Aaahhhh this has to be a quick post because I'm going off to bed once my laundry is done, since I've to get up at 4.00am tomorrow morning to catch my flight to Phoenix, Arizona. Spring Break has begun and I'm off to the Grand Canyon for the whole week, for a backpacking trip! It'll be an awesome time- taking time off from school, crew practice, so that I can revel in the nature that is God's creation. No ergs for a week! Probably will go running in the depths of the canyon, though, if we manage to camp anywhere for an extended period of time. I'm pumped. It's gonna be sweet. Okay catch you guys when I get back!

And here's a teaser photo:

I know I haven't posted in a long time, but as I mentioned in my last entry, these few weeks have been tremendously busy ones and so I've hardly had time to breathe, much less blog about how things have been going. My Great Books midterm is tomorrow, and I've still got to finish revising. This midterm is a pretty hefty one, here's the list of the texts we'll be tested on:

Plato: The Symposium, Phaedo, The Republic
Virgil: The Aeneid
The Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Job

Philosophy really isn't my thing. Plato just about kills me.

Anyway just some quotes that Efrem sent me, which I find extremely inspirational. And I hope you will, too.

***
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."
-- 1 Corinthians 9:24.

"Everybody wants to know what I'm on.
What am I on?
I'm on my bike busting my ass six hours a day.
What are you on?"
-- Lance Armstrong

"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."
-- Juhn Ruskin

"Those who want to succeed will find a way; those who don't will find an excuse."
-- Leo Aguila

***

Go watch Torino 2006 Winter Olympics short track speed skating on NBCOlympics.com!

I'm such a good procrastinator sometimes, I can't stand it. Haha. Right now I'm in the basement of the spanking new academic center, in the computer lab, and I'm pretty sure I had every intention to start on revision for my political science midterm next Monday. But instead, all I've accomplished in about thirty-five minutes of sitting in front of the computer is surf about 4 food blogs, a couple of friends' blogs, check my email, eat half a granola bar, and trying to think of more ways I can possibly put off the loathsome revision till sometime else. I've got rowing practice in about an hour and a half's time, not looking forward to that really, but the good thing about that is that it gives me the license to eat many many many many many many many many many many many many bowls of mashed sweet potatoes tonight at dinner. I'm always excited when there's sweet potatoes at dinner. There aren't many types of food at the dorms that stir up similar anticipation in me. Well, okay, perhaps there are a couple. Oatmeal, of course. Cream of wheat is pretty darn good too. BBQ Baked Beans! (Okay I know, they're not exactly gourmet cuisine in any way, but STILL). Salmon. Orzo's great. And Tunisian Greens with Peanuts! Hahaha now you know all about my odd eating habits. Whatever. Haha! Sigh I suppose I should be getting to work now. Ugh. The aforementioned sweet potatoes will be my motivation for the next couple of hours. Ooohh this is exciting. :)

This has been one hell of a physically, mentally, and emotionally draining week. It's just about impossible to list down everything that's happened in the course of the past seven days, but it's definitely not all that worth mulling about. First, I discovered (not to much surprise) that pulling a 6k trial when you're hit by a virus that's been bugging you for the past two weeks isn't the wisest thing to do. I've never ever felt so much like just getting off the erg in the middle of rowing before. Thankfully, I didn't, because I don't think I'd ever forgive myself, had I done that. But that was definitely a most painful experience. And after the 6k trial came a series of letdowns which weren't the best tonic for my battered morale, and I had to reacquaint myself with the fact that some things just won't happen because they're simply out of my control. But it's heartbreaking, nonetheless, because I've got the results to prove my abilities, just that I'm denied by some other factors which I'm powerless to alter, for the life of me. But as usual, life goes on- and as the adage goes, "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". Very nearly killed myself (with that 6k), and I hope that going through all this crap and disappointments will only help to mold me further. Perhaps that's what really matters, in the very end.

