The great adventure of jon jon

2008-02-08T11:33:00.000+08:00

Last weekend was an interesting one for me and my family. It was the weekend where one of my relatives got married. He is actually the son of my cousin which would make him my nephew. The irony is that he is my nephew and he is getting married before me. Well.... from where he come from, it might not be that uncommon for people to marry early. That is because he is from my father's hometown which is a small place in Johor. It is a fishing village where most people go by their days as fishing and tending to their farms. Time slows down at small villages like this as it has not been ravage by the effects of modernisation.

The weekend started with a short drive in to Johor through the second link and then straight up to the town called pontian. It is famous for its noodle which has made a name for itself in Singapore. The seafood is also particularly cheap and many Singaporeans would head up there to have a nice cheap meal. Therefore, this occasion serve as a nice chance for us to enjoy the good food there. The first stop was to my uncle's place at the heart of the town. It is nice to be back at his place as it was a long time since I last visited him. The place still looks the same since the first time I went there some 15 years ago. It is a small place but cosy located at one of the main intersection in the town.

The next stop was to the beachside house where the wedding dinner would take place. It is quite different from what I expected because a wedding dinner is usually held at a restaurant. Nevertheless, all the relatives gathered there for the buffet dinner to celebrate the big day of this newly wedded couple. It was a pleasant experience because it has been a while since I last had a chance to visit a small town like pontian. It is soothing and the walk to the beachside house was refreshing with the seabreeze gushing.

As we waited for night to fall and dinner to be served. I had some time to catch up and get to know some of my cousins, nieces and nephews. The kids there are much more simple than those here in Singapore. They are not as demanding and are more approachable. We caught on pretty quickly and soon I was playing with them. But kids being kids, they are always mischievious and looking for fun. We came up with plans to catch some fishes. As it was low tide, some fishes are stuck in puddles of water on the beach. We put baits into styrofoam cups and teethered them by a fisihing line. The cup is then lower onto the puddle and we waited for an unsuspecting fish. The idea was simple and effective. We manage to catch some fish after a few try!

As dinner was served, people started eating and chit chatting while some sang along to the music being played on the Karaoke system. It was a vibrant atmosphere as people celebrated with the couple. As we were eating, a shower of fireworks caught our attention and added to the jubilant atmosphere. All good things must come to an end and eventually we had to part with the party and head home. The journey back was nothing but smooth because of the notorious traffic at the Johor-Singapore customs. We finally reached home past mid night.

2008-01-26T00:28:00.000+08:00

What are the guilty pleasures that one can indulge in? One of the best form of indulgence comes in the form of good food especially in a food haven like Singapore. I always enjoy having good food with friends. I have promised to bring some of my school friends to this place that I got to know of from a colleague during my internship. The place is a pretty run down coffee shop at the corner of a street. The first impression of the place would turn most people off from going into the coffee shop. That is because it is far from being clean and it has a permanent gloom to the place irregardless of the time of the day. The surrounding buildings and trees block out most of the sun from reaching the inside of the coffee shop. Thus, the appearance of the coffees shop might turn away some innocent passerby.

However, those who knows what this place is famous for would even take the time to queue up for up to an hour just to get seats. That excludes the next 30 mins or so of waiting for the food to be served... So what do they sell that makes it so irresistible to some people? The giveaway to this question is the smell that permeates the streets leading up to the shop. The unmistakable smell of black pepper and chili makes it distinctly unique. You are right... the shop is famous for its CRABS!

I fell in love with the heavenly crabs when I first ate it with my colleagues. The crabs are specially flown in from Sri Lanka and they are each as big as a ping pong bat! The crabs are real fresh as the meat comes out in chunks and there is meat all over the crab. The cooking style greatly enhances the tenderness of the crab meat by adding a little spice to it. The black pepper would get you kicking while the chili mix makes a good dip for some bread. The best part of the meal was when all of us got down and dirty with our hands trying to squeeze all the meat out of the shells. There were shells flying all over the place as we ate. It was wonderful dinner and my friends really enjoyed the feast. The pleasure was short lived because the bill came up to over 25 dollars per person. The initial reaction was silent disbelief but everyone just paid their share and noted that it was money well spent.

2008-01-14T00:28:00.000+08:00

The new year has rolled off without much hicups. School has since started for about a week now and things are starting to fall into a routine. I would wake up early these days when school start to get ready for early classes and hit the sack earlier too because of that. I sort of like having a routine in my life because that makes planning my time much less of a hassle. But too much of a routine makes life boring too when every day comes and goes without much excitement. That is why we must try something new everyday. For me, I like seeing new places and trying new things once in a while. Going to a new place to check out the food is something that I look forward too.

For this week, the highligth is visiting a new place in town which is much talked about lately. It is the new terminal 3 in Changi airport. However, my purpose of visiting the place is not solely for a first hand look at the new terminal but to send my friends off. Some of my friends are going on study and work exchange to China and Japan. That makes for a perfect excuse to check out the new terminal at the same time while bidding them a final farewell.

The new terminal gives one a sense of awe because of its sheer size and large empty spaces. I particularly like the cascading waterfalls in the departure halls which are decorated with wines running along the whole height of the artificial walls. It gives the hall a good mix of ultra modern architeture with a bit of nature in it. The wide use of glass also creates a sense of space and adds a touch of class to the whole place. The shops and dining places at the terminal are high end outlets like gucci, burbery and crystal to name a few. You know who they are targetting now!

Anyways, the trip to the airport is the highlight to and otherwise routine week. I kind of enjoy the trip down because I got to see the new terminal and also catch up with some old friends as we waited in the departure hall. It was a good break for me in the week where schoold just starts. Hopefully next week would have a few more surprises!

2008-01-05T01:14:00.000+08:00

It is the new year and time for some new year resolutions... Well, I guess the first one should be to keep this blog updated since it really have been a while since I last pen something for my blog. I have received feedback from friends that my blog have not been updated for ages and I guess I should continue what I have started. It is always hard to take time out to the things that are not as pressing like finishing my final year project report, preparing for exams and even meeting up with friends. But I also believe that people should take time out to think about the future and not wait for the future to chance upon you. That is why I think writing entries into this blog can serve as a time of reflection and also a good place to pen down some of these thoughts. There is a saying that goes like this, "Plan like you are going to live forever but live like there is no tomorrow". I guess this is a saying with a lot of truth in it. I believe strongly in planning for everything you do. But sometimes it is meaningless if you do nothing but plan and fail to act when the time comes. Living for every moment means taking time as something precious and making the best out of it. For me, I try my best to take time out to look at where I am going right now and make the effort to prepare for my next big undertaking. As of now, my main concern for the future is to get a good job that can fit me well. I want to do something that is challenging and fulfilling. It must allow me to use my skills and knowledge while at that same time give me opportunities for training and development. Having this in mind, I am starting my job hunt in the hopes of finding a dream job. I guess I shall leave it at this for now and tell you guys more when the time comes....

