Maple Adventure

End of the Maple Adventure

2007-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys, the adventure has ended. It has been great having you follow through what I have been through in my exchange. The experience is seriously undescribable. It just gives me the extra oomph when I come back in Singapore. How have I benefited from this exchange? Sights? Sounds? Experiences? Or the many good friends I make in this exchange? Imagine having talk, work, sleep, having fun in a certain way in Singapore for 23 years of your life and for 4 months, you are transported to a foreign land to do all these in a different way, after which you are brought back again..You will just see what you have seen everyday in Singapore differently, really differently..This exchange has been really really great. I do encourage everyone who has the opportunity to do so. I won't be continuing this blog as I don't keep a personal blog. This blog was maintained to update everyone on my experiences during my exchange. You can always still contact me to know how I am doing. Til then.

Signing off,

Land of the Rising Sun

2007-01-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Touchdown Japan..

Height matters..haha..

Saori and her friend met me for dinner..

Saori's socks..her comedy goes all the way to her clothes..haha..

haha..the typical Saori's expression...her smile..her friend told me she was like this ever since high school..always smiling..haha..

We had Japanese BBQ..

Had to use this "scrapper" to eat the food..

Japan

2007-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

New Year was around the corner..many people had this pasted outside their house..

Haha..elections posters of the present PM Abe..

The bridge me and Saori had to meet at..

Japan had buns..

Tokyo Tower..

Japanese are pretty amazing in dressing up..

Densely populated Tokyo..

My Egg Udon meal..

Akihabara..Toys toys..

wahhh...

Shibuya..

Harajuku

my sushi dinner..they don't use boats..

haha, I bought this bottle of oxygen for fun..

In Japan, many people go to the temple during New Year..

One of the temples during New Year..

The lion is supposed to bite the baby for good luck..

A traditional Japanese performance

Traditional Kimono..saw a lot of them around..

San Francisco

2007-01-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

Haha..I like to call SF the Sloppy Place..

The famous tram..

Chinatown
It was hard to explain how scared we were when Huiping hijacked the tram..

Grace Catheral..very magnificent..

I could have rolled down the slope..

Victorian houses in SF

The next happiest place in US - Castrotown..

Parliament House..

Haha..the scene of an uncle singing the SF song with the Golden Gate bridge in the Karoake video kept going through my mind..

The famous Golden Gate Bridge..

Alchartrez Prison..

The nation mourn the loss of an ex-President..Ford..

I hope noone had to make the call..

Barrels of sweets

Went to Fisherman's Wharf..nice nice..

Clam Chowder in Sour Dough..nothing was left..

Loads of lazy sealions

And this is...Christopher Columbus..yes, it's him..

overlooking SF..

Sorry, I had to do this..

Levis Headquarters..

Los Angeles

2007-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

After 1 day of Disneyland, we went to tour around LA..

Having good food near UCLA..

One of the theatres with world premieres..

Yuummy..Cookies with ice-cream..

Fox tower..

UCLA building..

and the famous bear..

Hollywood's walk of fame..

We did some stars hunting ourselves..and ended up lost instead..

Din't know it exists in real life..

No..I'm not Keanu Reeves..

Mann Theatre..the famous theatre in Hollywood..

The characters actually got into a fight..haha..comical..

Winning my first Oscar..thank you thank you..

The famous Hollywood sign..

A great view of LA..

You won't understand how much we went through just to get this shot..

Venice beach..I wanted to do some pull-ups here and Abdul warned me that this is Muscle Beach..

Bay Watch

Very nice view of the Pacific Ocean..

Pacific Coast Highway..

View along the highway..

Disneyland - the Happiest Place on Earth

2007-01-04T04:29:00.000-08:00

A place of music, rides and entertainment - Disneyland will bring your wildest [innocent] imagination alive.

Main Mall

The park was divided into different "lands" with each having a different theme..

Haunted House..
Where's Huiping in the picture? Behind me..haha..

The famous Disney Castle..It's actually smaller than it looks on screen

It's a small small world ride..the ride will drill you with the "it's a small world" song until you suspect that they are trying to hypnothise you..

Haha, obviously the front seats are more fun..

Teaching the kids how to fight..

A lovely afternoon ride

Our NUS poster boy..haha..

Quite fun shooting in this ride

Really really huge Turkey Legs. About 3 people asked me where to get them from..

We queued up for an hour not knowing what the "ride" was..It turned out to be a chance to take photos with the princesses..Abdul was obviously not happy..

Minnie Mouse was touching me quite a lot. I hope she's not a guy..

Toon Town..

The Christmas Parade..very nice..I can show you the video upon request..

And the signature firework display..

The castle looks more familar now?

All the Disney characters giving their last good-byes..the crowd went wild..

To end the magical day - Food..

Las Vegas

2007-01-04T03:48:00.000-08:00

The famous Las Vegas sign..

Hoover Dam..

Grand Canyon..

The tour group..me, Jianhao, Abdul, Huiping and Yukiko..

It's a loooong way down..

and up too..

Looks familar yet again..haha..

A 5-mins free show..would have been longer if we have paid..

A very big jackpot

Night in Vegas..

Day..

Fashion Mall..for people to spend their winnings..smart Vegas..

Vegas is full of out-of-this-world displays..here is one of them..It's something like Rag Day..

Treasure Island

Venetian..

Quote Huiping..."Noooo...I'm not here [in Vegas] to see Celine Dion"

Free water display..

Those are M&Ms btw..

My favourite..you can see the beam of light from Luxor from space..

Angel Abdul descended upon us to warn us about the ills of gambling..haha..

We took this really fun rollar coaster ride in New York New York..

Did some last min. shopping at the outlet stalls..

The famous Fremont Street Experience

yah..part of The Experience..good food..

Last Days in Vancouver

2007-01-04T03:19:00.000-08:00

One of the saddest days in Vancouver - leaving Vancouver.

It's amazing how the walk to church started off with me and Hiroko at the start of the semester and expanded to 9 people.

