New England here I come!

It has been days since I reached Ann Arbor. These few days have been great, as there's nothing much to worry about except what to eat for meals. Life won't be as good when school starts, (or even before school starts) as there will be more and more to do. Right now, I'm about to leave for New England. Hope this trip will be a wonderful one!

BTW I must say Nodame Cantabile is a great J-drama...a must watch for classical music lovers!!!

God bless A

I was again appalled by the outrageously horrendous way the country treated the visitors. No, I wasn't brutally beaten up or tortured; yet, there's no way a nation can claim itself as a supernation by still practising a primitively and laughable system in its effort to thwart terrorism. Yes, I am talking about the frigging Ann-ciers program. First, upon reaching the airport, I was suppose to line up for the new visiting procedure. When it's my turn, oh, I got the unforgivable mark on my passport, which its existence is in the very first place questionable. Hence, I was asked to another site to wait for the special registration to be done.

The waiting experience in the waiting room was hellish. Gathered in the room was colored people with different shades; well, the albinos were exempted I guess. The detainees were not allowed to leave the room, and to make things more exciting, there's no restrooms nor water coolers in the venturable vicinity. This wouldn't be that bad if we weren't all just off from the plain, for another ingenious measure dictates that no bottled water was to be carried on when one's on flight. Hence, suffering from thirst and the conflicting urge to relieve, I had nothing else to do but to observe the other pathetic travellers, whose souls were mostly sucked out from the long hours of travelling. For some like me, the constant fear of missing the next connecting flight intensified with time; others were worried that their fellow friends would be waiting too long for them. While these negative emotions emit from the floor and filled the room, making the atmosphere more unbearable, the shitfaces sitting behind the counter seemed oblivious, each exuding an aura of calmness that was impenetrable by the disturbance caused by the fidgety crowd. They moved as if they were trying to master the deepest techniques of the ancient art of tai-chi, in such way further infuriating the meekly waiters who were in no mood of appreciating any sort of clumsiness.

To make things more unbelievable, they had no ordering system in putting the pastports on the shelf. Those books were casually placed in slots, which the officers would randomly pick from later. That's of course, a careful observation of mine out of sheer boredom, but I could be wrong. They might be adhering to the elusive chaos theory which they probably learnt from K-level. Discarding that possibility, it was difficult to picture that I was actually in a country which claimed itself as the pinnacle of modern civilization.

As time passed by, I was gradually becoming more zen, which I acheived by constantly muttering the sacred mantra that bears three syllabus of hokkien word. Meanwhile, one of the girl was not that fortunate; she burst into sobs while speaking on the phone. When it was her turn, she broke down again and tried to argue with the officer about something. I couldn't quite figure out what was the content of the conversation, as I myself was still obstinately chanting to maintain my state of sanity.

Despite my efforts, when my photo was finally taken by the webcam, I must have looked like Gollum. Needless to say, the plane which I was supposed to be in was already soaring gloriously in the nightsky. Yes, what else could I do? A couple more hours of waiting won't hurt further, would it?

South Korea trip

So I mentioned that I was in Seoul in a previous post. Well there's not many reasons for me to be there, except for traveling, and yup, that's why I was there.

The trip spanned seven days, and I went there with my father, since my mum was traveling somewhere else. Overall South Korea was not as beautiful as China; it does not have great landscapes for that matter. However, I was pretty impressed with the cleanliness and seeming order of the country. The Koreans are very environmental conscious. To save trees, they make an effort to only use steel chopsticks and degradable toothpicks. Plastic bags are also charged for money in some places. All in all, from small things like these one can see that the nation is shifting from a developing country to a developed nation.

It is interesting to note that Seoul has more than ten million inhabitants, making it one of the most populated city in the world. Imagine almost 40% of the Malaysia's population living in one city. The streets in the city are are wide and well planned, at least for those that I've seen. The city seemed to bustle with activities, and the excitement increases as night falls. All those signs of advancement contrasted with conditions in the capital of my beloved country only caused me to wonder when KL can transcend from the lumpur.

Jeju Island was another main attraction of my trip apart from Seoul. It is an island on the southern part of South Korea. Since there's a volcano on the island, volcanic formations are littered everywhere on the island. Sceneries there were considerably better than those on the mainland, but still no where near the standards of the majestic views in China. Of course it can be unfair comparing oranges to apples, but that's just how I felt.

