever you like.
3. Hang the bread over the still boiling pot precariously. With luck, it gets steamed.
4. Chop it up like you're Hannibal.
5. Throw everything into the bowl, lay the cheese on like a maestro and put it in the oven for 3min.
6. Enjoy!

München

2011-04-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

Munich likes me.

Well, that's what its motto says anyway. "München mag Dich" (Munich likes you).

It's been my first couple of days here! Stayed one night at Sonya's, near Giesing, where i enjoyed some grocery shopping with her and enjoyed her cooking for dinner :) We strolled around the city center, and i'm beginning to fall in love with the European architecture. It simply gives an old town rustic feel to the place, like 'an age-old village from Grimm's fairy tales', and yet it is exquisitely modern, sharp, efficient. It's not hard to see why their previous motto was, "Cosmopolitan city with a heart".

The next day i woke up to a FANTABULOUS breakfast all setup by Sonya. And i wish i could have said that i must have woken up at a Bed n Breakfast, but i know no BnB would ever provide such great food. Right, ZY?

Thank you so much for your lovely hospitality, Sonya :)

Having started off with a great breakfast, the rest of the day was a cinch as i rode about getting documents signed and moving into my new hall of residence, or wohnheim. At Heidemannstraße, there's a bar for the students, grocery stores, well you can read it here.

The room itself is pretty much like a standalone apartment, equipped with toilet, kitchen, fridge and furnishings. I would have preferred something more communal though, like a common room or sorts! Well, off i went doorknocking to meet the neighbours. Andddd turns out they were all away for the hols. Bummer.

It felt so cold and lonely the entire time that i couldn't help but get my ass downstairs to explore the grounds. I found my way to the basement, and bumped into YuPeng, a student studying Mech.Eng at TUM. He turned out to be my saviour and friend as he gave me a walkthrough on everything, brought me grocery shopping at a cheaper place and invited me to his neighbour, Marco's bbq party tonight! And it was a blast. Just getting to know person after person, practising my German profusely and exchanging about cultures and lives. Not to mention lots of Helles beer :p It reminded me so badly of our block parties back in Hall XI 54, year one, sigh. I will probably never have as much fun again with as great a bunch of frens... but hey, this isn't so bad either haha.

It is absurdly pure luck that led me to meet Yupeng at the exact time he was going to wash his clothes, and the exact day and place there was a party happening and he was part of it. I am getting a great start to my journey here in München!

Well, Munich, looks like your feelings for me are not unrequited. I like Munich too :)

Respite

2011-04-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

My last two nights in SF and the US, before heading for Munich!

It also turned out to be my most comfortable abode, with luxurious lodgings and two cats to snuggle with :p

Judy and Mike gave me such a warm reception, settling me down so quickly that within minutes, i found myself in the living room, sipping tea with the cat on my lap and talking to their other guests! We had a wonderful dinner, trying out my first artichoke (a delightful gastronomic dish, i might add), and sharing across cultures. The house felt unusually safe, homely and civilized; perhaps i was just too used to roaming about the wilds of Las Vegas in the past week :p

Flo, their other French surfer, was embarking on an amazing biking journey across the States the next morning! I'd definitely want to stay with her the next time i go to France...she's a fun, bubbly person, and her home is rooted at the foot of the French Alps, amidst snowy trees and upcroppings!

As for us, miraculously, Judy and Mike were heading off to Napa Valley in the morning, which was one place i missed out in SF previously! So off we went, through lakes and farms, endlessly stretching vineyards that stood like a multitude of crosses, martyr tombs, buried into the hilly lands. They dropped me off downtown, where i wandered the quaint streets and boulevards.

It turned out they had a stunningly beautiful weekend house buried in the hills of Napa Valley, with a ripe bloom of flowers, olive and lemon trees! They even made their own olive oil, pretty amazing. Picked up some misc gardening, agriculture knowledge from them here and there :p

The rest of the day, at SF's modern art museum, roaming its arty farty halls and getting above my head again. Night time, preparing my 'infamous' couchsurfer's SG dinner :) I think i'm getting better at this haha. Really wished i could spend more quality time with Judy and Mike though... I would think that a day or two is never enough to make the best of the couchsurfing experience.

Sadly, i have reached full circle in my US trip. Starting off from vibrant SF and acclimatising for the first time to the States, then hopping to Pittsburgh to experience a non-touristy city plus exploring the snowy wilderness, and then to Orlando for some pure fun and shopping as well as exploring the other side of the city on my own. Finally, Las Vegas for some amazing couchsurfing experiences amidst the glittering glamour and decadent culture. All in all, a full-bodied, diverse experience that exposed me to a full facet of people and environments, and made me feel i'd got to know this big, beautiful world of ours a little more...Goodbye and farewell, America!

Of Pot Brownies and Biker Bars

2011-03-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

I am so falling in love with couchsurfing. :p

Monday - Met up with Naomi, and had great conversations with her. She is a really inspiring person with a very determined character, and her life story spoke of strength and maturity through all the circumstances she'd met. I'm glad i had the chance to spend quite a few days chatting with her! I felt that i identified strongly with her thoughts and beliefs , which was rare haha.

You know your host is in the hospitality industry when she gives you this for showering.

Met up with Izzy and Indy - perfect coincidence, that we are again connected through Naomi! We were just talking and she mentioned one of her houses was just rented out to a French couple. And I thought, no way! But half an hour's drive later, we were reunited in sheer serendipity :) We arranged for a drink later on at night.

And nighttime arrived, at the Fremont Street Experience. Get ready for a neck-straining, psychedelic "experience" indeed, as you look at a ceiling formed from thousands of monitor screens playing out a fuzzy rendition of songs from the Doors, etc.

After that, a chill-out at the Bikers' Bar, where we heard more about Indy and Izzy's love story over chips, drinks and a game of pool.

Well. Las Vegas, the most decadent and culturally lacklustre city in my journey, is turning out pretty fine instead!

Tuesday - touring the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

It is probably impossible to capture the sheer allure of the Grand Canyon, one of the natural wonders of the world, in words or pictures. At its South Rim, we simply gaped at it, a most magnificent painting that arose from miles below our feet to the far horizons, melding into the blue skies. Our route brought us through a geology tour, identifying the layers of rock and sediment and the tectonic processes that gave birth to it. Perhaps the most inspiring and exciting geography lesson you can ever give to your child... time for an excursion next time!

I'd definitely have to come back for a longer stay next time, camping down in the crevasses and perhaps going on a mule ride through the cliffs! Boris (my friday host) shared that he and his friends did a freezing week-long adventure camping and trekking down at the bottom last month... i have to try that sometime!

Met some great new people too, including an exchange group from NTU and a girl from Australia! Hope they are still having fun in their travails :)

Wednesday - Had a fun, tumultuous hike with Larry @ Red Rock Canyon... love our conversations about freedom and responsibility, and American values. I admire that the older people i've met are absolutely independent and active thinkers, and even more that they're open to sharing their experiences. Anyway, it was a much more exciting climb than the Grand Canyon. Hope to go back sometime to try out the rock-climbing there!

Did Yoga with Naomi in the evening, mindblowing experience as a first time! Nothing like what i've experienced before, like sports or physical games. What's a good metaphor? Well... I feel like a flamingo in a volcano :)

Afterwards made my second dinner for potluck at her place, Malay-Chinese cuisine! Had a great dinner, met up with her daughter Rain and Izzy Indy etc. Later on, a couple of drinks at night.

I think my cooking is really improving :p

Thursday - A quick morning call back with my beloved team, HK and 2 KMs, back in Singapore, received some orders for Coach bags haha. Then rushed off for Bikram Yoga @ Green Valley with Naomi, and this time it was tougher, hotter and more refreshing than the last time! Pulled some muscles there, but made it through. Naomi rewarded me with a fantastic meal at an authentic Italian pizza restaurant :)

A quick nap later, Boris, my host for the rest of the week, picked me up to his place near the Stratosphere. Had a fun chat with him and his roommate Paul, heard about this Burning Man Festival in August. Amazing experience there, meeting his friends Rob, Ginah etc. They're all bohemian artists, and his friends are the creators of a lifestyle magazine, Sinner. I saw the Silkscreen process in action as they began making batches of shirts for sale in a boutique chain. Dozed off at night way too soon, perhaps due to yoga aftereffects :p

I just knew i had to couchsurf with Boris the moment i saw his profile pic.

Friday, a last day of decadence at the Strip and the outlet malls. Somehow in my Las Vegas experience, the Strip has been absolutely neglected, haha. In the nighttime, Big Rob and Ginah were busy at work in Boris' studio. They were also consulting Boris about the design of the boutique store exhibit. It feels inspiring to see all these artists at work, to hear their creative thoughts flow. The creation of art is really, really beautiful. And inspiring. Rob gave me one of their tees, to be an ambassador in SG :)

Saturday, flight to San Francisco! A pleasant lunch with Toby, and then lazying in Starbucks as i wait for my next host to get back home.

I am really beginning to understand the similarities and differences between people. Personalities, cultures, values and mindsets... in the past, it used to be, "Oh sure I understand cultural differences, between westerners and asians. Personal freedoms and stuff, right?" Now i realize that was all empty talk, like points recited off an encyclopedia page. Don't presume to know anything, until you've really spoken to people on the ground, people who live their lives in entirely different environments, with different outlooks in life, different perspectives to issues. I feel really fortunate to be exposed to all these new people in my life, to share and learn about the big, wide world out there.

Thank you. All.

Themeparks Inc, Orlando

2011-03-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Wow. I just realized i haven't said anything about my experiences in Universal Studios and Walt Disney World yet! Don't have much pics, so i'll leave this off till i get some from Wenqi.

Well, it was fun. I guess?

Just Kissimmee, already!

2011-03-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Introducing the house pets: Peach and Reese.

Peach is a labrador, and as sweet as her name suggests. She warmed up to me from the first day, and her favourite hobby is playing catch - in a tug of war fashion. You have to pry the toy from her mouth before throwing it again for her to chase. She also loves lying down on her back and begging for a massage, as seen below:

Reese just stares at me all day long. She suspects i've been stealing her cat food.

Today i decided to go down south, to Kissimmee. Folk legend says that guys and girls who venture there with their crushes will be incapable of restraining their feelings in front of them, and will passionately cry, "Kiss me!" or some other variant. Maybe not.

I stopped by Florida Mall along the way, with its interesting M&M World that serves as both shop and exhibit.

Onwards, to Kissimmee Town proper!

It seems i get lucky every time, as i passed by the historic downtown district and spotted yet another calendar event to crash: the Kowtown Festival, celebrating 127 years of Kowtown heritage. Don't ask me how they get their names. But anyway, it was a fun event with a live band playing, assorted stalls of food and art crafts, and a meatloaf cookoff plus hot dog eating contest! We could even get tastings of the various meatloafs and chip in our votes.

From there, it was a brisk walk down to Tohopekaliga Lake. There were very interesting monuments on the way, one on World War II and the other dedicated to peace...

And i reached Lake Toho ... a vast, greenish-blue lake covered with algae, inhabited by birds and surrounded by gator-infested swamps. Couldn't afford the boat tours though, so i strolled along the boundary.

An old man sat fishing there, just like any old man fished, on a pail, and with all the time in the world. The first thing he said to me was, "You Japanese? Singapore? Ain't that in Japan? The earthquake was bad huh. Ah, nothing beats nature..."

Frank, 84 years old, had 6 kids and countless grandkids. He once worked for Kodak and now lived on a pension. As a retiree, he stays at New York in summer, and drives down to Florida for the winter. (That's a 22 hour drive, folks!)

He loves his family, and feels so rich having them. In fact, he had a close friend, a millionaire without any kids, who once offered half a million to let him adopt his child.

"I told 'im ten million at least," he exhorted, "and even then i told him, nothing. I won't even think 'bout it!"

"Why, he worked hard in his time, i brought up my family in mine. Now i'm rich with kids, and he's rich with money. Why, I told him, now then, go spend it now! And he cried. He was miserable."

He gave me a ride out to the main road, to catch the bus to my next destination.

"And remember," he left off saying, "stop wasting yer time and get married early!"

Next stop was Old Town, situated just off Disney's backyard... a giant attraction that's touristy with a rustic flavour. Themed with everything nostalgic, from the cowboy shops to old-fashioned themepark rides, the main draw today was The Saturday Nite Cruise®, the largest car cruise in the States, with over 300 classic cars, hot rods, street rods and antiques from 1974 and older. Fantastic, rare chance to see and feel these cars in action, and especially at night when they tour the place and the entire town feels electrified!

I just love how their owners proudly identified with their cars, as though they still felt they were the same hippies they were fifty years ago!

The shops are a great reason to come back again... lots of things to explore. There's also Laser Tag, Go-karting, making it a perfect attraction to hang out for a day with your friends!

Well, i'm beat. Hope to fill in more next timeee.

Beyond Disneyland: Winter Park

2011-03-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just cooked a dinner of Rendang Beef, Laksa noodles and Hainanese Chicken rice for my host and her family... and they loved it :)

I shopped for the ingredients at the local Spanish supermarket, trying to decipher through some of the spanish words and scouring the place for rare asian stuff like noodles. When i returned home, i brought out the seasoning packets and instructions, thought up a "Divide and Conquer" strategy and dealt with each dish one at a time haha. After an hour of cleaning and boiling and steaming and frying, dinner was ready :D

Turns out Kim and Josh really liked the Rendang Beef i made, and they loved how spicy it was! The Hainanese rice was not as strongly flavoured, as i'd used too much rice... But i did leave them the seasoning so they could try it again. Anyway, it was my first time cooking and i'm glad i managed to cook the full course of dishes satisfactorily. Huzzah!

JoAnne did the entire cleaning up though. I always end up talking to Josh after dinner and forgetting to help her in washing!

Hmm there is just so much to blog about, and so little time... today I'd been to Winter Park near Orlando, where there was the annual Sidewalk Art Festival happening now, and i had an amazing time talking to some artists. It was much more open, expansive and warmer than the one in San Francisco then! I really had the chance to sit down and just talk to the artists, listen about their experiences and their philosophy in life.

I love what Mike Lightcap, a glass carver, told me:

Find something you like, kid, and do something amazing with it!

