Tris' Adventures in Coffeeland

2008-07-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Suffice to say, this blog will now stay on as a reminder of 9 months past of good, bad and downright ugly times. And a string of A-'s, B+'s, mounting electric bills and friends, those few whom I had.

Here's to Seattle.

Last Dinner in Seattle (I think)

2008-06-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

Because law school students are so freakin' awesome, we celebrated the conclusion of our last finals of the year with Chinese food in Lake City at this place called Chiang's Gourmet. It was also a chance to enjoy company with my friends, make some new ones, and basically muse on UW and Law School and realizing that perhaps if I had tried harder it would've been less lonely for me. Nonetheless, friends are friends for a long time and I'm glad to know these folks. :)

We also had dessert in West Seattle, at this place called Bakery Nouveau. The desserts were good (not necessarily mindblowing as my companions described but not half bad) and the company and coffee made it enjoyable.

I'm a little sleepy so the usual Trissy wit is lost, but rest assured that I'm ok and alive - just need some sleep on my freshly washed carpet floor. :p

and a little melancholy - as we drove over the bridge connecting Seattle with West Seattle and looked at the night skyline of Seattle with all the monochrome lights glowing in the distance, I realised I'll actually kinda miss this place, for all the shit and cold summers and nonsense I've been through. So. Last thoughts from me.

Us at Chiang's Gourmet.

From left to right;
- Yong Yun, Korea, good friend of mine - we took at least 1 class together every quarter

- Saza, America, new acquaintance but who drove us around

- Michiko, Japan, good friend - very sweet lady, we also shared classes and she's really very nice and open

- Eri, Japan, friend - a bit reserved in the beginning but really friendly and funny

- Rayo, USA, friend - Filipino descent, from SF, sunny disposition, absent his usual peroxide blonde hair

- Hania and son (his name suddenly escapes me), Syria descent - only knew her from International Law class

And as it turns out, it really was a case of "if i'd talked more". Or perhaps "if i'd look friendlier". :p

Bakery Nouveau.

The desserts we chose. So very good, so very sinful, hurhur.

Last Thoughts before Sundown

2008-06-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sitting in Room 133 right before my Torts II exam. While everyone looks at their notes in a frantic last minute ditch to do well / get in everything they hadn't studied / paid attention the whole year past, I'm just chilling.

As are those dudes listening to the Rocky soundtrack. :p

This really is the final countdown. No more reason to come back to Law School, no more reason to sit here, no more reason, purpose, compulsion of being a UW Law student.

I guess I really should be concentrating on the exam per se, and defamation and what have you. All that kind of 'important' stuff.

Yet all I can do is remember, smile a little, feel a little sad.

Last exam before sundown, last week before flyin'.

Will be damn glad to be home though, such is the conundrum of my Seattle experience. :)

2008-06-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

God Damn.

I've got 2 weeks before I return home.

Suddenly the past 9 months have seemed irrelevant, the future looks a bit uncertain (esp given the @$#!~# army) and these essays and books I surround myself with seem unimportant. Like something's more pertinent, something's more needy than these tests.

But with 13 days to go before I touch Singaporean soil, Seattle suddenly becomes a slightly friendlier place, people smile more and life seems a wee bit better.

And these 9 months, if they taught me nothing, taught me to love my friends, my family and those who care about me genuinely a bit more than I did.

To Seattle, cold summers and cold smiles.

Suddenly, leaving you is a little tougher than I thought.

Return to the West

2008-05-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

11th to 18th May: San Francisco

It's a bit hard to characterize San Francisco II, because 1) we lived in a shitty part of town and 2) the summer warmth made for a different experience than it was with poo in December. Nevertheless I shall try to break it down, as the rappers would say.

Sunday: Touched down, met Tania at the airport, subsequently checked into our hotel which was in the frickin middle of the shady part of San Fran, replete with funny smells, weird people and strange characters. It was... Bothersome, to say the least. The hotel room itself was ok but unless you feel incredibly brave or carry a gun, I'd suggest my friends not to stay in Civic Center Inn.

Tania and I had a stroll along the Embracadero and Fisherman's Wharf, before joining up with the trio for Becky's 21st at McCormick and Kuleto's (after many pronouncements that we were taking her to a burger joint, hurhur). The wait staff was amazing, the mussels in Red Curry was fgood and everything was perfect. And the wine wasn't bad either, though we had too much fun laughing at Kong as he created flavours in the wine as he sniffed. It was a fun night, with good food. :D

We ended off the night playing Texas Hold'em in my room before the trio left for their hostel. Well, not before my BBC America got hassled by a homeless dude who crossed the road with a taxi serendipitiously pulling up before he could do anything more. Heng siah.

Monday: We woke up kinda late - which was fine, since all we'd planned was the SF Giants - Houston Astros baseball game at night. So we decided to go walk walk around Downtown, hit a couple of department stores and watched "What Happens in Vegas" (in lieu of "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay"), a sweet and silly film but not as fantabulous as Iron Man!!!!!!!!

Sorry, Robert Downey Jr. is just a god.

The Giants-Astros game itself was not bad, though it took me 3 innings to fully understand the game. Fun though, especially when the Giants scored a hoome run and Fred Lewis did awesome shit. When we left though, the Astros had taken the lead 4-3. Tris' curse on the home team has not been broken so far (every match i've attended with the sole exception of the Raptors game where Stanley's karma outbid mine has seen the home team lose). Had an early night but...

Tuesday: Because I'm such a champion, we missed the bus to Napa. We rescheduled, at a $25 cost. I sulked for a bit before a Nutella crepe and watching sealions cheered me up somewhat. Tania was worried I would blow up, but I'm not... Always explosive that way. :p

We ended the day visiting Stanford, which Tania thought was a boring white campus but which turned out to be an interesting trip through Spanish colonial architecture. It was nice meeting up with Jesley and Yongfeng, our very gracious hosts who took us around and about.

Got back late into SF city because Tris did not comprehend how the Caltrain tickets worked, while our friends waited for us at an Indonesian restaurant as the train plodded slowly back. The food at the Indon place was not bad, mind you - though a little unfilling. A short trek back and we slept earlier because...

Wednesday + Thursday: We all got our butts up and left early for Yosemite National Park.

at this moment, Tris will issue a travel advisory: DO NOT BOOK ANY TOURS TO YOSEMITE IF YOU CAN DRIVE. We each paid in excess of US$200 each, only to find that what we got was a bus there, a hotel room and a bus back. While they called it a 'tour'. Oh, and a mumbly bus driver who was doubling up as a tour guide. Quote: "mumble mumble armonds mumble mumble pistachios" (Chinese dude - WAH LAU EH BRUDDER MAKE US LOOK BAD) And the latino woman at the tour center was completely incomprehensible when she pointed to me and said "You are Tris" and pointed to Tania "you Havier". I didn't quite get it either.

BBC Americas hereby condemns California Parlor Car Tours and Grey Line. F**k that shit.

Yosemite is nice, but it was... Hm. In my opinion, overhyped. I had 7 mosquito bites on my neck, we walked past heaps of mule dung and it got way too hot way too fast. It wasn't all that it was cracked up to be - though I will concede now I am less averse to nature. Winter seems so much friendlier a time though, less insects and cooler weather.

though without the sun, Tris wouldn't have worn his fantastic looking sunglasses, his Christmas present from poo who he is very grateful for. :D I mean, for her in general, not just the present. -muah-

Our room was really nice, next to the river and where we enjoyed the company and warmth of a fakey fireplace. Romance was not in the air or on the cards, but good company was and I'm glad we went as a big group - much more fun and much more enjoyable. :)

Tania and I left early on Thursday but we missed the mule rides, so we just had a nice long breakfast and stroll to Mirror Lake, where we bumped into 4 Singaporeans. One thing - Singaporeans who meet other Singaporeans overseas just don't say hi to each other, they kinda gravitate and talk loudly so they let the other party know, but they don't do much more than that. Kinda sad yet bizarrely funny.

We left Yosemite at about 4ish, and proceeded to piss off the whole bus by singing loudly and (with the exception of Kong) off-key, along with other racial inflections that would piss off a majority of Americans, being politically correct but globally ignorant and all. We got back about... 10ish, where Kel-Al-Becky proceeded to book out the rest of their tour while Tania fell asleep and I mulled my essay.

Friday: The Napa Trip that was missed Tuesday was made up for here. Much like Yosemite, it was a bit too warm for me, and the sparkly wine made my tummy queasy. Could've been the lack of food or something. We hit 4 wineries, but I'd be hard-pressed to tell you the names now. Still, it was a nice trip through Napa and Sonoma, and the evening was spent in quite reflection and me being a bit tipsy because I didn't spit all my wine out. :p

Saturday: Because Tania owns a license, we were able to rent a car and drive down to Monterey, which Tania had the biggest crush on because there was a lone cypress tree. I'm dead serious about it. But since she was driving it was fine - enjoyable for me as I leant back and just gave directions.

The cypress tree was nice, but I was personally more interested in the golf course - I think Dad and Wendy would like it, it's the friggin' famous Pebble Beach Golf resort! Quite awesome, pretty pebble beaches (incomparable to Nice though, which be the bomb) and strong winds.

Nothing happened Sunday besides my flight - but there, another chapter of Singaporeanhood ended, and it just remains for me to thank Tania, Alan, Becca and Kong for a wonderful week. Hope you guys are having a good time back wherever you are now. :D

As for me, time to go back to work.

Oh and because I'm lazy you can click here for the photo album. Not that many photos, I relied more on my friends. :p

Derelict in Duty

2008-05-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

At this juncture, no words can express my apology so I might as well get right to it.

Been busy on the social circuit these past few weeks, so let me just run down what happened and maybe you will be kind and forgiving and not kick my ass too hard.

Anyway, I foresee this will be my last update ever - while everyone I know is getting ready to up and go to Yellowstone (which is like 6 hours away?), I will push into the final chapter of my life in Seattle, study up for my last exams and then get ready to get the f**k out of here. Leaving behind a trail of memories, going back to a life I don't remember all the details of, but am eager to relearn.

I'll post one more on my thoughts before I fly off, but suffice to say, it finally came good these few months.

Week of 28 April
First up, a short intro: I finally made 2 friends here who I can routinely hang out and message and abuse without fear - Stephanie and Mijung. Stephanie is from Hong Kong, this be her 2nd degree; while Mijung is a Korean girl - both ladies are on exchange, and we've taken to each other like ducks to water. As in, comfort level, we go out all the damn time etc etc. Which probably accounts for my excellent mood. We can talk, and laugh, and just have lunch, without them looking at me strange like so many Americans have done.

To anyone who is coming to America:
1) Be a girl
2) Join FIUTS
3) Search out Singaporeans and other Asians.

Don't be full of bravado, Americans are not the friendliest creatures around.

Anyhow, we met a guy called Michael Riegner, a bro from Germany who was visiting our Law school and considering if he wanted to join UW in the future, following his 18 months of post-graduation training. (for anyone who wants to complain about Singapore pupillage which is mercifully short) Being around our age, it was just nice hanging out with him (though I think he was more into the female company :p kidding, he was really nice to hang out with).

So on Monday, we went to downtown for dinner - this Asian place which wasn't particularly filling; then for drinks and cheesecake at Pike Place.

Thursday, 4 hours before he flew off, we went clubbing. I had a good time but I don't really think Europeans and Asians have similar clubbing styles in that we focused on the disco-house style music while I kept hankering for the R&B in the main room. But it worked out ok, and he had a great time so that was that and we all were pretty happy. :)

So from L to R: Michael, me, Mijung and Steph. This is the Alibi Room, where we had red wine with cheesecake - very very fun for all of us. :)

Friday, the three of us (sans the returning-to-Frankfurt Michael) went out for dimsum with Dana (the exchange co-ordinator, very sweet lady), then we went shopping. It was a good week, no questions. :)

-----------------------------------------------
The Re-Constitution of BBC Americas: 8 to 10 May

I am now a believer in the "good things come in threes" paradigm, because my 3 London-borne homies came down on a cold Wednesday night. Sure, the hunger meant we had a bit of time trying to regain the initial chemistry, but if you know the BBC you know too that it takes only one jack for the whole thang to fall into place.

And so it was, as we discussed Pupillage, love lives, illnesses, Vancouver, and the whole gamut. I didn't get very much sleep during the period, but it was awesome just hanging with my homies, talking and sharing and being with them, and Becca's presence made for a very comforting female presence as well.

And of course, Iron Man which all the boys were so impressed by, hurhur. But the memories are more: Like walking through Capitol Hill, going through Downtown, distracting Becca so we could prepare her birthday, celebrating the birthday proper, Cheesecake Factory with Mama Sophie, and so on and so forth, throwing the pigskin behind the house and freaking out when it tapped the car - Life is memories, and these memories made the trip be awesome.

No words will really do the emotions I felt justice, but for the first time in a long time (since January 11) I felt truly comfortable and at home in Seattle. Thanks Kel, Al and Becca, you guys made the few days here truly memorable. And, er, for not minding the shithole I call a home. :p

Perfunctory Gangsta Shot. Don't be messin' with the BBC yo.

(unless you're a girl - my epiphany over these days is that as much as we are the Bitch(y) Boys Club, we are also the Bitched (ka-pssh) Boys Club. :p)

The infamous 'Tudung' Shot. All gear is mine. :p

The kungfu shot, Kong and I holding Alan as he struggles through his pose. :p

4 Singaporeans in Seattle. Thanks guys, it be awesome. Miss you all already.

Kanye West in concert - 16th April 2008

2008-04-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

So that's Kanye of course, and as one might guess, I didn't take that picture.

This was the only picture I got to take. After a 35 minute bus ride where the Asian dude standing behind me was too cool to talk to me (and I tried, but he was insistent on ignoring me and talking to the white girls he came with) while a couple of ang mo girls sitting down were nice enough to talk with me in dribs and drabs (as the momentary lulls in the insane screaming on 74 allowed), I got off the bus, and took this picture of the Key Arena.

After walking 100 m to the entrance, it was evident I had made a grave error in my calculation.

"Please open your bag, sir."

"No problem!" (and I thought, well, no problems, until...)

"Sir, you're going to have to put your camera back in your car, we don't allow cameras inside."

(in a fit of irritated spite) "I don't have a car."

"Well, how did you come?"

"By busssssssssssss."

(American brain working, so one could hear the cogs grinding) "Ok, hand me your batteries."

"Ok, there you go."

I get into the arena. I sit down. 25 minutes later when the arena is 70% full...

-flash-

-Tris turns around, to see a group of bimbos posing-

-flash from other side-

-Tris turns around, to see a mixed group of jocks and bimbos posing.-

And then the flashes all attacked the Tris, revealing that Tris was either 1) stupid, 2) biased against (I wouldn't say racism since the dude confiscated the batteries of the folks before me) or 3) both of the above for not hiding the camera better.

Thank God for phone cameras I say.

The Key Arena before the concert began.

The concert proper opened with Lupe Fiasco and a 45 minute set - something I did not realised until he got to his last song 'Superstar', which sad to say, is the only Lupe song I know. Nevertheless, it was a good start to the concert since Lupe is not the in-your-f**king-face kind of performer, but rather a slow jams-Imma enjoy myself kind of rapper. Crowd was a bit dead (perhaps the lack of familiarity) but as the songs got more recognisable, the energy went way up.

It was also around the same time as 'Superstar' as the two folks who were sitting next to me decided to take their places. And immediately I felt a pang of regret and anguish - I had the seat next to the get-a-room couple. The guy looked like Peter Crouch (a bit less gangly but same buck teeth) and the girl was your average American girl (i.e. kinda slutty), but once they got their seats they were AT IT LIKE PANDAS WHO WERE ON CRACK. Or rabbits - whichever animal you think needs the most lovin'.

