back to Chicago.
glhf gg yo.
In other news i watched kungfu hustle, which is amazingly funny.
Happy new year to all readers!
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Blessed Christmas!
To one and all. I return to Chicago Jan 1st. Happy New Year! Also, the rest of thanksgiving should be up sometime soon, i kinda missed the 1 month deadline, sadly. i'll aim to put a story up sometime before next thanksgiving.
--
List of things i wanted to do in singapore but probably won't get the time to:
1. Watch a movie in the cinema
2. actually finish a blog post before i hav
--
List of things i wanted to do in singapore but probably won't get the time to:
1. Watch a movie in the cinema
2. actually finish a blog post before i hav
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Space filler
Of course i now need to post a couple of word posts to flood the picture ones off so the loading time isn't so long, so here's one on how today i saw holey charcoal at a BBQ.
Now, this is most curious. It's just like normal charcoal, only this time it's shaped very interestingly with a hollow hole inside, so the charcoal becomes sort of cylindrical. Which means a couple of things:
1. It doesn't stack well since it's kinda rolly.
2. It kinda takes quite long to catch fire since it's thicker and bigger sized than normal charcoal, and no amount of breaking seems to break it up lengthwise, which would defeat the purpose anyway
3. However once it actually DOES get started, it burns for a rather long time since the hole in the middle ensures oxygen delivery to the thingie, once the middle starts to burn.
4. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem to be worth the general bother, another hopeful invention gone to waste.
5. That marked perhaps the 10th and hopefully the last BBQ this year. Lessee, there was eug's, jxhuang's, chin's, chin's i've-got-a-free-appt-let's-BBQ's, nut's new year's eve BBQ (ok that doesn't really count), moses's...... well okay fine so that makes this the 7th, although i'm SURE there're a few i missed. 7 BBQ's is probably enough carcinogens for three years anyway.
We DID start the fire, and we kept it going, since the world's been turning.
Now, this is most curious. It's just like normal charcoal, only this time it's shaped very interestingly with a hollow hole inside, so the charcoal becomes sort of cylindrical. Which means a couple of things:
1. It doesn't stack well since it's kinda rolly.
2. It kinda takes quite long to catch fire since it's thicker and bigger sized than normal charcoal, and no amount of breaking seems to break it up lengthwise, which would defeat the purpose anyway
3. However once it actually DOES get started, it burns for a rather long time since the hole in the middle ensures oxygen delivery to the thingie, once the middle starts to burn.
4. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem to be worth the general bother, another hopeful invention gone to waste.
5. That marked perhaps the 10th and hopefully the last BBQ this year. Lessee, there was eug's, jxhuang's, chin's, chin's i've-got-a-free-appt-let's-BBQ's, nut's new year's eve BBQ (ok that doesn't really count), moses's...... well okay fine so that makes this the 7th, although i'm SURE there're a few i missed. 7 BBQ's is probably enough carcinogens for three years anyway.
We DID start the fire, and we kept it going, since the world's been turning.
Thanksgiving - the rest
I've decided that i'm never going to finish my thanksgiving posts, so, about one month after thanksgiving proper, here we have a pictoral description of thanksgiving.
Stayed here
courtesy of Jacq, but didn't sleep very much due to one year worth of catching up with her and sandy. Had thanksgiving dinner *imagine a picture* courtesy of her house.
ya madison is cold.
and their squirrels aren't quite as lively as ours.
Their town is quite funky and happening, but that's because they have a place called Chin's, not coz it's actually quite funky and happening. Notice the place is closed, like the rest of the town (ok ok so we chose the wrong day to go down) and notice the other wording on the ..... .... the.... (what's the word for those shady things?) says "life is a journey, wok with friends."
Ya got big building. Capitol building was kinda pretty, that's why it takes up about half of all my madison photos, not because everything else was closed. It's really intricate and has got nice security guards inside who tell you things like "why don't you lie on the floor, that's the easiest way to photograph the dome!" and then tell your friends "you wasted the chance to get a photo of them while they were lying on the floor trying to take a picture!"
Ya that's madison. Basically the less things to see, the more time to catch up, so all's good.
And well okay i lied, this isn't the rest of thanksgiving, it's only the madison bit! which i suppose makes this thanksgiving part 3. i guess i was wise in believing i needed to split this one into installments before i could get the whole story up.
