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visions of clarity...do as infinity

Sunday, September 30, 2007

A little gift

Hello..

Before I post about our trip to Birch Run and Frankenmuth, I must share about the little thoughtfulness I received in my mailbox this morning.=D

Okay. So I haven't checked my mail in a couple of days.. But I'm certain they couldn't have arrived THAT long ago. COUGHS.

A CD from Jiamin!!! A note from Vivon!!! And a random note from Chong! ^_^ I was so shocked and happy. And then at the back of the mailbox were postcards from my dad!! =D =D =D Because usually when I open my mailbox, I get um. Bills.. And um.. Time magazine.. And my roommate's mail.. So yes. I wasn't expecting this at all.^_^ THANK YOU JAAMINZU. =D =D =D

And my friends were all like, omg. The CD! It's in.. in.. CHINESE! *GASP GASP* Haha. Coughs. But yay.^_^ I'm very happy now.

And I'm all psyched up to study for my psychology exam next week.^_^ And my Japanese test. And reading Plato's Symposium. Which is actually extremely interesting.^_^ Why couldn't we have read Plato first?

Thank you Jaaminzu.^_^ My friend was saying [in Chinese so I can't remember her exact words coughs] that I'll be in a happy bubble all day long today. So yes. I'm extremely happy. And very touched.=)

My postcards-cum-letters [I don't HAVE postcards.] will be out soon. Once I can actually find the post office. Or buy stamps off my friends.^_^

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Sakura hanazaki somenikeri + Glow in the Sun D]
[mood : o(^_^)o]
[food : COOKIES!]

sevter: I'm taking intensive Japanese, a philosophy writing class and psychology.=) I think the teachers here are a lot more.. passionate?

Don: What do you mean by "cheena hair"?! O____o

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Philosophy

GOODNESS ME.

I don't understand what I'm typing up for my presentation at all. How exactly do you present and explain something you don't even understand?!

(T_T) (T_T) (T_T)

"The New Theory of Matter". It deals with ELECTRONS. And PARTICLES for Pete's sake! I'm completely at a loss as to what all this.. rubbish is supposed to do for my life. It's not going to make my life any better for understanding all this nonsense.. And although I get most of the argument, there's one bit about particles and waves that leave me completely stumped.

I've been working on this!! FOR HOURS!!! [Accumulated hours.. But hours nonetheless.] And .. and.. I have to start planning my term paper soon! O SHOOT ME NOW.

(T_T) I shall return to being stumped and annoyed. And stressed that I also have a Japanese test tomorrow. And a Psychology exam next week. But it's a MCQ exam. With 52 questions for 50 marks so you can get 2 wrong but still get full marks. Have you ever heard of an exam like that?!?!?!?!!?!?!? I'm in shock as to how these people stay competitive.O___o

weeps
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : without you YOSHIKI]
[mood : (T_T)]
[food : COOKIES]

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Mid Autumn Festival in Ann Arbor! + One Month in Ann Arbor...

Hello!

This past weekend, we had loads of stuff! And this coming weekend, we'll be going to Birch Run!!! It's a huge factory outlet and that means... SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!

I'm having such shopping cravings I could die. But anyway.

On Friday evening, we had the joint Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations by the Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong Student Associations.^_^ It was quite a nice get-together and we had a lot of fun though I must say that last year's looked better..


They decorated East Hall!!! Land of Psychology and Math.=D


They even had a banner on the "grand" staircase.


East Quad Fourth Floor Girls! Ahaha.


We're all bunched up..


^_^ Yay! Sorry about the red-eye effect Rachel.. xP


Some of the completely retarded games they came up with.. [This picture and the following picture were taken by Rongsiu! Or maybe it was Yuzhen. Or something.]


The mess the mess!