The main gang of students in UC

That's the pastor - third person from the left. I really like his sermons.

A few of us on our way to Granville Island

Notice how one of the letters has its lights fixed

Hungry Gilbert...Lifang wasn't enough for Gilbert..

Only 1 kid listened to Santa's story..maybe he should be a prof..

The showdown btw Singapore and Japan in DDR..haha..I almost won..(yeah rite)..

The kids-at-heart

The elf asked Saori, "Have you been a good girl?" Saori responded, "Yes! I have been studying!" hahahaha..Comedian Saori..

It was daunting task crossing the bridge..only for the brave few..

The person who doesn't look too happy in the photo - she has a phobia of heights..

Christmas display in Canadian Place

Having sushi at Tsunami Sushi

And the sushis get delivered by boats

The camera nearly drove into Karen..poor Karen..

Grouse Mountain

2007-01-04T03:03:00.000-08:00

As one of my last tour sites in Vancouver, Jianhao, Gilbert and I went to visit Grouse Mountain. It's some kind of a ski mountain which is in North Vancouver.

The three of us

Winter Wonderland

We went on a sleigh ride around the area..

And it was too cold for Jianhao

So we went to get some warmth at the fireplace..nearly burnt my hair

Fireplace was in a posh cafe, which we had our lunch in..

That's the cable car we took..

We went snow-shoeing

and we were slightly slower than them..

We built Laura, the snow monster, in the middle of the forest, to cheer up lost souls..

even inscribed "Singapore" along with it..

Prof Teo?

Vancouver

This is Lifang, Gilbert's daughter..

Had a good dinner with Jianhao's UCLA friend..

The greatest possible mismatch in Vancouver..

Huh? Why is this photo here?

Touchdown in Singapore!

2007-01-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back in Singapore and this is my 100th post too. Haha, lotsa stuff to unpack and do..Japan and US was really fun and I'll update the blog asap.

Happy New Year!

2006-12-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

I'm now in my Tokyo dorm..Haha, the US trip was great, with my exciting stories and photos to share. I'll do that when I'm back in Singapore. Meanwhile, just wanna tell everyone who is reading this blog a very Happy New Year (saying it now coz I'll be out for countdown.) Take care and have lotsa fun!

Off to the US!

2006-12-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

I'll be off to Las Vegas in a few moment time and then followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco and Japan. I'll update my blog when I'm back!

Latest Japan Trip Plan

2006-12-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here's my latest plan for my Japan Trip. A lot of changes made. Also like to say a big thank you to Saori for helping me sort out the train stations and helping me translate. Thank you Hiroko too for suggesting places to visit.

30 Dec
2:15pm - Touchdown in Japan
4:30pm - Reach Hostel
6pm - Meet Saori for Dinner

31 Dec
Tokyo Tower
Odaiba
Akinhabara
Shinjuku
Harajuku
Meiji Shrine
Shibuya

1 Jan
Catch Sunrise
Asakusa
Bullet Train from Ueno to Tokyo Station
- Imperial Palace
- Yasukuni Shrine

3:30pm Reach Narita Airport
5:50pm Japan to Singapore

Japanese Curry Lunch

2006-12-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

A few of us were supposed to visit Stanley Park today, but Jianhao missed his flight to Vancouver (due to the long queue to check-in) and could only come at night. Therefore, we postponed our visit to tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Hiroko, Saori, Laura, Karen, Gilbert, (edit: the forgotten Huiping) and I had a Japanese Curry Lunch and Beer Chicken Stew:

Our Master Chef

And our gang of chefs in action..

hmm..they were cooking..

but somehow ended up playing with knives..

while the guys..took a more laid-back attitude..

yup, I was one of the guys..haha, the kitchen was too full, so we couldn't be of much help..

Hiroko happily showing off her chicken..

A really delicious meal cooked up for us..

If you have been a fan of this blog, these three figures should be familar to you by now..haha

Relaxing after the meal..

while we jumped into action...

washing the dishes..my speciality..

Hiroko giving me tips on places to visit in Tokyo

I'm done!

2006-12-15T00:49:00.000-08:00

I'm finally done with exams. Haha, I have been doing last minute shopping lately and clearing some stuff. I'll update the blog as more events come along.

After-exams plan

2006-12-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

16 Dec
Night time - Stanley Park

17 Dec
English Bay/City

18 Dec
Grouse Mountain

I will be going with Gilbert and Jianhao..Will confirm more ppl along the way..2 exams down and 3 more to go!

Our Last Farewell Dinner

2006-12-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we had kind of a pot-luck farewell dinner with Gilbert, Saori, Hiroko, Laura, Karen, David, Huiping and me. Huiping and I brought some desserts and drinks while the rest ordered and cooked up some food. Before I show you the photos, here are some photos I took in the morning:

The tree in front of my window was fell, and this is what I see..haha, it looks like some awe-inspiring breakthrough image..

The current "state" of weather here..

Karen cooking up something nice for us. Gilbert looking ghostly..

David and me

The girls..

guys..

and the food..

having a shot together..

Having a nice time eating and chatting..

Chinese Checkers rare moment of fame..

A really challenging game..

Time to bid farewell..

NG shot..

And that's us..a splendid and wonderful evening playing Sleeping Queen and Chinese Checkers together..I would have won Chinese Checkers if Huiping din't block my move..haha..

Time to study

2006-11-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

I think it will stop snowing after tonight and the snow will start to melt away. My first exam paper will be next Wednesday and last paper will be on the 14th. Time to stop playing and start studying. All the best for those with exams, both in Singapore and Canada!

The Beauty of Snow

2006-11-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

It has stopped snowing, but the temperature here is about -10 degrees. Freezingly cold, so much so that when you are walking to school, you can feel your lips freezing. However, the landscape here is spectecular. It's amazing what snow can do to the landscape. I was thinking the last time I saw "snow-covered trees" in Singapore was the icing on the Christmas log cake. Here are some really beautiful pictures I took on my way to school today:

Looks much better with the sun now..