Throughout the trip, we got the chance to try some of the most famous Korean food. Korean food, as the Korean tour guide admitted, was not as interesting and delectable as the Chinese food (duh, making comparisons again!) However, I'd say that Korean food is definitely much healthier. I got the chance to try the Korean BBQ (in Korea!), Ginseng chicken, abalone porridge, varitey of Kimchi (which I came to appreciate it) , Stone Rice, sashimi-s of different seafood. Since they're prepared with healthier way (steamed, boiled, less salt, less oil etc), I didn't have the "jelak" feeling even after a week of Korean food.

Conclusively, South Korea is not a great country to travel to, but IMO is a great country to stay and relax. Here are the photos:



Something like Petaling street in Seoul


Seoraksan 雪岳山


Ice Bar (yup, even the glasses are made of ice!)


A waterfall in Jeju Island


Jeju Island (in the process of transforming to a super saiyan lol)


One of the volcanic formations


Contrast this with the river that meanders through KL...


Winter Sonata shooting place

Hello my blog

"All is well."

So that's how the journey that lasted for 7 years ended. That can be said to the way my internship ended too. I wouldn't boast that I've learned tonnes from the experience, nevertheless it's a decent experience, and it really did offer me a glimpse of how working life would be.

Working in KL can be a frustrating experience because of the daily commuting. While taking LRT from Sentul Timur to Bukit Jalil everyday is not exactly very enjoyable, I realized that things could be tenfold worse. Imagine being trapped in traffic jam at least twice a day, imagine having to take a few trains to reach your workplace, imagine...... The weather doesn't help much either in alleviating the pain. Occasional downpours that coupled with the "excellent" city flood plan can bring the worst nightmare to every driver out there. But well, I guess these are some of the inevitables most people will face working in big cities (or is it true only for big asian cities? hmm)

However, on the plus side, working in KL means that you are surrounded by "zhi ji ren" aka close friends and relatives. The variety of local food also serves to spice up life considerably. Weekends can mean tonnes of fun too, when there's so much to do (of course, that is only if you have the money).

So do I like working life? Let's put it this way: I'm glad that I still have one more year of studies to be completed...

One funny thing I came across

(For chinese ed people only)

和尚梳头发 （猜一个国家）

highlight below to see the answer:


苏格兰（梳个lan)


llol.....

p.s. some might argue that it is not a country....but well it's just for laughs

Muffin top

This got to be the word of the year. It is so creative and so painfully descriptive that even the Collins English Dictionary’s ninth edition has decided to include it as an entry in the lexicon. Any guess yet on what it means? Nope, it's not a hairstyle, and it is nothing close to a tube top. Look at the illustration below:



A detailed explanation provided by the Wikipedia:

Muffin top (or muffin top girl) is a generally pejorative, slang term used for a person, usually female, whose flabby midsection spills over the waistline of his or her pants in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its casing. This generally occurs when an individual wears low-rise or hip-hugger pants and midriff-baring tops.

So people, don't get too happy if someone approach you one day and say that they like your "muffin top"!!!

Update from Seoul

Just blogging for fun! This is my fourth night in South Korea. I'm now in the Pacific Hotel, Seoul...(fully utilizing the free internet facilities in the hotel) Everything was great so far....will be back in 3 days' time. Have to go to KL the very same day I touch down, because work starts the next day...gosh. Till then, ciao!!

US-Malaysia

After a series of tough finals, I was finally freed from the clutches of the horrendous Winter07. Did nothing much to celebrate my freedom, as I still had to move out from my dorm. It's rather stupid actually for me to opt Northwood over Cambridge for the next semester. Cambridge House is indeed far more superior in terms of almost everything...except the fact that I can't cook.

Moving to Northwood will also signify the demise of my dorm-food experience. I'm not as elated as some other Malaysians who despise dorm food with a passion. In fact, I think I'll miss being able to eat in dining halls. Well I do admit that the quality of the food is most of the times under par, but what beats the freedom of being able to eat as much as you want? (like unlimited refills for milk and juices) In where else can you just go in and eat without having to prepare the food and leave without having to clean the mess? For a person who values nutritional values more than anything else too, dorm food is definitely not that bad a choice. Hmmm...then is my decision to move to Northwood justifiable? We'll see...

I still managed to attend graduation in Big House before leaving "ace deuce". Bill Clinton was the invited speaker, a relatively famous one compared to the other speakers in the recent years. Charismatic as usual, he managed to get a standing ovation from the whole house before he even spoke. Hopefully next year we will have a speaker as well-known as him.

My flight back home required some airports hopping (Detroit-LA-Taipei-KL-Alor Setar). Life is perfect so far, if you minus out the fact that I still have to study for course M. Ahhh....Malaysia. Will comment more on my "tanah air" if I am too bored of studying...

