Friday, December 09, 2005
Let it snow, let it snow... not?
It's snowing like you wouldn't believe it out there and I'm sitting here in the office looking out. Man do I want to be home and in front of the heater. If this were still school this would definitely be a snow day. Unfortunately, it is a work day and I'm in the office wondering how on earth I'm going to get home and then back here for the christmas party and why I seem to be coming down with a cold.
Monday, November 28, 2005
In response to Phlebas...
I was going to write this as a comment on her blog but then it got too long.
In response to http://lucid-nonsense.blogdrive.com/, I suspect I definitely have no principles where that is concerned.
I think if the guys in question did all that they did in a condescending manner I would be insulted rather than impressed. But because I really couldn't have managed carrying that home on my own...or rather would have managed but with great difficulty, I'm perfectly willing to let guys carry things for me to save me the work.
To be fair let me also mention that I'm equally impressed if a girl does that for me but to date no girl ever has offered to help me out when I'm bogged down with something and need help. What does that say about our society then? That the guys only do it because there is some subconcious sexual attraction even if it is not overt? Or that the guys are the only ones that have been socially conditioned to help?
I say subconciously because trust me, I know when a guy is simply doing something in order to attempt to impress me and that earns negative points with me.
I also admit that "doing all the little things" does not equate to being a nice guy and I never intended it to. I am currently caught between a dichotomy of opposites where my friends back home complain that guys are just incredibly dense and fail to remember birthdays, help carry things even when the girl in question is obviously struggling, and all the other little social niceties one would expect from anyone, and my friends here complain that guys here (who do do all that for the most part) are all egocentric jerks.
I have a number of guy friends who are thoughtful, sweet, considerate and genuinely nice, and yes they do treat me as equals. For some reason, there are never enough of them to go round.
Then of course we get to the "nice guy"'s complaint: "How come girls are only attracted to Jerks?" To which my response would be too long to post :-)
In response to http://lucid-nonsense.blogdrive.com/, I suspect I definitely have no principles where that is concerned.
I think if the guys in question did all that they did in a condescending manner I would be insulted rather than impressed. But because I really couldn't have managed carrying that home on my own...or rather would have managed but with great difficulty, I'm perfectly willing to let guys carry things for me to save me the work.
To be fair let me also mention that I'm equally impressed if a girl does that for me but to date no girl ever has offered to help me out when I'm bogged down with something and need help. What does that say about our society then? That the guys only do it because there is some subconcious sexual attraction even if it is not overt? Or that the guys are the only ones that have been socially conditioned to help?
I say subconciously because trust me, I know when a guy is simply doing something in order to attempt to impress me and that earns negative points with me.
I also admit that "doing all the little things" does not equate to being a nice guy and I never intended it to. I am currently caught between a dichotomy of opposites where my friends back home complain that guys are just incredibly dense and fail to remember birthdays, help carry things even when the girl in question is obviously struggling, and all the other little social niceties one would expect from anyone, and my friends here complain that guys here (who do do all that for the most part) are all egocentric jerks.
I have a number of guy friends who are thoughtful, sweet, considerate and genuinely nice, and yes they do treat me as equals. For some reason, there are never enough of them to go round.
Then of course we get to the "nice guy"'s complaint: "How come girls are only attracted to Jerks?" To which my response would be too long to post :-)
Sunday, November 27, 2005
A Few Good Men...
For some reason I have a knack of finding guys who are absurdly nice. What brought on this comment? V just walked me home, carrying two bags of groceries for me the whole way. This was a 40 min walk from Chinatown, and 15 min of that walk was out of his way since he lives closer there than I do.
Yesterday, Lady Red noticed a guy in passing who crossed over to the passenger side of the car, openned the door for his gf, before going back to the other side to get in the car, saying that such guys were rare. It got me thinking that I actually do know guys who do that, and not just one but a large portion of the guys I know would actually do that.
So while the other three girls in my college posse are complaining about all guys being egocentric jerks or "incredibly dense male" type, I've never had a problem finding nice guys who do all the little things. The question then becomes, is part of that because Asian guys are more likely to be sensitive and gentlemenly?
Judging from the complaints of Singaporean women everywhere and the typical Singaporean "So you want to get a HDB flat?" proposal, I wouldn't normally think so. Perhaps then, that it is a subset of Asian men that have that quality, and if so then is there some reason I meet all of them?
If I could isolate and market that reason, I'd be a very rich girl with lots of grateful thank you letters. As it is, I'm left wondering why I am the one who meets all of these guys, when I can't date any of them and the single friends I have only seem to meet the egocentric jerk type.
Yesterday, Lady Red noticed a guy in passing who crossed over to the passenger side of the car, openned the door for his gf, before going back to the other side to get in the car, saying that such guys were rare. It got me thinking that I actually do know guys who do that, and not just one but a large portion of the guys I know would actually do that.
So while the other three girls in my college posse are complaining about all guys being egocentric jerks or "incredibly dense male" type, I've never had a problem finding nice guys who do all the little things. The question then becomes, is part of that because Asian guys are more likely to be sensitive and gentlemenly?
Judging from the complaints of Singaporean women everywhere and the typical Singaporean "So you want to get a HDB flat?" proposal, I wouldn't normally think so. Perhaps then, that it is a subset of Asian men that have that quality, and if so then is there some reason I meet all of them?
If I could isolate and market that reason, I'd be a very rich girl with lots of grateful thank you letters. As it is, I'm left wondering why I am the one who meets all of these guys, when I can't date any of them and the single friends I have only seem to meet the egocentric jerk type.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
The reason why I work so much
is that at least work is clean simple and satisfying.
I just hung up on Lady J, who was whining and wanted to stay close to home. I hate it when people make me organize something saying sure why don't you call person A B and C and set up lunch or dinner and then complain and want me to change things when its done.
If you are so damn fussy, you can set everything up and do the calling yourself.
I have a good mind to just ignore everyone else and have this one day to myself.
I just hung up on Lady J, who was whining and wanted to stay close to home. I hate it when people make me organize something saying sure why don't you call person A B and C and set up lunch or dinner and then complain and want me to change things when its done.
If you are so damn fussy, you can set everything up and do the calling yourself.
I have a good mind to just ignore everyone else and have this one day to myself.
Friday, November 18, 2005
I may not have blogged in a very very long time but this time I have an excuse. All I'd have to do is tell you my leave work times for the week and you'd understand why. For this week it was 10pm, 8pm, 11pm, 12am.. so far. Let's just say it has been a rather intensive week.
Bunches of things however have occured since I last blogged.
For one thing, I can now say I've been to the west coast. Palm springs itself was beautiful in a very resort kind of way that I'd have to admit, could have been a resort anywhere. However, the things the company arranged however, were amazing. The food was good. The dinner themes were elaborate and unique. The first night we got clowns and circus performers and stuff, the second night, we got a fake casino, and the last night we got fireworks. All in all, I had a great time. I also got to ride in a hot air balloon for the first time.
LA though was very different from any other city I've been in. It's large and sprawling and seems to go on with no end. Not a good place for someone who doesn't drive to live.
And.. being that I'm supposed to be back at work in a bit. I shall stop my blogging quest for today :-p
Bunches of things however have occured since I last blogged.
For one thing, I can now say I've been to the west coast. Palm springs itself was beautiful in a very resort kind of way that I'd have to admit, could have been a resort anywhere. However, the things the company arranged however, were amazing. The food was good. The dinner themes were elaborate and unique. The first night we got clowns and circus performers and stuff, the second night, we got a fake casino, and the last night we got fireworks. All in all, I had a great time. I also got to ride in a hot air balloon for the first time.
LA though was very different from any other city I've been in. It's large and sprawling and seems to go on with no end. Not a good place for someone who doesn't drive to live.
And.. being that I'm supposed to be back at work in a bit. I shall stop my blogging quest for today :-p
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Losing my language
In the midst of all the work that I 've been doing, I've come to the dawning realization that I'm losing my first language - English.
I admit that that is at first glance not only ironic but seemingly impossible. I'm losing english because I moved to America? Land where everyone speaks english? Trust me. It is true.
To begin with, land where everyone speaks english is also land where in general people may speak english but their vocabulary is not necessarily that large or gramatically correct. I definitely had a larger exposure to vocab and good grammar back in Singapore (Being in Humanaties might have had something to do with that.)
In addition to that, I work primarily with numbers. I haven't written an essay or played with words in a long time. Lastly, English is now my work language. What I mean by that is in picking up Japanese and such, for fun I play japanese games, listen to Chinese music, and watch Japanese TV so I have no greater exposure to English. Although arguably the media is not the best place to increase my english vocabulary.
There was a time when words came as easily to me as breathing. I need my words back.
I admit that that is at first glance not only ironic but seemingly impossible. I'm losing english because I moved to America? Land where everyone speaks english? Trust me. It is true.
To begin with, land where everyone speaks english is also land where in general people may speak english but their vocabulary is not necessarily that large or gramatically correct. I definitely had a larger exposure to vocab and good grammar back in Singapore (Being in Humanaties might have had something to do with that.)
In addition to that, I work primarily with numbers. I haven't written an essay or played with words in a long time. Lastly, English is now my work language. What I mean by that is in picking up Japanese and such, for fun I play japanese games, listen to Chinese music, and watch Japanese TV so I have no greater exposure to English. Although arguably the media is not the best place to increase my english vocabulary.
There was a time when words came as easily to me as breathing. I need my words back.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Unrelated list of events
1. I've decided that the best way to blog about multiple things with no real link is in lists... like EE.
2. While walking home yesterday from the grocery store I had to take the long route. And yes I said "had to". The reason was because the wind was too bloody strong. My usual route home from the grocery store involves cutting through the Christian Science Park which is a beautiful park with its primary feature being a huge man made pond/fountain in the middle of it. In other words, its an open area in the middle of a city where the wind is usually blocked by buildings. Yesterday being a windy day, I tried to cut across my usual route but I couldn't move. Having the wind against me meant that I was fighting to take every single step and not fall down in the process. Of course, I'm sure being weighed down by groceries didn't help the walking against the wind part but it definitely prevented me from falling when I was walking with the wind. So in the end I decided it'd be faster to just take the long route. The one with buildings.
3. We're starting a week long training case today. What that means is that the new analysts form a pretend case team and take over a case for a week. What that also means is that all my other case work is going to have to be put on a relative hold while I do this. In addition, I still have to give interviews this week so it would be interesting to see how I manage my time this week. I went back to work for 3 hours on Sunday because I knew this week was going to be hectic and I wanted to clear some of my workload. Oh yeah interviews. I'm on the other side of the recruiting process now, and interviewing candidates. I got to do my first interview on last week. I never realized how much work went into interviews on the company side and not just on the student side but it's been an enjoyable and interesting experience so far and definitely would help me out when I actually interview for stuff next.
4. I think cooking for me goes in batches. Like I cook Asian for a couple of weeks then I get tired of it and decide to cook Western. I don't do too well with long elaborate recipes though, I think my speciality is probably making things off the cuff with what ingredients I have and leftovers in the fridge. Example.. last week I made lemon chicken cream pasta from leftover chicken and soup from having made chicken rice. My weekend also included tomato basil cream with italian sausage pasta, and sweet italian sausage cooked with red wine and sweet onions, and steak with soy sauce, garlic, butter and red wine. :-p Basically my menu usually reflects what was on sale at the supermarket.