Looked like the place was hit with some extreme snow storm..

Sit properly or you will look like the shorter tree

It sort of reminded me of the show Narnia..

Main Mall

I like this photo

Look at the icicles

So the Ice Queen in Narnia decided to visit Vancouver and the people of Vancouver have to find a way to destroy the 100-year winter curse..Haha, this is how children story books are made..

Christmas Trees, anyone?

Freezing a piece of time

Haha, this is to further illustrate the Ice-Queen-VS-Vancouver story

Just how rare is this snow storm? The last major snow storm in Vancouver was 1985, more than 20 years ago. Very blessed, in some ways, to have this experience. Haha, I also realised that the pictures blend in well to the white background of my blog.

And there was power..

2006-11-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Last night, parts of Vancouver had a power outage at 2am - pretty normal you may think - but it lasted to about 3pm today..a total of 13 hours! School was closed for that reason. There was no telephone reception in the morning, no internet, no light in the washroom, no proper food (we had sandwiches only) and no clean water.

It looked kinda chaotic in the Totem cafe as people from other hostels had to come over to eat. They provided sandwiches, some pastries, salad and water. The cashiers were manually recording the purchases and there were candles around. You can see people stocking out, thinking that the "disaster" may last for quite some time. Afterall, we are experiencing a "snow storm" according to the papers.

Despite all these, it was pretty amazing at about 3pm. I was looking at the sky. It was initially all grey and gloomy. And suddenly, I started to see the sky clearing up (that means I saw the real blue sky). And before you knew it, the power came back. I also found out that the boil water advisory was lifted - which means that the water is clean to drink now..

Haha, quite an experience, really..

My first snow experience!! (plus farewell dinner)

2006-11-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Yeah! My very first encounter with snow! The feeling of elation was undescribable..Hmm, so how is snowfall like? It falls like rain, but as it is very light..it twirls around before falling onto the ground..(imagine anorexic rain..not the best description though)..the snow melts when it touches your skin..Huiping, Gilbert, Karen, Laura and I had a farewell dinner that day too, with snowball fights and photo times along the way..Before that, I went to town to buy all the souvenirs from Canada. On my way, I saw this pretty rare "disaster". Apparently, one of the cable pole fell down:

Huiping, Karen and I left for the busstop earlier to take photos. Haha, we were snapping everywhere when everyone else was giving the "I've seen snow b4, what are you all doing" look.

Mr. Snowman

Mr. Snowman Junior

A nice landscape..The night photos din't turn out really good, as it was pretty dark at night. So look at the "Snowy Sunday" pictures for more on snow..

Went to True Confections first for desserts. The missesminds (female masterminds) of our meal format for the farewell dinner..

Who's the Photo Monster here..Haha..

Haha..nice nice nice

Us having a good time..

We then proceeded to the All-You-Can-Eat Sushi buffet..I personally liked the sushis here..good stuff..

A nice meal, good company and great snow..

Snowy Sunday..

2006-11-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

It's so cool (literally) to wake up early in the morning on Sunday and see the snowfall from my window. The snowfall beautifies the landscape by covering them with a layer of white snow. You'll just feel like having a cup of warm chocolate next to the fireplace, talking to your loved ones. Oooh, my first experience with snow is definitely a good one.

Taken from my window..on the way to church

Just taken from my window..so beautiful rite..

Me happy with the snow..

Haha, foot vandalism..

Cold winter snow..

And christmas is coming..

Taken right outside church..

Snow-covered trees, ground and cars..

In the middle of a snow-fight..

Signature picture..Gilbert just after a hit (by me) on the face..he was trying to take revenge with a big big snowball..haha..revenge outside church..eh, gilbert..not very right leh..

Haha, I've Totem's sign in fall and winter..so cool..

Our first successful snowman..

We're supposed to look like we're shivering..turned out funny...gilbert's idea..haha..

Trying to slide down the hill with a board..

First Snow Experience?

2006-11-24T01:40:00.000-08:00

According to the weather reports, Vancouver might snow for the next few days..Wahahaha..They better be accurate. It will be my first snowing experience! Stay tune.

Modelling Assignment

2006-11-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

I got the idea of posting my 3D model from Saori's blog. The model below was done in Google Sketchup for an assignment for my Anthropology class. Haha, somehow, we ended up having to do computer stuff for our assignment. It's trying to model the Pyramid of the Sun of Teotihuacan. Take a look:

The front view

The side view

The real stuff. Does the model look similar to this? You should take a look at Saori's model in her blog too.

There's water..

2006-11-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

For those people who needs bottled water, there are lots of bottled water in Magda's.

Tuesday

2006-11-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

A few updates:

1. I'll be touring Japan from 30th Dec to 1st Jan. That means I will be spending my New Year in Japan. I will be staying in Khaosan Tokyo Asakusa Annex in a 4 people dorm. According to Saori, the place I'm staying in has a lot of old people. Haha, wonder what that means. I've been dreaming in Japanese, probably because I heard too many phone recordings from JAL.

2. I went to the gym yesterday. Haha, it turned out well. The wonders RT can do to Singaporean guys.

3. Went to UBC's Art Gallery today. Here are some photos I took on the way to the gallery:

An update on the trees here in Vancouver.

Look how barren they are.

Don't be deceived by the clear blue sky, it's really cold here. Some of you might wonder how come I got someone to take this photo: I met Hiroko on my way to the Art Gallery.

The library - still as nice

Yup, this is the UBC Art Gallery

Managed to sneakly take a photo of the gallery. The gallery were mainly photos of 1950s to 1980s, Vancouver. Pretty interesting insight to Vancouver.

Some random shots:

Most of the roses have withered by now

Learning Japanese..

2006-11-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

A recent MSN conversation with Saori:

jo says:
you should try to write your blog in english
jo says:
good for your english..
Saori says:
oh but my friends fron japan cant understand heh
Saori says:
u should try to write ur blog in Japanese good for ur japanese

Remedial Training..

