Fat Tuesday

Post snow day weather has been nice. It was a momentous day yesterday because the temperature went above zero for the first time since I’ve been here. And that was the morning after I told Daphne that I was tired of winter. The weather has stayed incredibly nice since, hovering around zero, +/- two degrees. Although the ground is now wet with slushy ice, it’s nice! The winds have been kind too.

Tuesday night was Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday. Celebrated in many Western countries, it’s famous for its street parades, costume parties and such, as a day of partying before Lent. Although we don’t celebrate it, we decided to go out and see how the locals do! It was nothing much really, only difference between that night and any other weekend night was earning bead necklaces to hang around your neck. The tradition seems to be lost among the craziness of it all.

We stopped by at Yu’s place first down at the Commons for some wine. It is fast turning into a habit. To cultivate our ‘culturedness’. NOT! Beside me is Liz who I met for the first time. She lives three doors down from Yu and she goes to IC too, but for free! Apparently undergraduates above 23 years old get free college education. How nice! Too bad it’s only for U.S. citizens. Liz is getting married to a Bulgarian next year and will move to California, where he will be working at Silicon Valley, I think? The rest of them, as you know, the girls from Japan and Sweden. The guy hugging Canan is Sebastian from Texas. But he doesn’t have the drawl. And behind us is a painting done by Yu and Sebastian, art history majors or something.

Me with Naomi at Yu’s apartment. Finally I can wear spring clothes because it’s not too cold anymore. Haha. Bought the polo t-shirt from GAP at the mall, the label on the inside says “made in Singapore” so I bought it! I just hope the weather stays this way. I’ve heard that just before spring comes in late March, winter will bow out with a last hurrah and wreak some havoc. Maybe another snowstorm and another day of canceled classes!!!

Jennie, Yu and me. I didn’t crop myself out, I’m bad at self-captured shots.. We were at Micawber’s Pub, a cozy little place downtown with really cheap drinks. Like $3 per drink. Japanese girls get flushed so easily – I thought they drank so much sake they should be used to it. Deb and Ed – remember the 60% sake at Ichiban Boshi? According to my friend Naomi, the normal content in sake is about 20% if I remember correctly. Anyway, Gladys – if there’s one thing I really miss, it’s Sushi Tei. I’ve been craving for japanese food. I’ve been to one restaurant with Naomi and her friends, but it was nothing compared to Sushi Tei. Over here, teppanyaki is more popular than sushi – they call it hibachi – because the Americans love meat more than rice, I guess. I had tempura and the servings were ginormous!

With Jennie. We were standing around holding our coats, there was just nowhere we could put them down because the pub was packed. Other than the bar counter, there were no seats at all. At the back of the pub, there is a pool table, and a separate section where people go to smoke. So we were kind of just holding onto our coats, till we finally dumped them on some table that wasn’t occupied after some time. Yeah, the girls were a lot more successful at getting their beads. But Jennie was generous enough to let me wear her beads for a while. Haha, you’ll see me with them in some photos later on.

Yes! The students from Sweden, Singapore and Japan! I am blessed! Go figure. And I have beads! Jennie’s ones though. =) At Mardi Gras parades, which are especially wild in the Southern cities, people dress up and they put on masquerade masks, like the girl behind us who had on a purple one. It is supposed to be a religious festivity but I think most people forget the tradition behind it – much like many other festivities in the world nowadays.

I can’t remember if I took this photo, but if I did, I’m getting better! Now most of my face is within the frame. Well, at least it shows that I don’t usually go around narcissistically snapping myself. It’s gonna change though. HAHA. Naomi still with her coat and scarf on. It was warm inside the pub – heating in addition to the crowd – I was actually perspiring towards the end before we left. I haven’t perspired since January 15! Another momentous event! Naomi also about to turn red. Maybe it’s because Japanese girls have fair skin so it gets red fairly quickly. I still have beads here, but I returned them to Jennie eventually. No more beads for me!

