This Blog Is not Dead..yet~

Finally back after 6 months in Sunny Singapore. Finally back after 3 weeks of holidaying. Finally writing a post after a very long needed break and the lack of motivation to. Unpacking kinda sucks. The things just adds to the already so many things I have at home. Time to do some spring cleaning and donate some of the overflowing items to the Salvation Army. I'm not used to my house. I kinda liked that everything is within a step or 2 in the little apartment in Seattle. I drank Winter Melon tea, ate choke and Oh Lua yesterday night. I played on the rusty strings of my takamine guitar first thing when I woke up in the morning. They so need to be changed, and I guess the ones on my electric as well. I so need to get a Taylor. I went out to say hi to Troy. I looked out the window to see the koi in the pond. I will feed them tonight. The black chevrolet is parked outside the house. I will drive it tonight. I fixed the Boeing 787 model that I bought, its now soaring on my table. My room's in a mess. I thought I unpacked everything, but it seems I unpacked nothing. Dammit. It's such a drag. Feeling kinda shack. But ultimately it feels good to be back.

The Trip Thus Far~

We began our journey on that faithful day, where goodbyes were said and parting messages were exchanged. The date was June 12^th 2008. And so the 3 of us took the 1^st step towards a 16 day adventure of the US and Canada. We took an overnight flight into Toronto Canada, transiting at Las Vegas where prominent street lamps and neon lights greeted us in the sky, and slot machines in the terminal. We met Auntie Ping and her family at Toronto. Auntie Ping was my nanny (maid) from the time when I was born till when I was 2. It was a very weird but heartwarming experience for me and I bet for her as well as this weird reunification brought much lost time and connections together. She and her husband went to a great measure to bring us around Toronto and make sure we enjoyed ourselves in this short one day stay. We visited the CN tower, apparently or rather REALLY the tallest building in the world, saw the magnificent bohemian architecture of Parliament, walked around Eaton Center, Harbourfront Center and drove past Chinatown, the University of Toronto and York University. The next day, they took us to the Niagara falls, where e experienced the ferry boat of our lives. Dubbed the Maid of the Mist, we managed to get close enough to the falls to experience the power of the falling water, which without raincoats we would be drenched from head to toe. Because of the lack of time planned in Niagara Falls, we couldn’t really walk the streets of the little town which bear resemblances of the touristy ones in Los Angeles or Las Vegas. When it was time to say goodbye, I could sense the sadness and tears of Auntie Ping which echoes in my heart because of that special and intimate connection we have with each other, as we do not know when we will see each other again, considering that we only saw each other after 21 years. As the bus slowly inched out of the terminal and as we wave and caught the last glimpse of Auntie Ping, Uncle Jojo and Eric, I am forced to think of our biggest challenge of the trip, crossing the border back into the United States.

We were told that we might face a problem when entering the US because our student visa has expired, but we know that by immigration laws we are able to enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program, a program which Singapore maybe because of its close ties with the US, entitles its citizens the privilege of touring and holidaying in the US without having to obtain a visa. All thanks be to God, we managed to clear customs smoothly and safely unlike one of our fellow passengers in the bus, who was detained by the customs for God knows what reason. Hence, we crossed over into Buffalo, NY, to catch yet another overnight ride (bus) to Boston. These overnight bus rides although they provide a cheap and time saving alternative to accommodations and traveling during the day respectively, drains one’s energy and strength with much efficiency. It was evident that all of us were tired despite it only being the 1^st 3 days of the trip, but we persevered and pulled through.

The date was June 15^th. We arrived in Boston at midday and checked into Hostelling International in Boston Fenway. The sight of a room with beds and shower proved to be a boost to our morale and energy. We freshened up ourselves quickly before heading out to visit the famous universities of MIT and Harvard. At night, we headed to Boston’s chinawtown where we had Taiwan cuisine “family style” (zhi char). We ordred Kang kong, Sweet and sour pork chops and ma poh toufu. It was a sumptuous meal that reminded me of food in Singapore and the great dishes that await our return. The next day, we took a 3 hour drive to the little and humble town of Waterbury, Vermont , where Ben & Jerry’s originated. We visited the factory where most of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream are made and managed to catch a glimpse of their ice cream making process through the factory tour.Of course, the girls were ecstatic and it proved to be a fun filled day of ice cream, memorabilia and not to mention, the horrendous roads in Boston. People say its difficult to drive in Boston because the drivers are not so polite as compared to drivers in the North West. I say it is difficult to drive in Boston because the roads are just ridiculously confusing, and it stupefies first time drivers like me which in turn leads to “rushing to work” Bostoners being impatient and impolite. In the evening, we visited Boston University and our knowledge and memories of the place is limited to the photos we took as there wasn’t really much to see so late in the day. After which, we visited Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Redsox baseball team, and the oldest baseball park and the most expensive place to play baseball in the United States. For dinner, we went to Legal Seafoods, apparently a must try for the “best Boston experience” as mentioned in the HI brochure. The food and service were pretty good but the price I would say was slightly exorbitant.

The next day, we checked out of the hostel early in the morning and just walked around downtown Boston, before catching the 1 pm bus to NY City. Till then…

MIA,

I will be. For how long, I dunno....

In 2.5 hours,

The agony will be vanquished, the shackles from freedom will be broken, and I will be free......

Now's not the best time.....

to study for 2 exams, when there are more pressing issues at hand such as the shifting out of the apartment, soaking in the last drop of seattle rain, basking in the magnificent UW architecture for a final time, worrying about summer trip and the unecessary necessary admin, and the emotional effects of saying goodbye to a city that I have called home for 6 months. Seattle isn't the most attractive place to be in the States. It is not as exciting as Los Angeles, as sinful as Las Vegas, as bustling as New York, as pristine as Washington DC, as sunny as Orlando or as intellectual as Boston. The streets aren't as clean, and the number of homeless people roaming the streets of downtown and chinatown just makes visiting these places a little apprehending at times. The weather is terribly gloomy especially for a time like summer, where we are still experiencing unbelievably low temperatures of 10 degrees celsius. Coupled with the rain, Seattlites must be pretty patient people. As a matter of fact, they are when it comes to traffic. Drivers are polite and pedestrians are king of the roads. Buses can stop for 5 minutes for bus drivers to aid a wheelchair bound passenger get snug into his seat without impatient remarks from fellow passengers or drivers waiting behind the buses.

