A Peek Into My Life

Treasure your friends...

2007-01-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Just received news that one of my close friends from primary school actually passed away while he was studying abroad. The police is suspecting suicide...really saddens me to know that such a thing has happened..Before this, I have never really thought of my friends passing away at our age..the thought just seems so far fetched because everyday you interact with them and they are so close and energetic..

The group of us from zps used to hang out so much together. Playing soccer in school or the void decks, going over to each other's place to play game consoles, hanging out at tiong bahru plaza, organizing class outings to east coast parks and staying in chalets. those were the good old days when you have little worries and only care about having fun with your friends.. the innocence, the joy and the laughters...even after we left zps..we still kept in contact and met every time we were free..but he was not one of those that we kept close contact with.. it saddens me because I did not make a bigger effort to keep in touch with him...maybe if I had tried harder: send a sms, drop an email and even give him a call.that could have made all the difference to both our lives..now it is just too late to do anything. The last time I saw him was 2 years back when he was still in the army and we met by coincidence.. he looked the same, still seem just as quiet and shy as before..

if you are reading this: take a moment to think of the many good friends that you used to have but have not kept in contact with for quite some time.. they can be your pri sch, sec sch, jc, university and even neighborhood friends..maybe you had a big argument with the person in the past and stop talking, maybe you are just too busy and you are moving on with life too quickly. stop for a moment, find some time to meet up with them to catch up, time should have washed away all bad feelings. take a break from your busy schedule and relive those good old days together..try not to lose too many of friends along the way...most importantly, treasure your life and what you have so far...maybe you have been looking up for far too long, look around and below you..you will find many of your friends completing this long tiring climb too...enjoy each other's company and be happy that you have one another who are there for support..sorry if I sound incoherent..thoughts are just streaming through my head...

Hope you find peace and know that we will miss you....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2006-12-28T08:19:00.000-05:00

Wooohoooo, I am finally back with my posts. Its been a really long time..1 month and 9 days to be exact since the last post.. I bet, for a moment, my friends must have thought that I had abandoned this blog just like I had abandoned my previous blog. lol.. But now I am back with more nonsense and even more updates about my adventures in New York.

I actually did quite a fair bit of stuff over the past month. Just simply didn't have the time and energy to write about them. One of the highlights was celebrating Andre and Desmond's birthdays at MARU. Just thinking back, I have known them since RI but we only got closer when we were in RJ together. Its just very heartwarming to know that I have friends that I have known for such a long period of time. I enjoy their company in New York tremendously. Desmond with his corny and hilarious remarks and Andre with his cool yet cheerful disposition. Both feel like brothers to me. Really really nice guys. ashley and rui are two of the luckiest girls in the world! and to Desmond if you are reading this blog..I WANT TO MEET ASHLEY! I have already reserved table at Peter Luger..so you better bring her..haha..

Cheers to our friendships!

Over the past month, I was actually preparing for my exams. My mentality for grad school has been far from what I used to be back in Michigan. Not too sure if its because this is my final year of overseas education or if its because I am studying in New York and there's so much to do. Just couldn't really focus and be as motivated as I was once before. I personally believe in cycles.. I enjoy peaks in my life when I do really well and be really motivated to complete everything and to do my utmost best. But there are times when I feel like recharging and not put in as much effort as before.. haha, I wish to believe that I am currently in a state of recharging before I return to Singapore to start actual work. My results aren't really spectacular..lol..but they are not terrible either.. so they will do..Guess I will just work a little more harder next two semesters since I have been really slack this sem. You cannot imagine how slack I have been..haha..=)

Recently, val actually pointed out something really true about me which I have been guilty of for the past few years. Something that seems slight but so significant and has such great effects on me. The subconscious creature prowls amidst my flurry of thoughts and actions and seems to crawl and lunge at some of them - killing and wounding in the process. This is not a good trait of mine and I must change it. I am putting on a fight and hoping to subdue this beast in me. If I think clearly about it, it completely clashes with who I really am.. Maybe I have an alter-ego that is lurking somewhere deep within.. Boy is the thought scary..AHHHH...I will change.. I promise... =) val really knows and understands me..No one has really brought this issue up as directly as you and I thank you for it! - for people's info: she has been taking really good care of me.. I think I have put on an additional 5 kg over the past month.. just that the stupid darn winter isn't coming for me to put my extra blubber to good use. GOSH...

Anyway, these few days have been really sinful...with val gone holidaying with her family, I have been finding my own entertainment. Been reading a few books, watching DVDs (currently hooked on LOST season 1), gone shopping for 3 consecutive days, meeting up with friends who are in town to visit. I have spend a BOMB in the past 3 days..lol..must be the festive season and the shopaholic inside me that has been awaked from his "eternal sleep" Now there will be no end to it.haha..oh oh, and I finally caught up with Cecil! Since after RI, I have never really met up with him. He still looks as good as ever and with his bulging muscles and cheerfulness, must a real lady killer in UVA. Glad to know that he is enjoying UVA very much. Do come to New York more often! Maybe we should have a RI1G and 2G reunion! I think I can muster at least a few of us..Although I cannot remember everyone who was in our class. Sounds like an idea. =)

The year is drawing to a close..have you made your New Year Resolutions yet? Do you actually stick to them and try to achieve them? I shall go ponder over it for a while.. take care everyone and enjoy this festive season. May you find joy and happiness in the people around you. Love you all! :)

Updates!

2006-11-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

Its been some time since i last updated and quite alot happened since the last post. I am currently sitting in Butler library on a Sunday evening and trying to read my confusing continuous time pricing notes which has proven to be an excellent insomnia cure. I think I have dozed off at least an umpteen times while reading the first 4 pages...sigh..

So many of you might ask what have I been up to. More or less the same routine these days I would say. Let's start from last weekend: Discovered this bar called Cafe 312 in K-town as we tried to avoid Maru for the time being..pretty nice ambience but just lacking the X factor..Tried going to some clubs that night but failed because of ID and timing issues. Finally settled for the Pizza Bar in the meatpacking district which proved to be a really good choice. They served excellent mussels, french fries and calamari! Also met Yishi there. How coincidental..haha..
All in all, it was a nice chill out night for the small group of us.