I am thankful for the group behind me who refused to let them make out in peace, with the (rather cute, prob the Yalan type) Latino guy whipping out his phone and PROCEEEDED TO FILM THEM. Gotta love the Yanks at times. And the Asian girls he was with (with Chinese faces but waists the size of the continent) repeatedly heckled the couple, proclaming "That's gross! Get a room! EWWWWWWWW!!!!" Fantastic friends, wahahaha. :)

At 815 pm, N.E.R.D. took the stage - they brought on a live band, had nothing synthesised or pre-recorded and basically just tore it up with a live set. Pharrell was insane, he kept moving and rapping and singing; while his partner (sorry, his name escapes me) was just rapping and slamming - these two guys were insane and their band was insane, and this was probably the highest energy performance of the night. Pharrell lost his voice at the end of the set, but 40 minutes of N.E.R.D really got the crowd pumped.

Couple at this time had disappeared to make out somewhere else or something, while the dudes next to me smoked weed.

After 40 minutes of stage-shifting (which got me irritated because the last bus was leaving at 1030), Rihanna took the stage at 920 with the insane stage set that you see here. A bit too flashy for me, but at least I knew all the songs, from S.O.S. to Rehab to Chloe's fav song Unfaithful to Umbrella (eh eh eh) to Break It Off. A lot of dancing, a lot of grooving, a lot of loud pumping music and fluorescent colours with Rihanna's singing (mostly live) making for a pretty intense 45 minute set.

I was considering leaving to catch the last bus but one does not pay 66 dollars for a Kanye concert to not see Kanye - though I did not like the extreme length of changeover. I understand the love for complex sets but the transition made a lot of folks restless (45 minutes in between is far too long).

But as the above pictures attest, Mr. West really knows how to put on a show.

Kanye incorporated an interesting storyline into the concert, and the songs were pretty well worked into the routine. The story ran that Kanye was a space traveller plowing the universe for inspiration when he crashes on a desert planet, with only his spaceship console 'Jane' for company. I can't remember the exact order of songs now, but I know he started with 'Good Morning'; when he kaopeh'd about the crash Jane reminded him "This is not your first crash, Mr. West" where he broke into 'Through The Wire'; he then said a prayer to God and promised not to ruin any more award shows (self-jack! hahaha) and sang 'Jesus Walks'; his complaint about being lonely on a desert planet had Jane offering to be of help, after which "SHE TAKE MY MONEEEYYYYY" blared; and of course with his huge ego he was to be the savior of the world and that he alone could bring them home, where the opening strains of 'Stronger' began.

As I said, Mr. West really knows how to put on a fantastic show. I left after 'Stronger' for fear of not catching a cab, but I got home happy, satisfied and convinced that I'd spent my money extremely well. A bit of a shame that I had no one to watch it with, but you know, if it's there, go for it and regret the details later. :)

Amsterdam - 30th March to 2nd April

2008-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

First up, please let me apologise for the tardiness re the blogging. Been a bit unmotivated to blog plus the enjoyment of life this quarter has made me chao lazy. But more on that in subsequent posts.

Suffice to say, the thing that I will remember most about Amsterdam will be the company and the high-jinks aforementioned company can get into. Without going into too much detail, we found one more reason why brownies may not be good for you. :p Can ask Khel more.

But BBC Europe was well worth paying as much as I did (and to my surprise, probably less than I anticipated) and the company is different. As Mau said, even doing the same thing in Singapore is different - that's a certain surrealism with eating Duck-Siew Yok-Chicken rice and dim sum in Europe, playing Texas Hold'em till late in a bar, exchanging 2 Euro coins while smoking and drinking; waking up at 12 the next day, getting traumatised by SMS's, navigating the red light district and basically looking for kicks and finding that the best kick was the company.

And on that slightly whimsical note, my Europe trip ended as I tried to sleep on a KLM 747 (I now know that I shall never travel for more than 10 hours again if I can't afford business class) and resumed school. Which thankfully has been worth returning in time for. :) But again, more on that later.

So, the final few photos (do pardon for the lack of photos - the company was compelling and at times I was too high to be snappin'):

The main Square (the name of which escapes me) in Amsterdam

We didn't enter this museum, but as Ying pointed out, the Netherlands has many many museums.

RijksMuseum - as aforementioned. Believe this holds Rembrandt's works.

Heineken Brewery, where we found that...

It was closed. The bastards. (Thanks Mau for pic)

And quintessential BBC shot, taken on first night in bar over Cherry Beer. Thanks bros. :) (thanks Kyle)

Addendum: I just realised we all look damn weird in this pic. Wei Chiat looks the most normal, Mau looks... Well, his eyes look bigger than normal (and freakily conniving / humsup), Khel looks cheenesh, and Tris... Ok la, drunk as usual, but just bizarre. Oh well.

Nice & Monte Carlo- 27th to 29th March 2008

2008-04-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

I still miss...

The awesome beaches, with the smoothest pebbles with nary a grain of sand, with the bluest (and oh, how amazingly blue it was) sea with nary a drop of pollution, with the calmest of winds and nary a bwith the most amazing of God's creation with nothing to spoil the image.

The pure oldness of the city, that would seem like an anachronism but for the fact that it just seemed so right where it was; everything combining together to make the town feel natural in its own skin without trying to be anything else. (bar the Ligne d'Azur, the very strangely modern train)

Hotel Helvetique, with the friendliest receptionist (Jean-Sebastian), the funniest shows (Jackass and Tila Tequila among others) and strange late-night knocking on doors that led to hours of good company.

The Nose. NOT. (I'm sure Ying disagrees though. :p)

Friendship, in its initially awkward phases and its evolution to laughing and teasing and joy that only unadulterated companionship lends itself to. The trip would not have been what it was without whom I travelled with.

Oh, and thanks Mr. German dude for the 10 euros. ;)

Tired jetsetters about to commence a not-so-romantic trip in what turned out to be a very romantic place.

Mr. Massena. Not entirely sure who he is but the main plaza in Nice is named after him.

The aforementioned out-of-place Ligne d'Azur, the funkified Tram that went everywhere.

The old streets of Nice, very full of character and personality. AND, amazing food, kebab, quiche lorraine, apple tarts. The unexpected culinary heaven. :)

The main street in the Old Town, touristy spot (like Boat Quay) but not bad food, we ended up eating at one of the restaurants here.

THE FRICKING AWESOME PEBBLE BEACH. Oh, to be here is truly to know what it is to be alive. It was so amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking... You name it.

More beach. Rollin' waves. CAN YOU SAY AWESOME?

Khel's action shot! Skipping pebbles on the beach as the sea tried to attack us a couple times.

The Tour Ballena (?), right next to the Beach, the vantage point for the ruins which sit atop Nice.

The view from the aforementioned Tour Ba-something. No tall buildings to get in the way. Awesomeness.

Khel's Sea Bream. As the street vendor said, "Mm yum yum."

As it turned out though, Nice's proximity to the Mediterranean meant that the local specialty was pizza and fish. Kinda surprising and conflicts with one's mental image of France but just goes to show one can never learn too much. We did end up eating Pizza, but in Monaco.

Friday Morning Marketplace! Bustling with life, all sorts of fresh produce, dried goods, flowers and pottery. Pretty amazing.

You tell me this isn't awe-inspiring. I'll believe you after 2 beers I think.

Another view of Nice.

Port Infernet.

The other side of Nice - we think we saw a fire but we're not entirely sure if the black smoke was intentional or not. And a cannon go off at 12 noon.

The Palais de Justice.

Galeries Lafayette, with strange statues of dudes sitting atop pedestals. Didn't really get it but you know, Viva la France.

A cathedral in the middle of the Old Town...

And the inside of it. On the sides there were 1 Euro or 5 Euro candles which you could light for the Saint of your choice.

----------------------------------------

Monte Carlo! This be the famed Casino of Monaco.

Another view of the French Rivera, and one cannot but gush at the sea.

At this point Khel and I wondered what we would do if someone we knew pushed someone else we knew (Ying being the hypothetical) over the railings into the crashing waves. Ying looked distraught while Khel and I found it morbidly amusing.

I quote Ying, "Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous". We had crepes and pizza (the local delight) while watching the world go by. Disgustingly idyllic lifestyle eh.

As one might guess, not many photos in Monaco (there was a SHIT load of walking) but this be the friendly lobster who waves bye bye and was about to eat before we ate it.

Not. This was at the Oceanography Museum. :)

I'm kinda shocked I don't have a picture with Ying but well, the abangs will have to do. :p

Kobehavn - 26th March 2008

2008-04-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

I shall miss...

The way modernity and classicity (the word doesn't exist but no word I know quite does it justice) fall together in a comfortable mesh, both barely treading on each other and being comfortable side by side.

The beautiful palaces and buildings which oldness meant they were beautiful, and not in spite of it.

The strange existence of one self-declared country despite all signs to the contrary, and the tension that ensued forth.

The magnificence which took one's breath away and which brought me to my knees a couple of times as I revelled in His splendour and glory, feeling ashamed that I was not quite what He asked for.

The brotherhood and company, shared over Japanese Curry and coke on a cold winter's night, which above all was the most reassuring.

Of all the places to see windmills, it was in Denmark. Love the irony.

Statue of a Queen - name of which unfortunately escapes me.

Statue of an angel, very awe-inpsiring and pretty, in contrast to...

I quote my Learned Brother Khel's words, "f**king overrated and amazingly underwhelming" - The Little Mermaid.

Castellet, old castle, current Mil. Intelligence barracks.

Statue commemorating the Fallen soldiers from WWI.

The University Library - the way a real library should look like, though it was a little squeezy.

Khel outside one of the Uni buildings, which...

Looked like an amazing Roman temple inside. BTC looks sadly spartan in comparison.

The University Cathedral - pure white and very very awesome, 6 saints on each side (believe they were the apostles) and a 'moving' Jesus at the altar.

The Spiral Tower Cathedral, a little more gold and brown themed as you can tell. :)

The view atop Spiral Tower, seeing Kobenhavn. Awesome sight.

The interesting church spire outside Christania - fascinating spiral scheme.

The entrance to Christania - fascinating story and very different, but I will agree with Khel that at worst one feels odd, not threatened.

Think this is the Palace. Or the Parliament House, but I think the tower means it's the Palace.

The Marble Church, combined the 'best' of the above 2 churches and was pretty awesome. Funny statues outside though.

Ah this is the Palace. With a strange car outside machiam like car advertisement. But yeah, slacking guards outside.

The abangs on the Spiral Tower. Thanks for the hospitality bro, even in your cramped room and the mountains of cat hair. :)

Utrecht - 24th to 25th March 2008

2008-04-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

I will miss...

The insane weather, where I saw snow through one window and sun through the other, and which changed in the course of an hour.

The little streets with quaint museums and with pretty houses at every turn.

The canals which teemed with life, either wildlife or with people living, selling, being people.

The bare trees which instead of being hindrances added to the atmosphere and where the rustling of the empty branches made it seem just right.

The quaintest cafes, with the best bread and the best smelling coffee and tea (Lapsang Souchong, among others, haha), and the ambience no euros can buy.

The people, most of all. The crazy cyclists who ride like they own the road (and they do, a bike lane just for them), the smiling staff who greet in Dutch and speak in English, and the girls who led me around Utrecht, got me drunk on Bokbier and who argued and teased and laughed and talked with me in the way only those who love can.

So, a picture collage of Utrecht.

The aforementioned snow from the Sprinter window. Not very sprinty at all, rawr.

The awesome view from Ying's window. The benefits of living on the 18th floor.

Beautiful female who is amazing host and cooks well on left, tired leech who gets no blood because he's too fat on right. Compulsory self-jack! :p

But one of the many awesome views in Utrecht, trees and old buildings.

Railway Museum - I got there on a holiday but not as crowded as one might expect. Not that we went in actually.

One of the streets down the Museum Quarter.

The ubiquitous canals of the Netherlands.

That be a house - what an awesome house it be, no? :)

Another awesome looking building - Utrecht bleeds nice bricks.

FC Utrecht Stadium - the Stadion Galgenwaard.

2nd day morning view - After an insane snowstorm, nice beautiful blanket of white across Utrecht.

Reminded me of the girlfriend. Wonder why? :p And yes, she is sweet in every way.

Dom Tower! THE photograph opportunity of Utrecht.

The 2 pretty girls at breakfast, awesome crossiants for me and bread for them. No jacking please. (RAWR)

The Demon Baal. Otherwise known as Miffy.

The freakin' post office. Wow right.

Shopping Street in Utrecht. Not many brands but very nice shops, especially the tea and coffee place.

The 2 lovelies who took me about Utrecht. Much love sweethearts. :)

The Library is not a place to pick up chicks

2008-03-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

Which is why I didn't, much to my eternal regret.

The girls at Odegaard today were FINE. With a capital F. Unfortunately we missed the 'I', your valiant hero, being the humchee hero, did not pick them up, not even the cute one who sat at the same table as himself and started reading the Sociology book while pretending to fuss and pretending to ignore our hero's uncouth gazing.

This is what happens when you don't concentrate on your exams hard enough. In my defence I'd done my work and was sick of studying, and a headache had appeared on the horizon. I only wished I had passed her my contact. Or something.

In other news Tris is done with his exams!!! W00t.

Uh, please ignore the whole schpiel of the 1st 2 paragraphs. They were for my amusement. Or something.

2008-03-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Tris is extremely sian of studying for exams.

Let me know. :)

Short Break

2008-03-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Apologies folks - exams now. Will be back soon. :)

The Improv Experience

2008-02-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

For those of you not in the know, I took part in an 'Introduction to Improv' class at the UW Hillel (the Jewish Students' Association), organized by the Hillel and 2 members of Quiet Monkey Fight, Dan and Jed. We met every Tuesday and basically messed about for 1.5 hours, having fun, laughing and just doing improv work.

The experience itself was generally good - though I do think we would've benefited more from more time AND more people participating. But we had a good time and we generally enjoyed each others' company, and Dan II (that's what I call him, haha) and myself had the chance to show off what we had learnt over the month. It wasn't the greatest performance but it was a nice ending and left us generally happy. :)

So here's a 'class photo':

Dan II, Dan, Jed and myself. The crutches are Jed's. :)

And the 'graduation video':

enjoy folks! I know I did. :) Props too to Luc and Bob who took time out to watch me, even though Casey was having her birthday celebration. I feel... Decidedly unguilty. :p

2008-02-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Just a continuation of the photos of the night which fell to me surreptitiously. :p

Me and Casey (L) and Krista (R) - Tris and his Taiwanese fetish continues.

The other folks from the table. I'm a bit hardpressed to remember names but faces la huh.

Me and Luc.

So that's it for the photos from last week - Here's hoping for more exciting times this week. :) Still a bit seh from blood loss but to be expected I suppose.

And A Mindblowing Weekend

2008-02-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a good week, and hopefully the start of new exciting turnarounds that leave Tris a little happier as a conceptual whole. :)

I went for the TSA Semi-Formal Dinner over the weekend, and it was hella fun. I think some of my friends were a little disappointed at the lights (the lack thereof rather, meaning we were in a dark room without flashy thingies) and the music (which I thought was damn good - the usual RnB fare that I craved), but the most important thing for me was that I spent it with friends, had a great time and enjoyed myself.

No, no chicks as usual that I danced with but somehow Tris felt better here than at Luxy. :p

So, some photos from the event:

The bunch of us that went together.

Tris and his 2 homeboys Bob and Luc.

The above photos to prove that I was there and not some delusional episode taking over my mind. :p

Me and Angela - Miss Taiwan for the night. No it's not a joke and yes she's really nice. A lot of these photos were from her camera.

The slutty shot - compulsory AND made the girls laugh.