The weekend was pretty good, though, because I managed to complete my readings and even finish some extra ones (by extra I mean readings beyond the first lesson of each week), finish my German journal without procrastinating till the hour before Monday's class like I typically do, and get started on my Great Books essay about Virgil's Aeneid (thinking of the beginning is usually the hardest part of any essay for me). Had a great dinner at that lovely Indian Vegetarian hole-in-the-wall last night, and joined three other Singaporeans (Efrem, Edwin and Aileen) for a 10-mile training run held by the Tortoise and Hare Running Store. It was an extremely well-organized training run (in testament to the fact that Ann Arbor is quite a sports' lover's town), with mile markers along the looping, scenic route, and drinks and gels at the 5-mile station. And there was a storewide sale and free pizza at the store at the end of the run (the sale I like, but I can barely comprehend why they'd distribute free pizza- it isn't exactly the healthiest thing to consume, especially when you're dealing with a whole bunch of supposed fitness aficionados). It was a good run and a great way for me to get my recovery cardio in- ran at around 60% of intensity since Sunday is technically the only off day I have from practice, and so I didn't want to push too hard since there's a Level 1 erg workout on the schedule tomorrow. I'm quite a fan of the running community and culture here in the USA- it's really heartening how runners never fail to wave or say hi when they pass you, going in the opposite direction- it's such a simple gesture but it never fails to brighten up my mood especially in the middle of a long run by myself, which can get pretty dreary sometimes. And it's interesting to see how there are two very distinct groups of people here- the fat and sedentary, and the extremely fit people. The sporting culture in the USA is great, if you know where to look. If not, all you'll probably see are the obese masses gorging themselves on Triple Whoppers and White Castle sliders.

Well there's still much more to be done, with two midterms coming up next week- but at least there's Spring Break to be looked forward to! For the uninformed, I'm going to Arizona for a 7-day sojourn in the Grand Canyon- a field camp of sorts, it's a backpacking trip where we'll be carrying everything we've brought along on our backs and spending 5 nights outfield. I'm looking forward to it, even though I'm more inclined towards sports than adventure- it's time I reacquainted myself with some semblance of military, outdoorsy skills, and it'll more than replace my cardio/strength workouts for the week. Because, as stated on the trip website- climbing out of the Grand Canyon is comparable to climbing a 300-storey skyscraper. Except that you don't have the added privilege of proper steps to aid you in your ascent, rather, you've got to navigate your way through a mass of crumbly rocks and stones, steep precipices, the like. I'm pumped!

Thanks to Daffy, I've created my own South Park character! It's marvelously addictive. Don't laugh at me. C'mon, I know you're secretly dying to make your own as well. Who wouldn't want to be immortalized as Kenny (in more ways than one)? So here you go!

“Anything is possible. You can be told that you have a 90-percent chance or a 50-percent chance or a 1-percent chance, but you have to believe, and you have to fight.”
- Lance Armstrong

***
So I suppose it'll be biking next semester.

Thank you so much. You'll never know what that meant to me. That's why I'd never trade our friendship for anything else in the world.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

- Psalm 23

I put this song on repeat, cranked up the intensity on the spinning bike, and lost myself in the frenzy of cardio for an hour. It's awesome. Hahahahahahaha! Boybands exist for a reason. Don't know what I'd do without them.

***
I will never stop until you're mine
I can wait forever till the end of time
'Cause my heart is in your hands
Don't you understand
I'll never stop

Do you believe me
When my heart is in your hands
***

On another note, an article I found in the Ann Arbor Paper. Pretty interesting. Only because I was searching for Leo Zulueta, on the account that he's perhaps one of the best tribal tattoo artists ever. And it's so coincidental that he's set up shop right down the street in Ann Arbor, MI. What luck. I've seen actual specimens of his work, and it's mighty impressive.

Leo Zulueta has been called the “father of tribal tattooing.” The Hawaii native got his start over 20 years ago in California and has since become a legend in the tattoo world, known for his distinctive heavy black designs inspired by the tattoos of the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia. A couple of years ago, he disappeared. Some people even said he was dead. The truth is that after a couple of years spent at various international tattoo conventions, Zulueta is happily settled with partner Dianne Mansfield in Michigan. They opened Spiral Tattoo in a sunny space on Packard in February.




I've got a teammate who's planning to get inked on what I perceive to be the part of the body that'll hurt the most. Okay, maybe not the most, but it's going to hurt really bad. She's intending on getting a Gaelic word (I can't remember what word, she told me and I promptly forgot) tattooed on the surface of her foot, just beneath the toes- the place where the sandal strap meets the skin. Owwww.

