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.

Looking at the date of my last post, I was like — “Gosh? Has it been that long since I last blogged?”

My enrollment in the reading course has kept me busy most of the time. It was such a relief when Fall break arrived a month ago, giving me a short hiatus I much needed. A couple of friends and I rented a car for a one-day shopping trip, groceries and otherwise. I bought a winter jacket from my favorite store Banana Republic; the price tag was definitely not kind towards my credit card, for it was a new arrival item which I love so much. We had a late yet wonderful lunch at P.F. Chang Restaurant and pampered ourselves with a piece of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

Three weeks ago, Indrani Rao (a colleague of mine) invited me to an Indian-cuisine-themed Halloween dinner at her apartment. A small group of graduate students from the Mathematics Department (duh!) joined us and we had a very wonderful curry (thanks Indrani!) as well as a very intellectually stimulating and interesting (I am not talking about math here) conversation. In fact, the dinner started at about half past seven and we stayed there till about 01:00 in the morning! My body was bloated since I had a lot of stomach food and “brain food.”

Indrani's Halloween Dinner

Then November rolled in while October left the door step quietly, and so did Daylight Saving Time. I adjusted all of my unsynchronized clocks around me before going to bed. An extra hour of sleep, I uttered the cliché to myself. The sun has been setting earlier, and the weather has become noticeably colder. Last week, it started raining like Portland, Oregon. At first, I welcomed the rain drops with a warm heart. But after three consecutive days of nonstop raining, I got annoyed by its continuous presence.

Now, it is the end of November. Time flies by so quickly while I labored as a math graduate student. Thanksgiving is around the corner and once again, I look forward to having a short break. Even though I have a lot of studying to do during the break, I appreciate the lack of hectic schedule and pounding deadlines for about five days or so. Plus, I get to work from home, sitting at my comfortable desk next to the window, with the sight of falling autumn leaves as zephyr gently breeze through the neighborhood from time to time.

Oh, and I had myself vaccinated for the H1N1 Influenza last Tuesday. It was administered using a nasal spray. So I had two flu vaccinations this autumn.

For a complete photo album, please visit my Flickr page at http://tr.im/washingtondc. Wee Loon’s take can be read here.

Seal of the President of the United States (by Wee Loon Ong)

Wee Loon and I spent two full days in the nation’s capital. As we promenaded the city under the generally pleasant summer weather (when compared to Chapel Hill, NC of course), we attempted to cover as many places as possible on our itinerary.

Hilton Hotel in the Dupont Circle neighborhood (Wee Loon Ong)

I managed to get a pretty decent deal — three nights at Hilton Hotel situated in Dupont Circle, a vibrant local neighborhood with chic shops and fancy restaurants.

Starbucks at Dupont Circle (by Wee Loon Ong)

This is one of my favorite Starbucks cafés in the U.S., which is situated right at the roundabout in Dupont Circle. The green-house like design provides a nice view of busting traffic outside. I had been there during my first trip four years ago with Steve, and I had continued to get my coffee every morning before Wee Loon and I hopped on the subway at a nearby station.

National Archives (by Wee Loon Ong)

Even though this is my third visit to Washington DC, I have to say that this trip is by far the most educational, as far as I am concerned. We kicked off our first day with National Archives where the three important documents are preserved — the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and U.S. Constitution. We were greeted with a long queue; nonetheless the line was worth queueing for the Rotunda access.

The Rotunda in the National Archives (by Wee Loon Ong)

Visitors are seen to be busy perusing important archives of the nation. The Rotunda is where those three important documents are exhibited in the National Archives.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (by Wee Loon Ong)

We stopped by (at the entrance of) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building for a photo shot. The building is conveniently located diagonally across the street (Pennsylvania Avenue) from the National Archives.