Stayed here
courtesy of Jacq, but didn't sleep very much due to one year worth of catching up with her and sandy. Had thanksgiving dinner *imagine a picture* courtesy of her house.
ya madison is cold.
and their squirrels aren't quite as lively as ours.
Their town is quite funky and happening, but that's because they have a place called Chin's, not coz it's actually quite funky and happening. Notice the place is closed, like the rest of the town (ok ok so we chose the wrong day to go down) and notice the other wording on the ..... .... the.... (what's the word for those shady things?) says "life is a journey, wok with friends."
Ya got big building. Capitol building was kinda pretty, that's why it takes up about half of all my madison photos, not because everything else was closed. It's really intricate and has got nice security guards inside who tell you things like "why don't you lie on the floor, that's the easiest way to photograph the dome!" and then tell your friends "you wasted the chance to get a photo of them while they were lying on the floor trying to take a picture!"
Ya that's madison. Basically the less things to see, the more time to catch up, so all's good.
And well okay i lied, this isn't the rest of thanksgiving, it's only the madison bit! which i suppose makes this thanksgiving part 3. i guess i was wise in believing i needed to split this one into installments before i could get the whole story up.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Post-wireless post
So i'm in suntec curious about the truth of how the whole complex is wired. Just wanted to post something for the kick of it. =)
Today on the way out from home i realised that i was never really bothered the way some people are by how there's "nothing to do in singapore". Sometimes it seems like the whole of singapore is in Orchard on weekends, coz, well, there's nowhere else to go! And i thought, well, yea, but isn't it the same with other cities? isn't there a city centre where people gravitate to ANYWAY?
And then i realised that in chicago you could go to all these different neighbourhoods, like belmont, greektown, chinatown, etc. which all had their own very distinct personalities and culture. And here? Maybe we're not as diverse, but also because the government tries to homogenise everything, That Pasir Ris doesn't seem quite so different from Toa Payoh or Jurong. Perhaps Geylang is different from little india which is different from pulau ubin or something... i dunno.
I also realised how much of singaporean conversation revolves around food.
And i just realised that the wireless internet isn't free for use, but you have to pay, and that's why i can't connect to it. Phooey.
Today on the way out from home i realised that i was never really bothered the way some people are by how there's "nothing to do in singapore". Sometimes it seems like the whole of singapore is in Orchard on weekends, coz, well, there's nowhere else to go! And i thought, well, yea, but isn't it the same with other cities? isn't there a city centre where people gravitate to ANYWAY?
And then i realised that in chicago you could go to all these different neighbourhoods, like belmont, greektown, chinatown, etc. which all had their own very distinct personalities and culture. And here? Maybe we're not as diverse, but also because the government tries to homogenise everything, That Pasir Ris doesn't seem quite so different from Toa Payoh or Jurong. Perhaps Geylang is different from little india which is different from pulau ubin or something... i dunno.
I also realised how much of singaporean conversation revolves around food.
And i just realised that the wireless internet isn't free for use, but you have to pay, and that's why i can't connect to it. Phooey.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Thanksgiving part 2
As with all good informative reading, you should know the beginning, the end, and then you have a better idea of what the middle's all about.
Thus, the dining room is proud to present..... your dinner.
er, that is, the thanksgiving story, but be my guest anyway.
SO, when we last left off, our two intrepid heroes (well ok, one hero and one heroine) were on the bus to madison. The bus left O'hare terminal 5. It reached terminal 2E. The bus left terminal 2E. There was nice snow covered landscape. The bus arrived at terminal 2E. Like, eh, get on the road already. Apparently flights were cancelled coz of the snow, and thus there were more people to pick up. Whatever. I was happy to be on the bus and secure in my seat. Our intrepid protagonists talked a bunch and the intrepid heroine slept, having intelligently pulled an all nighter the previous night to try and get some of the thanksgiving work out of the way. The intrepid hero tried to fall asleep but failed miserably, despite all the closed eyes and oh-so-soft jacket and stuff. oh well. So he read some Herodotus. (which, by the way, is mentioned in Neil Gaiman's American Gods! Shadow says: "'Call no man happy until he is dead.' Herodotus." (Gaiman, 2002, pp 545)) (See, if i had written this immediately after thanksgiving, you wouldn't have received that nugget of info.) There was snow covered landscape.