2. While walking home yesterday from the grocery store I had to take the long route. And yes I said "had to". The reason was because the wind was too bloody strong. My usual route home from the grocery store involves cutting through the Christian Science Park which is a beautiful park with its primary feature being a huge man made pond/fountain in the middle of it. In other words, its an open area in the middle of a city where the wind is usually blocked by buildings. Yesterday being a windy day, I tried to cut across my usual route but I couldn't move. Having the wind against me meant that I was fighting to take every single step and not fall down in the process. Of course, I'm sure being weighed down by groceries didn't help the walking against the wind part but it definitely prevented me from falling when I was walking with the wind. So in the end I decided it'd be faster to just take the long route. The one with buildings.
3. We're starting a week long training case today. What that means is that the new analysts form a pretend case team and take over a case for a week. What that also means is that all my other case work is going to have to be put on a relative hold while I do this. In addition, I still have to give interviews this week so it would be interesting to see how I manage my time this week. I went back to work for 3 hours on Sunday because I knew this week was going to be hectic and I wanted to clear some of my workload. Oh yeah interviews. I'm on the other side of the recruiting process now, and interviewing candidates. I got to do my first interview on last week. I never realized how much work went into interviews on the company side and not just on the student side but it's been an enjoyable and interesting experience so far and definitely would help me out when I actually interview for stuff next.
4. I think cooking for me goes in batches. Like I cook Asian for a couple of weeks then I get tired of it and decide to cook Western. I don't do too well with long elaborate recipes though, I think my speciality is probably making things off the cuff with what ingredients I have and leftovers in the fridge. Example.. last week I made lemon chicken cream pasta from leftover chicken and soup from having made chicken rice. My weekend also included tomato basil cream with italian sausage pasta, and sweet italian sausage cooked with red wine and sweet onions, and steak with soy sauce, garlic, butter and red wine. :-p Basically my menu usually reflects what was on sale at the supermarket.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Katamari
1. I've been addicted to Katamari very recently. For those not in the know, its a game where the objective is to roll a ball of items as big as possible. In the beginning, when you have a small ball, most items won't stick to your ball and are instead obstacles, but as you go on and it gets bigger, you can roll chairs, desks, people, trees and houses into your ball. Sounds simple but its frighteningly addictive... so much so that my thumbs now ache from the effort.
2. The anime I've been following, Honey & Clover, just came out with the last episode. *quiet sigh* I particuarly liked it because it had real life characters and not anime ones... if you ever watched as much anime as I did you would probably know what I was talking about. And true to real life characters and real life, there are no certainties in this series, no sure happy endings. But like life (another thing that is frighteningly addictive), I want it to carry on just a little longer.
3. At work, I'm in the middle of reading the funniest complaint I've ever read. I nearly started laughing out loud in my cubicle, but caught myself just in time. Wouldn't do for my co-workers to start thinking I'm crazy already. (They can get that when they've known me for a while longer). I love American law. It's just much more entertaining this way. The complaint and the response to it aren't tied down in that much legal language, or at least it makes fun reading. Fun reading? a law document? you ain't read these ones. They sound like Ally McBeal in writing. The lawyers use words like "just plain out ridiculous" and "hemorrhage cash and red ink". Seriously, I always thought Ally McBeal was made up but reading these documents, now I want to see a real court trial.
4. I started the Bloomberg certification program over the weekend, where I get a cert to learn how to use bloomberg. This means that Lady Red and the other J now think I'm weird because I go back to work on Sunday for fun. Am I addicted to work? My friends here seem to think so but then I don't feel like I'm approaching anywhere near the normal Singaporean level of work and learning. I think with the amount of subliminal messages and not so subliminal messages we've gotten telling us that learning is good and that we should work hard, I don't work quite as hard as they're telling me to work. Or maybe it's leftover college guilt. In college, work is never quite done. Playing is always a guilty pleasure because there's always homework, thesis, study to be done outside of classes. All of a sudden, all I have to do outside of work is chores. I'd much rather work than clean. The sad thing is it might be that I'd much rather work than play too. The other J has already thrice offered me a job in his company if he ever has one under the impression that I'd make a great employee. Maybe I should eventually work for myself.
2. The anime I've been following, Honey & Clover, just came out with the last episode. *quiet sigh* I particuarly liked it because it had real life characters and not anime ones... if you ever watched as much anime as I did you would probably know what I was talking about. And true to real life characters and real life, there are no certainties in this series, no sure happy endings. But like life (another thing that is frighteningly addictive), I want it to carry on just a little longer.
3. At work, I'm in the middle of reading the funniest complaint I've ever read. I nearly started laughing out loud in my cubicle, but caught myself just in time. Wouldn't do for my co-workers to start thinking I'm crazy already. (They can get that when they've known me for a while longer). I love American law. It's just much more entertaining this way. The complaint and the response to it aren't tied down in that much legal language, or at least it makes fun reading. Fun reading? a law document? you ain't read these ones. They sound like Ally McBeal in writing. The lawyers use words like "just plain out ridiculous" and "hemorrhage cash and red ink". Seriously, I always thought Ally McBeal was made up but reading these documents, now I want to see a real court trial.
4. I started the Bloomberg certification program over the weekend, where I get a cert to learn how to use bloomberg. This means that Lady Red and the other J now think I'm weird because I go back to work on Sunday for fun. Am I addicted to work? My friends here seem to think so but then I don't feel like I'm approaching anywhere near the normal Singaporean level of work and learning. I think with the amount of subliminal messages and not so subliminal messages we've gotten telling us that learning is good and that we should work hard, I don't work quite as hard as they're telling me to work. Or maybe it's leftover college guilt. In college, work is never quite done. Playing is always a guilty pleasure because there's always homework, thesis, study to be done outside of classes. All of a sudden, all I have to do outside of work is chores. I'd much rather work than clean. The sad thing is it might be that I'd much rather work than play too. The other J has already thrice offered me a job in his company if he ever has one under the impression that I'd make a great employee. Maybe I should eventually work for myself.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
ipod meme
Taken from N and J...
What do you think of me, iTunes?
Angel Sanctuary
wow I never knew it thought that highly of me :-p
What should I do with my life?
Silent emotion by Cagnet
hmmm.. not sure that keeping my emotions bottled should be my life goal...
Will I have a happy life?
I could fall in love - Selena
does that lead to happiness?
What do my friends really think of me?
Take it Easy - The Eagles
*lol* alright this one is pretty accurate, people are always telling me I need to relax and have fun more and not be a workaholic.
Do people secretly lust after me?
Story of Us - Eric Clapton
erm is that a yes? *lol* sounds like one.
How can I make myself happy?
toki ni ai wa - from utena
(translation: At times love is.. )
From the lyrics of the song "At times love is strong, so much it even wounds people's hearts, but Ah in the midst of the courage that grants our dreams,a light always shines forth, Love is strong, so much so that it can move people's hearts, but Ah If we are together, then without a doubt we can change the world, and everything will become one power."
So the way to be happy is to have strong love? I'd like to think that.. but look at all the tragedies that were centered around love.
Why must life be so full of pain?
You're a God- vertical horizon
Because we create our own misery? Or because as human beings we create misery for others?
How can I maximize my pleasure during sex?
Bizarre Love Triangle - Frente
I don't even want to think about what this means! Although my mind automatically filled in a couple of "I don't even want to go there" answers.
Will I ever have children?
Grain of sand- vonda shepard
One? or as many as sand? I don't even want children at this point!
Will I die happy?
Secret Garden - Gackt
Fine. Don't tell me.
Can you give me some advice?
enrai - do as infinity
translated "Distant Thunder"
Erm not good then? That sounds rather omninous like a warning of some kind..
What do you think happiness is?
qi zi - Faye wong
translated "pawn"
Definitely not my belief, why would happiness be being like a pawn? Unless of course it means having pawns to control.. oooh dictator tendencies coming out there...
What do you think of me, iTunes?
Angel Sanctuary
wow I never knew it thought that highly of me :-p
What should I do with my life?
Silent emotion by Cagnet
hmmm.. not sure that keeping my emotions bottled should be my life goal...
Will I have a happy life?
I could fall in love - Selena
does that lead to happiness?
What do my friends really think of me?
Take it Easy - The Eagles
*lol* alright this one is pretty accurate, people are always telling me I need to relax and have fun more and not be a workaholic.
Do people secretly lust after me?
Story of Us - Eric Clapton
erm is that a yes? *lol* sounds like one.
How can I make myself happy?
toki ni ai wa - from utena
(translation: At times love is.. )
From the lyrics of the song "At times love is strong, so much it even wounds people's hearts, but Ah in the midst of the courage that grants our dreams,a light always shines forth, Love is strong, so much so that it can move people's hearts, but Ah If we are together, then without a doubt we can change the world, and everything will become one power."
So the way to be happy is to have strong love? I'd like to think that.. but look at all the tragedies that were centered around love.
Why must life be so full of pain?
You're a God- vertical horizon
Because we create our own misery? Or because as human beings we create misery for others?
How can I maximize my pleasure during sex?
Bizarre Love Triangle - Frente
I don't even want to think about what this means! Although my mind automatically filled in a couple of "I don't even want to go there" answers.
Will I ever have children?
Grain of sand- vonda shepard
One? or as many as sand? I don't even want children at this point!
Will I die happy?
Secret Garden - Gackt
Fine. Don't tell me.
Can you give me some advice?
enrai - do as infinity
translated "Distant Thunder"
Erm not good then? That sounds rather omninous like a warning of some kind..
What do you think happiness is?
qi zi - Faye wong
translated "pawn"
Definitely not my belief, why would happiness be being like a pawn? Unless of course it means having pawns to control.. oooh dictator tendencies coming out there...
It's been a long gap but I haven't had much time to blog lately. Work is absorbing all my energies together with the endless supply of chores that always seem to need to be done. Lately, I haven't even had much of a time to sleep.
Partly I admit is because F and Lady J are back in town again and between them, they always seem to be able to guilt me into going out and having dinner or doing something with them, even if it means cutting back on yet more sleep that night and going into work early the next morning again.
Red was also in town this weekend and fun as it was, I definitely did not get any relaxing done this weekend. We went up to the north end for some good italian food, and even better pastries and desserts. We also made yet another haul at the haymarket. This time we got yams, tomatoes, zuchinni, basil, parsley, asparagus and mushrooms. Of course that meant I had to make tomato basil cream soup again today. I also used some of the asparagus and the last of my bacon to make bacon wrapped asparagus that I'm going to be using in my bentos for next week. I need to start using all the food in my fridge.
*yawn* it's the end of the weekend and I have yet to do my ironing or make tomorrow's lunch.. or clean.. or any of the numerous errands.. *sigh*
Partly I admit is because F and Lady J are back in town again and between them, they always seem to be able to guilt me into going out and having dinner or doing something with them, even if it means cutting back on yet more sleep that night and going into work early the next morning again.
Red was also in town this weekend and fun as it was, I definitely did not get any relaxing done this weekend. We went up to the north end for some good italian food, and even better pastries and desserts. We also made yet another haul at the haymarket. This time we got yams, tomatoes, zuchinni, basil, parsley, asparagus and mushrooms. Of course that meant I had to make tomato basil cream soup again today. I also used some of the asparagus and the last of my bacon to make bacon wrapped asparagus that I'm going to be using in my bentos for next week. I need to start using all the food in my fridge.
*yawn* it's the end of the weekend and I have yet to do my ironing or make tomorrow's lunch.. or clean.. or any of the numerous errands.. *sigh*
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
I'm going to LA!