Other really memorable quotes i remember:

Love is a color only the blind can see.

Just to share some pics... (asked for permission, of course)

They have some amazing artists from all over the U.S come down here, and it feels so magical that they all share the same passion for beauty, for the expression of life! Will fill in more thoughts later.

I took a trip down to the Morse Museum too, there's some interesting art and history there. Will leave off here with a secretly taken shot of the chapel exhibit inside!

My First Couchsurfing Experience

2011-03-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

These past few days have been really tiring, what with long hours of exploring, queueing and taking rides in Universal Studio and Disney World! But i feel so much more like i want to talk about my first couchsurfing experience so far, with JoAnne in Orlando, FL.

There can hardly be a person who can make me feel so comfortable as JoAnne, with her friendliness and openness to sharing. She fetched me from the airport, gave me a tour around the neighbourhood, then we shopped for groceries and we made macaroni with chili broth together for dinner :) There's tons of things we talked about (i especially loved her narration of her near-elopement to Woodstock!), and I wish i could talk more with her after my theme park visits end tomorrow!

In the meantime, i had an unforgettable meeting with her two French frens, Izzy and her partner Indy. They were her first couchsurfers a couple of months back, and were sleeping over for a night, in the guest room with me. The interesting thing was that Izzy knew very little English, so i dug out some of my French from aeons ago and introduced myself haha. Afterwards we used facebook to chat, and I'd copy and paste whatever i wanted to say from Google Translate. After awhile, she commented that my French was very good...and then she burst out laughing when i showed her i was using Google :p

Talked with Indy after that, and when i told him i was going to Germany, he shared about it some. It was funny and interesting... later on the lights were turned off and i wished them "Bonne Nuit", while they returned a "Wan3 An1"... then, having suddenly remembered, Izzy whispered "Gute Nacht!"