The bus reached madison. It was late. It was cold. Sihui and Marcus were waiting for us, coz:
1. The bus was delayed
2. They went out for a movie
3. They did not have handphones
Combination of all these 3 effects led to the two of them being cold. Sorry, you two! And thanks to Jacq for trying in vain to reach them. Insert here a heart-warming tear-filled reunion if you want, with plenty of cheerful greetings and warm hugs. You know how those things happen? Well they don't happen when it's REALLY COLD OUTSIDE. Or well, it was, for the unaccustomed-to-chicago-cold people.
Long story short, I met up with Sandy and Jacq once more, and we went to our respective dorms and talked a bunch before falling asleep. There was much merriment and strange cheese and wine. There was not much sleeping. I woke up early to read more Herodotus, whereupon i realised to my dismay that i hadn't eaten anything since lunch at 5pm the previous day, and damnit it's thanksgiving day and everything's closed. *cue thanksgiving part 3*
Thus, the dining room is proud to present..... your dinner.
er, that is, the thanksgiving story, but be my guest anyway.
SO, when we last left off, our two intrepid heroes (well ok, one hero and one heroine) were on the bus to madison. The bus left O'hare terminal 5. It reached terminal 2E. The bus left terminal 2E. There was nice snow covered landscape. The bus arrived at terminal 2E. Like, eh, get on the road already. Apparently flights were cancelled coz of the snow, and thus there were more people to pick up. Whatever. I was happy to be on the bus and secure in my seat. Our intrepid protagonists talked a bunch and the intrepid heroine slept, having intelligently pulled an all nighter the previous night to try and get some of the thanksgiving work out of the way. The intrepid hero tried to fall asleep but failed miserably, despite all the closed eyes and oh-so-soft jacket and stuff. oh well. So he read some Herodotus. (which, by the way, is mentioned in Neil Gaiman's American Gods! Shadow says: "'Call no man happy until he is dead.' Herodotus." (Gaiman, 2002, pp 545)) (See, if i had written this immediately after thanksgiving, you wouldn't have received that nugget of info.) There was snow covered landscape.
The bus reached madison. It was late. It was cold. Sihui and Marcus were waiting for us, coz:
1. The bus was delayed
2. They went out for a movie
3. They did not have handphones
Combination of all these 3 effects led to the two of them being cold. Sorry, you two! And thanks to Jacq for trying in vain to reach them. Insert here a heart-warming tear-filled reunion if you want, with plenty of cheerful greetings and warm hugs. You know how those things happen? Well they don't happen when it's REALLY COLD OUTSIDE. Or well, it was, for the unaccustomed-to-chicago-cold people.
Long story short, I met up with Sandy and Jacq once more, and we went to our respective dorms and talked a bunch before falling asleep. There was much merriment and strange cheese and wine. There was not much sleeping. I woke up early to read more Herodotus, whereupon i realised to my dismay that i hadn't eaten anything since lunch at 5pm the previous day, and damnit it's thanksgiving day and everything's closed. *cue thanksgiving part 3*
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Thanksgiving pt 6
I'm home! After a long flight and strange jaunts around the hongkong airport in search of elusive old wives, i'm back in the sunny island, and i realise:
1. It's humid and wow, paper isn't crisp anymore
2. including toilet paper
3. Not that i want toilet paper to be crisp, but well...
4. The trees have green leaves! And so many of them! WOW.
5. My house looks so different.
6. I still haven't really managed to finish reading American Gods, altho i'm down to a goodly 20 pages
7. I also realise i haven't finished publishing thanksgiving pt 2-5, i'll get to that sometime soon if i can remember what 2-5 were exactly.
8. I miss Chicago (and the people) and i curse the grass on the other side is greener mentality, and decide that perhaps emotional fulfillment is an elusive concept.
9. But yes, this is a public announcement, i'm back! Phone number remains the same. Here begins the grand Singaporean food tour!
1. It's humid and wow, paper isn't crisp anymore
2. including toilet paper
3. Not that i want toilet paper to be crisp, but well...
4. The trees have green leaves! And so many of them! WOW.
5. My house looks so different.
6. I still haven't really managed to finish reading American Gods, altho i'm down to a goodly 20 pages
7. I also realise i haven't finished publishing thanksgiving pt 2-5, i'll get to that sometime soon if i can remember what 2-5 were exactly.