Outside of the Library of Congress (by Wee Loon Ong)

We marched (hmm… actually we took the subway) to the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. The architecture within the building was impressive. My lack of jargon in art/architecture impedes my attempt to describe it to you. Through a guided tour, we visited a viewing deck where we were able to get a bird view of the main reference area of the library, called the Main Reading Room. Plaster female figures can be seen supported on gigantic marble columns that surround the room. They feature eight civilized notions, namely religion, commerce, history, art, philosophy, poetry, law, and science.

Library of Congress (by Wee Loon Ong)

We made a short stop at the Supreme Court before we concluded our first day. On the second day, we toured the U.S. Capitol. They have the strictest security clearance for visitors! A lot of items were not allowed, in particular aerosols. I had to leave my sun screen and disinfectant spray at the hotel as a result.

U.S. Capitol (by Wee Loon Ong)

Apart from the annoying security clearance, the guided tour in the U.S. Capitol was very educational. I learned a great deal about the history of the United States, as well as its government. There were so much aspects of the House of Representative and the Senate of which I was unaware. Trivia were shared by the tour guide from time to time as we walked around the majestic building. Wee Loon and I had the opportunity to see the auditorium where the House of Representative debates take place.

The dome in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol (by Wee Loon Ong)

Of course we did not miss the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

The White House (by Wee Loon Ong)

The weather was unbearably hot when we were about to leave the White House for the memorials. We ended up calling it a day earlier instead. A mediocre Italian dinner at a seemingly fancy Italian restaurant marked the end of our trip, as well as our petit reunion after five years of not seeing each other.

For a complete photo album, please visit my Flickr page at http://tr.im/baltimore. Wee Loon’s take can be read here.

On Monday June 29, Wee Loon and I woke up early to begin our 5 to 6 hours drive to the Baltimore and District of Columbia (DC) area. After having the delectable cheesecakes from Cheesecake Factory, we left the apartment at approximately 08:00.

I was delighted to drive a full-size car (Chevrolet Impala — one of my favorites by the way), as to the compact-size vehicle that I initially reserved. When I was picking up the rental car, the receptionist was particularly kind to offer me a two-tier upgrade (i.e. compact to mid-size to full-size) at no cost.

Along Interstate 95 North (by Wee Loon Ong)

We abandoned the initially planned Shenandoah Cavern stop en route. It was too ambitious (time constraint wise) and practically almost impossible to achieve. So the drive was a direct service to Baltimore, MD. The drive provided an opportunity for us to really catch up, since we were busy touring the Carrboro and Chapel Hill area the day before.

Inner harbor of Baltimore (by Wee Loon Ong)

It was half past one when we arrived at Baltimore. The downtown area was overwhelmed with crowds and it was rather a challenging task to look for a parking garage that did not have the Full sign.

Colorful fish in the National Aquarium (by Wee Loon Ong)

After a quick lunch at Chipotle, we bought our admission tickets into the National Aquarium. Overall, the aquarium was okay. I would personally give it a B+. As far as my aquarium experience goes, I think that Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL is the best. They secure a solid A from me. The second best aquarium I have been to is the KLCC Aquaria in Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia. I certainly award them an A-.

A lazy crocodile enjoying the attention it is getting (by Wee Loon Ong)

Back to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. The total experience package (for the admission ticket) includes general admission as well as the penguin dolphin show and a 4D immersion theater admission. As usual, the penguins’ dolphins’ ability to perform acts was impressive, and the 4D show was at times unpredictable especially with all the sense stimulations. Sprays of water were being directed right into our faces when the ocean scene came up and our legs were tickled when the film moved to a rattlesnake take.

Wee Loon and I at the National Aquarium, Baltimore (by Wee Loon Ong)

We decided to adjourned to Washington DC for dinner at about 18:00. We took several pictures outside of the aquarium before leaving. The photo on top was taken at the main entrance of the aquarium, while the one below features a special pedestrian crossing. The crossing has a real pedestrian light and the special pedestrians are jellyfish!

Jellyfish crossing? (by Wee Loon Ong)

On our way to the car park, I stopped by Barnes and Noble to get my Starbucks fix. Jason called from Britain and greeted Wee Loon while I lined up to order my drink.