I have a picture with me and the 2 cute Taiwanese chicks floating about somewhere on their camera but they have not passed it to me yet. Once that gets to me Tris promises to show his night was not in complete waste.

Mum, Dad, I was not drunk. I just get red easily and dance like that. I promise.

The Red Lion Hotel - I had a damn good time, and the hope is real that we shall have opportunities to recreate the fun. :)

So suffice to say, it's been a damn fun week, and this week looks to get even better. I'm meeting the other Singaporeans for dinner on Wednesday, have an improv performance on Thursday and lunch with the Thais on Friday and dinner with law people (I think) on Friday. Swell week huh? :)

Only bummer is the exams coming up, but Tris never lets that bother him now.

---------------------------------------------

Oh, and a personal appeal from my achy left arm:

Please donate blood! It only takes up an hour of your time but could save someone else's life. This is one cause I personally swear by and the funky green bandage and little ache is but a small price to pay.

Ok folks, on with my starting-to-get-fantastic life. :)

It Was A Good Day

2008-02-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

And I had the insanest of best moods this morning, happily singing away. :) It's all a bit weird, but there you go.

1) Met another Singaporean at Bible study - his name is Dan, he's in Bellevue (which is nearby) and we're going for dinner with other Singaporeans he knows next week. WHOO! Roxx.

2) Met another Singaporean at this event:

If you're interested, you can email me to ask more. For the primer, you can check out the wiki entry right here. I have my own take but suffice to say you'll have to email me to get more.

anyhow, met another Singaporean who's been in America for 5 years now, and we had dinner so that was pretty fun. The only thing I will say is that this other girl of Chinese origin also ignored me throughout, and I'm not entirely convinced it was because she was shy. So much for solidarity.

3) Making new friends in school. :) And meeting some old ones over the course of the week, so ROXXOR.

Tris is happy for once, and won't be emo for you all to see. :) More pics should be up over the week! :D

For My Amusement...

2008-02-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

Because in some sense, it lets me know I'm not alone. :)

And the stupid shit Tris must deal with in America:

Be not deceived folks - Your eyes do not lie and this shit hits the sky. I had to swallow some pride in taking this picture. Pronounciation I can deal with, but 'accent reduction'? You mean American's DON'T have an accent? Closeminded $%!$!&#*@!(rs.

My CNY

2008-02-07T23:27:00.001-08:00

Turns out I wasn't exactly CNY-less after all, but the story of which is pretty interesting. Let Tris relate.

On Monday afternoon, I was walking back to Law School after my IR class, alone and depressed and telling basically myself, "God, I feel suckily alone. I wish I had some company."... When I met Luc, the Taiwanese dude on exchange, with another guy Bob, who was also on exchange from Taiwan. Upon their kind invite I had lunch with them at a Chinese restaurant nearby. As the convo developed, we got to talking about CNY and how we were celebrating it, and they basically invited me to join their Taiwanese contingent for huo guo on Thursday.

Sure, there was a little language difficulty since my Chinese wasn't as fantastic as I'd like to believe, BUT it was fun, full of laughter and jokes and joy, and basically filled up the otherwise dominating silence that has been my life thus far. Hard to imagine otherwise in a Chinese restaurant with 17 other people in the party, a very cute old lady who was asking us a lot of questions about CNY and our huo guo, and basically good company. Thank God indeed - it was a glorious evening, and I felt very fuzzy though it was cold as heck outside.

Didn't take as many photos as I'd liked, but the 2 that I do have, I share with you:

The 3 girls who dominated the laughter at our table: Joanne, Angie and Lily. Lily being exceedingly loud at every juncture.

Bob, Shouyang (I think that was his name), Luc and me - crazy Chinese boys who had a heck of a night.

So it was simple, and food wasn't fantastic. But over CNY, as I told Wendy, it's all about company - and the ending MSN video call with my family back home made this CNY one to remember. :) Almost made me feel like I never left at all.

17-14: The World's Most Beautiful Numbers

2008-02-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

The storyline dominated my day, really. We had the undefeated New England Patriots, who had beat all before them in 18 straight games with unstoppable offense, quarterback protection and a new running game they didn't know they had; against the upstart New York Giants, who were not expected to be at SuperBowl 42 when the season started, who had a shaky quarterback, dubious secondary defence and a feeling of luck with them throughout the playoffs. The Pats were 14 point favourites to win.

And Eli Manning did it.

Shaking off his 1st half interception, with less than a minute to go, Eli pulled off the ultimate captain's heroism and drove his team all the way into the endzone for a touchdown, after this piece of magic. The Giants defence were the MVP for me in the game - led by the ageless Michael Strahan, they kept sacking and harrying and forcing Tom Brady about and around, making the Pats look useless and Brady magic-less. Though they could've done a better job on the 2nd touchdown that forced Eli's magic act - perhaps it is only in the face of adversity do mortals become legends.

So, kudos to the New York Giants - for beating the Patriots (I shall leave my venom for another day) and for doing what no one thought you could.

Presenting your SuperBowl 42 Champions: The New York Giants.

All above images courtesy of Yahoo! Sports and Getty Images

Incidentally, that makes back-to-back Superbowl MVP brothers in Peyton and Eli Manning. Archie Manning must be a pretty proud dad, his sons came good in consecutive years. :)

Oh, and for my girlfriend: I thought this ad was right up her alley. Happy VDay Poo! :) -muah-

Just a short note to say:

2008-02-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

I'M GONNA MISS CNY WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

-breathe- While you all take some fancy long holiday. Shptttttt. I know that sound's impossible to make but it ain't. You try it. Shptttttt. And don't stretch the t's, there're only 6 of them.

Sorry, am a bit high on homework. :p Happy CNY all, and think of us who still need to go to school on those few days. Shptttttt.

2008-01-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

I've been called a nerd (not inaccurate la, so I don't mind) for listing down what I actually studied during exchange, because everyone knows we do exchange to play. Apparently.

So, this is one thought I had to share.

First, click on this video and watch the young man talk about his experience.

And this interview:

Am I the only one to think he's not really that charismatic, and that he's just a silly college kid who is quite... Dumb? If you can be bothered to sit through the 7 minutes of each - I just wonder why people are all up in arms about his charisma and his charm and his interview, which frankly was not in the least impressive. And if you're wondering, I actually supported Hawaii when they went up against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. BUT, I think for all his play, he should go without a microphone for a long long time because he sounds ignorant and stupid - like many of his ilk.

I suppose I shall never quite understand American sports and what passes for charisman. -shrug-

Compare it to this video interview with Peyton Manning:

There's a world of difference - it may be experience, but there's a lot more class in Mr. Manning.

Oh, another video, taken when Peyton was about the same age as aforementioned QB.

There's a lot more sense and class out of his mouth, even if it is gat-toothed. But, what do I know - I'm not American eh.

Short addendum on courses

2008-01-25T20:02:00.000-08:00

For those who were wondering, my subjects -

Fall Quarter:

Environmental Law (Rodgers)
- A good course with a teacher who loves the subject and loves teaching, and it's innately interesting because of all the stories you hear about the government. BUT very statutory and technical, a lot of emphasis on the technical doctrines of case law, and the cases are frustrating like heck.

Freedom of Expression (Walsh)
- Prof Walsh is on sabbatical, so I'm not sure if he'll be back. The course is interesting if you like constitutional issues and like reading conflicting cases that reveal how messed up the common law can be. A bit too socratic but it's a cute course and Volokh (coursebook author) does a fine job in the textbook.

International Law (Kang'ara)
- The teaching isn't fantastic, I'll be honest. But the course itself is run well, and the discussion in class is very revealing, and a lot of learning goes on when you listen and when you share. If you like discussion and you like theory of international politics and law, this is a pretty decent run at it.

EU / US E-Commerce (Wynn/Daemen)
- If you like comparative law - fantastic course. I don't know if this will be offered (see note), but if it is and you want a quick intro to EU Law and comparative study, this is a good place to start. Mr. Daemen is from Microsoft so his views are interesting, while Prof Wynn has a lotta info bubbling out her head, so it makes for a fun class.

Winter Quarter:

Intro to IR (Strausz - Political Science cross-fac module)
- I'm not going to say much about the specific course since it's a cross-fac and whoever reads this may not want to take it, BUT a note about cross-fac udnergrad modules - can be particularly frustrating when general knowledge is required. Many American students have a talent for being ignorant and poorly-read, and may not get the material the way you do. Be prepared for frustration if you take a very knowledge-intensive course and you're like me: i.e. highly arrogant but with a complete right to be that because you're so damn smart. Like me. :p

Alternate Dispute Resolution (Kirtley)
- Good course, must take. It's kinda like an intro to all the different forms of ADR available - negotiation, mediation, arbitration and the funky mixes that America is coming up with in betweem. A lot of class exercises and group projects, you meet new people, you learn about the processes - a good course if I do say so myself.

International Criminal Law (Allen)
- As I warned in the previous post, this is not international crim law in the sense of the International Criminal Court, European Court of Justice - none of those. Instead, looks at how specific US laws apply to extra-territorial crimes and the doctrines that govern. Starts at breakneck speed but once you get into the swing it's actually comprehensible and at times enjoyable.

Legislation and Public Policy (Andersen)
- Seminar course. 've only gone for 2 lessons so I don't feel at liberty to comment - save that you should be prepared to do a lot of work given the 2 class presentations and 40-page research paper due at the end of it.

NOTE:
UW has this freaky tendency to drop courses from year to year. I don't know if it's to do with the size or the school, but NUS has some regularity from year to year, usually only seminars drop off the radar. The ONLY courses that are certain are Property, Contracts, Torts, that kind of thing. It's just a warning - it might work in your favour but also may work against you, especially if you're like me, who foolishly goes for exchange to actually learn. :p

P.S: For all that muggerness, got back 2 grades. They were good. :) HA!

UW - A short note

2008-01-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

For any of my potentially intrepid exchange-mates to be (namely the Year 2's and the future legions of generations who will see this blog) - a short introduction to UW, which will probably be reiterated at next year's exhange talk.

[Yes, this to fill space. Complain not, eager ones.]

So what do you want to know about UW?

What's good about UW?
Generally, its IP and Comparative Masters' program, both of which have attracted students from the world over.

That said, as an exchange student, UW is a great place to

i) Learn about American Constitutional Law and its progeny.

You probably won't want to take Consti Law per se since it's a first-year compulsory course, but I took First Amendment last quarter, and am taking a Legislation and Public Policy seminar now which goes into the technical workings of the Legislative system of the U.S.A.

Prof Jay was on leave last quarter, but he's a leading constitutional teacher and is one of the best in his field. Prof Andersen is also excellent, and Prof Walsh has fascinating insights about the First Amendment issues the text brings up (though he is a little too Socratic). In short, UW features some excellent Constitution teaching - which will interest you if you like Comparative Law or want to know how the US government is supposed to run.

ii) Do Comparative Law over a wide range.

When I say this, I mean that due to the LLM on Comp Law, there's a range of Comp. Law courses available. I was a bit unlucky to miss out Conflict of Laws among others, but I did take US / EU E-Commerce Law which was a direct comparison of US and EU E-commerce law. I can't name others off-hand, but I'm convinced that the presence of the LLM means there should be sufficient Comp Law courses if that's your thing.

Ooh, ooh, link! Clickee linkee to see which comp. law courses are nominally offered. Oh right, there are international law courses which have you teleconferencing with Jap students, as well as Int'l Business Transactions by Prof Kang. So, pretty cool opportunities which I don't think NUS offers. (could be wrong)

iii) Seminars

Expanding on the theme of having leaders in their fields (and a big shout-out to Professor Rodgers who is one of THE leaders in Environmental Law in the US), UW has a heck lot of seminars and invited guests who will speak on their pet topics. There's a lot of focus on social justice, hence a litany of programs; and appellate courts sometimes hold hearings right in UW. It's like CJ Chan hearing a case in NUS! So, pretty exciting stuff.

iv) West Coast weather and travel

I cannot stress this enough - West coast weather is a literal breeze compared to the utter frigidity of the East Coast. Sure, New York's nice and Boston's famous, but West Coast weather is f-awesome in comparison. Winter here is a relative cakewalk and the comparatively milder temperatures mean good for you as a student.

Furthermore, you're 2 hours by flight to San Francisco, another hour away from Los Angeles and Vegas (by flight again), 3 hours from Vancouver by bus. LA and SF may not get the same press as grand ol' New York, but you can see New York in Vegas. :p Seriously though, SF is great and LA is nice too.

Sounds good! So what's not to love about UW?
Well, there are a couple things I should provide as due diligent notice:

a) International Law isn't quite international.

I don't believe this is purely a problem of UW, but let me not speak of other universities since I am ignorant. The 2 courses I've taken thus far about International Law (Int'l Law and Int'l Crim Law) have a very strong focus on what Prof Allen calls Transnational Law, i.e. law regarding issues across state borders, AND from a US perspective (i.e. how the US will act for an international issue e.g. me killing an american in Dubai - what happens?) So know what you're getting into - it sounds a lot nicer than it is.

AND for some reason (could be me), not all international law students are very internationally minded, a lot of them seem happily closeted in their little enclaves of American superiority. Ah well.

b) IP is chiefly off-bounds, removing a whole portion of potentially takeable courses.

This is a mix of friendly advice and practicality. I was informed before I left by a good friend that the IP regime in USA is rather different, and unless it was under the auspices of the LLM, it wouldn't make sense (in a I-wanna-sell-myself-to-a-firm way) to do IP here. Furthermore, most IP courses require you to have taken the base IP course - which as I understand is limited to the IP LLM folk and a few others, which probably will not include you within that range.

What this means is that a whole range of potential courses is removed IF you don't take the base IP course. And to be frank, it makes little sense to burn 8 credits which could be spent doing something else on one course, THOUGH it is pure papers and you have a heads-up over the other students who don't have English as a first language. You get my personal bias here, but do ask your academic advisor if you can do IP if you really think it worthwhile.

c) Wind is the enemy.

The cold may not be as biting as NY, and the weather doesn't get channelled to your bones the way NY buildings do. BUT the proximity to the fricking Pacific Ocean means strong winds. Strong wind + Cold = not good. I blame the Pacific winds for my cheeks (if my cheeks stay where they are by May, then I blame the food. :p), and as Lynn can attest, the winds are potentially fatal and threaten to blow you off your feet as you climb down the sidewalk.

So, wind sucks. And...

d) Uni Way is one of the oddest places in the world.

I don't want to slag, so I won't say much, but that I don't walk alone at night on Uni Way where possible and I try to stay on the other side of the road.

Anything else I ought to know?

Just this: You don't need to pay fees, but you do need to pay 484 every quarter for student insurance and your U-Pass, the latter which gives you free travel on Metro buses through Seattle, the former... Which is really better to buy than to go through the hassle of proving you have adequate equivalent insurance.

Oh, and books average about 500 a quarter. So be prepared to pay about 1000 in September, January and April. PLUS, taxes here are 8.9%, so be ready with some extra moolah when you think of buying whatever you want to. :)

For the moment, that's it for the rundown - buzz me to-be-exchangers with questions. Why no one post on my tagboard ah? :(

Day 11-17: San Francisco

2008-01-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

San Fran San Fran - the last time I was here, I burnt 1500 USD doing jack-all but smiling with wrestlers. The experience was good but wasteful and I could've saved some. This time round, spent a bit too but the experience was much fun and much enjoyed. :) I would like to go back San Fran again, if nothing else, to see what I didn't get to see, including the Golden Gate Park and its various museums, take a cable car, and maybe make it to the Napa Valley. But this trip was nice, slow and relaxing - and a pretty good way to spend a New Year's.