Update from Shapiro

Here I am again in the Shapiro Science Library working extra shift earning extra bucks. Working 5-8 am is definitely not as bad as working 10pm-5am; there's less work and more pay (15 hourly rate). Technically working during such hours provide me ample opportunities to do some serious studying, but apart from completing my Spanish homework, all I did was surfing the net and calling home. And yeah, now I'm updating my blog...

Finals week is crawling in surreptitiously, and it's less than two weeks before I can go back to Malaysia. I am not particularly excited about it knowing that I still have to do tonnes of studying for my course M exam. Hope everything will turn out fine though.

Last week, I finally experienced my first bar crawling (in fact it's the first time I've gone to a bar in AA). Informally organized by SAM, we went to 3 bars in total (Mitch's, Jug and Ricks). Unavoidably I drank a considerable amount of beer, but was doing quite okay I think. It's interesting enough to see a whole different "world" out there, and seeing friends that get all rowdy was even more entertaining :P.

Went to Birch Run also to get a couple of stuff. Got a flat tire on our way back, but luckily a highway patrol officer was there for help. Learned an important lesson that day: persevere and don't give up easily. Thanks Hewei!

Grand Canyon Skywalk

Starting from March 28th 2007, tourists to Grand Canyon will be able to admire the breathtaking scenery of the multicolored gorge in a different way; they can now choose to experience "floating" 4000 ft over the valley! This is made possible by the completion of the Grand Canyon Skywalk project. Basically the Skywalk is a U-shaped glass walkway extending off the cliff. The height of the structure over the basin is simply astounding. The diagram follows illustrates why:


Attached is a video that featuring this newly opened attraction:

Tourists should not get too excited yet though, as each visitor is currently charged 75 USD in total to experience such a walk. Perhaps the most ridiculous thing is that cameras are not allowed in the structure!! Simply stupid...but I think I'll still go for it if I ever visit Grand Canyon. The height should make my legs all wobbly!!

p/s: A post by a blogger who felt cheated:
Hicks-Wright.net

Matsu Takako - 松隆子

Simply mesmerizing! I can watch it over and over again...it just soothes my soul!! She's so natural, so unpretentious, her smile so infectious...Can't believe there's such divine beauty in this world!

Game theory application

So today I participated in a paid experiment entitled "Game Theory, Culture and Institutional Path Dependence". A study funded by the National Science Foundation, it intends to provide insight into certain features of decision making. But that is none of my business really. I was signed up for it because of the enticing 15/hr rate, and also because Ren Jie had previously earned tonnes for just playing games. Since I have the time (well, did I?), I was like 何乐而不为?

Basically, the gameplay required me to make decisions choosing strategies in each individual game. Everything was done on the computer, and there was no way of knowing who your partners were. A total of 200 rounds were played, plus extra rounds given in a 90% chance basis. The payoff matrix was as followed:


Clearly, choosing B would be my dominant strategy, since it makes me strictly better of regardless of what player 2 chooses (I'm player 1). If the player 2 plays his dominant strategy too, both of us will end up achieving the Nash equilibrium. After playing the dominant strategy repeatedly for like 30 rounds, I got bored (because the partners kept on playing the same strategy too) and started thinking whether there was any other way to play the game. Then it struck me that I could actually apply my game theory skills in the game.

Instead of playing the dominant strategy, both me and my partners could actually be better off if we "collude". We could each take turns sacrificing our payoffs to make the others profit more. For instance, instead of getting (5,5) all the time, we could get (4,14) in the first round, (14,4) in the second round, (4,14) again in the third round and so on. In that way, the average payoffs would be higher for us.

Hence, I started sending out "signals" to my partners. I began to commit in playing A and B alternately, and to my delight, my partners took the hint after like just 2 rounds. So from that point onwards, we happily "colluded" all the way till the end of the game.

Too bad there was like only about 215 rounds. In the end I got 33 bucks from the game, plus a base pay of 5 bucks. That's a total of 38 dollars (tax free since it's in cash) in 70 minutes!! Only if they have such games every week...

Turning 22 on the 22nd

22nd of March. It's the second day of spring (admittedly the nicest season), the second day of the Aries month (the first of all zodiac signs), the World Water Day, and it has two twos in the number 22. Most importantly, after all that bullcrap, this day is my birthday :D

So how did it feel like turning 22? It felt unreal really. It's like all out of sudden, I'm 22 already. Thinking back of what I've achieved in my life thus far, I would say that there's definitely ample room for improvement...but I should really be grateful for what I have now too. As Nicholas had pointed out, I'm a man now...gosh, what a term.

