Not too long ago I was reminded by Vivian that this winter is our second winter out of college. That quickly brought me into a perspective — this is my sixth winter here in the United States. My first winter experience was already half a decade away?
Winter 2004
During my first winter trip, my friends and I headed to New York City during Christmas break. As a first-time traveler, I was very curious and anxious at the same time. It was a trip filled with fascination — from the seemingly banal de-icing of planes to the obscenely vast American Museum of Natural History. Hosteling International was where we recharged ourselves after a long day before we looked forward to the following day, equally full with planned activities. I did not regret spending about 60 USD (it was approximately 240 MYR back then) on a broadway musical ticket. The Phantom of the Opera totally blew my mind.
This photo was taken near the United Nation building. The next picture was snapped when we wandered around the Wall Street and NYSE.
This is the travel group at Central Park:
I remember returning to Ann Arbor with joy and satisfaction.
Winter 2005
The subsequent winter was especially memorable as my family was able to be with me in the States. My mum, sister, and I joined a 8-day tour in the northeastern region. We explored Niagara Falls, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New York City, Newport, to name a few. The schedule we adhered to might be hectic, but I was grateful for the quality time I spent with my family.
My mum and I at the Rockerfeller Center, New York
At Bryant Part, after having toured the New York Public Library
At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The majestic Niagara Falls
My trip was ensued by a pleasant surprise “birthday party.” I received a lovely gift from my friends — a Starbucks coffee maker bought from the first ever Starbucks café at Pike Place, Seattle, WA. Moreover, I had the honor to celebrate it not only with my friends at Michigan, but also Sher Mern and Kenny (who were visiting from Waltham, MA and State College, PA respectively), and not to mention my mum and sister.
My fantastic friends — from left to right, top to bottom — (1) Jin Ye Ngu, Vivian Ooi (2) Kai Kiat Chooi, Li Li Lim, Eric Fu (me), Keng Yang Phua, Sher Mern Tan, Kenny Tang (3) Kah Wai Putt, Melissa Lee, Poh Yi Wong, Ren Jie Saw, Qun Feng Tan.
Winter 2006
I decided to travel abroad during my third year. My decision to pursue a transatlantic travel plan was partly due to my carpe diem mentality — I should travel now when I can, so I thought to myself. Thus I bought a ticket to London Gatwick and contacted Jason to inform him of my travel plans. He graciously offered to host me when I was in Coventry and we traveled to London together. With France being physically so close to me than ever, I talked myself (and Jason) into hopping on a flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Jason is a fantastic cook — he cooked nasi lemak during my stay in Coventry
London was enthralling. I had always dreamt of stepping foot in London since I was a child. Paris was mesmerizing, even though I spoke no French at that point. In fact, this trip is one of the reasons I started learning French in 2007.
Jason and I with the Big Ben
The Eiffel Tower
I will never forget how breathtaking the view was from the Eiffel Tower and how impressive the collections in le Musée du Louvre were.
Winter 2007
Instead of traveling, I invited Yun Xin (Rochester, NY) to spend her Christmas break in Ann Arbor. It was wonderful for we did nothing but eating and sleeping. We occasionally worked on our graduate school applications — other than that, it was a stress-free unwinding holiday season where I did some catching up with my old buddy.
Winter 2008
Steve and I explored the northwest region of the United States — Washington and Oregon.
Steve and I at the Seattle Space Needle
I like the Pike Place Market, home to numerous businesses that carry local products. Fresh seafood could be found on every corner. Enthusiastic sellers were creative in getting customers’ attention and marketing their products. One particular vendor chanted with his fellow coworkers, while “passing” fish their customers had ordered by tossing it up into the air, only to be received without-a-miss by his coworkers.
World Forestry Center in Portland, OR
We took the train to Portland, OR (located 180 miles or 290 kilometers south of Seattle, WA) to meet up with Yun Xin and Yusuke. Yun Xin invited us for Christmas dinner à la japonaise in her apartment — there was nothing better than spending some quality time with close friends during the holiday season. She also gave us a quick tour in Portland — I instantly felt connected to the city. It is a very appealing place to live in my opinion and Chapel Hill suddenly seemed — inadequate.
Winter 2009
This winter is particularly uneventful compared to past winters — for I am neither traveling nor hosting a guest. I have to study for an upcoming comprehensive exams in January and for this I am not entirely excited. Nonetheless, I know that I will always have these memories with me, be it those internalized or those captured in photographs, and they shall be my companion during my homecation in this mild winter (oh, I should not even get myself started with this!).
May you have a joyous and wonderful holiday season!
Autumn was tip-toeing away from me as the fall semester came to an end.
A week after Thanksgiving, I went to an annual holiday party organized by graduate students in the department. It was a potluck dinner party and I prepared claypot chicken rice. I was quite pleased when a couple of people told me that they had enjoyed my entrée!
The following week was contrary to the holiday spirits from the party. I had to prepare for my final exam and start preparing for my upcoming comprehensive exams on January 6 and January 8, 2010. Ergo my winter break is actually a study break. On a brighter note, I was quite satisfied with my teaching assignment next spring. I am going to be the instructor of Math 152, which is Calculus for Business and Social Sciences.
I shall conclude this post with some pictures taken during the holiday party:
Professor Patrick Eberlein and I
Emmanuel Bonuedie and I
Right to left: Indrani Rao, Swarnava Mukhopadhyay, and I
My roommate Anna and I
I did not leave town for Thanksgiving this year; instead, I hosted a holiday potluck dinner during Thanksgiving Eve at my apartment. Earlier on Wednesday, Indrani and I rented a car to shop at Target. I bought some food for the dinner as well as some household item. My cart was really full right before I headed to the check-out lines:
Shopping cart at Target.
The check-out counter was quickly filled with my grocery items:
Overwhelming the cashier...
Last step — I used up almost all of the space in the boot. Indrani had to use the back seats for her grocery items.
The boot.
As a host, I prepared crème fraîche chicken, which is a type of pasta (penne rigate to be exact), for my guests. Everyone brought a lovely dish. We had Chinese and Ghanian entrées, coupled with my French/Italian dish, making it rather international. It was moreover a complete and wholesome meal as we had salad for appetizer and apple pie for dessert!
Holiday potluck dinner on Thanksgiving Eve.
We relaxed and chatted a little in the living room after having fed ourselves. My honorable guests, as seen in the picture above from the left, were Feng Shi, the host (myself), Bevin Maultsby, Emmanuel Bonuedie, Carole Agyeman-Prempeh, and Indrani Rao.
A while ago, Khoon Yu posted a math problem involving inequality. If you are interested, do give it a try:
Given numbers
and
such that
. Prove that
.
The solution I wrote: An Inequality Problem – Khoon Yu Tan’s blog (14 October 2009)