Besides the generally polite nature of Seattlites, the city of Seattle also has much to offer. With homegrown companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Adobe, and Starbucks just to name a few, the city has a strongly rooted culture. It also has its charms in its neighborhoods such as the arty farty Fremont, and the University district, therein lies the University of Washington. I will definitely miss the times walking to school, when on a good day, the ever elusive cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier to the south will emerge from the clouds and fog, leaving behind a breathtaking scene to remember. There are the cherry blossoms, the ducks and squirrels and migratory birds and the gothic architecture of the University, they too eased the morning blues and dragginess that school brings. I will also miss the IMA, a facility that's in a class of its own and its badminton courts which helped fostered many friendships in my stay here.

But now's not the time for nostalgia too, and given the short amount of time I have left in Seattle which I would spend most of it doing all the sorts of stuff mentioned above, I don't have much time to think about these stuff. Looking ahead, when I leave Seattle, I guess I leave this place with no regrets. I came here with a purpose. A purpose to achieve, a purpose to experience. Within the boundaries of my abilities, these purposes have been fulfilled. This might not be the last time Seattle will see of me though, and it might not be the last time I will see of Seattle....

The Kakis~
A Chemistry professor, a Microsoft computer engineer, an Amazon employee, a computer science graduate student, a Chemistry graduate student, a Badminton entrepreneur, and an aeronautics major exchange student. Thanks for helping me keep in touch with the sport I've played for 15 years now, in a land so far away from home.

Wu fei - Thanks for being one of the 1st few person to play badminton with me at UW.

David - Thanks for just playing badminton with me!

CY - Thanks for restringing my rackets like 5 times and re-gripping them.

Tao - Thanks for the offering me discounts on microsoft software, the tube of birdies and
the ever so tiring singles games!

Kevin - The phiten man, thanks for the lifts to BBC and the testmonies on phiten products...haha

XiaoSong - Thanks for partnering me for doubles for Washington State Open, the lifts home after our sessions, and advice on grad school.

Thanks everyone:)

Nua~

Its the time of the year when u feel so nua, kinda burned out, just waiting for that long holiday to come, for you to recharge and rejuvenate. I wonder how people in the working world can work 5 days a week for the entire year. Exams are coming. Shit. I've been watching more movies and playing more badminton than I should be. I have been studying so much lesser than I should be. In fact, I've slacked off so much this quarter I think I'm gonna get shitty grades. So much for "...even though I'm on exchange, grades are still important cos it will be reflected on my transcript". So its only 7 more days left in Seattle before I head for the East Coast to enjoy the long awaited Summer break. I need to so pull my act together and find some motivation for studying through these 7 days, so that I don't do further damage to whatever damage that has been done throughout the quarter to the grades that doesn't really matter but actually does. Heck. So I need to nua abit more b4 I pull my act together. And crap, its a viscious cycle, procrastination........

Terminology~

Its the time when I start wondering whether I would miss Seattle and its Wastelands, or at least that's what a girl from the other side of the mountains call it. Nostalgia has yet to be in full effect, but it will soon be. Today I was this close to get a decent haircut. It turned out to be slightly less than disastrous, and could have been even worse if I didn't request to the hairdresser to use "special scissors". I realized that I've finally tuned myself to the terminology that the Americans use for haircuts as compared to the terminology Singaporeans use in Singapore where its so easy to get a cheap and good haircut.

"Slope" = "Taper"
"Jian Bao" = "Thinning"
"Comb down" = "Side Bangs"
"Layer" = "Layer"

Dear Professor Lok...

I am a 2^nd year Aerospace Engineering student going onto 3^rd year, and am currently on the Global Immersion Program in University of Washington, Seattle. Just a little background about myself, I am a member of the school’s IVP badminton team, and have represented Singapore Universities in the Asean University games in Hanoi and the World University games in Bangkok. In my freshman year, I was a proud and enthusiastic resident of Hall 2 who participated in many of its activities including representing the Hall in Inter Hall games, member of the Hall’s Jam band and publications committee and team manager of the Hall’s badminton team. In my sophomore year, after the implementation of the new Hall Allocation System, I was allocated a room in Hall 5 under the IVP scheme. I did not participate in any Hall activities because of my plan to go for exchange. In the recently concluded 1^st round of allocation, under the points scheme in which I have 13 points, I did not manage to secure a place in hall. I am writing this email not because I am desperate for a hall place and hope that in my actions I could get a place, but I am writing this email in sadness and in a hope for a better change of the constantly changing hall allocation system.

One might ask why as an IVP player I would apply for hall under the points scheme rather than the sports scheme in which case the sportsman, due to his heavy training schedule which main purpose is to bring glory to the school, would be guaranteed a place in hall? Because I believe that every individual has a choice, a choice to choose which hall he would or would not like to stay in. Personally, I was a product of the random allocation of IVP sportsmen done by a machine which uses algorithms to make decisions. Cold as it seems, the crushing moment of losing all identity that has been forged with the hall I call home for 1 year is even colder. An identity that has been lost forever and the cause even forged disbelief and hate with the new guidelines for the recommendation lists for halls this new academic year.

“Only returning residents are allowed to be on the recommendation lists for each hall”, and so I have heard. Why is it that this rule is in place? Why does the Hall Allocation system wants to put its foot into every hole it can find? Again, personally it prevents people like me on foreign exchange to be on the recommendation list. One who dislikes his previous hall’s culture is also deterred from applying to other halls, assuming that he does not make the 1^st cut off and has to try to get a spot in the recommendation lists of halls which may appreciate his ability to contribute to the hall. Furthermore, there are others who haven’t stayed in hall previously, but because of a position they chose to undertake, staying in hall seems necessary due to time commitment required to perform their duties. The JCRC has certain roles and responsibilities. Let them fulfill what they have been formed to do.

There are yet another group of people who are valuable to the culture in hall, who have contributed in so many small little ways, but have not received any recognition in their abilities and their hard work. These people are not the leaders of school, they are not the presidents of clubs, nor are they IVP sportsmen who have the option of choosing to apply under the sports scheme. They are the building blocks of NTU’s hall culture, the people who are always there when their leaders need them. They are the people who take up many small appointments to be involved in hall in many different ways, albeit not big and prestigious ways. Because of the new Hall Allocation system, people who take part in many activities are not rewarded due to the fact that campus life points are not accumulative. The system has inadvertently flushed out students working silently behind the scenes and they will eventually fade away from hall, disappointed. If Presidents of school clubs get rewarded in terms of points for their time commitment to the school, I do not see why these students in their small little ways accumulatively should not be rewarded for their time commitment, which may even surpass that of the President of a school club. As the saying goes, “Without good men, there can never be good leaders.” Without these students, the President cannot run his club.