2007-08-25T01:05:00.000+08:00

It has been some time since I last updated my blog. The reason being that school has started and things are getting real busy. People say that time flies when you are enjoying yourself. Well, that is a good sign because school have started for almost 3 weeks now and I have yet to realize it. Only while I was clearing up my room to make space for studying did I realise that 3 weeks have already passed. I started to get worried.....

I have been away from school for about a year since I was on attachment and overseas exchange for half a year each. This makes school all the more distant from me. It takes a lot for me to get myself ready for school life again. I hope it doesn't take too long because time is running short. School work is like interest charged by the banks. It adds up with time and usually it grows exponentially. Work is already starting to pill up and I am feeling the heat.

This year is the final year of study for me. It is a year of great challenges and anticipation. The effort for the last 3 years now falls on this all important year of study. There are many projects to complete, exams to prepare and completing the final year project thesis all while trying to enjoy what is left of school life. There is not much left of it because it would only last about another 9 months.

The final year brings with it mixed feelings. On one hand, I feel like getting over with all the work now and graduate to join the work force. On the other hand, I wish that I could stay in school and enjoy the carefree life of a student. Graduation brings with it much more problems and challenges. It brings with it freedom because we are no longer bounded by schedules of classes, assignments and exames. But freedom comes with a price. The price is the responsibility of being independent. Earning a living is a constant headache, not to mention the endless datelines, demanding bosses, back stabbing colleagues and etc.

Come to think of it... live in NTU has been a preparation for what is to come in the working world. The endless work that never seems to finish, the professors who give you tutorials that are out of this world and the ever so 'kiasu' students. Well... school isn't so different after all. I guess what is learnt in school last a lifetime.

2007-07-12T16:40:00.000+08:00

The next stop in our summer trip after boston is the all so famous Niagara Falls. It is located right smack at line dividing america and canada. This in fact created the debate of which side of the falls is more magnificent and beautiful. It so happens that the falls is divided into two parts lying on each half of the border.

Both side of the falls are equally grand and awe inspiring to me. Seeing the falls from afar is just half the experience. The experience is complete only by feeling the gushing wind and water mist due to the falling water. It is really a very relaxing feeling to feel the element of nature and taking the time to take in the majestic view. It is no wonder why some many tourist visits the falls every year. We were all dressed up for the day because it was perpetually drizzling because of the crushing water from the falls. Look at the line of people catching a glimpse of the falls! Although there was no clear winner in the contest of the best waterfall... personally I had a great time there taking in the breeze and sight. I guess this is not something you see every other day!

2007-07-12T16:37:00.000+08:00

Another interesting book that I had read recently, it is titled the design of everyday things. It is a pschology book disguise under the cloak of the topic of design. This is because it focuses on how people react to the designs of the everyday things that we use. There are many poorly designed things out there in this world and it confuses a lot of people about its usage. The message from this book is that such confusion can be rid of it only designers pay more attention to how people interact with these things and also how they perceive these things.

A lot of the designs of the things around us are arrived at without much thought of how people are going to use it. This is because the main consideration is the object's functionality and its cost. This makes the final product usually perplexing to the first time user. More often than not, most of these things come with thick user manual that are less than helpful. This brings to the point that everyday things should be designed in such a way that people can figure out how to use it just by looking at it.

New and revolutionary designs are always needed to meet the changing needs of the people. The Japanese are particularly apt at this aspect. But the purpose of having such contraptions are questionable....

This is where the concept of pschology comes in. The idea of using natural mapping and constraints come into play. Natural mapping employs the visual input of the design to give clues about the operations of the thing. For example, the knob to turn on the stoves are usually arrange in the same pattern as the stove itself. This gives the user a mental map of the operation of the equipment.

A high tech solution to a simple everyday task....

The use of constraints also help people in making the right choice about what to do with the thing. The constraints limit the choice people can make in operating the thing. A good example of this would be the fitting of the key into a keyhole. Usually keys are designed to fit in one way so that you would not fumble at it during an emergency. A key seat or guide would do the trick as this ensure that the key only fits in one way. Another case in point would be the diskette used in computers. The diskette is designed with constraints such that it fits in one way only.

I found this book rather intriguing because it points out issues that are happening around us but then little is done about it. More often than not, we wouldn't be too bothered about a bad design but then we would complain about a highly priced product that lack functionality. This goes to show that people today are more concern about the cost and functionality of the product than how well it can be used. There are many things that we use today around us which we still can't figure out its use. Remote control that have a all sorts of buttons, a fridge that have a mind of its own and a car that looks more like an airplane cockpit. What good is a gadget that comes pack with functions that only the designer can figure out how to use?

The door of the future from Japan!

2007-07-11T09:38:00.000+08:00

The next stop in our summer trip is the city of boston. Boston is famous for its beautiful harbour and many world class university. MIT and Harvard is located in the outskirts of this city. The universities are like mini cities within a city. They are built around a small town or should I say the town came about because of the university. They have shops, eating places, pubs and cinemas within walking distance from the campus. Not to mention the mega book stores found in these towns. They are usually selling second hand books which are move within the budgets of the 'poor' undergraduates.

The boston skyline seen from across the river along the edge of MIT. What a view... there were many sail boats along the river and it was a beautiful day at a wonderful school. The student center and administrative block in MIT. Makes for a good backdrop.

This is so MIT! On the walls of some of building there were graffitis. It is nor unusual to find graffitis on the wall of buildings in the US. But the difference about this wall art is that it is formulas and not some drawings. But on closer inspection, it is just some practical joke as the formula doesn't make any sense. Anyways, the message is clear... MIT students are geeks and they are proud of it!

The american flag flying high up in the sky against the crisp blue sky.

Boston harbour is very scenic at night. It was particularly beautiful that night because of the red sky.

2007-07-05T21:42:00.000+08:00

New York is also home of the United Nations headquarters. It is an unassuming building at the east end of 42nd street. But the entire blue glass facade is characteristic of the headquarters. It is also lined with an entire row of flags representing all the countries that are part of this international organisation. The building is mostly cordoned off from visitors but we were let into the lobby to view the exhibits. There was a photo exhibition show casing the different works ranging from nature, war, people and also land scape. It is pretty impressive.

The flags of the 192 member nations that belong to the United Nations!

There were also interesting sculptures outside the headquarters like this one of a cracked globe. The sculpture speaks more than words as it shows how the earth have suffered due to the actions of man. The plundering of the limited natural resources would eventually cause the supply to run out. The countless wars fought over the centuries have also taken a toll on the earth. This is another interesting sculpture showing the call for an end to the ceaseless violence in today's world. It is a sign of the desperate plea of many people who are caught in the wars. If only all the weapons in this world can be destroy and using peaceful negiotiation to settle disputes, the world would be a more peaceful place.