We had a pretty fun night and we met Chris there too. Chris is from Norway, but studying in Australia. He’s here for exchange and will be on the Ithaca Los Angeles program next semester. He lives off-campus and we haven’t seen him in a long while! But here he is, with the Japanese girls. Haven’t seen much of him in school cos we don’t have similar classes. I think he’s in Rishi’s class for cinema production.

 

Ithaca Snow Day 2007

The last time classes at Ithaca College (IC) were cancelled was 26 years ago. So you can imagine just how ecstatic all students were when we found in our inbox, an email declaring that all classes were cancelled for the day due to severe weather.

It snowed for about thirty hours with an intensity new to my days here. I looked out from the patio and the cars were all bathed in white. I had that appointment with the assistant city attorney so I had to make a trip down to the city hall anyway. Arranged to meet Naomi out at the junction to catch the bus because she was heading to the mall. What greeted me as I stepped out the door was a sea of white, up to my knee level, snow. Wow, it was the most snow I have ever seen – it buried the roads and pathways. Anyway, I don’t know how to describe it well, so shall let the photos do the talking.

Can barely see the pathways and roads.

Road clearance means build-up of snow on the pathways, including the bus stop.

Literally buried by snow.

Anyway I reached the city hall, got to the attorney’s office on the fourth floor and received a little shock. I had an appointment with Patricia Dawn, the assistant attorney but she didn’t come to work because of the snow storm. I was panicking inside, but tried to remain calm. Very politely explained my assignment to the mayor’s assistant who was around and asked if I could interview her instead. To which she replied, “No, I don’t do interviews. Try Human Resource on the second floor.” Right.

I was desperate by then. I didn’t like the idea of just turning up like that at the government office and asking for help. It’s just not the way I do things. But oh well, what choice did I have and maybe journalists have to be thick-skinned in order to get the job done. In the end, the Director of Human Resource very kindly agreed to an interview, without any questions asked. All I said was I had to write a feature story about a government employee for my journalism class and she was cool with it. The interview went alright, and for a moment I felt like I was connecting with this city a little more. Yeah, for a moment.

Had lunch then I decided to walk back to IC in the snow so that I could take some photos. Let’s say it was a combination of a little guts, and also a lack of awareness of why one should not trudge up a hill during a snow storm.

Burial of the newspaper dispenser. No parking during snow emergency.

Plight of the benches and trash bins at the Commons.

Lunch was a cheese ‘n’ egg onion bagel with organic peppermint tea. Not very related, but a shot of my trusty Timberland gortex shoes.

The arty-farty Commons filled with donated ornaments (for lack of a better word).

More buried cars that might be hard to spot after a few more hours of snow.

I like this one. Almost symmetrical.

Walking up wasn’t such a good idea maybe. With every step I took, I felt like I was moving back half a step because of the snow, there wasn’t much friction. My legs got tired after just a while and it was exhausting. Almost on the verge of cramping. I haven’t felt such exhaustion in my legs since my basic military training! Some areas the snow was very deep and came up to my knees. My trousers weren’t waterproof so it was really cold. I also lost my balance a couple of times and used my hands to get my balance and of course, they sank right into the snow. The snow got into my gloves and my socks. Not too comfortable so I took a half-hour tea break at Jennie and Canan’s house, which was about two-thirds up the hill. I made it back in the end – it was quite the experience.

Life has its ups and downs.

God makes all things fall into place.

Thank You.

For my news writing assignment, we have to come up with a feature story that is related to the government. I have an appointment with the assistant city attorney tomorrow at 12.30pm. I also contacted the city court and the clerk asked me to attend a hearing about drug offences, after which the judge will meet with me. I’m thinking of writing about the legal system here in Ithaca, but right now my mind is still blank about the approach I’m going to use. I like news writing here. The professor is leading a team of student journalists to Washington D.C. in July to cover news from the White House during the month of July. I hope I can somehow get a new visa stamp and stay on for that.