Although Singapore is a small island city state, distance still matters with respect to time spend travelling to school. NTU is inconveniently located in the extreme west side of the island. Hence, students who live on the other side of the island have to take at least 2 hours to travel to school. The weightage of points for distance under the Hall Allocation System is half, with the maximum points being 9, the same as the maximum one could get for campus life involvement. This brings up the issue of whether the weightage for distance is actually a fair one, because it automatically puts Singaporean students at a disadvantage over foreign students. Given that this year’s cut off points for hall is 15, and making a general assumption that the points allocated for distance is 4.5 at an imaginary north south running line that is drawn cutting the island into approximately half, and also assuming that the distribution of NTU students is uniform throughout the island, that automatically makes half of NTU’s student population ineligible for a hall place. Even if they have 9 points for campus life involvement, their maximum number of points that is available to them is still less than 15. Hence, like my friend once said, “This system is ostracizing the locals.” Perhaps a system that is fairer is one where the weightage on activities is higher and that of distance is lower. Moreover, foreign students come here to experience local culture in hall, not their own. We would not want foreign students to crowd out our halls.

There is a rising demand for campus accommodation, and coupled with the fact that freshmen are guaranteed a place in hall for their 1^st year, this rising demand justifies the seemingly impossible cut off point of 15 for the normal person. Moreover, there is a possibility that double sharing rooms may make way for triple sharing ones. Putting three students in one room may solve NTU’s problems of rising demands in campus accommodation, but it will only be short term as there is only this much we can expand with a limited amount of resources. In the long term, more halls could be built, be it inside or near campus to meet this rising demand. Furthermore, the school could build their own off-campus accommodation instead of relying on individual landlords to come forward to provide a more steady supply of off campus accommodation for students who desperately need to stay near the area at a cheaper rate but are unable to secure a place in hall.

Good systems must be in place to ensure that culture develops and flourish. However a system that has a tight control does not develop culture, in fact it will stifle and ruin the present culture. The spreading out of IVP players in hall might ruin sporting culture in a hall, by not giving the players a choice to go to a hall of their choice. As students of NTU, we want to graduate and remember the days of our hall lives, and remember that Hall X was a powerhouse in a certain sport; Hall Y had the best jam band amongst all the halls, and Hall Z……

I believe I echo the voices of many students, students who as you are reading this email, are spending their time making preparations for Freshman Orientation Camp, training for competitions, but at the same time worrying about whether they can get a hall through the recommendation list or the 2^nd round. As much as I think this email will go unnoticed, just like the many cries of the students who did not get hall, I would hope to believe that there can be some compassion in the system, a system that will not destroy hall culture, but one that hall culture can actually thrive and nourish in.

Yours Sincerely,
Hamon Shen

Memorial Weekend~

Because of the long weekend and being Singaporeans who always know how to maximize our resourses, we took the drive east towards the state of Montana, to Yellowstone National Park. It was another one of those super long drive. It took us about 12 hours odd in total to get to West Yellowstone, a small little town outside the National Park itself. We set off on Friday afternoon and reached at around noon today(Saturday). Went to explore some parts of the park in the afternoon till evening, and managed to catch some glimpse of the geysers and volcanic features in the park. Of course, we had to see Old faithful (some world renowned geyser) erupt spectacularly. More spectacular than that I would say, would be the Bison crossing on the road when we were driving out of the park. They weren't exactly crossing the road from one plain to the next, they were using the road to get from one place to another, just like how we use it, causing a massive traffic haul up in process. We were like THIS close to them, cos they were practically walking next to our car. 2 of them stopped and stared blankly into the brightness of the car's headlights before moving on. It was just an amazing moment..haha..Well tomorrow we'll be doing more of Yellowstone, before making use of the entire Monday to drive back to Seattle...so...I'll post pictures soon..

Singapore in Seattle~

Firstly the weather has taken a drastic turn for the weekend. We have been hit by 25 degree celsius temperatures which called for the drastic change in fashion sense, and conducting of class?!?! I had one class today out in the open, on the grass. It seems that Seattlites really enjoy the sun, although it gives u sunburn like the one I got from the overexposure of my skin to the sun. Nevertheless, the experience was a "hot" one, and most of the time I don't think the class was paying attention to what Prof Cao was saying, rather just basking in the sun and probably thinking of what to do over the fabulous Seattle Summer weekend.

I on the other hand, had the Washington State Open badminton tournament for the weekend to worry about. I would say that I've done reasonably well for making it into the quarters for mixed doubles and doubles, and semi's for singles. On the other hand, I think I would have achieved a better result if I was in better shape and more used to the high intensity of the 3 day tournament. Playing 7 matches in one day is certainly not my cup of tea. The tournament drew several big players from the region this year, including Piotr Mazur, an ex polish national player and currently the US number 4 ranked player (apparently), ex Taiwanese, Israeli, and Indonesian national players as well. Despite the fact that fatigue has reign in all parts of my body, it was a great experience to play with these people and a great way to make new friends.

Why?

Why do people always ride on good things when they come by even when you promise them goodness in time? Whatever happened to patience, whatever happened to good company? Whatever happened to "I give you my word?" Why are people so opportunistic? Why can't we have more spirit of togetherness? Why does it seem so hard to achieve? Why do people keep sayin hurtful things to each other? Why can't we take jokes as a pinch of salt? Why am I writing this?? haha..oops

Training~

And so, I almost died doing 3 mid term examinations in 1 day, in a span of 4 hours. I even had to run from one exam venue to the other once I'm done with the previous one. By the end of it all, 1 word. SHACK. Anyway its time for some training. As I've mentioned before, I'm playing in the Washington State badminton Open going to be held next weekend. And I happily signed up for 3 events: Men's Singles, Doubles and Mixed doubles. After talking to the organizer, I realized that we might play quite alot of games in 1 day, hence the requirement for some sort of training, if not later play already peng ah. So yesterday I went down to the IMA to do some footwork (make sure I don't get cramp). Wah kau..do abit only shack out already. At least I still got 1 more week to get into some shape. Well, regardless, I'm kinda happy how I still manage to play badminton pretty regularly here, and finding some kakis to play, although not many. So this week, I'll try to sleep more, eat more, and train more.