Remember my weights logbook? I'm pretty sure the rest of the RJcanoeing girls do. Originally, I began using it during the first three months in NJcanoeing, conscientiously recording the details of every practice we had, but I left off once I transferred to RJC after the release of the 'A'Level results. I resurrected it when Huilin, the captain of the J2 team when we were in JC1, mentioned that ideally we ought to keep a logbook of the weights we were using to facilitate keeping track of our progress and so we wouldn't have to select random weights everytime we did a workout. So this logbook has been with me, and I've used it since.

It's filled with scribblings of my workouts and weights used, interspersed with random flashes of artistic brilliance courtesy of several of my teammates, who either used it as a platform to deride my affinity and overenthusiasm for fitness and exercise, or as a tool to profess their eligibility (and desperation) lest I happened to forget and leave my book in a random gym and someone (a desirable male, they hoped) would happen to chance across it. But unfortunately that didn't happen, and the book came with me over to Michigan, where I've been making great use of it- not so much for recording lifting workouts because I use the computers for that purpose, but more for writing down erg times for the rowing workouts that I've been doing.

You might have noticed the proliferation of motivational quotes on my blog of late, including my most recent entry which was comprised entirely of them. I've taken to scribbling some of my personal favorites at various intervals in my book, so that when I'm sitting on the erg, preparing for a workout, I can just flip through the pages and somehow garner inspiration from those words. It's pretty miraculous how a couple of words somehow gel together to form a phrase which you can glean strength from. The resounding nature and value of those sentences are just unmistakable, and personally I find that they help to reacquaint me with the nature of the task (or challenge) at hand, and enable me to focus.

I guess no one will ever be able to understand the apprehension that wells up within me at times especially when it comes to rowing, the challenges I find myself baulking at, the things I've to go through in the process of practice. And it's an everyday affair, it's not just a one-off occasion where you row till you pass out and go home and never come back again. Rather, I come back everyday for more, and more, and die everyday just to return and do it all over again. See, I know everyone will say it's plain stupid to do this to myself. But there are things I see in it that perhaps no one else will share. Sometimes I take a step back and I do think I'm insane. And occasionally when I stop to think about it, I can't for the life of me figure out why I do such things to myself. I never was like that before. It eludes me. But then the clouds clear from my thoughts and I realize that perhaps I can't define it, but to put it in the basest of terms, it's a challenge, a race to outdo myself. Pushing the limits beyond what I fathomed achievable for myself.

We'll see how it goes.

You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.
- Abraham Lincoln

Doctors and scientists said that breaking the four-minute mile was impossible, that one would die in the attempt. Thus, when I got up from the track after collapsing at the finish line, I figured I was dead.
- Roger Bannister

Don't accept that others know you better than yourself. Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.
- James Allen

The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can't do.
- Dennis Waitley

When a goal matters enough to a person, that person will find a way to accomplish what at first seemed impossible.
- Nido Qubein


The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out and meet it.
- Thucydides

Never underestimate the heart of a champion.
- Rudy Tomjanovich

No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.
- William Penn

One of the redeeming things about being an athlete is redefining what is humanly possible.
- Lance Armstrong

The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.
- Roger Bannister

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision.
- Muhammed Ali

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.
- Vincent Lombardi

UMSSA (UMich Singapore Students' Association) organized Chinese New Year 2006 Celebration yesterday night at the Trotter Multicultural House. About a hundred and fifty Singaporeans turned up, more than I've ever seen at any other SSA event since coming to UMich. There're about 200 Singaporeans currently studying at UMich, and I believe I haven't met most of them personally. Anyway the SSA did a pretty good job decorating Trotter House, with festive red streamers and hongbaos and lucky couplets, which did contribute a great deal to fostering the Chinese New Year atmosphere and cheer. Tommy even baked egg tarts and there was a table of traditional goodies like shrimp rolls, kueh bangkit, White Rabbit sweets, peanut cookies and the like.