The sight of demonstrations outside the headquarters is quite common. On the way into the building there is a groupd from the china peace & democracy federation putting up posters and banners on the roadside. It was a peaceful demonstration for the UN to recognise the fact that China is clean on the issues of human rights.

2007-07-03T16:34:00.000+08:00

Although New York is a concrete jungle, it is not lacking greenery too. This is because there are many parks within the city such as this one near times square. However, the park is extremely crowded just like any other place in New York. People are just sitting and lying on the grass enjoying the warmth of the sun in the chilly spring day. Some are just taking a nap on the grass while others are chatting or reading a book. We had our lunch there and just took a break after a lot of sight seeing.

That's me on top of the Rockerfeller building overlooking the all so famous central park. The park has been a back drop to many movies we have seen. It is really an oasis in this concrete jungle. The park is always crowded with people doing all sorts of things. Some are there just to sit at the benches and watch the world go by. Some take a short boat trip on the many lakes and others just play sports like baseball and football. The park is not only a place for people to relax and enjoy. It is also home to many special things like the strawberry fields which was specially dedicated to John Lennon of the Beetles. He used to live across the street from central park before he was assasinated. It is amazing that there are still people who still continue this tradition of offering flowers to him as a sign of respect. At one of the corner of the park sits the world famous metropolitan musuem of modern art. It is a pretty impressive building by itself. The building has a greek look with all the large columns lining the outside of the musuem. The inside is even more impressive with large glass facade looking out into the park. The exhibits ranges from the contemporary art to historical artefacts. It is really a world class musuem. Every corner of the city is filled with people and the musuem was jam packed with people when we got there in the late afternoon. The wide expanse of the musuem seem to swallow the people and it was not too congested. Young artists admiring the work of art.... and hoping to create their own art by first trying to emulate the great artists. A familiar scene from the movie Thomas Crown Affair?

2007-07-02T14:49:00.000+08:00

A little break from all the post about my trip to the US. I have come to enjoy reading some of the good books since I went to the US. The books there are much cheaper and reading is actually quite a common past time for many Americans. I choose to read the book titled 'Memoirs of a Geisha' because I prefer non fiction books. But reading books on topics like finance is too dry for me. This seems like a good book to start with since it is a real story about the life of a geisha in olden day Japan. After travelling around Tokyo for almost a week, I have come to see much of Japanese culture that I didn't know of or only heard about from people. That also made me interested in reading about the life of a Japanese women as a Geisha. A Geisha is an unique work of art. This is because they are the epitome of art and also an expression of creative work. From the very kimono they are wearing to the dances they put up and also the music they play. It seems like these Geisha are multi talented. These skills are acquired throughout their course of becoming a geisha. They go through intensive training in their younger days and are always apprentice to a older geisha before they can become geisha themselves. Much like a apprentice learning kung fu from a master. After becoming a geisha, their main role is in entertaining man and be paid for their company. This is their job! The main character of this story is called Sayuri and through the course of her life, she eventually became one of the most famous Geisha in Japan. This doesn't mean that she had a easy life. This is because many geisha are actually forced into the trade. They are sold into the trade as a child by their parents. The reasons Sayuri became a geisha too. Her life was a turbulent one with many obstacles laid out in her path. As a child she had no direction in life as she was taken into the okiya in Gion, which is the place where geishas stayed. She was unfortunate to have moved into this particular okiya because of a geisha named hatsumoto. Hatsumoto was one of the more popular geishas around Gion and did whatever she could to maintain her status. She had always tried ways and means to obstruct Sayuri from becoming a geisha.

It is hard to imagine how jealousy drives people crazy. Sayuri's life was turn upside down by the mere presence of Hatsumoto. At times, sayuri found it almost impossible to continue living there. Throughout her young life, she only know sadness and evil. From the death of her parents, the ill treatment she received in the okiya, the endless hard labour and also the bad living condition. She almost give up on her life one day when she met a person who would eventually turn her life around. This is because this man gave her hope to continue living by showing her that there is still kindness in this world. This man would be here guiding star in life and from that point on things started to change as she decided to take fate into her own hands and take control of the ship that is sailing her through the vast ocean. A person without direction is just like a powerless ship on the rocky ocean. This is the end of the miserable life but the start of a life of purpose and determination.

2007-06-28T12:19:00.000+08:00

New York is a bustling metropolis with people from all countries and all walks of life. There are also many beggars lying on the streets and subway stations across the city. This particular beggar caught my attention when I walked past the salvation army headquarters building in the city. He was lying comfortably there waiting for passerby to give him some small change. It is ironic that he is lying in front of the welfare organisation's building. Apparently there are more people in need of help than people willing to help. It is always said that the world is a small place. A small world indeed because I happened to bump into my roommate from Georgia Tech while I was in the M&M store in NY. It is also a coincidence that my roommate is from Singapore. He is a postgraduate student from NUS and we came and left Georgia Tech at the same time. He is a very friendly and helpful guy. I have learnt a lot about cooking from him too. It was really a pleasant surprise for our paths to cross again in NY. America is a land obsessed with everything extreme. The like their food very salty and sweet. Another great love of Americans is chocolate. The flagship M&M store in NY is a testament to this great obsession. There were so many different M&M of all sort of colours and sizes on offer in the store. The whole wall in the store was lined with columns of M&M chocolate! The time of the day gives the city a different feel. The noon time sun gives an overcast of shadows because of the tall skyscrapers blocking out the sun. The evening sun gives colour to the cloudy sky and brings out the old rustic feeling of some of the buildings. The night sky is a stark contrast to the all white facade of the city hall building.

2007-06-22T14:05:00.000+08:00

The school term is finally over now. That means the summer break is on its way. We were all anticipating how exciting it is gonna be. All the road trip that we went on during all the weekend was just a preparation for this great adventure. I had told some of the friends from school the places that I am going to visit. Most of them remarked that it is more than what they have seen of USA themselves. The whole summer trip was a mad rush to see as many places as we could in a month. We affectionately called it the "Amazing Race. The first stop was New York!

New York had a certain vibrancy and energy about it that was not seen anywhere else. It was a congregation of people from many different backgrounds and country. That made it really diverse but everybody was here for the same purpose. To live out the american dream and make it big in a city of opportunity.

The skycrapers rocket skywards and it is a testament to their economic might of the USA and particularly New York. The streets are lined with buidlings and more buidlings. There are also a constant flow of people along the streets from one building to another and to the subways. The roads are always congested with cars, cyclist and pedestrains. It is a mad rush and everybody seems to be rushing somewhere everytime. New York is also the city that never sleeps. It is constantly busstling with life even to the wee hours of the night. Time square is still brightly litted with the flashing neon lights and music coming out from the pubs and restaurants. The energy of the city is exhilirating. New York is also the financial capital of the world. This is where millions are made and lost at an instant. The New York Stock exchange building is one that you wouldn't miss from far. It is characterised by the huge american flag hanging outside the building. What better symbolises new york than lady liberty. The icon of the free world!