2006-11-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sharks, I just got a reply from SAF that NSman who are studying need to go back for Remedial Training if they don't pass their physical fitness test. Apparently, it's some new ruling that was passed recently. Oh no, I better start training up soon - don't want to go for RT while studying.

German Lunch

2006-11-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

Had a second "semi-farewell" meal..coz Laura can't meet up with Hiroko, Saori, Gilbert and me..but it ended up to be an after-church lunch..quite cool..I had some egg noodles with burger with breaded pork..very interesting..

Doesn't this photo look like some Singaporean documentary on overseas students?

My lunch...yumm..

Bought six bottles of lemon-flavoured water because Safeway ran out of other bottled water. The taste of the water was actually pretty good. Karen wasn't so fortunate though with her strawberry water - she said it tasted like cough syrup. Strawberry flavour = cough syrup taste = very familar..hmm...

Dinner with Corrine

2006-11-19T00:33:00.000-08:00

Gilbert, Huiping and I had our first series of dinners today. We met up with Corrine, a friend we got to know through the Rockies trip.

Yup, this is Corrine..She's a bit camera shy..

We ate at the Singapore Restaurant and had a set dinner. The dinner was seriously yummy and for the first time, the eggplant tasted good. Kudos to the chefs in the restaurant. We had a pretty enjoyable night and ended up with some coffee in Blenz Coffee.

Huiping and Corrine, who finally overcame her camera shyness..

I realised that I can't do without prawns for a very long time..

Just us..

We'll most probably be meeting Saori and Hiroko next Sunday for a farewell dinner too..Yup, it's time to get busy with the farewells..

Contimated Water..

2006-11-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=e21cf0b0-8d1c-441f-a7ca-127e989ab088

The water supply is currently contiminated and we have to boil the tap water if we want to drink it. People are apparently fighting for water according to the above article..Hope this blows over soon..

New Plans for 15-18 Dec

2006-11-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Latest: here is the new plan for 15 - 18 Dec (post-exams, pre-US trip) :

Grouse Mountain, Lighthouse (1 day in North Vancouver)

Cypress Mountain, Horseshoe bay (1 day in East Vancouver)

I'm not sure, but maybe Science World and the Space Center if they turn out to be interesting. Gilbert, Huiping and I will most probably be going with Jianhao for this trip.

I'll be shopping for souvenirs and stuff in downtown next weekend, so if you all need anything, let me know soon.

Random ramblings..

2006-11-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

I just had my last mid-term, which means I'm going back to Singapore soon. It's pretty amazing how much I have adapted to Vancouver over the last few months (e.g. looking at the right directions of the road etc) and makes me wonder whether I have to readjust to Singapore when I go back (Clarification: I want to go back to Singapore asap, misses home, family, friend and my gf).

Just a few more assignments and exams and I'll be done with UBC's academic work. Receiving my first "farewell" party next week with the karen-meet-the-other-singaporeans (aka-gilbert-laura-huiping-me) dinner. We'll most probably have desserts first and then cheong for our all-you-can-eat sushi dinner. I also realised that I indeed gained a few pounds here in Canada. No surprise though..

Last night, I was looking at the weather forecast for the night and it said it was going to rain last night. Then I thought "well, the weather forecast is wrong this time, coz it's not raining.." and hold and behold, it rained after I had that thought..haha, the weather forecast here is pretty good..

Planning for the US trip can be quite tedious..lotsa booking and stuff to do..it's good that each of us in the "tour group" are doing some booking and planning..hope all of the planning turns out well..

What's next?

2006-11-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

So what's after Seattle? Currently, there are no plans for the next 2 weekends as I have to clear my mid-terms this week and a few assignments which are due next week. Huiping, Gilbert and I will be meeting some friends whom we met in the Rockies trip for dinner this Saturday. If I'm able to finish my assignment by this weekend, I might try to squeeze in something next weekend. In December, it will be exams all the way til 14th. 19th to 28th Dec will be my US trip, together with Huiping, Jianhao, Abdul and Yukko. Here's a sneak preview of the trip:

19 Dec
Vancouver to Las Vegas

20 Dec
Grand Canyon

23 Dec
Las Vegas to Los Angeles

24 Dec
Disneyland - California

25 Dec
Los Angeles to San Francisco

28 Dec
San Francisco to Vancouver

29 Dec
Fly to Japan

My Japan trip is still pending. Stuff left to do in Vancouver includes: Port Moody, Grouse Mountain, Yale Town, the last half of Stanley Park, Horse Shoe Bay (if time permits) and buying souvenirs and gifts. At this point, I can say SEP is really an overwhelming experience. The sights, sounds and experiences are just indescribable.

To Seattle..

2006-11-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

Planning the trip the night b4..looked like some covet operations..haha..

1 hour waiting at the borders..look at the queue..this was 1/4 of the actual queue..

Proof of being at the border

I think I drove well enough coz most of the passengers were asleep..or maybe it was just a long ride..Saori is doing the Gilbert jaw-dropping thingy..oh no..

Nice views..

2006-11-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

Gilbert driving while I direct the way..

This is how the roads to Seattle looked like..Straight..empty..good place to drive..
the speed limit was about 120km/h..

We finally found a lookout point in Discovery Park..

This is Queen Anne's Hill..can't really see the good view from the camera..

We drove round and round to take a good picture of the Space Needle..haha..
Fortunately, Gilbert was the driver then..

The city in Seattle looks great - architecture of the building can be visually stunning..

The short building is actually the Seattle Art Musuem..cool rite..

The Original Starbucks..

2006-11-14T13:50:00.001-08:00

Yes, this is the first Starbucks store..

and they are proud of it..

This is how it looks like inside..

Night tour

2006-11-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

and from the outside..

Sinfully yummy cheesecakes from the Cheesecake factory..
It's not literally a factory - it's a really posh restaurant..