A collection of tea in Starbucks (by Wee Loon Ong)

By the time we returned the car, had dinner, and checked into Hilton Hotel, we listlessly took a refreshing shower and dived into our dreams on those comfortable beds.

Wee Loon, an old buddy of mine, is scheduled to arrive at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) 4 days from today.

I  look forward to his U.S. visit. I more than happy to host his stay in Carrboro for the first 2 days.

Then, we are going to spend a whole afternoon on a mini road trip from the Research Triangle area to the capital Washington D.C.. We are going to make stops at two tourist destinations en route — namely the Shenandoah Caverns and the National Aquarium. Two full days will be spent in the capital before we part — Wee Loon is going to New York City while I travel back to Carrboro.

I am so excited about our meeting. The last time we saw each other was August 23, 2004, which is almost 5 years ago, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Wee Loon et al sending me off at KLIA on 8-24-2004.

My spring break was supossed to be an uneventful yet somehow relaxing week in Chapel Hill. I had no intention to travel as air fares are ridiculously expensive lately. Flying from coast to coast, for example, could cost about 600 U.S. Dollars if you are unlucky. Deals still exist, but they are hard to come by.

Fortunately for me (or rather, unfortunately for my wallet), I was informed of an extraordinary deal by Airfarewatchdog, a site whose RSS I subscribe. JetBlue Airways was having a one-day sale and I managed to secure a 80 U.S. Dollars roundtrip ticket to New York City. Edmund had graciously agreed to letting me stay over at his cozy, luxurious-looking apartment.

Albeit on a short notice, I managed to get a ride to the airport from my colleague Daniel Orr. It was certainly very kind of him. So on Wednesday, March 11, I departed from RDU (Raleigh-Durham International Airport) to JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport). I had transited at JFK en route to YUL (Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport) two summers ago, but this is the first time I fly into New York City via JFK. Somehow I had the impression that JFK is not too far away from Manhattan, but boy I was wrong! I traveled for more than an hour on the AirTrain and the subway to get to Manhattan.

As a fairly financially restrained graduate student, I have decided to keep an eye on my spending. For starter, I said no to a Broadway musical and imprudent shopping. This trip shall solely be a palate trip — I am in a dire need to pamper my palate because of the severe deprivation of ethnically diverse cuisine in the town I currently reside in, that is Chapel Hill, NC. In my next post, I shall share my food experience in this city that never sleeps.

P/S: I was thrilled to know that the temperature in NYC for the period of my stay is pleasant, at about 10 degrees Celsius. This is definitely favorable when I compare to the 30-degree-Celsius climate in Chapel Hill in early March. I am not mentally ready for such high temperature in early March. That’s just ridiculous.

Enfin, le congé printemps est arrivé à l’UNC. Je suis très heureux. J’étais vraiment occupé tout le temps. Les devoirs des mathématiques étaient sans arrêt, et ils seront.

J’espère que je peux lire un livre pendant le congé. J’ai commencé lire un roman anglais qui s’appelle A Year in the Merde, mais je ne pouvais pas le finir à cause de mon travail. Le livre est écrit par Stephen Clarke, et il est intéressant. Je pense que vous devez considerer le lire.

Je vais passer plusieurs jours dans la capitale du monde, en savourant des délicieux plats et en regardant une bonne comédie musicale de Broadway. Je vais peut-être faire une promenade dans le Parc central et une promenade dans la Cinquième Avenue. Toutefois, comme un pauvre étudiant de troisième cycle, j’essayerai de s’abstenir de faire trop du shopping. Oh la la… Ce sera difficile, n’est pas ?

Souhaitez-moi bonnes vacances ! À la prochaine !

This Christmas, I decided to explore the Pacific Northwest, a region in the United States to which I had not been. The initial plan was to visit Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. However, Steve and I had to make some changes to our travel plans when his Canadian visa application got rejected.

Hence an international trip was humbled to a vacation with domestic flair. Portland, Oregon supplanted the Canadian city. I was still looking forward to this trip because I would be able to meet up with Yun Xin, a long friend of mine.