... in November on the company retreat. Actually, to be precise, I'm going out of LA to a resort in the desert for a weekend which promises to be fun. I also intend to take two extra days off to visit with sc and catch up. hooray for free air tickets into LA :-p
In other news, I finally got myself a permanent library card - which means I can now take out books! Yay! I already took out 3 to start with. The boston library here is not only huge.. (think of a fiction section that is at least twice as big as the old national libaray used to be, but you can take out as many books as you want. (Something that definitely meets with my approval). Since I have a month to return these books I'm sure I'll be done long before then.
Recruiting has also started which means I get to be on the other end this time *hee hee* This promises to be fun.
In other news, I finally got myself a permanent library card - which means I can now take out books! Yay! I already took out 3 to start with. The boston library here is not only huge.. (think of a fiction section that is at least twice as big as the old national libaray used to be, but you can take out as many books as you want. (Something that definitely meets with my approval). Since I have a month to return these books I'm sure I'll be done long before then.
Recruiting has also started which means I get to be on the other end this time *hee hee* This promises to be fun.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Shopping
Setting out with only vague aims and no time limit is always fun. I ended up getting a new phone while I was out yesterday... one with a plan with free nights and weekends instead of just a prepaid.
I also went shopping and bought a beautiful silver spaghetti strap wtih a butterfly across the top on the front for 30 dollars. I couldn't resist, it was too beautiful. Unfortunately this also meant I did not buy any of the two work pants I could have bought (they were forty dollars each) or the other cute top I wanted that was a lot cheaper. Shopping at H&M is not good for me, I want to buy too much. I ended up trying on I think 13-14 different outfits and these were the ones I was seriously considering buying. Money concerns otherwise, I also have serious closet concerns. My wall to wall closet is erm... full.
After my shopping adventures, I wandered down to Haymarket and purchased tomatoes, scallions, cauliflower, cilantro and onions - all at a dollar each. They had avacados cheap but I had way too much food in my house already.
I also made quiche last night. Jalepeno pepper quiche, with the peppers I bought from the week before. It turned out well. Althoguh I think I was really making it for the pleasure of making it rather than eating it since although I eat it, I never really liked quiche all that much! (I'm definitely a strange sort of cook)
I also went shopping and bought a beautiful silver spaghetti strap wtih a butterfly across the top on the front for 30 dollars. I couldn't resist, it was too beautiful. Unfortunately this also meant I did not buy any of the two work pants I could have bought (they were forty dollars each) or the other cute top I wanted that was a lot cheaper. Shopping at H&M is not good for me, I want to buy too much. I ended up trying on I think 13-14 different outfits and these were the ones I was seriously considering buying. Money concerns otherwise, I also have serious closet concerns. My wall to wall closet is erm... full.
After my shopping adventures, I wandered down to Haymarket and purchased tomatoes, scallions, cauliflower, cilantro and onions - all at a dollar each. They had avacados cheap but I had way too much food in my house already.
I also made quiche last night. Jalepeno pepper quiche, with the peppers I bought from the week before. It turned out well. Althoguh I think I was really making it for the pleasure of making it rather than eating it since although I eat it, I never really liked quiche all that much! (I'm definitely a strange sort of cook)
Saturday, September 03, 2005
M and F came up to Boston thursday night, so in a hastily arranged fashion, we decided to meet for Dinner at Penang and satisfy F's chicken rice craving. Being vegetarian however, M was pretty much restricted to the fried rice.
I was particuarly amused by the waitress who doubtfully turned to F and asked "Have you had chicken rice before?" and oozing disbelief at F's yes answer (F doesn't look very Asian at all being only 1/4 chinese. She looks more european from her portugese side.)The waitress then warned "It's room temperature not hot.", before going off to place the order.
All this was made even funnier because after the chicken rice came, F promptly started complaining about how there was no ginger sauce or dark soy sauce (her favourite parts) and asking how come they didn't serve soup along with the chicken rice. Her purist conclusion was that she still had to go to Singapore to get good chicken rice.
So after a late night out with the girls, M came over to crash at my place and we woke up at 6am to get breakfast before going off to work. I was in the office at 7.30am and didn't leave till 7.30pm. My lunch break consisted of 15 min at my computer somewhere around 3.30pm. Trust me, a 12 hour work day is not fun after too little sleep. I had a splitting headache most of the day and was mostly just trying to last through the day without giving away the fact that I wasn't functioning at top form. I hope no one noticed my silence at the meetings or misunderstood and thought I was disinterested or anything. Honestly, if I could think, I'd have been more participatory.
But now it is the long weekend and I have yet more errands to run. Haymarket here I come! What adventures shall I have today?
I was particuarly amused by the waitress who doubtfully turned to F and asked "Have you had chicken rice before?" and oozing disbelief at F's yes answer (F doesn't look very Asian at all being only 1/4 chinese. She looks more european from her portugese side.)The waitress then warned "It's room temperature not hot.", before going off to place the order.
All this was made even funnier because after the chicken rice came, F promptly started complaining about how there was no ginger sauce or dark soy sauce (her favourite parts) and asking how come they didn't serve soup along with the chicken rice. Her purist conclusion was that she still had to go to Singapore to get good chicken rice.
So after a late night out with the girls, M came over to crash at my place and we woke up at 6am to get breakfast before going off to work. I was in the office at 7.30am and didn't leave till 7.30pm. My lunch break consisted of 15 min at my computer somewhere around 3.30pm. Trust me, a 12 hour work day is not fun after too little sleep. I had a splitting headache most of the day and was mostly just trying to last through the day without giving away the fact that I wasn't functioning at top form. I hope no one noticed my silence at the meetings or misunderstood and thought I was disinterested or anything. Honestly, if I could think, I'd have been more participatory.
But now it is the long weekend and I have yet more errands to run. Haymarket here I come! What adventures shall I have today?
Thursday, September 01, 2005
The lack of an id...
is hindering my attempt to get a phone. At least on Amazon where the phones are cheaper. Which is extremely annoying because now I'd either have to pay a lot more for a phone, or attempt to go get a state id and then get back to amazon who might very well tell me that I still can't get a phone due to lack of credit. *sigh*
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Haymarket
I don't know why it was so unusually hot today. Lately it has been turning cool but today was definitely a throwback to high summer. So this morning I decided to wander down to Haymarket, boston's biggest and possibly cheapest one.
Haymarket definitely reminded me of the dayak sunday market in Kuching, where all the wares were laid out in the open...with some differences. For one thing rich americans can afford to have a wooden stall complete with shade rather than simply putting everything on blankets. For another the vegetables were beautifully displayed in boxes.. and beautiful vegetables they were too. Granted you weren't for the most part allowed to pick your own (they get it for you), or test the veges (no poking... they bruise the veges) but for the most part they were beautiful. Large red tomatoes of all kinds selling at 3 lbs for a dollar. Fruits, vegetables and spices. Another of a differences between this and the Asian style wet markets was the lack of meats or fish. In a great concession to hygeine the only meats there were were in the stalls that were around the Haymarket area. Actual butchers, grocers and such. There was even a cheese stall that I walked by.
The haul from Haymarket today would have been more except my fridge is already overflowing with food. But what I did come back with was - a lb of portabellas for 2.50, a lb of large white mushrooms for 2.00, a lb of jalapenos for 1.00 and 4 clumps of garlic for 1.00. As you can tell, they sell by the pound, ah well America is not kind to singles - not the way Japan is at any rate :-p
Haymarket definitely reminded me of the dayak sunday market in Kuching, where all the wares were laid out in the open...with some differences. For one thing rich americans can afford to have a wooden stall complete with shade rather than simply putting everything on blankets. For another the vegetables were beautifully displayed in boxes.. and beautiful vegetables they were too. Granted you weren't for the most part allowed to pick your own (they get it for you), or test the veges (no poking... they bruise the veges) but for the most part they were beautiful. Large red tomatoes of all kinds selling at 3 lbs for a dollar. Fruits, vegetables and spices. Another of a differences between this and the Asian style wet markets was the lack of meats or fish. In a great concession to hygeine the only meats there were were in the stalls that were around the Haymarket area. Actual butchers, grocers and such. There was even a cheese stall that I walked by.
The haul from Haymarket today would have been more except my fridge is already overflowing with food. But what I did come back with was - a lb of portabellas for 2.50, a lb of large white mushrooms for 2.00, a lb of jalapenos for 1.00 and 4 clumps of garlic for 1.00. As you can tell, they sell by the pound, ah well America is not kind to singles - not the way Japan is at any rate :-p
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
The perils of living alone...
Is occasionally having to put up with the weirdest incidents. Last Sunday, after a long hard week at work, I decided to go downtown - a trip that landed me in Chinatown on my way back shopping the Asian supermarkets.
Now Chinatown in Boston is not exactly the safest place in the world, but being of a decidedly Asian look, I've never really considered myself in much of any danger there. Of course I'm also not willingly going to go there after dark. So therefore this incident took me a little by surprise.
Five minutes in to Grocery Shopping I realized I had a shadow. A middle-aged mild quiet looking sort of guy was following me wherever I went. As I moved between the aisles the guy would follow somewhat behind. The thing is that I was more amused by this than afraid. It took him half an hour to finally get up the courage to talk to me which I naturally ended the conversation as soon as I could. After about ten more minutes of pointless shadowing me across the supermarket, I began to get a little creeped out. It was at that point that I paid, got out and brisked walked my way out of Chinatown and into the T station as fast as I could. (I lost him at the cashier since he had to pay after me)
These things never happen to me in Providence!
Now Chinatown in Boston is not exactly the safest place in the world, but being of a decidedly Asian look, I've never really considered myself in much of any danger there. Of course I'm also not willingly going to go there after dark. So therefore this incident took me a little by surprise.
Five minutes in to Grocery Shopping I realized I had a shadow. A middle-aged mild quiet looking sort of guy was following me wherever I went. As I moved between the aisles the guy would follow somewhat behind. The thing is that I was more amused by this than afraid. It took him half an hour to finally get up the courage to talk to me which I naturally ended the conversation as soon as I could. After about ten more minutes of pointless shadowing me across the supermarket, I began to get a little creeped out. It was at that point that I paid, got out and brisked walked my way out of Chinatown and into the T station as fast as I could. (I lost him at the cashier since he had to pay after me)
These things never happen to me in Providence!
Thursday, August 18, 2005
It is 10.30pm and I just got home from work.
Today I worked from 9am straight. 13 hours, ate lunch in five minutes staring at my computer screen working, skipped dinner and just got home. I'm so tired I really don't want to make dinner. As a result, I guess I'm skipping dinner.
I think I'm setting some kind of record. If you exclude training week. This week I've worked an average of 12 hours a day. I think I've made my billable quota by lunch today. Who needs to work on friday?
I don't think this pace is sustainable. Whatever happened to the 40 hour work week? It's only Thursday... there's still tomorrow to go.
Today I worked from 9am straight. 13 hours, ate lunch in five minutes staring at my computer screen working, skipped dinner and just got home. I'm so tired I really don't want to make dinner. As a result, I guess I'm skipping dinner.
I think I'm setting some kind of record. If you exclude training week. This week I've worked an average of 12 hours a day. I think I've made my billable quota by lunch today. Who needs to work on friday?
I don't think this pace is sustainable. Whatever happened to the 40 hour work week? It's only Thursday... there's still tomorrow to go.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Second 12 hour work day in a row
I have too much work. I wonder if this is the normal level of work in the office... and WHY does everything have such a short deadline?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Case work...
