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.

Togetherness~

the quality, state, or condition of being together.

Its becoming a Weekly Digest~

This message is being sent to all Faculty, Staff, and Students with the approvalof the UW Police Department.Timely Warning Notification of a Criminal Incident January 29, 2008 Strong-Arm Robbery. This message to members of the University community is being sent in theinterest of public safety and in compliance with federal law requiring timely warning notification of crimes committed on or near campus.

On January 29, 2008 at approximately 2:10 a.m., a UW student was approached byan individual and punched in the face in the stairwell between the 3rd and 4th floor of the North Tower in McCarty Hall. According to the victim, the suspect then grabbed his wallet, took $60-80, a debit card, and some Best Buy gift certificates. The suspect then threw the wallet back at the victim. Officers searched the area around the incident site and have not located a suspect.The suspect was described as an Asian male, wearing a dark grey or faded black sweatshirt, darker colored jeans. Possibly early 20's with medium length gelled hair.

A strong-arm robbery occurs when a suspect takes property directly from a person by the use of force or threat of force. There was no weapon observed by the victim.If you have any additional information about this crime, please call the University of Washington Police at (206) 685-UWPD (8973) reference incident 08-000263.

So what's new around town? Sonics finally winning a game against the NBA champions the San Antonio Spurs after a wooping 14-0 losin streak! Omg.....and we were there to experience it! It was amazing, with the Sonics winning it only in the dying minutes of the game giving the knock out punch to the Spurs in a thrilling 88-85 encounter. 3 cheers to a good end of a long day.

Everybody clap your hands.....!!

The New Colour is White~

You know what I think of when I took out my blue pen from my pencil case today? Monday blues. Ok nvm. It was a great weekend, studying and doing work, and more doing work, and yeah more studying. Homework suddenly felt like its piling up, and finished just on time, compared to the 1st 2 weeks where I had 1 or 2 buffer days to brush up my homework. Something magical happened this weekend though. I won't tell you what it is, but I'll give you a clue:)

It was during Thermodynamics class, when the air was full of anticipation , because everyone was listening intently to what TA Juan had to say about tomorrow's Mid Term Exam (Yes I have mid term exam tomorrow) that at the corner of one's eye one could see from the classroom window white little specks of dust like particles falling from the sky slowly with such grace and unfortunately purpose - to melt upon its' landing surface almost instantly. But nevertheless, the sight of something so white and pure just erased all the blue-ness in the Monday today. A sudden gush of excitement hit me with so much impulse it still didn't blow me away....HAHA! No more fairy tale like story. I played my 2nd round of singles against a swede today and I had to admit he was a tougher opponent than expected. He made me sweat like never before while playing badminton in the US, and I think I made him sweat quite abit too. Now only if the sweat drop that fell from the tip of my hair could crystallize into snow crystals before hitting the ground......

Guitar centre in Seattle! Awesome!

The Magical Aspect~

Besides the fact that school uncannily resembles hogwarts, undeniably to many even the locals, there are many magical aspects of the US. One of which is getting 10 marks deducted for using pen on an assignment. A first of many for me here, the Teaching assistant said that if we want to use pen, we would have to write only on one side of the paper, else it would be messy. I took a 2 second blank stare before I registered what he actually said, although I didn't quite comprehend the meaning of his sentence. There's like seriously no link man. Did I tell you that my TA has the persona of the male equivalent of a blonde?

Ben and Jerry's. Chunky Monkey's. 1 TUB. USD$3.33=SGD$5.00. If you couldn't believe that on the 1st look I'll forgive you, cos its so magical. I've never pigged on a tub of chunky monkey's while surfing the net and all, the most i've had was like a scoop that will cost me close to the amount I pay for a tub here. Well, despite the weather, we are still going strong on the ice cream! Then there's Pandora, the music genome project which we can't use in Singapore(wth right??) Because of its unique mapping nature of songs to the listener which might induce an interest, I have today alone got to know 8 tres beau songs.