All in all, the mid-autumn festival was a nice gathering.. I'm not sure if I'd go next year. I probably would. Haha. I'm not as anti-social as my darling brother..=P

Then on Saturday, we decided to attempt to celebrate our first month in Ann Arbor!!! Unfortunately, because it was a football Saturday again, the whole town was PACKED with people and we finally bought takeaway wraps and ate on the church steps. =S Not terribly glamorous but when you want to celebrate something and everyone's poor.. It's a good alternative.^_^

Saturday also marked my first [proper] Ballroom Dancing lesson!!! OMYGOD IT WAS SO FUN. I am definitely joining the Ballroom Dance Team!!! I know I need to find a partner.. And so far, um.. It's quite hard to find one.. Most of the guys are my height when I'm in flats so if I wear heels.. Can you imagine how horrible it'll be? O__o Anyway, we just kept switching partners so you don't get stuck with an AWFUL dancer for 2 hours. Thank goodness. =P That day, we learnt the Cha Cha, Foxtrot and Swing.^_^ The Swing is really fun!!! And really easy. Haha. Plus I partnered one of the senior dancers so it was great because he knew everything already and so I didn't have to contemplate guiding the guy so hard.. [I had to do that in other circumstances! SO AWFUL.]


Before buying our food! [These photos are all courtesy of Kevin. Who hates having his picture taken. But doesn't mind helping others because he is nice.^_^]


My Santa Fe Chicken Wrap. I chose the low-carb version! My mother would be so proud.


The one successful picture Kevin took where every girl was happy with how it turned out. Ahaha.

^_^ It was a fun fun FUN! weekend! And I actually helped them cook Chicken Curry and Beef Rendang on Sunday evening at my brother's friend's place.^_^ That was hilarious. But I'll save that story for the next post along with photos!!! ^_^ I met quite a number of really nice people on Sunday evening so at least it wasn't a wasted evening.. I did have to come back to finish my homework though. Sigh.

Japanese Lunch Table today was also great fun.=D =D =D Hahaha. 2 Japanese seniors make a great pair.. The stoic one and the super-genki one.xD Haha. We were in stitches throughout half of lunch.=) Japanese is getting really hard though.. What with all those long draggly sentences we have to construct. Squeaks.

The fun part about Japanese class these days also includes this little chipmunk that runs around outside the window. And it sends the girls into squeals of happiness! ^_^ KAWAII!!!~

And we have to start planning our term paper for Philosophy!!! SQUEAKS again. O dear. But but.. I don't think they really and truly make sense! It's interesting but.. xP O dear.

Okay. To homework I go!
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Missing Gackt + a little pain OLIVIA inspi'REIRA (TRAPNEST)]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : Properly Cooked Vegetables that Taste Good]

Jiamin: Mwahaha. You can stare at those all you want but remember.. THEY ARE FILLED WITH CALORIES!!! Hence my avoidance. Plus I don't like shakes anyway. Haha.

Micca: Yes!! Isn't it adorable?! I still haven't gotten a picture of a chipmunk!

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Monday, September 17, 2007

Ben & Jerry's!

Hello!

So the other day, we were all feeling a bit depressed and everything hence Xiaowei and Guo Lu magically whipped out their Ben & Jerry's coupons and we trooped across the Diag for some happy ice-cream time.^_^ Another East Quad Outing brought to you by me. Ahaha.


The Diag! ^_^ It's really gorgeous but if you stay there for long periods of time, the giant mosquitoes attack.. xP It's getting cold though, so there are fewer and fewer mosquitoes around.


SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xD xD xD KAWAII!!!!! I haven't gotten a photo of a Chipmunk yet! Hrmph. And everyone couldn't stop laughing when one squirrel kept running away from me when I wanted to take a cute photo of it eating a nut.xP HRMPH.


The outside of every Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop beckons you invitingly into its happy interiors. Such temptation!


Lucky we're giving in today! ^_^ Yay for coupons!


They have all sorts of stuff, from ice-cream to chocolate-dipped bananas to rich ice-cream shakes. Yum..


The walls remind you of other tempting delights that they offer! I love the red walls.xD


Our coupons were for Buy-One-Get-Free. How could we resist? xD Besides, they expire.. um.. Soon. [From bottom left, clockwise: New York Super Fudge Chunk, Coconut Almond Fudge Chip, Phish Food, Chocolate Fudge Brownie]

YUMMY. So so so good. We were in SUCH a happy state during and after eating the ice-cream! ^_^ My favourite flavour, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, is really sweet but SO chocolatey good. Haha. It was polished off first.


See! Ice-cream makes you happy. Haha.


Heehee! Xiaowei is so cute like this.xD She's like a huggable teddy bear.


