i'm dying. will write something tomorrow.
just all drained and beaten up and terribly in need of sleep.
and it's only the 2nd week of the semester...
Tuesday, January 27
Sunday, January 18
| back in town |  |
finally after much journeying and the dreadful bus ride from chicago to champaign, i'm "home"! unpacked all the luggage and goodies that i have picked up along the way, mostly gifts from other people. feel kinda guilty. why is everyone so nice to me?
the flight from boston to chicago in the morning was nothing short of delightful. for a plane with a capacity of 100+ passengers, the manifest totalled 15. so everyone literally had their own aisle, and the stewardesses didn't even bother serving us with the cart. it was all personalized, they took your order brought it to you individually. and the plane felt so light and agile, and it was about 9 am when i flew into chicago and it was bright and sunny. the view was SPECTACULAR from the air. the endless blocks of houses and buildings, the downtown skyscrapers, and the frosted lake michigan. i held my breath.
a new beginning. the sky is the limit.
+listening to: last train out by blues saraceno
Wednesday, January 14
| sunshine, baby | |
zomg it's been a week, a wonderfully week spent lime-ing as they would say it in T&T, that's trinidad and tobago for you. you know after all these while being in the cold, it feels amazing to be in the tropics again. enjoying the sunshine and the hassle free dress code.
first stop: key west, the southern most point on the continental USA. it was beeaaautiful, the sun, the breeze, the island, everything. it really made me feel so alive.
the seven mile long bridge!
sebago - the catamaran we went sailing on
returning from the kayaking expedition
next up: south beach, miami. home to the famous/notorious ocean ave and some of the best beaches. it is every bit as flash as you'd seen on tv, except this is for real. and when the sun sets, the place buzzes with crazy crowds, great food and awesome music.
final stop: the everglades. i don't know how to describe it. it's vastness is just mind blowing. and the eco system that persists in this inhospitable environment is startling. you'd never imagine that so many specie could co-exist in this (seemingly) nothingness.
and oh, there are gators everywhere, you see them more often than you get to see other human beings on the biking trail.
gator
more gator
there's a gator burrow
gator again
the airboat brought us to places that would otherwise have been inaccessible.doesn't this look amazing?
anyways on a completely unrelated note, i was just eating a couple of croissants in the afternoon, and some really random thoughts/emotions overcame me. so i asked myself, what would the world have become if france never existed?
the answer is that it would have been a nightmare: we'd be eating globs of raw dough instead of the soft, moist and oh-so-delicious croissants; rather than having your sumptious fillets of cod or salmon, you'd be picking the flesh off fishbones; and what would have become of the french fry? probably renamed the american fries, or potato strips or something; casual sex would never have been invented, and the french kiss would have been seen as an abomination by us normal folks. i mean who the hell would have thought putting your tongue into someone else's mouth could be so much fun?
what else can we say, other than viva la france!
+listening to: cochise by radiohead
Wednesday, January 7
| cambridge, boston, salem and whatnot | |
phew... it seems like a month since i last wrote something, mostly coz i've been eating, sleeping and sightseeing non-stop. while it has been all very stimulating visually, and possibly spiritually, i doubt it had been very mentally challenging, well maybe except at times i have struggled to find words to replace such platitudes as "zomg" and "wtfbbq".
here are some of the pics. pardon the multiple appearances by me, not really my style usually.
harvard!
the statue
u.s.s. constitution
fenway park, the red socks!
abercrombie
guinness
er... donald duck
river charles
new england aquarium
mr turtle, yes he's 10 times bigger than ur HEAD
salem witch hunt
witch museum
ur mummy
that's a monet, say it like how u say "gimme my moNEY"
like wtfbbq
+listening to: sex on fire by kings of leon
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Wednesday, December 31
| On 2008 | |
it's the last day of the year, at least here in uncle sam country. before i leave for boston tonight on this auspicious occasion, i thought it's about time that i do some reflections. about everything that went on for me personally, about things that went my way, things that didn't.
on graduation:
i still vividly remember the first day of this wonderful 2008, it was spent at the starbucks at raffles city mall. waiting to catch the first train home, sitting with a bunch of really great high school friends, talking about what a blast jc has been.
it's possibly some of the most bitter-sweet memories in my life, those two years. there were things that i'm disappointed about, but then again there are some things that i'm immensely proud of. and i didn't think that graduation would come so soon, everyone parts ways and carry on to live their own lives. some friendships may have drifted apart, people may have matured, but i'm sure that we each have that little peace of heaven that no one can take away.
graduation left a void that nothing else can fill. i tried to keep myself occupied with tv, movies, and other random things, but it just doesn't feel the same as when you're sitting at the class bench copying econs and math homework simultaneously or just fooling around in the fish tank.
on rugby:
honestly, i think 2008 has been one of the most fulfilling years of my life so far. and to think that it doesn't involve any academics or monetary gains makes it that much sweeter.