Cafe 312Ferine looks really happyI like this picture.. very well taken shot..=)And we met Yishi!

Over the week, I also flew back to Michigan to visit! It felt like I had never left Ann Arbor when I first step out of the airport. The cold, the familiarity and the environment were all pretty much the same! Celebrated Serene's birthday and had 2 nights of drinking. Was really nice meeting the Chan Brother twins, aaron (thanks for the lift), chin wei, emilia, morry, juls, mj,etc..too many to name..It was also a great trip back because I managed to know some of the sophomores better.. like serene, valerie lee (haha now I know your true self..haha..i have videos of you playing that sword arcade game!!lol..so funny), siew jin, etc.. some pictures for you to see:

Jer, Chin Wei and JemThe very happy birthday girl - Serene!

Reunion for Serene, Val Lee and Val Lau @ Le Dolce Vita
Pubbing with Kang and Meng Joo!

I can feel my brain screeching to a stop..i better end this post soon..haha..so the last update was yesterday's party night. Attended my professor's birthday party at Nachos Kitchen. He is really a very funky professor, wore this really cute birthday hat. Alot of my classmates were there. Music was good. Drinks were pretty cheap and decent. Could tell that my professor had a really fun time.

Our Professor!The cool dudes in class!Johnny and Ivan

After that, celebrated Willy's birthday at Guesthouse.. those guys are crazy.. they pregamed too much and many of them were already drunk even before reaching the club. Many of them were just sleeping on the sofa and puking into the dustbins..haha..lucky the cleaner was really nice about it.. Most of the night was spent taking care of people and making sure they were sent home properly. But, I would say Guesthouse is a pretty nice club. It played quite a good trance dance music and the crowd there were enthusiastic..which is a very important thing for a club. sent everybody home by 4.30am...bet many of them are having bad hangovers..

Birthday boy Willy on the far left!Me and some of the girls

The date to remember is 19 November 2006. =)

Current mood: Sleepy but very blessed and happy

First NBA game! New Jersey Nets versus Miami Heat

2006-11-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

I went to my first NBA game yesterday and it was really awesome! I am not really a fan of either team but I decided to be a pseudo Nets fan so that it would make the game more interesting. haha, suling was a pseudo Heats fan and we were sitting next to each other and arguing about who was gonna win.. haha so guess who was really gleeful at the end of the match..blah!!!

Don't be fooled by her sweet and soft spoken appearance! she gets really excited when watching the game!

It was an exciting game to watch all the way till the last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter when the Nets lost steam and couldn't keep up with Heat. The three pointer shots from Heat, great performance by Wade, lack of offensive rebounds and lousy shooting from Nets led to the loss.

Overall, it was a great game because of the rowdy atmosphere and tight game plus the halftime performances by Bryan McKnight and the cheerleaders. The dances were really coordinated and impressive..haha reminded someone who was sitting next to me of her good ol' days of mass dances...haha go figure out who..I guess the only drawback was that its really difficult to get back to Manhattan after the game. Had to wait for the buses in the cold and there was a really long queue.

Look at the crowd!

When we finally got back to Manhattan, we went for supper at this Dallas BBQ place with gigantic ribs and enormous margaritas and martinis. Excellent recommendation by Liching =)

Its a really gloomy day today..Woke up really late today (noon) because I came back ard 6am this morning and I only slept at ard 7 plus to 8 am..when the sun was actually coming out! went lounging last night and drinking after failed attempts to get into three clubs..But it was already very fun lounging.. quite coincidental that we met yishi in meatpacking..hmmm, actually I shall save that for another post...not in the right frame of mind to blog about last night. shall go complete my assignments now...

Current mood: thinking....

Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington DC

2006-11-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

As Cedric would put it: " HEY! Don't let it STOP!" haha, when you are having fun..really don't let it stop.. So after a long night celebrating Kat's birthday, a group of us were gonna head out to Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington for a road trip over Election weekend. haha it was amazing how everyone could wake up and load up/collect the car..especially leon and justin who drank alot the night before.

The trip was really relaxing and chill.. wasn't in any rush of any sorts..and I finally found out how irritating Chang ge can get! really had to blast my ipod sometimes to shut him off..haha..and I will never navigate for him anymore..he is an unappreciative man..

haha..we spent most of our time eating and driving around. And here's the evidence!

The huge pile of crabs!

Delicious Crab Cakes!

Cheesecake factory

Awaiting our cheesecakes!

Savoring our oreo milkshake!

Check out the huge ass Colossal Peanut Butter Malt Milkshake

This picture earned us a place in the cafe's website!

Did some sightseeing in Annapolis - the Naval Academy was really nice and impressive..I really liked the tour. Thanks Pius and Carlin for bringing us around. Also took some really nice pictures in Washington DC.. I really love the peace and quiet..and the scenery around the monuments and White House.

Nice pavilion in the Naval Academy - a wedding was taking place

Group shot in front of the monument

Load and ready!

Reflection pool

Picture of myself =)

The cool dudes on the trip

The pretty ladies on the trip

My "dage" and I

Suling and I - Colors look really nice

"Nu er" and I keeping the monument in check

That night itself, we also went to a club in Washington called Fur.. Quite a nice club. reminds me of Zouk. Their drink servings were really huge..lol..the shots were like double shots..and the cocktails were mainly alcohol..cant taste the mixers.. Had a fun night dancing away..Think everyone was really happy..haha towards the end, the club was gonna close soon and I had to finish one Barcardi 151 shot(courtesy of Willy) and 2 Long Island Tea.. That really did me in for the rest of the night.. Was pretty ok until I got to Wendy's for supper..could feel the alcohol getting to me.. Thank XT for looking after me.. much appreciated..haha at least I could take out my contacts, change and tuck myself to bed when I got back to the hotel room..haha and I didn't puke..lol..so that was a good thing..i'm a happy and "steady" drunk..haha oxymoron..lol..