The happy hormone is bouncing merrily through our bloodstream! ^_^ We were all energised to go do our homework. Haha.=P


A cool energy box along State Street. It's an art-project that's supposed to be still incomplete. Pretty! ^_^

We're all wearing jackets but it wasn't THAT cold.. The weather has been fluctuating recently.. It's been pretty cold in the mornings, then when the sun comes out in the afternoon, it gets kinda warm. Warm in the less than 20 degrees way not warm in the almost 30 degrees way. ^_^ Great stuff! Haha. One night it went down to like.. 2 degrees? But right now it's about 15 degrees so all is well.^_^

Alright! Time to get back to my Japanese homework. Katakana is a HORROR to write I swear it is. (T_T) And now that we're actually learning proper sentence structure and everything, it's getting complicated...X__x

On a sad note, Zombie Loan is complete. And HanaKimi will be done soon. I'm moving on to Nodame Cantabile next! xD I need to catch up on Fuurin Kazan..X__x

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Qing Tian Jay Chou + Missing Gackt + Eege Malice Mizer]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : I WANT MY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE! A Fresh Sugar Cookie will do too!]

Jiamin: I think it's the n-i-g-g-e-r part of s-n-i-g-g-e-r that got censored.=S How strange. But snigger is a proper word no? Anyway, Ella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh.. Haha. Annoy Vivion by singing it more! I love that song.xD And I did NOT KTV.-_-" I didn't know like 99% of the songs. Oh and I'm not sure what I'll dress up as. It's a MONTH from now!!! -____-"

Liu-Yi: Haha. I'll email you my address to the lokgupor email ok? =D And you can email me your address too!!!

Mom: The fruits here are so expensive. We were all happy about getting the watermelon for US$5.99 before realising that it's about S$9!!!

cch: I don't consider the Mongolian BBQ place "good". xP I'd very much obsessively eat watermelon. Ahaha.

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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Chinese Food!!! + Fruit Party!

Hello!!!

Yesterday was fun! =D We went to Kroger's to buy groceries and stuff and at night, we went to eat at Asian Legends (Taiwanese food!) and then we had a fruit-cum-karaoke party at Xiaowei and Guo Lu's room!! =D [Ok.. Technically, Rachel and I practically live in their room too so it can almost be considered OUR room as well.=D]


Happily decorated cupcakes at Kroger's!!! =D They had these gorgeous looking blueberry muffins that I was DYING to buy and eat but Rachel was like NO ITS FATTENING!!! *drags me away* (T_T)


Halloween is coming! And for once in my life, I can actually dress up for Halloween!


FOOTBALL!!! =D For the first time this season, Michigan WON!!!!!!!!! =D =D =D 38-0 in the game against Notre Dame!!! Dang I should've gone. But Notre Dame has a good marching band. *sulks*


Asian Legends for dinner! =) Xiaowei's request turned into a very happy discovery for most of us.^_^

We ate quite a few dishes, were so full, and only paid about US$9 a person including tips.=D Yay! I'll feature 2 dishes only... Haha. I'm too lazy to feature a lot. =X


Wuxi Pai Gu!!! Wuxi Pork Ribs! Cooked in a sticky, sweet black soy sauce, the ribs were well marinated and yummy!!! It was a little too sweet though.. and I thought the ribs could be softer but heck. It was WAY better than those ribs they served in the dining hall.


Hong Shao Doufu! =D Claypot Tofu! ^_^ It was quite yummy and I adored the vegetables in it. Haha.=P We had to order some vegetarian stuff for Rachel who doesn't eat meat.=) It's good though.. I'm starting to like tofu.. Haha.


The satisfied faces after the Chinese meal!!! xD Rice does wonders for everyone. Haha. But I sense a missing person...


They stole my camera from me!!! And didn't include me in the picture!!! o(ToT)o


^_^ Yay! We're pleased. I'm shocked that the food wasn't too bad! ^_^ It was actually.. gasp.. quite good. Haha.


It's cold outside! But we're warm and full. Hahaha. Such an unnecessary statement.

After that, we had a large group of people, squashed into our room *looks meaningfully at Xiaowei and Guo Lu* singing Chinese karaoke and stuffing ourselves on fruit. There was initially no reason other than the fact that we were dying to eat watermelons but eventually, I came up with the brilliant reason that we're trying to up our Vitamin C intake in order to prevent ourselves from falling sick. Haha.=P


The bountiful harvest we got from Kroger's!!! =D =D =D Look at the gorgeous watermelon that Xiaowei picked!!! AHAHA. And we got a great deal on the watermelon. US$5.99 for the whole thing! It's like US$4+ for half a melon usually. xD xD xD SUGOI!