a decision was made (against my parents wishes) roughly in january that i would stay on in singapore until after the coming rugby season. i said that i had school stuff and whatnot to take care of, but the truth was i can't let go of rugby, seeing some of my team-mates struggle.
all i ever wanted was to help out in any way i can. making up the numbers during training, helping to organize the plays, or just passing on the tiniest of details that hopefully would translate to better performance on the pitch.
then after the season came the transitional period, one which i vividly remember, when i was put in a similar situation. the aimlessness, the absence of a coach, the lack of motivation. and that's when i inevitably took on the role of the "coach". i wanted to give the boys some hope, that there's still something to fight for, and that it's not just about them, but about those to come, the next batch, and the batch after that.
there were both amazing days where everything clicked and those forgettable ones where i really lost it and dished out the nastiest things i could conjure up. it's not in my nature to be harsh, but there are some things that ought to be done.
i think i've had some impact one way or another on the boys, that's all i ever hoped for. that as long as there's still an ounce of hope, there's something worth fighting for. and deep down i am really really happy that i decided to do this, because it's one of those life experiences that you would only understand if you went through it.
on life in the US of A:
life in the land of the free, home of the brave. two words - culture shock. i thought it wouldn't be that different. i've seen enough movies and tv shows to understand the bulk of the cultural inuendos that probably would surprise some.
it's just that, the stuff you see on tv, which you took with a pinch of salt, turns out to be exactly the way it's described. that's when you realize, it is the truth, the absolute truth with no additives.
even though champaign is the average small town america, it's at least partially the reflection about society at large. the social economic problems that this country is facing is immense, and it might have to take more than one man like obama to fix.
but i'm glad that i witnessed at the very least the willingness to change, in electing the first african american president of the united states. it says a lot about the people as a whole, that there might just be hope after all.
to sum this incredible year up, i think it's more than appropriete to call it the year of hope. so many hopeful things happened to me and all around me. and as i step into 2009, i would continue to always hope for the best. goodbye 2008 and hello 2009.
+listening to: why georgia by john mayer
Friday, December 26
| life after insanity | |
finally some peace and quite after the insanity of the holidays. in the process of dragging my ass around, i have had my right shoe drenched in ice cold water no less than twice. just plain bad luck i guess.
the snow in wisconsin is insane. in places where the snow isn't shoveled, it's literally waste deep. trying to get onto the sidewalk after getting out of the car has become sort of a luck thing - you're lucky if someone has decided to create an opening in that wall ice and slush by the side of the road.
the season of giving, that's what christmas is all about. seeing little kids' eyes light up when they get up earlier than usual on christmas day just to open their presents is priceless. whoever came up with the idea of toys is a genius. what would the world have become without kids and their toys? santa would have been unemployed, and the elves would have been sitting around bored all day.
life after insanity of this whole year. maybe i've lived my life the right way, maybe not. it's time for a new year resolution.
+listening to: vultures by john mayer
Monday, December 22
| christmas is here | |
first off lemme start off with a weather update:
that's not an optical illusion by the way. my ass is POSITIVELY frozen to the core. and yet i still had to brave the elements, going outside to hunt for food and whatnot. to give you an idea of how cold it is, if you were outside now and not wearing gloves, you'll not be able to feel your fingers in approximately 2 seconds. yep.
ok so christmas is around the corner and school ended last friday, and dorms also closed on saturday, so now i'm crashing at terence's place. it sucks being the 2nd last person to leave chambana, but oh well there's jayce to make me feel slightly better, who'll be the last one.
i went to chitown today. for no reason. i bought a roundtrip grey hound ticket to chicago last night on impulse and promptly hopped on a bus at 7 this morning. needless to say it was absolutely dead by the time i got to illinois terminal to board the bus.
i don't know why i did what i did, i guess it's the yearning to be on the road. i love being on the road, just driving along the highway, being able to look far far away at the absolutely endless midwest plains. it makes me feel so peaceful inside, i think it's those times that make me really realise how vast the world that we live in is.
and in case i haven't made it clear before, i absolutely adore chicago. it's one of my favourite places to go to. it's just got such a metropolitan feel to it, all the architecture, the river, the people. and when you're in the alleys, in the shadows of those gargantuan mega structures, you get that gush of wind rushing past you, reminding you of the rich history of this town.
if i'd thought that chicago looked amazing in the summer, i haven't seen the big picture. winter is when chicago really shines. there aren't as many people on the streets, but just enough to still make it feel like a big city, and you get the salvation army at every street corner playing christmas music or carolling, or tolling their bells. you can literally feel christmas in the air. and then there's snow everywhere, and lots of sidewalks are not shovelled, so you sort of have to "wade" in snow that's about 3 inches deep.
and they make a frozen pond into an ice rink in millenium park!!!
so onto winter itinerary:
1st stop: milwaukee, wisconsin
2nd stop: boston, massachusetts
3rd stop: miami, florida!
i can't wait for wednesday when i leave chambana, yay!
+listening to: the wicker man by iron maiden
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