All in all, it was a really great trip..very relaxing..i feel rejuvenated..just need to start studying again..can feel the inertia..haha..it was also a great trip for me to do some thinking and reflections...=)

Current mood: Happy!

Kat's Birthday Celebration

2006-11-08T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well well, the party and celebration never ends! Right after Lion King, we went to Gaslight area (meatpacking district) to celebrate my "Nu Er"'s belated birthday celebration at a bar. Val and I managed to grab some food before heading into the bar for some drinks. The crab and artichoke dip was really nice..and once again, I ordered too much food..lol..anyway..

Happy Belated 22nd Birthday Kat!

I am sure you had alot of fun that night :) you invited so many friends and you looked like you had a splendid time. I'll let the pictures do the talking =)

The IEOR girls - Val, Yishi & Kat

Poor Justin who had one drink too many

The gang of us having fun!

left to right: chang ge,me,qiuyun,kat,willy(hidden),leon,raphael,yishi,val and lennon in front

Group shot 2

left to right:leon,lennon,val,kat,justin,chang,qiuyun and me

willy and his fav drink - Barcardi 151 (pls remind me to get him drunk on his birthday)

Dont mess with them

Happy folks!

Leon trying to be a supermodel..

Lion King Broadway

2006-11-08T13:19:00.000-05:00

I finally managed to catch the Lion King Broadway! I remembered the gang of us from Michigan tried catching it 2 years ago but were disappointed when we found out that the tickets were too expensive. Before this, I've heard raving reviews about the props and costumes even though the story was more suitable for children. But I certainly didn't regret watching it! haha its one of those things that you have to do in life..haha at least for me. =)

After watching it, I can certainly understand why kids would love it. The costumes were really colourful and traditional and the props were both intriguing and interesting. The energy and enthusiasm displayed on stage by the cast could be felt from where I was sitting..haha which was the third row from the back. Even though I was so far back, I had a pretty good view of everything. Thanks Kinfoong for getting the tickets for me!

Hope you had a great first Broadway watching experience because I certainly enjoyed myself. and please forget about the mineral water..haha..no matter how ridiculous and exorbitant it sounds to you..lol.. here are some pictures!

The prop for the antelops galloping across the stage

The costume for Scar

Mufasa head as seen in the dream scene for Simba

The beautiful lights of Times Square taken from outside the auditorium

Us taking a picture with Mufasa's head

and yes of course..how can I forget Mr. Peanut!

I love Broadways! I shall think of the next show that I want to watch. =)

As promised..more pictures and updates..

2006-11-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

Pictures from FLUTE - Chill Champagne Lounge

Jonathon who came down from Princeton for a visit - taken in the subway to FLUTE

Dudes from RJ Class S03K 2002 - just missing yonglin,jereme gan and jeremy wang!

The Friday night chill crowd

left to right: jon, kelvin, qiuyun,louis, me and jan

The only successful self taken shot after umpteen tries

FLUTE was definitely a nice chill out place. Would definitely return to that place one day. =)

You know you have been having too much fun when your bank account starts to dwindle...

2006-11-03T09:46:00.000-05:00

Its been some time since I last updated...haha and normally there are two reasons for explaining it..

First reason: I am having exams and is spending my time cooped up in the library and mugging away. I very much prefer the second reason which is - Been out having too much fun and has no time to update.

Just a short summary of what I have been up to:

- Lounging at the Flute with Kow, Louis, Jan, Qiuyun and Jonathon who was in town to visit. I would certainly post pictures of that night if dear jon would kindly send me his pictures..grrr.. realise I should take pictures with my camera soon because it is so hard to get people to send u.

- The following day I went to watch "Prestige" with XT, Chang ge and Suling. Was a pretty engaging and entertaining show.. But some parts were kinda dubious though.. all in all, it was a pretty decent show. Went for DDKN afterwards where they had a karaoke competition which our Singapore talent - Willy Chang eventually won with overwhelming votes! He won himself an ipod..lucky dude..haha or should I say his lucky gf..haha..After that, went for a small Halloween get together with some of the grad students..had fun chatting and playing stupid drinking games..met more grad students at Teacher's College - Rae (yunzi) and Shushan. Here's a picture of some of us at the get together

And that was not the end of my night... after that get together, I went to MARU to meet my dear friends from Michigan!!! It was really nice catching up with them - Bernard is still as "well built" as ever, crystal is still as bubbly, tanny is still as chatty and darren is still as funny..lol..xt,chang ge, ferine and valerie were there too.. was glad that everyone had a fun night that night.. well i know i had lotsa fun...haha - as always...=) here are some pictures!

haha ok, i will add captions later..and i am not even done with my update! BUT I gotta run off to catch my ride to Baltimore and Washington for the weekend! Stay posted because updates and pictures would be coming! Take care everybody - wherever you are!

Beaten by the food queen again!

2006-10-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

ARGH! I thought I would be able to post earlier than the food queen - Suling... Looks like she beat me to it again..haha..but here are the photos that we took when we went to the Szechuan Restaurant and Serendipity 2 nights ago. We had really good food and dessert :) Enjoy the pictures!

Fu Qi Fei Pian

The Szechuan Feast!

Water boiled fish -absolutely delicious

Serendipity signature frrrrozen Hot Chocolate

Nice Halloween Decorations

The food gang!kp,me,xt,suling,liching,weehan

Back in Business!

2006-10-24T23:58:00.000-04:00

Hello WORLD! I am finally done with midterms and resuming my normal lifestyle which actually means no more URIS library for the coming week, no more sleeping at 5 am and waking up at 9 am, no more readings, no more sad weekend nights spent studying and no more stress!...at least for the time being... :)

So here's whats lined up in my rejuvenated social life:

1) Halloween party this week! - time to go find a costume or figure out what I am going to dress up as..don't have any inspirations yet..time is running out.. any suggestions guys? There are actually quite a number of parties happening.. there's the IEOR department Halloween party on Thursday, I think there's pre- Halloween party this weekend at the clubs too and the Halloween parade that is taking place next week somewhere in downtown New York..Heard the parade is really good..shall go and take lotsa pictures! so stay posted!