D-day H-hour minus 9.5

3 midterm exams, 4 hours. Wish me luck

I love Fridays~

Maybe not next Friday, but today was chillaxing. I went downtown with Juanita today, went to exchange my American Eagle T shirts while she went to do some assignment for her course at Seattle Art Museum. I realized that the American Eagle store in downtown has so much more stuff compared to the store at Northgate. After that, Dan came along and we went to try the Clam chowder at Pike's place clam chowder. On the menu, they boasted that they have the nation's best clam chowder, so I tried it despite the hefty price that came along with it. I got to say its the best I've ever eaten though. Rich, creamy and full of fresh clams. After that, we walked around aimlessly for a while before deciding to watch Iron man. The truth is....I AM IRONMAN!..haha..it was an enjoyable movie I would say. We Ta Pau Thai tom for dinner after the movie to Dan's place and just chillaxed there guitaring and chatting till late at night. Today would be the last day of chillaxing. I've got 3 midterm examinations on next Friday, and I dunno how I am going to survive. But I'm sure I will, as i have always done so....

Be Unto Your Name~

We are a moment, You are forever
Lord of the ages, God before time
We are a vapor, You are eternal
Love everlasting, Reigning on high

Holy holy, Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Highest praises, honor and glory
Be unto your name, be unto your name

We are the broken, you are the healer
Jesus Redeeemer, Mighty to save
You are the love song we'll sing forever
Bowing before you, blessing your name

Don't You Just feel proud to be Singaporean?

Retail and Sports Therapy~

I bought 3 American Eagle shirts which were on sale yesterday, a brand that I'm feeling connected to. A pair of berms from Ross for like 12 bucks, and a new pair of incanal earphones cos my trusty Koss Portapro is on the verge of dying. Spent most of the day out yesterday, taking the GIP video with Juanita then heading to Northgate to do all the shopping, before going to Cheesecake factory with the CH peeps for some atas dinner. Today, spent the late morning watching an exhibition husky volleyball match, and I must say I'm very impressed at the standard of volleyball I'm seeing. After which, headed down to the husky stadium to catch some Spring football action. The sun was shining, and i actually have a tan in 4 months. Not bad. Didn't stay for the entire football match though cos it got a little dreary towards the end, typical of start and stop sports such as american football and baseball. Spent the rest of the day at the IMA studying (or trying to), and played some badminton after that. Did abit of footwork too to try to shape up for the Washington State Open. I managed to find a partner for Men's doubles. He's a chemistry professor whom I've recently been aquainted with, and I must say he's a pretty gd player. Hope we would be able to enjoy some competitive badminton during the tourny!

Have You Found God?

Ooops~

Haven't wrote for quite a while. Haven't found the strength to. Haven't found the motivation to. Lethargy plus a series of emotional bombardments have kept me at bay. I can't really remember what happened in the past week. Everything is being overshadowed. The mind has to be kept clear. It always has to be. It cannot be clouded. It cannot be blinded. Work has started to pile up. Or at least I piled up my own work. I need to pick myself up. I need Kevlar. The bullets will never stop coming. The trial will never end. But life still has to go on. Life in the war zone of a war I'm close to giving up. Life in the shadows, that God will bring me out of.

It is not about the things we do, or the words we say. It is about the things we do to other people, and the words we say to them, that make the difference.

Pierced~

Make me Take me
Break me I am pierced
Make me Take me
Break me I am pierced

Though I am wounded
And unworthy
Though I am selfish and untrue
You are holy You're the healer
You forgave meAnd made me new
You made me new

Oh this love how can it be
That my God would die for me
For my sins His wounds did bleed
Jesus you were pierced for me

The Dalai Lama~

Is such an amusing fellow. He makes people break out into laughter with all his antics and his "cute", according to Juanita, facial expressions. The Dalai Lama came to UW as part of his 5 day Seeds of Compassion tour of Seattle, to receive an honorary degree and to address students of UW. I was fortunate enough to get a ticket to place myself in the Hec Edmunson Pavilion for this historic and once in a lifetime opportunity event. The Dalai Lama basically talked about compassion and peace in the world, with an ultimate vision of demilitarizing the entire world. He then answered questions pertaining to compassion in a controlled Q&A session, and no questions that are related to the situation in Tibet or the upcoming Beijing Olympics are allowed. While the Dalai Lama was speaking inside the pavilion, chinese demonstrators gathered outside in what seemed to be a protest?? They urged people to support the Beijing Olympics and tried to convince that historically, Tibet has always been part of China so cut the chit chat. And then there was this plane circling around the UW campus which had a flag saying "Dalai, Ur smile charms, ur actions harm."

There are many people who revere and respect the Dalai Lama, but there are many who are against him too. Nevertheless, his presence has brought some life and controversy to the people in Seattle, and it was an interesting but rather disappointing experience (cos i wanna hear him talk abt the happenings in China and Tibet).

Friday and Saturday~

Shit. Firstly I forgot to hand in my first HW for my Material Properties class. Dammit. But nvm about that. Joe Satriani came to Seattle to give a guitar workshop at Guitar Centre on Friday. For those who don't know who he is, he's probably one of the best in electric guitar playing in the world at the moment. Thanks to Dan, I managed to get to know about it. We went like 1 hour earlier at 5pm before it started, but there was already a queue that went for about a block when we were there. Thankfully, we managed to squeeze into the pathetically small room to hear him play and give some tips on electric guitar playing, which for about 80% of the time was too cheem, I had no idea what in the world he was talking about. Just practically amazed at the impossibilities one can even imagine.

Today, we woke up early to make our way to the Future of flight musuem and the Everett Boeing Plant for a Boeing tour. It was just simply amazing to see the assembly lines of the 747s, 777s, and 787s. We managed to see the 1st ever 787 being built right at the Everett Assembly plant, which also happens to be the biggest building on earth. When the tour guide mentioned that the building is so big that there are more than a million ceiling lights in it, I almost fainted. Haha...But from an aerospace engineering student point of view, the tour was definitely very educational and informative, showcasing the latest technology in commercial jets.

Despite the very interesting Friday and Saturday experience, I'm coming down with what I would call "first line of defence down". I'm down with a pretty bad sore throat, and hopefully it would not propogate to a fever. I'm doing all I can to prevent this from happening, and with friends like Michelle and Kiet offering herbal tea and medicine, I'm sure I would be able to regain my 1st defence line again. Now after all the fun, I need to get some rest.