I gave a presentation on Propaganda: The Singapore Story yesterday for my Global Flow of Information class. I spoke about Singapore as a regional HQ for the British Empire, even during the Cold War when there was that communism controversy in Indonesia. And I used Singapore Rebel by Martyn See as my case study about how the Films Act, Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, and Sedition Act came under much scrutiny in recent times, as well as the minimal freedom of expression in Singapore. I ended off by flashing a very well-taken evening shot (not mine) of the Shenton Way/Singapore River skyline, and said “Please visit Singapore. You’ll love it.”

I wasn’t too proud of my presentation because I felt it lacked focus and depth. But funnily enough, the professor remarked that it was an interesting presentation. It sparked off many questions from the class because they wanted to know more about Singapore. They asked about chewing gum, the death penalty, legalization of prostitution, drugs, guns, etc. I was glad. At least now some people at Ithaca College know more about Singapore.

Speaking about Singapore, is it Chinese New Year yet? I’m meeting the Singaporeans from Cornell for the first time tomorrow for Chinese New Year dinner at a chinese place. It doesn’t feel different not celebrating it because it isn’t much of a big deal for me back home. Dylan, who is in Atlanta, told me his mom sent two hundred dollars worth of CNY goodies to him. I wonder how much the postage cost her.

Been to two college parties so far. Not much of a big deal. The first one was during the evening we celebrated Australia Day. There was a party going on across the road and Andrea came and shouted, “There’s a party across and you are all invited!” So we went but after just about ten minutes, campus security arrived and the American kids all scooted because they were below the drinking age. So yeah, our first party lasted ten minutes.

The next one we went to was last Saturday. Before that though, we were at Yu’s apartment. Yu is a Japanese girl into her fourth year here at IC and she stays right in the middle of town in a one-bedroom, very cozy, apartment.

After some wine at her place, we headed to this house on Giles, somewhere on South Hill. The people there were mainly international students, the host was Bulgarian. The party was just alright. Weekends pass by too fast here, if you ask me. Before you know it, it’s Monday again.

I’m not sure why I tilted my head, I look weird. But here’s Yu and me.

New York City baby!

Feb 3-4

Dan, Rishi, Naomi and I met on the 12.17 am Tcat bus that brought us from college down to the Commons, and from there we trudged along in minus six degree Celsius temperatures, for about a mile, towards the bus station to catch a coach to New York City. We reached the bus station early, and had about half an hour to kill before the bus came. Well, whatcha gonna do when the station was closed and we had to wait out in the cold? Buy some beer of course, to keep warm. We bought a six-pack from the gas station and Dan commented that the lady seemed like she was high on pot, from her breath and her eyes. It was seriously cold out there and I couldn’t feel my fingers and toes after some time. Another thing that happens when you are out in the cold for too long is your face gets frozen, your lips don’t move as much as normal, so your words come out slurred. Kind of like an American accent.

Holly and Canan had left for NYC earlier and were spending the night there. Our bus was scheduled to reach Port Authority bus terminal at 6.50 am and we would meet with Holly and Canan then. Dan had a map of the area in his iPod so we kind of knew how to walk there. Had a short nap on the bus, by the time I opened my eyes, we were in New York already! What a big transition it was from Ithaca! Tall buildings surrounded us for as far as your eye can see. It was wonderful to be back in a city again! First stop was Starbucks for some morning coffee.

The wind was really strong because of the tall buildings and it didn’t prove to be a warm respite that I was seeking, but it was New York City after all and I was going to soak it in no matter how cold it was. But I promise, we’ll be back in spring! That way, we can be out on the streets more.

Roads have a grid system, it’s avenue and streets so it’s pretty easy finding your way around. Just keep walking block by block till you get to your destination. That said, the tall buildings stretch on for as far as your eye can see because the avenues are very very very long.

So we covered the whole Soho area, I think. We walked quite a lot, including Chinatown, where there are literally hundreds of Chinese, maybe Japanese and Koreans too. Being Chinese, you fit in rather well and you don’t feel different from the crowd. Lunch was at a comfy intimate Italian bistro along Elizabeth St. The food was really good, one of the best lunches I’ve had in US, and good ol’ Australian wine.