2) Going drinking with my classmates! - got to settle a time and place to go for this one..haha, everyone is settling into their groups of friends and feeling lazy to mix around..I think I should take the initiative and try to get something going. Would love to know the rest of the people that I have yet to know very well in class.. Shall ask Nandini and gang where they might be want to go.

3) Off to Flushing this Sunday! - For those who don't know New York that well, Flushing is the real chinatown of New York.. All you see there are Asians! its not like the Chinatown in Manhattan,New York where you see lots of tourists walking around.haha..I guess Flushing is more authentic and has a more Asian feeling to it. Gonna go there to do some grocery shopping, enjoy some good Chinese food and sing KTV with my classmates. Looking forward to it, gonna be fun to just chill and relax..

4) Election Weekend! - A trip to Boston and Maine! the fine details are still in the works but the rough skeleton of the trip is out. Gonna have lots of nice seafood..yummy yummy!hmm maybe i can catch some crabs while I am in Maine too. haha..Hope its not too cold though and hope I might be able to catch some of the remaining Fall colors! Its times like this that I miss the scenery in Michigan. Maybe I should grab a book and sit by the sea to read and drink tea if its not too cold.. Just want a nice tranquil break from the hustle and bustle of the New York citylife. Take some time off to reflect on my life and plan my future goals... :)

5) Plan for my Snowboarding trip to Vermont! - Yay! I am finally going snowboarding again..haha and back to the first place where I first learnt snowboarding.. think it will be very nostalgic..had some nice memories there. oh well! :) Anyway, what started of as a casual plan between me and xt has spiralled to a really massive trip! lol..BUT I love company! the more the merrier.. think there are about 15 - 20 people interested now.. and yes, my first travelling trip with many of my friends in New York..haha and dear Andre would be there too :) yo bro, we are gonna take so many pictures on the slopes and show them to Smubbies! they will be so jealous..heh.. I am just hoping there are enough experienced drivers around and everyone would go there and have fun and get back safely :) Really hope everyone enjoy themselves when they are there! So dear sky above, if you are listening to me right now.. Please have a heavy snow storm by then and welcome us!

6) Nets Versus Heats Basketball game! - woohoo..gonna watch my first basketball game in New York! All thanks to my da jie - Liching who is a member of the fan club and bought the tickets for us. Hope its gonna be a great game..haha xt please dun jinx the match..if its a low scoring game..i am gonna kill u!

haha, my brain is too tired to think of what else I have lined up.. Hope that was a nice update for all my dear friends out there.. Let you know that I am still alive and running.."haha I sound like a machine" All I need now is a good rest and nice catch ups with my friends whom I have not had the time to talk to for the past 2 weeks.

OH, that reminds me! I would like to congratulate Limin on getting her Visa approved! Now she can finally fly off to Darwin and start working! Although I seldom say it, I am so proud of her :) Remember my discounted hotel rooms for my honey moon and holidays next time yah. Go show those Aussies what Singaporeans can do!

Current mood : Tired but happy :)

MIA for two weeks.

2006-10-14T02:07:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be really busy for the next two weeks. In fact I have been working till really late for the past few nights already. Even though its tiring, I seem to get a certain level of satisfaction from doing work. oh well, but sometimes I do get irritated with my work and I may have been rude to some of you who tried chatting with me online or in person. So I would like to say sorry to everyone whom I have accidentally offended. Hope you understand that I do not mean it. I am just trying to work harder and not screw up my exams(which I had so spectacularly done over summer).

Alot of stuff to catch up and alot of homeworks to complete.. I have 4 hws due this coming week, along with two midterm exams and some other stuff to attend to. I also have 2 more midterm exams the following week...busy busy...I don't think I am really academically smart so I have to work harder and take longer time to understand even the simple concepts covered in class.. I think I have grown dumber..haha..guess my mind has switched off after my hard work in Michigan..Hope it restarts its engine soon..It does feel good when you are on top of your game..I want to BanKai soon! haha, been watching too much Bleach...

I will be back in action in two weeks..I may post some entries when I get too bored with studying. After my exams, I should be off to Maine on a roadtrip(currently thats the plan).. And I am also planning a snowboarding/skiing trip to Vermont over Thanksgiving!everyone is welcome! asking some singaporeans here in Columbia and my classmates.. the weather seems to suggest early snowfall this year!weeeeee!It would be fun.. So if you are interested, please tell me asap..like before the end of October! ok, back to work now.. wish me luck for the next two weeks!

More photos!

2006-10-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

Dim Sum with my classmates!

Belated Birthday Celebration for Val @ Maru

Edward's Housewarming (with only a few of us left)

Photos Photos!

2006-10-08T19:14:00.000-04:00

Meet up with Luke

Guys at my place

Drinking in my room

Alive and kicking!

2006-10-07T09:45:00.000-04:00

Adrenaline and happiness are the two things that keep me going..Been doing alot(not in terms of work and studies) over the week..

Finally finished my 4 homeworks after burning midnight oil (way past midnight) for 3 nights in a row. Met up with my dear dage, dasao, gwen, auntie diana, uncle and auntie who were in new york for 5 days. Met them for dinner from Mon - Wed and it was really nice of them to treat me to all the meals when I join them.. Feels good to have relatives in town..I suddenly miss home a little.

Went for Val's birthday dinner at Dinosaur BBQ on Thurs evening. That place has very nice BBQ. Large servings too. After that, I joined Tuan Beng, XT, Kwang Peng, Liching, Chuan Jin and his wife to play pool at Amsterdam pool.. haha it is starting to become a weekly thing :)

Also, I met up with Luke and Huangyu yesterday! It was really nice seeing old friends in New York. Its been a really long time since I met them to catch up. Mr Ku is really good at singing KTV man..haha..sure hope they are having fun in Yale now. You guys come down to New York again!