2007-06-17T14:26:00.000+08:00

It was not all play and no work for us. This was a weekend of charity work for some of us. It was called the Eggs in the Easy. It was an event organised by the Christian Community in school to help the people of New Orleans rebuilt their lives. It has been years since Hurricane Katrina hit the city of New Orleans and yet they are still rebuilding their homes and community. It was a meaningful weekend as we helped in this rebuilding effort.

It was early spring when we embarked on this adventure. It was terribly cold of a spring morning but we had spent the night in a half completed school without any heaters. I felt numb after sleeping on the floor through the cold night. In the morning we were greeted by the early cold breeze. Brrrrr.... As we got into action, the cold seem to fade away as the cold give way to sweat when we were hard at work. The sun was shinning down too and we had this warm fuzzy feeling. It was pretty fun working with the rest of the gang, helping out in anyway we could.

There is always time for a break! After spending about 2 hours clearing the street of rubbish. Some of us got tired of working so decided to take a break inside this small house. But not all of us were that lazy! As we worked the streets, we were snooping around people's backyard. They would chase us away because we were doing them a favour by clearing out their streets and homes. We did see some interesting things like this women stuck at the front of this caravan. But of course it ain't real. It sure look real though!

This was one of the houses that was damaged. But I have second thoughts about whether this was man made or caused by the hurricane. There were many looting after the natural disaster and this doesn't look as bad as what a hurricane can do. The inside looks much worse than the outside..... New Orleans really come alive at night... it is a small city but it's night live is really vibrant. Bourbon street is where it all happens and the whole street is lined with pubs and restaurants. The street is in its full glory during the festival called madri gras. It is a night where all hell breaks loose. Guys and gals gather on the streets for a night of fun. It is a tradition that people throw beads to the opposite sex in exchange for a flash of flesh. This festival has found its way to cities across the US. To some it might be just a lousy excuse to see some flesh. What do you think they sell in this shop? The city is not all about sleaze and flashing flesh... it is known for its famous Beignet. It is somewhat like a donut.... it is a French version of a donut. It taste like a donut but he sugary coating is much more than a normal donut. The city is pretty modest with a few skyscrapers here and there but it is relatively small and quite except for the few streets where all the action happens. We spent the rest of the night walking along the waterfront and snapping pictures. It was a nice end to a day of work.

2007-06-15T10:52:00.000+08:00

The season is starting to change. The rivers are flowing and waterfalls are in their full glory. The ice in the mountains are just melting and the melting ice bocomes fuel for the waterfall. The crystal clear water streaming down makes for a spectacular backdrop.

This is Brian. He is a rare breed of american who enjoyes spicy food. He likes asian cuisines and enjoyes understanding different cultures. I was really fortunate to meet him in class and come to be good friends with him. I learnt a lot about the americans from what he told me and also what I see in him.

Brian and I enjoyes the great outdoors and that is why we decided to go for a hike. The smoky mountains was a great place to start. But the time was less than perfect. Because it still feels like winter even though it is early spring. There was still snow all over the trail as we ascended the mountains. But is was a great experience trekking through the ice laden path!Too cold for comfort... but when the camera comes on.... everybody smiles! Always have time for a nice picture.... for remembrance sake. There were almost 30 of us together with the international students.

2007-06-14T00:49:00.000+08:00

What is the craziest thing you can do? Jump off a bridge? Well... I think jumping out a plane at 13,000 feet sounds crazy enough. Skydiving was the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life. But having done it, I would not mind living the experience again. It is just pure adrenaline rush and the feeling of free falling is like nothing at all. The feeling is still fresh in my mind till now. What a feat!

This is the President of the Skydiving Club at Georgia Tech. It is through him that we got to know about Skydiving in GT and how it is possible to do a jump.

The ride up the plane to the jumping altitude was like no other plane ride before. As you see the earth going further away from you, you start to wonder why am I even doing in this plane. But that is the point of no return and the only way is down.

As the plane continues to climb, you start to have second thoughts. But then the plane levels off and people are getting into position. One by one, they line up at the door and start jumping out. Before I knew it, it was my turn. It is now or never... and off we go into the sky. It was just like floating in air and then you feel like a bird flying.

The view from the sky was just spectacular. I could see the lakes, mountains houses and even planes in the airport. It was just like in the airplane looking out. But the feeling of the air gushing by was like nothing at all. We were falling at speeds of up to 120 mph. Terminal Velocity!

After posing for some shots for the camera... It was time to have fun in the air. We did some fancy maneuvers in the air... it was totally awesome. Spinning in the air and doing dives... it was like superman flying.

After spending about 1 minute in the air, it was time to return to earth. The landing was pretty smooth and it was good to be back on solid ground though I wished it could last a bit longer.

Back at the hanger, friends are waiting for a hi five for a job well done!

2007-06-13T12:54:00.000+08:00

It is sad to spend your birthday away from family but it is crazy to spend it with a group of fun loving people!

Everything is peaceful and everybody is smiling so happily... but danger is lurking below their smiling faces.... What happened next was like lightning and it was over in a flash! I didn't even know what hit me but yet I still managed a smile! I was not the only casualty.... the rest went down with me in a sea of red.

And for those wondering where the red colour comes from... make a guess!

That was me ten minutes before all the craziness was unleashed! Having gone thru that... I must say GIP is wild!

2007-06-12T23:37:00.000+08:00

Really sorry for the long silence. It has been really crazy for the last few months in the US. With school and all the travelling. Never had so much fun in my life... the excitement I experienced in the past few months in the US is equivalent to what I have gone through so far all my life. Below is the snapshot of all the fun and crazy things I have done in the US.

Chilling out at the all so beautiful Miami beach... and by beautiful, I mean the people! The bikers from hell! Scootering in bahamas was totally awesome! The start of the adventure at the islands of adventure at Universal Studios The ride of my life... the incredible hulk @ Universal Studio The inner space geek checking out the all so famous NASA! The saturn V rocket used for the manned space mission... pretty damn big rocket!

2007-03-16T11:52:00.000+08:00

On the weekend of the March 3rd, we decided to enjoy a nice quite weekend on the mountains. The weekend was anything but quiet because we got a nice lodge up on Smoky mountain. It is a cabin fully furnished with 5 bedrooms, a living area and a fully equiped kitchen. The balcony also had a nice swing overlooking smoky mountain. It really is a nice place to relax and unwind over the weekend.

Check out the spectacular mountain view from where the cabin stood!

The journey up to the lodge was less than smooth because it is a windy road up. We ended up arriving later than expected. Nevertheless, we still made our way down to check out Fontana lake and the dam which is half and hour east of where we were putting up. At the dam, we watched the sun set and the sky turning dark bringing to life the stars. That night was also when the lunar esclipse happened and it was a beautiful sight. The main idea of this trip to the smokies was to relax. The best way to do that is to have a nice slow barbeque dinner by the balcony. We headed back soon after the night turned dark and everybody was getting hungry then.