Pretty amusing..the guys had to punch and kick to get their character in the video game to fight

Us enjoying our cheesecakes..

Our Dorm..

2006-11-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

Mystery Bookshop..hmm..

Indulging in video arcade games..

Carousel..

Hungry people..

Food waiting to be eaten..

Haha..we had our dinner in crab pot..

Hiroko

Me..

Jaw-dropper evolved to become the kungfu master

Saori

Huiping without specs..

The longest bridge and longest drive

2006-11-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Attended Bethany Pres. Church in the morning..

This is the longest floating bridge in the world..and we were on it..haha..

How it looked like being on the longest floating bridge..

We got so helplessly lost on our way to Microsoft that we made many rounds on the highway..Suspected that Gilbert wanted to see the bridge again..or rather maybe it was me who wanted to take more photos..Nevertheless, had the chance to catch a glimpse of the suburban life in Washington..

People from School of Computing - this is the Microsoft HQ..me brimming with happiness coz I got to smell the air of the HQ..haha..

Probably one of the offices where our Windows came from..

.Net Framework..Computing students should understand..

The computing student..

and the non-computing students...all arts students in fact..

Highlight of the Seattle trip - Premium Outlet..they sell really cheap stuff from all sorts of major brands such as Nike, Oakley, Polo Ralph, Levi's etc etc. It can be quite overwhelming just walking through the shops. And the prices are unbelievable - about US$25 for a pair of Nike shoes. One of the rare times that I splurged on - bought about US$220 worth of stuff.

Fortunately, our boot was big enough for all the stuff we have bought..The whole trip was really fun - I remember all of us smiling and laughing away most of the time, with intersection of discussions on economics, politics and philosophy. Strange though that I din't really heard many corny jokes from Gilbert, maybe he was enjoying himself..two thumbs up for the Seattle trip!

The passing of an old veteran..

2006-11-10T01:42:00.000-08:00

My hard drive just died today. Fortunately, I managed to copy all my important files over to my new hard drive before the old one died. It's strange because my lecturer was just saying the average lifespan of a notebook is 4 years and mine just recently hit 4 years. But oh well, the new hard drive is definitely much quieter.

I actually spent almost the whole of yesterday and today figuring out what was wrong with my computer, finding a new hard drive and installing a new one. I bought a laptop hard drive (a 40GB Toshiba) and a hard drive enclosure for me to transfer my data from the old to the new hard drive. It works out to be slightly less than $100, which I feel, is quite a good deal.

Ok, with a new hard drive means I will be pretty busy trying to restore my programs. Will keep you all updated.

Seattle Trip this weekend

2006-11-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

Gilbert, Huiping, Saori, Hiroko and I will be going down to Seattle this weekend for a 2 days 1 night tour of Seattle. Will update the blog with photos of Seattle!

Finally a movie..

2006-11-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

I know I know, I haven't been updating my blog. I have been waiting to update my blog together with Prof Teo's visit. Last Friday, I went to catch a movie - Borat - at Paramount. It was intensely funny, but some of the jokes are not for the young. The story was about a reporter from the Middle East, travelling around US, and he is cluelessly blur about the American culture. I wonder Singapore should make a similar film on an Ah Beng going to America - nah, bad idea..

b4 my photos, here's the current update on the weather here..
As you can see, some of the trees are bald, and if you look closely
enough, you can see the fog in the background.

Just a random shot..the door I have been using everyday (aka. this is my room)

The place where I caught my movie..

Not as exciting as Cineleisure..but still a nice movie theatre..

You can get your pre-book tickets from here..
That is Abdul on the fourth machine from the left..

The famous Borat and the not-so-famous Joseph

Borat...yeah!

2006-11-06T14:14:00.001-08:00

David looking happy..haha

Where's the Canadian Flag?

See those two people in black? That's our theatre entrance..

The theatre itself is really big and the advertisements really long..

Visit by Prof Teo

2006-11-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

Prof Teo from USP came to visit us while on his trip to the North Americas with IRO. He's supposed to market NUS to the universities in North America. He treated us to a All-you-can-eat Japanese Buffet..

Me and Prof Teo

Huiping, Gilbert, Grace (Gilbert, the jacket looks familar)

We were too hungry..the food was gone before we took the photo

After our dinner, we proceeded a really nice dessert restaurant as Prof Teo wanted some ice-cream. He ended up having Peanut-butter Cheesecake..

Notice how big the cakes are..

Believe it or not..these are sugar packs..funky ones..

Desserts

2006-11-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Yup, really really nice desserts..

Grace's dessert

Engaging on an "intellectual" debate

It was a really pleasant night..with topics revolving around interviews, Singapore and the usual jokes by Gilbert..No wonder Gilbert looks so happy. Clarification: Huiping isn't drinking - that is a bottle of root beer. Think she has enough of drinking people in her block. Even for a big stomach like mine, I was really really really full..

16 hours behind..

2006-10-29T15:10:00.000-08:00

Just a quick and important update. As many of you have heard, daylight-saving has passed - so I'm officially 16 hours behind Singapore, instead of 15 hours.

Stanley Park 3

2006-10-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Mid-terms just officially end today, so I went to complete .5 Stanley Park and visit Vancouver Art Musuem as a form of relaxation. (The past week was no kiddingly stressful.) I've accidentally reversed the order of the Stanley Park photos, but hope you can equally enjoy them. I realised that it wasn't .5 Stanley Park for my last visit as Stanley Park is seriously big. I couldn't even complete 1/4 of it today. Amazing sights and breathtaking views in Stanley. After my park visit, I made my way to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Couldn't take any photos there, so I dun have any photos of it to upload. It was really great, with the Emily Carr exhibition and Paint exhibition. Haha, they were all paintings before the 70s. The Carr's painting were really reflective and exhibited the vibrancy of the First Nations. (Though it, to me, had a little sad undertone to it) The Paint exhibition, in contrast, was loud and bizarre. I actually saw a blank piece of canvass as one of the exhibits, haha...art. Came back feeling really much better and relaxed.