Honestly I'm not a real fan of ORIGINAL Polo Raulph Lauren T shirts, not because they don't look nice( I have 3 fake ones), but because they don't cost nice. Fortunately, there's a spell you can cast to bring the price down. Easy peazy. Just say "Factory Outlets!" and viola, a 100 plus Sing dollar Original Polo Shirt magically reduced itself to 30 Sing dollars! Say the magic word again and u get a pair of Nike shoes for 45 Sing! Its so magical, its irressistable. Well this is probably basic magic 101 for dummies. There are so much more to come, much more than one can fathom, perhaps because of its magical nature, that is not meant to be understood and comprehended, but to be accepted just as it is.

Sorry but i can't resist putting up these pics cos I'm just so happy with the buy!

Honesty the best Policy?

How far would one go to achieve his cause? In a recent article in The Daily, which is the daily newspaper of the University of Washington, writers interviewed medical students who cheat to pass/do well in exams. And when asked why they do it, they simply replied: "I want to help people." Today there was an incident which I personally didn't feel very comfortable about. It involved a little bit of social irresponsibility and dishonesty. I was urked by what happened, and hence the inspiration for this post. In the first example, the student cheated to achieve his dream and his goal, which was to help people and save lives by successfully graduating from med school. Well, this is certainly a noble and respected dream. But however, the path to graduation is a grey one as he cheated to pass his exam. Hence, would one consider the student as a a morally upright or downright(u get my pt) person? Personally, I am still in a dilemma regarding this situation. In the second scenario, how far would one go to save money? To the extent of undermining one's character and principles? I can be thrifty, but I definitely wouldn't go down to a level like this just to save a litle bit of money to fuel my leisure expenditure. Being in a foreign land and having only so much finances, being thrifty is definitely on everyone's mind. But unless one has a noble cause that would stupefy other people(like me) and cause them to go into deep thought, honesty is still the best policy around.

Assimilation~

Someone talked to me in Aeronautics class today which only lasted 5 minutes. I was cursing and swearing on my way out of class that I had to drag myself out of bed at 7 to come for 5 minutes of class which was supposed to last for 2 hours, and had a gruelling but fufilling 6 hours of break before the next lesson at 1430. Todd, I will remember him for quite a while, as I was seriously contemplating the time I would break silence in class, and how to do so, especially when the class is so tightly knit,somewhat similar to the aerospace cohort back in NTU. It is, in fact easier for them to reach out than for me to break in. Nevertheless, I was totally caught unaware by this gesture that involved turning his head 180 degrees from the board and asking me whether I was new in class. The picture I painted in my head was more like just asking the guy sitting next to me how to do a tutorial question. I had a study session with a new found friend from Thermodynamics class today also. Similar circumstances brought us together, and I hope it will be a weekly thing, cos he seems like kinda a nice guy. Played badminton today, and got to know an AngMo guy tt plays not bad badminton!! Finally found a kaki that Randy and I can play with. For dinner, we ate at a fast food chain called Jack in the Box, for the sole reason of getting a coupon that can redeem one a free Sonics NBA game. So I'm gonna watch my 2nd NBA game for free! And it would most probably be Sonics Vs Spurs on 29th Jan. Hence, if you define assmilation as getting into the culture, mixing with the local community, and watching NBA games, I would say that I have begun the process, albeit a slow one. And boy am I glad it finally did.

Cause~

"Hey there, you've got time for g.... rights?"
"Sorry?"
"You've got time for gay rights?"
"Oh no, I'm sorry.."

Back at home, it isn't an unfamiliar sight to see people standing around the streets, holding clipboards, wearing the unmistakably contrasting lineyard. Most of the time, they'll fall into the category of insurance agents, credit card promoters, students dong surveys, or people from charitable organizations. Here, people stand around in the cold blistering wind to talk to you about what they believe in. Be it gay rights, a cause for gobal warming, or a religious crusade, people are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, to try to propogate as much as they can despite the criticisms and insults that rain down upon them. They still believe their cause in their heart. I have been constantly reiterating the point about the purpose of "doing things". More often than not (you can try to disprove the skeptic me), monetary gains is the driving force for alot of things in Singapore. Here as it seems, PASSION is the main driving force. Passion drives the actions of those who believe in their cause and are courageous enough to express it. It would certainly be nice to see some of this passion at home.