It was off to Times Square and Broadway in the evening and like Holly and Canan were the previous evening, Naomi and I were just snapping photos the whole time because we were in such awe. I haven’t seen anything quite like this. The lights, the sights, the sounds – simply incredible. Streets lined with yellow Manhattan taxis, sewage outlets that release gas from under the roads, huge flashy signboards of Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, Rent, A Chorus Line, Chicago, just to name a few. Every impression I had about New York City from TV and movies came true and it was right in front of me.

We watched RENT and it was fantastic. Managed to score half-priced tickets ten minutes before the show started and we had first row circle seats. Awesome.

Can you believe this? Right smack in the middle.

Supper at a Korean place. Food was not nice.

Anyway, the hotel we stayed at was the Herald. We paid $47 each for it, which is very reasonable. It was at a great location and within walking distance of Times Square. From our window, we could see the Empire State building.

Me with Times Square in the background. And I’m using the pouch my hall mates got me. Sorry the photo evidence took so long. I’ve been using it!

New York was a blast. We’re already planning our next one. Now back to the snow and cold Ithaca.

Australia Day

Photos from Australia Day at Zack’s apartment -

Canan (Sweden), Naomi (Japan), Jennie (Sweden) and Dan (Australia)

Canan, me, Jennie and Dan

Jennie, Canan, me, Naomi and Zack (USA)

Cricket in the snow, Dan and Canan

Fun in the backyard

Naomi and Jennie

Holly (Australia) – snow angel

Judson (USA) gulping down the bong

Dan, Canan and Dave (Australia)

Ryan (USA), Holly, Dave, Jennie and me

How priceless is your unfailing love!

Some things that make me really happy:

A weekend in New York City that makes you feel like you’re in the center of the world.

A pair of GAP jeans for USD$6.77 found on the sale rack by accident.

A Kenneth Cole coat for USD$39.99 found at Soho, NYC.

Scoring half-priced tickets to watch RENT on Broadway.

An email from Dad with subject that reads – p.s. we love you. And leaving comments like ‘chill man’ and ‘just trying blogging (is this blogging) cool’.

Being listed on an Ithaca web directory for having a reasonable and accurate description about Ithaca – which I have to credit Wikipedia for.

Having Becky come here a year ago. A precedent that has made my stay here a lot easier.

Prof Kesh for just being the person he is.

Having met awesome people from Australia, Sweden and Japan, knowing that these are friends to keep for life.

Having a God who loves me and wants the best for me. And knowing His angels are here dancing around me.

‘Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
Your justice like the great deep.
O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.
How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They feast on the abundance of Your house;
You give them drink from Your river of delights.
For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.’

Psalm 36:5-9

Food

My parents will be very glad to know that for dinner today, I blanched a crown of broccoli and then topped it with oyster sauce, to go with my meatball sub from Subway. As Gladys said, oyster sauce does wonders.

I have one large meal per day at the dining hall. At each of the three dining halls on campus, they serve food buffet-style, so one can help himself to anything that’s being served, and as much as he wants. Salads, soups, entrees, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, cakes, ice-cream, burgers, fries, stir-fried dishes, cereal, jello. These are served for lunch and dinner. Very unhealthy.

So for the other meal of the day, I try to keep it healthy. It’s usually a sandwich. I’m pretty well-stocked with cookies, cereal, fruits, juice, Campbell soup, Ben & Jerry’s, bread and yoghurt. I have been receiving some recipes, so will try them out. Right now, I have turkey franks and minced beef sitting in the freezer so when I have time one day, I shall cook spaghetti. An extremely healthy snack that I make for myself is sliced apples and bananas, topped with low-fat strawberry yoghurt. Very yummy. Funny how when I’m home, I don’t even bother but over here, you just have to take care of yourself.

Prof Kesh offered us lifts to the grocer because he goes three times a week, so now I don’t have to sit in the bus that goes round and round until I feel sleepy. Maybe it is because it’s winter now and the nights start early that I feel tired easily. You can see the moon up in the sky at 3pm! We’ll also be going to the Carousel Mall in Syracuse, which is the next city an hour’s drive away, with Prof Kesh sometime soon.