Here's a song from Joe Satriani which I find beautiful. Sharing it with all of ya'll out there. Check out the uber nice riff somewhere at around the 2 min marker:)




2 months left to make things right.....

Spring Quarter~

I can safely say that despite taking 5 courses this quarter, I feel that this quarter is going to be more slack than Winter quarter, cos the homeworks for this quarter are much easier than last quarter, and they are shorter too! No more thermodynamics and structural vibrations to worry about. Well that's so far for now, I hope it stays that way. And its still FREAKING cold here lah....cannot take it lah...wah kau..dunno why the weather so freaky. Flowers are blooming already but still can't see the sun. Spring already but still wearing my Northface jacket and hoodie. My berms are growing mouldy and my slippers are protesting to see the streets. I just hope that Spring WEATHER will come round soon. I SOMPA when i get back to Singapore, I won't wear jeans for the rest of the year.

Today will mark the start of training for the upcoming Washington State Open Badminton Tournament. Had the best badminton session since I've been to Seattle, meeting 2 new guys who plays good badminton, one whois from China and the other from Korea. I realised that all the guys who play good badminton are all not locals, and they are mostly PHD students or outsiders. Anyway, played so hard that my shoulders, back and legs are aching like mad now. Maybe its due to the long lay off during spring break. But I will get back into shape or at least some shape before the tourny starts on May 16th. Now I just hope that after a damm shack badminton game, I don't have to put on my jeans and hoodie and shoes to walk back to the apartment...I wanna wear slippers and my sweaty shirt and shorts backk.....

Road Trip Song 2~




Just sublime...

The Colors of Spring~

Rediscovering the touch~

Spring quarter has started very much quicker than expected, and probably not well anticipated due to the chilly weather that we have faced in the past few days, with snow reported in Seattle over the weekend while we were on Spring break. It is still relatively cold with temperatures averaging slightly less than 10 degrees C. This quarter, I am taking 5 courses. They are Incompressible Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Functional Properties of materials 1, Introduction to modern materials, and Introduction to manufacturing processes. Today in my Intro to manu process class, my professor, reminded us why we are studying engineering.

"In the manufacturing processes, there are design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and the support and administration. Design engineers are where we want to be, but support and administration is where the money is. So why do u want to be here? Why not get an MBA?"

Everybody remained silent for a while before some answers popped out from corners of the classroom.

Finally he said "Engineering is a noble profession to exercise your creative mind to design and create things for the world, for the people. We are directly responsible for people's welfare. When we screw up, people die. It is therefore important to remember what you have learnt in class so that you will become good and responsible engineers when you graduate."

I make it a point to remember what I'm studying, and to be as serious as I can to what I'm studying. Studying here in the US has certainly broadened my perspective on learning, and why we should learn and continue to learn as an engineer, why we should pursue learning not just for the good grades, but for the ultimate responsibility for other people's lives. Sometimes when the going gets tough, all the toughness just clouds out these goals and mottos. But today, it has been made clear to me again through Prof Labossiere, one who has inspired me at the start of the dreary Spring quarter, one whom already earned my respect just at the 2nd lesson.

Spring Break Trip Day 8~

We left Colorado Springs in the morning for Denver, and on the way we stopped by the US Airforce Academy. It was kinda like a SAFTI equivalent or if you guys know, the equivalent of West Point just that the academy trains officers for the US Airforce. We got to see briefly the life of a US Airforce cadet, and it was kinda interesting to note how they would go through the course and graduate with a Bachelor's of Science and at the same time commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant.

After that, we ate lunch in a Dim Sum restaurant in Denver which supposedly won many accolades but to our disappointment, it was well below expectation and we figured that Dim Sum standards in the US is generally lower. We checked into the Red Lion Denver Central hotel in the afternoon, and its name being rather deceiving, it is nowhere near the heart of Denver downtown. Nevertheless, we mustered up some energy to get our butts out of the comfy hotel to make our way to downtown Denver by car, 16th Mall street. It was a nice little street loads of shops that makes walking down it rather delightful. Furthermore, the Civic park was just around the corner hence I would say we managed to fruitfully spend 2 odd hours walking around the entire downtown of denver.

For dinner, since it was the last night of Spring Break, we decided to go somewhere nice for dinner. We ended up at a place called Dixon's grill, where they supposedly serve Denver's best magaritas. Dinner was fantastic and the ambience and atmosphere was great to round up an eventful 8 days of travelling.

Tomorrow, we would be nua-ing the entire morning in the hotel and we would be driving to Denver International Airport to return the car after lunch. After which, we would wait to catch our flight back to boring Seattle at 1600 hrs. Officially, this would be the end of Spring break. It would be another start to another quarter, the last.

I thank God for the strength he has given to me, the friends, the guidance, and the good weather through this entire trip. Amen.

The official Spring Break Road Trip Song. Enjoy!

Spring Break Trip Day 7~

The effects of the accumulation of fatigue could be felt today, and some of us were not able to wake up on time. Nevertheless, we still managed to go on a 1 and a half hour, slightly treacherous and slippery hike to see some spectacular views in North Cheyenne Cañon Park.

After which, we went to Manitoe Springs to have a well appreciated lunch in what seems to be a very very cold (to us..we were freezing our asses off) Friday afternoon in Colorado Springs. After that, we headed to Pike's Peak which was so high at 14 thousand plus feet, we found ourselves driving into and above the clouds on our way up. It was such an amazing experience at one point, we thought that we were in Finland or something. Luckily for us, there was no need hike, and all we had to do was to rely on the car to bring us to the 11,000 feet that the park allowed us to go to.

We headed to visit the Cave of the Winds after that, a cave which as some stalagmite and stalagtite formations, which was not very impressive for the price we had to pay, another "tourist trap" I would say. Dinner was probably unfogettable as it was a first. A&W Rootbeer Float with 7 piece KFC chicken and a small coleslaw. An initial craving that proved too much to handle...I swear I wouldn't eat KFC for at least 3 months.

Tomorrow, we'll be heading down to Denver City in the morning, probably making the US Airforce Academy a stopover on the way. It will be our "last day" of the Spring break trip, because on the official last day, we would probably be sleeping in, and chillaxing before heading down to Denver International Airport to return the trusty Hyundai Sonatas, which have proved trustworthy and served us well during the entire trip with both function and form. 2 more days, and it will be Hello again Seattle....

