Chinese New Year Song

This is one of my favourite CNY song:

正月里来迎春花儿开
迎春花开人人爱
迎春花呀处处开
幸呀幸福来
幸福来呀幸福来
大地放光彩
迎春花咱们大伙儿栽
嗨嗨那胡呀胡嗨
合力培养勤灌溉
人人都把迎春花儿爱
无忧无虑乐自在
年华似水容易过呀
切莫再延挨
莫延挨呀莫延挨呀
时光不等待
迎春花咱们大伙儿栽
嗨嗨那胡呀胡嗨
春花永远为我们开
人人都把迎春花儿爱
无忧无虑乐自在
年华似水容易过呀
切莫再延挨
莫延挨呀莫延挨呀
时光不等待
迎春花咱们大伙儿栽
嗨嗨那胡呀胡嗨
春花永远为我们开
那胡依哟嗨——

Wish everyone on this planet a happy Chinese New Year!!!

Cartoon

Funny in a sick way...

If by Rudyard Kipling

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

France 2002 (10/11) - Impressions de France

I think I saw this video in the french village in Epcot Disney Orlando. The trip was just one month ago, but there's already this nostalgic feeling!

It has a hauntingly beautiful song too...

A diarrhea of thoughts

So, the first month of 2007 is over. I don't know how many times I had mentioned this in my blog, but gosh, doesn't time fly?

Well, my quest for an internship in the states ended up in vain. I have to admit that it was painful seeing others got second-round interviews when I myself got none, because it left me wondering what went wrong in all my interviews. Was I such a lesser candidate? Hate to view it that way, but yeah, I have to accept my failure and think of ways to improve my weaknesses (Boy, that's so much easier said than done). Hopefully I will do much better in the future. Here I wish all of those who got second-round interviews good luck...

To quote Khoon Yu, nothing is going to stop me from getting what I want. Now that I have fallen down, I have to stand up fast and regain my bearings. I somehow have this weird sense that whatever I do now might bear significant influence towards my future life (duh). That's why I need to learn fast and change fast. Now there's this huge temptation to whine about my reluctance to grow up again, but I have decided to resist it for good :).

The weather had turned extremely cold for the past week. Temperatures went down as far as -20 degrees Celsius after wind chill, and it was just unbearable. Without the much needed natural layer of defense, my weapons against the cold were just my faithful Columbia Titanium winter jacket. And oh yeah, I felt that I had been eating quite a lot lately, but the nutrients seemed to have just vaporized into the thin cold air. My body appears to have created its own unique law - the conservation of mass. I bet it will take a lot of effort from me to deviate from the steady state (which is a mere @#$), but the law will eventually force my weight to converge back to the equilibrium. Geez...

Alright, this post is getting more and more random, and therefore it's a sign to stop. I should get a life instead of blogging, so that I can blog more about my life (!!!)

And oh yeah, one more random comment. I came across this quote, and I think it was rather brilliant and funny:

"My brain has two parts. On the left side, there's nothing right; on the right side, there's nothing left."

Cool huh?

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...

Men in Black outro

Makes you wonder what's out there...my favorite part of the entire movie!!!

Finals

Again, the much dreaded finals week has come. Wishing everyone good luck here...

David Oistrakh plays Sibelius Third movement

Listen to the part starting at 4:35. The passage I talked about in my previous post starts around 4:45.

London Philharmonic

Went to the London Philharmonic Concert on November 30th. London Philharmonic, an established orchestra is the same orchestra that performed the LOTR's original soundtrack. The program for that night was as follow:

· Liszt : Les Préludes, symphonic poem for orchestra, S. 97
· Sibelius : Violin Concerto in d minor, Op. 47 (1905)
· Brahms : Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

Sarah Chang was the solo violinist in Sibelius' famous Violin Concerto. Early this year, Zhi Hua, a senior of mine tried to convince me that this violin concerto is a brilliant and beautiful concerto, but I did not think so even after listening to the mp3. Sarah Chang's performance totally changed my view though. The intro to the first movement itself instantly captivated me, and yes, it was good enough to give me goosebumps. There was also a passage in the 3rd movement in which the violin's melody seemingly soared beyond the limits of all instruments. The pitch was unbelievably high; it was very soft at the same time, yet distinct enough to stand out amidst the accompaniment of other instruments in the orchestra. In summary, the concerto was a work of genius.

I didn't quite like the Brahms' symphony though, as it was too long. Surprisingly, we did not get any encore performances that night. It seemed like an oddity for me, as all the other concerts I went for had encore performances.

Hopefully in the future, there will be more good orchestras coming to the U of M, and hopefully they include more famous works in the program. I would especially like to listen to symphonies by Beethoven (3rd, 5th, 7th and the famous 9th), and some piano concertos by Rachmaninoff (2nd and 3rd).

Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici

Cool line from V for Vendetta:

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.

— V's introduction to Evey

Go blue? Now we're all a bit blue.

Done with the second round of midterms, a Spanish oral test and a Spanish skit. Screwed up Math 520 I would say. The oral test went well, but the skit wasn't up to my expectation. Well, I'm done with it though, at least for this semester.

I got a new job in the Shapiro Science Library, working at the front desk. It is a 5-hour shift, and I will work for just one shift per week. The tasks seemed intimidating, with lots of stuff to remember. The student manual was a frigging 40+ pages long, and again my responsibility seems to run the gamut of petty office work. My supervisor is nice, but a seemingly demanding person. I hope I can hang on for at least the rest of this semester.