The fun started once we got back to the lodge and started cooking. It is a soothing feeling to grill the food in the cold as the heat from the stove keeps you warm. Having a nice chat with friends will enjoying the food made it that much more meaningful. There is also a nice fireplace within the lodge that added to the nice warm ambience in the living room. The night passed quickly as everybody filled up their stomach and got comfortable lazing in and around the lodge. Some were out in the balcony enjoying the stary night while others had great fun playing games inside the lodge. It was a feeling of serenity and calmness that everybody wish it would last forever.

Most of us got some sleep because the heavy dinner made everybody sleepy and the slow music put most people to sleep. We were up early the next morning to catch the sunrise. But the sky was cloudy and we couldn't see the sunrise clearly. Soon after, we got into action to prepare breakfast and get ready for the activities lined up for the day. Breakfast was made from the food left over from the dinner and I had a hand in making the omelette from the chicken drumstick left from the BBQ. It was a hearty breakfast with pancakes for everyone, omellete and scrambled egg with bread. There was also a fruit platter and we made sure everyone had their stomach filled for the day.

2007-03-11T13:35:00.000+08:00

This is one of the rare weekend where we are in Atlanta for the whole weekend. Nevertheless, it is as fruitful as ever and packed with activities. We headed out on Saturday morning to a Chinese restaurant for 'dim sum' because Sunday is the 7th day of the Chinese lunar calendar. That day is marked as the birthday for everyone and traditionally it is celebrated with a nice meal with the family. We had 'brunch' at this really traditional Chinese restaurant and the food reminded me of home. An American friend from my class joined us for the meal and he really enjoyed the food and company. The next stop after the meal was to the aquarium in downtown Atlanta. The Georgia aquarium is located in the centennial Olympic park in Atlanta. The aquarium is the largest in the world and boast the large whale shark and the beluga. It is really a popular attraction as the queue ran for about 20 mins before we could enter the aquarium.There were all sorts of fish on display in really big tanks with some spanning about 3 storeys high. What an impressive sight! It is really mesmerizing to see the different fish swimming freely in the tanks. I particularly likes the tropical fish which we much more colourful than their deep sea counterparts.

The fish seems as interested in us as we are in them!

The divers only go into the piranha tank for 2 things; cleaning and taking the freshly laid eggs out. It is a life threatening activity!

Nemo loss his strips!

2007-03-10T13:01:00.000+08:00

Time past really fast when you are having fun. It has been weeks before my last entry and a lot have happened in that few weeks. On the Sunday after the Chinese New Year dinner, we had an organized tour by the school to Birmingham city in Alabama. It is one of those city with a rich history especially in the area of the civil rights movement. This is the town where the bus boycott took place after Ms. Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat in the white section in the bus. It is common practice for segregation of black and white at that time. It was the pioneers in this town who took the lead in changing this prevailing injustice. The most prominent figure in this massive movement is Martin Luther King Jr and his early grassroots movement in this town marked the start of his entire journey to free the blacks. Our first stop was to a house owned by one of the pioneers who was part of the movement. He showed us snapshots of the events that happened in the town. After a little tour, he hosted us to lunch and it was a nice home cooked meal.

After lunch, we headed down to the museum showcasing the civil rights movement in Birmingham, the south eastern US and also the US at large. It was a really meaningful experience as we got to see the exhibits and real video footage of the civil rights movement. It shows the brutality rendered towards the black and also the courage of how they fought back with their perseverance and words. The whole exhibit culminated with the historic speech made by Martin Luther King in Washington with over 200,000 people in attendance. I particularly like the phrase where he said, "I have a dream, a dream of the day when our children would be judge not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character!" It must have given so much hope to all the African Americans at that time. He is a natural leader!

The next stop was to the Sloss iron processing plant. The town prospered largely due to the discovery of large amount of iron ore deposits found in the ground. An entrepreneur started the plant and it has only been recently closed down after all the iron ore has been depleted. It is now refurbished as a museum showcasing the history of the town which is closely linked to the metal works industry. The remnant of the old chimneys, furnaces and even the trains used to transport the iron ore was scattered around the whole compound. It has a nice nostalgic feeling to it because of the old buildings and equipment lying around. The factory has seen its prime come and go.

The towering Chimney.... it could have been 10 storey high up!

A piece of really old equipment... it was all rusted down to the bolts and nuts! The tunnels beneath the ground where all the iron ore is excavated.

2007-03-01T14:17:00.000+08:00

It has been a long time since I last updated the blog because it has real busy in school. Anyways, last weekend was the start of Chinese New Year. This is the first time I am spending the new year in a foreign land. It brings to light the importance of having a family and relatives to share this special time together. In a place far from home, the group of NTU singaporean students got together and had a reunion dinner. The spread of food was really huge with more than 10 dishes of all sorts. There was seafood, roasted meat and even curry!

The best part of it all is that the dinner was that is was joined in by our fellow non-chinese friends. We invited roommates and friends from school for a night of fun and cultural exchange. Most of the american friends found the food really good and they enjoyed the chinese style of cooking especially the roast meat. The highlight of any reunion dinner is of course the 'yu sheng' which is a kind of raw fish salad. The way to eat it is less than conventional. It is believed that tossing the food up higher would mean greater posperity in the new year. Once the tossing got started, it was a frenzy and the american friends got some of the action as well. However, they found it amusing more than anything!

Before the frenzy......

and after!

The crowd was so big that we nearly could not fit everyone into the room!

2007-02-13T06:50:00.000+08:00

The week passes by real fast because school is crazy. The class are really intense because the lecturers cover a lot of stuff each time. It is always playing the catching up game. The assignments and homework are real challenging too. But I like it here as there is a great deal of learning involved in doing the work here. Nevertheless, too much work is never good so when the weekend comes by, the american guys really know how to have fun.

After classes on friday, I headed out to meet some of the Soka members in town for a small gathering at one their houses. We had a lively discussion and I got to meet the other members in the area as well. I was lucky enough to join them tonight because they were having a party to send off a guy called ceasar who is heading to Montreal, Canada come tuesday. So it was out to the club after tonight's gathering. We headed to a club called Aiko along Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta. It is an upmarket place and the party was already on the way when we got there.

We party till late at night but the rest of the people there were still going strong and I guess they will party till early morning!

As if we had not enough fun for the first night, there was another farewell party for Ceasar again on Sunday. But this time is was at his place where there were all his friends and family. The soka members in Atlanta comes from a varied background. There were many asians amongst them and I got to meet a couple from Malaysia who have settled down in Atlanta. They were all really nice and treated me to good food.

That is Ceasar with his wife... and the cake she made for him.

2007-02-13T06:08:00.000+08:00

Last monday was the first outing that we officially had as part of an organized event by Georgia Tech for international students. What better characterize the US than the all too famous NBA games. The orlando magic was in town for a game with the atlanta hawks and we part of the action too! The game starts at 7pm and we were there just in time because the crowd was streaming in as we got to the Philips Arena where it was held. It is a really nice indoor stadium and I estimate that it can seat around 15,000 people. The tickets cost 60 dollars each. Now you know how much they make out of these games!