Dinner was a seven-course affair from TK Wu, which is probably the next best deal to authentic Chinese cooking you'll find in Ann Arbor. It wasn't half bad, but I guess most of us were there more for the people rather than the food. Here's a shot of the cold dish, which we found quite amusing: Can someone explain the proliferation of raw leafy vegetables right smack in the middle of the platter? Who's going to eat those?

Anyway the highlight of the meal was probably the mainstay of any Chinese New Year dinner- yu sheng! Okay perhaps it isn't yu sheng in the traditional sense of the word, since everything looks strangely orange in the picture (it WAS strangely orange in reality). It was more of an amalgamation of salmon, carrots, radishes (?), prawn crackers and a sweet-and-sour-concoction (in place of plum sauce, supposedly) courtesy of Wilson. But it was amazingly good considering the odds they were up against- I mean, where in Ann Arbor can you possibly find half the ingredients needed for yu sheng?

And of course we did the lo-hei! After which much of the yu sheng ended up on the table as well as Jeff's shirt.

I didn't stay long, leaving almost immediately after dinner was over. There were Winning Eleven tournaments, mahjong, karaoke competitions and the like after dinner but I'm honestly not into late nights. I much prefer sleeping. Hahaha basically I have like no social life and I'm proud of it okay. Hahaha. Anyway this is a shot of our table! On the left from foreground is: Ted, Jeff, Amy, Wei Siong, and on the right it's: Jian Wei, Wilson, me, Alvin.

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone!

oh no, i am tagged!! :)

Below Are The Rules:

Rule 1: 5 weird or random things about myself.

1. I used to be a fat dweeb who hated oatmeal and vegetables and just about any form of healthy food. I had a particular fondness for KFC Cheese Fries, all things battered and deep-fried, and just about anything that Wilson spends his days dreaming about right now. Hahahaha.

2. Currently, I have deemed that a scab on my knee particularly fascinating and so I'm picking away at it even though it's not a good thing to do. It's oddly occupying, and strangely satisfying- though it hurts like billy-oh it's worth it anyway. Well, the rule specifically mentioned WEIRD things!

3. I have a 2km trial on the ergometer in 3 hours' time and my insides feel like they're about ready to spill out at any moment now. Though the whole affair's supposed to last for only 7-8 minutes, you can't underestimate just how thoroughly, indescribably tortuous and painful this short duration is going to be. Simply put, it's like a 400m race where you can't sprint all-out like you would if you were running 100m, but you can't hold back either like in a 10k where you'd conserve your energy and spread it evenly throughout the race. So it's a fine line between flying and dying and I'm not sure I've discovered the happy medium yet.

4. This is terribly embarrassing but I think Britney Spears' "Stronger" is the best song to erg to at the end of a piece when you're doing your last burst. Coupled with her shrieks, the lyrics and tempo somehow manage to work wonders when you're gasping like a fish out of water and have 100m more to go.

5. I love tau huay with barley and peanut pancakes and I think Jollibean should establish a franchise in the USA and situate an outlet in Ann Arbor. Heck, I'd even work there. I could probably single-handedly keep them in business.

Rule 2: 5 People whom I would like to see do this quiz.
1. philip
2. weez
3. ted
4. mag
5. liwei! :)

Rule 3: Next, leave a comment "You are tagged!" on their blog, and ask them to read your blog for rules.

Usually I don't even bother glancing at the pop-ups that appear on my screen everytime I turn on my computer. But this particular one caught my eye. It's of the movie "Annapolis" which opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow, Friday, 27th January. I'm not sure if it'll be shown in Singapore, but I suppose it will be. What caught my eye was the synopsis and the trailer. I copied the synopsis down and pasted it below- go read it for yourself and you'll see just exactly why I found it so fascinating.

It looks like a promising film. I'm raring to go catch it just that I don't know if I'll have the time to, but hey buddy, (yes, you, my sleepy-headed buddy, you know who you are hahaha) I think you should definitely catch this if it comes out in Singapore. Read the belowmentioned and you'll see why.


Movie Synopsis:

It's known as one of the toughest institutions in America--a home for the best and brightest who are driven to serve their country and a training facility where only the strongest survive. It's a rarified world that, by necessity, makes or breaks tomorrow's heroes. And for local Maryland kid Jake Huard the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis has been a lifelong dream he never thought could come true. Only now that it has, he is about to realize that his battle to become the man he always wanted to be is only just beginning.