I'm so tired. Busy but it is a good sort of busy, the kind where you don't really want to tear yourself away from work. The hours are definitely stretching though. It's also nice that I have a pretty straight forward case to start with.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Training's over
for now.. and my CSI days are done. Got home today at 8pm. Already been staffed on a case and have a ton of work. ah well at least I don't take work home with me.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
second day
End of the second day of work. Today we learnt how to check. Which is annoying but apparently has to be done and done well. For the most part, we're all really excited to be finally able to fiddle and get stuff done rather than just sit and listen to lectures. Training actually ends tomorrow and then we're done with it until next month when the next batch of new analysts come in.
In other news, I STILL haven't received the cheque or my new debit card. When will i get those? *sigh*
In other news, I STILL haven't received the cheque or my new debit card. When will i get those? *sigh*
Monday, August 08, 2005
First day of work
I'm under training till Wednesday. So far I've learnt that everything I do needs to be logged. I'm not sure how many hours a day I'm supposed to be working yet though. For training, it is 9am to 6pm but most people seem to come in later closer to 10am and get out later too. I guess it depends on what kind of a person you are, whether you work better in the morning or late.
Other than that I've learnt so far about policies more policies and research resources.
More training tomorrow.
Other than that I've learnt so far about policies more policies and research resources.
More training tomorrow.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
The night before...
First day of work tomorrow and I don't know where to begin to be nervous.
1. my cheque is still not here yet, def. time to be worried
2. my debit card has been discontinued since they sent the replacement to my old address and so had to discontinue that number and send me a new one, but in the meantime i'm a little short on cash
3. What the hell do I wear tomorrow. I suspect I'll be deciding tomorrow morning.
1. my cheque is still not here yet, def. time to be worried
2. my debit card has been discontinued since they sent the replacement to my old address and so had to discontinue that number and send me a new one, but in the meantime i'm a little short on cash
3. What the hell do I wear tomorrow. I suspect I'll be deciding tomorrow morning.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
CSI addiction
If one can call it that after just two days of it. There's a channel here that's showing CSI reruns two a night and three on friday nights. Added to the other channels that show CSI reruns occasionally that means that over two days i watched six CSI episodes on tv.
Being Saturday today, I only managed to catch half an episode. (The other channels don't run CSI reruns on weekends) and I miss my CSI. CSI withdrawal :-p That's the first sign of addiction.
Being Saturday today, I only managed to catch half an episode. (The other channels don't run CSI reruns on weekends) and I miss my CSI. CSI withdrawal :-p That's the first sign of addiction.
Friday, August 05, 2005
16 days
That's how many days it has been since my cheque has been posted. *sigh* I begin to fear it really has been stolen. Alas at the moment I've decided there's nothing to it but sitting it out. If it is still not here by mid week I shall ask my company if anyone has cashed it and if not could they possibly void it and issue me another one. Hopefully that would work.
I now officially have cable, and internet. Well, I had internet before but that was stolen internet and entirely not the same :-p. In any case, my computer (and not my laptop) now has internet and I spent the morning downloading and installing patches and such for it. Netflix has not yet sent me my first dvds (even though I ordered them yesterday and on their site they say they'll send them on Monday. Darned. In the meantime I shall create an extensive Netflix list. If they aren't efficient about it I might jump ship to Blockbuster and get the added benefit of two instore rentals a month.
Incidentally, the neighbourhood I live in is nice. It's just behind the main road so it looks like a pretty quiet residential kind of neighbourhood. For those of you that know Boston, the mainroad I am talking about is Mass Ave, just at the junction where Boylston and Newbury are. This means MAJORLY busy. So all the main stores and busyness are less than ten minutes away from me, while I get the benefit of having a nice residential sort of area which is quiet and has a large CVS, TrueValue, and a Wholefoods. Shaws is a bit of a walk so I suspect that I won't shop there as often. I'll be sorry if I have to move out of this place next year.
I now officially have cable, and internet. Well, I had internet before but that was stolen internet and entirely not the same :-p. In any case, my computer (and not my laptop) now has internet and I spent the morning downloading and installing patches and such for it. Netflix has not yet sent me my first dvds (even though I ordered them yesterday and on their site they say they'll send them on Monday. Darned. In the meantime I shall create an extensive Netflix list. If they aren't efficient about it I might jump ship to Blockbuster and get the added benefit of two instore rentals a month.
Incidentally, the neighbourhood I live in is nice. It's just behind the main road so it looks like a pretty quiet residential kind of neighbourhood. For those of you that know Boston, the mainroad I am talking about is Mass Ave, just at the junction where Boylston and Newbury are. This means MAJORLY busy. So all the main stores and busyness are less than ten minutes away from me, while I get the benefit of having a nice residential sort of area which is quiet and has a large CVS, TrueValue, and a Wholefoods. Shaws is a bit of a walk so I suspect that I won't shop there as often. I'll be sorry if I have to move out of this place next year.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
14 days counting...
And the cheque is still not here. I'm beginning to get very worried that it IS lost in the mail. Or stolen, I mean mail theft still exists and all.
In other news, My apartment while now in some semblance of order is still not entirely clear. I've noticed that at least where unpacking is concerned the last few boxes always take the longest. Partly, I'm sure is the lack of incentive, by the time I'm done with most of the stuff I'm too bored and tired of unpacking to want to do the last few tasks and partly too, I always leave the difficult stuff that I can't decide where to put for last. But mostly it is a matter of incentive. The first few boxes hold essentials but by the time you've gotten to the last few boxes they mostly hold things that you were sitting on the fence about discarding in the first place - the things that you don't throw out because it would be a waste and you'd probably have need of SOME day.. the only problem is the Some day isn't today.
I start work on Monday and am now starting to worry about little things - Like what the hell am I going to wear to work on Monday.
In other news, My apartment while now in some semblance of order is still not entirely clear. I've noticed that at least where unpacking is concerned the last few boxes always take the longest. Partly, I'm sure is the lack of incentive, by the time I'm done with most of the stuff I'm too bored and tired of unpacking to want to do the last few tasks and partly too, I always leave the difficult stuff that I can't decide where to put for last. But mostly it is a matter of incentive. The first few boxes hold essentials but by the time you've gotten to the last few boxes they mostly hold things that you were sitting on the fence about discarding in the first place - the things that you don't throw out because it would be a waste and you'd probably have need of SOME day.. the only problem is the Some day isn't today.
I start work on Monday and am now starting to worry about little things - Like what the hell am I going to wear to work on Monday.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
My furniture is here!
Especially my much beloved desk from Crate and Barrel. After lots of effort in putting both the desk and the stacker (which I am going to use as a TV stand) together, I now have all my furniture put together. I love my desk, it's beautiful. Stained dark brown, with a glass top and a pull out tray with carved slots for you to put stationary, it's large enough to put my monitor, two speakers and desk lamp and still have lots of space on the side.
In other news, the cheque which i forgot to bring and my mum mailed to me, still isn't here yet. I am starting to get worried, even though the post office in Singapore says 9 to 12 days for mail to reach the states so I guess I'll hold out on the panicking. The thing is, I need that money and I need it now. I'm running short. Besides which if a cheque for 3000 dollars is lost in the mail every one else I know would panic too.
I also have a *small* problem with my computer that maybe one of the computer expert guys who read this blog could solve. My programs shut themselves down. More specifically the games and only the games. Movies and music play fine on my computer but when I installed old games (that work perfectly fine on my older laptop) and tried to play them they shut down instantly. Also KOTOR shuts down every 15 min. What is wrong with the computer?
In other news, the cheque which i forgot to bring and my mum mailed to me, still isn't here yet. I am starting to get worried, even though the post office in Singapore says 9 to 12 days for mail to reach the states so I guess I'll hold out on the panicking. The thing is, I need that money and I need it now. I'm running short. Besides which if a cheque for 3000 dollars is lost in the mail every one else I know would panic too.
I also have a *small* problem with my computer that maybe one of the computer expert guys who read this blog could solve. My programs shut themselves down. More specifically the games and only the games. Movies and music play fine on my computer but when I installed old games (that work perfectly fine on my older laptop) and tried to play them they shut down instantly. Also KOTOR shuts down every 15 min. What is wrong with the computer?
Friday, July 29, 2005
Shoe Meme!
*grin* Continuing from where papayagirlleft off
No. of shoes currently owned (please bear in mind that I just moved here! and thus have not many shoes to speak off):
14! that is to say 7 pairs. In my defence, I have to say that I have pairs of shoes back home not counted, plus shoes are more expensive here than back home and they're hard to bring from home.
Extra details:
Number of empty shoe boxes cleared out while counting up the tally:
Erm... none. I just moved here remember? Why would I have extra empty shoeboxes?
Most Expensive Pair: *lol* Currently in my wardrobe? erm since I threw out my boots last semester when I graduated, my current most expensive pair is very very cheap - 30 dollar sandals that I bought at whatever took over OG in orchard.
Cheapest Pair: erm 3 dollar slippers that I bought at an outlet store in Singapore, they're bright blue with red flowers but the real reason I bought them is because they're high enough to wear out without getting wet from stepping in shallow puddles.
Brands Represented: Hush Puppies, Merrels, and the rest are unknown brands that no one would know anyway :-p
The Last Shoe You Bought: Last pair hmm actually I bought a bunch in Singapore so its hard to tell but I guess the most recent one was the orange sandals that are wooden, high, and altogether bought because they were cute.
How many shoes have you under your work desk?: Hee hee, don't have one right now but probably one if my plan of wearing comfortable shoes to walk to work and then switching shoes there takes effect.
Five People I'm Passing This Baton On To: Hee hee, I don't know five people with blogs. or at least five people who haven't already had this passed too.
Alright then, if they want to do this,
Sylfien because he probably owns more expensive shoes than me.
Enforced Equanimity because I predict that he would have all of two pairs of shoes, maybe three if you include flipflops.
Lucid Nonsense because she's a girl
and Nic because he's my brother and I can pass it on to him if I want to.
No. of shoes currently owned (please bear in mind that I just moved here! and thus have not many shoes to speak off):
14! that is to say 7 pairs. In my defence, I have to say that I have pairs of shoes back home not counted, plus shoes are more expensive here than back home and they're hard to bring from home.
Extra details:
Number of empty shoe boxes cleared out while counting up the tally:
Erm... none. I just moved here remember? Why would I have extra empty shoeboxes?
Most Expensive Pair: *lol* Currently in my wardrobe? erm since I threw out my boots last semester when I graduated, my current most expensive pair is very very cheap - 30 dollar sandals that I bought at whatever took over OG in orchard.
Cheapest Pair: erm 3 dollar slippers that I bought at an outlet store in Singapore, they're bright blue with red flowers but the real reason I bought them is because they're high enough to wear out without getting wet from stepping in shallow puddles.
Brands Represented: Hush Puppies, Merrels, and the rest are unknown brands that no one would know anyway :-p
The Last Shoe You Bought: Last pair hmm actually I bought a bunch in Singapore so its hard to tell but I guess the most recent one was the orange sandals that are wooden, high, and altogether bought because they were cute.
How many shoes have you under your work desk?: Hee hee, don't have one right now but probably one if my plan of wearing comfortable shoes to walk to work and then switching shoes there takes effect.
Five People I'm Passing This Baton On To: Hee hee, I don't know five people with blogs. or at least five people who haven't already had this passed too.
Alright then, if they want to do this,
Sylfien because he probably owns more expensive shoes than me.
Enforced Equanimity because I predict that he would have all of two pairs of shoes, maybe three if you include flipflops.