The ticket was given to us free of charge as this was a sponsored outing by the school . The tickets were expensive because we got the best seats in the house. It is the area just behind the hoop and that is where it is known as the fun zone. That is because we had all the fun in making noise and distracting the players when they have a penalty shoot. We were armed with thundersticks to generate as much noise as possible.

They are called thundersticks for a reason.... because it made serious noise!

The real fun of the game is not the match itself but the shows and games during the time outs and breaks. They had dances put up by the cheerleaders and games like 'The price is right'. The other highlight is the mascot of the teams who goes around disturbing the crowd and creating some fun. The Atlanta's Hawk is one feisty bird because he goes around picking on people and it has a permanent grouchy face. But he is real funny with his antics and weird humour.

The other mascot or daredevil goes around making fun of the crowd. During the game, when you least expect it, he would come up behind you with a rubber spider and dangle it above your head. If you still don't feel anything fishy going on, he would just put it right across your face! Check it out!

2007-02-04T05:56:00.000+08:00

On the last day of our ski trip, everybody was feeling exhausted after a day of adventure. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel before moving out back to atlanta. It was fortunate that we skied yesterday where the weather was relatively warmer. The weather today was literally freezing because the car had ice on it and we could feel the cold chill in the wind.

After a hearty breakfast, we headed off back to Atlanta. The journey was just like any other roadtrip. We always have great music on the stereo and all the chatters about the fun we had over the weekend. The scenery along the way was really beautiful because we were driving through alpine road and the roads hug the curves of the mountain ridges. We saw many scenic mountains and valleys.

All seems normal until when we notice there is a heavy mist forming over at the distance. At first it seems like mist but then it soon dawn on us that it is snow fall. We were all surprised to see that ice is falling from the skies. What a sight! We could not resist this opportunity and stop along the road to "play" with the snow. Who would miss such a chance to take a few photos.

The whole gang braving the cold to take a shot!

Can you see the snow?

2007-02-03T21:47:00.000+08:00

The weekend of 27th to 28th of January was the best weekend yet so far. That is because we headed up to Ski Beech in North Carolina to ski. We were anticipating the fun that we would be having over there through the entire week. Come Friday, right after lessons, we went straight from school to the town called Johnson city in North Carolina to stay a night. Early morning the next day, we took an one hour drive up to the ski resort. Ski Beech is one of the many ski places in the US but it is less common to have such ski places in the south east. This is because the weather here is not as ideal for snowing. The experience of touching and playing with the snow is a first for me. We had a fun time playing with the snow even before skiing. The resort was packed with people in for some fun time skiing and boarding. The wait for the equipment and gears took us a while but everyone didn't mind because we were occupied with snow fights that broke out from time to time. After we were all geared up, we went up to the ski slope and give it a try. The journey up to the ski slope is a challenge in itself. This is because the ski boots are rigid around the ankle and it is hard to climb the stairs leading up to the slope. We had to walk like ducks as if we were having cast on our legs!It was worth the trouble to get all suit up and walking the arduous journey up to the slope. Because after that there is only one way to go and that is down! It was a lot of falling and butt ache before we got a hang of the simple movements like stopping and turning. The technique of skiing has a lot to do with the ankle. The weight should be balance around the ankle and that is why the best posture is to have the knees bent. This way, the center of gravity is kept low and close to the ankle. This allows the skier to change direction by twisting the ankles. This makes it easier to manoeuvre. The snowboard is also a very challenging equipment to handle. It is like wakeboarding on ice. The board is controlled solely by the direction of the board to the direction of travel. To slow down, the board should be perpendicular to the direction of motion. At least that is the theory, we still had many hard falls before we could pass off as skiers and snowboarders! Check out the video!

We spent the entire day there up to the last minute before the resort closed for maintenance. Everybody left the place exhausted but yet we wanted more. The process of learning was really enjoyable as we were in it altogether and had a great laugh at each others spectacular stunts of falling. The day ended with more poses for pictures for remembrance sake.

Lining up to get on the ride to get up the ski slope. It is not as easy as it looks... most fall on the first try!

Happy faces before the start of the skiing!

Look at the guy on the left. He has his skis off, how can that be?!?

The end of the day! A long walk back again....

2007-01-31T04:20:00.000+08:00

While we were walking around in town after dinner on the 2nd night, we came across a big crowd of people gathered around a guy. This guy was selling some paintings. Was was interesting was not his pictures but how he actually draw them. It was really fascinating that all his paintings were not painted by any brush at all! Check out the video.... Fascinating..... and it was freezing that night too! On the last day of the trip to Savannah, we decided to catch the sunrise by the beach. It is a sight that we didn't want to miss though we had to wake up very early because the sun rises around 740. It was a rush to be there but we made it there in good time to catch the beautiful sight. The cold wind was also blowing real hard and we were all shivering while we took all the pictures! The sound of the crushing waves was really soothing and we just didn't want to leave the place even though it was freezing. But we had many other places to go before we head back to Atlanta. We just had to bid farewell... well at least after a few more shots!

2007-01-25T07:03:00.000+08:00

After a lot of walking and the cold actually made us feel hungry. We had lunch at a restaurant along the road. It is a traditional american food outlet with a bar and they serve burgers and fries only. The stuff that makes you grow fat!

It was more sightseeing after lunch. The first stop was to the lighthouse near Tybee island. There are many forts and military installation along the beach front. It is a former navy base and they had some of the buildings preserved. There was also a live demonstration of the firing of the cannon!

The town had many old buildings especially churches. The buildings date back to the American civil war because much of the town was destroyed during the war. However, the buildings are still very old and have a European feel to it. The whole town is built around a square plot of land. The buildings are lined around the smaller square plots within the town and the plots of land houses the many city parks. There are also newer buildings to complement the old ones. It is really a beautiful town!

The old buildings give rise to many ghost tales around the town. Hence, there are many guided ghost trails around the town during the night. We happen to pass by a 'haunted house' as we toured the town. We had a peek inside and just had some fun scaring ourselves! Too bad it was too dark to take any photos.

The parks are also very nice with people and their dogs out for a stroll. The town is so scenic that it is actually one of the sites chosen for the filming of the movie 'forest gump'. The scene where forest gump said that 'life is like a box of chocolate' was filmed rigth there in the park!

2007-01-25T06:43:00.000+08:00

The following day started early as we wanted to check out as much of the town as possible. The first stop is to the beach. We heard previously that Savannah has a real nice beach. Before heading out we had to fill our stomachs. The breakfast was a filling buffet in the hotel. We ate like we were filling up for the whole day. Well... in fact we wanted to.