And we all laughed.

~~~

The next day, JoAnne told me about the amazing love story of Izzy and Indy's relationship. Turns out they were a couple during school days, and then Indy wanted to go to Paris to work. But Izzy refused to move...so they broke up and went their separate ways. Years passed, and Indy worked in various countries, Australia etc, but he just "couldn't stop thinking about her". Eventually, 13 whole years later, he went back to France, reconnected with her...and they've been together since :)

Now that's what i call romance.

Pennsylvania - Land of the Wilds

2011-03-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

I never tire of snow. How could anyone? Nothing can be quite as pure, beautiful, serene... with a different appeal in a different time, place.

As we ventured up north, through long frosted highways and snow-topped conifer forests, the weather had palpably grown chillier. We went into Erie, a typical American town serving as a stopover destination for road trips to or from Canada, New York, Chicago etc. Lake Erie was beautiful, and it was a fun place to get into the snowy mood and start throwing some snowballs :)

"Why are we standing out in the cold, dude!"

We began on Route 6 -

Named by National Geographic as "One of America's most scenic drives", US Route 6 in Pennsylvania is the heart of the American Dream. This magical and tranquil highway along Pennsylvania's northern tier is 400 plus miles of history and heritage, linking small towns, generations of people and wondrous sights often forgotten.

Farms and ranches dotted the landscape, with yellowish stalks buried under the snow; it won't be till Spring arrives before the melts fertilize the land and give life to the greenery again.

The best part of road trips are spontaneous, off-the-beaten-track detours that lead us into new places and adventures! One of our favourite ones was to stop by (illegally?) Kinzua Dam, a restricted dam that gave spectacular views of the river and the Allegheny reservoir. All the guards were off for their winter vacations, woohoo!

And then, descending upon frozen Treasure Lake the next day, trudging through the snowy ice carefully, making snow angels, and praying not to fall into the deep, icy waters underneath! There was never a more beautiful moment when the snow flakes trickled, no, floated down on us like a silver misting, or a sugary coat.

Summer homes lay deserted on the shores beyond... we crossed the lake and explored them in the full excitement of trespassing haha.

Kudos to ZY for being such a fun driver with a great sense of intuition and bringing us to lovely spots. He drove so well, too, that we couldn't help but fall asleep in the car! Anyway, will add more later.

Returning back to Pittsburgh, i joined in a party with ZY's housemate Tracy, then had my last supper with the Lost Skies, and bid everyone goodbye. It was a wonderful, different second leg in my journey, one that forged new friendships and beautiful memories.

Farewell...Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh, the City of Steel.

2011-03-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

No time for blogging - just a couple of pics!

Touched down in Pittsburgh, PA. It was great meeting up with ZY, and he got me comfortably settled in, then introduced me to local housemates Sky and Lost. (I call them the Lost Skies) Lovely house, i especially like reading in front of the "fireplace" radiator.

ZY may be the perfect tour guide/ambassador for Carnegie Mellon! Highly observant and knowledgeable, he led me around the grounds of its beautiful, modern campus on the back of his hand. Chokeful of culture, really fascinating.

It was cold, and it drizzled. No better weather for museums! The Carnegie Museum of the Arts and Natural History were a stone's throw away, and a wonderful place to explore. They have works from prehistoric times to the modern; from ancient hieroglyphics to minimalist paintings. Follow a docent, or go it alone in exploring art through the passage of time.

My favourite exhibit: Desniansky Raion, 2007 by Cyprien Gaillard. A video running 29 minutes long, showcasing architecture in a strange, spectacular fashion. Poignant and very unsettling - you'll understand when you watch it.

Not forgetting, the current exhibition of the season: Andrey Avinoff - in Pursuit of Beauty. He was previously director of Carnegie Institute and artist, explorer, scientist. Very interesting perspective into his inner life and thoughts, yet leaving much room for imagination. I met a docent guiding her artist friend along, M and J. We had a fascinating discussion about the interpretation of his artworks - but it was definitely way above my head haha.

Dinner at Burgatory, with Zy's friends HaoYee, Vincent and Darryl. Great-tasting but ultimately sinful burgers, and watch out for the hard liquor-ed shakes! They're sure to bring you somewhere nasty - to the depths of pburgatory perhaps.

For awhile now, it seems like God wants me to visit museums and gain knowledge. It just won't stop RAINING. And what better place to gain new knowledge than the Cathedral of Learning, one of University of Pittsburgh's campuses. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a religion dedicated to learning? Rather than, you know, eternal life and stuff. Very, very beautiful building with a gothic feel to it. Its Nationality Classrooms gave me some of my most enriching experiences here in Pittsburgh - it definitely deserves a patient, attentive walkthrough to glean much intimate knowledge about myriad cultures. Each room represents the culture of a nation, with matching decor, architecture et al that tell a fascinating story of history and society. They can be used for normal university classes too, wow.

Be greeted by the symphonies of Joseph Haydn as you step into the Baroque magnificence of the Austrian room. Learn about the peaceful marriage strategy of the House of Habsburg - Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria, nube! (Wars may be led by others - you, happy Austria, marry!)

Or get a feel of Ukrainian hospitality in its warm-bodied decor, embodied in the Slavic saying, "Gość w dom, Bóg w dom. " (When a guest enters the house, God enters the home).

I love how the Welsh room ended off with a romantic rendition of its humble, poetic culture.

To be born Welsh
is to be born privileged.
Not with a silver spoon in your mouth,
But music in your blood
And poetry in your soul.

Thousand points apiece if you can identify which culture the rooms belong to!

It continued to pour chillingly as I made my way downtown, climbing buses, asking for directions and running across bridges. I found my way to the Andy Warhol museum... home of the father of Pop Art and alumni of CMU.

Late at night, my first magical moment with snow... wish i'll never forget this moment.

And this marks the end of the urban trail in Pittsburgh... time for the wilderness of Pennsylvania! Heading off for a roadtrip across Pennsylvania with ZY and Lost, ranging across scenic Route 6.

Cold, then Warm.

2011-03-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

Cold, in the rain.

It was a few degrees in the evening, my warm breath misting up into the air, and i was shifting my feet quickly across the bridge. I'd just visited the Andy Warhol Museum, and now searched my way back downtown to catch the bus.

I waited, as did everyone else. Tramps, the elderly, the disadvantaged. Rarely the caucasian, unless aged. Students, korean or chinese. Dreadlocks, but they were more cool than scary. Bus driver after bus driver, african american, female, middle-aged, sometimes an old man. I waited.

The drizzle was Freezing, Trickling. Drop by drop. I dug my hands deep into my pockets. Boarded the bus, and couldn't get my hands to unfold. Pulled out the student pass and showed it to the rugged driver edgily. He gave a friendly grunt.

Sat down, wearied and frozen. Cold, whispering silence. Then it cheered up. Lovely small talk with the old lady next to me. Then, as common as anything, people around joined in, chipped in their few words or the occasional question. It was soft, humble and welcoming; the cries of a baby, the falling groceries after a rough turn, the pitter-patter of raindrops on the windows. The goodbyes we said as we got down the bus. Back to our own lives. Did we belong there, or here?

It was cold, then warm.

And probably one of my most memorable moments here in Pittsburgh.

The American tourist and the Greek fisherman

2011-03-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

A boat docked in a tiny Greek village. An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Greek.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, dance a little, drink a bit, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Athens, London or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And, after that? Afterwards?”

“That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, playing and drinking with your friends…”

SF and Around

2011-03-06T20:24:00.000-08:00

San Francisco City, proper.

Not to miss: Union Square, a vital, cosmopolitan place in downtown San Francisco. A hip, cheery place to have coffee and a lazily read in the midst of the hustle and bustle of city life. Check out for exciting events on the calendar! We happened to chance on an art exhibition by the Art Guild of SF, which added much vibe to the Square. It boasted many local artists, who were right there proudly displaying their work, and eager to speak to any potential admirers. One of them told me she wished more people would be less shy about it and chat more to them about their works, haha. Well, i wasn't an avid art fan so i couldn't appreciate it as much as i wish i did!

Nearby, the renowned Chinatown of SF lay in sprawl over a wide enclave, and you can see Chinese culture (and people) squeezed desperately into tight streets, from kitsch pagodas to traditional Hongkong dim sum shops. You know it can only be Chinese when rowdy middle-aged women surreptitiously creep in front of you in the queue, speaking in Cantonese that 'those young boys have the time to wait.' Well, true. But still...

Japantown was less spectacular; it is said to have shrunk when the Japanese were wound up and interned during WWII. Did some grocery shopping and left in a huff. ( There is a Center for Asian American Media there though, and I just missed the Asian American Film Festival, Mar 10-20.)

Outside SF in Berkeley, a young, vibrant university town and home of UCBerkeley, GS and Toby recommended a cajun cuisine joint. Toby had fond memories of New Orleans in Louisiana, and especially the food there. Very, very flavorful stuff, it just sticks so well to our palates. I'll have to try its Ho'Boy next time!

The weather drizzled and we braved the fog up northwest, through the Richmond-San Rafael bridge. The bridge looked as though it led up to the sky, through a hole in the clouds. It felt surreal, like we were riding up to Heaven! Very interesting ride if you ever get a chance (and a foggy day).

Through San Rafael, Fairfax and little towns sprinkled along the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard road, we rode on. The towns had a somewhat European style, different from SF just miles away. The view... a natural woods route where streams flowed by and redwoods towered high above us.

We finally reached Point Reyes Station, where the visitor centre for the Point Reyes National Seashore was located. This is a definite starting point for all activity here. You can check out the schedules for various activities; we missed out whalewatching in the afternoon, but were in time for the lighthouse tours till 3, 4pm. We also missed out on a really interesting hiking trail to an American Indian village, Kule Loklo, due to the increasing rain.

It takes another hour-long drive through extensive pastures and ranches, where old communities and farmhouses and rickety trucks lay beside their grazing herds of Holstein cattle. The landscape gradually transforms from woods to wetlands, wetlands to plains, plains to hills.

Descending down the foggy slopes, we reached Point Reyes Lighthouse... a historic monument that has saved lives over hundreds of years guiding ships to safety. It was a fascinating look into the life of a lighthouse keeper, often cold, arduous and brutish, be it winding the light up, cleaning the equipment, or sounding the sirens. Over time, of course, the antiquated lighting device has been replaced by automated beacons, GPS and so on.

Many interesting facts popped up along the way, like how the lighthouse was built rather short, BELOW the fogline, rather than ABOVE it, as in the case of most towering lighthouses out there. This enables it to extend its light out to the seas during times of low visibility. Which is pretty important, since Point Reyes records a whopping 2000 hours of fog a year! Ha, good luck whale watching...

Don't miss out the other treasures hidden in Point Reyes Station and around, e.g. Cowgirl Creamery.
Cowgirl Creamery was unfortunately closed during our trip... it offers the freshiest of cheese and creamy delights, churned from old-fashioned ranches lying in the surrounding grasslands. Hope to come by again :)

On the way back, Shoreline Highway 1 offered some of the best road scenery around: Bayous and Bolinas Lagoon, with wild ducks swimming around leisurely and diving for fish; Breaking ocean waves on cliffs and shores, at Stinson and Muir Beaches; Woods, Mount Tamalpais, and the Valley.

Finally, Sausalito. A beautiful little marina town by the sea that combines hillside with shoreline, a residential community there thrives in both houses built on terraced hills, and in houseboats floating in the marina. We had a great, affordable dinner at Fish... lovely food and delightful atmosphere.

Come for the fresh seafood, the lively waterfront scene or the calm, soul-soothing experience in this quaint little picture of a town :)

Well, that concludes the SF side of my travels, and my first week in the US. Huge, huge thanks to GS, Toby, Gary and Co. for taking me in with warm hospitality, the fun chats and games, as well as endeavoring new experiences all over the place with me :) Hope to send them a postcard from Pennsylvania soon!

Midweek

2011-03-04T00:43:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely day midweek: the sun was hard at work warming up the wintry land, while booming clouds sprang across the skies to provide occasional, soothing shelter. Work ended at one, and Eli ordered in Japanese teriyaki for our team lunch. Languishing on our full stomachs, ideas started popping up about the best way to spend the beautiful afternoon (it would be sinful to waste it otherwise!) Soon it was settled: Gary would bring us to this exciting joint near the suburbs for some GO-Karting action!

The journey, bringing us from Danville through long, desolate roads in the suburbs to the joint, was unforgettable by itself. Eli drove the 7-seater around, showing us ranches of horses, cows, even the rare llamas (camels with sheep wool on them!). There were some detours, detailing interesting places where Gary biked past. I never seemed to get tired of the hills and greenery... haha.

And finally, destination: Go-Kart. What do I remember?

The shuddering murmur of the engine. The burning smell of diesel and tires. Your vision, encased in aluminium, shrouded through a visor. A continuous landscape of scarred tracks and black walls, interrupted by spinning monsters that crashed you. Or you crashed them.

It was my first time go-karting. Very, very fun :) I did alot of reckless drifting and banging into the walls, and the jarring impact really goes down to the bone! Haha, good stuff. GS was a complete fail, and wound up doing 5 circuit runs less than us. Which means everyone lapped him umpteen times... you can see the scores below.

The rest of the day was spent with GS and Toby, exploring more of the towns around San Francisco... I just enjoy being with these guys so much! Really appreciate how they've been perfect hosts this whole time, bringing me around and catering to my every need. Owe a big, big thank you to them :)

---

The beautiful weather continued.

Gary, needing to get out of the office for the day (he says he's prone to causing destruction while he's in the office haha), took me and his son Max out for a roadtrip. Well... except usually I associate "roadtrip" with a tough four-wheel SUV, or a sedan with peeps screaming out of the windows.

So would you call riding in a BMW M5 a roadtrip?

Oh well. You get what you get :p

We went cruising to the coast near Cliff House and the Sutro Bath ruins. A really unique attraction, accompanied by a rocky shoreline and crashing waves. We didn't explore every nook and cranny, but it was exciting just the same :)

The Bath used to look like this!

Next stop: the Marin Headlands across the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge.

We rode way up to the top, where breathtaking scenery of San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge lay before us. The ruins of an old coastal fortress emerged out of the hills for us to explore too.

Close by, as we traversed the coastline, we found the Point Bonita lighthouse and Bird Island (without birds, they'd flown for the winter).

Nearby was beautiful seaside town Sausalito, and Point Reyes... Gary left it for us to explore next time!

We stopped for lunch at Mill Valley, a small but quaint town with an European feel to it. I kinda liked its architecture...somewhat Victorian, like old british cottage-ish. Tried my first burger in the U.S, a gigantic beef burger topped with an overly generous serving of Blue Cheese! It was really, really strong... i knew i should have gotten cheddar :p

We were sleepy after a long day of sightseeing and exploration... but we just couldn't miss out on the Muir Woods, a sacred grove of giant redwood sequoia trees, so we wound through the hills further, into the nature reserve. It bore great historical importance, being co-founded by President Roosevelt (that "Teddy" Roosevelt) and patronized by the U.N. committee. Deeply humbling to hear of the lives of the great pioneers that cared, like the naturalist John Muir, whom the woods was named after. These people fight for the things that are bigger than us, and themselves. Things larger than human society. We have the fortune today to look at what they had the foresight to see, envision and build.

At the same time, i don't think you have to be fighting for something more impactful on the world to qualify for greatness. Everyone can achieve greatness by doing the things they do. As Leo Tolstoy extolled in "War and Peace", we all make history, each and everyone of us; peasant to peasant, royalty to royalty. We all have our own paths in life. And i think it is so wrong to think that you're doing something more important than others, that you deserve more respect for doing so, that your time is worth more than others. Because anything we're doing can be so inconsequential in the course of history, yet so cardinal to the life of someone!

It was delightful talking to Gary too, learning from his experiences, understanding the american lifestyle and the values he held dear (and already tried to impart to young Max, haha). And about how financial trading is a trade, not a career, and how it makes a difference. In particular, i could relate to the fact that there is really so much more than the career landscape in SG that students like me can see from the tiny, tiny well that is SG. I'm tired of people gushing about, say, a banking or consulting job, about the "prestige" or the "high pay", when there is the world out there. Yes, the world. Shouldn't you WANT to see the world before making your choices? Or do you think you already know "enough"?

Call me stupid then. Because I'm still trying to know what i do not know. And slowly but steadily, i'm finding out :)

-----------------------
First week, midweek.

California Dawning