Would you stand up for a cause?

This is Scary..Well Some parts of it~

What Hamon Means

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

A Beautiful Weekend~

Well, we threw homework out the window and just enjoyed the weekend. Or at least I knew I did, and definitely enticed my fellow Campus heights peers into following suit. 8-9 people cramped in room #305 to watch "I am Legend" and "Good Luck Chuck" on Friday and Saturday night respectively from a 12" laptop screen. Saturday, we visited the Underground Tour in Seattle downtown. It tells you the history of the City, and how because of politics, business, corruption, natural landscape and a huge fire disaster which may actually have turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Seattle City is built upon the ruins of its old city that was burned down in a fire. These ruins still remain in the underground of Seattle's downtown, and hence the name of the tour. It was an eye opener and the tour definitely tickled my imagination to wonder what lies beneath the street, may be something more complex and deep than it actually is.

Today, Randy, Huifen, Juanita and I took 3 buses on a 1 hour journey to get to Mercer Island Covenant Church, and we were reveling at how after 3 weeks in Seattle, we finally gone to some other part of Seattle other than the University district and downtown. Mercer Island is like the Bukit Timah of Singapore, where the rich people live. Paul Allen, co founder of Microsoft stays at Mercer Island. And Bill gates himself stays not too far from the island. Anyhow, the 3rd church that I've been to was kinda nice, it gives a Barker Road feel, and the people there are all very friendly and warm. Joshua and Jessica from BRMC goes to the church as well! And they gave all 4 of us a lift back to Campus heights after service, which we are eternally (or maybe just me) grateful of!

Tomorrow, I'm going to watch my 1st ever LIVE NBA game between the Seattle Supersonics and the LA Lakers at the Key Arena in downtown...WOoHOo!! Its gonna be a fun filled week with a long weekend trip to Portland Oregon, which is just 3 hours south of Seattle. But before we go, I'll need to finish up my homework. I realised that every weekend is an opportunity for us to explore around Seattle as much as we can, and we should take every opportunity that is presented to us. Hence, the challenge now would be to finish all academic work within the week, such that weekends can be totally free for leisure activities.

We finally managed to bask in Seattle Sunshine over the weekend, seeing clear blue sky in the day and a bright moon at night. Most of the time, its either cloudy or wet. Truly, this weekend was beautiful, and is probably a small glimpse of what we are going to expect at the end of Winter, and the start of a Sunny Spring.

P.S. - All photos and videos would be uploaded on facebook, so don't expect to find any here!!

School~

Culture shock phase 2. Its surprising how when the lessons start at 0830 in the morning, and the class is like almost filled at 0820. At NTU, when lessons start at 0830, people can be strolling in at 0845. When the professor lectures, no one talks. The only talking that goes on is when a student asks a question and the professor answers it. In NTU, we could be joking away or talking or playing or whatsoever. When the bell rings, people literally stop listening to the professor and they just start to pack up. Students seem more enthusiastic in class, spontaneously asking questions and clarifying their doubts. In NTU, we are like mice who can only squeak when the Professors are more than ready to answer our queries.In NTU, even when the time is up, students will still sit still and listen, either that or they ponder within their minds whether or not they should leave, and whether or not they would implicate themselves if they do so. Here, we would have to hand up our homework (tutorials), and it could comprise as much as 40% of our total grade. We can't just easily put a question away if we cannot solve it. Its do or die. In NTU, we could just go to class without doing tutorials and just copy solutions.

Constant vigilance, and so it seems that the US education system is promoting. One that doesn't focus much on examinations, but on day to day work. Now burning the midnight oil wouldn't save one from the abyss of procrastination here because exams are only 30%. Fundamentals are constantly emphasized and it is important that we grasp the concepts and understand the underlying principles. On the contrary, grades and examinations govern the education in Singapore. Sadly, but its reality. One might and can only wonder where the passion disappeared to, for the process is as important as the end result, it might even be of greater importance.