To me, to be a man is not just being physically build. A man has to be responsible for himself and for the people around him, generous, open-minded, humble, and kind. A man must be able to keep his head when others are losing theirs. A man exudes an aura of confidence. A man leads when leadership is needed. A man knows how to love and not expecting to be love in return. In conclusion, the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling pretty much defines what a man is supposed to be. It's definitely not easy being a man, and to be a better man (reminds you of Robbie Williams?) will remain to be my lifelong goal.

Here I wish to thank all of those who have made my birthday meaningful. Special thanks to my Umich friends. And thanks to whoever who gave me the mug as a present. You really did cheer my day up :)

尽信书不如无书

I'm currently reading the "Rich dad, poor dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. It's a book that teaches about financial independence, and there's a lot of radically different and seemingly profound ideas about personal financial management.

Although I haven't finish reading it, I can't help but wondering if he's as rich and financially savvy as he "boasted" in the book. It definitely wouldn't make sense to continue reading if he's not even rich in the first place right? Besides, I was thinking that since this book is an insanely famous best-seller a few years back then, wouldn't it have produced a significant numbers of millionaires across the land?

I did some research on the omniscient Wikipedia and found the following:

"Detailed analysis of public records (including SEC and county registrar of deeds) find no evidence to support Kiyosaki's status as a successful investor and businessman prior to the formation of his present venture, Cashflow Technologies, Inc. They claim that his wealth has come only as a result of selling books and audio presentations about topics he has not personally succeeded in and that he is probably worth far less than the US$50 to US$100 million he once claimed in an interview."

"In 1994 at the age of 47 he shut down the business because of adverse publicity in Australia and 'retired'".

So that's how he retired young. For more, read more on criticism and controversy related to him.

This is not to say that his advice is totally useless or of no value, but again such findings have buttressed my notion that motivational books can only do so much in presenting opinions that might not be necessarily true or applicable in the real world. A critical mind must be maintained, so that the good information can be extracted from the junk. Indeed, 尽信书不如无书...

Daylight saving time

So tonight I'll lose one hour because of the daylight saving time.

As defined in Wikipedia:

Daylight saving time (DST), also known as summer time in British English, is the convention of advancing clocks so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour in late winter or early spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Details vary by location and change occasionally; see When it starts and stops below.

Governments often promote DST as an energy conservation measure because it substitutes summer afternoon sunlight for electrical lighting. However, in some cases DST can increase energy costs.

This year's adjustment is earlier than usual, and here's the reason why (from Beauregard daily news):

Starting this year, Daylight Saving Time has been extended by one month because of legislation signed by President George W. Bush.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) will begin at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 11, because it is the second Sunday of March. Clocks will spring ahead from 1:59 a.m. to 3 a.m. The change will end on Nov. 3, 2007, the first Sunday of November. These are the new dates for the DST period.

On August 8, 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This Act changed the time change dates for Daylight Saving Time in the U.S.

Previously, the dates for Daylight Saving Time had been the first Sunday in April through the last Sunday in October.

After the time changes back in the fall, a study will be conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Secretary of Energy will report the impact of this change to Congress. That governmental body retains the right to resume the 2005 Daylight Saving Time schedule.

The law by which clocks are turned forward in the spring and back in the fall is known as the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The law does not require the observance of Daylight Saving Time, simply that if DST is observed, it must be done uniformly.

The main purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight. Clocks are changed during the summer to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Countries have different change dates are the world. Near the equator, day and night are nearly the same length, about 12 hours. But elsewhere, there is much more daylight in the summer than in the winter.

The closer a location is to the North or South Pole, the longer the period of daylight in the summer. Thus, DST is usually not helpful in the tropics, and countries near the equator generally do no change their clocks.

Most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2 a.m. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time and DST is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Suam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona - with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona.

Many fire departments encourage people to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change their clocks because Daylight Saving Time provides a convenient reminder.

More than 90 percent of homes in the United States have smoke detectors, but one-third are estimated to have dead or missing batteries.

There goes my one hour...

Spring break 2007

A summary of my spring break:

-ski trip
-a bunch of hangout sessions
-a couple restaurant visits
-laser tag
-badminton
-2 movies (Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, Cast away)
-futile attempts in starting my paper
-some piano practice sessions
-UMIMSA makan-makan
-1 novel

I can't think of anything else...very unproductive indeed, and I don't feel like I had enough rest (well, it's never enough in fact :D). The second half of the semester will be a killer, and yeah, that pisses me a lot, a whole lot... Bring it on man, I'll see what you can do...


Ski trip organized by UMIMSA!!

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...