2011-03-02T23:40:00.000-08:00

Gooood Morning California!

It's my third day here in San Francisco, and everything's been new, varied and interesting. Plus I had great conversations with fantastic new friends and people.

My flight here was really memorable, and gave a great start to the trip. On my first connecting flight to Hongkong, I sat with a solemn, black-suited guy, more interested in his financial newspaper than me.. but on the longer flight to SF, i was with Danny, a bohemian guy - somehow his clothes, demeanor all seemed to scream "I'm an ARTIST!!" - and he was complete madness. I chatted with him, and he asked me what my job was. To my own surprise, i just said the first thing that came to my mind, "I'm an aspiring writer." I guess when people meet a writer, they feel a natural need to share their most exciting life story (and whose life story isn't exciting to themselves?). So he did.

And it was absolutely fun, crazy, and beautiful to listen to him. I jotted some notes down - hope to organize it later as a story! Didn't get his contacts, and Danny left off saying, "You'll find me in a corner of the world. Somewhere."

Well, I finally touched down in SF. It's cold, windy, and there just aren't people on the streets - everyone's galloping around in big cars and SUVs, and the BART, their equivalent of MRT, is literally desolate. GS and his friend and colleague Toby drove to fetch me to their place. And what a grand estate in the suburbs it was!

It's a beautiful place with scenic views, snuck between low, rolling hills that went on and on. I got to know and talk to the boss of the trading firm, Gary, who rented the house, and their other colleagues Elijah and Matt. They're all Americans, except for Matt, who's Korean.

GS' company is really special. It's a small team, they live and work in the same place, and their hours range from 6am to 1pm. Once the trading floor closes, they too stop their work and have the rest of the day to themselves! Plus the company culture is really amazing, it's a very cozy environment with no pressure at all (except on your part to earn on your trades). Gary brings the team out for lunch everyday and they're genuinely interested in talking and getting to know each other. It may be the people factor - i easily spent an hour (during their work hours, oops) chatting with Gary and Eli, about their travels, their missionary work, families. I really enjoy and appreciate staying here with them.

In the morning, i'd watch Warren Buffett on CNBC giving common sense comments, then look at the guys trading and see as their lots get gobbled up by other traders. Pretty interesting stuff. I'd then wait for the drizzle to stop, and wander off to the Sycamore Valley Nature Preserve, a vast expanse of grassy, green lowlands littered with great, withering oaks (it's the winter now). I lumbered up muddy paths ringing the rolling hills, and saw hares flit swiftly across the fields, and birds chirping among the oaks. I chased after grazing cows who stared curiously at me, till my wits gave way and i backed off. It feels as though Nature never gave up on America - humans may colonize the lands, but they will never tame the wilds. Looking to meet the roving deer, turkeys and the lone coyote on the other side of the hills tomorrow!

Descending from the hike, i'd pass by Tasajara Nursery, a largish farm for shrubs, trees and flowering varieties. It's a very pretty place with many interesting things to learn about, looking at the various species and types of plants. I talked to K, an old man who immigrated from Japan, studied business here and then pioneered the Nursery business now spanning the state. He lightly exhorted about the work ethics of the pioneers of his generation - working 15 hours a day, 365 days a year. It was insightful to hear his experience in the shrubbery business. Masako, his wife, was really friendly and endearing too. I somehow poured out my concerns to her about what i wanted to do in life, while she shared some valuable advice.

It feels refreshing to be out here, having great conversations with people who care, with bosses who are never too busy to talk. I guess that is one major appeal of the US and western cultures... the slower pace of life, the openness of the people.

Another day, we rode the BART downtown, then took a cable car ride through Chinatown to Fisherman's Wharf. Very lovely place, touristy and still beautiful, with all sorts of quirky shops and stalls amidst the docks loaded with ships and cruisers. Seagulls glide above your heads unabashedly, as you peek into the distance where the infamous Alcatraz Island - The Rock - loomed ominously in the gloomy horizons.

At the end of Pier 39, we browsed through shops selling breads, bath salts, candies, chocolates, Celtic stuff - all popping up randomly from nowhere! Turn the corner, and we find ourselves face to face with a throng of sea lions, basking lazily atop wooden platforms that floated inside the pier. They howled and yelped, posing for photos and begging for a fishy meal.

Further down the wharf, we entered the Musee Mecanique - an antique museum featuring some of the oldest arcade machines in the US. Fun, interesting, and somewhat hilarious... entertainment must be really scarce back then!

Dinner, atScoma's: a seafood restaurant mysteriously tucked behind dark alleys.

CIOPPINO ALLA PESCATORE

A San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Original. Prawns, Shrimp, Clams, Sea Scallops,
Fresh Fish, and a 1/2 Dungeness Crab cracked in the Shell in a rich tomato broth.

Fantabulously fresh, absolutely flavorful, a bowl of seafood goodness all crunched up and served in a tender, juicy mix. Definitely a must-try!

Everyday serves up a new menu of fun, excitement and the unknown :)

Freundschaft.

2011-02-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Spent a good, full-bodied day today running around places and meeting friends!

Finally grabbed my german residence visa from the embassy, then went to school to meet Maran and discuss our FYP. We had some really exciting ideas and projects to work on, so i bet it's going to be a blast of a time next year!

He also passed me some pictures from our atypical dinner outing with JY... when we cooked our own dinner of unagi, silverfish and fried rice, then chopped and ate sugar canes raw from the cane for dessert! Never a dull moment with these frens :)

Afterwards, we browsed through the school career fair, and grabbed some brochures and such. Lunch was a hot, spicy meal with Mr Sun, followed by some Xbox 360 Kinetics fun in his room haha. He couldn't wait to show off his guitar skills too:

In the evening, had a nice chat with JY when he passed me my photoshoot pics. These are for the NTU College of Engineering, where I represented Computer Engineering :) Probably used for Openhouse publications and stuff.

Finished off the day having dinner at Gab and Dan's place, it always feels too long since we've last met. Those asses...always claiming to be busy haha.

Well, it felt great to meet up with my frens before i go :)
Auf Wiedersehen, Tschüss und Bis Bald!

Friday, 4th Feb

2011-02-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

My family went away to Cambodia for a holiday tour, while i mulled to pass time in our lonely abode.

Planned and carried out a list of self-nurturing things to do within the day:

Bake Bread - not attempted, fail
Lay on the couch and watch a funny movie - fail, watched a teary one instead
Have breakfast in bed - fail, woke up too late for breakfast!
Enjoy a good cup of coffee with a friend - fail, my friend doesn't drink coffee..
Get a good massage - fail, amateurish massage by my friend made me tickle instead.
Have a good cry - fail, only dropped 2 tears.
Enjoy a bubble bath (with scented candles) - fail, too lazy to set the candles up.
Watch the sunrise or the sunset - complete FAIL, went to Changi Beach and saw nothing but happy campers and parasailors.
Visit a place that is special to you - no clue... so fail.
Make yourself a special meal - success! Made japanese curry with burnt rice, rock-hard carrots and overboiled broccoli. Wait, maybe this is a fail...

Haha... think I'd better try harder next time!

How to Build a Bridge

2011-01-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

My father is incorruptible.

For the longest time ever, i've been thinking that my dad is a strong man. He perseveres through all the tough times in his life, and there have been many: motorbike accidents, getting a job without an education, and even after getting it, the menial nature of the job assuring each day to be arduous, brutish, painful. My mom's cancer later in life almost broke him down; but he found Faith, and the miraculous recovery of her cancer that accompanied it.

It takes a deep-rooted sense of discipline, courage and perseverance to be my father every single day of his life. To me, that was strength. Strength, pure and strong, able to overcome any obstacle in life.

Then he changed. With age, he learned the humility to suppress his chauvinistic, self-righteous self. With experience, he mastered control over his raging temperament. With wisdom, he gave a voice to his soul.

And i heard it today, steadfast, resolute and firm. That was the voice of strength. Not simply sheer willpower or endurance, for even the reckless have that. Nor constancy or discipline, for these may be misguided in efforts. I mistook strength for these, and blindly adored these values. But today I learned a most valuable lesson.

A strong person is the one who unwaveringly believes in and acts by his moral stand. A strong person never compromises his principles for money, power, popularity, status, or any lesser things. A strong person is incorruptible, and try what you may, you can never get him to sacrifice his values for self-interested material gains. Because as Socrates believed, it is in your self-interest to be moral. Because it is right, it is just; it is human.

And I've always felt, there exists such a wide, gaping chasm between the moral values you hold, and the actions you do in real life. Many never cross this gap. But today i listened to my father, and i saw the steadfast bridge he'd built over long decades of impetuousness, recklessness, stupidity and arrogance, mistakes all; and also good intention, grit, courage, blood and tears. I saw the way he strode forward straight into the sun, in the relentless belief that this was the right path. And i thought to myself, this is how a backbone is made.

Thank you dad, for showing me today how to build a bridge.

God's Algorithm

2011-01-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Today, I stayed so late in the office that i missed the last train and had to take a taxi home. No, i'm not usually that hardworking haha.

We had a great chat in our Moolah office, with arul, audrey and min. Then i had a call with pejman, marketing manager of GrowVC, about SEO and my idea for a crowdfunding event.

Well, thanks to this, i got to meet an interesting taxi uncle, and we discussed faith and religion. I ended up talking for some time in the taxi after stopping, and he even gave me a fatherly pat on the back when i left... Haha.

He believed in religion. That has always been something which i have always wanted to believe in, but didn't. Do we ever have a choice to 'decide' on the things we believe in? Or do our mind and personality, made up of all our experiences and thoughts so far, automatically make the connection, using some algorithm to match the dots together?

To extend it even further, how do natural events in the world 'choose' to occur? We have all these probabilities of them happening... at this very instant, the chance of a teeny-weeny asteroid hitting Earth is 0.2, and the chance of a dino-extinction sized one, 0.00000002. When we say that we leave something to fate, who or what actually 'decides' the actual event, out of a kazillion other random ones, to happen? If God is the one manipulating everything, does he have some automated decision-making system to churn out the outcomes for the many random events in this universe?
Pseudocode:

IF (human_behaviour == sucky) -> THEN (fricking_big_flood == ACTIVATED)

Now THAT would be God's Algorithm.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-01-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't you know it... my U.S. trip got delayed due to issues with my German visa application.

The Good: Still in Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year!
The Bad: My entire family has already booked a trip to Cambodia for themselves.
The Ugly: $500 ZUJI flight cancellation fee. WTF.

All thanks to the German embassy, whose inefficiency has given me new insights into how a failed system can screw up people's lives. Case in point: Out of the 10 over cases i witnessed while waiting for my turn, not a SINGLE one managed to complete anything they needed to do. One was asked to go download some missing doc from the net and come back another day. The next five people were similarly rejected. Another didn't have the exact cash for the processing fees, and had to go down to a nearby shopping centre to get it. Yet another was failed because of a minute detail that was conveniently unstated in the embassy website. Just one unreasonable little condition that ended up dragging the entire visa process by a month. Sadly, that last case was me.

But you can imagine. All these poor, needy souls submitting their applications anxiously, only to be rejected for the same issues over and over again, which could have been so easily solved with a little help, even something like a clearer instruction set on the website. Don't they even care?

These horror stories that recur every so often, that you wouldn't think possible in this day and age, especially not for an organization representing one of the most efficient of nations, Germany. It will shame Daimler, Volkswagen, Siemens to hear that their embassy still, for example, uses big thick books for some of their records. Or that it's downright impossible for them to pick up your phonecall queries. To illustrate it clearer: A long-term visa takes 1-3 months for Germany. It takes 4 days for a China one.

We get the idea. You just don't want any riffraffs in your country eh. That's a fantastic image of your country to portray, strong enough to override the beautiful impression i've had of Germany. All it takes is one bad apple to spoil the entire barrel.

Yea i'm pissed. All my weeks of planning... the short perfect holiday in Toronto with Wudao, the couchsurfing with strangers around the Bay Area... all gone in a flash.

As Archimedes once said,

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall bloody smack your ass."

Last snippet of hall life

2010-12-22T05:57:00.000-08:00

Just came back from a long talk with Kenny and Weiyen. It reminds me that there are great conversations to be had anywhere in hall, and the serendipity is just amazing :) Perhaps it's the sense of home in our warm abode here that endear us to our friends and neighbours so. Well, since i'll be staying in budget student hostels in both the U.S and Germany, i'll be sure to experience this feeling with different people who have different stories to tell :)

Anyway, I feel really relieved that my overseas trip issues are settled. It was a pretty tough exam season, what with running all around getting my jabs done, applying for student discount cards, preparing documents and whatnot... and, Oh Gott, the waiting. That was the worst part of all, stressing over whether my acceptance package, german insurance requirements will arrive in time for my visa application (and my pre-booked flight!)

I'm just glad to have everything fall in place, and not a moment too soon, either. Will be flying off next thursday on the 30th, i hope everything goes smoothly ~ Before that, i'll be initiating myself to Moolah @ the SG office these few days. Definitely raring to go :)

Bis bald, Singapur!

Acceptance from TUM!

2010-12-16T07:32:00.001-08:00

Für Ihr Studium an der Technischen Universität München wünschen wir Ihnen
viel Erfolg!
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihr Welcome Office

Stats

2010-12-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

Interesting stats from blogspot's new Stats function!

Over the past month...
-227 views came from my facebook profile.
-16 views came from a Russian property website. I assume real estate must be big in Sebastiancity?

-Top Countries that my readers are from:
Singapore, U.S., Malaysia, and.... Russia. (btw if you're russian, you may want to stop searching for your dream house here.)

-Strange O.S./ Browsers used by readers:
4 Iphone views, 1 Netscape (thought it was extinct?), 1 Java (Java has a browser?)

-Top stories read:

Hall XI FOC 2010: A Happy Ending
Reflection
Fishin' in Sibu

Haha... really fun to look at the stats. Thanks, Google/Blogspot!

Updating Life

2010-11-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

Been wanting to blog for the longest time! A multitude of myriad things have passed by, and i'm just dying to rave abt them.

First off: getting an internship @ Project Moolah, Silicon Valley U.S. :) It's going to be tons and tons of fun over there, every single day at work! I was so afraid that i'd end up doing a mundane office-job internship in SG again... it just felt like i'd never be able to explore what i truly wanted to do. But I'd bet that just getting overseas will really throw me out of my comfort zone and force me to search for directions in life again :)

What i'd be doing there isn't kinda fixed, but it mostly revolves around customer development (on e ground with the kids and parents!), as well as some fascinatin projects here and there. I cannot begin to describe how much more interesting this is compared to a typical 'high-flying' internship in a bank or MNC... which will be mostly abt churning out metrics, hanging out at pubs, and dabbling in things full-timers do. Still pretty interesting, but i'll pass this second time round, for the wild unknown world of the Valley!

Anyway, probably flying at the start of the year :) Looking forward to visit some friends like Alvin, Gaoshan, Zhiyang along the way.

Next up, i did some cool photoshoots for the school! Reminds me of the JCRC photoshoot a couple of years back.. but this time i wasn't in the limelight! Ended up as those in the 'background' picture..haha. It was pretty fun tho, we even did some external shoot and went all the way to SRC! Anyway i'm going for another one tomo, will see what this one is like.

And over the past weekend, i mourned for the passing away of my great-grandmother, aged 97. The wake was probably the most extensive i'll ever see, with me among the 170+ descendants that she had, and the high-budget stuff that went on. A whopping 6 or 7 buses were catered to bring us to Choa Chu Kang.

It's amazing how one life can lead to so many. And yet i'd think it was never her intention to pass her genes down, as a sort of immortality. But among all these lives she'd impacted so deeply, how many have actually spent a thought or two thinking about filial piety, familial ties to her? It seems as though where the heart cannot pay back, the wallet serves just as well. And hence the origin of ceremonial burial, lavish, elaborate and ultimately, redeeming for the living. As below, so above; as above, so below.

Quod est inferius est sicut quod est superius, et quod est superius est sicut quod est inferius.

It wasn't of course this moody at... my most fun project presentation till date, BC214!! Check out the videos @ facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=477238146704&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=477250986704&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=477261261704&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=477295916704&ref=mf