The tour started with shopping in San Fran, then shopping in a Factory Outlet the next day. At this juncture: Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts are simply the best in the world, and the Emporio Armani salesgirl is smoking hot. I can't put her name here but Wendy and I agree - there's nothing quite like a tall Japanese girl who looks good and speaks good and sounds good speaking it. :)

Day 13 was spent walking along the Embracadero and Fisherman's Wharf, while New Year's Eve was spent watching the fireworks over Coit Tower and playing silly drinking games with friends. Ghirardelli formed our itinerary for New Year's, but eating sundaes in the cold was... Not the best of ideas. But the rush of spending time with friends passed by a lot quicker than expected, and friends really make journeys and travels way worth it. Thank you two again - twas a lovely time and Wendy and I had much fun with you two over various cuisines and culinary delights. (even if she didn't enjoy some of the... experiences. :p)

Our final day in California was spent on The Rock. There's nothing quite like Alcatraz, both good and bad. It was a tinge weird at times, the ghosts of the past seeming to haunt the place and the unspoken secrets appearing to whisper from time to time. That said, it gave a spectacular view of the SF bay and was a 'had-to-see', and the walking tour was quite fun.

So at the end of 17 days, I am... Content, somewhat refreshed, not ready to reconquer the Winter Quarter, but comforted with the passing of the month and the wonderful memories it has brought. To 2008, and all that it has to offer. :)

Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts - Heavenly and to-die-for.

The view from the Hilton Financial District on NYE night.

The same view the next morning. :D

Us at Ghirardelli Square.

As above with the bigger sign.

Wendy with Ghirardelli sundae - Nice treat but left the feeling of 'could-be-better'.

The Ghirardelli light-up at night. :D

The view of Coit Tower from the boat.

The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the boat - which is NOT gold contrary to what some might say.

The even-more spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge from our hotel room. Ha!

Us on the boat.

The view of the San Fran skyscape from the boat.

The Rock!

The Guard Tower on Alcatraz.

Some tower on Alcatraz. Probably the watch tower or something. (quoting Wendy verbatim)

Observe the T-shirt. That's what Wendy says.

I'm starting to think I'm taking too many gay photos.

My girlfriend behind bars. Pink pink! :D

Singin' on a lamppost, bitches!

My girlfriend attempting the same shot.

I'm not ready for my closeup, dah-link!

Me and the... Thing that pretended to be a plane from Portland to Seattle.

Back in Seattle! :D

Day 7 - 10: Las Vegas

2008-01-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

I never quite know what to make of Vegas - One part of me adores the glitz and utter ridiculity of the whole affair, yet on the flip side, it all seems rather fake and undesirable. The fact that it's built in a dust bowl adds to the intrigue of it. I wonder if I would move to Vegas for career, if I ever do make it as a standup comedian. Hm.

I've been to Vegas before, but variables always change the picture - such as the company, the length of time and the hotel. I didn't get to the Grand Canyon this time due to a cockup on my part (like booking the WRONG FREAKIN DATE), but I think Wendy and I had a very pleasant Christmas in Vegas, just enjoying the company, the sights and the various little things that make Vegas what it is. And the Factory Outlet shopping on Boxing Day definitely rocked. :) I enjoyed it - shopping is fun now, especially when you have an encouraging girlfriend. :D

We spent 3 whole days in Vegas, and a 6 hour trip and a short quarrel didn't dampen the mood as we checked into the Luxor. I always wanted to stay at the Luxor (and the price wasn't bad either) but the room seemed a little smaller than I'd hoped and I guess the adage that familarity breeds contempt holds true - It was nice but not particularly fantastic, and our lock broke down the last day we were there, making us stay up till about 3 as they tried to repair the lock. The beds were mighty comfortable though, and I liked the McDonald's there for the cheap food. :p

Vegas is a lot of show and spectacle, but we didn't get to see much shows while we were there - no time, no money and no prebooking. The next stop, if we ever go back, should be Bellagio or Venetian - though Macau awaits and maybe we'll go to the Venetian there first just to see what it's like. :) Oh, and the Grand Canyon awaits too, hopefully with Tris remembering to book the right day this time round. :(

Oh, one more thing about Vegas: It's filled to the brim with ASIANS. Asian people all abound and around. Nyargh. The lifts were routinely filled with Asian people of all ilk, with pale skinners forming a small minority. Often, there were Chinese Japanese Korean Indian etc etc filling up the lobby, the buffet (especially) and the factory outlet (which was no surprise, but still). If you do not want to be plunged into little Asia, do not go to Vegas by any means. You'll feel right at home. :p

Our room - 2 queen beds on the side of the Pyramid. Cool huh. :)

This was the fresco-like thingie in our room. Pretty cool huh.

The view from our window - Nice Sphinx and Obelisk eh. :)

The view from the other side of the room: We were over the Atrium level and got a nice view of the restaurants, and the pretty Pyramid that sat in the middle of the floor.

Wendy enjoying her desserts at the More Buffet - not half bad, and pretty good price. Too much fakey Chinese food though. :p

Wendy outside Luxor. Our room was somewhere below the World I think.

Tris trying to be a Sphinx.

Us outside Excalibur, the castle-themed resort next door.

New York New York, with the insanely slow roller coaster. And I mean slow as in 'see-what's-coming' slow.

Me being stupid. Not as stupid as the PRC woman outside Greyhound trying to imitate the Greyhound, but not far off. :p

The MGM Grand, on the other side of the road from Luxor.

Us outside Monte Carlo's fountain. Well, we think it is but memory proves fallible. :p

Paris - a hotel I didn't see 2 years ago.

A pecan reindeer staring at me in the Bellagio.

The very pretty Christmas decor in the Bellagio.

PCD slot machine! PCD Lounge, sadly, was closed on 25th Dec and closed early on Dec 26th. The evil evil bastards! -rargh- And we didn't go to LAX either because of the faulty lock mechanism.

The Imperial Palace, complete with a karaoke lounge inside! Didn't get to see it though.

Me at a fountain... Somewhere. Think it was Caesar's Palace.

Wendy outside the Mirage.

The ostentatious boastful Wynn resort, named after Steve Wynn himself. How humble.

The fountain outside Wynn.

My girlfriend holding ball(s) at the Wynn Hotel.

The view from the upper floor at the Venetian Resort.

The false daylight inside the Venetian. Vegas has this weird trick of confusing you whether it's day or night - Everytime I walked out of the Luxor room I got super confused as to whether I had woken up or if I'd gone to bed.

Us and the female gondolier in the Venetian - a bit silly but a fun experience. :)

The corridor inside the Venetian.

Random Elvis impersonator across the road.

The light shining from the top of the Luxor.

Rumjungle @ Mandalay Bay - Weird ass music, but ended up as our sole clubbing experience.

Us inside Rumjungle.

The trapeze act inside Rumjungle - Amazingly flexible women performing insane stunts above the bar. Only plus point. Minus points include no free drinks and crappy music and too many Asians.

Lion inside MGM Grand - apparently these are the offspring of the original roaring lion you see at the beginning of them MGM films.

Cheesecake Factory's Chicken n' Biscuits... Tasteless and not good, or even decent. Do not eat under any circumstances.

But the Cheesecakes are to die for - Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake, HEAVENLY. Amazing. Delicious. Did I say to die for?

Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. Great if you like Chocolate, but somehow I was kinda gelat. But a good cake too. :D

Us outside the Bellagio.

The fountain show to 'Time to Say Goodbye' by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. Amazing show, amazing time, and a beautiful way to end off the Vegas tour. :)

Day 4, 5 - San Diego + Day 6 - Back to LA

2008-01-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

I like San Diego - it's a small city with a growing vibrancy that I could feel when I entered it, and the feeling I got was that the city was just about ready to make its jump. It has nice tropical weather, it's got a great view of the bay, it has many museums concentrated in the same area, and it wasn't dark and dangerous like LA at night felt.

That all said, I do not like the San Diego Zoo. For all its fame and... er, fame, it really wasn't a great experience. Too much walking, too little interesting exhibits and too much conservation to be tourist-friendly. The Singapore Zoo does a great job of encouraging kids and adults alike to be interested in animals, both through shows and by easily-accessible exhibits and showcases. The San Diego Zoo, I think, strives to create a natural habitat, but this disregards human limitation and seems to forget that human interest needs to be kept. Way disappointing - the only nice thing was a cable car ride over the Zoo, which was pretty sweet. So my recommendation - go to the Singapore Zoo, it's a hell lot more fun.

I much preferred SeaWorld - that was a fun experience, and the whole park creates a familial and fun atmosphere which encourages people to go out and have fun, while learning more about marine animals, as well as spending time with them. It was much more enjoyable, and I didn't mind the long trek out (it's much further from downtown San Diego than Balboa Park). That's how a theme park ought to be. :)

Wendy and I also had a great last day in LA - thank you both for a wonderful trip to Venice Beach and sharing a sunset with us. Friendships and enmities are made over such small graces - and I dare say Wendy and I are forever thankful for this small kindness that sparked some of the best moments of our West Coast tour. Thank you both. :)

And as always, photos from the abovementioned leg:

SAN DIEGO ZOO

That's me on the PSP - a very common theme that recurred throughout the trip. :p

A panda named Sulin!

And the said bear, sleeping. Much like my real life Sue Lyn. :p

The wonderful English of the San Diego Zoo. WTF?

The skinniest polar bear ever. Ever ever ever.

Me on the SkyRide - the sole highlight of the Zoo trip. The view was really amazing.

My beautiful girlfriend. :)

Camels rushing to eat. I'd never seen a camel run till I saw this exhibit - where the camel literally flomped over to eat from a bucket. Some PRCs stalked us from this point, and we had a tough time shaking off the scent. :p

Koala Bear! Affinity for bears, don't ask me why.

Elephant! -makes elephantine noise-

My girlfriend with the elephant, who walked away just as we took this shot. :p

Feeding Time! -growl-

Outside SD Zoo with the grass elephant.

I look maniacal because we couldn't get this shot right. :p

SAN DIEGO SEAWORLD

Us at the Shamu show "Believe". Just when we arrived too! :)

Yup, that's a killer whale flying / jumping. I'm amazed too.

Yes, I didn't know a human could do that with a killer whale either. Impressive.

Dolphin Feeding Pool - you actually get to rub the dolphin's nose, which was cool. I'd put the Devil Ray shots too, but we couldn't get a good view, though we did get a good feel of the rays. :)

And at that point, both Wendy and I wanted to eat stingray. :(

Sealion! -makes sealion sound-

A cute shot with me and the sealion.

Ditto, but with a prettier face in lieu. :)

Wendy. No, whoops, sorry, sleeping fur seal. Sometimes hard to tell the difference. :p

The cute Sealion / Seal / Otter show. :)

Walruses and seals dancing. Amazing huh.

The Dolphin show - Nice set, nice presentation, generally well done, and a nice cap to the experience. I liked it. :)

Penguin Enclosure. -waddle-

This reminded me of a BBC conference, if you can see the 4 penguins standing about gossiping. :P

Wendy's! Right outside the bus station. And the burgers are simply the best, no question about it. :)

Rodeo Drive / Beach

The chao atas Rodeo Drive - I have officially been inducted into the too-expensive lifestyle and am in love with Roberto Cavalli's stuff. :)

You have no idea how long this took to get right. :p But turned out pretty nicely no? :)

Beautiful beach, beautiful times. :)

My girlfriend being as glam as we all know she can be. :p

Beautiful view of the moon as the sun began to set.

My attempted emo nemo picture. :p

The view of Santa Monica as the sun went down.

I like this shot the best. :) Beautiful and expressive and just very very pretty. :D
Our hopes and our dreams, as the tears and fears of yesterday get washed away in a glow of pure light.

Day 2+3 - Disneyland, Anaheim

2008-01-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

This will be the first of a series of insane updates. Again, you could and probably should blame me, so I promise to feel adequately chastised if and when you do. -blush- Incidentally, Happy New Year y'all, and may the Good Lord watch over you and grant you much happy tidings for 2008.

Disneyland itself was pretty amazing - my initial skepticism thawed as we explored and walked about it, and I had to concede it was pretty fun indeed. Space Mountain was particularly enjoyable (way beating the Mummy Ride from Uni Studios), but I also had much fun at Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruises and the Peter Pan ride. I don't know if I can say I felt like a child again, but for 2 days I was lost in a cornucopia of kiddish fun, and every moment was beautiful and lovely. :) Even the rain on the 1st day didn't dampen our spirits one bit.

California Adventure Park, on the other hand, was a little confused for its own good. It was neither here nor there, I didn't particularly enjoy anything in it and the rides were too scary for me. Yes, I be a coward - so I be very thankful my girlfriend loves me anyway. :D

That said, here are some photos from the trip:

Us and Minnie Mouse - Mickey never stopped for a photo with us. :(

The castle that greets you as you hit Disneyland Centre Circle - amazing.

Just had to take right. :p Outside the Peter Pan boat ride which takes you in a flying boat over the Peter Pan sets - pretty amazing.

The "It's A Small World" attraction, a bit freaky and claustrophobic, but it was a nice boat ride. Mostly.

Toontown! Pretty cool fake skyscape. :)

Our First Car!

I got thrown in the Dog Pound after quarrelling. :'-(

Splash Mountain - I enjoyed this one to my own surprise.

The amazing light up at night - a pity we couldn't stay for the fireworks.

My girlfriend enjoying pancakes at IHOP - droolworthy and fluffy, these pancakes rock. Seriously rock.

It would appear that my initial skepticism was well founded. Ha!

Another view inside California Adventure Park.

With memories to last us a lifetime - Disneyland. Will be back someday I think. :)

Day 1 - Uni Studios + LA Kings

2007-12-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hi all, apologies for being so tardy in updating. The weather has been kind, the girlfriend has been sweet and the travel has been engaging to the point where I haven't had time to breathe. :) Plus, no internet so, no updates. Till now! :D Am currently in San Diego while my girlfriend lies on the bed and nua's and mulls on the events to come. Ah, bliss. :p

Anyhow, Los Angeles has been a pleasant experience thus far - bar the little trouble at the hostel where they asked for a voucher I didn't get. That was sorted out pretty quickly though, thank goodness, but no more booking through statravel, life is a lot easier through expedia. :)

Day 1 - Universal Studios
Our trip began with a sojourn to Universal Studios - a little delayed due to the check-in problems, but it turned out a pretty good time for us. Bus drivers in LA are tremendously helpful and knowledgeable, and without them we'd probably have been so lost and gone. Shortcuts, connections, direction - you name 'em, they got 'em. :)

Uni Studios was a bit small, and the attractions weren't that great. That said, the studios tour was pretty fun, and the Special Effects tour was hosted by an amazingly funny fellow - completely gay, completely bitchy, and thus completely amusing. I strongly recommend it. :) Thankfully, the studios were pretty quiet so we didn't have to fight with too many folks. :) No glimpse of anyone famous, but it was a nice day. :)

We ended off with a trip downtown to the Staples Center where we watched the LA Kings get their butt kicked by the Colorado Avalanche. Pretty bad, and I don't fully get ice hockey yet, but it was an experience. :)

We found ourselves in Hollywood proper, and took a short walk around the Walk of Fame. Quite pretty, though we were amused to find that we were walking on it because it was so freaking nondescript.

That's a bank. Only in Hollywood folks, only in Hollywood. :)

NBC Universal Office, right outside Uni Studios.

Us at the entrance with that famous-ish globe.

Me being a Rhinestone Cowboy.

One of them houses on Wisteria Lane I think.

A set from War of The Worlds - quite impressive.

Us at the Xmas tree, complete with film reels!

Me and Beetlejuice. I think he has better skin.

Wendy being vain. :p

Me and Dracula. Who hit on my girlfriend later, rargh.

Staples Center at night. Nice huh.

Team in white beats team in black. People whine. Story of hockey. :)

So that's it so far for the trip, shall update about Disneyland when I next can get a connection. :) Have a great hols y'all.