Lucid Nonsense because she's a girl
and Nic because he's my brother and I can pass it on to him if I want to.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Long day
I have discovered today that I am by nature a planner but only two steps ahead of the game. So last night, I decided that I should look at mattresses before I decide to buy a bed. Dutifully, this morning I left the apartment at 10am, walked the mile to the mattress store to test out mattresses before doubling back to meet Lady J for lunch.
Having heard from lady J about a furniture store in cambridge, I decided it would be a good idea to take a peek at it. Unfortunately I also decided it would be a good idea to walk. The heat, and distance soon stripped me of THAT illusion. After crossing the bridge and walking for about 45 min, I realized I was still at 130 mass ave and the number I was supposed to get to was 1050 mass ave. With that I hopped on the bus, furniture shopped at something like 6 places that were in that same area before hopping on the bus back to town.
Finally sated with furniture shopping, I decided to place an order for the furniture I did want at Crate and Barrel (the process of which took a lot longer that I thought it would) and then headed to check out a large supermarket near C and B.
Weird Kooky off point highlights of today?
1. buying a bottle of shin cha at a small Japanese convenience store on Newbury
2. Walking through the most gorgeous park on my way home (The entire building and area was owned by the Christian Scientists who I swear must be rich, but it's definitely something to see. Beautiful long pool of glassy water, and a walkway of trees against the large old building.
3. I have walked 5 to 6 miles today and been mostly on my feet from 10am till i just got home now at 8pm but have done absolutely ZERO packing :-p
Having heard from lady J about a furniture store in cambridge, I decided it would be a good idea to take a peek at it. Unfortunately I also decided it would be a good idea to walk. The heat, and distance soon stripped me of THAT illusion. After crossing the bridge and walking for about 45 min, I realized I was still at 130 mass ave and the number I was supposed to get to was 1050 mass ave. With that I hopped on the bus, furniture shopped at something like 6 places that were in that same area before hopping on the bus back to town.
Finally sated with furniture shopping, I decided to place an order for the furniture I did want at Crate and Barrel (the process of which took a lot longer that I thought it would) and then headed to check out a large supermarket near C and B.
Weird Kooky off point highlights of today?
1. buying a bottle of shin cha at a small Japanese convenience store on Newbury
2. Walking through the most gorgeous park on my way home (The entire building and area was owned by the Christian Scientists who I swear must be rich, but it's definitely something to see. Beautiful long pool of glassy water, and a walkway of trees against the large old building.
3. I have walked 5 to 6 miles today and been mostly on my feet from 10am till i just got home now at 8pm but have done absolutely ZERO packing :-p
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Brief Interlude
10.30am - woke up, started madly packing
11.30am - picked up the latest Harry Potter off my desk (where my brother left it)
2.30pm - finished the book (in between ran a couple of errands while reading)
2.30pm - resumed packing
sometimes reading fast can have its advantages
11.30am - picked up the latest Harry Potter off my desk (where my brother left it)
2.30pm - finished the book (in between ran a couple of errands while reading)
2.30pm - resumed packing
sometimes reading fast can have its advantages
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Starting Anew
My holiday seems to be seeping away at a fast rate. Already it has been almost one week which means I only have two more to go - and I'm definitely not ready to go back. *sigh*
It feels kind of funny being back. Everybody here has just graduated and are getting ready to start their new lives here whereas I am going to start mine many thousand miles away. In a way, it is a little lonely too. Graduating from Brown means that everybody pretty much scatters to the four winds. Over the next year, from my friends at Brown, everyone is pretty much going to be in a different city not necessarily in the US either. At least those that are returning to Singapore will always have a network of friends from JC or Secondary Schools who have remained in Singapore, mostly just starting out too.
On the flip side of the coin, the aloneness is sort of liberating too. Everytime you start out on your own, you get to remake yourself. When I went to brown, because nobody there knew who I was before, I got to find my own ground, decide how best I wanted to deal with the world and how to present myself without anybody having any preconceptions of what I was like. In a famous psychology experiment, a psychologist once told teachers of certain classrooms of public schools that randomly selected students in their class were "late-bloomers" and thus about to excel. Later in the year, it was found that these students did better than their counterparts only because the expectations were that they would do well. They were also looked upon as smarter, more well-behaved and all that by their teachers. The moral behind all this - never underestimate the power of expectations.
I think the part of starting out that I am most looking forward too is having an apartment. A place to call my own even though I'm only renting and not buying it. It's having a space to live and be on my own that I suspect was a big push factor for working in the States since here you pretty much have to live with your family for a bit. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate living at home, but there is something relaxing about living alone, a kind of meditation that I don't get here. And then of course, there is the fact that I'll be able to cook.
Over the last four years, cooking alone has been for me a strange sort of prayer. I chop vegetables when I'm stressed, bake when I'm upset... A strange sort of theraphy but one which if I lived at home, I would not be able to indulge in. A new city, a new apartment, a new lifestyle but at least I would have old loves like reading and cooking.
It feels kind of funny being back. Everybody here has just graduated and are getting ready to start their new lives here whereas I am going to start mine many thousand miles away. In a way, it is a little lonely too. Graduating from Brown means that everybody pretty much scatters to the four winds. Over the next year, from my friends at Brown, everyone is pretty much going to be in a different city not necessarily in the US either. At least those that are returning to Singapore will always have a network of friends from JC or Secondary Schools who have remained in Singapore, mostly just starting out too.
On the flip side of the coin, the aloneness is sort of liberating too. Everytime you start out on your own, you get to remake yourself. When I went to brown, because nobody there knew who I was before, I got to find my own ground, decide how best I wanted to deal with the world and how to present myself without anybody having any preconceptions of what I was like. In a famous psychology experiment, a psychologist once told teachers of certain classrooms of public schools that randomly selected students in their class were "late-bloomers" and thus about to excel. Later in the year, it was found that these students did better than their counterparts only because the expectations were that they would do well. They were also looked upon as smarter, more well-behaved and all that by their teachers. The moral behind all this - never underestimate the power of expectations.
I think the part of starting out that I am most looking forward too is having an apartment. A place to call my own even though I'm only renting and not buying it. It's having a space to live and be on my own that I suspect was a big push factor for working in the States since here you pretty much have to live with your family for a bit. Don't get me wrong. I don't hate living at home, but there is something relaxing about living alone, a kind of meditation that I don't get here. And then of course, there is the fact that I'll be able to cook.
Over the last four years, cooking alone has been for me a strange sort of prayer. I chop vegetables when I'm stressed, bake when I'm upset... A strange sort of theraphy but one which if I lived at home, I would not be able to indulge in. A new city, a new apartment, a new lifestyle but at least I would have old loves like reading and cooking.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Long Vacation
It has been a month since I have last blogged, and incidentally, since I have graduated. I haven't consciously decided to abandon my blog. I have just been traveling over the last month or so... not exactly the best time in which to blog with the periodic internet service.
But for those of you in Singapore, I'm back now. Will be back for exactly 3 weeks no more and then will be flying off to the US for the unforeseeable future. I don't know exactly when I'll be back again so I guess these 3 weeks are for packing up my life, making preparations to start a new life, and for renewing old aqquantiances before I disappear again.
Please call me or email me if you're in Singapore.
But for those of you in Singapore, I'm back now. Will be back for exactly 3 weeks no more and then will be flying off to the US for the unforeseeable future. I don't know exactly when I'll be back again so I guess these 3 weeks are for packing up my life, making preparations to start a new life, and for renewing old aqquantiances before I disappear again.
Please call me or email me if you're in Singapore.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Clipped wings
I was going to go shopping today but it's yucky rainy weather out and I'm STILL not done packing. Oh no. That means I'll never get more clothes since I have to go pick my parents up from the airport tomorrow. AAargh. I hate being so busy.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Endless list
Of stuff to do.
Have to: see professors to ask them to open a dossier file for me, get my I-20 signed!, pack!!!, shop for clothes, mail rebate forms, books and other such.
You'd think after finishing exams I wouldn't have anything to do till graduation.. nope. too much to do. aargh.
Have to: see professors to ask them to open a dossier file for me, get my I-20 signed!, pack!!!, shop for clothes, mail rebate forms, books and other such.
You'd think after finishing exams I wouldn't have anything to do till graduation.. nope. too much to do. aargh.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Done.
I'm done with school and now, at the beginning of the monumental task of Packing with a capital P. How does one accumultate so much stuff?
The good thing is that the company will actually pack for me if I want to but I kind of like knowing where everything is.
By the way, does anyone have any ideas on how to disguise the wooden frame of my futon. It's actually a nice pine like colour but all the other wood in my house will be dark wood so I either have to stain the wood (which I have never done before and thus might go wrong) or I have to find some way to disguise it. It's mostly the two arms on the side that are going to be the problem. Ideas?
The good thing is that the company will actually pack for me if I want to but I kind of like knowing where everything is.
By the way, does anyone have any ideas on how to disguise the wooden frame of my futon. It's actually a nice pine like colour but all the other wood in my house will be dark wood so I either have to stain the wood (which I have never done before and thus might go wrong) or I have to find some way to disguise it. It's mostly the two arms on the side that are going to be the problem. Ideas?
Monday, May 16, 2005
"the name of the word for things not being the same always"
I'm supposed to be studying for my linear algebra final (which incidentally I skipped 2 math course requirements in order to take AND skipped the entire second half of classes in order to write my thesis - leading to the conclusion that I'll be lucky if I can pull this off) so of course I'm craving anything that would be a distraction or reliever of stress. At the moment, I'm craving Pad Thai.... particuarly pad thai from Pakarang which is a couple of blocks down from where I live and incidentally is closed on Mondays - today.
Because I'm not really moving very far away (Boston is a 45 min drive away), and not even to any different culture (unlike people who are going home after graduation, I forget sometimes that it really is a large change. I'm stepping from college life into the working world with set hours, daily routines and an entirely different set of priorities. Added to that, near as it may be, I will be relearning the mental maps that make a place home. Over the last four years here, I have learnt bit by bit where to eat, where to shop, where to run errands. I have made friends with various restaurant owners (*grin* if you want free food at Japanese restaurants, go with me). I have I guess learnt a system, that in a few months is going to change. I'm not sure if it's going to be a good change or a bad change yet but it is as all large changes are somewhat exciting and yet terrifying.
Because I'm not really moving very far away (Boston is a 45 min drive away), and not even to any different culture (unlike people who are going home after graduation, I forget sometimes that it really is a large change. I'm stepping from college life into the working world with set hours, daily routines and an entirely different set of priorities. Added to that, near as it may be, I will be relearning the mental maps that make a place home. Over the last four years here, I have learnt bit by bit where to eat, where to shop, where to run errands. I have made friends with various restaurant owners (*grin* if you want free food at Japanese restaurants, go with me). I have I guess learnt a system, that in a few months is going to change. I'm not sure if it's going to be a good change or a bad change yet but it is as all large changes are somewhat exciting and yet terrifying.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Computer update
The current cost sheet for my computer is standing at $920. This is actually almost the same cost as building the same computer in Singapore. (Minus the shipping cost of items that is.. which is actually quite high being that computer parts are heavy). How do I know this? Well, my brother just built an almost identical system back home. (I have 40gb more of harddisk space and a one version more advanced motherboard, plus probably better quality memory) But other than that almost the same.
The lesson from all this? parts in the US are cheaper than parts in Singapore but the shipping costs more than make up for it - which explains why I had monarch build my barebones system and test it before sending it to me. The extra cost is a small cost to pay in return to not have to worry about shipping defective parts back and forth.