I scripted it from an idea out of the blue in twenty minutes :) Plus directed the whole thing in an hour with all the born actor guys, and Zhi jie did the great video editing. It got the entire class laughing, including the prof. I'm definitely proud that we satisfied the entire audience, instead of just presenting boring, factual stuff that looked aimed at the prof only! (counts for 50% of the grps.. sad).

It's already the third year and i'm pretty much synced in with what the profs want from us, and what they want us to pick up from the course. That's why i took the initiative to lead two project groups this semester (stepping down from CCAs helped too), and i'm pretty comfortable with the results for both! I maintained a leisurely pace throughout, and learned to show more empathy and understanding, something i had as a terrible fault while being FOC Chair.

Come to think of it, despite my FOC journey being much less intensive than JCRC in year one, it taught me so much more than i ever learned as a block manager. I'd say Year one was about losing the naivety about people and things, Year two was understanding my strengths and weaknesses, and Year three was... well, being in the know and getting comfortable :)

I truly felt at ease this entire semester, knowing when to "let go" and when to "reel it in". (Anglers' Club taught me new lingo eh, haha) I just felt more acutely aware of the situation, the paths of action open to me, and their consequences. There was little doubt in my mind as to what i needed to do, and when. All i needed was a desire, and the discipline and will to fulfill it :p but these're my biggest weaknesses after all.

In short, Life has never felt more carefree and yet empowered in the comfort zone i've built over these past years ...

...and that's why i have to get outta here :)

Infocomm Industry Forum

2010-10-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not the kind of person who goes around attending seminars and forums, but these two days I've had them back to back!

The first was the Infocomm Industry Forum 2010. Informative, inspiring, and led by high-powered executives and entrepreneurs full of vibe! They presented on the hottest ICT trends, on cloud computing, analytics, mobile techs... all poised to evolve the way we do business, and even the way we live.

I especially liked the last two presentations, about Globe Forum, an ideas and capital marketplace for environmental enterprise, and Grow VC, that promotes the system of communal investment, i.e. growing a VC from the ground up. I grabbed the opportunity after the forum to talk to Mr Jouko, a long-time entrepreneur, investor and the founder of Grow VC. It was inspiring to see someone who believes in a vision and great ideas, especially at his level of multi-million startups!

At the same time, I also talked to Mr Johan of Globe Forum, and.. it was not so inspiring. I asked about his personal motivation (besides being a hero to his daughter!), but instead of hearing about the importance of environmentalism, he exhorted about how it was a truly profitable idea, by taking a stake in multiple startups. Sounds like a VC masked up by lofty ideals.

Of course firms must be profitable. But in which sense? Money? Sure, money is a universal medium of value. But what if this value is not recognized in the monetary sense? Just as housewives and mothers receive no banker's pay, so do many not-for-profits toil away at solving the needs and problems that society falls short in today. How about giving them a pat on the back and some healthy financing, eh?

I'm sure there are so many worthy startups out there that can earn huge profits. With minimal costs they can maximize their revenue: millions worth of peace, billions in conserving the environment for the future, and trillions of happiness for many, many people in the world. Do we really have to leave it to people who get realllllyyyy rich before they can give away half their fortunes to charity and NPOs? (Nice initiative btw, Bill!)

Anyway, I'll been contacting Mr Jouko soon, and hopefully get to engage him on these issues.

Fishin' in Sibu

2010-10-17T07:27:00.001-07:00

Back from the Kelong fishing trip in Sibu, Malaysia. And lovin' it. :)

I haven't felt so refreshed for a long time... Sitting on a stool, rod in hand, hook in the waters, the vast expanse of blue skies and white clouds immersing me in peace and serenity. The horizons drew me in, and the hours passed like minutes. Here was a great getaway, replete with a overflowing atmosphere of calm that enabled us to talk and share freely and have fun. These were the halcyon days...

It's not the fishing, but the company that matters. I feared at first that i wouldn't be able to make friends there, but it was just so easy to get to meet and know so many new people whom i've never seen before!

There were the 'villagers' and Exco who worked hard to make the event a success... Jame, Xinyi, Sophia, Jason, Wei Qiang, etc. There were the 'mahjong khaki' that i played with, including Felix, Huang Hui and Wei Kang from German class :) There were the random peeps i've met, either queuing for the toilet, helping me with my line, or just plain chatting as we fished, like Jia Long. And of course, the girls whom i'd spent most time with, fishing, playing cards and had meals with... Xinru, GC, Carol and Yeexian! It feels refreshing to know more people for a change, and though it were just two days and a night, i had open, interesting conversations with a lot of different personalities.

Yet another big catch :p

We fished as much as we liked, with squid as bait, and easily caught a myriad of fishes. From a white one that made kissing sounds as it spat water at us, to a colorful variety that had spiny fins along its back. At first it was fun putting them in the pail, like a record-keeping book; but later when they started suffocating, we could only release them back to the sea. And make no mistake, fishing is cruel, really cruel! I regret the times i had to pull out my hook from the fish's eyes or mouth, leaving them bleeding! In the end, i stopped fishing the second day.

We ate as much as we could, too. There was good seafood, and i enjoyed the restaurant-style yet communal meals. The locals rang the bell to start the meal, and we streamed in like schoolchildren to get our ricebowls and sit at random tables, each with full five courses set out tantalizingly. There was even a supper BBQ; you just had to feel satiated the whole day and night.

I liked to wander around and talk to people. The kelong was an open-concept, mammoth wooden platform with rod holders all around the perimeter. In the day we shuffled around like rabbits, looking for new spots to hopefully dig out something. At night we waited patiently for the squids at the bottom of the sea to bite, which rarely did. When we got sick of it, we played mahjong, chatted, got drunk (not me!)

It was all a good, wholesome weekend :) Hopefully next year, when i come back from Germany, i'll be able to go for it again. Hurrah for retired uni. life! It's really great to take a leisurely pace of life to things, for a change.

Life must be so full of all these new and interesting experiences, waiting for us to explore and discover :)

Doldrums

2010-10-12T09:58:00.001-07:00

In the doldrums now. Perhaps there's just so much uncertainty in my life now, that it gets to the point where it's terribly, miserably upsetting. I still don't know what i want to do with my life. I can't find an internship anywhere outside Singapore (though i haven't tried Kazakhstan). And, now, after stepping down from umpteen things in my past two years of hall and school, i can't find something new to be passionate about.

I did try. I joined the Anglers' Club, and it was fun going down to Pasir Ris pond and catching that monster of a fish. I'll be going to Sibu this Sat too, to a kelong floating in the sea half an hour off the Malaysian coast. Hopefully it'll be exciting enough to lift my mood.

I joined the NBS Exchange Club, but after the first event, we got caught up in some bamboozling red-tape stuff and that was that, till the next event at the end of the month. And i'm in the German Society, which has yet to notify me of anything.

To sum it up, my CCA life has been grinding to a halt now. Guess i've been so used to the hectic workload of being a leader at the top, that now that i've stepped down, to relax and retire as an ordinary member, it bores me. I am at a complete loss of what to do when i'm free. Even now, i am doing extra work on my biz. project, because it occupies me for the moment. Keeps me from thinking too much.

To top up the depressive moods, i had been watching '1 Litre of Tears' the past week. And it made me tear almost every single episode. The original story is sad enough, but the drama's addition of the love element really ups the ante far too much.

The most touching scenes were, to me, those of Aya and Haruto... it's like having an infinitely bright and beautiful scenery that you can but peek through a window. It was so deeply poignant when Aya tells him not to see her again... because she couldn't bear being reminded of the happiness that she 'could have' with him. A tragic love story that did not begin or end, but only simmered in bittersweet sorrow in each other's hearts.

I will always remember this serial for being so different from the usual riffraff. This is a serial not made for entertainment, but for inspiration. Not made to sell, but made to touch. This is a love story you'll dream about vividly at night. Perhaps just as Aya does.

A modicum of life and wisdom

2010-09-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

The fourth week of school already! And here i am, still mucking about life, not getting into anything seriously. School life is hectic as usual, and the projects are just beginning. I'm midway through the book 'Herzog' by Nobel prize-winner Saul Bellow, part of my commitment to read more and play less. A very intriguing story about the life drama of a man, but not the typical digestible novel. Besides all this, i spend quite a few nights sending applications off for overseas internships... so far, no results yet.

Been hosting Mouxuan over as a squatter, and it's pretty interesting. He's a smart and lively character, and we delve into both casual and serious discussions readily. I like how he asks me to get real and aim for high-salary careers ("Boy, wake up!! What is wrong with you!"). Nah, i'm still figuring life out at my own pace. I'll keep trying to get an internship that's totally fresh and exciting!

Now that i've tried out much of the activities in hall and school, it's finally time for me to fulfill my ideal university life: to read and enrich my knowledge of various fields, to browse through the treasure troves of books in school. I want to read up on philosophy, psychology, sociology, any chim-ology out there. There won't be another chance in the future to try out the life of an academic, after all. I don't think my experience here will be complete without this 'ivory tower'-ish facet of university, haha.

Two more years to go. I should stop being anxious about things, and really learn to be at peace with myself, with others, with the big, wide world out there. Learn to see the world for what it is, and live life like it is meant to be lived.

Please let me retain this wisdom with me as i enter the struggle for life, the working world.

Fifty-Four, 2010

2010-08-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

Mmm... i like the feeling of being back in 54, hall eleven :)

So it's the third time already. Makes me feel kinda old when i think about it. I've had my fair share of wonderful moments here. Year one was getting to know the original '54 gang', doing all kinds of block activities and working really hard to get things going. They called me boss all the time then, haha. Year two was about having a havoc time with WC, Alvin and JH, feeling free to do what we wanted to do, as sophomores.

Yep, those were the good ol' days. Still, it feels pretty comfortable now in a single room. And just next to me are Lihhern, Luojun and William :) Time to get doorknocking soon to meet the other neighbours though! Good way to prep up for exchange next sem.

Still undecided on either Sweden or Germany. On one hand, the Swedish unis have this huge student-run organizations called "Nations", which are like a super-happening, all-encompassing version of hall JCRC or school committees. They organize everything from restaurants, cafes, pubs to libraries, community events, festivals! My buddy Erik from Uppsala tells me that his best friend is the chairperson of a Nation, which entails taking one full year off from studies, to manage it full-time. Now THAT is a heavy commitment!

On the other hand, Germany is cheaper to live in. And i haven't really looked at their student life there, which undoubtedly wouldn't lose out to the Swedish unis. But anyway, as long as it's Europe, i'm sure it'll be quite happening either ways :)

.. Damn it's lonely in a single-room haha. Miss the times with Alvin.

Hall XI FOC 2010: A Happy Ending

2010-08-23T02:34:00.001-07:00

Yep, all's well that ends well.

Despite the overwhelming stress, the persistent sense of weariness, and even threats and complaints from the public throughout the week, we made it. And we made it, not because of some sheer stroke of luck, but because of one whole year of drive, planning and commitment to a single vision: to create the most fun and memorable camp ever.

It wasn't perfect. But i thought it was pretty damn good. And i messaged each and every comm member, to thank them for their integral role in our success. Here's their replies, just to remember them by:

GLs...
-Haha nah la dun mention. That's my role :) Thanks for ur effort too, being a pillar of support for both freshies n seniors!
-It's all worth it! =) And sebast, thank you for spurring us on from the pre-FOC period to during the camp itself, really appreciate it! It's not easy to make decisions, and on top of that decision that will affect evry1 that is involved in FOC. but you've pulled through and make this camp a success! Thank you =)
-Yup :) no worries!! Same for u sebas! Saw tt u were super tired during the camp! N it's finally over now...Have a good rest!!

Programmers...
-Hey sebas, i didn't do much :) thank you for letting me be part of it. :)
- :) thanks for helping me out too during the camp
-Haha..yeah we put in alot of effort but was quite worried too..lucky was able to get help frm many ppl throughout n in e end everything was great! :) yep! c u in hall! :D
-Lolx welcome is thx to jy, wk and A who lead me well XD
-Thanks favourite chieftain! Hahaha. Thanks for always sending us encouraging emails and overseeing everything and being so calm all the time :)
-I had fun during foc! Thanks sebas, for making the difference in this yr's foc which is a major success! I'm sure everyone enjoyed themselves alot! =) thanks!!
-Hey no problem well I'm glad to help out =)
-Haha it's ok, thanks for tolerating my bad temper sometimes. Just glad it ended with minimum hiccups. Really wasn't my sole efforts.. everyone made it work tgt, and most thankful is the log team, they played the major part in the camp, without A and his team there will not be foc too!
-Thank you for your personalised message :) I did try my best to help but time and money were pressing concerns. It has been a great foc though and you were a wonderful chair.
-The pleasure's all mine! :-) it's been an honour to work alongside someone as competent as you.. No regrets joining foc comm at all..

Logs...
-Dear sebas, you did it! You pulled off what I would think the best FOC hall 11 has had in recent years! There were new programs, new initiatives and everyone worked well with each other! Most importantly, I felt the freshies really enjoyed themselves this year! Great job forming, maintaining and keeping the entire comm focused on a common objective - to make FOC2010 the best FOC ever! :)
-Wa. Say until like so great. Feel so paiseh sia. But thx. Haha. No prob man. It's our job.
-haha thanks, juz doing my job lol

Others...
-Thanks for e compliment.. I know tat u appreciate my effort, n tat is sth tat i yearn most from my leaders.. Cya ard in hall 11..
-Hey. You're welcome! Everyone did their part and this foc turned out fantastic! You three did an awesome job. :)
-Thanks for the trust in us! U guys did a great job n foc was awesome ") glad to be part of the committee!
-Hi Sebas, great job on FOC, best one out of those I've experienced (and heard about). It was really great to be in the team - you made me feel like part of the family. Thanks again for everything and see you around in hall! :)

A Takeaway

2010-08-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

My last day of internship here at UBS.

It’s been a very enriching nine weeks, I’ve been seeing a lot and talking to all kinds of people, from IT, front-office sales and traders, etc. And it’s really a massive world, where you can visibly see how things flow, how a great organization emerges from the amalgam of thousands of employees, with a keen focus honed through decades of good practice. And IT here is huge, it’s an intricate system of interlinked units, and each seems quite exciting and different to explore. And the culture is one that is very much results-oriented, very professional. My evaluation is full of Bs and Cs, haha.

I just presented my project to a panel of managers from around the world (through conference call), and when they commented on it, I could really feel how naïve and ignorant I was. An old quote from Socrates struck me then:

One thing only I know, and that is I know nothing.

To be honest it has to be disappointing, to see that the project you take pride in is just not good enough. Yet it really fires me up to strive to improve next time, to be more inquisitive, more humble, less inflexible, and less timid. I want to be passionate and driven about learning.

Though I might not come back to pick myself up where I fell, I’ll be sure to bring along this treasure trove of knowledge with me from now on.

Career advice

2010-07-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

I find it very intriguing, how everyone always says the same old, infamously cliche piece of career advice, "Follow your heart, and do what you want to do."

And nobody does.

A small spot

2010-07-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's my second last week at UBS.

Though I have not undergone as much pressure and work as the rest, I've tried to learn as much as i could. The sheer scale and magnitude of IT in UBS is really awe-inspiring, and revs up my interest in knowing how everything fits together into a trillion-dollar financial institution. Still, I don't have a clue in the world what i want to do for a career. And it definitely shows (and hurts) in my confidence, my drive factor. But there's no point thinking too much about it either, is there.

It's also my 3rd last week to FOC.

Things are going smoothly, with Shan, WC and i working hard along with the rest of the comm. We are really putting in great efforts to make sure we get every single aspect prepared for the camp. Even though it is always easy to get the mood high and for everyone to enjoy themselves during an orientation camp, I definitely want to minimize the trouble, the confusion, the last minute fumbling about behind the scenes. Every little detail we miss out now will cause someone to suffer down the road. That's the responsibility we uphold, and we have to take it very seriously.

At times i can't help but hate myself, for being so proud of my chairs and my comm one moment, and completely vexed and frustrated at not having things my way in the next. I'm clumsy at expressing myself, i'm so single-minded it blinds, and i regret every stubborn episode i get into. Please let me keep growing up. God knows i'm still a child.

And sometimes when i shed all these roles in my life, i feel so much self-doubt and emptiness. I can't help but wonder, What am I doing here? Where do i really belong?