The drive up to the beach was in fact very scenic by itself. The beach we headed to is on the Tybee island which is surround by marshland and rivers leading to and from the ocean. It was just a wide open space along the roads leading up to the beach.

There were many beach houses along the beach. It was real quite now because it is winter and the weather is pretty cold but I guess these are summer houses to many of the Americans. Some of the houses have signs in front advertising it for rent. It is also a nice retirement place because of the laid back pace in and around the town.

There were also many birds around the beach. There are pelicans, sea gulls and other smaller birds. They seem to enjoy the sea breeze a lot as the just glide seamlessly through the strong wind.

Flying in formation!

Beautiful day!

2007-01-25T06:25:00.000+08:00

After checking into the hotel, we headed straight down to the town for supper. The night scene is really happening with people out and about in the bars and restaurants. We decided to have supper and some drinks at the moon river bar. The place has a great ambience and the food was great too. We had a platter that was enough for five people. We shared the food and tasted some great beer. The beer is special because they brew it in house and they come with different flavours.

The warm lighting makes you want to stay there and just chill out!

The guys getting a bit wild making funny faces or I guess we are just a bit drunk!

We spent the rest of the night taking a nice stroll along the river and enjoying the live music. There are live bands in most of the bars and the music fills the entire street. Most of the shops are close at night but the people are out and about because the atmosphere is really relaxing.

2007-01-25T05:53:00.000+08:00

The last weekend marked the end of the second week we have been in Georgia Tech. It was 10pm on thurs nigth and the guys decided to have a small meeting. We decided that we wanted to have some fun this coming weekend. There were many crazy plans like taking a flight and going to some exotic place for a weekend getaway. However, that was way too much for most people to mouth. Thus, we decided to go for another roadtrip but this time to somewhere further away. We heard that there is a real scenic town called Savannah on the east coast of Georgia state. The place is known for it beautiful beach and old architecture. The night scene there is also pretty lively and also there are many historical sites. It was decided then within that one hour and we were off packing. The journey began on friday evening after my lesson because I was the only one having lessons till 4pm. It was a trip worth going!

The journey took about 4 hours and the first pit stop was at the petrol kiosk to fill up our stomach and not the car. We had a quick bite and we were on our way again. The journey was long but it was kindda exciting with everyone anticipating a fun weekend at Savannah.

We finally reached our destination after a seemingly endless drive and it was worth the wait because the inn that we put up in was just luxurious. It is the fairfield inns run by Marriot. The inn was just shy of being a full hotel but the facilities and service are real good.

Everyone checking out the room and of course, the TV!

2007-01-22T14:12:00.000+08:00

Last thursday (18th of Jan) was my first meeting with the local members from the Soka Gakkai International USA. The meeting was an informal gathering for the local members to meet up and have a weekly get together. The meeting place is a book store along the I85 expressway. It is a quiet place with some eateries and rest point for drivers driving down I85. That is why the place is named oasis as it provides a refreshing stop for the drivers. In the same way, this little book shop served as an oasis for the local members to gather. It is owned by a local japanese member by the name of marc. He sells mostly japanese books and also some of the Soka Gakkai books too. There is also a mini cafe within the bookshop and we enjoyed a nice drink while watching a video screening of the speech given by the president of the Soka Gakkai. The night ended with a nice photo taking session and an exchange of small gifts that I brought from Japan for the local members.

2007-01-18T13:39:00.000+08:00

Well.... all good things must come to an end. The long weekend is over and it is back to school now. The work is starting to pile up again. I have 1 assignment that is due this week and a quiz to top it off. But we always have time to have some fun together. Dinner time is always a time to meet with the rest of the singaporeans and chill out together. That's where we come together and prepare a meal. It is a lot of fun and learning at the same time to cook. We each bring a bit of food and enjoy dinner together. There is always entertainment after dinner like playing cards or we just hang around and chat.

It has been a steep learning curve for the past weeks to prepare a decent meal. I must say that the time I spent looking at my mum cook is worthwhile. The quick tips she taught me also came in useful when I dish out my dinner and breakfast. The seasoning is real important and I have armed myself with bottles of oyster sauce and teriyaki soya sauce. It makes the meals I prepare that more tasty.

Raw food goes in and cooked food comes out.... after a bit of 'kung fu'

Breakfast is usually a simple sandwich that is easy to prepare. Lessons starts early in the day and it is hard to find time in the morning sometimes. I particularly like the honey turkey ham sandwich. It is done in less than 15 mins and I am filled for the most of the morning. There is also a good mix of greens and meat. The chees is my favourite!

2007-01-18T07:49:00.000+08:00

On the second day of our roadtrip, we went to the North Georgia Premium Outlets. It is about 40 miles north of Atlanta and the place is real huge. It has close to about 100 stores selling branded goods and designer labels like Polo Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klien. There were many well known boutique like addidas and nike where they sold their merchandise at unbelievable discounts. The discount is real but the the price is still kindda steep since these are branded goods. We tried to check out all the stores but it was almost impossible. We we suppose to leave the place at 430 but ended up leaving at 530. It was really a tiring day.

I bought some jeans and t shirt at rock bottom prices. The jeans are going at 17 dollars and tshirt are like less than 10 bucks. The real bargain I got was the Oakley sunglasses. I got it for 70 bucks where it normally sold at 160 dollars. This one trip blew a whole in my wallet.

After a whole day of shopping, we were dead tired and also hungry. We headed to chinatown in the hopes of having some chinese food. It has been some time since we have some great food to our liking. However, we ended up in a korean restaurant instead as we found it to be more interesting to try out something new and the price was quite reasonable. I have a tofu soup with beef and rice. It cost me around 8 bucks for dinner. It was real nice and taste different from chinese food. Probably it is because of the seasoning they use. That wrapped up the day and we headed back for a good night rest.

2007-01-17T13:38:00.000+08:00

There were many rock formations at the submit of the mountain. The forces of nature have actually created unusual craters and ponds. The incessent pounding of the rain and the extreme cold has actually wore out the rocks. It gives the plain rock face more character. The rock face looks some what like the face of the moon at some angle. The foot step made by incredible hulk!

After our descend from the summit of stone mountain. We went to the park at the foot of the mountain to have a look see. It was too bad that the park and its attraction were closed by the time we reached there. But we took the chance to take some photos of the place and its unique buildings. There is a small workshop where a glass blower is working. He was heating the melted glass and blowing it into shape. It takes a lot of skill to be able to blow something that hot into a shape that you want.

There seems to be something with water and fire in this park. Because there are like this water wheel and also a fire engine on display. We didn't get to join the tour and so we can only guess why this stuff is on display. Anyway, it is kind of neat! That is the oldest fire engine in Georgia!

