February

The first 31 + 1 days of the 2008 have just gone by. Fast? Or expected? We are so caught up with various everyday tasks and situations, while time just steadily moves along. Was looking at my diary today, and realised that I've got less than 30 weeks left to be here. And there are still quite a bit of things to be done --- classes, travelling, bingeing on CNN...

The weather forecast predicted another 6 weeks left for the winter season, so to say I'm looking forward to warmer weather is an understatement. But this cold weather has been a pretty interesting experience, although there was none of the histrionics I was imagining before coming here. I thought I would be wrapped up like one of those boxes you pass around during a pass-the-parcel game in a children's party, but thankfully, the extent is much less than that.

Time to get on with weekend homework.

Another post.......

It is F.R.E.E.Z.I.N.G. here. The temperature today was -15 deg C. The morning was sunny, but the sunshine was unable to mediate the cold brought about by the lack of cloud cover. The wind chill was worse, came in at about -20 deg C. I stepped out of my house, and barely walked 200m when I decided to turn back to put on another sweater and wear my ski gloves instead of the fleece ones... This is what is called the biting frost. Thank goodness this does not happen everyday!




Realise that my blog entires have become somewhat more sporadic and also contain less details of late. Wonder why. Perhaps this is a sign of settling down with my life here? There is also no problem with communication with loved ones at home, so the blog now really is just an alternative rather than default mode of updates. Still, it is good to have this channel, because sometimes typed messages are somewhat easier to convey than verbal ones. There is a chance to think before the typing, and corrections can still be made after that, if the tone does not feel right. And of course, I could upload the blog entry any time I want.

Read the news about the O level results, and of course, I had to gravitate towards information about my alma mater as well. It's amazing how we are all so caught up with national examinations during the most part of our school life in Singapore. Every year we are either in an exam year, or working towards an exam year. And the most fascinating part is, most of us have survived the system, and have come out quite well. Over here in America, the idea of a standardised test is enough to make most people cringe, not to mention a national exam, a concept that is too far-fetched and will probably remain so, at least for this lifetime. Should a curriculum or examination be local or national? This is a question that can be debated till the cows come home. Of course, I have my own strong opinions on the issue, but that primarily comes from my personal experience, which, I would admit, is fairly limited. Well, at least this one year of graduate school in a foreign country adds some credential to my CV!

Been listening a lot to Amy Macdonald's "This Is The Life". Just a very melancholic song that puts one in a sort of introspective mood. I somehow find it very suitable for this wintry weather.

Weather, Semester, Career

The snow has melted. Earlier this week, the temperature suddenly went up to about 15 degrees Celsius, and the white scenery just simply vanished overnight. It’s quite interesting to watch people’s reactions at such a sharp change in weather. With the weather becoming much “warmer”, joggers were out, people were not huddled together at the bus stop shelters, even I was walking outside wearing sandals instead of snow boots.

But then came the rain and wind, and with it a much colder temperature. This morning it was about 1 degree Celsius. It’s kind of gloomy, as the snow is gone, and the trees are left with just their trunks and branches. Looking around, it seems so bleak and dark, even in the day. I don’t like it at all. Hmm…. Never thought I would be saying this, but I hope the snow appears again. At least everywhere would look clean and bright and white.

I have gotten into the swing of things for the new semester, the lessons are generally quite interesting, and I guess for now I could say I have selected the “right” modules. Hopefully this thought will sustain for the rest of the semester. Realised that I can actually say, I am going home “this year” now, instead of “next year”. But there are of course a few things still left to be done here before I make that final flight to Changi Airport. Studying, traveling, watching more trashy (and non-trashy) US television, to name just a few activities.

I have been re-thinking my career plans for the future lately. Of course, close friends would know of my “original plan”, and it appears that I am actually nearing the end of the time line. Quite unbelievable. I am quite fortunate, I should say, as I have more or less been able to stick to my plan (with a bit of adjustment here and there) since I graduated from university. Now, it’s definitely the right time to see what to make of the final two years of the “original plan”, and project where I should go from there. Have come up with some possibilities, shall spend some time weighing the odds of these possibilities.

Considerations and decisions……..

Brand new year, finally.