Spring Break Trip Day 6~

It snowed today in Boulder, such that it kinda restricted our activities to driving around the University of Colorado. We were definitely in no mood to walk around outdoors be it the outdoor malls along Pearl Street or Chataqua Park. Hence, we decided to drive south towards Colorado Springs earlier than planned, a decision that proved to be a good one. We probably have taken good weather forgranted during our entire trip, but I have to say that we have really been blessed with fantastic weather so far wherever we have gone to, so much so that the bad weather today in Boulder was probably God's plan to tell us to go to Colorado Springs earlier, which was another fantastic decision cos we realized that there is just so much more to do in Colorado Springs than in Boulder.

Hence, we took a relaxing morning drive down south, escaping from all the rainy/snowy weather to be gladly greeted by bright sunshine and blue sky. We spent the afternoon takin walks and drives in the Garden of Gods, a park with natural rock formations, then going to Manitou Cliff Dwellings, where we got to see the Cliff dwellings of the Native Indians. After that, we took a very short stroll in Old Colorado City before heading to a Vietnamese/Chinese Restaurant located by GPS which turned out to be pretty good despite its emptiness and its queer nature. Tomorrow, we'll be discovering some of the other attractions Colorado Springs have to offer.

Its amazingly the 6th day already, and time seems to pass very fast when one is enjoying oneself....

Spring Break Trip Day 5~

The Mount Rushmore National monument Park was just a 5 minutes drive away from our motel. At the entrance of the park, we were greeted by a few deers grazing. The 4 heads of the presidents were so magnificent they were noticeable on the way to the Park. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are the 4 chosen Presidents to be sculptured out of the granite in the Black Hills National Forest by Gutzon Borglam for their great contributions to the progress of the United states. We spent the morning just admiring the carvings of man in Nature's creation, and learning brief American history and the story behind the monument. At midday, we left for this town called Custer, where there's a Flintstone themeed trailer park. It was closed for the season, thus we just took a few photos before moving on. 6 hours of driving brought us to Estes Park, Colorado. We passed by the most scenic drive in Colorado through the Big Thompson Canyon, AT NIGHT. Hence, we are gonna drive back through it tomorrow again when there is light!

Tomorrow we'll be spending the day up in the Rocky Mountians, going for scenic drives and shiong hikes, before leaving for Boulder city in Colorado.

Spring Break Trip Day 4~

Everyone was up early today to prepare for the longest drive on the road trip, a wooping 10 hours from Salt Lake City in Utah to Keystone in South Dakota. We started off from Salt Lake at 0730 hrs, and it all seemed to be going good in the morning until the other car got stopped by a state trooper that was 'hiding' in the divider between the roads. They were kinda stopped for 'speeding', but fortunately, were let off with just a warning. At our lunch break point, some friendly people recommended us to visit Devil's tower Monument in Black hills National Forest, and we decided to take the advice hence we took a 'little' detour from our original route. It turned out to be quite a sight as you would be able to see from the photos. After that, we finally headed for Keystone which we arrived safely at 2230 hrs at the comfortable Holiday Inn Express hotel, probably the best accomodation so far. Besides the 'pretty' beds as described by Michelle, we were spoiled for choice for the firmness of pillows, either soft or firm. A comfortable hotel is definitely needed after 15 hours of travelling.

Tomorrow, we'll be heading to Mount Rushmore to see the faces of 4 presidents carved out against a rock wall. After that, it will be a 6 hour drive down towards Estes Park, the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Spring Break Road Trip Day 3~

Today was Easter Sunday, and we woke up to the voices and sounds of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra in the morning held during the Morning service in the Tabernacle at Temple Square. It was rather interesting to see how strong the mormon presence/influence is here in Salt Lake City. Actually, the Church of the Latter Day Saints was founded in Salt Lake City by the father of Mormonism Joseph W. Smith and his followers. It was also interesting to see how friendly and zealous the mormons are, and how they are so convicted to their faith. Besides having a rather educational tour about Mormonism and its seemingly international widespread presence, we explored around Temple Square, the stronghold and HQ of the Mormons in the morning today.

Because it is Easter Sunday, many shops and eateries were closed, so we ended up eating at a Seafood place which served up some great seafood. After lunch, we took a little drive out of Salt lake City, to see the Winter Olympics Park. To our dismay, the park was closed for a private event. We managed to take some pictures before being chased out by the Park Ranger. After which, we went to the Olympic Oval where there is a SUPER huge ice skating rink, and a speed skating race track. But unfortunately again, the skating rink was closed so we couldn't ice skate on it. A little disappointed, we headed to Hard Rock cafe for dinner where we had another chillax meal. It was evident that many of us are showing signs of tiredness and fatigue on only the 3rd day of the trip. Hence, after dinner, we made our way back to the motel for an early night, because tomorrow, we'll be driving a total of 10 hours towards Keystone, South Dakota, and we'll need all the energy we can get.

Spring Break Road Trip Day 2~

We started out the day at 9 am. Our first stop was at Twin Falls City, where we went to check out a waterfall named Shoshone falls along the Snake River. It was a real pretty sight. We managed to see a full fledge rainbow from the start to the end!

After catching the beautiful shoshone waterfalls, dubbed the niagara falls of the east, we moved on and continued our journey towards Salt Lake City, where we spent the rest of the afternoon just driving around the island, taking photos of the Great Salt Lake and of buffalos and antelopes.

In the evening,, we checked into the Howard Johnson Motel, just 3 blocks away from Temple Square, home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church), and had a little glimpse of Temple square and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir before scurrying to find dinner at Gateway mall. Tomorrow, we'll be going to Temple Square in the morning to hear the choir sing in the Tabernacle itself. And in the afternoon, we'll be heading down to the Winter Olympics 2002 Park. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure!

Spring Break Road Trip Day 1



Ok. We started the day picking up the cars, 2 sleek Hyundai Sonatas. Left Seattle at 1330 hrs, for an 8 hour drive Southwest, bypassing Oregon State, into Idaho state, the state of pototoes to arrive in Boise, a rather big city in Idado. It was the first time driving in the US since I've been here since December. And I must say that it is kinda interesting driving on the left hand side of the road and having all the conventional Singapore driving directions inverted. The hardest part of adapting to this new system would probably be trying to keep the car on the centre of the road. In Singapore, since the driver's seat is situated on the right side, I am more confident estimating on the left side of the car, since we are tained to be more confident. The fact that we are close to the right side makes us complacent, because we are able to see the right side hence the non necessity for us to be competent in judging the right side. Therefore, I have the tendency to keep to the ride side of the lane, something which I will have to correct with 9 more days of driving to go. While driving, I went over the speed limit today driving at 100 miles per hour at night..haha..the road was so straight and tempting that I just had to try it. And oh...today's prob the longest time I've driven (8 hours) and probably the fastest time I've exhausted 1 tank of petrol over 510 miles..haha

Now, we are currently comfortably bunked in a motel chain called Super 8 motel. Pretty decent for 18 dollars a night. Tomorrow, we'll be completeing the other half of our journey to Salt Lake City, Utah, where along the way we will be going to the Twin falls in Idaho, and Antelope Island in Salt Lake city where we would be able to see the Great Salt Lake, before checking into our hotel in the evening and exploring the city's dining and nightlife.