My flight to Seattle on December 20 was at 0600, and I had to wake up at 0400 in the middle of the night to catch this super early flight. Oh well, since this flight is almost free (I redeemed my Northwest WorldPerks miles and paid taxes only), I shall not complain. It was not a direct flight; the layover at Detroit Metro Airport was short but I managed to have my breakfast in the terminal before boarding the connecting flight. The snow scene in Detroit reminded me of my hearty enjoyment of snow.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

I met up with Steve who flew directly into Seattle from Chicago O’Hare and we took a bus shuttle to our hotel — Best Western Loyal Inn. Expecting to see a raining scene, I was greeted instead with snow in Seattle. Confounded I was, yet I did not care much as I was tremendously excited to see snow and feel the subzero (in Celsius) breeze. Only during the check-in at Best Western did the front desk receptionist told me that Seattle was hit by a severe snow storm.

Apparently the last time such a “severe” snow storm beleaguered the Pacific Northwest region was more than 30 years ago. Such inclement weather was therefore considered an anomaly and the entire population seemed panicked and did not know what to do. The city of Seattle has only 27 snow plowers. As a result, it took them more than a few days to clear the streets. The city municipal further refused to use road salt, arguing that it will cause unsought pollution in the Puget Sound. Hence there was no effective snow removing throughout our stay in Seattle.

This in turn impeded our travel as more than half of the city bus routes were cancelled until further notice. We had no choice but to surrender the opportunity to visit the Capitol Hill region — St. Mark’s Cathedral, Volunteer Park Conservatory, Water Tower Observation Deck, and the Seattle Museum of Mysteries. With the extra time in hand, Steve and I went to the cinema (AMC theaters) and watched Transporter 3 and The Day The Earth Stood Still.

On the second day, we made an effort to wake up early for the Pike Place Public Market visit. We strolled to Pike Place, which is situated about 1 kilometer away from our hotel. We stumbled upon a beckoning French bakery shop (la pâtisserie française) on Pike Place. The delicious-looking pastries on display lured us to have our second breakfast (Best Western provides guests with complimentary continental breakfast).

Le Panier dans la rue Pike à Seattle

Aptly named as Le Panier (literally, it means “the basket” in French), the bakery is located right across the street from the famous Seattle Public Market and a few shops away from the first Starbucks in the world.

Un croissant aux abricots

We ordered two items — an apricot croissant and an apple tart. They were so good that I went back to Le Panier for breakfast on the following morning.

Une tarte aux pommes

All pastries were labeled in French, and it felt good to be able to understand those labels! I even tried to converse in French with la caissière (the cashier), but she replied that she rather not as she did not speak much French.

Seattle Public Market

The Public Market was certainly one of the highlights of the trip, I shall say. There, I witnessed a scene of local vendors bustling around, forming a unique community of local producers. There was an impressive seafood stall right at the left entrance of the market. The Pike Place Fish Market had a variety of seafood, including the fresh parrot fish and monk fish!

The Pike Place Fish Market

Here’s the fresh parrot fish…

The Fresh Parrot Fish

… and the monk fish — Don’t be afraid, boys and girls!

The monk fish

Check out the fresh jumbo scallops (from another merchant):

Gigantic scallops

And of course, fromage (cheese) too!

Fromage

Then, I dropped by the first Starbucks café in the world! I mean, how could I miss it, being an avid Starbucks fan? Notice the pioneer logo:

La première café Starbucks

I got myself a Pike Place Starbucks Collection Series mug as a souvenir. Can you correctly guess which one?

Starbucks merchandise

Before we left for Portland, we ascended the Space Needle for a bird view of the city. Also, we took a short tour around the University of Washington district and had a Vietnamese lunch there. I was very impressed by the UW campus.

Seattle Space Needle

We spent some of our time (especially me) shopping along Pike Street and Pine Street. Consequently, my wallet is squirming now.