Jake was raised to believe his future lay as a laborer in the Annapolis shipyards--like everyone else in his family before him. But to his disbelief, Jake has defied the odds and become one of the rare few accepted to Annapolis along with some of the most elite young men and women in the country. When he arrives, his dream soon looks like it might turn into a nightmare. As a freshman plebe, Jake is immediately thrown into a pressure-cooker atmosphere that threatens to be his undoing. Just as it seems Jake could become another Annapolis statistic, he takes one last shot at proving his potential. He meets an unlikely ally in his beautiful, stunningly strong military superior, Ali, who also happens to secretly be a skilled boxing trainer.

Jake decides to train for the legendary Navy boxing competition, a creator of future leaders known as the Brigade Championships. Now, there remains only one thing standing between Jake and the triumph he needs--the steel-jawed company commander, Midshipman Lt. Cole.

Everything Jake has ever hoped for stands in the balance--the chance to make his father proud, the chance to stand up for his fellow plebes and, most of all, the opportunity to fight for a better future.

Check this movie out here
.

***
Well, I've never been the kind to ever let my feelings show
And I thought that being strong meant never losing your self-control
But I'm just drunk enough
To let go of my pain
To hell with my pride
Let it fall like rain, from my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry.
***

Keith Urban Tonight I Wanna Cry

Before certain people start reading too much into this, I'll have you know that perhaps you shouldn't bother. Go do your homework. Hahaha.

A glimpse into my life...

This is our Erg Room. Doesn't it look most inviting? (Okay, it looks significantly more welcoming once the lights have been switched on). This is where I spend the better part of my afternoons, every day.

People end up here, en route to the Olympics. Look closely at the list- No. 3, Kate Johnson, former Michigan rower, medalled at the 2004 Olympics. Can you imagine just how honored I am to be training in the midst of All-Americans, U.S. National Team members, and future Olympians?

And how could I ever forget this? The object of my affection, up close and personal. Ahh words fail me. Just get on it and row your ass off.

Psyche up, Wolverines!
Today evening marked the opening of the Michigan's Men Gymnastics team's competition season, with a matchup against Big Ten rival and fellow gymnastics powerhouse Penn State, at Cliff Keen Arena. The Novice Women's Rowing team came to a consensus that we would be hard-pressed to find a better alternative form of entertainment (on a Saturday night, no less) than lithe, muscular men clad in spandex cavorting on a selection of apparatus. So a number of us traipsed down to Cliff Keen after a brief dinner at Big Ten Burrito and spent a decidedly enjoyable two hours watching the thrilling matchup unfold between the rival college teams. Though the atmosphere was nowhere as electrifying as that of football gamedays in the Michigan Stadium, owing to the obvious fact that the crowd in attendance could in no way rival the number of football fans who make the pilgrimage to the revered sanctity of the Big House, the audience was suitably enthusiastic and supportive. Just an aside thought- it strikes me as somewhat odd that more support is given to a sport where a leather ball is placed on the line, rather than a sport where athletes place their own bodies on the line. I'd pick the latter any day.

Above all, however, the men's gym team members were tremendously psyched and pumped- you could see it in their faces, the shouts of jubilation and "Go BLUE!" whenever a team member nailed an impossibly challenging move, the never-ending encouragement despite mistakes which inevitably happened, the high-fives and slaps on the back a member would receive once he completed his routine and stepped off the mat.

Hangin' Tough.
It's that sort of team spirit and camaraderie which is of utmost importance to me, and it's something you'll only find in sports. And perhaps, even more so in Michigan, where such a high premium is placed on athletics due to our NCAA Division I status, as well as the fact that it's such a large school and thus possesses an incredible amount of resources that are necessary to fund athlete development. I can barely describe how wowed I was upon making the rowing team and hearing about the tremendous level of support that Michigan offers its varsity athletes. Sure, the free Nike gear cuts it (Even right now I'm still pretty amazed at the number of swoosh-emblazoned freebies I've received- sweatshirt, sweatpants, t-shirt, spandex shorts, Dri-fit long-sleeved mock top, socks, sports bra -I must say I truly admire their attention to detail-, shoes, and even a Nike wheeled travel bag for training and competition trips), but we've also got access to sports nutritionists, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports therapists whose sole purposes are to provide the necessary help and assistance we might need in the course of improving our athletic abilities.