2007-12-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Still alive y'all. Apologies for the lack of updates, have been busy with exams. Girlfriend has arrived to take care of me!

She couldn't recognize me initially but hey! We all get fat during exchange. -looks about hopefully-

Am burnt out now so let me post some photos to keep you happy. :p

As you can see, much of our life has revolved around eating. :p More pics from tomorrow when we go out gai gai, after my wonderful girlfriend spent a whole week just cooking. Amazing. :)

Ok, off to bed now I think. -yawn- Inexplicably tired. -yawns again-

Ontarian Thanksgiving

2007-11-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

The season of Thanksgiving is one for people to be thankful, to reminesce on the good of the year gone by, to keep warm with family by the fireplace, to sing silly songs and to laugh at American Natives for helping them survive through winter. Not much thanks are given nowadays, with most looking forward to turkey and post-sales rather than the day. I, conversely, had much to be thankful for as I spent an awesome 4 days with my boys and with Singaporeans - and this post is dedicated to them. :)

Day 1: 22nd November
Touched down in Toronto a few minutes past midnight, having endured an hour's delay in Chicago due to the incoming snowstorm. After another hour's wait in Pearson Airport, I boarded my van and embarked on my 2 hour trip towards London. The trip itself, thankfully, was uneventful and I slept in the minibus.

Was received at London Hall by Kong and Hu, who took me up to Kong's apartment where we spent the best part of 3 hours just talking rot, jacking each other and 3rd parties, and basically catching up the good ol' BBC way (despite what Alan insists). We talked till 6 am, and Kong had school barely hours later - so to sleep we went.

I was woken up by a phone call and the sight of snow outside the window - it was really really pretty as the landscape was covered with a thin blanket of white. After lunch with Alan, I returned to Kong's room and we did what we boys do with each other all the time:

We studied. :p Don't know what your perverse mind was thinking of, rargh.

Dinner was a 9-dollar cab ride to Swiss Chalet (after attempts to eat bigger meat failed, sadly) - a rotisserie much like Kenny Roger's, but with tastier baked fries. We nearly froze our butts off trying to find another cab - not for lack of layering but because the wind picked up, and Tris made the unforgettable comment, "I don't think it's worth freezing my ass off for this 'I Love My Friends' shit." Indeed. :)

The night was spent watching Bleach, talking more rubbish, attempting to study and crafting our CDs for our impending roadtrip.

Alan outside Perth Hall // The stadium behind London Hall // Me // The view from Kong's window

Kong being manly and domestic...

While Alan wusses out on the couch.

Day 2: 23rd November
Joined the boys at Center Spot for lunch at the UCC in Western, with my first tase of poutine. It is surprisingly good, and pretty addictive - fries with cheese and gravy, you can't complain or ask for much more. :p

I was then taken around the Western campus. One thing: It doesn't really feel like a university, though the buildings are classical (well, most anyway, excepting the boxy library) - I can't explain it, but perhaps I'm used to tall buildings bunched up together, whether it be NUS or UW. Anyway, it was nice walking about the campus and just observing, playing with the snow and enjoying the company. :)

The views of UWO. :)

Requisite 'Us' shots - And yes, we are cocksters.

After chilling (in every sense of the word), we left London Hall at about 5 and met up with the other Singaporeans. Our party of 8 were: Jen, Zizi, Yan Liang, Leon Yie and Rebecca - Malaysian Doctor, Chinese Biz Student, Singaporean Applied Math, Singaporean Singaporean. (sorry la forgot their majors. :p) Rebecca joined our car, and we embarked on a pulsating 2 hour drive, completed by excellent soundtracks. Namely, rock and 80's music aka mambo madness WAHAHAHA.

Dinner was at a Chinese buffet at Fallsview Casino, and we got to see the Falls by night, and we did a bit of walkies through the town. Niagara really is a mini-Vegas, but somehow lacks the pizzazz and madness that is Las Vegas for some reason. Anyhow, the night was ours to enjoy and the brothers enjoyed it as we know how: Beer and conversation. Great times, great times. :)

Fallsview Casino // The view at night in Niagara // The Falls at night

A shot at -3 degrees - Freezing butts off // The Skywheel // Group Shot! // Yes, I had to. Obligation right. :p

Day 3: 24th November
After a breakfast buffet near Niagara, we set off for Niagara-On-The-Lake, in particular a winery tour in Peller Estates. Having been to a winery tour, this wasn't much new but for 2 facts:

1) Canadian wineries do more ice wine than in Washington, understndably.
2) Presence of attractive Asian females made trip much more worth being at WAHAHAHA. :p No pictures of them though, I apologise.

Peller Estates Winery: Fireplace-Lobby // Us listening to the dude // Grapes and grapes and grapes // The view of the main building

Brothers be a Photowhore:
Alan showing us snow // Kong showing us... Kong // Us trying to be macho amidst fcold weather // Us at the winery in front of the grapes. :)

We then hit the 'town' proper of Niagara-On-the-Lake, and it is the cutest little town ever: It's so quaint, very 'sweet' and just so classical European it's hard to avoid awwing at it. :) Very cute place.

See? Cute little town that resembles something out of a travel magazine.

After a bit of holdover in Missisauga, we found our way to Toronto, somehow got out of the jam, and chilled and relaxed in an apartment provided for by Stanley, Kong's exchange buddy. Really nice dude - he's going to Singapore for exchange next sem, so please look for him y'all. :)

The night was completed by our gay antics and us amusing the rest of the Singaporean folk. :p

Day 4: 25th November
Our day, literlly, started with a bang as we got tickets (again, provided by Stanley) to a Toronto Raptors game at the Air Canada Center. The Raptors beat the Bulls 93-78, but more impressive than that was just the atmosphere, the pace and the feel of the game. It was pretty darn awesome to be there. :)

Various views and shots of the Air Canada Center.

Brothers be a Photowhore II:
Alan // Us attempting to look stupid // Requisite Dumb Shot // Final Score!

We then went downtown proper to meet Chor, who seemed glad enough to see us, and in an even better mood as we began jacking and insulting and burning with glee - like we like to do. :) Thanks dude - it was an excellent 3 hours and it was the best way to spend time in Toronto. :)

Us outside City Hall.

Views of Toronto: CN Tower // The Christmas tree in Eaton // The ice skating rink at City Hall // Skyline shot

Our journey ended with dinner at Restoren Malaysia - which wasn't very satisying but you gotta roll with what you got - and that was what we had to last us through before we return in 7 months, sigh.

So, at the end of my journey, I have but these to say:
1) I love Canadians. They don't carry a chip on the shoulder like Americans and are much more pleasant and nice. Honest to goodness.

2) I like Toronto. Asian girls abound who look back and with a skyline like that - feels just like home. :)

3) I am thankful for friends - they become your family when you're abroad all alone, literally. I have no complaints with my time and with my company - only that it could've been longer.

And now, back to the grind. Sigh. :( Happy Thanksgiving all - and always be thankful for what you do have. :)

Tris Learns To Liquorize

2007-11-18T21:39:00.000-08:00

And back to another instance of Tris' exciting travels around and about the state of Washington. I probably should've gotten more studying done - but in my defence there's always tomorrow. :p Tuesday is the crunch day of the week, and getting past Thursday is the 2nd struggle - Monday I do just fine, thank you very much. :)

Today, FIUTS led a bunch of intrepid explorers across the Great Lake to a little rural enclave, known as Woodinville. This is but a photolog of the events that unfolded.

Chateau St-Michele - the Winery

The very pretty facade of the Winery. It had a fakey French name although it was run and started by locals, which Matt (the senior who very kindly drove us there. But having been in urban state forever, this was a nice change. :)

Now, I'm not judging or drawing conclusions, BUT... Well, there are 2 groups... And a clear difference as to the composition of them. I leave you to conclude.

Pwetty Chwistmas twee! :) I like.

The bottling setup. We had a pretty nice walkthrough, but it being Sunday, most stuff wasn't up and running.

The tour guide (shit, forgot her name) introducing us to the Washington winery map - apparently WA is a nice place to grow grapes as it's on the 46th parallel - the same latitude (or is it longtitude?) as Bordeaux and Burgundy.

The fermenting / processing vats. The area was fcold (or is that fold?) as they were slowing down the yeast such that it would ferment slowly.

The oak barrels that held wine - this was a literal warehouse full of the stuff. Amazing.

A random cage I found and decided to take a picture with. I didn't get as good a shot as I wanted - but I got a laugh from the cute French/Spanish/Russian/European girl which was rewarding enough. :p BUT, I never got more than that from her. :p

The gift shop.

ME AND MAH MAIN MAN THE... Er. Wine gnome. It was just cute, sitting there.

The random peacock that turned up from nowhere.

All in all, the winery tour was nice, especially when we were taught how to taste wine. The steps are... Simple 'nuff: Check the clarity and colour; sniff; aerate (swirling to add air); sniff again with mouth slightly open; sip. :) Enjoy! It was less informative than one might expect (me thinking back to my trip to the Gardenia factory, for instance) but it was fun tasting wine and hanging out.

Red Hook Brewery
This was just across the street - apparently Woodinville is chockful with breweries and wineries, at least 30 of them within the small area. Pretty cool.

We had lunch there, and friendly conversation around the table ensued. We were (as one might expect) pan-Asian: 1 Singaporean 1 Thai 2 Taiwanese 2 Japanese 2 Korean. Pretty nice as we talked about our experiences and the like.

The tour itself was a mite strange - we were ushered into this small room, each given a small glass (wider than a shot glass) and told our programme: 1 beer, history of Brewery; 1 beer, brewing process; 1 beer, fermentation; 1 beer, bottling; last beer, end of tour. And all this occurred in the small room we were in, never going very far and exploring the brewery, quite bloody amusing.

I like Winterhook! Though no one agreed on which of the 5 different ones they liked the most. :)

Brewing Vats - through a glass pane from the aforementioned room. :)

In the adjoining room, a view of the fermentation vats. Again, cold as heck.

Bottling Process - it was pretty cool to watch the bottles going about. We were in luck apparently, bottling was usually just Monday and Tuesday but they had an extra batch to send out, so we were in luck. :)

Piyawat, my Thai friend who's a LLM and is working at Baker & McKenzie Bangkok.

From left to right:
Lulu, Taiwanese; Betty, Taiwanese; Nobuko (and for those wondering - a different Nobuko. What are the chances?), Japan; Drunk boy; Akane, Japan who can HOLD her liquor - I was impressed. She makes Pet look like me. :p

So all in all, it was a pretty fun way to spend the day. :) Capped perfectly with my ice wine, and the Texans winning. :) It was a good Sunday - now to pack for Toronto. :D Yes, this Thanksgiving is shaping to be a very nice one. :)

Vets' Day Weekend Delight

2007-11-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

Let me state first: I don't agree with Veterans' Day. It honours people who died in wars, and while they deserve respect, it glorifies war and makes it seem like it's ok and it's all cool. Especially when shops give glorious sales that even I find hard to avoid. :p

That said, the break is a nice one, and I got a little more done with it than I would've on an ordinary weekend. So a short breakdown of me weekend.

Friday
I accomplished zilch in the day, I believe. Except washed towels and my weekly wonder of conversation with Wendy. I did miss a Duwamish trip, but I wasn't quite in the mood to go anyhow - feel a bit bad for it now, but I shall assess a backlash (if any) on Tuesday.

Nonetheless, the focus was at night, when I went for the FIUTS Pub Quiz. A lot less crowded than the less time and a lot less internationally-represented, but it was pretty fun. I ended up making a lot of noise and making a fool of myself, but it's all cool - I still think I was funnier than the emcee and the guys at my table. :p

The only sour point of the evening was the French-Canadian dude who leaned between me and Nobuko (over my shoulder too) and began chatting her up - without saying hi or pretending to be friendly with me. I wasn't irritated that he was chatting up my date - but I'd gone to be friendly and he could've done the same especially when I had smiled and tried to initiate conversation with him initially. Bastard.

ANYWAY, dinner with Nobuko was pretty nice - I think she's feeling more comfy with me now, more willing to open up and share with me. We talked about a whole range of topics, and it was pretty nice. :) The food was good, and she taught me some Japanese hurhur. :p Pretty fun la.

Saturday
Did a bit of work, BUT BUT I got this photo to share with you folks:

This is the neighbour's cat, whom I just had a meow-off with from my window. It lounges about on the grassy patch between the houses (this picture was taken from my window). Initially it seemed scared of me, and I thought it was a stray.

Recently though, it's been awfully friendly, rubbing up against me and even rolling about and exposing its belly to me - which apparently is a sign of trust. And pawing me to get me to rub it I think. BUT the first time I sayang'd it it bit me, so I remain a little wary. But it makes me happy in an odd way, by just making me feel comfortable by being comfortable.

So. My pussy. :p At night it just meows for no reason though - so we have meow offs till it gets tired. It's... Bizarrely amusing.

Sunday
Today's weather held out nicely, as I met up with the visiting-from-Vancouver Lynn. I wouldn't say we did very much in terms of 'objectives' (like seeing monuments or shit) but it was just nice spending time with her and getting to go through Seattle as we ended up doing. Pretty nice, and friends from home who you're familiar with are so much better than the new ones in that the stories are all already there and there's a comfort in the boundaries and space that you just know. It was really really fun for me. :)

Experience Music Project + Science Fiction Museum. This would probably have been more impressive if we were music or sci-fi buffs, but while I enjoyed the sci-fi thing more, neither of us were geeky enough to appreciate the whole whoa-ness of it. :)

One of the quaint buildings on Capitol Hill - Loveless, I believe they called it. :)

Thanks female - you got me out of my house on a Sunday and it was nice spending time with a friend from home. :) It was a lotta fun and very much appreciated - and the walking will be good for me in the long run hoho.

So, my weekend in a short post. Thank God for His little mercies - they keep us going like nought else can, and keep us reaching where our strength fails. :)

Tris' Embarrassing Photolog

2007-11-10T22:35:00.000-08:00

I don't quite know how to characterise it, so I shall try to say it straight.

Of all the things I miss most, I'd have to say it's the opportunity to take stupid photos in strange places. It provides a chance to look back long after the event has passed, a chance to be inspired by whatever happened at the time of the photo, and the comforting knowledge that in that small part of the screen, deep within the crevasses of your mind, that part of your life is indelibly marked and will never change.

I don't know if that's comforting, but it certainly is rewarding when you take the effort to look through the pictures, dig them out, and take a look at them. :)

Like this photo:

It's not just a photo of me with a limp wrist, or me getting a nickname that I've done nothing to disprove, or even an embarrassing shot.

It's a mark, a rallying point (for me anyway), a beginning and a watershed point for what essentially remains my core group of friends, around which we gathered and have more-or-less maintained and stuck around. It might make me look lousy, but it makes me smile everytime I see it. :) Can't ask for much more eh.

Amazingly though, nothing's changed:

I can assure you after last night's Pub Quiz that I still turn as red, hurhur. :)

And I think this is the worst. Besides V-Day 2007, this was the absolute worst-est drunk session. Tris hugged Porcelain Goddess to sleep that night - thanks abang, your hopsitality really made the difference. (I shall ignore the fact that it was going to your place at all that night was what made me that drunk)

Of course, my friends also look the same, no matter how much time has passed:

Pet has the exact same look on her face when I grin. Hoho. :p

Yeah, he was pretty cute at the time huh. :p

But it's not just the faces, it's the events, the things you look at and think about, the incident that sparks your mind and brings you back to the flashpoint of incidence. It's amazing how well the mind works with stimuli:

I remember staying up, unable to sleep, literally staring at the ceiling and going running in the morning at 445 am on someone's advice.

I remember trying to fit into someone's uniform, and how everyone switched everything around just to find uniforms that fit.