And after KTV, Edward and I went to meet Kat, Val, Leon, Justin, Pin Quan, David and tried to go to 235 rooftop bar to chill...But its a long story, we didnt get to go in in the end. Its my second failed attempt at going to that place, I am making sure that the third time I go, I will go in. So we went to Maru in K town instead and it was really fun!Its nice to sit around and chill for once. Play stupid drinking games which made alot of people drink alot..haha..now we know who can't think when they are tipsy..the most hilarious moments happen at the weirdest of times..haha.Oh, Peizhen also joined us when we were there, along with Bryan and Tim..=)

There's going to be another round tonight..haha..how am I gonna survive?!?!? Edward's housewarming party! hope he is feeling better to drink tonight. Might be going clubbing after that but that depends.. ok I am going to bring my foreign classmates to chinatown for dim sum now! hope they will like it..haha..

Photos would be coming..i got quite a bit of photos now..haha..Kat,Val and Edward! I want the photos that you have taken for the birthday and last night and any of the past events!

Life is wonderful when you have fun people to hang out with and interesting things to do....

2006-10-01T03:24:00.000-04:00

Its been a really hectic week! but nonetheless, its rather enjoyable :) Pictures and hopefully videos would be coming soon but here's roughly what I did for the week.

1) Completing my 4 HWs that are all due next week! Need to get them done before I have time to meet my Dage and Dasao in New York! Yippee! My first family members to visit me in the US..Its good to study in New York. =) Can't wait to see them...

2) Went to watch Jamie Cullum last night at Roseland Ballroom! Its the best concert I have seen so far..I have never ever seen such a talented musician who can play soooo many different instruments in soooo many different styles. Like how he "played" the piano and use the piano surface like a drum and sang a song doing it. His hands must have hurt after that. The interesting SAMBA music that got the whole audience dancing. His funny and weird stage antics that kept the audience light hearted and laughing. His wonderful wonderful wonderful and did i say WONDEFUL? voice that resonated throughout the ballroom.. He sounded better than his cd at times. His engagement of the audience to participate in his songs. I really loved his concert and performance. His band is also very talented and cool too. Photos would be coming once I get them from Louis and Constance. Thanks for asking me to watch the concert Louis! remember to ask me out more often.. I am free every two weeks..haha and you know why. Hope I can get the videos and photos from Constance soon. I cant wait!

3) A terrific potluck today at my place! haha or should I say a hh,kp and cg cook while the rest buy from restaurants and supermarket dinner. :) just kidding..it was just wonderful to have everyone squeeze in my room.. It was amazing how many people can fit into my room..here's the list of people who came:kwangpeng,xt,changge,tianhui,liching,suling,edward,jan,zhonglei, niko, andre,kin foong,valerie and meng joo plus me! Thats a total of 15 people! amazing..haha.. it was nice seeing everyone chatting and having a good time together. hope everyone had fun! I need to get the photos from liching and edward. I need more photos of my time here in columbia! There was so much food left over.haha i think my meals for the next 2 days are settled. Some interesting events that happened include changge disastrous adventure in my kitchen, discovery of edward's weakness, jan's soggy biscuits?which I still have no idea what it is about..someone should tell me..and many more other conversations topics that I did not manage to participate in.

Hmmm, maybe if I clean up the living room, I might be able to invite more people over next time.. Maybe we should have a steamboat! what do you guys think? heh..i love gatherings..its just so nice and cosy..reminds me of my days in michigan. miss all you peeps whom i have spent so much time with in michigan..on a brighter note: MICHIGAN has reclaimed the BROWN Jug! Good Job Wolverines!

Current time is 3:48 am..why am I still awake? Is it because of work? yes..been doing corporate econs and continuous time asset pricing. Is it because you have been chatting? yes..haha with changge and ferine..ferine is going to bring me to the best indo restaurant that she knows in New York..haha she cannot forget to bring me because I just blog this for everyone to see..haha..and we might be going to Soho to shop when she is up for the challenge. lol.. i shall jio suling and gang to come too.. shopping in soho..i saw some interesting shops that i might like..i need to find more money somewhere..how i wish someone gives me a big red packet now..hahaha..

Currently feeling satisfied and happy..loving new york very much at this moment.. because of the new friends that I have met here and the many activities that i can do..ok bedtime is here..goodnight everyone and sweet dreams :)

Busy week...

2006-09-26T09:26:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I am having a busy week and might not have time to update much till the end of the week. Currently suffering from this nagging headache that does not go away even when I try to sleep it off. grrrr... Must be the sleep debt that I have accumulated over the past 2 weeks. What have I been up to man? Better sleep more.

For this week, I am looking forward to meeting andre for our weekly meet - ups..haha we shall keep it going dude. :) If only more smubbies were here in New York...oh well, you can't be too greedy. Also, the Michigan Sleeping Goddess aka Meng Joo is finally going to visit me! I better pack up my room on Friday..lol.its currently in a mess.. Anybody has a sleeping bag to lend me??? If not I have to sleep on the cold hard floor..haha take pity on me!

ok got to go to the library to print stuff now..the library is my second home now..
Hope everyone who is reading this has a wonderful week ahead.

KTV and Jian's Birthday Celebration!

2006-09-23T01:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Jian!

Hope you had a fun day today with us at karoke in Flushing and the wonderful dinner spread at Ren Ren Chan Guan...People who know me knows that I do not sing well and I do not really go to KTV. But today's session was fun because everyone was comfortable and don't mind having their ear drums burst or tortured by some of my terrible singing :) Its really cool to know that these are friends that I have only met just 2 months ago. I hope our friendships would last beyond our time here in Columbia..I certainly hope so...thanks jian,song,xt,cedric,mingming, phila,baoli,qiwei,johnny for the wonderful day. Photos would be posted once I get them from Song.