Not forgetting the new academic center built solely for varsity athletes with tutors for just about every class offered in the University, computing options, study tables, and even (I thought this was quite funny, because the rest of my teammates immediately turned and looked at me when this was announced to our team) satellite TV which can broadcast local TV shows from a large number of countries around the globe. Even though I can barely foresee myself watching Chinese drama serials or a Singlish sitcom, while the rest of the people around me strain to discern how a curly-haired man with an obtrusive facial mole and yellow Wellingtons can possibly be a legitimate source of entertainment to people in the country I hail from.

But the pride and honor of being a Michigan Varsity Athlete surpasses, by far, any of the abovementioned material incentives that comes from donning the Maize and Blue. It's the lessons you learn and the memories you acquire- that unforgettable day in the erg room where you wheezed your way through 20 sets of 40-second all-out sprints with 20-second breaks but felt proud afterward that you hadn't let up on the pace despite the overwhelming urge to; squeezing out that last rep on the leg press machine, face contorted in agony at the immense strain; catching a crab while rowing all eights, cannonballing out of your foot stretchers and landing in a dishevelled heap on the lap of your bemused fellow rower behind; the wintry cold of the early mornings where all you want to do is burrow into bed and the last thing on your mind is flinging off the covers and picking your way through the slush and snow to make it down for 6:30am practice.

Being a varsity athlete calls for enormous levels of sacrifice and self-control- as my coach always exhorts us, the onus is on us to make wise decisions that we know will be beneficial to us. Basically, just not to lose our head and do stupid things that are potentially regrettable, given the temptations and vices that abound in a typical American college scenario. It's a great lesson in personal development and growth, and you wouldn't be able to understand just how blessed I feel at having such an opportunity occur to me. Maybe upon reading this, as well as a couple of my previous entries, you'd be tempted to think that all I ever rave about is rowing and how it's made me a better person and blah blah blah and dismiss it as mere hype and overenthusiasm, perhaps even arrogance. But I guess it's impossible to truly understand the feeling without having experienced it. Going to the men's gym meet reinforced the realization that I am indeed proud to be a Michigan Wolverine and when it comes to the crunch, I'll put my head down, push past the pain and give back to Michigan all it's given me.

Bleedin' Maize and Blue- and Damn Frickin' Proud of it.

Quote of the Day:
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ''Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.''
- Muhammad Ali

Wow I've been super busy lately. It's back to the full swing of things, once again. Gosh I can't really think of anything significant to blog about, because there haven't been any momentous happenings that have taken place since I've been back. The UMich SSA (Singapore Students' Association) is organizing a Chinese New Year dinner for all its members next Saturday, which is something pretty worth looking forward to, since, for the first time for as long as I can remember, I won't be traipsing down to relatives' and friends' places to indulge in traditional festive goodies or collecting my hongbaos. But of course I've delegated my parents to accept them on my behalf, so at least I won't be missing out on too much. Anyway I've heard pretty strange comments about the dinner the SSA organizes yearly in commemoration of CNY- two of my seniors have already remarked that the food "looks Chinese, but doesn't really taste Chinese". Well, I guess that's pretty much the deal with all sorts of Chinese-esque food in the USA. No matter how much you try to dress it up with shallots and spring onions and other forms of Oriental garnishes, the taste remains essentially American. But that doesn't bother me too much because I'm not pining away for local Singaporean food or impossibly faultless Chinese cuisine; unlike some of my Singaporean counterparts here in UMich who heckle about the dearth of good Chinese food incessantly. And sometimes they go on a roll and begin complaining about Ann Arbor being far too small for their liking, especially when compared with a metropolitan city like Singapore, and that there's just about absolutely nothing to do here. Even though some of these people are arguably my closer friends in UMich, and people I do find extremely endearing (in most other aspects of day-to-day life), it just irks me when they start whining and griping about all these issues. It doesn't make the slightest bit of sense to me, at all. Granted, Ann Arbor's a college town and can't boast of the sort of vibrancy that emanates from megapolises like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles- but it's characterized by a more dynamic, youthful vibe that comes from the presence of the large resident student population, and a homely feel that hails from the closeness of the surrounding suburban community. And if urban life is what you've always wanted, why didn't you apply somewhere else in the first place and save the $70 application fee to UMich- like to UCLA or NYU or someplace you'd feel more at home- or, alternatively, stay in Singapore where you've got the comforts of home, Orchard Road, and tropical weather, and also where you could save ten times the money you're paying for a U-M degree (and perhaps splurge it on supper every night at Jalan Kayu or Newton Hawker Center)? My take on this whole issue is: Give it up, quit complaining because it's only going to make you feel more miserable especially if all you can think about is Ghim Moh char kuay teow as a tear rolls down your face and splashes into your plate of TK Wu's Taiwanese-Style Fried Noodles (just about the closest you can get to the former). Go participate in some form of college activity! I'm testament to the fact that Michigan Rowing is perhaps what characterizes my life, and it's incredible what you learn, and the friends you make, through the shared experiences. If you're only going to confine yourself to Singaporeans and other international Asian students, you're never going to break out of that insular circle you've constructed around yourself, and things will never change. Besides, sports keeps you occupied and healthy and those are two marvelous bonuses in themselves. I guess what I've said pretty much applies to anyone who's in college right now and looking to define their lives or add some meaning to an otherwise mundane, everyday, existence. There's so much you can learn and so much that's up for grabs if you just choose to acknowledge the presence of new things you can try, activities you can venture into, and so on.

