I hope it wasn't a bad sign that this morning the staff at this particular embassy kept asking me when the passport-size photo I submitted was taken.
I hope they weren't trying to tell me that I have aged so much in just a few months.

I stumbled upon this....., and I'm so loving it!
It's just so darn hilarious!

An accidentally cool movie

"Remember son.... the word triumpsh starts with "try" and ends with "umph"
"Umph...umph...umph..."
- Memphis & Young Mumble, Happy Feet (2006)-

I didn't go with much expectation, but ended up loving the movie. It is definitely accidentally cool to me. I think I haven't laughed that much at the movies for a really long time (but then again, I haven't been to the movies that much lately).
The choice of the songs in the supposedly "spontaneous" singing scenes was just hilarious.... Robin Williams' performance is brilliant (as usual.... though sometimes I feel sorry for the guys as I believe he's gotten so deep into each and every single roles he's played that he just goes around collecting all these personas and as a result... a little bit "wacky", if I might say). Anwyay,I didn't know Brittany Murphy could sing??!?
I wish I could have a stuffed Little Mumble... SO CUTE!!!!

After the show, Suzie and I talked about not eating fish. But how is that even remotely possible at all?
I LURRRVE FISH!!! And actually, I'm quite dependent on fish right now.

Lucky people

Earlier this evening, while driving home from my yoga class, I had to stop at a traffic light.
There was a couple there, waiting for their turn to cross the street after their evening walk around the reservoir, I assume. When it was their turn to cross, I could see how the husband was carefully leading the pregnant wife, with his arms around her as both of them slowly walked across.

I must say... not everybody in this world is as lucky as they are.
I hope they know that.

Is there such a thing as school-project withdrawal syndrome?

A historical day

A very important day in the history of mankind.

I submitted my last paper today. It was a 68-page group paper that I whacked down from 80-something pages.

After about 40 sleepless hours and a drive to campus and library (where I made a significant "contribution" to the library's fund), I came home and sat in a daze.

Ran into another international student from the new batch at the library, who innocently commented: You haven't been getting enough sleep, have you?

You got that right, man!
(And why the hell am I still sitting in front of the computer right now?)

I know I've also said it before but I really, really mean it this time :
I've really had enough with schools.That's it. This is as far as it goes.

On the top of my shopping list right now: hylexin.

Romancing Singapore?

From Friday's edition of the Business Times - 17 Nov 2006 :

SINGAPORE - Singapore loves the dating game.

The government is so keen for its citizens to marry and procreate that it is setting aside $600,000 (US$384,250) to help fund private matchmaking agencies as part of a new move to reverse the island-state's falling birth rate.
...
Singapore is worried about its declining birth rate. Earlier this year, the Department of Statistics reported that the birth rate had fallen for the 28th consecutive year below the 'replacement rate' needed to maintain the population. The fertility rate had fallen to a record low of 1.24 children per female.
In a speech marking National Day in August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged married couples to have more children, and outlined a plan to encourage immigration as part of efforts to increase Singapore's population.
The new matchmaking plan follows other government efforts such as 'Romancing Singapore', a 2004 campaign that involved tips on meeting partners, heart-shaped pizzas and the launch of a perfume carrying the campaign name. The government also offers financial incentives to encourage larger families.
A recent Social Development Unit survey revealed that 90 per cent of 1,000 singles interviewed hoped to get married, and 72 per cent wanted more opportunities to meet possible partners.
The survey said Singapore's singles had spent $29 million so far this year on dating-related expenses, including dining, traditional or computer matchmaking, speed dating and personal ads. -- AP

I know it is a critical issue for Singapore's survival, but somehow I still find myself quite amazed by how hands-on the government is.
I guess one of Mariah Carey's earliest songs "Love takes time" is definitely not something they want to hear right now.

The last class, but not the last supper (I hope)

I had my last lecture in the program this evening.