Bon-Macy's at Pine Street

En route to Portland, we had to endure our Amtrak experience. In Portland, due to inclement weather, we did not get to visit parks and gardens. However, we did spend some quality time with Yun Xin and Yusuke. Together we visited the Discovery Museum at the World Forestry Center. I enjoyed learning from the exhibitions there.

Les forêts pour la vie. Les forêts pour les peuples.

In the evening, Yun Xin pampered us with a simple, yet wonderful Christmas dinner (on Boxing Day). It was technically a full-course meal with appetizers, main entrées, and dessert. The dinner, which was totally a fusion meal, started off with a Japanese appetizer, followed by rice with Asian dishes as the main entrée, complemented by mashed potatoes and miso soup as side dishes, along with a bottle of Californian wine. At the end, we made our already bloated stomachs even more bloated by savoring a cake from an Italian bakery as well as some chocolates. We chatted for so long that Steve and I missed the last bus back to our hotel!

A fusion Christmas dinner

The trip ended 8 days later. I flew back via Minneapolis-St. Paul back to Chapel Hill, awaiting the new semester to commence on January 12.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Bye bye 2008 and hello 2009!

May you have a prosperous new year ahead, with wishes granted and resolutions fulfilled.

Bonne année!

Merry Christmas to all!! May this holiday season of yours be blessed with peace and joy!

Joyeux Noël!

Yesterday, Steve and I boarded the Portland-bound Amtrak train at Seattle King St Station. The train departed at 1420 and was scheduled to arrived at 1750.

My first experience with Amtrak did not go very smooth (Chicago-Ann Arbor). Hearing bad experiences from others made me expect nothing much from Amtrak.

And it happened. We were stuck in the train for about five and a half hours.

Thank goodness I brought a demi baguette and some cheese with me from Whole Foods at Seattle before boarding the train. The supposedly 1800 dinner was impossible; and at 2000 (after checking in the hotel), restaurants that were opened on Christmas Eve had closed by then. In such circumstances, we were grateful to find some microwavable burritos in the Market (the convenience store in the hotel).

What a way to spend my Christmas Eve, I said to myself.

It feels good to be back in the United States.

Particularly, it feels good to be step foot on Ann Arbor, a town I have lived in the past four years. It feels good to cruise the World Wide Web at a reasonable speed, where I do not have the time to get something from the refrigerator in between page loads. It feels good to enjoy the privilege of online convenience – from banking to shopping alike. It feels good to see drivers manuver their vehicles responsibly. It feels good to know that you are safe to cross the street as a pedestrian. It feels good to know that having only credit cards in your wallet suffices and that you can do away with bulky cash.

It just feels good.

My uncle and aunt sent me off at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sunday July 20. Of course my dear sister Carmen was there too!

It has been almost a month since I arrived in Malaysia, and I started driving not long after that. Initially, it did not occur to me that driving in Malaysia will be a reverse cultural shock. After all, I did drive when I was in Malaysia last summer.

However, I was wrong. Till today, I am still adjusting to the way most Malaysian drivers maneuver their vehicles. Reckless motorcyclists behave as if they were in a maze – they do anything but driving along a sraight line. Car drivers, on the other hand, change lane without turning on their blinkers. It is also not hard to observe motorists who pass (UK: overtake) you from the left. Bus drivers are actually cruising at a high speed than I was (mind you, I was driving at 110 km/h – the speed limit), gracefully passing me, proudly showing off the 90km/h sticker on their back, the speed limit that they were supposed to adhere to.

A few days ago, I was driving on an expressway in Kuala Lumpur. As I approached a toll plaza, I slowed down and got my Smart Tag ready for payment. Out of the sudden, a car appeared from nowhere, with a relatively high speed, swayed into my lane right in front of me, when I was only a car-length away from the toll booth. I was like, what the heck? He/she could have actually been a little courteous by turning on the blinkers. What a rude driver!

This rambling can go on and on forever. I really don’t feel safe driving in Malaysia. Maybe 5 years from now, I would not have the audacity to even be on the wheels when I am back in Malaysia for summer holidays.