I remember getting to the house early and staying in the bathroom for close to 2 hours just putting that on, and how I freaked the hell out of everyone that night. How admissions were made over Cafe Boheme and how life became so much more complex and so much easier at one shot.

I remember losing at bowling, haha. I also remember having to cover for friends, having to go to town with them on the pretext of being friendly and somewhat-extra, and asking if hands were being held after we watched a movie that represented us. Not that I minded - chaperoning is actually pretty fun, especially when one has to create excuses on the fly why you are out with 1 guy and 1 girl. :p

I remember spending 5 amazing days with friends, taking care of these awesome kids and well, nagging and even scolding them, hurhur.

I remember a week of Rainbow Channel, Future Star, failed clubbing, karaoke, getting sick as heck and being sponged down by my roommate... But also cool weather, gorgeous girls, new sights and wonderful company.

This is how big we've gotten (both in terms of group size AND belly size. :p) - and while this is just the girls, the group of people I daresay I can count on, message randomly and know will be there for me.

And of course: Moot court, Secret Pals, Gin Rummy, Dbl O, Riverside Point after Bakerzin, D606, and the litany of wonderful memories that have come thereafter. Yeah, we look like crap here - but I love you regardless. :)

And a picture of my family, I realise I don't have nearly enough to keep me going, but this is but one which I do have:

So, a photo montage of my life - I tried to choose the crappiest pics, but forgive me if they look ok. :p A last shot, to symbolise my philosophy about phototaking:

There's always something outside the window. :p

To everyone who's appeared in any photo I've taken: Love you all deeply, thanks for being a part of my life, and as Pet says, more photowhoring to come in the years ahead. :)

A Quick Escape

2007-11-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

I decided to take a short walk today about UW in the afternoon, both to attempt to sign up for Friday's Pub Quiz and to take pictures for my Dad the kampung boy. And these are but some of the lovely pictures as we move from Fall into Winter. Apologies that the shots are so few, my batteries gave out, but this is a short escape after all.

Many trees were dark red, in this pretty pretty way.

Change comes swiftly to those who stand in its way.

I tried to capture the contrast between the lush green and the bald tree - I only hope I succeeded. :p

The juxtaposition between nature and created - Peace and war, acceptance and rejection.

A bit philo today larh, sorry. :p Also, should be taking Int'l Crim Law, Int'l Relations and waiting on ADR and Legis + Pub Policy. Wish me luck. (and maybe French if I can wake up for it and 'see how it goes'. :p) And no, I couldn't register for the Pub Quiz, if you were wondering. Tomorrow perhaps.

Halloween II

2007-11-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

Well, my Halloween weekend was a horror of epic proportions. Allow Tris to recap.

1) My computer DIED on me on Thursday. As in, just died and went up to that great computer heaven in the sky.

Which sent me on a frantic mission to try and get a computer. Which, thank God, I do now. Also wanna thank my darling-est poo for being a sweetheart and staying on the phone with me for 4 hours, over 2 of which were just trying to get directions and order the bloody computer.

-muah- Thank you poo! Sorry that our Anniversary became an online hunt - but you make it all worthwhile with your soft sibilant voice and your lovely laugh that makes all the irritation fade pretty quickly. :) Happy 1st Year poo!

2) Followed Kong's advice (HAHAHA, kidding dude - was gonna go anyway) and went to get plastered and pasted for Halloween. Which turned out a kind of disappointment - though I expected it. Suffice to say, not enough beer, too weird a costume, and too little company made the night one to forget. It was fun in fits and starts, but not enough to make it a great night.

3) I failed my Driving Test - and at the knowledge stage too. How sad can I be?

So, a horrid 3 days thus far. Here's hoping Sunday will be better - though it probably won't. Sigh. :(

Tris' Halloween

2007-11-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

So, I present to you MY Halloween - first spent at a movie which made me get sick, and then spent at a friend's house playing trivia games and laughing at ourselves as we drank and ate and enjoyed company. Pretty sweet. :)

The Movie

The movie was fsick. And I don't mean that in ANY conceivable positive sense. It was just sick. Too much blood, too much gore, too much cutting for the sake of it, and not a great movie.

It was my attempt to celebrate Halloween with Nobuko (the Jap girl I'm hanging out with) - Dinner at Thai-ger was nice, but I either ate too much or the gore got to me - and we ended up having to leave the movie halfway because I could not continue watching and was -><- this close to puking. How sad is that right. So too bad for me - but not a loss per se since I got to go home and sleep early. :p Gotta enjoy what you have.

Games Night
The group was pretty diverse: 3 Afghan professors, 3 Danish folk - 1 who was Iranian, and another who was Pakistani, 3 Taiwanese and 1 random Singaporean. I think I shared Ati (my awesome host)'s worry that the humour would not translate and we would be in a room with people who were lost to each other.

That fear quickly evaporated when everyone started jacking and laughing at each other over our Trivia games, pizza and beers. We played 2: The 1st was a Danish game known as "Close Enough is Good Enough", where we would be asked a question and the group with the closest answer would get points. Well, basic concept anyway, a lot more nuances in the actual gameplay. We were broken up into pairs, and my team actually led for a while... But we didn't win in the end hurhur.

We also played Trivia Pursuit for the 1980's - and it was hilarious how my group got completely lost and I was the only one answering the questions, hurhur. So much for being "too young for the game". :p

All in all, very fun night with NO studying but a lot of fun and enjoyment and laughter. :) To the next Games Night! And to friendship - where you can spend a night simply but still enjoy the best of times. :)

Me and Eddie - really really cute fuzzy wuzzy dog. :)

Trivia Pursuit - Group 1...

And Group 2

Starting from the left clockwise: Omar (Ati's hubby), Luc (Taiwanese exchange), Rahimi (Afghan professor), Omar's brother whose name I can't remember, Haroon (Afghan prof), Naseh (Afghan prof), Ethan (Taiwanese LLM), Wendy (Taiwanese LLM), Ati (my classmate) and The Fat One. :p

So that was my Halloween - still stuck for costume ideas for a party this Saturday. Anyone? :p

Course Selection

2007-10-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

A short note about course selection for next quarter:

WAAAHHHH LAAAAUUUUU EEEEHHHHHHHH.

-ahem- Basically, I'm having a host of problems on course selection for next quarter, because the home faculty has requested I do 14 credits a quarter. Because as everyone knows, 40 / 3= 13.3, and thus we shall round up to 14. And maybe up to 16.

Note, it's not 14 overall, it's 14 per quarter, which means, 14 X 3= 42. So I have to spend 2 extra hours in school per week. I don't remember spending 20 hours in NUS a week, but that's not important, is it? And what about the fact that even Masters' Students only need to do 10 credit hours? Uh, not important either.

Yes, I'm a tinge gripey. I'm not complaining much, but the legislated minimum seems to have been done without consultation of UW or an analysis of the facts. I could be wrong, and the course load isn't that bad - but it's a lot more than a normal JD student might be doing, and it's causing problems with next quarter.

Which basically is this: I cannot dig out enough credits to hit the 14 for next quarter. I haven't asked about overloading yet, but I seriously doubt that overloading for Spring is a good idea - namely because the reading is going to kill me before I even get started. Eeps.

The problems are basically this:
1) Insufficient subjects - Most of the subjects here are Year 1 subjects - Contract, Torts, etc. I could do them, but what would be the point? There are Health subjects which I'll probably end up taking, but still. Not the best range of topics per se. And most of the subjects I would've done got taken from me this year. Oh, the agony. :(

2) Insufficient Credit - For some reason, most of the courses are 3 credits instead of 4, which means I need to do more to hit the 14. Suffice to say - that's not much fun, is it.

3) Inability to do another Faculty - This was probably more my fault than anyone else's. I didn't realise that I could take a language course - and now that I want to, I didn't realise that I have restrictions on the courses I can take, because they come with prerequisites. Suffice to say, it's gonna be a pretty fun time as I try to find one, just one, course in another faculty that I might be able to take.

A language would be swell, but as I realised, I had to have started from Autumn. Damn! :(

I think it's not really a problem to do 14, and I've managed to slack off and have fun while keeping up decently with my work. I think I just am getting lazy. So there. Ha! Eat that!

I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore. :(

WrestleFanFest 2007

2007-10-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

Back from San Francisco, to the cold comfort of home and to a mixed reaction to the event from my side. It was... Interesting, to say the least. Allow me to run down the manner in which it went AND broke down.

Day 1
I arrived in San Fran nice and early, having left Seattle at 6 am and touching down at 8 am - something I shall NEVER do again because frankly, I don't get enough sleep and as it turned out, it made no difference whatsoever.

I reached the hotel at about 9, and proceeded to try to check in. Try being the operative word here. First off, my ticket collection was a BITCH because everyone conveniently ignored the little yellow dude. This guy in a wheelchair basically cut my queue and got served, as did everyone else. When I bashed to the front, the chick actually asked me if I was in line, whereupon I said, "Yeah, I actually came before the guy in the wheelchair." So That Was Fun.

Then when I tried to get my hotel room, the receptionist told me that though they had my name, they didn't have a room and that the wrestlers came first. Which was cool, but it got kinda irritating when 12 noon passed and I had developed an insane headache - and still no room. I took photos with some of the wrestlers, but even that wow was quickly overrun by fatigue and a migraine and irritation. I eventually got my room at 1, and hit the bed dead for 3 hours.

It quickly occurred to me when I hit the lobby after my nap that there was something going on that didn't smell good. For starters, some of the performers were in the lobby, pacing up and down and looking bewildered. After talking to some of the fans, it turned out that everyone had been waiting for transportation to the arena, and that wait had gone for a couple hours. It was kinda nice cos I got to talk to Traci Bingham (this Baywatch Playboy chick) and Gail Kim (this female wrestler), but I ended up waiting way too long, culminating in a "let's grab a cab" with this dude Alex, who was really friendly.

The event itself wasn't bad, with many stars signing autographs and taking photographs. BUT, I paid 500 bucks for this and I didn't get anything someone who'd paid 250, or even 199, wouldn't have gotten. No lines, no security, no control - everything was a mess and badly run. It was pretty cool seeing my fav wrestlers but even then, the lack of a promised 'free' shuttle and the helluva time trying to get my ticket and room. Whoo! Fun.

After all the walking and talking and merchandising (and a pretty fun Q&A with Eric Bischoff), the wrestling event was on, and it was... Pretty crap for the most parts. Which is what you get when you put on a "Legends" show with wrestlers who can barely move. The only good match was Kidman V/S Ultimo Dragon, and Great Muta in the final 3-way hardcore. If you care, ask me for results. :p

The night actually ended decently, as our shuttle (my Lord, there WAS one!) ran through downtown (to the supposed afterparty which DID NOT HAPPEN) and I watched kids dressed to the 9's and getting ready for a night out in town, i.e. clubbing, which I suddenly missed. -sigh- Anyhow, upon returning to the hotel I saw the wrestlers milling about in the bar, so I decided to go hobnob with them. Most were pretty grouchy because of the bartender and the screwups, but were nice enough to talk to me, and I and this indie wrestler named Luke Hawx hit it off very nicely. And I talked to Wendy when I was done, so all well and good, a nice end to a pretty bizarre day.

Day 2
Any belief on my side that the bumps of Day 2 would be ironed out... was quickly dashed when I went down and saw the exact same situation: Wrestlers sitting about while fans wondered how they were going to get to the Cow Palace. Taxis were not cheap - the previous time I'd gone down it had ratcheted to 40 dollars. After waiting for about 1 plus hours, we finally got bundled into a limo and made our way down.

It also became apparent during the course of the morning wait that the wrestlers were having a sit-down strike: The promoter's (guy who organises such events) checks had bounced and they had all been left high and dry. Besides the marquee stars, most hadn't been paid besides room and airfare (and even that's dubious for the lower card folk) and they needed the cash to pay bills. I felt a little sorry for them.

Anyhow, the couple hours spent there were neat, though I had to fork out cash to get the stuff I really wanted. Managed to use my pimpology skills to get a hug from Gail Kim who I think is incredibly hot (Oh Yeah. ;p), and watched on with amusement as Alex kept returning to buy shots with her. Big fan he is, but Charlie (another dude I met) and I just smiled on with amusement as he kinda whored himself out. Truth dude, it be but truth.

It was also cool to meet and get photos(and not actually have to pay for) with Nigel McGuinness and Chris Hero, 2 big Ring of Honor wrestlers who I have tremendous respect for.

Again, the night was waaaay better than the day, as I went to meet Kiat who I hadn't seen for half a year. We walked along Fisherman's Wharf as we talked shit, ribbed each other, and had a great time just being close friends who hadn't met for a while. Pretty awesome night - Thanks bro, for treating me to dinner and for spending the evening with me. :) Be good now, you know what I'm talking about. ;p

Had a drink at the bar again and hung out with Luke and Alex, before retiring early. I had walked a lot but the night was way worth it. :)

Day 3
I decided to wake up late and catch the football game on TV, which was pretty damn fun to watch as the Giants kicked the 49ers upside down. Went down at 12 - and met 3 other guys who'd been waiting for the shuttle too for the past hour. So, good on me that I watched the game huh.

After hanging about with Charlie and trying to get photos with Steve Austin (and deciding it wasn't worth it), we then got seats for the Ring of Honor show. It was... Okay, could've been a lot better though. Even the marquee event wasn't as good as some other openers I've seen. But my opinion.

Charlie left for the airport while I headed back to the hotel. Had dinner and hung out with Luke for a bit, which was pretty nice. I do agree with the view that i everything had gone on as it should've, I probably wouldn't have met a lot of the wrestlers in the capacity I did - even getting Luke's email and phone number. But on the flip side, if I'd gotten everything I paid for I doubt I'd be scrapping to find things to be happy about, no offence to my boy Luke who's an amazing dude.

Concluding Thoughts
1) Perhaps I was a complete noob when I approached this event. I suddenly see on the forum pages a lot of ragging from people who said, "Oh, this was so going to happen", "I met so-and-so and he gave me an autograph for free" and the like. I'm perhaps a bit pissed that these guys are ragging AFTER rather than BEFORE, like spreading word that people might be cheated etc. Also a bit sad that I didn't see it coming. Oh well.

2) The experience might've been a gyp but the individual moments were pretty fun, like meeting the female wrestlers and spending time with Luke, who I was a big fan of when I trail the independent circuit. They're all human like we are, so it was nice to get to know them on that level.

3) I'm thankful that at the end of it all, I came back a little wiser, a little more assured, and a little better for it, in some sense. So, in no order, I wanna thank:

- Luke Hawx, my main man, who made the whole event bearable
- Kiat, for meeting up and sharing the good ol' times
- The organisers, seriously, because they made it happen - even if badly
- The wrestlers who took pictures with us and performed
- and finally, my amazing girlfriend whose recent e-mails have proven that she's a keeper, and whom I adore muchly. :) -muah-

So, a photo collage of the event, of sorts:

San Fran, city of hope and dreams... For a while anyway.

Hotel Photos (left-right left-right): Luke Hawx my boy, The Great Muta with a cute cap, Al Snow looking like me taking a photo with my friends and Traci Brooks.

The gorgeous Francine who was sweet, the less friendly but still (big wow) Sunny, the amazing Father James Mitchell and the legendary Ultimo Dragon.

Eric Bischoff of WCW fame, really amusing chap.

Christian Cage the Instant Classic, The Sandman (who was, is and probably still is drunk), Gail Kim (who's really sweet and THE VICTIM OF MY PIMPOLOGYYYY) and Meanie and Molly. (a story behind that that... Needs to be told another time)

Myself and Kiat outside Ghirardelli Square.

My main boys from RoH: Nigel McGuinness, current RoH champion; Chris Hero and Larry Sweeney, my new favourite wrestler-manager; BRYAN DANIELSON (and I kinda babbled to him for a photo) and Jimmy Jacobs.