It's so weird. I can't believe it's really the end.
I'm so gonna miss seeing everybody in class. As I was telling some of the guys earlier, I won't really have anyone to talk to now.
It's a bit sad.
(What can I say... I've always been the sentimental type)

I don't care. Must plan for a good time to celebrate once we're done with the exams.
And I'll definitely try my best to keep in touch with this crowd!

It's not that easy to get so many nice friends all at one go at this age.
I mean, gone are the school days where you have friends to just "chill" and hang out with.

I must say, if I had to name the most important thing I gained from this program, ...
it's gotta be getting to know this lovely bunch of people.

Different personalities, different styles, but at the end of the day, we all became friends.
And I really, really like that.
Wish I could turn back time.... NOT.

I'll keep the friends, but not the torturous program.

Getting compliment for the work you've done feels GREAT!

It's that time of the year again....for me to start coming up with items for the never-to-be-actualized New Year's Resolutions!
Gosh... I have so many items to include on the list.

Sweatie-pie

After 4 weeks of absence from my yoga class, I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed the torture.
The really nice 3-musketeer ladies in the class (including the awesome 57-yr old auntie) were all asking why I didn't show up.
They're really nice though.

Anyway, I know this is silly but I don't care. I'm so proud of myself for doing a semi shoulder stand. I managed to push my knees close to my chest (I think I just took a really deep breath and threw my legs up) and somehow miraculously managed to straighten them up and held them up for maybe about 20 seconds.

It might be nothing for others but it means a lot to me to be able to do that.
At least that's an improvement coz I really couldn't do it last time I tried it, which was probably about 6 weeks ago, although I thought I remember being able to do it when I was in PE class back in secondary school.

Anyway, the only disappointment this time was that I could not manage to throw my legs back up after I dropped them. So I guess that was as far as I could go for now.

I have made up my mind. Will ask my trainer to help me learn how to do a proper shoulder stand.

Seriously, although I had heard about it like a zillion times, I never realized how good working out can make you feel, despite the feeling like you're gonna die over and over again during the process.

All this just makes me wonder if I had somehow picked up sports while growing up, whether or not I would still have any of my current issues.

Anyway, it's never too late to start, right?

Thanks for the (no) help, Madam!

This actually happened about 2 weeks ago. Grandpa had forgotten about his keys and left them stuck on the door coming home from one of his smoking breaks downstairs. Nothing special I suppose considering his age.
However, some assholes were more than happy to snatch those dangling keys from our door.
Luckily, it was a Sunday. Everybody was home when Grandpa suddenly realized he didn't have his keys with him. My uncle went out to get some replacement locks and everything was under control within 2 hours.

(This is the wonderful thing with the guys in my family.... the older ones at least. They're always so hands-on. For example, my dad has always been the 24-hr electrician/plumber/car mechanic. He's definitely THE HANDYMAN in the family. My late paternal grandpa was also like that. He could fix anything you can think of... refrigerator, TV, video, battery-powered mini cars, bicycles, generators, ..... anything other than computer, of course, considering he was way into his retirement age by the time computers are all over the place)

Anyway, back to the lost keys.
So things were cool for the rest of the weekend and Monday. Come Tuesday morning, though, it was a different story.

Around 11 am, somebody rung the door bell, while I was stuck in my room working on my project.
I went out of my room and quietly tiptoed to take a peek at who it was -- a habit that I have somehow developed after my 4 years in Chicago. No, it wasn't because I was avoiding debt collectors or anything like that. By now I can't really remember why and how I developed the habit, but I'm positive there was one particular event that triggered it.

Anyway it was 2 guys that I saw through the peeking hole (whatever you call it).
I don't know that many people in this city and I most definitely don't recognize those 2 faces. I also know that my aunt, who owns the flat, does not have visitors that often either, other than relatives.
Instead of opening the door, I quietly slipped back to my room and grabbed my digital camera. I turned the thing on as I tiptoed back out.

By the time I got back to the door, I could hear them trying to use the keys.

Now this is when I made the biggest mistake. I got so excited at the idea of catching potential burglars that I lost my cool. Forgetting that I had a camera on my left hand, I opened the main door (I was really high, I tell ya'.... what an adrenalin rush) and startled the guy (the other one was standing further away by the elevators) when I asked him what he was doing. The startled guy who by then had his back turned towards me did not reply. I raised my volume and repeated my question.