But who knows? Perhaps in no time I will be driving like a local, assimilating into the miraculous Malaysian driving culture. Bak kata pepatah, masuk kandang kambing mengembek, masuk kandang kerbau menguak.

P/S: 110 km/h is about 68 mph while 90 km/h is about 56 mph.

As I strolled through the Constitutional Hill, a road connecting the Hyde Park Corner underground station and Buckingham Palace, I noticed the soft green grass carpet that covered the entire park. Although most trees were still leafless, I sensed the presence of spring – Londoners were jogging in shorts and an avid reader was doing some spring reading comfortably on a bench. This was such a different view – you don’t see green grasses around in Ann Arbor in the end of February.

Some say that you’ll never get tired of London – otherwise you are tired of life!

In some sense, I do agree with this saying. During my recent trip to London during the spring break (end of February), I realized that I have fallen in love with London. Unlike my first trip there in December 2006, I was not traveling or sightseeing as a first-time visitor this time. Well, I did not skip the sightseeings. Rather, I had been exploring my feelings towards London – the capital of the world, may I say – instead of just visiting tourist destinations listed in the Lonely Planat travel guide. Now, there is a close affinity between London and my heart.

I took the same exact flight to London, with the same departure and arrival time. I flew to the same airport – London Gatwick. The only difference is that I was not flying to London to meet up with Jason (who was in Hong Kong at that moment), and I was going on a vacation with my mum, often dubbed as the “graduation trip.”

Before I start rambling on my trip, I have to make a remark about Northwest Airlines. Both flights, to and fro, were surprisingly pleasant, and the in-flight meals were actually edible! I am sorry that my compliments include a complimentary bashing (I can’t help it), because Northwest is just horrible most of the times. Therefore, the 8-hour flight journey was not bad.

We visited the Houses of Parliament, right along River Thames, diagonally across the London Eye. Nearby is the Westminster Underground Station.

We crossed the Westminster Bridge to get a more holistic view of the Houses of Parliament.

A trip on the London Eye. Tickets are reasonable in pound sterling – it is GBP 15 per person. But once you convert it to U.S. Dollars, as my credit card billing statement did, it translates into around USD 59.

Then we approached the Tower Bridge by taking stroll along the Queen’s Walk, a river walk connecting the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge via the More London area.

More bridges… This is the Millennium Bridge, the structure in the background is the St Paul’s Cathedral. If you have watched the film Love Actually, this is the very bridge that is featured numerous times throughout.

Here comes the hallmark of London! This reminds me of the posing with Chang Yang and friends before a similar telephone booth in front of the Victoria Station restaurant at Subang Jaya a few years back…

This is the picture I was talking about a moment ago. According to my records, it was taken on June 26, 2004. I wonder why was I alone in this picture. Where were the picture with others? Looks like I need to dig into my external hard drive…

Of course, we paid Tony Blair a visit (Oops… It’s Gordon Brown now). With the heightened security measures, I only got to take a picture of the street sign.

And finally, the Chinatown! The Lunar New Year decoration had not been removed. Red lanterns dangling around…

Well, apart from all these “touristy” part, I actually got the chance to meet up with Hsin Yi Chai and Edmund Ooi in London. Chai and Edmund are University of Michigan alumnus. We had two dinners together. The first dinner was the classic fish and chips (with mashed green peas!). How could one visit UK without having fish and chips? Anyway, I love having the mashed green peas. I haven’t seen mashed green peas served as a side dish in US so far… Of course, the fish was good, too. Unlike most American version, British fish and chips is not coated with thick layers of deep-frying flour.

On the following evening, we went to dinner at a Chinese/Hong Kong/Malaysian restaurant that I suggested – the TPT. It is situated one block away from Leicester Square, within the Chinatown vicinity. I remember the delicious food that the restaurant served from the past visit with Jason. After having some authentic southeast Asian food, we decided to catch the movie Jumper at a nearby cinema. The ticket was GBP 10 (with student discount), and that is USD 20.10 or MYR 64.13 for your information. I could hear my credit card sobbing as I swiped it for payment.

