Course Selection

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

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

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...

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

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

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!

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. :)