Kudos to my dad who has been trying to read my blog by using the computer to translate it. There was an entry on my critique on anthropology articles and it somehow got translated as "scolding". Haha..

Nice nice view..

View of North Vancouver from Stanley

Lady in the water

Stanley Park 2

2006-10-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

That's the main city of Vancouver

Totem Poles with lots of tourists

The water is very very clear

Haha, so sweet rite, the old couple there..

Stanley Park

2006-10-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of those yatches are going to be mine..

The hills are alive...

Visit by Aya and Jina in UBC

2006-10-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Rockies trip was pretty successful, so much so that the people in the tour group still meet up after the tour. Aya from Tokyo, one of the participants of the Rockies trip, brought her friend, Jina from Seoul, to tour UBC. Yes, haha, you can tour UBC - it has stuff to look at..here are some photos:

Wreck beach expose
Gilbert, Jina, Aya, Huiping

Us making our way through..

Our clock tower

Haha, a feast at Vera

Rockies Trip - Setting off..

2006-10-20T16:07:00.001-07:00

Here's the long overdue Rockies photos. I just found out how to use Picasa, which uploads my photos in fours..that's why you'll see my photos in 4s. It's good in a way because a post won't be too long..

So here goes..The protagnists of the trip are:

Gilbert, me..

Huiping and..

The international tour bus..Mexicans, Japanese,
Germans, Swiss..you name it..

Warning..you'll see a lot of photos
of mountains..it's a Rockies trip, right?

Our first bus break

2006-10-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

We travelled more than 200km for the whole trip..
So naturally, many many washroom breaks..

Our bus..

Haha, I won't comment on all photos, coz there are many..
So just enjoy..

Spahat Falls

2006-10-20T16:06:00.002-07:00

Our first site..Spahat Falls..

A appetizer to the great sights we are going to see

Gilbert and my roommate for the tour - Taku from Japan

End of Day 1

2006-10-20T16:06:00.001-07:00

In the middle of a fight..
We're at Blue River, a village which will rest for the night..

Amazingly, the whole town only has 280 ppl..
No wonder the school, hospital and library are all near each other
Who says Singapore is small..

Our campfire for the night..where we roasted mashmallows

Having fun..haha..

Day 2..Spectular

2006-10-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

Proof of the temp we experienced...0 degrees

All geared up..

Mt Robson, which we din't get to see..(too misty)

Wah..

Mountains

2006-10-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Notice the clouds so near the surface of the lake..
All these photos are taken while riding the bus..

Jasper National Park..

2006-10-20T16:04:00.001-07:00

Yup, Jasper Town..

That's our lunch..

Nice nice

2006-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Falls falls falls..

2006-10-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not that tall after all..

Abadascha Falls..Mountain, greenery,
water, blue skies..it's just wonderful..

Told you it was nice rite?? haha..

Columbia Icefield - Glacier Trip

2006-10-20T16:02:00.001-07:00

Here's the glacier that we went to..

Mafia Gilbert

Happy Moose..pretty popular..

On our way to the glacier

2006-10-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

We sat on this special vehicle to get to the glacier

Ice adventure

2006-10-20T16:01:00.001-07:00

Special indeed..it has a glass ceiling..

My hand frooze for this picture..stuck my hand out
of the vehicle..

Reached the drop-off point on the glacier!

haha..

On the Glacier

2006-10-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Seem like the Snow World I went in Genting..
Snow on the floor..killer temperature etc..but this is a real glacier..
Good job, Snow World, for making 0 degree felt so real..

An illegal shot as I went past the marker to take this
nice photo..

Yup, that's real snow..but it wasn't snowing..

5 thumbs up for the Glacier

just icey fun..

2006-10-20T16:00:00.001-07:00

I din't fall down..was done on purpose

Taku..haha..

Bow lake..

Bow Lake and Dinner

2006-10-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming...woaahh..

We all learnt our pose from Taku..had a hearty dinner
at Jasper..

Everyone joined Taku in the End..Those two
girls are Swiss and are from our tour group..

Day 3 - Lake Louise

2006-10-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

That's the train..

My favourite..Lake Louise

This is why I liked it so much..it makes me feel so..peaceful..happy..
Oh no..someone's going to get jealous..

Paddling in the Lake

2006-10-20T15:58:00.001-07:00

We rented a canoe..and this is taken from other canoe..
We needed three people for the canoe, that's why we
asked Aya, from Tokyo, to join us..

Hotel by the Lake..

The water is thaat clear..

Yup, this is Aya..on the left, not right..

On my way to see Lake erm..I forgot..

Nice Lake..

2006-10-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

His locked jaw came back again..poor Gilbert..

Day 3..Gondola Ride

2006-10-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

On the Gondola (more known as cable car)

Way up there..

2006-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

That's our tour guide..doesn't he look a bit like Tom Cruise?
He's really brillant..managed to engage the tour group really well..

It's really that cold..some people couldn't continue coz of the temp.

That's Banff down there..

Looking down..

2006-10-20T15:54:00.001-07:00

We had to climb all the way to the peak..

And coming down..

2006-10-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Haha..I can pass this off as some mountain expedition

On my way down..

Banff Town

2006-10-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Do you see the Singapore flag? Yes, we are recognised.

Banff town..

Day 4 - Othello Tunnels..Us looking erm..

Othello Tunnels

2006-10-20T15:51:00.001-07:00

Inside the tunnel..complete darkness..

Haha..feeling short again..

The end of our trip..

2006-10-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

I just liked this path..very lovely..

On our ride back to Vancouver, I won a free Big Bus ride, worth $38, from Bingo. I also won 2 decks of cards from a trivia quiz. And during my dinner that day, I got a free muffin from Macs. Haha, winning streak eh..

Our tour group..:)

Anthropology paper

2006-10-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

Haha..I'm supposed to do an annotated bibliography of three Anthropology articles. I realised 1 paper has been under the advice of my anth prof and the other has heavily quoted my prof's paper. It's definitely strange to critique a paper that the prof himself might have already critiqued.