8 hours of driving

Exams~

Ok. So tomorrow exams start. So I study until sianz already. So I'm blogging and eating B&J's Dublin Mudslide, listening to All My life by KC and Jojo. So only got 4 exams. 4 only lah hor, NTU got 7 one leh. So 2 of them are like open book. So I just started studying for tomorrow's paper yesterday. So I haven't really started studying for the other 3 papers. So if I'm in NTU liddat mati liao. So after writing this post i'll study for a while more b4 I sleep. So that I have enough rest for tomorrow's paper. So that can faster finish 1 paper, then 2 paper, 3 paper, 4 paper. So that Spring break can finally come. So can go for road trip. So like that can have fun. So to have more fun, now must focus first. So I must stop blogging now, if not So how?? So like tt loh....

Check out KT Tunstall and her 'live recording' with her uber cool loop pedal. Will be catching her in Seattle on May 10th!!



So now its muggin time.....

Mas Selamat causing Massy mess~

Check out this article in the New York Times...It's a super fun read;)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/world/asia/14singapore.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Stop and Stare~

Daylight Savings~

I woke up to an alarm that's set at 9 am, only to realise its already 10 am. Felt so cheated of 1 hour man. 1 hour can do alot of things leh.. Anyway, Seattle had daylight savings over the weekend, where on Sunday morning at 2am, the time just jumps forward by 1 hour and we lose 1 hour to the black holes. So its Sunday morning now, supposedly 10 am, while I'm eating "breakfast" and sipping on Lipton tea, but actually its 11 am, almost time for lunch, and what could have been a productive morning turned out to be one that has been overslept. Thank god they didn't implement daylight savings over a weekday, if not I'll have to be in class for a 830 lesson at 730. So basically what I'll be doing today is just chilling in the apartment, doing some work and guitaring, before heading to UPC for the eveining service which concludes the Sunday and prepare to head into the last week of school for the Spring quarter.


Sorry for the previous bitching post, it ain't as bad as it sounds..haha!

Long time no blog, tot I dodge??

Anyway the title is supposed to rhyme. I think I failed miserably...

What happens when in live Monday and Tuesday to complete 3 homeworks that you are supposed to hand in on Wednesday and u realised that you have to redo one of them, and when you think its finally over when you disgustedly throw the condemned pieces of paper onto the teacher's table, just to realise you kena wack by another 4 homework on the same day??

What happens when you go to the Seattle Art Museum as the living dead to attempt to appreciate art that when you are living already find it hard to do so?

What happens when every action, every word you say, is being scrutinized, when you live in emotional fear, fear of the secrecy sworn against you? When our action may cause an uproar or outcry that is muted from you?

What happens when final exams are in 2 weeks time, and you haven't started studying for it because of all the homework you still have, and you feel that your peers are not studying but in fact still partying and snowboarding their weekends away?

What happens when you think you've planned spring break all out, but it crumbles upon you because of ur folly to check carefully enough, and it forces you to rethink ur route where the end point is constrained because of the booked flight?

What happens when everyone is going out over the weekend, while you will be staying at in the apartment ?

My MOM will say: " Go to God in prayer"

And that is what I'll do.....

The Carefully threaded Path~

We are learning new things everyday. The already vast amount of knowledge and skills that continues to expand can't be held within our small little minds which although has such promising greatness, falls short of its potential because of our inability to let it reach its greatness. More often than not, one will learn new things only because circumstances forces one to learn it, and not out of choice. For example, in the case of adaptation, we would be forced to learn new things when thrown into unfamiliar environments.

Adaptation is something I am not unfamiliar to, and it would be safe to say that I am rather adept at adapting. Not until now. Not until I've met a new form of adaptation that is required of me. A new form that requires even more focus and concentration due to the environment in which its nature is volatile. So volatile such that one cannot be too comfortable in it. Because when you think you have adapted, its precisely the point where you have failed at adapting by getting too comfortable. Its like walking on the small narrow path up a mountain, where both sides are cliffs. One small wrong step because of your folly from the thinking that you are already confident of scaling the mountain will lead to disastrous outcomes.

People say I am guarded and oversensitive. I lie that I am not. The reason for which is to attempt to adapt, but once I adapt and let my guard down, I fail miserably at it. I need to be on my guard, especially with the things I say, for I have failed miserably in that aspect. Words can kill, words can heal. Sometimes you wish that you can take back what you say, but once the firing pin strikes, there is no turning back. There is a need for constant vigilance, for sensitivism and a level of guard, to ensure that we stay on the path that will lead us to greater things, the path that will lead to greener pastures.

Lifehouse~

I have this affinity for live music, probably because I am convicted that good bands (I emphasize gd) sound so much better live than in the recording and when a golden opportunity like this is presented, I can't miss it for the world. Lifehouse started their Disarray tour in the US yesterday, and Seattle was their 2nd location. Held at Showbox SODO (SOuth of DOwntown Seattle), which turned out to be kinda like a big abandoned warehouse, furnished and fitted with a stage and acoustics. It had a nice underground feeling to it, due to the low ceiling and the wooden columns that seem to be holding the place up. In comparison, it was in between a small music club in Singapore like Wala Wala and the Indoor stadium. The showbox had the cosy-ness of a pub with a bar and restaurant and had the space needed to hold about 1000+ people. It didn't have any seats so it was an all stand kinda concert/gig. It was nice cos the standing area is kinda close to the stage, so you could see the band playing kinda close up compared to somewhere like indoor stadium where they will appear like tiny little dots if u get the cheap tickets. We arrived to meet a long queue outside its doors at 1815, and waited until about 7 till the 1st two bands started opening. Lifehouse only came out at like 9 pm, a long but well awaited wait. This probably is the 1st ROCK concert I've been to, and I would say it lived up to expectation and didn't disappoint. The band was way cool in their playing and in they sounded perfect, albeit abit loud. They played a mixture of old and new songs from their new album, and it was good that I've heard quite a few of them. Nevertheless, it was an experience that will be remembered, an experience unfortunately or fortunately wasn't caught on camera due to my folly of not bringing the charged battery out with its camera, an experience that was refreshing and inspiring that will be anticipated again in the time to come. :)

The Double edged Sword~

We travelers, walking toward the sun, can't see

Ahead, but looking back the very light

That blinded us shows us the way we came,

Along which blessing now appear, risen

As if from sightlessness to sight, and we,

By blessing brightly lit, keep going toward

That blessed light that yet to us is dark.