Two of our fruit preparers modelling the fruit! =) Poor Kevin cut himself though.. *throws boxes of plasters over*


Our third fruit preparer!!! Haha. I'm the parasite who helped out with providing plates and such.=P In my defense though, I did help cut some of the fruit. Haha.


Our honeydew melon cutters!! ^_^


When Xiaowei wasn't cutting or arranging the pieces [usually I was the one arranging], she was attempting to sneakily eat the watermelon..=P Remember, when you're caught in the act, smile smile smile!!!

=D It was such fun!! Haha. Even though I didn't know 99% of the songs they were singing during the karaoke session, I did manage to be extremely impressed by S.H.E.'s Zhong Guo Hua. It's full of Chinese tongue twisters, it's amazing! =D

You can hear the screaming from the fraternity and sorority Rushes outside. It's so cold! How do they find the energy to scream so much?! There's an Asian Student Association Food Fair happening now! xD Haha. I think we might be going later. And then we have coupons for Ben & Jerry's! And Stucchi's! [They are 2 ice-cream shops next to each other.] I hope I can finish my work before that.=P

Change that statement. I WILL finish my work before that.=D

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Missing Gackt + Umbrella + SOS Rihanna]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : WATERMELON!]

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

Episode Four: Muthu's Curry

Hello all!

Time for another episode of Singapore Food Odyssey!!! ^_^ Just a few more to go and I am DONE! And then I can continue complaining about how cold it's gotten in Ann Arbor [it's 10 degrees now. In SUMMER!!! (T_T)] and about how I need to go to the supermarket to buy fruit. But let's not get distracted shall we? ^_^

Before I begin, allow me to show you this interesting building I saw in Little India when we were going to Muthu's Curry:


The Mahatma Ghandi Memorial!!! It's closed now but.. I never knew we had this in Singapore.=) Isn't it cool what you can discover when you walk around a place you don't really visit?


A renovated and newly improved Muthu's Curry stands proudly.. The owners gave it a facelift and now the whole place has a much more snazzy feel to it.


Because it was so HOT that day.. The first thing you have to order would be their lime juice.xD It is also a handy companion when you indulge in curry and are dying from the spices.


The setting you will face when you are about to indulge in a meal of "banana leaf curry". As you can see, they have lain part of a banana leaf on the plate and supposedly, it imparts a fragrance to the rice and dishes but also, they used to simply use the banana leaf as their plate since it was cheap and convenient.=)


Pappadum! xD Poppadum? O__o However it's spelled, I LOVE this! xD xD xD It's got spices in it and so has a great fragrance to it and when freshly made, it's crisp.. crunchy.. fragrant.. Mmmm. xD xD xD


What you go to Muthu's Curry to eat!!! Fish Head Curry!!! =D =D =D Okay. So I don't actually eat curry so I can't critique this but I'm sure it's not that bad considering how crowded they are. My family claims Banana Leaf Apollo's version is better though. O__o


Eggplant!!! ^_^ Stir-fried in Indian spices and some curry I think.. I don't like eggplant and avoided this like the plague.


My favourite Indian-style cabbage!!! It's fried with a mixture of spices and some corn and is absolutely the best thing to eat with rice.=) =) =) Yummy! Plus it isn't the least bit spicy in the chilli way so it's great for people like me!


Tandoori Chicken!!! =D =D =D Yum! Slowly cooked in a tandoori [it's a hot oven that's vertical so you stick the chicken on skewers and shove it in], and marinated in spices, it's great stuff.=) I've tasted better versions though.. Like at Rang Mahal.. *_* Oh that's like.. GREAT stuff man...


A neat layout of how you should place your food on a banana leaf. Hehe.


Finally, you should end off your meal with a spicy Masala Tea.=) Tea mixed with spices and milk, it's a popular drink in India. I'm not too impressed by this version though. Hmm.

So yes. Muthu's Curry!!! Along with Banana Leaf Apollo, this is one of THE places to go eat Fish Head Curry.=) Try it out sometime! I don't mind eating more of that cabbage...