I shall spare you the details of my shopping experience, but if you’re interested, I am more than willing to share it with you. Food was generally good – we often just grabbed something quick from Marks and Spencer’s Simply Food food hall. I love the variety of prepared food that were being sold. They were affordable and tasted good, a combination that usually does not go together! I wish we have MS here in the US. Then I can have my favorite Prawn Mayo sandwich for only GBP 1.50!

In short, it was a nice and memorable trip. This is definitely not my last time stepping into the UK – I shall look forward to more transatlantic trips in the future.

After touring a couple of tourist destinations on our last day in Rome, my mum and I checked out shops in the Termini train station before heading back to our hotel (situated right across the street of Termini). As we walked around the supposedly non-smoking terminal, my mum spotted a Yves Rocher retail store. I decided to get at least 4 boxes of facial cleanser, since it is so hard to get that specific product in the United States (I imported 4 boxes of Yves Rocher facial cleanser from Paris, France a year ago).

I saw only 3 boxes being displayed on the shelf. Intending to purchase at least 4, I grabbed one of them and asked for more at the cashier.

“I would like to have 4 of these please.”

The cashier did not understand what I said. He assumed that I was asking what the product was, hence he started to explain that “it is a product to clean the face.”

I then repeated my question, since he obviously did not get it the first time. I knew that this repetition is hardly going to get my point across. But I do not speak Italian! That was the problem!

Still trying to be helpful after my futile second attempt, he handed me an English-Italian dictionary. I was like… Am I going to construct a sentence by translating word by word from English to Italian? At that moment, I suddenly had an idea – like how a light bulb lit on top of my head – why not try French?

I therefore decided to give a third try with my mediocre French.

“Parlez-vous français? (Do you speak French?)”

“Oui, oui! (yes, yes!)”

Excited, I immediately tried to repose my question in French.

“Je voudrais acheter quatre… (I would like to purchase four…)”

I was stuck! How do you say box in French? Damn it. I learned this word last month, but I totally forgot what it is!!! Since I did not have a English-French dictionary, I completed my sentence by pointing at the product.

“Oh,” he noded “Ce produit? (This product?)”

“Oui, oui! (Yes, yes!)”

After that, he went to check on the inventory list on the computer. Then, he pointed at the shelf and said there’s only three left (in French of course). I told him that I am going to get all three of them.

“Merci. (Thank you.)”

“De rien. (You’re welcome.)” And I continued my sentence in English “Pardon my bad French.”

He smiled and said it’s okay. My mum and I then left the shop, I wished him a nice day.

“Bonne journée! (Have a nice day.)”

“Merci beaucoup! (Thank you very much!)”

I am sure Marie (my French professor) will be so proud of me!

The most common picture of this festive season is traffic congestion along the North-South Expressway, due to the uneven migration between the capital Kuala Lumpur and other states. Inevitably, the professionalism that most Malaysian drivers exhibit will lead to several road accidents, accompanying the new year greetings on the newspaper’s front page.

Of course, cultural wise, a Lunar New Year picture would not be complete without family gathering, reunion dinner during new year eve, family visitations, and red packets. Most shops and shopping malls will start to blast their Chinese New Year songs, creating a festive atmosphere in the town. Households will start decorating their homes with red decors, and hanging ornaments such as the fake firecrackers. Oh, and how could I forget to mention the diamond-shaped sign with the one-letter Chinese character “prosperity,” written upside down.

I am getting tired of mentioning Lunar New Year again and again – to ease exposition, I shall adopt the abbreviation LNY.

Since I was a kid, I have never been a big fan of LNY. I have mixed feelings towards the celebration of this festival that usually takes place in January or February. Well, you might wonder, how could I possibly have reservations towards LNY? Does the LNY picture even have room for gloomy hues?