2007-01-16T09:04:00.000+08:00

Saturday, 13th of Jan, marked the first day of the long weekend over here in the states. 15th of Jan is the national holiday marked as the Martin Luther King Day. Today is also the first day of our road trip. We are heading to the stone mountain park which is about 10 miles east of Atlanta city. It is one of the most scenice place in Georgia offering a natural setting of lakes and a large exposed rock face overlooking the lakes and park below. It is really magestic but it is even more beautiful when we look down from the summit of the rock. We could see the skyline of Atlanta city along the horizon and the other small towns around the vicnity of the mountain. The climb up the to the submit took about 40 mins or so. It was a lovely walk up the path lined with trees and a beautiful view. The weather was a bit warm for winter but it was just nice for climbing. When we finally reached the summit, we had a small picnic at the top of the mountain. It was a simple meal of sandwich, chicken wing and chips! It was really refreshing to feel the cool breeze and warmth of the sun. All of us who were there had a great time and took many photos to capture the moments. There were many people trekking up the mountain. Young and old alike ppl went up and down the rocky path on this sunny saturday morning. There were many young kids who enjoyed themselves running up and down the paths. I could see that the americans enjoy nature too and there are many places that offer such wonders. There was one kid in particular who was real friendly and played with our group. He acted as spider man and spun his web on us. All of us also played along and play dead when he spun his web. He enjoyed every minute of it! After spending the afternoon on the top of the mountain, we made our way down in the late afternoon towards the park at the foot of the mountain. On the way down we stopped by a lake to take in the the nice view of the peaceful lake. We had a pleasent suprise at the lake when we spotted a large group of geese and duck frolicking in the lake. They were attracted to us because we had bread on hand to feed them. It is quite rare to be able to come so close to the birds.

2007-01-13T13:04:00.000+08:00

Today I managed to talk to a few guys in class. It was a pretty small class and we just chatted each other up before the lesson began. In that small group we had like all peoples in it. There was a vietnamese american, an african american, an american and myself. It is truly international here at GT and it adds to the diversity of the school. We talked about how expensive the textbook is in the states. It cost two or more that what it does back in Singapore. I decided to get some books online through Amazon and the price is much more reasonable. I'm getting the older edition and it is also a used book. Otherwise, it would burn a hole in my pocket. Anyway, GT campus is actually a very scenic place. It has a good mix of old and new architecture and it is quite an awesome sight to see the towering skyscrapers surrounding the campus. The bank of america tower overshadows the Georgia Tech Tower found on campus. The Tech Tower as it is known is the key landmark of the university as it is part of the old campus and it is beside the football stadium. The stadium is home of the Jackets which is the football team of the university. They have been the national champions for around 6 times in history. Today is friday and that means the weekend is just around the corner. This would be an exciting weekend as the the other guys and I are planning to go out of town to check out the factory sales up north at the North Premium Outlets. The items are going on a great discount and we hope to find some bargain there. We are also planning another stop at the stone mountain park where it is well know for its magestic stone face and also beautiful lakes. Hope to capture all the beautiful sigths in pictures.

2007-01-13T13:03:00.000+08:00

Saw this squirrel trying to cross the road today. The campus has a lot of squirrels running around from tree to tree. This little fella was being adventurous as he tried to cross the busy street. After a few failed attempt, he finally succeeded by the skin of his teeth though. Watch him!

2007-01-12T10:50:00.000+08:00

It has been just about 7 days since I moved into my hostel at the graduate living center in my new university. The room is real spacious with enough storage for two people. Most of the cupboards and the drawers are empty because I travelled light. However, as the day passes, there are more stuff that are being added into my room. They are mainly things that make my life here more comfortable or should I say more "homely". I bought a pair of speakers to broadcast the radio in the background when I study or just cill out. The radio station is called WSB-FM ("B98.5FM"). The slogan goes like "Atlanta's best variety of lite rock, and voted #1 for the most music while you work". It has a great selection of music that suits my taste of music. I also bought a phone to remain contactable. I also stocked up on a lot of food like cereals, pastas and also fresh food like chicken or pork and also vegetables. These are for the dinners that we prepare on a daily basis. A group of guys would gather at one room and cook dinner. Some bring along their dishes and we would all have dinner there together. Tonight we had fried rice and potato stew with chopped onion and carrot. We also had a brocolli cum carrot dish prepare by everyone. We all chipped in to cook. Some do the preparation, some do the cooking and some do the cleaning up. It is great team work that makes it work out well.

Today we also had a special guest who joined the usual gang for dinner. The guest is actually my roommate. He is a graduate student from NUS who is also having an exchange here at georgia tech. It is a coincidence that we are living together in an apartment. He is really a great cook as he has been doing his own meals since a young age. Today he joined in our dinner and prepared two dishes. He cooked what the chines call ‘油菜’or oily vegetable. It is real easy to dish out but it taste great. He also cooked another dish using ‘白菜’stir fried with bacon. It is just delicious!

2007-01-11T06:05:00.000+08:00

The day we went downtown was new year's eve. The whole city was geared for the celebration culminating with the countdown at the peach drop event at the underground shopping area. There will be a concert to keep everybody going till midnight and fireworks would be fired on new year's day. The preparation started way earlier in the day with police setting up the security around the perimeter and ensuring the safe proceeding of the event. Some people were selling celebration stuff along the road like party hats, conffetti and spectacles in the shape of the words 2007. It is really bustling and the new year atmosphere was really thick.

2007-01-10T12:33:00.000+08:00

This is the first day out in downtown atlanta. We had settled down into the youth hostel along the ponce de leon street which is a few stations away from the downtown by subway. We went to the underground shopping center which is packed with people doing the shopping. There are apparels, gifts, shoes and other stuff on sales. The goods are not really cheap but there are good deals like shoes going for half price. The place really have a rustic feel to is because the building used to be an old train station. The have renovated the place to make it into an underground shopping center. That is where the name comes about. After checking out the shops, I decided to venture out to the streets to have a look around the city above ground. A group of us walked towards the CNN building which is located a few blocks away. The CNN in atlanta is the headquarters for the network broadcaster. The building houses the offices, gift shop and also a hotel over looking the city. The skyline is real nice from the hotel as we can look over the centennial olympic park and the stadium. This is were the 1996 olympic was held and the event was broadcasted throughout the world thru CNN.

2007-01-10T12:04:00.000+08:00

This is me in atlanta, the United States. I'm here for an exchange study at Georgia Institute of Technology. It is a really neat city with a diverse culture. There is a rich heritage of the african american history. There are also many Asians coming into the city because of its good schools and many business that runs in the city. This is a photo taken during my visit to the city park in midtown Atlanta. It has a nice lake overlooking the city. The park is bustling with activities. People are running, cycling and walking their dogs. The young and old come out and enjoy the morning sun and the cool breeze. It is really a beautiful sight.

Hey! Jon.... Check out my blog

2007-01-10T11:53:00.001+08:00

To the internet users out there... There are tons of information posted on the net everyday. This is another site amongst the sea of websites. But it is unique in the sense that it is a collection of my experience as I go through life as a undergraduate. There will be interesting photos of events that happened and short stories for all to enjoy. Have a great time browsing.