And now... Time to go down to eat Dorm Food and.. pretend it's actually good. And edible.(T_T)

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Yi Lu Xiang Bei Jay Chou + SOS Rihanna]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : ANG KU KUEHHHHH!!!]

Liu-Yi: Urh. Does that mean you want a postcard too? O__O Haha. Sorry. I didn't really understand what the whole line means.. =X =X =X

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Thursday, September 13, 2007

Singaporeans Overseas Stick Together

So said an article in the Straits Times Life! section that I was reading.

Singaporeans stick together overseas
Some do it for social comfort, some for political networking, while others do it from a lack of curiosity
By Tan Shzr Ee, culturevulture
I HAD one of the most unsettling conversations of the year in a Chinatown restaurant in London, at a friend's birthday dinner.

A finance director asked innocuously: 'Where are you from?'

My natural answer was: Singapore.

'Do you live alone?'

No, I have two flatmates.

'Are they Singaporean?'

One is. The other's English.

'Do you have friends?'

A shocked - Yes of course.

'Are they all Singaporeans?'

I was getting annoyed about justifying my - ahem - international outlook as a healthy member of the overseas diaspora.

Then, he popped another dud: 'Do you have a boyfriend? Singaporean?'

I was about to tell him to mind his own business in a very rude way when I decided that it was altogether easier not to talk to him at all.

But something unnerved me - the larger question of the Singaporean social identity in overseas environments struck a chord.

I commiserated with my (Singaporean) flatmate about the event when I got home. An academic who specialises in transnational migrants in London, she sighed in her teacherly fashion: 'A lesson to be learnt about race there. But you know, Singaporeans are often like that. Especially the ones at Oxford.'

I stopped for a while to think.

I occasionally attend a church where many Singaporeans also go to. At the end of each service, a gaggle of transient Singaporean bright young minds - sponsored by the PSC, SAF, MOE, SPF, SPH, LTA, PSB, EDB and what have you - congregate to exchange their educational pedigrees ('Which JC were you from? What scholarship are you holding? LSE or Imperial?').

Fluttering with confidence and know-how, they run through the first motions of oiling an extended Singaporean networking machinery that would take them through the echelons of elite-hood and great civil servantry upon their return to the motherland in a few years.

I know, because I was one of these know-it-all scholars some 10 years ago.

There are many Singaporeans in London, more than 10,000, I've been told. Many of them have bona fide careers as architects, designers, doctors, bankers and lawyers and are members of correspondingly elite Singaporean clubs.

I've been told that those who have been in the UK for a longer period of time, long enough to have sired children in the country, have a penchant for guarding their long-term existence in London as a privilege. Some have been known to disassociate themselves from the younger, earnest work-visa holders who have just landed fresh job contracts off the university graduate market.

Meanwhile, these younger professionals shrug off the earlier generation as 'old fogeys', and in turn consider themselves to be Singapore's highly exportable 'transnationals'. They no doubt see themselves as superior to the hoi polloi of transient students otherwise bound for great civil servanthood at home.

And what about the transient students, then? These Singaporeans see themselves as very different to - dare I say it - fellow students of Chinese ethnicities in South-east Asia.

Indeed, if Singaporeans are clique-ish, then there are surely many refinements within these complicated hierarchies of their exclusive versions of Singaporean-hood.

Perhaps it's not so much whether Singaporeans associate only with other Singaporeans overseas, than why they make associations with one another. Some do it for social comfort, some for political networking, some merely from a lack of curiosity about the larger world.

As far as the last category is concerned, the same deeply prejudiced finance director who so annoyed me over my fateful Chinese dinner claimed that most Singaporeans he knew were interested in the world outside their social circle only in so far as these interests could be used to confirm pre-conceived ideas about the 'outside' world, or could be channelled into some money making venture.

I was incensed at his manner of speaking, but could not help admitting that I have seen quite a few of this ilk he was describing, although I have also seen many Singaporeans who were otherwise.

By the same token, as many English people I'd met in London were absolute village bumpkins, as far as their knowledge of the 'outside' world was concerned.

My flatmate might volunteer that political exclusivity goes hand in hand with political inclusivity. In other words, we - as Singaporeans, or members of any society - want to categorise ourselves even as we resist being categorised by others.