I am not very fond of several cultural practices that most Chinese adopt during LNY, particularly the family visitation. I dislike visiting most of my relatives, because most of the times I would end up sitting like a puppet on the coach, listening to conversations between my dad and other family members in a language that I do not even understand. Holding up a diplomatic smiles, I felt so uncomfortably foreign. When they decided to speak to me, they would switch to Mandarin or Hokkien. Questions posted were never hard to predict – “So how old are you now?” or “How has school been going?” Ah… Such superficiality. Sometimes, sneering remarks such as “Hah, so your son is speaking English more frequently than he does in Mandarin!” were made. They just had to say it in such a sarcastic tone, indirectly scoffing my mum for her firm decision to bring up my sister and I in an English speaking environment. To them, it did not make sense for ethnic Chinese to grow up in an English speaking family, and I guess people who are not in line with the norm are inevitably, though cruelly, subject to derision.

I stand by my mum’s decision to converse in English with me since young. There’s absolutely no question regarding my position in this issue. In fact, I am very glad that my mum has afforded me the opportunity to grow up speaking English, albeit broken.

Back to the family visitation. Besides those human interactions, another aspect of LNY that I detest is the weather. I lived in the Northern region of the Malaysia Peninsula, and the weather never failed to be incredibly hot during LNY. It would take a miracle for me to not sweat during those visitation trips. I soaked and baked myself in relatives’ house for a couple of hours before moving to another similar chamber, if not worse. You wouldn’t believe how thankful I am to Yeo’s company – very often Yeo’s Chrysanthemum Tea was my savior (and my favorite, too) in quenching my thirst.

Of course, I do not hate visiting all of my relatives. Inevitably, there are always some unfavorable ones. There are certain aspects of LNY that I actually love – they are things that make me look forward to LNY every year. And of course, I cannot bring myself to say that I do not like red packets!

There are two LNY events that I love. Firstly, the reunion dinner. My family have our reunion dinner at our own house, so there is not need to travel so far just to get a meal. To me, having a dinner together at home with my mum, dad, and sister is something to look forward to. This is because I did not have the chance to have dinner with my family members during weekdays. Back then, when I was in high school, I attended unbelievably many tuition classes and thus my weekdays were packed with classes after school. Most tuition classes started at 8pm in the evening, so I had to take my dinner at 7pm, and my dad did not come back from work till 8.30pm. Occasionally, we got to have meals together as a family if my dad wasn’t out of town or working overtime. Therefore, I really appreciate the opportunity to dine as a family during new year eve, with the best company at my sides and the best possible dishes on the table.

The second event that I look forward to during LNY is the vacation. It has been my family tradition that a family trip will take place beginning from the second day of LNY. I especially like this aspect of our LNY because I think that spending quality time with family members is priceless. What can be more valuable than that? Time spent on gambling during LNY? No, definitely not.

So, if I were to pick my favorite LNY celebration in my life, up to and including this year’s, I would say LNY 2006. Two years ago, my entire family flew to the United States and we spent a wonderful LNY here. We traveled to Chicago, Illinois and had a sumptuous reunion dinner in a Malaysian restaurant. Though only a weekend, we had a great time touring Chicago and certainly quality time for parents-children bonding. I did not have to deal with family visitations, nor hot weather. Everything was perfect. I experienced what I like in LNY and I did not experience what I normally would love to shun. Plus the weather was lovely (Snowing during LNY…)

I remember, though not so vividly, that my parents bought my sister and I firecrackers during LNY. That was rather long long time ago – I think I was still in primary school. (9 years old, maybe?) Then, in the 1990’s, the Malaysian government imposed a ban on firecrackers due to the number of injuries caused. Since then, my parents stopped buying us firecrackers, and my sister and I stopped having firecrackers during LNY. When I was in high school, I gained a perspective on smoking – I started to see smokers burning their money when they puff on a cigarette. Then, I realized that paying for fireworks and firecrackers are not so different from smokers, besides the addiction aspects of course. I drew parallels and concluded that burning firecrackers is literally burning money. Perhaps that why I am not at all keen on fireworks nowadays.