Also lessons from buying online? The places with the best customer service, prices and shipping policies are always computer parts stores. Not computer stores, mind you, but the part stores - the ones aimed towards geeks, technophiles and the like, perhaps because they're the ones that will write reviews on forums on them, price search online and reputation search online. In comparsion buying anything else is like a walk through a bed of roses - full of thorns.
Compare that to my camera buying experience - where one has to contend with bait and switch online stores, inflated shipping charges, slow slow processing and bad/rude service. Cellphones too... as far as I know, they have lost my order or something because 4 days later, my order number is still missing from their system.
Also - Amazon must do something to make their items ship really slowly or something because everywhere else i have ordered from has free shipping at much much faster rates.
The lesson from all this? parts in the US are cheaper than parts in Singapore but the shipping costs more than make up for it - which explains why I had monarch build my barebones system and test it before sending it to me. The extra cost is a small cost to pay in return to not have to worry about shipping defective parts back and forth.
Also lessons from buying online? The places with the best customer service, prices and shipping policies are always computer parts stores. Not computer stores, mind you, but the part stores - the ones aimed towards geeks, technophiles and the like, perhaps because they're the ones that will write reviews on forums on them, price search online and reputation search online. In comparsion buying anything else is like a walk through a bed of roses - full of thorns.
Compare that to my camera buying experience - where one has to contend with bait and switch online stores, inflated shipping charges, slow slow processing and bad/rude service. Cellphones too... as far as I know, they have lost my order or something because 4 days later, my order number is still missing from their system.
Also - Amazon must do something to make their items ship really slowly or something because everywhere else i have ordered from has free shipping at much much faster rates.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Annoyance
I called my debit card bank to add an address to file a couple of days ago so that they could ship my computer to my home address and the idiots CHANGED my address instead. So now I have a different address on file and all the purchases I've made over the last 3 days I have no idea whether or not they are going through.
I HAVE TO CALL EVERY SINGLE COMPANY AND PROBABLY CANCEL MY ORDER AND REORDER THE BLOODY THINGS.
I want to shoot my bank. Actually maybe I'll switch banks once i get to boston just because I'm so irritated with them.
I HAVE TO CALL EVERY SINGLE COMPANY AND PROBABLY CANCEL MY ORDER AND REORDER THE BLOODY THINGS.
I want to shoot my bank. Actually maybe I'll switch banks once i get to boston just because I'm so irritated with them.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Clicked on the buy button...
For the basics of my PC, now just hoping that it will get to me on time for my brother to get it fixed before I have to move out.
Still missing: harddrive, graphics card, peripherals.
Also need to buy a digital camera, being that I need one deserately to take photos of my friends before we all part. However, here's the question. Canon has a really cheap camera and printer bundle that would set me back a light 80 bucks. However, canon also has a TERRIBLE reputation for customer service and faults with its cameras. My hardly used S45 broke down after barely a year. And do not buy an ixus because of something called E18 which basically renders your camera useless since fixing it probably costs more than a new camera. (*lol* on a slightly pokey note, good thing I'm talking about a corporation instead of a government body.. scully they sue me for *gasp* libel)
So the question is should I get a different brand instead, paying more on the assumption that it would last me longer. *sigh* The problem is paying more really means 3 or 4 times the price. And the camera plus printer thing seems like a good deal since if you think about it, I would essentially be getting either the printer or the camera for free. (Nevermind the fact that I don't really need a new printer)
Of course, deal or not if a new camera dies after one month or a few weeks I'd be severely pissed.
Still missing: harddrive, graphics card, peripherals.
Also need to buy a digital camera, being that I need one deserately to take photos of my friends before we all part. However, here's the question. Canon has a really cheap camera and printer bundle that would set me back a light 80 bucks. However, canon also has a TERRIBLE reputation for customer service and faults with its cameras. My hardly used S45 broke down after barely a year. And do not buy an ixus because of something called E18 which basically renders your camera useless since fixing it probably costs more than a new camera. (*lol* on a slightly pokey note, good thing I'm talking about a corporation instead of a government body.. scully they sue me for *gasp* libel)
So the question is should I get a different brand instead, paying more on the assumption that it would last me longer. *sigh* The problem is paying more really means 3 or 4 times the price. And the camera plus printer thing seems like a good deal since if you think about it, I would essentially be getting either the printer or the camera for free. (Nevermind the fact that I don't really need a new printer)
Of course, deal or not if a new camera dies after one month or a few weeks I'd be severely pissed.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Techno-phile
I swear it runs in the blood. So I'm not sure I knew what I was getting into when I asked my brother to build my computer but now on my buy list is an AMD computer with 64-bit computing. For the rest of us normal folks, 64 bit computing hasn't even arrived yet, so 64 bit capability i may own but there's nothing that runs on it that needs it... yet. Which is the principle that my brother operates on - everything else is upgradable CPU isn't. So now I have to get dual memory chips so that my computer can run faster, casing that cools AMD fairly well since it overheats more than intels do, and a graphics card.
To be fair, I could have said no at anytime but the call of the blood is strong. How could I resist? There's something about really advanced computing equipment that is like a Siren's song. I even find myself getting a 200gb harddisk though god knows what I'd use it all for. (I'm planning to partition it into at least 4 and run seperate operating systems on at least 2 of them)
So now, my computer budget has definitely been shot. (To be fair it was a really small budget... I was going to spend 1000 on the computer without the monitor, but now its at 700 without harddisk, peripherials, drives and graphics card.) My total will probably be around 1200. 1400 with the monitor i already bought. I guess that's not bad for a fairly high-end computer.
My brother's response to all this? "you shouldn't ask me to build budget computers."
To be fair, I could have said no at anytime but the call of the blood is strong. How could I resist? There's something about really advanced computing equipment that is like a Siren's song. I even find myself getting a 200gb harddisk though god knows what I'd use it all for. (I'm planning to partition it into at least 4 and run seperate operating systems on at least 2 of them)
So now, my computer budget has definitely been shot. (To be fair it was a really small budget... I was going to spend 1000 on the computer without the monitor, but now its at 700 without harddisk, peripherials, drives and graphics card.) My total will probably be around 1200. 1400 with the monitor i already bought. I guess that's not bad for a fairly high-end computer.
My brother's response to all this? "you shouldn't ask me to build budget computers."
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Just had another fight with my mum despite having a final tomorrow morning which I haven't studied for. If I fail my final, you'll know why.
I hate my life sometimes and sometimes I really wonder if everything I do is an attempt to get as far away from myself as possible. The only problem of course is that the only way you can ever escape yourself is to die and if you believe in afterlife, not even then.
Sometimes I don't even know why I bother to work so hard, or to acheive anything because no matter how hard-won or how amazing the acheivements are, I don't much care about them and my family is never proud of them, choosing instead on focusing on things I cannot change, like how I'm never pretty enough or thin enough for them.
Or maybe that's the reason why I don't want to change that about myself. I don't want to be prettier or thinner because that would be admitting that I need other people. Which leaves me to the question, if I don't sacrifice my social life and mental well-being to get good grades for the sake of my family or myself then what do I do it for? I really don't know.
I hate my life sometimes and sometimes I really wonder if everything I do is an attempt to get as far away from myself as possible. The only problem of course is that the only way you can ever escape yourself is to die and if you believe in afterlife, not even then.
Sometimes I don't even know why I bother to work so hard, or to acheive anything because no matter how hard-won or how amazing the acheivements are, I don't much care about them and my family is never proud of them, choosing instead on focusing on things I cannot change, like how I'm never pretty enough or thin enough for them.
Or maybe that's the reason why I don't want to change that about myself. I don't want to be prettier or thinner because that would be admitting that I need other people. Which leaves me to the question, if I don't sacrifice my social life and mental well-being to get good grades for the sake of my family or myself then what do I do it for? I really don't know.
Your brain: 160% interpersonal, 80% visual, 80% verbal, and 80% mathematical
Congratulations on being 400% smart! Actually, on my test, everyone is. The above score breaks down what kind of thinking you most enjoy doing. A score above 100% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 100% means you use it less. It says nothing about how good you are at any one, just how interested you are in each, relatively. A substantial difference in scores between two people means, conclusively, that they are of thinkers.
Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice, which I think is obvious:
Don't date someone if your interpersonal percentages differ by more than 80%Don't be friends with someone if your verbal percentages differ by more than 100%. Don't have sex with someone if their math percentage is over 200%.
Okay so it is okay to have sex with me unlike with EE :-p. Actually I'm surprised because I didn't think I think that socially and I didn't think that the other parts of thinking were that evenly balanced. But then how accurate can a short test be :-
Congratulations on being 400% smart! Actually, on my test, everyone is. The above score breaks down what kind of thinking you most enjoy doing. A score above 100% means you use that kind of thinking more than average, and a score below 100% means you use it less. It says nothing about how good you are at any one, just how interested you are in each, relatively. A substantial difference in scores between two people means, conclusively, that they are of thinkers.
Matching Summary: Each of us has different tastes. Still, I offer the following advice, which I think is obvious:
Don't date someone if your interpersonal percentages differ by more than 80%Don't be friends with someone if your verbal percentages differ by more than 100%. Don't have sex with someone if their math percentage is over 200%.
Okay so it is okay to have sex with me unlike with EE :-p. Actually I'm surprised because I didn't think I think that socially and I didn't think that the other parts of thinking were that evenly balanced. But then how accurate can a short test be :-
Monday, May 02, 2005
Math homework down.
Now if I can just edit and resend my thesis by today, I'd only have to madly cram and study for a Psych final Thursday....
In other news, commencement preparation involves lots of time trying to book restaurants (which people normally do months in advance), trying to book hotels (again see above), and trying to book and arrange stuff for the post commencement stopover in Japan.
I'm also erm... strategically using my brother to put together a desktop for next year when he shows up. I trust his skills more than my own. :-p
Now if I can just edit and resend my thesis by today, I'd only have to madly cram and study for a Psych final Thursday....
In other news, commencement preparation involves lots of time trying to book restaurants (which people normally do months in advance), trying to book hotels (again see above), and trying to book and arrange stuff for the post commencement stopover in Japan.
I'm also erm... strategically using my brother to put together a desktop for next year when he shows up. I trust his skills more than my own. :-p
Friday, April 29, 2005
One down..... 5 more to go
And by 5 I mean 5 more large things.
1. Edit and Resubmit part 2 of senior Thesis
2. Try and do the large stack of math homework due on Monday
3. Psych Final Thursday
4. Econ 24 hour final Monday
5. Math Final 18th May.
1. Edit and Resubmit part 2 of senior Thesis
2. Try and do the large stack of math homework due on Monday
3. Psych Final Thursday
4. Econ 24 hour final Monday
5. Math Final 18th May.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
So I have a thesis presentation on friday and sometime soon I'm supposed to finish up my revision of the second part of my thesis and hand it in. *heh*
I have neglected the rest of my classes in an attempt to do this so I really hope I can catch up. Ah well, at this point, I suspect unless I fail drastically I'm still graduating.
I have neglected the rest of my classes in an attempt to do this so I really hope I can catch up. Ah well, at this point, I suspect unless I fail drastically I'm still graduating.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Apartment hunting.
I'm feeling guilty about only seeing one apartment in my hunt and then deciding on it.
To be fair I've scanned and called dozens of possibilities on the lists before I went to see this one. Having already put down the first months deposit with the application, I find myself reviewing the pros and cons of this apartment.
Pros:
Location. Literally cross two streets and I'm at the T (subway for non boston people). Which means if I ever want to get anywhere it should be easy. In addition, the supermarket is a block or two away which means easy access to groceries. Oh and the place I work should be a 20 min or so walk. (1.2 km away or so). In addition there are two great streets just down the road with plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants and what not.