I put this motion to a long-term Singaporean resident of Britain, Auntie L, who came to work and live in London as a nurse in the 1960s. She married a Londoner and stayed on. Clutching her English husband's hand lovingly, she calls London her home, 'where my heart is', but is adamant about never giving up her Singapore passport.

Her Singaporean-hood shows itself in the to-die-for Singaporean meals she magically re-creates in her suburban two-storey English brick house regularly.

Her relatives back in Singapore consider her but 'a poor nurse', engaged in a lowly occupation in the style of health workers from Myanmar and the Philippines who now work in Singapore's hospitals. I prefer to think of her in the same way I also think of the foreign health workers in Singapore - as the true 'transnational'.

Do Singaporeans associate only with Singaporeans overseas? I can't speak for our growing diasporas in the United States, in Australia, in Europe, China - and Malaysia, of course - but I sure know that I miss my char kway teow as much as I can't live without my Earl Grey tea and sushi.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Life%2521/Life%2BArts/Story/STIStory_157320.html

Hmm.. Somehow, it's sort of true that Singaporeans stick together and so do most international students, be it the Koreans or the Thais. Still, I guess the difference here would be whether or not you ONLY have Singaporean friends that you're close to or do you ALSO have friends of other nationalities whom you're close to? I think it's meaningless to go overseas for an expensive education and come out of it having made only Singaporean friends. An overseas education can't only mean that you should be studying to get good grades from a good university to increase your employability. The total experience is important too, and an education isn't the only thing you get out of it.

Being thrown out of your comfort zone for what might be the first time in your life will certainly be difficult and you'll naturally gravitate to groups of people you can relate to.. Namely people from your own country. Suddenly, it seems like you can connect with them solely because you're from the same country, whether or not you'd have become friends in your nativeland had you met them before. That in itself, creates yet another comfort zone for you and thus since most of us are relatively resistant to change, the urge to not move out of that comfort zone is great.

Still, I think it's sad if you don't take anything out of your education but academics and sticking to your comfort zone. Experimentation in all areas of school life is good, be it in different academic areas you've never been exposed to, or activities that you've never encountered before. I think we should all seize the opportunity to take advantage of all that the universities can offer [be it overseas or in Singapore] and have the most fun before we are bogged down by the harsh realities of life and earning our own money.

And oops! I've got to go to class. Haha. *waves*
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : without you (classical version) YOSHIKI]
[mood : thoughtful]
[food : --]

Wendaye: Would you like me to send a postcard to UK or Singapore? Haha. Well OKAY. I hurried to class. Better? =P

Jiamin: Of course I'll send you a postcard! Except I don't really like postcards so it might be a postcard or it might be a letter. Haha.=P And it'll be better than hoping you'll read your emails right?

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Postcards anyone?

From sevter:

I love to get postcards and I also love to send them, so the first five people who comment will get a postcard from me. On one condition though, if you comment you have to offer this in your own LJ/blog. That way there'll be a whole load of postcards circling the world, and how cool is that?!

^_^ I would love to send people postcards so yes. Do comment! And you should especially comment if you're in the US so I can save on postage. Ahaha.


On a random note, don't you think this article in the Straits Times today is hilarious? "Festive piglet pastries bring cheer to 400 families." AHAHA. So cute.xD

And even more randomly, the dorm has been smelling of butter popcorn all day.O__o

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Qing Tian Jay Chou]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : Oatmeal Raisin Cookies!]

Labels:

Chilly..

Hello

Chilly winds blow today in Ann Arbor.. It's going to get cold soon according to our resident expert on Michigan, Rachel! Even though the sun is shining hard in the near-cloudless sky, the chilly winds continue to blow.

When I was walking to class this morning in the basement, I was freezing! Thankfully they have the useful laundry room where the dryers are running and I warmed up in there before hurtling to class. It was still cold in the classroom though.X__x Kinda like an airconditioned room going at full blast but with natural wind instead.

