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.

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.

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!

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....

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.