Brand new year. 2008. Finally, the past year is now gone, good riddance. Too much sorrow, too much pain, it's best to let it all fade.

The winter term has started. This will be a much more hectic term, as it is in a way, the final "full" term for me (spring and summer are half terms), so I want to seize the opportunity to take as many courses offered as I realistically can handle.

Being realistic. This is a lesson I am learning everyday. I don't know, I always believe one needs to have dreams, as a form of hope, a source of motivation, a way of believing that "impossible is nothing". But very often, reality bites. Sometimes, it is just a prick on the finger, sometimes it feels like a huge gash is being made in the leg. At the most extreme, it is a chest pain that hits at the most unexpected moment.


But it's a brand new year, and I want to feel all refreshed and recharged, ready to face challenges. I am thankful that I fared pretty well the previous semester, hopefully I can continue with the fine showing, so that I won't disappoint those back home who have been so supportive and encouraging.

It's going to be a tough year, but the road ahead looks pretty inviting!

A Bostonian Christmas

Went to Boston （波斯顿）recently to spend Christmas with some friends, and had a very enjoyable time. Boston, in the state of Massachusetts, is a place full of history; it was one of the first few places people settled during the 17th and 18th century when a certain country known as the United States of America was being established. Of course, it is now a very modern city and boasts a pretty good transport system.

Boston Common: the lungs of the city. Underneath the white snow lies a beautiful green lawn.

Views from the top: Boston just before sunset, and just after sunset.

Going nuts over the street signs!

An old-fashioned 7-eleven at Beacon Hill

Symmetry: Part of the glass structure of the JFK Library and Museum

Overlooking the New England coast

Video of swimming ducks at the harbour

Just across the Charles river stands the town of Cambridge, which of course has two of the world's most famous (and very hard to enter) universities, Harvard and MIT. It's a very surreal feeling, even just visiting the campuses. The atmosphere is just so different from the usual academic institution, as if one was going to school for the first time, and just starting to understand the concept of school. The buildings, the paths that link them, in fact just the environment at large. The buildings in Harvard were mostly closed for the holidays, but those at MIT were still open, so I had a chance to go in and walk through the corridors. It was some kind of mixed feeling, on one hand very intellectual, and the other rather inferior. For one, I know I will never get a place in either of these institutions. But I guess it was satisfying just to be able to visit them. With such conducive environments for academia, it's hard not to succeed here, I believe.

Scenes from Harvard University （哈佛大学）

Scenes from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 麻省理工学院

This trip has definitely been one of the highlights of my American journey thus far.....

Snow . White.

Last night, it started snowing quite heavily here, and it continued all the way till lunchtime today. Looking out of my apartment when I woke up this morning, a lovely sight greeted me. Unlike rain, snow is light and makes no noise when it lands, although it was pretty obvious that the wind was fairly strong --- at some point the snow flakes appeared to be travelling horizontally!

The accumulation of snow came up to be about 6 inches (according to the meteorological service). Well, what I know is that the road and the carpark totally disappeared! And there were little snowhills around.... nice.

Anyway, of course I could not miss the chance to utilise my trusty camera, so here are some pictures and a video.










The sun came out shortly after the snow stopped, and the mix of sunshine and snow somehow gives an apt definition of "clean and bright".

Healing

Woke up this morning, and realized that it has been 6 months. I still remember the day when I stood by the bed, looking at the person who has accompanied me for almost all of my life, wondering what else I still had to say to him… I was calm, perhaps numb. In a way, I was bracing myself for it to happen; it was just a matter of time. I forgot to even say goodbye when he drew his last breath. Then, did anyone else remember?

Of course, those few days after that were the worst, when everything started to sink in. It came to my realization that, no longer do I have the chance to buy him his favourite food, to sit with him at the dinner table, to watch TV together. Ever. I think back of the last time I bought him the jumbo Alaskan snow crab legs to eat. He was so weak, he had barely a spoonful. In the end, I ate the rest myself. And it tasted really bad. Put me off snow crab legs forever.

Perhaps the crab legs did not taste that bad. I just did not have the right company.

It is often said that time can heal an aching heart. I hope that this is true. My senses will prevail eventually, I guess. Maybe I just need a little more time...

"Sing us a song
A song to keep us warm
There's such a chill, such a chill."