Anyway after today's KTV session, I am starting to like 周杰倫 songs again. Some of the lyrics are really poetic and touching..One particular song that I like is 枫.I like it so much, I would like to share the lyrics here:

枫

乌云在我们心里搁下一块阴影

我聆听沉寂已久的心情

清晰透明

就像美丽的风景

总在回忆里才看得清

被伤透的心能不能够继续爱我

我用力牵起没温度的双手

过往温柔

已经被时间上锁

只剩挥散不去的难过

缓缓飘落的枫叶像思念

我点燃烛光温暖岁末的秋天

极光掠夺天边

北风掠过想你的容颜

我把爱烧成了落叶

却换不回熟悉的那张脸

缓缓飘落的枫叶像思念

为何挽回要赶在冬天来之前

爱你穿越时间

两行来自秋末的眼泪

让爱渗透了地面我要的只是你在我身边

被伤透的心能不能够继续爱我

我用力牵起没温度的双手

过往温柔已经被时间上锁

只剩挥散不去的难过

在山腰间飘逸的红雨

随著北风凋零

我轻轻摇曳风铃

想唤醒被遗弃的爱情

雪花已铺满了地

深怕窗外枫叶已结成冰
缓缓飘落的枫叶像思念
我点燃烛光温暖岁末的秋天
极光掠夺天边
北风掠过想你的容颜
我把爱烧成了落叶
却换不回熟悉的那张脸
缓缓飘落的枫叶像思念
为何挽回要赶在冬天来之前
爱你穿越时间
两行来自秋末的眼泪
让爱渗透了地面我要的只是你在我身边

I will try to link the song to my blog if I get the chance. :)

I think I am actually quite a sentimental guy...Quite emotional sometimes too..But I can hide my feelings pretty well.. I like to be happy and chirpy around my friends and bring them some joy instead of appearing sad and troubled.

Ok, people have been complaining that there has not been any photos posted.. So I shall post one of the latest photographs of me below. It was taken last night at the Columbia SSA event. Check out the cool dudes and pretty girls I have here!

From left to right: Yishi, Jan, Suling, Edward, Me, Andre, Eric

I quite like this photo. Quite well taken. There are many more handsome dudes and pretty gals around. I shall post pictures of them once I get my hands on the pictures. ok, till next time!

Ever wondered what brand you are?

2006-09-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

Look around yourself and you will find lots of different brands everywhere. Be it clothing line, shoes, laptops, phones, watches,cosmetics or what nots, there is a neverending list of brands. But have you ever wondered which brand actually encapsulates and emulates your style and personality? I never did until I read the following entries from my dearest L and K blogs.

Here goes..

From L's blog,

" HengHwa = Zara: Zara's branding in the clothing industry has always been one of slightly upscale, conservative clothsware. That is the general first impression. But when you walk in and really look at their products, there is a certain flair, flamboyance and drama about their clothes. Exactly like Mr Chew Bak Kua. He seems like a conservative enough, intelligent chap; but if you get to know him better, you'll realise what a real drama king he is. Very showy. Very charming. To be honest, I havent met a person who doesnt like the Zara brand... so it's a compliment to HH too cos his personality is really something that I dont think many people can resist. "

From K's blog,

"Dage is ZARA - Image is hard, cool and cold on the outside. But it actually carries a whole range of clothes with that cutting edge. Still very stylish despite its gungho xterior. Haha, he is a roasted marshmallow!"

Well, I must admit that I really like Zara.. And the descriptions of my personality seem rather accurate..haha, it was very interesting to read the rest of the brands that L and K labelled the rest of Smubbies.. Although I must say that all the girls had rather upscale brands whereas the guys have rather "interesting" brands except for mine..haha..i can hear some protests coming from the guys soon.. Anyway, thank you K and L for the interesting insight to my brand!Really love you girls..haha..=)

To all of you out there, let me be the Zara of your life!

Painting NYC red...

2006-09-17T22:43:00.000-04:00

Had my virgin clubbing experience in New York City last night and it was fun if you minus the minor hiccups in between. It was enjoyable mainly because of the cool and fun company I had in ed, cg, sl, val, kat, Leon, XT, fer and the gang from Upenn that came to NY to visit ed. We had a grand total of 16 people!

We started the night off with a visit to the beautiful Boutique Hotel - Hotel Gansevoort. It is located in the Meatpacking District of New York City. For those who watch SATC, this will be the familiar area that many of the clubbing and bar scenes were filmed. Back to Hotel Gansevoort, the penthouse of the hotel has been converted to a bustling rooftop bar and you can see many well dressed people just drinking cocktails and socialising. Also, it has an overlooking view of the Hudson river which looks really tranquil at night. It was rather windy up there and it has this calming and soothing effect as the wind blows over your face as if nature is caressing and tickling you. It definitely can make you fall asleep right there. The place was packed with people because it is fashion week in new york. I had a Mojito and just chatted with the rest until cg asked me to accompany him to fetch fer from downstairs. Thats when I had to queue all over again and encounter two drunk/high middle age ladies who made me and fer take pictures of her..haha one of them just kept shouting " Look at these F****** whores whenever she looks at the pictures we've taken.haha. It was rather amusing actually... For those who are interested, here's the link to the hotel http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/

