如三秋兮...

It seems like I had been through ages when it has just been only 2 weeks (?!). Not only the workload of the semester had kept me busy throughout, a lot of recent events had steered me to think over a variety of stuffs over the course of a mere 2 weeks. It was far worse than any roller coaster rides that I have tried so far; the turmoil itself was almost unbearable. In short, I was simply overwhelmed.

To write down the tumult of confusion and my emotional restlessness here was itself an impossible task. Right now, I have to thank my utmost trust in myself (or rather, my narcissism) for keeping me sane in the midst of my self-created quagmires.

I just have to live strong I guess, and it is about time for me to face the much dreaded adulthood I would say. As much as I hate doing what the mass crowd is doing and following the pathetic mindless pattern that everybody assumes is the only way of living life, I have to start being realistic and stop fantasizing. Well, patterns exist for a reason, and hey, you are here right now. There's no turning back...

So stop whining boy, it's time to get real.

Last term, I didn't manage to take a good picture of my room in Alice Lloyd. To make sure I don't repeat my mistake, I have photographed my current room, so that at least I will remember how it looks like in the future.





Also, the weather took a sharp turn and it was extremely cold during the past week (sub zero celcius). The freezing rain had caused glaze ice to form on trees and plants, forming a totally magnificent view. Such beauty of the nature was timely as it soothed my mind and reinforced my notion that beauty still exists in the nature. My laziness (not willing to venture out of my room to take good pictures) ruined the photo though...



*And oh yeah, happy birthday mum!!!

New year new semester

So I didn't actually get a break. Maybe I did, but 2 days was all I got. After coming back from Florida, Ren Jie and I stayed in Chia Chye's Northwood apartment, a "happening" place with Voon Seng also staying there. Still suffering from post-vacation symptoms, I felt extremely restless, and had no mood to celebrate at all despite the fact that we had already entered yet another new year...

The winter semester started on Jan 4th. For this semester, I'm taking the following courses:

Math 422 - Risk Management and Insurance
Math 521 - Life Contingencies II
Math 523 - Risk Theory
Spanish 102 - Elementary II

and on top of that, I'll be working 20 hours per week, 7 of which are hours of a midnight shift in Shapiro Science Library (10pm - 5am). I seriously don't know what prompt me to work so many hours. Kiasuness? Desire to earn more money? Want to utilize my free time meaningfully? (Yeah right as if I have a lot of time to spare) I don't really know...

The first week of class was just terrible. I had 4 internship interviews in a week (which well, I don't think I did well enough to impress the interviewers), a 5-page law case due, and tonnes of Spanish coursework. Probably due to the stress, I somehow managed to lose another 2 pounds. Great...now I'm farther from my goal for this year.

This semester will be worst semester yet, in case of the workload. But well, I'm hoping that this is the darkest moment of the night, and that the golden rays will soon pierce through the my lightless life.

And on a sidenote, Cambridge is just awesome. I like it a lot, and it's pretty much the perfect place to stay. Pretty much because the extremely sucky internet connection ruins everything...

Oh yeah, and Happy New Year everyone!!!

Florida06

Our itinerary was as follow:

20-25 Dec - Orlando
25-27 Dec - Miami
27 Dec - Key West
27-29 Dec - Miami
29-31 Dec - Orlando

Universal Studios Orlando was our first stop. The rides were amazing, and I'm proud to say that I was on the extremely intimidating "Incredible Hulk" ride (although really, it's nothing too extreme). Still, that particular ride really dwarfed all the other rides that we're about to go to in the entire Florida trip.


Universal Orlando

A trip to Orlando is of course incomplete without an excursion to the Disney World. Surprisingly, it wasn't as boring as I had imagined. I actually had quite some fun in the theme parks. We managed to cover 3 parks of the Disney World - the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney-MGM studios. To pick out a single winner among the three parks is not an easy task; but personally I prefer Epcot the most. The Illuminations Reflections of Earth (fireworks on water with laser light show) was simply amazing; it was comparable if not better than the indelibly extravagant fireworks that I saw in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Soarin' in Epcot was also fantastic, and I love the fact that there's a "world" that consists villages of different cultures (Italian, French, Mexican, Chinese etc) in the park.


Magic Kingdom, Disney World Orlando


Mickey Mouse


After getting sick (for some it's literally :)) of the 3-D shows and rides, we set off for Miami, ready to bask in the sun. We were disappointed though, as firstly, the weather was not that good, and secondly, we found ourselves in a pros-den like hotel that provided amenities with suggestive messages on them. We did fine though, and managed to find some fun in a state park (Bill Baggs Cape Florida) cycling. Of course, we didn't forget the famous Miami beaches too, although I'd say that they're a letdown too as I've seen better beaches in Malaysia and Thailand.


Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

We drove further down to Key West, the southernmost tip of the United States for a one day trip. The driving was long, and we managed to stay there for a mere 2 hours before embarking on the journey back to Miami. The trip was nevertheless satisfying, as the weather was excellent and the mood was upbeat. For dinner, I ordered a dolphin . Don't shoot me yet, the dolphin wasn't the mammal dolphin, but Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus). It tasted like chicken, not particularly delicious in my opinion.


Key West

We did nothing much when we went back to Orlando except visiting the Kennedy Space Center. Well, it didn't make much impression as I'm not a big fan of rockets and the inner solar system exploration (in fact it was only moon moon moon...zzzzz). I am more fascinated by nebulae, galaxies, and superclusters. It's unexpected though that we managed to see a couple crocodiles lurking in the streams just right next to the roads in the vicinity of the space center.


Kennedy Space Center


See that gator (or is it a croc)?

All in all, the experience was magical, the temperature (not weather though) was amazing, and most importantly the company was good. Although in retrospect a regret remained, I would say that this is yet another wonderful trip in the states.

As usual, everything that has a beginning has an end. As much as I didn't like it, I had to come back to Ann Arbor and start all the unavoidable routines that always manage a few unpleasant surprises. Well, let's hope that this semester will be better. May dreams come true this year...

So long Fall06!

After a grueling semester in Ann Arbor, it's time to take a break and have some fun. For the 2006's winter break, five of us (Jin Ye, Poh Yi, Shermern, Ren Jie and I) decided to pay a visit to the sunshine state - Florida.

My final exam was on the 19th December (4-6pm), and the departing flight was 7-8ish the very next morning. It was as if the recover time for the traumatizing econ 409 finals was not short enough; I had to move all my belongings from Alice Lloyd Hall to Cambridge House in a night. With the help of Jin Ye, Poh Yi and Ren Jie, we managed to accomplish the impossible. Million thanks to them...

We woke up as early as 4am in the morning to go to the airport. Although I just had about 2 hours' sleep, I couldn't help but feeling happy as I know there's sun and fun waiting for me right in Florida...