The resume-drop deadline for most of the companies was on the past Thursday. That means I was forced to face reality towards the deadline, and had to finalize my resume, write cover letter, and fill in some stupid personal profile stuff. TP even required the completion of a phone interview, which I am positive that I screwed it up by stuttering through the last part. In a sense I had everything settled for the meantime, but this is just the first wave. I shall not further elaborate on this shit before I start cursing and get depressed (Why? Hint: Remember the state that I live in? State of denial it is. Kerry was right, Bush lives next to me :D)

Watched THE game - Michigan VS Ohio just now in Trotter House. I'm "proud" to say that that was the first football match I've ever watched for the good 3 years I've spent in the United States. Well, not bad for a starter right? It was THE game because it was the clash of the century; it involved the greatest rivalry in college football, and both teams were undefeated before the game (which was the last game for the season). Sad to say that we lost (42-39), but this game kind of changed my opinion towards American Football. It doesn't look that stupid anymore, and in fact know I think there is actually a lot of strategies and skills involved in a game.

Thanksgiving is next week. We'll have a 5-day break, and as usual, I already know what will happen for these 5-days. I will waste my time doing nothing, and regret about that towards the end of the break. Same shit different time. Will I have the will to break the pattern? I think I already have the answer. Stupid question.

Going to hit the bed soon...without setting the alarm. Life's good just because of that. How pathetic...

A new look...

Now my blog is officially under google. Tried to make it look nicer, but obviously to no avail. Years of studying had apparently sapped me of my artistic talent...

Updates..

Time flies. Suddenly it's November. Suddenly all the trees are bare again. The weather in Ann Arbor is still as crazy as usual, with temperatures ranging from -2 Celsius to 20 Celsius in a week.

Last Saturday, I attended a DeepaRaya event organized by UMIMSA. Got to see a some Malaysians I didn't even know exist. The food was good, a little bit too spicy I would say. Can't really complain much actually, as almost everything else is better than dorm food. The spaghetti served the other day was simply inedible. It wasn't even pasta; the Italians would probably commit suicide in shame when they know what atrocities had been done to their national food.

Went to play some piano in music school after the SAM dinner yesterday. When I was happily abusing pieces by Lizst and Beethoven, a familiar tune struck me. When I stopped my unabashedly bad playing, I realized somebody was playing piano concerto no.3 by Rachmaninoff!!! Touted as the most difficult piece (at least in the movie the Shine), this piece is a monster that only a beast can tame. I couldn't imagine that somebody is playing that just right opposite my room, without the orchestra accompaniment... Although it's obvious that the pianist is still in the process of bettering the playing, the precision and dynamics were almost concert-ready. I somehow resisted the temptation to go over and see how the pianist perform the piece. Not intimidated by the superior playing, I stubbornly continued on pounding the poor piano :)

And yeah, I have decided to go to Florida for my winter break. Air tickets were settled, and now we "just" need to worry about transportation and accommodation. It'll be an expensive vacation I bet...

Hahaha

My friends have been saying that my blog gets more and more depressing. This shall brighten up it a lot!! :D

心凉自然静

I suddenly realized that writing blog is all about communicating with yourself, especially when you're writing about what you're thinking. As for me now, I'm totally prepared for winter, not physically, but mentally.

My state of mind is not much different from the winter. Cold and indifferent seemed best to describe my attitude towards virtually everything. Well, such might be a result of experiencing too little warmth in this stage of my life. To me, genuine and sincere caring is more and more like the fairies that only exists in fairytales. All I see now are individuals too preoccupied with themselves to be concerned about other people. If somebody appeared to care about somebody else, it's most likely that he is actually doing so because he cares about himself in the first place.

There's of course nothing wrong with that; anyway, we are the ones who are living our lives. It's just sad to know that the good values prevalent in the moral education textbooks are actually socially infeasible, probably no different like how disappointed kids feel when they find out Santa Clause is just a fantasy. Again, I'm most probably biased not having seeing enough, but right now the whole social structure seems like a pretentious construct which participants in it engage themselves in countless complicated and intricate symbiotic relationships. The motive behind the establishment of these webs: to survive - the most primitive goal, the sole message embedded in our deepest core.

Like winter too, the coldness, indifference and skepticism surprisingly result in a form of unearthly tranquility in my mind. Well, why taking things so seriously then, when you know the idealistic form of world is beyond grasp? Why don't just play along with the crowd and enjoy the process with a watching eye? The idea that I'm just a infinitesimal grain helplessly carried away by the current of life used to trouble me, but right now I'm just going to ride on the drift and appreciate what I have. Who cares whether genuine relationship exists. It's definitely cold, but the serenity seems to offer a peace of mind.

Contemplation

Another week went by, and it was so far the worst. Just got back my econ 409 results, and it was horrendously bad (it's below the mean). I don't know whether it is that my brain had turned rusty, or that it has never been shiny before; I would put more stakes on the latter one if it was a bet.

I hate to say it, but right now I think I'm a failure. Not only my academic grades is in jeopardy, things are getting out of control too. Some changes must definitely be made. I have to live strong. To do that, I have to understand myself more than ever.