Final shot outside the Cow Palace.

So, an interesting story for the ages and one to look back and smile upon, once I get over the loss of money unnecessarily. -sigh- Ah well, back to work I go, I go. -whistles- :)

Seahawk Sunday

2007-10-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

Attended my first real live NFL game, and it was pretty awesome - even though the home team lost. Interestingly, the last time I attended a game the home team lost as well in a blowout (the Knicks against the Trailblazers in 2005) - perhaps I bring bad luck hurhur.

Anyhow, photos from the event at Qwest Field:

Shots of Qwest Field in downtown Seattle - beautiful stadium, excellent ambience and a great time for any fan.

Various shots from inside the stadium - This was pre-match, so it was understandably empty. Pretty awesome though.

Me inside the stadium, having my pic taken by a security dude.

The 'Qwest Field' Club, for snacks and drinks - with only an extra 95 bucks on your ticket! I know, I know.

The Saints post-huddle / The Saints stretching midfield a la NS / The Saints running up with my new fav player No. 99 in the bottom right / The Seahawks huddling before gametime

The Sea Gals, who get my respect for never stopping and always putting in 100% / The Guards of Honour march out the flags / The National Anthems of Canada and USA / Fireworks getting us started as the Seahawks emerge

Handshakes all about pre-game during the coin toss / Mack Strong flying the "12th Man" (Seahawk lingo for the fans) flag / Punting / Breaktime at Qwest

Funnily enough, a camera actually dropped from the wire and swung down, nearly taking out Matt Hasselbeck (the Seahawks quarterback) during the game. It swung by him and the match was delayed for 10 minutes. I found it especially amusing when the announcer was thanking the fans for our patience as people were booing and some were screaming profanities at said camera.

My attempt at action photos, with a Josh Brown field goal.

The Seahawks fans in full force at Qwest.

The night sky looked really gorgeous so I attempted to capture the moment.

Fans beginning to stream out when it was evident the Seahawks weren't going to win, and as the players shake hands and the fans left, I thought it prudent to take a last shot with the stadium that had given me 3 hours of fun, hoarseness and memories to last a while. :)

Thoughts About The Game:
- It had everything that a Saints fan wanted, but Seahawk fans were rightly pissed by the poor play of their team, with a poor running game and bad team decisions contributing to a 17-28 defeat. The Saints were good value for their win, Reggie Bush coming to the fore by rushing and receiving well throughout. To be fair, Shaun Alexander was pretty shit in rushing, gaining 1 to 3 yards only, so much so that a dude wearing an Alexander jersey took it off and threw it to the ground midway during the game. With this, Seattle goes to 3-3 while Saints get their 1st win of the season.

- American fans seem less serious about their sports than Europeans. Those crazy mofo's will toss up cars and set fire to shit - these dudes were jacking each other, sitting next to each other and laughing in their faces, and the worst thing that happened post-match was trying to get out of the crowd. Good to see some people who realise that sport really is just a game. :)

- I detest Kanye's West "Can't Tell Me Nothing", if that was indeed the song I heard on the radio during the match. They kept playing it and the freaky opera weirded me out. Don't listen to it, honestly.

Well, time to bed now, I'm really damn tired. Thanks to everyone who made the game enjoyable, and one to remember. :) Even if the halftime show with a wiener dog race was kinda retarded - everything was retarded in a good enjoyable way, so yay. :)

And I still haven't finished my readings for tomorrow, aich.

If Tris Can Cook...

2007-10-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

But he can't.

To be fair, I'm actually 1) amused at how everything turned out and 2) pleased that I actually could eat what I cooked. And 3) I'm quite full.

So, a chronicle of a disaster, of sorts.

Our protagonist pre-cooking. Not sure what to do, not sure where this will lead. So.

Rice! Problem was, too soggy, too wet, too much water. Forgot to rinse. Whole litany of problems - I'm just glad I could eat it. :)

Ingredients for a dis... I mean, complete meal. Of sorts la. I tried, ok. :p

I had to document this, I'd never seen a live capsicum before. Hurhur.

2 pretty yolks, 'La Choy' Soy sauce, and Tris employs what he calls "Chop Mix Fry Pray".

Wesson Oil. With oil, a stove and a pan, miracles sometimes occur.

The Garlice Dance! Tris waited a bit long for this to happen though.

So pristine! So fluffy! So perfect!

... Not. To be less harsh, I do like my omelette a little burnt. BUT I left this one a bit too long.

From right to left: Omelette, Rice and Backup Pasta. :p

At this point, I started laughing so hard I had to stop and take a picture. I don't know why I was amused, but I just was. Hur.

Complete Meal: Rice, Veg, Eggs. And something. Or other.

The Spoils of War.

And at this juncture, I must say thanks to my mum and dad who gave me tips on how to cook rice, my girlfriend for telling me I needed to cook the rice if I wanted fried Rice (maybe tomorrow, I cooked too much) and

TO ME FOR BUYING EGGS - They are a lifesaver, especially when you know nothing else.

Maybe in a few aeons down I'll try something complex. Like Tom Yum soup. :p That said, it was pretty fun, and I now finally understand the lure of cooking. :)

Exciting weekend, with a Seahawks game tomorrow! Coolness. :)

Tris' Travel Tips - Where to go for exchange

2007-10-09T10:35:00.001-07:00

Just some observations I've noted during my short time here. I'm not trying to be discouraging or depressive, but if it comes out that way then I apologise to both UW Law School and NUS. UW is a really nice place and it's a good school. But anyway.

If you don't like being alone, you should do one or more of the following - they're not mutually exclusive and the more, quite literally the merrier.

- Go to Europe. The level at which you're studying is (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) undergraduate, which means people are more attuned to your level of thinking; people will be more willing to invite you for nonsense and your friends are nearer by and possibly more accessible.

- Live in a dormitory. Sure, you have to deal with drunken parties and noise at night, as well as shared bathrooms and toilets (both of which can be pretty gross) but you have company, a chance to know people, party etc.

- Join student activities catered for international folk. No one knows anyone, so it could go horribly bad, or if you're lucky, amazingly right. Plus the litany of international chicks is enough to tease one's fancy, whichever colour you may adore.

(P.S. It is at this juncture that I am reminded that there are no "races", the only race is the human race. As in, we're not so differentiated as to call it races - that's the hypothesis I read in a book anyway, which suggested that humans are so similar that we're all fundamentally the same subspecies with merely cosmetic differences, unlike dogs and wolves etc. Fascinating.)

Also, Europe is arguably more fascinating in that you get to find out about a new manner of doing law, instead of being stuck in a kind of limbo in the States (where I think is the only place that has this problem) where you kinda know the law, but not the way in which the codes edited it and the manner in which it changed due to the codification and the rights issues in between. You won't be horribly lost and you'll know how to read cases, especially with your LAWR foundation; but it can be a bit displacing.

But do come to the USA, primarily if you:
- Don't mind being alone - and you will be unless you meet or make friends. (For the next UW dude, go for FIUTS. It be your lifesaver, I promise)

- Enjoy Socratic discussion

- Want to learn how to live alone, and potentially how to outrun a bullet (which I haven't yet and don't plan to)

- Like the American Way. Whatever it is.

Don't get me wrong, UW is beautiful and Seattle is a nice city, even if the cold does bite a little harder than expected. But unless you don't mind blogging to your juniors while everyone is talking to their friends around you, and spending your evenings with your textbooks, it may not be the place for you.

P.S. If anyone actually knows whether the exchange talk has opened for the Yr 2's, you can direct them to this blog if they want to find out more. :) Not much la, but it's s atart and they can always get in touch with me thereafter.

Tris Likes Shopping

2007-10-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Oh horrors of horrors, it has come true! Observe:

This is what happens when your mad fans insist that you post pictures about your life and the most interesting thing to happen to you was the purchase of new merchandise. So ROWR to you folk. >:p As you can see, I'm on a bit of a hoodie thing now, which is appropriate because it's rainy in Seattle and cold. Brr.

Anyhow, some personal views on shopping in Seattle, written in incoherent prose:

1) Tris heart Gap very much. Cheap, good quality, and excellent service; and good range too. :) But that said, I don't get why it's a big deal in Singapore. It reeks to me like an upmarket G2000.

2) Nordstrom is fexpensive, Tris heart Macy's for better range and affordable prices, yet insanely classy service that makes you feel wuved. :)

3) Westlake SUCKS. Sorry, not much range and the one shop I went into gave me a stare and bad service. So, no thanks for me.

4) Pacific Mall is nice! No relation to the Russell Peters routine I think, but it's all good.

So Tris is comfortably settled, doing his 4 subjects (International Law, Freedom of Expression, Environmental Law and EU US e-Commerce) which means a busy 4 day week, but a free long weekend for his purposes. Which he will seek to exploit over the next weekends with Seahawks v Saints next week and a Wrestling convention the week after.

Good times, folks, good times - and yes I'll try to update this more frequently. Apologies but still growl.

Downtown!

2007-10-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

I just realised that since touching down in America, I have only touched a donut once - and that was free at the Law Welcome Session. Was just amused when I saw on Facebook the group about Krispy Kreme for Singapore, and realised that as Singaporeans we are waaaay too starved for donuts, but we don't need them over here. Hm, interesting. :)

Could be a result too of the popularity of bagels here in comparison, hm. But that's a tale for another time, when I become more of an expert on food. :) and NO, I am not an expert till I know how to cook what I eat. Indeedy.

Anyway, wanted to share with you folks my Sunday trip to downtown Seattle. Most of the pics are up on Facebook, but here are some of the highlights of that cold blustery freezing Sunday. :)

Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market! Fish flowers and souvenirs. Touristy.

The beautiful Puget Sound. Quite nice, I thought. :)

Entitled, "You Are What You Eat". Indeed, pigman.

Tris looking happy outside Pike Place even though it was 10 Celsius and windy. Brr.

Seattle Aquarium

For kids only! It wasn't bad... But not great either.

Octopus (octo-poooos here) which amazed all the kids by moving through a tunnel. When I do that people stare at me like I'm an idiot. :p

The 'Finding Nemo' themed exhibit - with Nemo!

SOTONG!!! Am still incredibly amused by its shape and blubbery movement. I shall probably never touch cuttlefish again. :p

Sleeping River Otters. As I probably should've done that cold rainy Sunday.

Sea Otters! Bathing themselves over and over again.

Me again! :) Duh.

Space Needle

A work of art, and arguably the most famous and commonly-associated structure in Seattle: The Space Needle.

Lake Union. You can vaguely see the highway leading towards the University District.

Me being gey kiang and taking off my coat. And promptly freezing to death.

Suffice to say, Seattle doesn't really have a lot to see, and the attractions that do exist are pretty kid-oriented. If you do wish to see these (missed the Science Center, for instance), get a Citypass which is cheaper and allows for entry into the 5 big attractions. Which I can't remember now, hurhur. :p

Miss the big expansive museums of New York though. Sigh. And I got ill too from the cold, WTF. Ah well. To better times -and to sleep I go now. :)

Tris' Travel Tips - Surviving in The States

2007-09-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Currently letting "Supersize Me" load on my computer. The first 22 minutes have been nothing but shock, horror and awe. I'm probably most surprised that the dude willingly did it to himself. But anyway, another edition of Tris' travel guide, which he has no doubt will benefit kiddies going for exchange from next year on all the way to perpetuity. Unless this blog needs to be taken down, which I WON'T LET IT. HA.

Anyway, on with the tips Tris has gathered from 22 days here:

1) Find out where your cold spots are.

Very simply, you need to know which parts of your body are most susceptible to the cold, which parts will make you feel the worst and shiver the most. It's crucial because, as I'm learning, my hands react very badly to the cold, and will royally screw up the rest of my body by chafing up. (perhaps it is the lack of fat around the hands that causes this result, hm. Especially worrying now that I'm watching the show that I am.)

If you don't know, it never hurts to pack more. Bring, especially if you're going after July, a pair of gloves, a woolly cap/hat, a scarf and a good coat, preferably with a faux fur lining. (must please the PETA folk) And a raincoat if you're coming to Seattle (I went out to get my mail and then realised it was raining), plus an umbrella if you, like me, don't believe in raincoats. Or one of those windbreaking jacket thingies.

Though with the number of books you're carrying, my personal suggestion is a raincoat / poncho / windbreaker. With a hood, unless you're an idiot like I am.

2) Find out where everything is from each other

America is deceptively small on its maps and "directions" webpages. NOTHING in America, even if it claims "a block away" is as near as it seems. (which is why so many people drive - I've had sore thighs just walking back and forth from the University Village which is 'only' 5 blocks away.)

SO, my tip is: Know where everything is on a map, overestimating everything grossly. If there's a store nearby, how nearby is it? It's only near if it's 1 intersection away, maybe 2 if you're fit. Of course this formulation will surprise you when you realise how near everything is. But only if you begin by thinking everything's super far from each other. The problem is less obvious in New York, but in Seattle, WHOA. Big difference. especially when the freaking map doesn't include significant topographical signs, e.g. the HILLS in SEATTLE will KILL you when you walk.

So remember, distance is everything but means nothing on a map. You'll get used to it, but till you do, overestimate.

3) Know your locale.

In Singapore, location is not crucial. Where you actually live doesn't even apply to your GRC, let alone areas that are unsafe. America though is a rather different kettle of fish.

Read the guidebooks, they tend to give very good advice on the safe and not-so-safe areas, espcially important in determining where you live and what time you should be home. For Seattle anyway, any area beyond University Way NE is NOT safe at night, a lot of freaks who're high tend to roam the area at night. 15th Ave NE (that's the street up from Uni Way) and up is generally safer, and tend to be more crowded - which means safer crowds.

Though you do have to deal with the noise from the fraternities and sororities, most of whom will not actually invite you to their drunken orgies, sadly. :p

So far, that's as much advice as I have to give. Worry not about me, it's just the cold talking. And shivering. Brr.

The First Supper

2007-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

And friends, I present to you:

Tris' First Meal.

Ok, so it's spaghetti and sauce which is easy to prepare. But I suppose I was worried that the chicken would be undercooked, the sauce overcooked and the pasta all gone.

If nothing else, it suggests survivability. Haha! (Ok, I know it's really hyping up a big nothing but better this nothing than some other nothing. :p)

Now, on to proper real full recipes. Whoo hoo! Like not burning a steak, unlike the last time I cooked in America and ate enough carcinogens to pollute the resort I was staying next to.

P.S. Much thanks to Ying for all her cooking tips! And to babypoo for being there always. :) And to Mummy for reminding me that I needed soy sauce or oyster sauce for the meat. :p

2007-09-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Guess what's changed in my room!

Old Room:

New Room:

That's right, a heater!

Ok, seriously, my table came in about 6 this evening. I was just about to cook, so it came at a horrible horrible time. That said, I'd been waiting for it for so long that I decided to start immediately.

A horrid idea. After having set up 2 chairs, the table was another break my arm didn't need. There I was, twisting away at the tough nuts and bolts and trying to break the wood in properly. Screwing isn't easy at all folks. The table was also fheavy and the protector cardboard pieces were deceptively heavy. On my feet.

That said, I'm really glad the table is here, so I can start work.

HURHURHUR. Taking 4 classes for anyone who's wondering, more updates when I actually figure out what I'm supposed to be doing for each. :)

2007-09-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

I truly am learning how to truly live in Seattle.

I found out today that:
- Normal detergent does not belong in a dishwasher. It belongs to the sink. If not you have your own foam party.

Sadly, said foam party today had no bikini-clad chicks to make the clean up op bearable, hur hur.

- My dryer only operates on a half load, so I have to spend a full dollar.

If not, the towels smell funny.

- I need a car here, or a mental map of the buses. It's damn hard to get your lazy ass out when you're carless and hence, immensely limited with what you can and can't do.