Next stop, we tried going to a club across the road. Didn't catch the name of the place because we didn't go inside in the end. They were pretty strict with the IDs and even though we wanted to open bottles, they still wanted to check the IDs of everyone. We had a couple of underaged people with us. So oh well, we decided to look for another club to spend our money..haha.. So off we go, whisking off in taxis to this club called Duvet that is located at 6 avenue and 21 st. Here's a link that describes the club http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=3718
The one thing I learn about NY clubbing is that women are valuable. Haha, the more ladies you have with you, the cheaper and easier it is to gain access to many of the clubs. Now I will learn to appreciate all my female friends more..haha.. The club had pretty nice decor with many satin beds around and people could sit, cuddle, dance on all these beds..Apparently, people were making out on the bed but I didn't see...haha I heard it from sl..haha..The music was ok, wasn't fantastic..Alcohol wasn't really cheap and we didn't have much drinks. I only had a beer and 1 whisky shot. Guess its the company that matters..haha..was quite concidental to meet tim whom I last seen when we were in BMT together. Looks like he is enjoying himself tremendously at NYU. anyway, sl and I concluded that we are getting older..haha, although the two of us did manage to outlast everyone else..^5 sl..haha..but it was quite funny when sl hopped over and told me that some dodgy man grabbed her and wanted to dance with her..haha, should blame the rest of the guys..all disappeared for smoking breaks..not enough guys to look after everyone..anyway, so the rest of the night was spent dancing with sl. Made a few new friends who were friends of friends..haha..but clubbing is never a good place to chat with people..music was just too loud. after I think about 3 - 4 hours, we decided to leave the club and go for supper.

Final stop: K town! had korean food for supper..walked about 10 blocks from our clubbing place.had a nice chat with sl along the way, talked abt her plans for the future and other random stuff. all the best for your plans yah! :) I am sure you can make it work out. As for the food at the korean place, cg and I shared some pan fried rice cake thing which didnt taste very good. Maybe it just isn't to our taste. But the beef and tofu at the sides were good though. Shall go find out whats the place called from one of the other guys..might visit another one day. After that, we all split up and took cabs back to where we were staying..haha very up north of manhattan. Second night in a row that I reached home beyond 4am..haha guess I am really starting to live the life of a New Yorker.

Thanks everyone for the great night. Next time we should have our drinks at home before going down to the clubs! Look forward to the next time..haha hopefully my wallet can sustain my spending :) andre, I will jio you next time! sorry about this time, I'll buy you a drink next time to make up. Maybe this weekend :)

Current status: Enjoying life to the fullest!

Poetry.slam@NuyoricanPoetsCafe

2006-09-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

A culturally stimulating night was what I had last night. It was the first time that I watched a Poetry Slam and I thought the performance was really cool and great! It was something that tourists would never experience in NY. Although I am not a person gifted with an inexhaustive list of vocabulary nor do I have a wonderful sense of rhythm(haha my friends will second that anytime) but I enjoyed the stirring atmosphere and the messages that the poets were trying to convey.

I felt the angst, the frustrations, the political views, the social concerns and more importantly the insight to the lives of the people.

Many of these poets are really young.. It ranged from 16 to late 20's...They talked about drugs, growing up, love, underprivileged kids and even people who whistled at their mums,etc! More often than not, I struggled to follow what they were trying to say. Especially when they burst into rapid fire mode and speak like a speeding bullet and when they spoke in Spanish which I do not understand. These people are really talented and I admire their courage to go on stage to read out the poems that they had written. For that alone, I would have given each and every one of them at least a score of 8.5. Haha, I liked it when the judges get booed..seems like low scores have no place in a bar like this. We didn't stay till the end to find out who won but I have a feeling the female teacher won it.

All in all, it was a wonderful hang out night. We even capped the night off with beer at a nearby german pub, fries from the Belgium Fries place and Jap food at Kenka. Haha, I learned 2 lessons last night.

1) Always have dinner before a night out like this..(I was starving the whole night)
2) Never use beer to stop your hunger, it just makes you tired and sleepy..haha..(I was so sleepy after beer last night, I didn't even have much of my ramen and jap food)

Hmm, I should get pictures from someone..I think Val had a camera, maybe she took some photos..haha, suppose to go clubbing tonight with Changge, Edward, XT and some other people..My wallet is bleeding dry really fast..I wonder how long I can keep this up. On top of that, I have homeworks to complete! haha, Life of a Student in NY..Maybe I should go write a poem on it *wink*

*ps: thanks to all my dear friends who expressed concerns over the last post. I am alright now! yes yes, nothing is wrong now. No bones broken or fractured, no synapses damaged and nobody was harmed. =) I am off to face the world again!

Until next time, peace out...

Disappointed, dejected and defeated...

2006-09-09T01:36:00.000-04:00

You know why there are successful people out there? Because there are fools like me in this world that are compared to them. Naive, too trusting and simple-minded. I feel this stabbing heartache...this pain inside that cannot be described...long have I ignored the evils and treachery in this world..But the thick black blinds that had covered my eyes for years have been lifted...I have come to realise how people that I once thought I knew are actually putting on a facade and making use of me. How evil can these people be?How people are just treating me like a worthless and dumb doll that can be manipulated by the flick of the fingers...Just by using some lies or deception, I can be easily fooled...

Society and people do not stop to take notice of me...Why should they? I am not worth their time. I am just a small tiny being that is not worldly wise and uncapable to handle the cold hard truth. The hard truth of growing up and the struggle for survival in this era is actually so brutal...I begin to realise how I have not been living for myself..except for the short spurts in the past where I had picked myself up and actually strived for greater heights. But to fall back down once again without even noticing it... I promise myself to do more self reflections and to re-evaluate the people around me. To really know who I can trust and sacrifice myself for... To those few in my heart that has earned that place, I hope you are able to maintain that position forever.. For every once in a while, someone falls from that privileged position and I feel the immense hurt...For today, another has fallen from there...

Few has seen me cry and few will ever see me cry. I have been hardened through the years and it takes alot for me to break down...There has only been 1 incident that I remember myself crying to my heart's delight ever since I had turned 12. That was during Council Camp in 2002 where I completed my final task as Council Camp IC. I felt the sadness in relinquishing my duties as a student councilor and that I have completed my journey...That was the only time that I really cried out loud. for at that moment, the emotions and sadness gushed straight to my head and I simply had to let everything out.