Security: 24 hour guy at desk so no one can just waltz in or out. Add that to near the T so I don't have to walk alone at night. A single girl in boston can not be too careful.
Mail: gets accepted. Yay for not having to wait at home for packages
Full kitchen: nice fridge, counter, sink, cabinets. Not sure if there'll be space for all my stuff but nice anyway
Closet space: seems ample. although i'm going to have to make up some of that with storage space since the apartment is so small
Cons:
TINY. How can an apartment be smaller than the one I had in tokyo. I mean the sq feet area is the same and the bath room is tineier so where did all the space go? I won't have to get any furniture... none of it will fit!
Rent: extremely high. well, i've been told that's nowhere near extreme and that its actually pretty good for what i get but still, cheaper would have been nicer. At this rate i'm not sure i'll have any savings.
*sigh* decisions decisions
To be fair I've scanned and called dozens of possibilities on the lists before I went to see this one. Having already put down the first months deposit with the application, I find myself reviewing the pros and cons of this apartment.
Pros:
Location. Literally cross two streets and I'm at the T (subway for non boston people). Which means if I ever want to get anywhere it should be easy. In addition, the supermarket is a block or two away which means easy access to groceries. Oh and the place I work should be a 20 min or so walk. (1.2 km away or so). In addition there are two great streets just down the road with plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants and what not.
Security: 24 hour guy at desk so no one can just waltz in or out. Add that to near the T so I don't have to walk alone at night. A single girl in boston can not be too careful.
Mail: gets accepted. Yay for not having to wait at home for packages
Full kitchen: nice fridge, counter, sink, cabinets. Not sure if there'll be space for all my stuff but nice anyway
Closet space: seems ample. although i'm going to have to make up some of that with storage space since the apartment is so small
Cons:
TINY. How can an apartment be smaller than the one I had in tokyo. I mean the sq feet area is the same and the bath room is tineier so where did all the space go? I won't have to get any furniture... none of it will fit!
Rent: extremely high. well, i've been told that's nowhere near extreme and that its actually pretty good for what i get but still, cheaper would have been nicer. At this rate i'm not sure i'll have any savings.
*sigh* decisions decisions
Sunday, April 24, 2005
New beginnings?
I was originally going to do this mass change in format and everything thing when I started work next year but as I'm procrastinating my thesis yet again decided to try out new things and feels on the blog thing.
When I first started this blog, it was a private diary, created because I type faster than I write. Eventually, as people found me and I found them, it became a way for friends to keep tabs on my life. Since then, all the private entries have gone elsewhere. I guess in a funny way, I'm still very much a private introvert and prefer to not have my life on display. Having said that however, I realize that its not really very much point having a blog if I don't update it, and interact with the rest of my friends using it.
As such, I have formed a new resolution to blog often, and blog about everything.
A couple of things I guess come with that, the largest of which is to stop hiding every traceable detail of myself online. I can't properly blog if I'm forever trying to remember not to type anything about where I am or what I am doing or where I come from.
As for the rest, I'm just going to see where this takes me.
When I first started this blog, it was a private diary, created because I type faster than I write. Eventually, as people found me and I found them, it became a way for friends to keep tabs on my life. Since then, all the private entries have gone elsewhere. I guess in a funny way, I'm still very much a private introvert and prefer to not have my life on display. Having said that however, I realize that its not really very much point having a blog if I don't update it, and interact with the rest of my friends using it.
As such, I have formed a new resolution to blog often, and blog about everything.
A couple of things I guess come with that, the largest of which is to stop hiding every traceable detail of myself online. I can't properly blog if I'm forever trying to remember not to type anything about where I am or what I am doing or where I come from.
As for the rest, I'm just going to see where this takes me.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Singapore becomes a real police state?
News story
Does anyone else feel increasingly like 1984? I mean i'm uncomfortable enough with the US army troops walking around with huge machine guns at the airports. If you think the NS guys in Changi are scary, wait till you run into two taller than 6 foot burly guys carrying machine guns with no smile on their face. Actually i think the machine like soldiers are scarier than the machine guns.
Sorry for the long absence. Am currently pulling an all-nighter over my thesis. I think I've skipped classes for 2 weeks.
Does anyone else feel increasingly like 1984? I mean i'm uncomfortable enough with the US army troops walking around with huge machine guns at the airports. If you think the NS guys in Changi are scary, wait till you run into two taller than 6 foot burly guys carrying machine guns with no smile on their face. Actually i think the machine like soldiers are scarier than the machine guns.
Sorry for the long absence. Am currently pulling an all-nighter over my thesis. I think I've skipped classes for 2 weeks.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Barring all my bi-friends. (And yes, you guys KNOW you're in the minority no matter how much you try to convince me otherwise.) Yes the spike in AIDs infections in Singapore MUST be due to gays because of course they're going to sleep around with anything male and female regardless of their actual sexual orientation in order to spread the disease. (In case you can't tell, really strong sacarsm there, but I'm sure most of you know my opinion on this issue.) You know, if the so called expert was right, it would be extremely easy to do empirical testing to prove or disprove that so why doesn't he just cite his studies.
You know, if that's what the government really believes, then the most sensible thing to do is to bring in gay marriage. Here's my logic... the inability to get married does somewhat dampen the enthusiasm for everlasting fidelity. So if you want to encourage this whole conservative sleep with your marriage partner thing, the best thing to do is make it possible for everyone to get married.
It's times like this which make me glad that I'm living and will continue to live in the "godless North" for a while yet.
You know, if that's what the government really believes, then the most sensible thing to do is to bring in gay marriage. Here's my logic... the inability to get married does somewhat dampen the enthusiasm for everlasting fidelity. So if you want to encourage this whole conservative sleep with your marriage partner thing, the best thing to do is make it possible for everyone to get married.
It's times like this which make me glad that I'm living and will continue to live in the "godless North" for a while yet.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Friday, February 25, 2005
Sunday, February 20, 2005
THESIS DUE.. panic panic panic
My thesis is due April 15th and I'm not even done with the research much less analyzing or writing!!! This is a cause for a panic attack.
This also means that i have effectively no spring break and will not be emerging from my room for a long time. Darn why do I have classes to attend?
This also means that i have effectively no spring break and will not be emerging from my room for a long time. Darn why do I have classes to attend?
Friday, February 18, 2005
Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
1-2 Italian Sausages (spicy or sweet)
1 can of tomatos (I used the stewed ones which is preseasoned)
1/2 Onion
6 Mushrooms ( I use white or crimini usually)
White Wine
Thyme
Oregano
fry the onions and the mushrooms along with the sliced italian sausages until onions are clear, add drained tomatoes and fry for five-10 minutes before adding the juice that was in the can. Splash white wine to taste.
*grin* really the white wine is to even out the sweetness of the sauce and give it a little tang. But yep, cheap and easy.
1-2 Italian Sausages (spicy or sweet)
1 can of tomatos (I used the stewed ones which is preseasoned)
1/2 Onion
6 Mushrooms ( I use white or crimini usually)
White Wine
Thyme
Oregano
fry the onions and the mushrooms along with the sliced italian sausages until onions are clear, add drained tomatoes and fry for five-10 minutes before adding the juice that was in the can. Splash white wine to taste.
*grin* really the white wine is to even out the sweetness of the sauce and give it a little tang. But yep, cheap and easy.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Cycling between false optimism of the "It's not so bad, I can always do this over the summer" with increasing desperation and hopelessness of being trapped in a gilded cage.
Most people would kill for their companies to be sponsoring their visa. I am just so burnt out. I need a vacation. I need to go home.
The tears won't stop flowing when I'm alone but there's no one who can help. Nothing anyone can do.
Most people would kill for their companies to be sponsoring their visa. I am just so burnt out. I need a vacation. I need to go home.
The tears won't stop flowing when I'm alone but there's no one who can help. Nothing anyone can do.
Friday, February 11, 2005
I'm really upset.
I just found out that if I apply for a visa to work in the US, I'm going to have to stay here over the summer. I won't be allowed to leave the US until October when work would have long started. This is extremely upsetting. I wanted my summer back home.
*sigh* I'm not sure there's any alternatives though but seriously if I have to stay in the states for the summer I'm going to scream/cry/murder. I want to go home.
I just found out that if I apply for a visa to work in the US, I'm going to have to stay here over the summer. I won't be allowed to leave the US until October when work would have long started. This is extremely upsetting. I wanted my summer back home.
*sigh* I'm not sure there's any alternatives though but seriously if I have to stay in the states for the summer I'm going to scream/cry/murder. I want to go home.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Happy Chinese New Year!
Of course, it's not like anyone actually celebrates Chinese New Year here, but I'll put on a new red blouse and walk around in nice clothing all the same.. sadly enough it's still going to be the regular schedule of classes, work and chores.
I know they said things about not using scissors or sweeping today, but no one ever said anything about doing the laundry :-p Or so my logic runs. I miss the Chinese New Year holiday. They need to give us a two-day holiday here too :-p Unfortunately, I have to turn in my math homework, so I can't even give myself a holiday. Darned.
But whatever country you may be in for now, Happy New Year :-p May this year be a good one for you.
I know they said things about not using scissors or sweeping today, but no one ever said anything about doing the laundry :-p Or so my logic runs. I miss the Chinese New Year holiday. They need to give us a two-day holiday here too :-p Unfortunately, I have to turn in my math homework, so I can't even give myself a holiday. Darned.
But whatever country you may be in for now, Happy New Year :-p May this year be a good one for you.
Monday, February 07, 2005
It's official... I'm graduating.
I just refiled my concentration for International Relations confirming that yes, I am indeed done in IR and thus will be graduating... hopefully whether or not I get my Economics concentration done.
In other news, it's actually too warm today in my down coat. I mean I'm not even layering... just in a t-shirt and a coat. Wow. must be freak weather... this being providence.
Still not decided on my classes even though the deadline is tomorrow.
AND have a 100 sec reports to analyse and go through by two weeks... which is really funny in a I have to laugh or I would cry way because the sec website didn't let me download those reports the whole of yesterday because some remore server was down.
In other news, it's actually too warm today in my down coat. I mean I'm not even layering... just in a t-shirt and a coat. Wow. must be freak weather... this being providence.
Still not decided on my classes even though the deadline is tomorrow.
AND have a 100 sec reports to analyse and go through by two weeks... which is really funny in a I have to laugh or I would cry way because the sec website didn't let me download those reports the whole of yesterday because some remore server was down.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
I have a ton of work and the semester has barely started. How come? Well mostly it's all due to this one thing - THESIS. Whatever happened to the let's take an easy semester idea? The thesis is proving to be more work than 3 or 4 other classes put together. The sad thing is, I still have to do the rest of my homework. *sigh* I'm shopping yet another class on tuesday in the faint hope that if I take it, my life would be easier. note the word *faint*
In other news, if anyone wants gmail accounts, email me and I'll send you an invite. I have waaay tooo many invites :-p
In other news, if anyone wants gmail accounts, email me and I'll send you an invite. I have waaay tooo many invites :-p
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
It's been a harder than usual first week of school here for me. Part of it is that I'm not feeling so great so having to gather up the motivation to do a whole 'nother semester of school is definitely harder than usual in face of the fact that I didn't get much winter break to play with.
Another is the necessity of having to do classes that have nothing to do with how much I'm interested in the topic but everything to do with requirements. I think I'm definitely burnt out at least where motivation is concerned - but it's hard to tell, how much of this can be blamed on the fact that I'm unwell (and would therefore go away) and how much of this is going to stay with me the whole semester.