The rain last night finally brought temperatures down though it was already slightly chilly yesterday. When I trek with Xiaowei to Psychology lecture early in the morning tomorrow, I had better wear something with longer sleeves.X__x

Japanese Conversation Table has been the funnest thing ever! ^_^ Last week, we sang "Boku wa Kuma" by Utada Hikaru [ぼくわくま by うただひかる] which means "I'm a Bear". It is the CUTEST song EVER! xD xD xD And very good for learning hiragana. Haha. Then yesterday we sang Kimura Kaela's SNOWDOME and the purpose of it was to get the help of Japanese students or students who've studied Japanese for a long time to help us translate the song. =D =D =D I love going for Conversation Table!!! Hehe. Lunch Table is fun too, our teacher will screen these Japanese food shows on the TV and we'll have to practice what we've learnt in class while you hear these Japanese TV hosts squeal, OISHIII!!!!! [おいしい!!!] in the background.xD Haha.

Right. I need to finish my Japanese homework. X__x It's only the 2nd week of school and we already spent Sunday studying away. I still have Psychology readings to do [lucky I'm in the same class as Xiaowei, we make notes on alternate modules and share!] and later, I'm sure I'll have Philosophy homework as well. If I don't finish my Japanese homework now, I WILL DIE. (T_T)

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Boku wa kuma Utada Hikaru]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : Philly Cheesesteak!]

Wendaye: I don't even look like a cheerleader. Why would I sign up to be one?! -_-" And yes. Frat Houses. Hahaha. They blast music on Friday nights and Saturday mornings when there's a football match. Haha. It's a great alarm.

YX: The atmosphere is great, just that the game itself is completely pointless.

Mai: Hi! How did you come across this blog? O__o

cch: No thanks. I'm not attending anymore games unless they win the next one.

sevter: EH. I don't know. I don't even know how RSS feeds work. Haha.=X =X =X Gomen nasai. Football as a game is pointless, the cheering is fun though.=D And the pregaming excitement is always great!

Brenda: Urhhh. The cheering part only as I've previously mentioned? Haha.

Dad: Oregon State.

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Monday, September 10, 2007

First Football Game

Hello!!

This past Saturday, my friends and I attended our very first football game. Indeed it was a first for all of us since well.. We don't have football in Singapore.^_^" Singapore's football = The world's soccer. Haha. Luckily, we had our dear Kevin there to explain everything to us!


We began the day with a patriotic waffle!


On our way to the stadium! =D [Kevin is so sagely looking. Ahaha.]


Wee! The mood around us was infectious!


A pre-game party at one of the frat houses on the way to the stadium! [Pre-gaming means to go to one of these parties and drink a LOT before going to watch the match.]


Swarms of people entering the stadium under the Big M. I think the stadium is called the Big House. Or something like that. Haha.


Our first football tickets!!! =D


The stadium is amazingly huge!!! =D


The crowds of people under the scoreboard.


The football players on the field. They are pretty huge! Even the shortest guy is taller than I am. Haha. But I still think the game is pointless and it doesn't even look like strategy is involved, just quick thinking and reaction time.-_-"


Cheerleaders!!! They were mostly ignored though. The stars of cheer-leading were the band.


The marching band!


During halftime, the band and the flag-people [I can't remember what they are called] put up a great show.=D


Michigan played REALLY REALLY REALLY badly.-_-" Even us, the football newbies, could tell. And so... We lost by 32 points. (T_T)

We left before the game ended and went for dinner at Zas! [It's right next to East Quad.]


Hehe. This was the last picture taken because at first, there were 4 people.. Then one more came and then we took a picture with 5.. then someone else came and it became 6 before we finally took this final picture with 8. Hahaha. And this doesn't include everyone we went with! [Clockwise from top left: Rachel, Sam, Xiaowei, Yuzhen, Sean, Guo Lu, Rongsiu, me!]

^_^v It was pretty fun just for the atmosphere but it really sucks to be on the losing side. If I ever go again [doubtful but there's always a possibility because I find football to be one of those games that seem absolutely and utterly pointless], I hope we win!

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : Qing Tian Jay Chou]
[mood : =P]
[food : --]

yx: Hmm. Right now, I feel like a microwave is quite unnecessary. But it's nice to have one.=) And ... My room is already quite messy. Hahaha. No pictures!!!

Jiamin: PRACTICALLY. He does a better job with my name though. Haha. And I still have MORE Singapore food posts!!! Dies.

Liu-yi: Haha. I haven't learnt enough yet to actually type in Japanese.=P We've only learnt basic stuff like introducing yourself and things like that.

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visions of clarity...do as infinity
by witchstone

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starry-eyed: filled with such youthful hope and optimism that one's eyes twinkle even when it's dark

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