- I think I shall consciously forgo the clubbing party tonight. Partly because I don't know enough people to make it fun, and partly because I know I won't be missed.

And at this bizarre juncture, let me say:

I miss the Singapore clubs, not because the music is any better or the atmosphere better or what, but because of you guys. I miss you all, my clubbing khakis, and the lady in red who I haven't stopped dancing with ever since. Miss you all quite badly, because the weather and home may be different, but this heart is still the same.

Excelsior, folks. Love you all.

Updates Few and Far Between

2007-09-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Some minor updates from me:
- Internet has been hooked up in my room, so I am connected to a world of pain, porn and potential. I now wonder if I should've hooked it up in my living room instead. Oh well.

- My bed has come in! And turned out somewhat uncomfortable and somewhat bigger than I thought. Suspect it's not hard enough, and rather larger than expected. My butt hurts. And no, this particular pain I'm not used to, it's in the cheeks rather than the middle. :p

- Had a chance to meet more international folks these past few days. One turned out worse than expected, the other way better. Unfortunately I only have photos of the first, but here it is:

The Irish Emigrant. Excellent ale and fries - must try!

From left to right: PRC, Taiwanese, Korean exchange, Indonesian facilitator (senior from FIUTS, the international whoreland), Japanese doll (who talks as much as a doll does - i.e. not at all), Lithuanian, two Germans who ate my food. :p

This was the Pub Quiz, which while interesting was probably not as fun as I'd hoped. Primarily because the SPGs were all whoring up to the Caucasians while the girls I met were. Well. Let's just say they were really friendly and personable. To be serious, they were, but it's hard to talk in a pub and make lifelong friends that way.

The other event I went for was the Law School Dinner at the UW Club. Which turned out really well. The place is dominated by Asians (only about 20% were non-Asian) which made for interesting talk as we discussed the difference between our countries and the legal systems. I think it turned out better as the students were 1) Asian, 2) older and 3) all open to talking to as many new people as possible, perhaps to be exposed to more influences. And since we're all going to be classmates anyway. :) It was quite enjoyable, really.

- Am meeting the Singaporean folk tonight for dinner. Should be fun - though the one non-graduate Singaporean girl I met was so American I wasn't even sure why she put 'Singapore' on her nametag at the Pub.

Before I go, more piccys from pretty Seattle! :)

Church! Not mine though, but nicest building in the area. :p

Electric Metro buses. Singapore should try, but the way drivers drive back home...

William H. Gates Hall! School for the next 9 months, starting September 24.

UW in the Fall. Quite pretty, but I think the picture will be more crowded next week when classes start proper.

The dominant citizen on UW - Freakin' Squirrels. There are a million of them.

And me. Cold, hungry and still fat. Shit.

Ok folks, shall update when school begins. :)

2007-09-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Some minor updates from me:

2007-09-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is just a side note: I won't be posting much from Monday till thursday, so keep me in prayer and hoping well. I shall be net-less, but not work-less as I try to organise and co-ordinate course selection and my newly ordered furniture comes in.

It's exciting times. :) I'm in a hotel waiting for American Football, if you were wondering why I had internet. ;p

Tris' House!

2007-09-14T13:45:00.001-07:00

From a pretty boring yesterday, today turned interesting very quickly. In the oh-shit-I-can't-believe-this-is-happening sense.

If you were wondering, I was so burnt out I fell dead asleep and died in my couch. I didn't even have the strength to get back to my bed in the hotel. Don't ask me why dudey folks, it just was.

Erm, I moved into my house today.

The house's facade. Apologies, but too much vegetation = lousy shot.

The door to the house. I have: 1 girl staying next to me, 3 girls in the basement.
My door. Sorry lah, not funky yet. :p

The carpeted interior, kitchenette + living space.

The as-still-bare bedroom. Before I messed it up.

Very pretty right? Unfortunately, it's still very bare, so any contributions towards making this house a home will be much appreciated. Among the things I need are:
- A laundry basket
- 2 rubbish bins (one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen)
- Cooking stuff (pots, pans, baking stuff)
- Eating stuff (Forks, spoons, knives, plates, bowls)
- Chairs / Stools (I'm currently typing this while sitting on my ass in my flat)
- A fan (Ventilation here isn't very good, but the day isn't windy so well.)
- Tables (Currently sitting on my ass... You get the idea)
- Cabinets

I think my bed will be coming in around Tuesday, my Internet on Thursday. I shall decide if cable TV is necessary for "good livin'" up here.

If you so wish, you may send me gifts at Target.com / Walmart.com / Homedepot.com at 5042 15th Ave NE, Apt #C, Seattle, WA 98105. :p You're welcome to visit too, tell the driver at the airport to drop you off at 15th NE and NE 52nd. And call me beforehand at (206) 601-9792 or email me.

[now no one can say I never informed you folk. :p]

The day took a downturn when I decided to go stock up the house by myself. (as well as to break my horribly big notes) I went to the nearby Safeway and loaded up my shopping cart, thinking (erroneously): "As long as I can push it, it's light enough."

I completely forgot that volume is a very important consideration in grocery shopping as well. Plus the combined fact that America has no concept of 'big bags' and the assumption that everyone drives also escaped me, and worked towards my unfortunate downfall. Which involved me repacking everything frantically while trying to get home, which was only 2 streets north and 2 streets left. It became a battle as I worked my way up the slope, struggling with every step as Tide laughed at me and my mineral water taunted me, while my toilet rolls did not help.

I made it, somehow, and got everything to where I thought they ought to be. The house is still threadbare but at least there's some food and drinks to last me. This was the reason I paid for another stay in the hotel in uptown Seattle, since I figured that I wouldn't get cable on time and I wouldn't have a bed to sleep comfortably on. Tonight should be interesting, to say the least.

So anyhow, Tris has moved in and is happy to receive you all.

I know that this isn't easy, and that you hope for some basics that I can and do want to give. I know you love me, and I know you know I love you. I'll try to work it out, and we'll hit a nice consensus. Because love is always a bit of a struggle, that the end result of joy is best appreciated and the journey may keep going. I love you, and I want to for a very long time indeed.

Photo Post

2007-09-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

I also thought I should liven up this blog and put up some pictures of the campus, if you haven't already seen them on Facebook. :)

I took this on Saturday when I was still blur and super seh. It was strangely warming, I suppose, to see the place where I would be studying for a whole freakin' year. Quite amazing, really.

Typical red-brick classical architecture all over UW. They're engaged in a program to restore the current buildings, so these will all become schools of some sort in the future. Yes, it IS just as it is in the movies. Very Mona Lisa Smile ish.

The Plaza, flanked by the library and a building which I have yet to take a piccy of.

Me in front of the School of Music.

Denny Hall, which I believe is Residential but I'm not sure.

Myself and Junichi outside the William H. Gates Hall.

Junichi-san is a 28-year old student from Japan, doing his IP LLM. He works at the Patent Office at home (Tokyo, near the Diet) and he's been here since the end of July. Think he's on a government scholarship or something. I met him through the Internet... I mean, through the International Students' Orientation yesterday. Very very nice chap, who struggled through English to speak with me and walked the campus with me. Very nice dude, though I realise this photo makes him look bad boy.

Oh, and he's married, if you were wondering. (just in case. :p)

--------------------------------------------------------------
And for my bonus: RANDOM PICS OF BEAUTIFUL GIRLS!

This one not cheap, must be able to love much much and give much much. Likes the cute things, criteria also applies to boyfriend.

These two velly different: One is very good schoolgirl type and other is very literate insulting type. One likes men going to India, other likes men as well. You not choosy, take one without boyfriend for now, is good time.

This one very exclusive, only likes MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME. :p

On a less insolent note: Hi darlings! (and not forgetting those not in the piccys.) Much love to you all, and most love goes to the one in the last picture. I love you, poo. :) -muah-

Tris' Travel Tips! - The House

2007-09-14T00:48:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of updates, I've been running around trying to settle stuff and get to school and what-have-you, so this blog will STRIVE to be more updated. No guarantees though.

Anyhow, my next article regarding the housing application. I'm a bit torn as to what to say here, and I shall go into excruciating detail why this is the case. Bear with me a little as I take you through the past 6 days and my various anxieties.

2. THE HOUSE

As a UW student, you will find that you are at the bottom, or near the bottom, of the priority ladder w.r.t. on-campus housing. Do not see this as a problem; instead, use this as an opportunity to find your own housing and experience the highs and lows of finding your own house. It makes the house so much sweeter. I think only the St. Louis people had to find their own house as well - so you are part of an extremely elitely frustrated group.

a. Do your Research
You ought to find out prices of places where you might like to stay. Do note that Seattle, as with other big cities, is not cheap. I'm paying US$795 a month for my current apartment (photos when I finally take 'em) + electricity + cable + internet. So, just a word of caution.

Research is important because it gives you options, and it gives you a fair idea of what to expect when you get there. I like the following websites as they tend to be the most accurate / updated, in descending order:

Craiglist Seattle - The best listing site for all of your needs. Search under apartments OR rooms, and type in your price range, as well as 'UW' or 'District' to search for houses near the school. Updated so freaking regularly, you'd better check every hour. :p

UWHousing - Runs several apartments around the area, for pretty good prices.

NW Apartments - I believe this is attached to a local newspaper, so you're reading online classifieds. Good place to read up, but not as updated as Craigslist.

The idea here is to get a sense of what you want, and where you want to stay. If you prefer walking to school, then you shouldn't stay more than 1 mile eitherway. (i.e. between 11th-21st Ave NE on NE 41st - 55th.) If you don't mind bussing, you can go further out, prices tend to drop a little. Set yourself a price range and happy searching.

b. Reservation
You have 1 of 2 options:

1) You can agree with a landlord for a house first, before you even touch down, so that you have a place to stay OR

2) You can scout about and around after you touch down.

The most obvious benefit of 1) is that you have a freakin' place to stay, rather than the hotels I've been shacking up in. BUT, my recommendation goes against it because you should get a feel of the place once you're in Seattle AND inspect the area. The location is important but I don't think you get a sense of how far it is from the uni till you're actually there.

AND, if you stay at Travelodge, you get free wireless and Cable, while your house is still unequipped. (unless you get a fully furnished house, which is pretty pricey)

I thus recommend 2, for nothing beats the sense of being there. But do make calls if you want to have a place ready, make enquiries (rent, whether rent includes utilities, what connections there are, and facilities like laundry are all good questions. AND, when you can move in) and be ready to pay a deposit to reserve the place.

Do note though that if you want the widest spread of options, go as early as you can, noting that the earlier you go, the more you will end up spending due to miscellaneous costs. Including hotels, which will be your main residence and eat up money like no one's business, as I'm learning.

c. Preparation
Regardless of what house you want, all landlords will perform a credit check application on you, to ensure you're not a convicted felon and that you have good credit. SO, as a non-U.S. citizen, you think this doesn't apply. And you'd be wrong. So, let me tell you what you will need to show your landlord person.

i) Create a bank account.
You need a checking account OR you should purchase money orders at Safeway (it's near the Uni) to issue checks for deposit / credit check - landlords do not accept cash. The banks here open till about 8pm, so going late isn't a problem. Just remember to bring in your cash and set it up, and tell parents that your account is up.

But remember, set up a CHECKING account, not a savings one. This guarantees you access to checks and a check card (like a debit card). You want to be able to GIVE people money, not hoard it yourself you bastard.

ii) Make photocopies. Many of them.
Most landlords will accept proof of your identity as a student. So, make a copy of:

- Your passport photo page
- Your Visa page on the passport (and your I-94 departure card which should be stapled next to it)
- Your I-20 form (just the 1st page)
- Your bank account setup / proof / something. Ask your bank advisor to do this for you.

Bring all these, plus checks, to the house and look interested.

Uh, ok, so that's it for housing from me. Shall update the post if anything changes, as well as photos. :)

Tris' Travel Tips! - The Flight

2007-09-07T22:47:00.000-07:00

Oh right, my 1st advice post. Incidentally, I definitely am suffering from jetlag because it's 10 at night and I don't feel the least sleepy. I just ordered Pizzs Hut, just bathed, and just realised that I haven't eaten since 8 this morning, on the plane. My body's hugely out of whack. :(

1. THE FLIGHT

a. Fly American!
I'm not equipped to advise on European airlines because I haven't flown long haul with them since... Ever. So, I can only discuss the benefits and detriments of Malaysian & China Airlines V/S United Airlines.

The big benefit about flying United for me - NO FUCKIN KIDS. Well, there was this one Indian family who lost control of their children (who seriously looked like brown Shrek babies, no kidding) but the flight was serene otherwise. And a little girl sitting next to me kicking my feet when she adjusted in her seat. BUT unlike Asian kids, Caucasian kids only whimper in bouts, not continuously; and not so loud that the whole airplane hears them. This could also have a lot to do with timing, but it appeared that today, more pockets of individuals were flying United rather than families. Big bonus.

The downside is that American staff are a little... Patronising. Not just in scolding you but also in praising you. I got scolded, rightly, for not stowing my laptop away; but a million smiles and 'thank yous' got nothing but scowls from the same grouchy stewardess. Who then said that the old Japanese couple next to me were very nice, even though she didn't speak their language. It wasn't inconsistent, but it was f-patronising. Seriously irritating.

Food's ok on United. People who expect gourmet food on flights should ride the Orient Express or fly Business, because let's be honest - food's food and you're sitting Economy. United gave me 2 meals per flight leg, and the food wasn't bad. I don't know how SIA does it, but I do vaguely remember Malaysian Airlines serving inedible vegetables. Perhaps it's the Tokyo ground staff who serve good food, I've no idea. But United was alright.

b. Fly Late! (and other timing issues)
As I alluded to earlier, don't bother flying early. Especially if you fly in the June July period - you're going to bump into pockets of kids & families. I flew with a planeload of students today, a whole bunch from Korea in front and visiting / matriculating individuals behind.

Why are kids so important anyway? This is a big deal because it affects your sleep majorly. I was decently rested getting off the plane, because nothing bothered me. I touched down in 2005 sickish, irritated and couldn't get out of bed for 3 days, because of one screaming kid. It's all a matter of luck of course, but reducing probability works in YOUR favour.

Another thing too is to not do what I did, as much as it can be helped:
- DO NOT touch down in the morning. Sure, you gain a whole day, but as it turned out, I spent it sleeping. The only things I've done are: make some prospective apartment calls AND get acclimatised to the weather. And order Pizza and get gypped of 2 Pepsi bottles. B******ds. And anyway, evening flights work better because you can sleep immediately and begin the time switch process.

- DO NOT fly before a weekend, especially if your housing is as done as mine. Most places are open on Saturday, but Sunday is as good as gone; and if you're staying as far from the campus as I am, even worse. But that's an accom problem. Still, no sense to fly in on Friday, make it Thursday or Sunday itself. :)

c. Fly Prepared!
Bring the following:
- Chapstick
- Eyedrops
- Moisturiser
- Empty Bottle

The flight experience is horribly dehydrating, as I learnt to my chagrin. Don't be daft. Be prepared.

Ok, time to eat. Shall keep posting since I'm SO BLOODY BORED. :p

2007-09-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

So here I am, in Seattle Travelodge North Aurora. I'm impressively far from the university (about 3.3 miles to be exact), I haven't checked in with the University yet, and the hotel cuts bare standards of decent. I'm incredibly jetlagged, my stomach's all over the place, and I'm not sure what time it's supposed to be.

I'm sure things'll look up soon, as they always do. It's just that for 45 minutes just now, I was impressively close to bawling my eyes out because I was so depressed and upset and confused and lost. Then I rolled off to sleep. I don't feel much better but I'm doing ok.

To a better tomorrow then. Bon voyage y'all.

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