... It must feel so good to be at ease with your life, to find a small little spot in this vast, diverse world where you can fit in happily.

A path to happiness

2010-07-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Reached the midway mark of my internship at UBS!

Things are starting to look up. I have been enjoying frequent conversations with my mentor TM, about career, self-development and life. Plus I made some breakthroughs recently in my project, by getting to know the front-office sales and traders. Last but not least, I made fast friends with LY, Mr Sun et al :) Sadly XF has ended his work here... and the rest, too, will finish up in a couple of weeks. I will dearly miss them and their silly antics, the crappy BS.

Today I went to join the Hall 11 Devils for their skirmish with some old birds team from Ngee Ann poly. Struck out twice, totally out of it haha. Made a solid hit to third base tho. And as usual, my outfield drought continues. The last time any good ball came to me was at the interhalls two years ago. But anyway, today was more to show face and catch up with the softball peeps than anything else. I haven't had time to catch up with them for so long.

Afterwards, rushed to Khai's birthday party. Had fun with the rainbow befrienders and kids, who're still very much spirited and lively. Ruijie sure wore me down by the time i brought him home! Haha. Anyway, Khai received loads of presents! Pohlin and Huijiao even prepared a custom-made birthday card. His family also pampered us with some good food and ice-cream cakes. And we ended the night playing with sparklers in the lobby.

Sometimes i wonder if life were meant to be busying about meeting friends, fulfilling commitments ... or spent freely without a care in the world.

And which would be the true path to happiness.

Reserved for fun

2010-06-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

I've been really lazy to write nowadays... even though a lot of interesting things happened!

The past two weeks were spent in reservist ICT. Catching up with my old pals was really a blast, and we did all sorts of interesting stuff together. We played sports, drank beer, hung out at the pub, and even played an allnighter LAN on the last night! I like this bunch of team mates, they make everything seem more bearable. Plus i always feel very open with them. It's a huge change from work, definitely. I almost missed chatting freely to people!

It was, frankly speaking, a welcome opportunity for me to rest and relax, to take my time and smell the roses :) I guess i'm still not used to working life. Luckily life in the army is anything but work haha. Not for the men at least. We chilled in our bunks for quite a few days, playing cards, chatting or taking afternoon naps. I did some reading, but not much. Besides this, we went for three fitness tests, and i failed my running the first time... getting out of shape! Ha... need to maintain a jogging routine soon.

Let's see... we also went outfield for a total of four days, two nights. My role was pretty relaxed, though i helped out whenever i could. Lots of mosquito and sandfly bumps on my skin afterwards. The first shower after returning to camp still feels like dew from heaven.

Had quite a few interesting experiences too. Kenneth bought a Starlet for 3k, and ferried us all over. We went to Atlantis at Textile Centre, and then another at Windsor hotel. It was definitely an eyeopener for the rest of us! Though i wasn't that open, and didn't enjoy the smoke and noisy music (i eventually found a spot to hide and dozed off a couple hours), i found it new - and exciting - to see all the performances etc. Kudos to Kenneth for sharing with us a unique experience we might otherwise miss forever :)

Oh, and also after we out-processed at the end (we call it in-noob, out-pro), somehow we took a detour on a scenic route home, and landed up at the Sunset Grill and Bar, near Seletar air base. There were many airplanes standing all around, and we could see them take off from the roads nearby. They say the sunset can be seen here, a very full and beautiful one... have to come here again to see it someday.

But today we were here to try out the famous hot chicken wings - from level 1 to level 30. We jumped straight to order a dozen of level 5, thinking it was pretty ok to try it out. Turned out: the first bite we took had us downing half a glass of water!! And it was so blazing hot that we had to cut it up instead of biting it directly - it burned and stung our lips terribly otherwise. Talk about five-alarm chilli!

After much arduous struggle, we finished three wings each, haha. Kenneth said when his friends ordered level 10, it was completely untouched and wasted after their first mouths. You wouldn't even taste the chicken at all! Anyway, at level 5 this is de facto the hottest thing i've ever eaten. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience? Haha.

Well, and now's the end of the weekend, after reservist passed in a flash. Almost wished it were longer eh, haha. Back to work tomo. Good nights!

Camp Rainbow 2010 :)

2010-06-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Back from Camp Rainbow 2010 : Artitude! :)

It feels like i've just came back from a weekend sabbatical. Completely refreshed and at ease with the world. This year's camp was small yet cozy, with quite some fresh activities related to art and decoration. Planned and executed pretty well, too. From the past year of experience organizing Hall FOC, i could understand and appreciate more of the effort and planning that go behind everything. That plus we have some of the camp's most experienced and passionate leaders, like Poh Lin, Hui Jiao, Ben and Sham... i felt that everyone, kids and befrienders alike, thoroughly enjoyed themselves these few days :)

It's strange what a difference a few days make. We forged many close bonds between ourselves and the kids. My charges RJ and Sam were pretty easy to handle, because they knew when to behave (and when to let loose and play!) The other kids... HX was mischievous as usual, haha. Rachel was more mature this time round, but she still managed to have fun. YZ is still as cool as ever, and I'm glad he's with Ben now, who can talk better to him.

The new kids.. Khai was shy and well-behaved, but warmed up to us soon enough (and liked to tickle me till i got bowled over!) Fir was the oldest, but with our constant effort, he melded in and enjoyed the activities as well. And Al, well he always made my heart jump out when he went wild sometimes! But i think i got used to it after awhile, ha. Aaron, well i started on the wrong step with him and he called me 'Baddie' all the way (along with many others) lol. And last but not least, Bell was very, very shy but cute in her own way, and very nice towards everyone! I exchanged a lot of small gifts with her :) Sadly i didn't manage to get her to be bolder and open up her voice more.

It was tough, but the befrienders Ben, Sham, Luke, Ian, Felise, Shi Hong seemed matched to them like a perfect fit. Mature Ian for HX, seniors Ben and Sham (and I) to handle two kids each, first-timer Luke with the very easy-going Khai haha. Anyway, the kids seem to have a lot of fun. I wish they wouldn't bully me so much though! Haha.

But i'm really glad that i have visibly grown much from the last camp. I continually got the kids to warm up to each other and to us, I had great conversations with the other befrienders, and I got to know more people from the committee too. (when i had the time, a rarity mostly). I have the grueling training in JCRC and as FOC Chair to thank for this :) It's good to have a kind of benchmark, to see how i fare against myself from a year or two back.

Every single day was memorable, so maybe i'll blog about it later. I'm just bushed right now.

Three days of meaningful fun do get one worn out :)

Thoughts from the office

2010-05-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone here at UBS is really driven! Wow. I'm not sure if i like to work in such an environment... but i'll take my time to find out.
---
I have a really interesting project! Think i have much to learn from it. Luckily there's no coding involved.
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OMG just checked results. I can't believe it. I'm supposed to have sacrificed this sem's modules, due to CCA commitments! Man this is weird.
---

Just had dinner at Brewerkz, with some of the interns from all the three offices. First time meeting them, so it'll still take some time to blend in.

But anyway, it has been a long and fruitful week. I leave work everyday enriched with new knowledge, about the workings of a financial institution, about the intricate issues involved and the different functions that make it up. I spend a lot of my time purveying documents and info not accessible to the public - like reports by experts on the economy, messages sent from Chief xx Officers, and the various e-learning modules online.

The perspective from within the organization is really different. What you read about in Time or Fortune is actually just the tip of the iceberg; you have to be within it to see what lies beneath. It's amazing. It's like seeing a storybook come to life. Just that the storybook has a trillion dollar net worth, and has 65,000 characters running around the globe.

And i like that i'm doing a cross IT-Business project. I'll be presenting the idea to a bunch of managers next week! Owe it to my boss for giving me the exposure. It enables me to talk to people, garner information and work independently. A very well-rounded, full-bodied kinda thing. Plus help is always around the corner, so i feel quite comfortable in the job.

Anyway, the job experience has given me an opportunity to explore issues like career, success, fulfillment, life goals. The good thing about being an intern is that everyone becomes your mentor. Good timing, too, because my mind is filled with doubts and questions.

Like, what is the value of having good grades? Perhaps i haven't been here too long, but i really don't see how it helps at all. Sure, i can recognise common elements in my daily readings from what i've learned in school, but does it really aid me in my work? I don't quite see the point of getting good grades anymore. Actually, i lost the motivation since the start of the year, which is why i was surprised at my grades. I don't think i even wanted to do well. As long as you keep building up your soft skills and technical knowledge, you don't have to get every assignment picture-perfect, or cram like mad each exam season.

A bigger worry, though, is that i still don't feel fulfilled. I volunteer, i have good friends, i take up leadership roles, and i do well in school. But somehow it just doesn't add up. It doesn't make me feel satisfied with myself. It doesn't give me a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart, well not for long anyway. What must i do? I want to value myself, to give my life meaning. But nothing's working. Nothing.

And still life goes on.

Fulfilment

2010-05-16T04:59:00.000-07:00

What a weekend.

Sat morn till afternoon was spent clearing out the FOC stores, packing them to move to Shan's factory and Nanyang house for storage during this hols. The Logs guys all worked hard and tirelessly to complete the job in double-quick time. Kudos to Franklin, Alan Toh, Avin, Kaiyan and of course Logs Head Alan Phua for burning their Sat for FOC :) And also to my dad, who provided his lorry and driving services for the day! He even had time to help some Filipino family move house in-between our packing, haha. And of course Weichong and Shan, who are the best co-chairs i could ever have. Everyone made it a breezy and successful moving out of hall. We even had a sneak peek at Shan's beautiful house :D

After that, i met Maran and Jingyi at Bugis, where Maran gave us a treat at a fine Indian cuisine restaurant, Riverwalk Tandoor in the Golden Landmark Hotel. I have to say, the buffet fare there - especially the different vegetarian curry dishes - totally blew my mind away. It was fantabulous - scrumptilicious - and i enjoyed every bite. Maran gave us a tour on each gastronomic delight, making it culturally enriching to boot.

Sadly i felt full very quickly, probably due to the high milk and cheese content in the curry and naan. So we left and fooled abit with taking photos in the hotel. It was then that i felt nauseous and ill, and Maran and Jy took care of me through my waves of nausea, till i reached home. Really, really thanks to these great pals, and it was a great pity i couldn't enjoy the food i'd eaten :( I wish my stomach would grow more sturdy.

The next day, after a grueling night, i had to go for Camp Rainbow's welcome tea. My brother touched me by getting up at 7am especially to wake me up. :) Still it took my mum to wake me up again after my snooze before i got up haha. So at Singapore Arts Museum, 8Q street, i had a reunion with all my 'old' friends... Winnie, Ryan, and the kids Yong Zhuo, Samuel, Rachel. I realised that the other kid i'm in charge of, Rui Jie, was the same kid i'd looked after at the Welcome tea two years ago! Haha. Everyone seemed to look the same. And it's been two years already, wow.

I also met some new faces, like the befrienders in my group, Ian, Luke, Felise. I didn't really get to talk to the rest yet. I also bumped into Jewel, as NTU and NUS's accounting clubs are supporting Ernst and Young in this event. EY is a partner of Camp Rainbow. There were many other volunteers from EY there too, like the pretty emcee who was very good, and popular with the kids!

On the whole, the kids had loads more fun inside the Art museum, where they looked at some exhibits and did some activities. The games that Jewel et al facilitated outdoors were ... well, not all that fun. For our group aged 10-13, it wasn't terribly exciting. Most of them were scaled-down versions of ice-breakers. I'd think that concrete, playable things like puzzles would appeal more to the kids. Anyway the place was a tad too cramped and noisy.

But kids are kids, after all, and enjoyed themselves very easily, just playing with their befrienders and with each other. That is the whole point of the event, after all. I'd say that the event was a success :)

Afterwards, i sent Samuel and Rui Jie back home. They click together surprisingly well, despite their differences in personality! Haha. We had a roaring good time playing Hangman on the train. This year's camp bodes to be highly interesting indeed.

Well, i'm bushed for the time being.

A trio of friends

2010-05-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Today marks the end of CIDP, or Computer Innovation and Design Programme.

We presented to Prof Malcolm and he gave us a scathing review on our project. Well not really. Probably an A-. But the grade wouldn't justify the kind of effort that people like Jingyi and Maran put into the project. Then again, i knew they never did it for the grades. That's why i admire them. For being wise enough to see past the surface, having the foresight to set goals for the future and the discipline to make them happen. Me? I'm kinda lacking in the discipline department. Meanwhile, i'll still leech to them and form our fun, crazy, brilliant and undoubtedly silly trio. Looking forward to 2 more years of this!

Thinking about it, a trio of friends bears a lot of meaning for me. In Hall i had so much fun in a trio. With Alvin and Weichong last semester, playing squash at midnight, board games, sharing the saikang, or lending a listening ear when it mattered most. And in the first year, it was Brandon and Weichong, as well as all the freshie rooms in the level 4 corridor. I don't think i'll get back the feeling ever again. But hopefully new experiences await. Hopefully i'll always get this lucky.

Perhaps the idea of going about with two close friends really appeals to me. Making fun of each other and having someone else to laugh. Running into misunderstandings and having a middleman to settle them. Doing crazy things with just that extra bit of courage or opinion. And most of all, because having even one more friend with whom you can laugh without a care, kick his ass freely, and trust and depend on with your life, is just so much more... awesome.

All of a sudden i thought about the jc times when wudao, gaoshan and i said the funniest and weirdest conversations, did the stupidest and craziest things. I miss them, as well as all my old friends. But i'm looking forward to the next time we meet up. I know we will. And they'll be just the same as before. Somehow i just know it.

That these trios of friends that i have, will always be my best friends in the whole wide world.

Resolution

2010-05-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time. Since the last time i've been proud of myself, i mean. That's why i've made a resolution this hols, to stop wasting my time, and start enriching my life. This year, I will still keep my commitment to go to Camp Rainbow, I will make the Hall FOC great, and I will rekindle my interest in books. No more computer games for me, no more idling around the house.

Books i've read so far... Yosl Rakover Talks to God. A short, rambling narrative, seemingly written by a Jew in his last hours in the Warsaw ghetto, the Holocaust. He professes an undying faith in a cruel and bullying God. It gained such a degree of authenticity that people scorned the Jewish author when he said he had written it (and he wasn't even in the Holocaust!)

I believe in the sun, even when it doesn't shine.
I believe in love, even when i don't feel it.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.
- Inscription on the wall of a cellar in Cologne where some Jews remained hidden for the entire duration of the war.

I'm halfway through Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. Despite the differences in generation culture, technology and lifestyle, some things in childhood will always be common. The playfulness, the cruelty, the overflowing emotions. The ignorance, the kindness, the pure happiness. Our childhood memories haunt us like a shadow, a deep, sinking shadow cast by the light of innocence.

I'm relishing every bit of the book.

And the reason i had three whopping hours to read it was... i'd went in the opposite direction on the MRT. The next thing i knew, when i raised my head it was Bedok. Oh Merde. And i turned around towards Boon Lay. Sigh.

This was after i'd met up with my kid for this year's Camp Rainbow, Samuel. He's quite a mature, conscientious kid. He had this thing that said, "Goals to achieve this year. Social: ... Academic: ... Leadership: ...". At age 12! When i was his age, i was still pulling girls' ponytails or something.

What a change a day makes...

In the Doldrums

2010-04-26T01:32:00.000-07:00

First day of exams for me!!! As usual, they've managed to schedule a business paper and a computing paper on the same day. I presume it's to make our lives more difficult than it already is.

Sadly for the Financial Mgmt exam in the morning, I had an awful diarrhoea midway. I did half of the paper cringed up on the edge of my seat, in a completely pained state of mind, before i finally gave up and went to the toilet :( When i came back, i had half an hour to do almost half the paper! Luckily i pulled through in time, though i skipped a lot of workings. Well, these things happen. Anyway, i thought it was a crazy paper. Or maybe i just wasn't in my best condition.

Later in the afternoon was Computer Graphics, which had mostly pretty standard questions. After the nightmare earlier on, i had a rather tame time with this paper, quite satisfactory. I had no inkling whatsoever about what was going on for this module throughout the semester, so it's miraculous that everything asked within my knowledge :) Computing papers always tend to be set at an easier level, and a professor once told me it's to let locals like us pass! That's ...well, nice.

Well, that's two down, and two more to go.