It would be a hard semester if this goes on.
On a brighter note, the Singaporeans here are trying to organize a lecture and discussion on key issues in Singapore such as the malay dilemma, free speech and democracy in Singapore. Of course we know that we might either have to scale down the topics being discussed or it might not happen at all (to please the powers that be) but it is a start and an exciting one. More updates to come as plans on that firm up.
Another is the necessity of having to do classes that have nothing to do with how much I'm interested in the topic but everything to do with requirements. I think I'm definitely burnt out at least where motivation is concerned - but it's hard to tell, how much of this can be blamed on the fact that I'm unwell (and would therefore go away) and how much of this is going to stay with me the whole semester.
It would be a hard semester if this goes on.
On a brighter note, the Singaporeans here are trying to organize a lecture and discussion on key issues in Singapore such as the malay dilemma, free speech and democracy in Singapore. Of course we know that we might either have to scale down the topics being discussed or it might not happen at all (to please the powers that be) but it is a start and an exciting one. More updates to come as plans on that firm up.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
update on snow.
Providence has now declared a state of emergency. *lol* everything and i do mean everything has shut down for monday while they attempt to get the streets plowed.
The snow is actually higher than our knees. It was very amusing to watch as the neighbour's dog downstairs tried to walk through the snow in the parking lot... more by jumping and attempting to swim. This is no toy dog we're talking about. She may be a puppy but she's like those one or two year old puppies... the ones that will actually grow to be larger than you. the snow was higher than her, so she got around it by attempting to swim through snow. At one point, she got stuck in a mound of snow between four cars.
Watching from the window upstairs where we were safe and warm, me and my roommates had to yell out of the window to tell her distressed owners where she had disappeared to. *lol* Definitely not something you see everyday.
I haven't even attempted to go outside. I decided that it was not worth the hypothermia and frostbite since I don't actually own snow pants so anything I wear will get soaked through entirely. Although the storm is winding down the wind is still going. Strangely enough, while it is a lot of snow.. it doesn't seem like two or two and a half feet. Maybe because we're on a hill.. and snow slides downwards? *lol*
The snow is actually higher than our knees. It was very amusing to watch as the neighbour's dog downstairs tried to walk through the snow in the parking lot... more by jumping and attempting to swim. This is no toy dog we're talking about. She may be a puppy but she's like those one or two year old puppies... the ones that will actually grow to be larger than you. the snow was higher than her, so she got around it by attempting to swim through snow. At one point, she got stuck in a mound of snow between four cars.
Watching from the window upstairs where we were safe and warm, me and my roommates had to yell out of the window to tell her distressed owners where she had disappeared to. *lol* Definitely not something you see everyday.
I haven't even attempted to go outside. I decided that it was not worth the hypothermia and frostbite since I don't actually own snow pants so anything I wear will get soaked through entirely. Although the storm is winding down the wind is still going. Strangely enough, while it is a lot of snow.. it doesn't seem like two or two and a half feet. Maybe because we're on a hill.. and snow slides downwards? *lol*
It's a BLIZZARD!
it's snowing outside and the wind is going strong and absolutely NOONE is steppint outside in this weather. To give you an idea the snow is already about a foot or so high... and it's supposed to have 20-30 inches total by the end of the snow. :-p 2 and a half feet of SNOW!
lol. so yeah we're snowbound for a while and I just figured out why new englanders built their houses with the front door several steps up.... because already the first few steps are covered, by the end of the snow i'm not sure how we're going to open the front door. Actually wait.. our front door opens in..
lol okay so we're going to open the door and face.... a wall of snow
either way.. everything's quiet except for the wind. I'm not sure how or when they can plow and when people can start getting back to campus.. but for me who's already here.. it's kinda fun sitting in the house in the middle of the blizzard and just watching it pile up.
lol. so yeah we're snowbound for a while and I just figured out why new englanders built their houses with the front door several steps up.... because already the first few steps are covered, by the end of the snow i'm not sure how we're going to open the front door. Actually wait.. our front door opens in..
lol okay so we're going to open the door and face.... a wall of snow
either way.. everything's quiet except for the wind. I'm not sure how or when they can plow and when people can start getting back to campus.. but for me who's already here.. it's kinda fun sitting in the house in the middle of the blizzard and just watching it pile up.
Friday, January 14, 2005
I just spent an hour and a half getting my computer screen to work today. *sigh* if this is the pattern of how it's going to be for the rest of the semester I'm soo screwed. What if one day it just won't work?
So I'm thinking of two alternatives right now. 1. I get my computer repaired. IBM says it will be between 200-600... chances are 600 since that's how much a replacement screen should cost. *sigh*
2. I could get an lcd screen to hook up my lap top to. Which would cost between 200-300.. so significantly cheaper. The drawbacks are that I'm not sure this would work yet... since the last time I tried to hook my lap top to a projecter it had some issues too. Two, I would have to store this when I move too. Presumably this would be my new computer screen and that I would be getting a desktop eventually. I would also be deskbound for the rest of my career. Ah well...
Choices choices...
*sigh*
So I'm thinking of two alternatives right now. 1. I get my computer repaired. IBM says it will be between 200-600... chances are 600 since that's how much a replacement screen should cost. *sigh*
2. I could get an lcd screen to hook up my lap top to. Which would cost between 200-300.. so significantly cheaper. The drawbacks are that I'm not sure this would work yet... since the last time I tried to hook my lap top to a projecter it had some issues too. Two, I would have to store this when I move too. Presumably this would be my new computer screen and that I would be getting a desktop eventually. I would also be deskbound for the rest of my career. Ah well...
Choices choices...
*sigh*
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
My computer is dying... and I don't know how to save or replace it.
To start with, I have an IBM thinkpad and it's about 3 and a half years old now, which means that the warranty is expired. Lately, I'm having trouble getting the screen to turn on. The computer works but the screen display is black. In order to solve this problem, I have rather uningeniously decided that I should turn off and on the computer multiple times until the screen works. Remarkably, after about 20 times it does. The sad part is, I'm not sure what makes the screen work the 20th time so its not repeatable.
Right now I'm praying for my computer to work for another 9 or 10 more months. At least till I get my new apartment and can buy a new one.. somehow I get the feeling my hopes are in vain.
Damned. I need my computer everyday to work on my thesis too. *sigh*
To start with, I have an IBM thinkpad and it's about 3 and a half years old now, which means that the warranty is expired. Lately, I'm having trouble getting the screen to turn on. The computer works but the screen display is black. In order to solve this problem, I have rather uningeniously decided that I should turn off and on the computer multiple times until the screen works. Remarkably, after about 20 times it does. The sad part is, I'm not sure what makes the screen work the 20th time so its not repeatable.
Right now I'm praying for my computer to work for another 9 or 10 more months. At least till I get my new apartment and can buy a new one.. somehow I get the feeling my hopes are in vain.
Damned. I need my computer everyday to work on my thesis too. *sigh*
Monday, January 03, 2005
How to explain my long absence.. almost a month from blogging. Hmmm...
Alright I guess to begin with I should really blame it all on finals. This semester i had 35 pages to complete in a really short amount of time, so after madly madly writing papers and doing exams for finals I was burnt out of writing and its taken me this long to recover.... well, almost.
So what happened while I was in my lazy funk of not blogging? Well, J and A came down to visit providence, and we went around providence eating lots of Japanese food which is unavailible in Chicago apparently. We also went shopping at lots of arty stores around the neighbourhood. Providence is a decidedly arty sort of town.
D is down for a hoilday visit these two weeks, and we went down to new york to see J and A. Toured the statue of liberty, which i think is overrated, being the amount of fuss we had to go through to get near. But as you're lining up to get to the ferry... well actually the security checkpoint before you get to the ferry to get to the island, there are a bunch of street performers that busk, and this one guy upon hearing that we were from singapore started playing the majullah singapura. Now that's amazing - memorizing the probably forty or so different national anthems of the countries that people who tour here probably come from.
Other highlights of that trip included eating sidewalk hotdogs and chinatown which is much bigger than boston's Chinatown. Unfortunately I also got sick upon coming back. Very Very Very sick. I only just got better and still can't eat anything spicy or fried. At one point my fever was so high I was delirious and its actually interesting hearing what I was saying because I was at that state where I knew what I was saying didn't quite make sense but I had to say it anyway. I think I scared D.
In other news, I've signed my contract. I now officially have a job and am done with recruiting. I just have to get through next semester passably and survive. That, is actually easier said than done. Although before this year I would have said that was easy, this semester has shown me that you can't really do more than one thing at one time - recruiting took a lot out of my semester so this has been academically the worse semester i've had. Recruiting is really a second job. Doing that and studying is hell. However, even though that's done with, I still have to get my work visa, find housing in Boston and MOVE next semester. I don't relish the prospect.
But well, if any of you want to come visit Boston... you'll have somewhere to stay? if you don't mind sleeping on my couch that is. Offer not open to complete strangers. My juniors here in Brown are already planning to come stayover after shopping trips.... (I'm thinking of charging baked goods... come stay if you bring me a meeting-street cookie or a cake or...)
Oh and last but definitely not least, this note goes out to S, thanks so much for your concern, I got it when I was sick so I'm sorry I didn't reply more promptly. :-)
Alright I guess to begin with I should really blame it all on finals. This semester i had 35 pages to complete in a really short amount of time, so after madly madly writing papers and doing exams for finals I was burnt out of writing and its taken me this long to recover.... well, almost.
So what happened while I was in my lazy funk of not blogging? Well, J and A came down to visit providence, and we went around providence eating lots of Japanese food which is unavailible in Chicago apparently. We also went shopping at lots of arty stores around the neighbourhood. Providence is a decidedly arty sort of town.
D is down for a hoilday visit these two weeks, and we went down to new york to see J and A. Toured the statue of liberty, which i think is overrated, being the amount of fuss we had to go through to get near. But as you're lining up to get to the ferry... well actually the security checkpoint before you get to the ferry to get to the island, there are a bunch of street performers that busk, and this one guy upon hearing that we were from singapore started playing the majullah singapura. Now that's amazing - memorizing the probably forty or so different national anthems of the countries that people who tour here probably come from.
Other highlights of that trip included eating sidewalk hotdogs and chinatown which is much bigger than boston's Chinatown. Unfortunately I also got sick upon coming back. Very Very Very sick. I only just got better and still can't eat anything spicy or fried. At one point my fever was so high I was delirious and its actually interesting hearing what I was saying because I was at that state where I knew what I was saying didn't quite make sense but I had to say it anyway. I think I scared D.
In other news, I've signed my contract. I now officially have a job and am done with recruiting. I just have to get through next semester passably and survive. That, is actually easier said than done. Although before this year I would have said that was easy, this semester has shown me that you can't really do more than one thing at one time - recruiting took a lot out of my semester so this has been academically the worse semester i've had. Recruiting is really a second job. Doing that and studying is hell. However, even though that's done with, I still have to get my work visa, find housing in Boston and MOVE next semester. I don't relish the prospect.
But well, if any of you want to come visit Boston... you'll have somewhere to stay? if you don't mind sleeping on my couch that is. Offer not open to complete strangers. My juniors here in Brown are already planning to come stayover after shopping trips.... (I'm thinking of charging baked goods... come stay if you bring me a meeting-street cookie or a cake or...)
Oh and last but definitely not least, this note goes out to S, thanks so much for your concern, I got it when I was sick so I'm sorry I didn't reply more promptly. :-)