Back and Cheonging..

2006-10-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Rockies - really great experience! However, I'm having 3 mid-terms next week (all on Wednesday), 2 Assignments and 1 Quiz. So I'll be really busy - will update about my Rockies trip next week..

Next four days in rockies..

2006-10-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm now using a newer version of blogger. That is why you can see many changes in the layout. Furthermore, as you might have noticed, there's a new list of links on the right. Those are current SEP students, who did what I did - post their travelling experience online. I got their blog links from their MSN nick. There are actually much more blog links on MSN: pretty amazing to see a whole exodus of students (especially my batch). So if you're bored with this blog, you can click on the other's blogs.

Anyway, I'll be off to the Rockies for the next 4 days...will keep you all updated.

FTP Server

2006-10-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

Haha, I think my networking assignments are cool (though time-consuming). I was previously programming a pseudo proxy server and now I have to program a FTP server. Kinda like it, although upfront, I seem to dislike the heavy workload...

And the fire alarm rang this morning..ok, that's new..

Day(s) of the Longboat

2006-10-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

I participated in the Longboat race with my level's people. We joined as a co-ed team and had our heats on Sat. and semis on Sun. After the initial victory of coming in 2nd in the heats, it was sharply contrasted by our placing in the semis (5th out of 6, 1 boat capsized). Haha, but we had fun and I got to make some more new friends. A bit of background knowledge - Longboat is a UBC tradition where teams of 10 compete by rowing their longboat. People were dressed up (with helmets, banana suits etc) for the name of fun. It was freezing cold during our heats and it's fortunately that we got to get the afternoon slot on Sunday due to our Sat's placing. Tried pretty hard to row well, but found out that rowing isn't an easy task after all. Moreover, my arms are aching now. It's definitely an experience joining Longboat (and the view was fantastic too!) No pictures this time because it would be hard to take photos while competing.

My house's fire alarm went off twice on Thursday and it went off a few times over in some other houses in Totem. Haha, what's new.

Update update..

2006-09-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

Haha..my photo archives ballooned to 1294 photos..The photos you see below on will be the only best few of the many photos I have. I will show you all the photos when I'm back in Singapore..

Meanwhile..it have just been confirmed that I'll be going to the rockies from 6 - 9 October during the Thanksgiving Weekend. Wait for more photos to come!

Vancouver Island: The Start of Our Adventure

2006-09-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

The "selected" few for the Victoria Trip
Gilbert (looking shy), Hiroko (from Japan) and Laura (in red)

Embarking the ferry

The kind of ferry we were on

The place we hang out during our ferry trip

And here's where the cars hang out in the ferry

I love the waters..makes me happy

Did I take a cruise ship by mistake?

Waa..just waa..

The Journey Continued..

2006-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Had danish puffs on the way

Reaching Vancouver Island soon..

Beautiful..

And Gilbert capturing the beauty..

while Laura studies (yes, she's studying on the trip)

Houses by the bay

We got kinda lost..

The Buchart Gardens

2006-09-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

We missed the bus and had to take the taxi so as not to waste time..

Yup, that's us in the taxi..btw, the meter jumps $0.10 every 5 secs

The entrance of Butchart Garden

You will understand why it is "THE" Butchart Gardens as you scroll down

We nearly got stuck at the entrance as we marvelled at the flowers..

Even the rubbish bin was beautified..

No words or pictures can do justice on how beautiful it was..
You gotta be there to experience it..All four of us went "Wahh"
when we saw this garden - The Sunken Garden..

This place used to be a Quarry..
Big transformation..

Flowers galore..

2006-09-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

The flowers just make your day..

beauty..

Me shadowing the flowers

The hills are alliiivee..

with maany maany flowers..

hmm..looks familar..

refreshing walk..

The garden castle

Beauty beauty..

2006-09-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Posing with the flowers..

when the giant human poses with giant flower..

The camera couldn't capture the magnificance of
this row of flower..

Rose garden

Laura and Hiroko practising their wedding marches

Commercial break..we saw something in the well..

Nice

No wonder they sell AA batteries in cafes here..
and no wonder the batteries are sold out..

Japanese Garden

And we wandered...

2006-09-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

Idyllic

Haha..I like these kinda flowers..bright and hot..

Star pond..self explanatory

My knowledge of the variety used to be confined
by the flower shop at the basement of Raffles City..
Not anymore..

Used this shot instead as it shows more of the beauty of this garden

Had a hearty meal at Smitty's after a decisive decision by..

They had carriages running around..

Breakfast at Whitespot..for a true blue Canadian bfast

I lost at the smiling contest..wonder why..

He ended up with a locked jaw..or was it toothache..

Hilltop - Castle - Our way home

2006-09-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

The church we went at Victoria. Hebb - a kind soul - drove us
to our castle and even brought us around University of Victoria
and a hilltop. So thankful for his kind act - brought our trip

to a new high.

Yup, the hill top I was talking about..you can see a very good view of Victoria because there's a regulation that houses cannot be above a certain height. Apparently, the regulation is going to be scrapped coz the land price is getting too high. You can see a building sticking out on your left.

Craigdarroch Castle - was the home of this wealthy person.

Pretty home

The Victorian kinda style inside the castle

Even the model also looks nice

Looking at the castle in totality

On our way back..again..beautiful..

wonderful..(think I'll run out of vocab to describe soon..
it's just very nice..)

and sunny too..

21 Sept 2006

2006-09-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

I realised that I haven't really typed much in my blog. This is mainly because nothing much has happened here. I just wake up every morning, use VOIP, go to school, do my work etc etc..the routines. Yup, I still shiver after my shower everyday. I will mostly update the blog when I'm touring around. Here's a sneak preview of what's to come:

23-24 Sep
Victoria

30 Sept/1 Oct
Long Boat

7-10 Oct
Rockies

6 Oct 8pm UBC Symphony Orchestra - Chan Centre

End of Oct - Nov
WhiteWater Rafting
Seattle
Grouse Mountain
UBC Golf
UBC Art Gallery
Vancouver Art Gallery

Exciting rite? I also realised that I have to really squeeze out time here to tour and study at the same time. The workload here is, although lighter than NUS, still heavy.