I prefer to let people see the cheerful side of me which in actual fact is my true self. I am one who is extremely positive and always look on the bright side. I hope my radiance and joy can rub off on people and brighten their day. I like to keep my sadness inside and bury deep down so that I will never uncover them. But every once in awhile I will unwillingly dig everything out...tonight is one such night...on 9 sep 2006 at 0200h, I have been hurt and I have changed...

Disappointed, Dejected and Defeated...

Back in the BIG APPLE.

2006-09-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone, I am back in New York! Happy Labor Day! I have lots of things to do and settle before term officially starts tomorrow. Have to sketch out my exciting plans for this semester..WOOHOO!haha, more interesting updates would come as I lead the life of a New Yorker :D..Going to meet Andre later! I can't wait to catch up with him..this is soooo exciting...Hmm, but guess what is my first task as his Dage? - To help him move in - I think I am a very fit and experienced house mover by now..
I am also trying to organize a small Singaporeans meet up dinner tonight at NONYA restaurant. Hope that turns out well and people don't dua me. =) And not to forget, I may be dropping by my classmate's (Phila) place to help her and Mingming bake a cake..haha..Seems like my day is packed! now now..I shall go wake Karen up to go for a nice morning breakfast. Adios Amigos!

Boy was it WICKED!

2006-08-30T23:06:00.000-04:00

I have finally done what I should have done half a year ago and that is to catch the highly acclaimed musical "WICKED". It is definitely the best musical that I have watched in my life. The wonderful singing and acting coupled with the colorful and intricately designed sets and costumes totally blew me away. The beautiful backgrounds and costumes are still deeply ingrained in my mind right now. The special effects and lightings were timed to perfection. Last but not least, the script was very well written and engaging. I felt very well entertained for the 3 hours that I was glued to the seat. haha, and did I mention that I had excellent seats? I was just 8 rows away from the stage and I could see each and every character's expression and gaze sooooo clearly! The story had such a twist to the original Wizard of OZ that it was very refreshing and interesting too. =) You can see that I am full of praise for this musical..heh.. so anyone out there who hasn't watched this terrific musical. MARK MY WORDS! YOU MUST WATCH WICKED!
I shouldn't disclose the story so as not to spoil the fun for many of you but I must say that I love Glinda and Elphaba. They were totally into their characters and were capable of making you believe that such a world actually existed.

"Its not lying. Its looking at things a different way."

- Elphaba & Fiyero

That line actually makes perfect sense in life. Most of the time it is just a difference in perspective and understanding. So before you start an argument with someone in the future, do ensure that both of you are on the same page. :)

Nothing much has been going on in my life. Just completing some last minute errands before fall semesterl starts. I will be flying back to New York City on 3 September. Seems like it is going to be a long and challenging semester ahead. But I am happy to enjoy the company of my friends once again. Its kind of like enjoying New York city the way you see it on Sex and the City. Having american breakfast in some small cafe, walking down Fifth Avenue to see lots of shoppers, discussing life issues with friends over a meal.. Stuff like that..=)

Big Apple, here I come!

Reliving a life full of imagination...

2006-08-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

I was reading the Forbes Top 40 Richest Singaporeans this morning and I felt really inspired by many of them. Just for your information, to make it onto the list, you need at least a net worth of 55 million dollars. I sent the link to Limin because I thought she might be interested. For those who are interested, here's the link :

http://www.forbes.com/2006/08/24/06singapore_Singapores-40-Richest_land.html

It was very inspirational for me because many of these billionaires and millionaires worked from scratch. Its amazing how determined and hardworking these people were back in those days. I wish someday I will make it onto the list...Its just a dream for me...but a dream that I am willing to strive for. The current fact is that I may never make it to the list unless I do something spectacular with my life....

I think I have always lived a life full of facts and truths. Since the age of 12, I think I have lost my sense of imagination. I remember when I was younger, I was always drawing imaginary machines or objects that I think would make my life better at the young age of 6 - 11. A teleport machine that can teleport me from home to school so that I would not have to wake up sooo early in the morning. A button that I can click to filter out all my mum's excessive and incessant nagging. Those are just two examples that I can remember now..haha.. Thinking back now, I must say they were rather amusing thoughts. Don't think my mum would like it if she is reading this..haha..*pss,please don't tell my mum*
Somehow along the way, I lost my sense of imagination and creativity to a whole system of facts,truths, grades and mugging... Well, at least 10 years later at the age of 22, I think I am slowly regaining my sense of imagination and creativity. I have become more willing to explore different opportunities and try new approaches.. Doing things that are out of the norm. things that have not been done. Maybe thats why I have been imagining ways in which my friends and I can have fun doing what we like and make some money at the same time.

I got plans brewing...and I sure hope WE can pull it through. Even if it might fail in the end, it will be a great learning experience for all of us *wink* Wish me luck for my million dollar dream! I'll leave you with a famous quote from Einstein:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.

Imagination encircles the world."

Quoted from "What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck," for the October 26, 1929 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

Back On The Block

2006-08-25T23:40:00.000-04:00

Life is unpredictable and everchanging...

Much has happened over the past week and it has been a really turbulent roller coaster ride. Some parts about me has changed within that short span of time while other parts have simply grown stronger. I am glad to say that I have survived the ordeal and emerged as a better person. I am ready to face the challenges ahead. Now, I have a better understanding of my personality, needs and habits. And to all my friends who have showered me with messages and concerns: Thank you all! I really appreciated it and I am truly happy to have friends like you. Thanks for being there for me. You can't imagine how much it meant to me.

I have been spending the last few hours trying to sort out my priorities and to set goals that I hope to achieve in the near future. Nothing in life comes easy and nothing is ever guaranteed. Some people spend their whole lifetime pursing their dreams and giving their all but sadly end up with nothing to show. But I believe these people are the luckiest and bravest people to have ever walked this earth because they dared to pursue their dreams. These are the only people who have lived life to the fullest and lived life with a dream. I truely respect these people and I would like to become one some day. As such, from this day onwards, I will promise myself to live life with a dream. my very own special dream...

Watch out people, the Kid is Back On The Block.