23 years old!

2010-04-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday, as many people have reminded me :)

Thanks to T-grp who sneaked outside my room with much subtlety and celebrated my birthday at midnight! There were people from 3 generations of T og haha. The cake was choco-licious too.

And a very touched thanks to Jingyi and Maran, who came in the morning to deliver their cake and custom-made card!! Haha, it was really such a surprise. I am glad to have them as my closest course mates and friends in school :)

Still studying for SAP certification test tomo.

Down.

2010-04-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

I remember being drunk.

Daring to be open. Showing emotions freely. Being yourself. And i miss the feeling.

Now everything just feels so pent up. So surreal that it feels like an identity switch.

Who is this person living my life now? Why is he doing this to me?

But i'm glad he handles all my commitments, all my duties oh so finely. He juggles all mystudies well, he does so much himself without showing a sign of weakness, always striving for the best decisions in the long term. Even though he won't be popular for it. Even though no one will even care two hoots about what he's done. But he perseveres. He thrives. The pressure just makes him stronger, stronger, stronger.

Not I. I feel like breaking down, but i can't do that now.

I want to give up, but i'm not allowed to do so.

I feel like crying out loud, but...

I forgot how.

And so i long.

I long and I long and I long for the moment when i can let everything down, when i owe nothing to anyone, when i can live my own life. Without a care in the world.

So please, let me change back to the soppy, wimpy, crybaby self that i was. Let me get back to a life where nothing mattered more than being happy and carefree.

Because this is taking over me.

And i feel sad...

So very, terribly sad.

Busy Busy

2010-03-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Amazing Race, IE Singapore is finally over.

What a stressful, tiring week it has been! Days of drawing up the final programme and instruction sheets, going down to town to shop for logistics, briefing the station masters and facilitators, and pretty much making sure we didn't miss out anything.

Well but mishaps are inevitable. Things like someone oversleeping and missing our coach :x Still, i'm surprised everything still went quite smoothly despite the very, very tight timeline.

All thanks to the hugely enthusiastic participants! They pretty much blown me away at the first mass station, where they could hardly quieten down to listen to me brief. What a bunch of rowdy ... adults. Probably all too excited to finally get out of the office and breathe the fresh beach air :) The station masters and facilitators did good too, despite the very last minute briefings. Think it must have been exhausting for them to keep up with the crazy groups running all over the place!

I'm just glad to be able to continue on with life now. Today was hectic as well, as I went to the Nanyang Audi for the URECA Poster Competition. Hardly anyone i knew there... so i just made friends from scratch :) Xiao Long, Cheun Pin and others. There were loads of amazing projects out there. Mine really pales in comparison: http://helloworldureca.appspot.com/ But i guess it was a fun and interesting experience, and my presentation even got video-graphed!

Sadly after returning back to hall at night, I fell into the Jingyi-Maran-PanShu antlion, and they swallowed me into our software project. Hmm but not much coding done, we spent an hour talking about a particular "team dynamics" issue, which was quite interesting... haha.

Talking about people who get over their head... I've seen quite a few of them. I wonder what makes them the way they are? Environment, or genes? Either way, it sure is a nasty combination. Easily offended, easily offending... life is already tough enough as it is.

Isn't it?

Me.

2010-02-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

I'm trying so hard to be strong...

And it makes me feel so sick.

A Game.

2010-02-21T02:13:00.000-08:00

21/02/2010.. Interhall Rugby semifinals: Hall XI vs Hall III.

Today happened because hooligans, not gentlemen, played a hooligans' game. The match was doomed to be memorable. One red card, one yellow card. Two players sent off and a penalty given to us.

It probably disfigured Hall Three's image in one fell swoop. Spectators will say that it was an inglorious victory for them, an unscrupulous, dirty team who fought without honour. It took just a few of them who hooked our players by the throat to arouse the righteous fury of everyone present, who immediately rose in uproarious protest. I myself showed the middle finger. Haha.

Yet we're forgetting that like us, they're only students playing as a hall team, passionate for the game, thirsty for the victory. We may term them however we like, but deep down are they really the terrible people we curse and swear at? Don't they resume their studies the next day, sitting in the same lecture theatre as us, doing the very same things we do every day? It doesn't make sense, does it.

Perhaps we're letting our emotions get the better of us. We may say that their behavior today was unsportsmanlike, unbecoming of a good rugby team. But let us not extend our prejudice to their hall, to their residents, who, like us, are just... human.

And we all err.

Reflection

2010-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

Well then, it's that time of the year.

Aloysius asked me for a reflection of my role as Special Events Director over the past year. I sure didn't know what i was getting into when i joined. I wanted to get to know people outside hall and be more active in school activities, but it turned out quite badly when i realized hall was still taking up a huge chunk of my time.

Last semester flew past way too quickly. At first i was busy recruiting the FOC committee. Then the database project deluged my life like a goddamn tsunami. While still staying alive amidst the flotsam, i managed to slot in as much of FastForward board games society's activities as possible. Here's a quick summary of my jobscope (that i wrote for my successor):
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Special Events Director.
Seek out new event opportunities for the club, to create higher publicity and boost our club’s image. Communicate with people, brainstorm, be creative and daring.
Liaise with external organizations while sourcing or confirming details of event.
Create event proposals, make preparations for the event. Take charge of planning and organization if chairs are busy. Procure decorations, publicity materials, etc.
Lead by example and facilitate with passion. Your participants will feel it.

Key Takeaway point: You are THE Events person. Be passionate about what you do, be it a big event or a normal gaming session. Infect others with your love for board games. Be a creative force for change and push forth new ideas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
So it didn't turn out the way i idealized. I really wanted to make a difference and push the club forward. But the way things crept up on me, my ideals got squeezed out of sight, out of mind.

Thank god softball is over. This second season was just as exhausting and exciting. Just as bad for the nerves. I don't think i can take these single-scoreline-difference matches anymore. Why do we keep doing this to ourselves? But silver was not bad. I remember losing the gold last year was much more painful. Overall, a very good experience.

Plus rugby. I have no idea how i got into it, but seeing i stayed through all the bruises and cuts like the rest of the team, i must be either mad or in love with the game. Probably both, and more of the former. I still suck at it after these few months of training though. Just hope to do my bit for the team.

Meanwhile, stuck like an angsty, stubborn child between all of this is FOC. I'm just trying to hold on till the hols where hopefully it'll overwhelm me without much pain. Not sure how I'll manage that with my UBS summer internship, but well.

What was i talking about? Not enough time to fulfill my events director role. I hardly mentioned school yet, but business and computing isn't exactly the cushiest degree(s) out there. Still it's a great load of fun with the greal pals in BCG.

Anyway, i'd like to apologize to Aloysius. I was inspired by him, by the steadfast, composed way he led the club. Thank you for showing me a simple, effective leadership style, and your endless patience and understanding. It was really a refreshing, delightful change of pace from last year's stint in JCRC, and i enjoyed every last bit of my role (when i did act the part).

Well, that's that. Things seem to be looking up, for a change. I hope to write more like now, when i feel cheerful and inspired...

And not when i'm in deep pain.

2010-01-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Be strong. Be strong. Be strong.

Introverted

2010-01-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

I feel loneliest when the music is loudest, the crowd is excited, and everyone is singing and dancing the night away.

2009-12-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

I'm just a complete wreck right now.

I M H

2009-12-14T08:11:00.001-08:00

Things i've learned from this microcosm of life.

Dev gave me a crash course on Forex trading. Learned how to read the trending or non-trend bounded prices for trading, using some analytical techniques e.g. this japanese candlestick thing. Learned about commodity currencies, etc, and slightly about how it is affected by world events.

Peter consistently drilled gems of wisdom into me. How everyone will walk their very own paths in life. How being here teaches me about empathy for others, about compassion, about understanding my own life. About friendship.

And Vishy, May, Sulee were all very special in their own way.

When you take a break for a few days, isolated from the world outside, you have the time to meditate. To reflect. To think about what you've learned. It is a deeply touching process.

We talked weaknesses and failures openly. Bipolar disorder. Alcoholism. Infidelity. Me, the fear of failure, the lack of belief in myself.

We know. We bear the faith that life will still be good. And we can change for the better.

I wish that i will never lose this flame of hope, that they carry in their hearts, blazing so strongly.

Thank you.

2009-12-14T08:07:00.001-08:00

It hurts.

But i will still remain by your side...

Always.

An idea of life

2009-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Time has a strange way of getting around without us knowing it.

Autumn, 2009 now.

School still deluges us as usual. It feels like a load off my back now that I've stepped down. A female manager sure makes things different. The block now has a feminine atmosphere to it. Even the noticeboards bloom flowers and glitter. Well, it's no longer my concern. No longer my time to patrol the block, to tend to every lost resident, to look up at the block banner with a glow of satisfaction. It's strange how things get back to normal. An intricate feel of normalcy. The memories stay as memories, fleeting and ephemeral as they always have been. We simply wrap ourselves around our given roles in society, like flower buds around stalks. And a flower only lasts as long as its petals open.

I am trying out new things. Special Events Director of FastForward Society gets me writing proposals and liaising with the corporate world. Being FOC chair also had me planning an amazing race event with Renling for a corporate client. And it's strange how these working executives appear: Poised, calm, capable... yet inflexible, single-minded, dull. Experience does a strange deal of numbing down our minds. We think knowledge empowers us, that our experiences has strengthened us, bringing out our potential, fulfilling our capacities.

I don't know if i'll ever fall into this complacency trap. I can only hope to retain a modicum of wisdom as i grow older. Because, truly, the more i learn, the less i know. I feel an immense sense of humility and gratitude towards life. Towards my friends. Towards knowledge. Yet it's all too easy to take it all for granted, to get cynical, to fall into disillusionment.

There's a season for everything, even for pain, sorrow, misery. Life changes, towards death, rebirth, and new life. We have to tread it step by step, observing the harmony of things, feeling as we should be, living as we must.

That's my idea of life.

Meanwhile, I'm still an individual in society, doing tutorials and labs, playing sports and games, holding meetings and discussions. Sometimes the mundaneness of it all gets to me.

And sometimes it doesn't.

A memory

2009-09-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

Riding on Maran's bike (without a helmet) alongside Jing Yi (on a bicycle) along the twilight roads lined with rustic dim orange streetlamps.. the feel of exhilaration and fulfillment of being with your true friends...

This is a memory i'll cherish forever.

A lesson from history

2009-09-14T00:34:00.001-07:00

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out-
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me-
and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Martin Niemoeller, 1946

Parrrtayyy!!

2009-09-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

Some of the international students in my block held a party tonight! Ralf and Julian forked out their own money, time and effort to create the event complete with music and speakers from Cafe Del Mar, as well as drinks and our local bartender Mohan to boot(he mixes some pretty good cocktails!). I just had a couple of drinks and showed face here and there. Helped out a friendly, drunk girl from America named Nancy to get to the toilet. (Later on i saw her being mobbed by guys...uh oh. But she just gave them her number) The atmosphere was definitely there, despite our tame hall environment in 54 haha. They made their preparations pretty well, covering up the painted walls and furniture. Kinda lucky that not that many people came down (or the lounge would definitely be ruined)

But i bet the international students were having a blast! It was very, very interesting to see how, er, openminded they were. Heard noises from a couple in the toilet (squeezed into a cubicle).. haha. Everyone there's a consenting adult, right? There were quite a few instant-made couples who went off to unsuspecting places. I just hope no one's taken advantage of. Anyway, i'm still glad to be a shy, conservative guy.

Yay to diversity.

Today...

2009-09-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today...

8.45 a.m.
9.22 a.m.
11.36 a.m.
12.31 p.m.
2.00 p.m.
2.43 p.m.
4.25 p.m.
6.32 p.m.
7.53 p.m.
9.20 p.m.
10.05 p.m.
11.46 p.m.
1.30 a.m.
1.58 a.m.

Happy times.

Thank you, my dear friends.

FOC 2009

2009-08-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Hey. Just came back from Hall Freshman Orientation Camp! It was quite an unexpectedly enjoyable experience. After all, i've never been the extroverted, funloving kinda person. But i really liked my T orientation group, somehow. The seniors Raghu, Eugene and Zuhui were nice and supportive, and the freshies were the most enthusiastic batch in 3 years! Glad i was able to mix well with them. It reminds me of last year's camp. I felt comfortable with these people in hall. So comfortable, that i'd want to run for block manager and let everyone have the same kind of feeling. The feeling of being at home.

Still, it was an exhausting period through and through. From the first day, i started helping the logistics team to carry all the supplies to the lorries. Then i helped out as a station master with honey. It was dreary, cuz the ogs took so long to get to our station. We waited for 3 hours without doing anything! We spent the hours just chatting and playing.. After that we had a briefing and video session for the freshies. Hope they enjoyed the jcrc video i made with jovina haha. Then SP interaction was absolut fun. I went about listening and disturbing the random couples around. Our og's guys mostly had great conversations. Looks like i'm the only one with a bad experience.

The next day was spent at Sentosa. I tagged along as a senior, helping the programmers sometimes. The games were quite fun i thought! Haha i planned one of the games. Our Theron freshies were crazy enthu, cheering loudly all the time! Everyone was so surprised when we lost each game. It always felt like we were winning, cuz our morale was so high. But we had alot of fun, dunking or taopoking seniors haha. I got dunked in water and my hp got damaged :( But it was a cheap one so i'm ok.

More to come next time...

Hols

2009-08-02T01:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, eh.

What went past?

Reservist with 290SA, now that was a blast. A very cozy reunion with the good ol' platoon mates, lots of fun and laughter. We definitely have a great mix of characters to keep things interesting. Outfield was, well, outfield. Anyway, reservists really have it good. Doesn't make sense to defer and split from the gang.

We're a team.

What else? I'm a full-fledged insurance agent now. Jinghang just closed one deal herself haha. Not sure i can hit the minimum quota to not get fired.

And i fell ill.

2009-06-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

Our oneToOne Web design company!

2009-06-04T01:48:00.000-07:00

Returning to photoshop. Did up some banners...

Our Cardching website banner.

A crappy attempt at doing those 'Corporate style' banners for our company Onetoone.

A try at creating a banner for my uncle's company.

2009-06-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Death is so sorrowful.

Because life can be so sweet.

And that is why we live on.

Tired.

2009-05-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

I feel tired and dispirited.

I haven't had a good chat with friends for a long time.

It'll probably pass in a couple of hours... am i running away?

Perhaps i'm just sick and tired of having to put up a strong front.

Inspired

2009-05-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

At Sis Ah Girl's house. It's 4 a.m in the morning! And i'm not ready to sleep yet.

Pity that i can't stay longer, but i have our block outing later, and after that Jiehao, James and i'll be pulling out an all-nighter discussion at my house till the next morning. I just feel inspired. Thanks for acceding to my request guys!

I had a great time pitching our business plan to Sis Ah Girl and Bro Ah Di. It really forces me to focus on the idea, think of how to present and clarify it, as well as understand ways to improve it. I can visualize and understand it each time i explore it again. It's like a budding plant, a baby sequoia. And i can see no end to its increasing lushness.

Had an incredibly long session with Ah Di, about video gaming and whatnot. I like one thing he said, about being lonely. He has always liked being a loner, a bachelor, an anarchist.

That's why he's alone alot. But he's not lonely. Being lonely, he thinks, is all in the mind. You can be in the midst of a group of people celebrating your birthday and still feel lonely. People are different, of course. Some people just require others around them to feel fulfilled, to feel wanted. It's all from the individual's personality. And that perhaps leads to introverted or extroverted behavior. I guess i've always had a healthier opinion of the former. Don't empty vessels make the loudest sound?

But if we're feeling lonely most of the time regardless of company, we probably need quite some self-development. Personally, i've been brought up as an alone child in my early days. Besides the weekends with cousins and relatives, and with both my parents at work, i spent much of the week alone. That's why it's perfectly comfortable for me to be alone. And as for being lonely, well, now i have her :) . But i still miss friends whom i can really talk and thrash things out with. Guys like wudao and gaoshan. I wonder if they'll be the same when i see them again. I wish Socrates were alive... ha.