I did a measurement in Google Earth and found out that the distance between my home in Singapore and Totem park in Canada is 12,808.68km...Wah, that's really far.

0.5 Stanley and Vancouver Aquarium

2006-09-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

A choir performance in church..
They were really really good..

The weather we've been getting the past few days

A WWI/II memorial service in Stanley Park

Stanley Park..0.5 Stanley coz we only cover very little of Stanley

Will come back again another day

Beautiful flowers

and flowers..

Entrance of Vancouver Aquarium

A performance going on..

The star of the Aquarium..the whale..Can't really get its actual name

Dolphin Show

And guess what we found in the Aquarium..Seafood Recipes..

Hrmm..

A nice Viet. Dinner

Granville Island

2006-09-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Some garden somewhere

A playground

Colourful graffiti - pretty cool

I believe the "AN" is missing for an artistic purpose

Gran's marketplace

A view from Granville

A fair going on..

Seagulls need food too sometimes..

Haha, my passion for ham..bought this..

A candy stall right smack in the market

Canadian way of eating strawberries..trust me..

My new cap..

Entrance at the Kid's market

Really fascinating place..We spent the most time here

A mini-strike at Downtown

Lynn Cannon Park

2006-09-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Lynn Cannon Park Entrance. Cafe on the right.

Nice trees

Yup, here we are..

The highlight of the park - the suspension bridge

Waaa..

To prove that it was the right bridge..

I'm not that tall afterall..

Leaves turning red

Us having fun..

The river with ppl at the side of it..

Quite a rocky area..

Ppl playing with water..

Many ppl playing with water..

That's our seabus..we just missed it..

The touring kahkis

The market there..

A view of Vancouver..

Metropolis in Metrotown and Seabus ride

2006-09-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

My Orientation Group

Start of Metrotown tour..what you can find there..

Really nice ice cream bar

Yes, it came driving through the shopping mall

Haha, this pic is for someone to see

Food Court..Looks like Singapore

My trip home with a wide-eyed guy next to me
Haha..that's Gilbert

My trip to Lynn Park Cannon..Taking a seabus over to North Vancouver

Ppl Entering the Seabus

In the Seabus

And it started raining

2006-09-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

The craziest thing just happened. Apparently, someone got so drunk that he trigger off the fire alarm and sprinkler. Everyone had to evacuate and we made our way to the commonsblock. It was there where the partying was going on. I'm leaving the details of the partying out, but all I can say was it was really wild there. A group of us stuck together until they cleaned up the water and allowed us back. It took something like almost 3 hours of wait time.

Anyway, apparently, it's the first time such a thing happened, so don't worry.

The Partying in Totem

2006-09-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

If I ever said that Totem park may not be that much of a partying hall, I'm so wrong. It's like booming with music, and noise everywhere. I can hear periodic screaming from my window and door. Probably it's understandable because it's Friday night, but still - I feel like I'm living next to a disco.

After almost two weeks in Canada, I'm starting to understand the differences in cultures. People in Canada seem so much less inhibited. I can't imagine me going around screaming like them, or neither do I remember Singaporeans screaming away after partying. Maybe I can somehow identify my own culture in the midst of a different culture. I also can understand how some Singaporeans are assimilating Western cultures as I can see traces of Western cultures in them. It is not your daily tv sitcom that you see, but to really live here and experience it - it is a totally different experience.

Before I forget, the "silent hours" today is 1am. That's still 3.5 hours more to go.

Oh, another thing - Singapore seem to be quite known here in Canada. Foreign exchanges actually display Singapore dollars on their signboards, whereas most foreign exchanges in Singapore don't show Canadian dollars. Most of the people I talk to know, at least, that Singapore exists.

My trip downtown..

2006-09-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

the not-so-tall skyscrappers in downtown

robson street (aka Canada's "Orchard Rd")

nope..not a stray cottage..it's a church

Shoppng in Singapore?
Looks like it is, but it won't be without
my girlfriend around..

Remembered my gf telling me to eat the ice-cream here..
Notice how big it is, though it's single scoop..

Clock running on steam..Dad, you know how to make one?

Sun Yat-Sen Park. Notice how the park
contrasts with the background

Public Lib in Canada. No wonder Singapore
is trying hard to catch up

Pictures Galore..

2006-09-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Downtown

Cow lost in the city..couldn't really help it..

the queue I went through in the bookstore..

nitobe garden..A Japanese themed park in UBC

UBC Library

For those who are curious, this is how my LT looks like..

Band playing in UBC

Me ready to conquer my first day in school

Squeezing hard

2006-09-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

Oh man, there's so much things to do over here. I was discussing with a few other Singaporeans on what to do during weekends and the list was endless. Capilano, Victoria, Stanley Park..etc etc. But the thing is that I have to catch up on this socket programming thingy, which is taking me ages to figure it out. At least I know that I have to install unix to program it. I think it's going to be a tough juggle between work and play. My friend also told me about the tons of readings she has to do and how it eats into her Canadian tour.

Work and Play..

2006-09-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

The heat is setting in. I just got my first assignment and it isn't an easy one. Why? I have to learn socket programming, something which takes weeks to learn. However, I only have 3 weeks to complete this assignment. Am crossing my fingers.

Nevertheless, I went downtown today. It's a really fun experience - I explored Chinatown, Gastown, Robson Street, Seers etc etc. Sears reminded me of home as the usual shops were there, except this time, without my girlfriend to go shopping with me. I almost went to this sleezy place, which had many many people with tatoo and cigarettes. It was quite a scary sight. My feet hurts really bad now as I have been walking a lot today.

I will tell you all more about my downtown trip when I upload my photos.