He turned back to face me, and replied: " Oh no... we're selling VCDs..."
As I said, I got too excited and lost my cool, as I instantaneously replied:" Yeah... rite....."

It was then and there, at that split second, that he saw I had a camera on my left hand.
He ran like a sissy and I could hear his buddy following him.

I had to grab my keys and struggle a bit to open the outer grille door (Was still not used to the new locks). Instead of taking the stairs which were right by the flat, those two sissies ran towards the corridor on the other side of the block. Obviously they were very familiar with the place as most people usually don't realize that there is an additional staircase on the other end of the block. Even my aunt didn't realize that there was a staircase there....

Anyway, I tried to chase those two, but by the time I managed to open the door and ran to that corridor, they were way ahead of me.

I was actually pretty ok afterwards. Just some silly kids, I thought...
I didn't think much of this until later on when some of my friends insisted that I should go to the police to report this. Just to be save, they said...

One thing led to another, and these friends of mine definitely managed to freak me out.
So, I thought, oh what the heck... just go and get it over with.

So the following night, my aunt and I went to police station to report this.

I must say, I was really impressed at how the police lady officer couldn't even properly feign a concerned look on her face.

For starters, I learned that there was nothing that the police can do since those two guys did not manage to get in. So, I couldn't report it as attempted break-in. I suppose I should have let them in instead.

I also noticed that the lady officer did not even bother asking me what the guys looked like until way, way in the end,after she repeated for like the hundredth time that there was nothing they could do. I think the two officers at the two different counters where I had to report and re-report myself (within less than 50 metres) might have spent more time taking down my particulars. Anyway by the time she asked, I really did not see what the point was in her doing so, especially since she only scribbled my description on a piece of scratch note on her desk, despite having some fancy looking monitor in front of her showing some fancy looking screen, and a keyboard right at her fingertips. By now I wonder if the screen was really working.

The highlight of the day, though... or should I say the highlight of the evening, was when she asked me which block the address was (again, this was not until way, way, WAY later, which is interesting). Her response to our answer was, "Yeah... there really is nothing much we can do. Your neighborhood, ... you're at Txxxx Gxxxxxx Rd right? Yeah... there are a lot of questionable characters there,especially block xx to xx (she named a range of numbers that included our block".

Then it was all the yadayadayada about protecting ourselves, adding extra locks, calling the emergency number if we see any suspicious character loitering around, etc.

Anyway, what really impressed me though was her inability as a police officer to at least comfort me or at the very least create the illusion of a sense of security.
I mean, there I was a resident who's concerned about the safety of me and my family members, and what she decided to do was basically to tell me that we're not living in the right neighborhood and that there's nothing they could do?
I mean, if it is such an unsafe neighborhood, shouldn't they be patroling the area more often then? I mean, apart from 2 incidents involving reports of a small fire, I have never seen any police officer patroling around here.

I suppose the campaign that they used to run "Low crime doesn't mean no crime" couldn't have been more appropriate.
I just wish there were more that they could offer as public servants in instilling the public sense of security.

Another Quantum Leap moment

My gosh...
The other day I was listening to the radio and somehow they played Jay Chou's Hui dao guo qu.

Slam!
Another Quantum Leap moment for me.
Suddenly I was back in my apartment at 1030 Dearborn.
The second floor apartment without heat but with a really nice window looking out.
I remember listening to this song a lot those days.

Undescribable feeling.

me & me

I know I'm exaggerating, but I feel like I'm exploding and I have to get it out of my chest.So, here it goes:

I don't think I've ever been this anxious before.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT THIS THING!
I'VE NEVER WANTED ANYTHING ELSE MORE THAN THIS!
...
(pause & breathe)
...

"Oh yes, you certainly have." my brain replied.
"In fact, I think I can come up with at least a dozen more things you're wishing for right now..."

"Oh yeah hor....."

(sigh)

(go back to my long overdue projects)