He also talked about leadership as he knew it. We're really similar at this. We appraise our group, and usually take up the initiative to lead if there's no better leader. Not because of an innate desire to stand out and take the glory, but to ensure that things go the way we want it. Like Ah Di, I have never sought to lead for most of my life. There didn't seem much need, i guess, with the talent mills we have at my schools.

But i'm pretty sure my threshold for a satisfactory standard must be kinda high, since now i've been engaging in a fair bit of leadership here and there, pushing for things to happen. It's about how bad you want something, and people around me sometimes just want to work only for as long as they stay in their comfort zones. And i think that's perfectly fine. We should all live our lives the way we want it to be. I haven't seen anyone that superior enough to fairly tell somebody else what to do. (and sometimes it gets disappointing)

And he talked about the sense of accomplishment, when he completes a marathon or improves his work by a huge margin. It's all about beating yourself. They say the greatest competition is always yourself. It's not about the medals you win or the grades you get. And i truly think i haven't been winning against me recently. I want to challenge myself. I want to fight at something. But innately i have a problem: a strong sense of self-protection. I usually don't put in my 100% in something, because it makes me feel raw, like being stranded in the cold snow without a coat. What is left when i put in all my best efforts? What will failure feel like?

Winners don't think of losing. And if they do, they just have to overcome that fear. The way i underestimate my capabilities, i'm doing myself an ill favour. I can go further than this. We can go further than this. This project will be a testament of our very best efforts. And i believe we can win. We will.

Well, i guess that explains my inspiration. One of those runaway trains of thought.

From Ho Chi Minh to Hongkong: Treasure Island

2009-05-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

Night, on the MTR.

We boarded the train as the China immigrants did, with our huge backpacks for their archaic blue-red-white striped bags. It brought us across the New Territories, deep into the heart of Hongkong Island.

Hongkong, one of the world's most populous and yet prosperous countries, a cosmopolitan business and cultural hub, a dream destination for many. And happily, we were not disappointed :)

Tai Po Market, Sha Tin, Kowloon Tong, Tsim Sha Tsui, the station names rung our imagination from countless TVB dramas. An hour later, Wan Chai. We chugged our bags outside, and met with Zhiyang, an old classmate of mine. He still looked the same, wearing specs and sporting the impeccably neat hairstyle. Zhiyang had kindly agreed to be our gracious host for the HK leg, and we'd be unimaginably grateful in the following week.

But first we saw the skyscrapers.

Towering above us from all sides, it was... awesome. Hongkong, the world's most vertical city with the most skyscrapers. They were everywhere, tall looming figures that flickered with gleaming skylights. I owe my parents this one for giving me non-claustrophobic genes.

What came next was no less amazing. ZY brought us into the service apartment where he and his parents stayed, a pseudo-condo with impressive security. Little did we expect that...we'd be treated to probably the most comprehensive hospitality we've ever had! His parents awed us with their wonderful care and help throughout our stay. They'd prepared clean, spacious beds for us and our own toilet for use, inclusive of towels, utensils, the works. We truly felt at home, or even better, as honored guests, in the full sense of the phrase.

We talked with ZY and his parents about the foods, attractions and idiosyncrasies of Hongkong, and were just brimming with excitement for the morning to arrive. Our planning slowly began for these five exhilarant days...

24th June, Tuesday.
Having found Civilization, we rediscovered dates.

But perhaps not our sense of time, seeing that we woke up late this morning. Auntie sent us off to the MTR with a couple of buns for breakfast. We chewed on it slowly as we decided on, firstly, to visit Ah Wang.

Remember Ah Wang (Xiao Xi Fu! Xiao Xi Fu!) from "Ah Wang Xin Zhuan"? We decided to visit the place Ah Wang lived, the suburban areas, most notably Sha Tin. Yet we walked out of Sha Tin MTR into a shopping mall. The biggest, most luxurious shopping mall we've ever been to. To illustrate: it even has its own Peanuts-themed playground, Snoopy's World! After indulging in a little camwhoring, we came to our senses and began exploring the surrounding suburban areas.

Nearby, a wet market. They had quail meat for sale, like miniature versions of chicken meat. Besides that, it was really similar to SG wet markets. We walked all around, to the Heritage Museum, a couple of famous temples (i'm not a big fan), and to the Tseng Housing Estate. There, Tseng Zhi Wei lives with his daughter! I saw him leave in a taxi, and Jason believed me for five seconds.

We hopped over to a park, to a pretty pond, strolled along the canal-esque river, saw the famous HK domestic bus(!) and, to satisfy our higher interests in learning, toured the City Hall, then the Library.

All this while we were seeing things new and interesting, old and familiar, in the suburban 'heartlands' of Hongkong. We even had a glimpse at the HK national flower, the beautiful Orchid Bauhinia.

Next stop: University.
It wasn't until we reached there and quizzed a couple of locals that we found out this wasn't the University of HK! But the Chinese University of HK is a close second when it comes to world academic rankings. Not to mention gradients and contours... CUHK beats NTU hands down! We walked, hiked, mountaineered up its steep roads and nature paths to its various faculties. An interesting one was 'Theology', for budding Saint Augustines perhaps. We took a tea break at the cafe at the top, sniffing in the air of hoi polloi like any other uni student in HK. The view was magnificent.

Melding into the population, we took a local shuttle bus down, and met Zhiyang and family for dinner near Wan Chai. ZY's parents gave us a generous treat for our Chinese five-course dinner at a favorite restaurant. After that, it's time for...

Nightlife! Hongkong's most famous haunt for drinking, clubbing and dining is undoubtedly Lan Kwai Fong. Expatriates thronged the place, as well as men and women dressed to the nines. Our outfits was an outrageous shirt-and-jeans, but having braved all contrasting social settings in Vietnam and China, we now strolled around shamelessly in ease :)

The place swarmed with bars, restaurants, clubs and billiard pubs. We entered a club and spent awhile dancing and drinking inside for a moderate fee. Then we headed to Tsim Sha Tsui, which had a vibrant night scene too. The night passed almost too quickly with a couple of interesting experiences...

...and then we were back in Wan Chai. Our newfound hobby awaited: arcade gaming! Arcade games were incredibly cheap here, and driving and guitar/drum simulation games were, quite simply, spammable. We had a great time racing each other at this Initial D game. It's been such a long time since arcade games felt so enjoyable, ha.

Past midnight, and sleep beckoned. We returned to our cozy beds.

As the winds blew outside, i looked through the windows. Skyscrapers stared back at me as if it were perfectly normal. I sniffed, and snuck under the sheets.

We slept sweetly, soundly. Our first day on Treasure Island had ended, but the next day impatiently awaits.

2009-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying.

Meanwhile, on the spur of the moment i've decided to continue the journal of my Vietnam-China-HK travails..

P.s. the pics are mostly on facebk!

From Ho Chi Minh to Hongkong: Joyous Garde

2009-05-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

I awoke in darkness, and i awoke in light.

God, i must have laid on my bed for twenty-odd hours in my feverish dream. And finally we reached our destination.

Guangzhou. A bustling hub of sprawling buildings and urban jungle, among the largest and most populated cities in China. We filtered through the living masses, looking for a nearby hotel. We found a cheap one hidden in an alley that winded off and away from sight, due more to poor planning than any concerns of private serenity. We washed up and left the place in a huff to catch an appointment.

The GZ Metro, reminiscent of the one in Taiwan. We took the train to Chen Ancestral Hall, where a familiar face awaited us. Joy! Literally. She had been on an internship in an industrial park near GZ, and came out on the weekend to meet us.

We had a look at the ancestral hall, built from the donations of scholars and featuring porcelain, jade, sculptures, paintings and antique furniture collections. Times like this, you'd wish you were an antiquarian.

The three of us ate at a nearby restaurant, catching up about our travels and sharing about our experience in China. Can't remember the food though.

We cabbed to Shang Xia Jiu Jie, literally Up Down Ninth Street, a famous shopping district and teenager hangout. We bought a load of cheap clothes (which tended to have color run-offs back home) and snacked on cheap, delicious foods.

Not me, though. The stomachache just grew worse and vomiting fits came often. At times i could barely speak. Luckily Jason hit it off well with Joy, and i was glad enough to look at their sandals to keep following.

Wish my stomach was strong enough for China's street fare. It felt sickening, my stomach churning inside out. I barely remembered anything else. But we said our goodbye to Joy after we (they) had some supper, and headed back to the hotel.

A good night's sleep later...

... and we were off and running again, this time taking a train to Shenzhen. China's first and most successful Special Economic Zone, Shenzhen had a modern, ordered feel to it, more than any other city in China.

We headed straight for its shopping districts, of course! Lao Jie, the Old Streets, and Dong Men Ding, SZ's counterpart to the taiwanese version. They offered fashion-wear priced higher than GZ, so it was mostly window-shopping for us. But the variety made it exciting and tantalizing for us to explore, and we scoured the place for good buys.

After fully satisfied our shopping thrills, we crossed over the border to Hongkong...

Sanitized toilets and clean food, here we come!

Learning HTML

2009-04-28T04:36:00.000-07:00

Alcohol Tolerance analysis:

End of the exams

2009-04-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

End of the exams, end of the semester.

Still mucking around at home. Had an SGX interview yesterday, kinda fun but it didn't end off well. Now i'm musing if i should get over to Pulau NTU and visit my poor, estranged honey. Nah she's not that lonely haha.

Exams... probably won't do well this semester. Really lost my footing academically. It's been a tough time chasing up, especially when our faculty's pretty good, with my BCG friends and international students. I don't find them any less smarter than in RI or RJ. So it's challenging -and stressful- enough for me.

I just have to find my humility for learning and my passion for knowledge. I really want to explore more of school life now, after having spent the past year getting involved in hall life. That means joining competitions, doing research, reading up on periodicals. I mean, it's University. Our last big chance to learn and enrich yourself. Next thing you know it, you're being thrown into the rat race of life, trying to get yourself a hedonistic, materialistic lifestyle, so you can lose sight of what's important in life, so you can forget why you actually live. But at least you can say you're a success.

No, really. Gotta seize the day. Carpe Diem.

2009-04-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Vindicated.

Like a dream

2009-03-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, a dark morning.

Listening to an old 933FM podcast, i was moved.

It felt so long ago...
when time moved ever so slowly,and emotions flowed freely,
and memories fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle.

The rain fell heavily. And the winds blew, the thunder stormed.
And the raindrops streamed across the windows...

Like it were all a dream.

Wake-up

2009-03-16T00:44:00.000-07:00

I screwed up in my studies.

I was complacent, I was lazy, I couldn't be bothered to practise for the test.

Whatever happened to last semester's humility in learning, passion for knowledge, questioning approach to things?

Now here comes a goddamn right wake-up call. I sure as hell deserve it.

I am stupid, and i am ignorant. You hear that? Don't you ever get the wrong idea again.

Just remember: I don't know anything now. Except that i know nothing.

Touched

2009-03-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's been the end of yet another very eventful week, with quite a load of stress piled up...

... had my second lab test on wed. Didn't fare as well, couldn't handle one of the special cases. But i'm still pretty glad, since i only spent, say, a couple hours practising.

Instead, i spent quite a few nights until 3am in the morning, doing up our hall nite games with my blk subcom mates! It seemed quite crazy if you accounted in all our own commitments and schoolwork. But i'm absolutely grateful and encouraged that i have such a group of wonderful ppl to back me up.

WED NIGHT, we had our hall night, CANDYLICIOUS! which i personally thought was the most fun and successful thing we'd ever did so far. It went very smoothly and felt interesting all the way, and everyone looked very well entertained, ha.

Thurs morning, AB114 presentation... i had my first proper rehearsal while waiting for my turn! Totally didn't have time to memorise or prepare anything at all. So i went in with a blank slate, shaky voice and all. Luckily it didn't turn out that bad, i kept the class laughing with some funny slides haha. I think speaking loudly and maintaining a cheerful spirit dispels the nervousness pretty well.

At night, i suddenly felt like watching 'I Am Sam', so i got a couple of favours and set up a movie screening. Just the close few of us, JH and i, as well as Weichong, Brandon, Chongyu and Alvin.

Ha...and i felt really touched. Not just by the movie, which never fails to moisten my eyes. But i was innately very much cheered up when my 54 mates came to support me, even coming to watch a sappy movie together.

Somewhere along my journey as part of the JCRC, i seem to have forgotten why i'd run for blk manager in the first place. Not to bond the residents, not to provide a service to the hall, but before all of this, i simply wanted to share the kind of experience i've had with these guys. Along the way, as things got busier and i grew shallower in my contact with friends, i had almost lost this very important thought. Hall life can and should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with great friendships and indelible memories. Because from the day i stepped into hall till now, i've been countlessly inspired and lifted by the wonderful individuals living in blk 54. Because right from day 1, it was never about the culture. It's about the people.

Sometimes i forget: it's not how many friends you have, but who you have as your friends. I feel blessed that both in hall and at school, i have close friends who will really, well, be there for me.

Just like in the past... but this time, i've learned to appreciate my friends, to not take them for granted. Because good friends are so hard to come by.

Well, i just wanted to say...

Thanks.

A rainbow after the storm

2009-02-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

The past week couldn't have been more stressful for me, or for some of my friends.

Sometimes the busyness of life lets you forget your worries. Instead when you're left on a week of free time to complete everything, the stress just piles up and crashes down on you.

Guess that's what happened to alot of us. I spent two days working till six am for my accounting assignment, and one day till five am for programming. I wish someday group projects will stop teaching us the same thing: there will always be slackers, and you're damn well gonna fill up for them. I also hope someday for programming lab, i won't be looking for a needle in a haystack anymore. Or at least i'll have a match.

I think that night was one of the worst programming experiences for me. My frustration simply rose over the tipping point. I cursed to God, banged my fists sore against the table, threw the chair around. I couldn't sleep until i solved the problem myself.

So you can imagine that after this nerve-wracking week of punishment, i wasn't in the best of moods to go with YZ to the Club Rainbow Appreciation Tea.

But i'm glad i did.

It was a nice, cozy gathering with the rest of the Slimy Eyeball folks. Ben, PohLin, Ryan, Doris, Winnie, and the kids Zhexi, Rachel. Anyway, there were a couple of speeches made to thank us for our contributions etc, a cute lil' teddybear gift, our certificates, and a sumptuous buffet to boot. I wore myself out playing planes and catching with the boys. Guess i accumulated too much fatigue.

Were there only three kids? It felt more like an army! Ha... but Pohlin and the rest always attend to their every need. We went to Suntec, the koi pond, fountain etc. In the end i was the only one who was bushed out after walking all around...oops. They even wanted to leave me sleeping at the dinner table! Haha. Well, i'm just glad YZ and the other kids had fun with us.

And now i'm home, having accomplished none of my backdated work today. But it's been my most fruitful day of the week.

I almost forgot why i live.

But now i remember.

Nearing the end of his speech, our volunteer said,

Many of us here have illnesses, some throughout our lives. But we still move on, we still keep going.

After all, Life is wonderful.

And he said it so naturally and with such conviction, as though he'd fell in love with life the day he was born.

Sometimes, inspiration is simply about reminding ourselves, letting us recall what we already know in our hearts.

The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Go

2009-02-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

If i had another lifetime or so to spare, i'd spend it on Weiqi.

I like its absolute freedom, its vast universe where every step feels like discovering a new star. No other board game comes close in this aspect.

I can still remember the game i played in the Interhall Games, against a Vietnamese player! It was thoroughly thrilling and my heart throbbed with every move. It was the first time i felt moves flowing into my head, magically playing out themselves. An experience almost... automatic and surreal. The excitement of playing against a competitive stranger really makes me feel alive.

Well, haven't had that feeling for awhile. Jingyi (above) is better than me by quite a margin, damn lol. Hopefully i can spar more with him.

Dream

2009-02-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

It felt terrible in my dream today.

I'd been taking a nap at the wooden benches corner, my head on the table. Woke up and felt like getting to the toilet to get a wash. Then i realised i hadn't woke up yet. So i tried to get up from my seat and walk over. Again i found myself still sleeping.

I did it for ten-odd times before i really managed to wake up, lasting about half an hour i think. It was scary losing control of my body and being trapped in my dream, yet conscious all the time.

I need to take a break.