-Wendell Berry

Can't wait for the lifehouse gig tomorrow!!! :)

The week~

This week felt so much more relaxing, so much more fulfiling and satisfying than the many weeks I've been here. Besides the exciting Vancouver retreat over President's day long weekend, and the visits to gay community Capitol Hill and boring Tacoma, there were the badminton sessions that were much missed last week,the receiving back of midterm exams which grades I'm very happy with (Thank god for tt), and the slowing down of classes which are much appreciated. A few of my professors postponed homework datelines from this week to next week too due to whatever reasons, which allowed me to slack more than I was prepared for, but was thankful for.

Off to Vancouver~

Now's the time, an absolutely impeccable one I would say, to play escapist. See ya'll in 3 days!

When the Going gets Tough~

This week has by far been the toughest week in Seattle for me. The amazingly high workload has forced me to hibernate and study in the apartment since Saturday, and till today I have postponed visits(to boeing), badminton sessions and the Singles Finals with Mikko, meals, good health, and valentine's day(to next year!). Thanks to God's grace and mercy, everything has gone well so far, despite the downs, there has been ups. In the centre of the storm, there is the eye. The eye is represented by the trip to Vancouver over the long weekend, where in the midst of the all the niggling tests and assignments that are blowing my mind away, there is calm and serenity. Calm to take a breather, to muster strengh to prepare for the remainder of the storm to come on Tuesday. As the old saying goes, tough times don't last,tough men do......

Broken~

The Broken clock is a comfort
It helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow
From stealing all my time
And I am here still waiting
Though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best
Like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain
There is healing
In your name
I find meaning
So I'm holding on
I'm barely holding on to you

The broken locks were a warning
You got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded
I'm an open book instead
And I still see your reflection
Inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose
They're still looking for life
I'm falling apart I'm barely breathing

I'm hanging on another day
Just to see what, you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on, to the words you say
You said that I will, will be okay
The broken light on the freeway
Left me here alone
I may have lost my way now
But I haven't forgotten my way home

The Killer Week~

I knew something like that was coming. It couldn't be this chillax here. So here it is. 4 mid term examinations, 3 assignments, 5 days. If that wasn't enough, after coming back from vancouver which we would be going over the long weekend next week, 1 mid term examination and 1 assignment. So its 9 days of 5 mid term examinations and 4 assignments. Wish me luck....

CNY~

No ang baos, no meeting up with friends and relatives, no chinese new year cookies, no chinese new year songs, no chinese new year atmosphere. This has certainly been the 1st time I've spent chinese new year outside of Singapore, and it certainly has been chinese new year with a twist for me. The GIPers went for a "reunion" dinner on Wednesday night at a chinese restaurant called Shanghai Garden in International district, despite heavy schedules and many having midterms the day after. It was a sin if we didn't go out for dinner that night. I committed a sin by doing homework and studying on Chu yi, something which I knew I wasn't supposed to do but didn't really have much of a choice.Yesterday and today, the two presidential nominees for the Democrats dropped into town. Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama spoke at rallies held in Seattle and being curious and having the "everything also must try and must do" mentality, I spent chu yi and chu er listening to the speeches of who might eventually be the next President of the United States. It was just way cool and indescribable to see them in person, with so much admiration and respect for them. I just came back not too long ago from the first house party I went. It was kindly organized by the Singapore Student Association in UW, and we met quite a few Singaporeans studying full time or working in Seattle and friends. It was nice to get to know new people, although the mood didn't permit me to do it in a fulfiling manner. Nevertheless, it was a great night of chinese food, mixers, wine and company.

Badminton~

I've never expected myself to be playing so much badminton here in the US. I play at least 2-3 times a week, and probably because of the ongoing Intramurals tournament that I'm playing in. But, because I took part in this tournament, I've gotten to know more people that I can play with, and the badminton atmosphere here is more fun than competitive, at least at the UW where I play. I've yet to venture into the badminton clubs, which offers higher standard of badminton and as a result higher fees?? Anyway, I broke my string on Friday while playing and was totally awestruck. Luckily for me there was Wufei, this nice Chinese guy who told me where to string my racket. It turned out to be quite disastrous cos firstly, the string, a YONEX BG 65 cost me 27 USD. Yeah tt's like 40.5 Sing dollars to restring 1 racket.OMG. Nvm, as if it didn't already broke a hole in pocket, a day later the guy told me he didn't know how to restring my racket cos the shape was different from the template given in the book (They restring mostly tennis rackets), so the shop, Avanti sports told me I could only collect it today cos the badminton expert would be down to string my racket. Thank god for him. Earlier in the day I received yet another phone call. Apparently the badminton expert called me and told me that 25 lbs is too high for a badminton racket. OK MAN. So he managed to convince me to tie at 23 lbs. When I went down to the shop just now, bad news rained down on me. While they were restringing the racket they broke the string, so i have to go back again tomorrow to collect it. Well done. So much for 40.5 Sing dollars of restringing. But I'm not complaining (am i??...aha) At least i can get my racket stringed here. Tomorrow, I'll be playing badminton again with Wu Fei and Tomas, 2 of the better players I've met playing at the UW, and am definitely hoping to meet more good players:)

The Race called Life~

There are many runners in the race. Some run faster, some run slower. Some stop by for a chat. But they shouldn't linger, cos if they do, they be running other people's lives. Some will lag behind, some will run faster. Everyone will be running in different directions, but there are a few who will run together, sometimes in groups, sometimes in pairs. Those who run alone will be lonely. Those who run alone will get weary. All they want is someone to run the race with them. It could be for that short distance, it could be till the end. But, the race belongs to each individual. And each one should run his own race, because that is what defines him. For when one does not have a race to call his own, he will get lost, and will never reach the finish line, the line which when crossed leads to eternity.