8. I miss Chicago (and the people) and i curse the grass on the other side is greener mentality, and decide that perhaps emotional fulfillment is an elusive concept.
9. But yes, this is a public announcement, i'm back! Phone number remains the same. Here begins the grand Singaporean food tour!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Thanksgiving pt 1
SO,
after finally clearing the backlog of work that resulted from thanksgiving (give thanks for HW!) at 3am last night, and after a rather full day of activities (such as calc and bio) our intrepid hero finally returns to relate the tales from far, FAR, Away. So here begins the 5 part series that is my life since last wednesday. First let's begin with the beginning, where all things start:
It was good. It was VERY good. It was stand up and boogie with old ladies while waving hands in the air good. It was sing songs (softly) while marvelling at the voices of the cast, hum to the songs which you know but forgot the lyrics to, and sway a lot while drinking in the music good. And who else better to watch Mamma Mia with than another rabid ABBA fan? (^5 Adela) The atmosphere was great, the seats were decent, there was snow in the air outside, and the holidays had just begun! Perfect. And we had no problems getting to the theatre on time this time.
Old lady in the seat next to us, musingly: "Are you guys ABBA fans?"
Me: "Oh yes, huge fans."
OL: "When was ABBA really hot?"
Me: "80s?"
Old lady no. 2 next to her:"I think somewhere along the lines of the 70s.... 1974 maybe..."
Us: *muted laugh and a woah*
*Insert stuff about how ABBA music transcends all generations and is truly evergreen*
So we enjoy the show. Exeunt stage right. Still raining, damn, nevermind, the path is clear and the way shines brightly. We blue-line it, and eat lunch at 5pm on a moving train while standing up. Funky skill to learn, everyone, it'll serve you well one day... And we discovered that bartlett food is probably MADE to be eaten 5 hours after it's been made, tossed around in a bag, and put thru REALLY cold rain and stuff.
Long story short, we were completely amazed by the snow
on the way to O'hare which made everything fresh and white and pristine and crisp and COLD. man, when the train doors open and the wind and snow blow in on your quesadillas, that's something else.
And luckily we managed to get to Ohare, RUN and navigate and figure our way to the bus stop (ooh christmas tree take picture take picture) and in the end, managed to catch the right bus in the right direction (which is probably something of a minor miracle) and all went well, which brings us to the 2nd part of our story.....
after finally clearing the backlog of work that resulted from thanksgiving (give thanks for HW!) at 3am last night, and after a rather full day of activities (such as calc and bio) our intrepid hero finally returns to relate the tales from far, FAR, Away. So here begins the 5 part series that is my life since last wednesday. First let's begin with the beginning, where all things start:
It was good. It was VERY good. It was stand up and boogie with old ladies while waving hands in the air good. It was sing songs (softly) while marvelling at the voices of the cast, hum to the songs which you know but forgot the lyrics to, and sway a lot while drinking in the music good. And who else better to watch Mamma Mia with than another rabid ABBA fan? (^5 Adela) The atmosphere was great, the seats were decent, there was snow in the air outside, and the holidays had just begun! Perfect. And we had no problems getting to the theatre on time this time.
Old lady in the seat next to us, musingly: "Are you guys ABBA fans?"
Me: "Oh yes, huge fans."
OL: "When was ABBA really hot?"
Me: "80s?"
Old lady no. 2 next to her:"I think somewhere along the lines of the 70s.... 1974 maybe..."
Us: *muted laugh and a woah*
*Insert stuff about how ABBA music transcends all generations and is truly evergreen*
So we enjoy the show. Exeunt stage right. Still raining, damn, nevermind, the path is clear and the way shines brightly. We blue-line it, and eat lunch at 5pm on a moving train while standing up. Funky skill to learn, everyone, it'll serve you well one day... And we discovered that bartlett food is probably MADE to be eaten 5 hours after it's been made, tossed around in a bag, and put thru REALLY cold rain and stuff.
Long story short, we were completely amazed by the snow
on the way to O'hare which made everything fresh and white and pristine and crisp and COLD. man, when the train doors open and the wind and snow blow in on your quesadillas, that's something else.
And luckily we managed to get to Ohare, RUN and navigate and figure our way to the bus stop (ooh christmas tree take picture take picture) and in the end, managed to catch the right bus in the right direction (which is probably something of a minor miracle) and all went well, which brings us to the 2nd part of our story.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)