Me and a couple of my rowing teammates.

Here's a shot of our trip down to Whole Foods Market along Washtenaw yesterday after practice, which we thought it'd do us good to immortalize, explaining this nifty picture. Whole Foods Market is this incredible fresh produce grocery store which is wholly organic and stocks all sorts of wonderful foods. It's an amazing place and just about my favorite destination for groceries, even though the prices are admittedly a little steep. Then again, you're paying for quality which is unparalleled by the Meijers and Krogers and Wal-Marts and all the other giant American supermarket chains, whose aisles are jam-packed with Little Debbie Cream Cakes and Frito-Lays and just about every brand of junk food America has come to being lovingly associated with. So Whole Foods is, pretty much, a haven for those of us who remain largely distant from the enigmatic lure of hydrogenated oils lurking beneath brightly-colored wrappers and disarmingly cheap prices. After all, you know Americans- they're a sucker for what they assume to be "great value"- just throw together a couple of packages of doughnuts, Glad-wrap them together, knock fifty cents off the combined selling price and slap on a 'SALE' tag, and the next thing you know, they're flying off the shelves and into shopping carts.

Anyway, back to Whole Foods. Liz P (that's the girl with the colorful scarf, second from right) and I have been intending to go shopping there together ever since last year. It's been quite a while, but somehow or other we've always managed to find ourselves unable to agree on a time for us to go, since we've always got something or other to do, like rowing practice, or homework, or some other similarly urgent preoccupation. However, we finally got around to going together yesterday, and it was pretty awesome. You might wonder- how can you possibly derive so much pleasure from, of all things, grocery shopping? But you see, 1. grocery shopping's always fun when you go with like-minded people, 2. rowers are perpetually hungry, 3. Whole Foods in Ann Arbor is a store unlike any other, and 4. (the most important- without which all the previously-mentioned factors fade into insignificance) there are samples of just about every sort of food around every corner of the store, no matter into which aisle you turn into. And you see, even if there aren't samples, you can always somehow conjure up a sample. Okay that sounded a little cryptic, but then again, I can't exactly go around proclaiming my food-phishing techniques to the masses, can I? Hahaha. But take it from me, I can get you samples. Ooohh, that last statement is a pun in itself. I marvel at my ingenuity. :)

Oh, by the way, don't you just love my template? I think it's hilarious. Hahahaha. And especially to Wilson Liu Weiyuan, this is a celebration of the clogged arteries to come! Hahahahaha! Okay lah, typically I wouldn't wish clogged arteries on anyone, but since you're always likening me to a bovine creature due to my taste for vegetables, this blog template is dedicated as a special tribute to you, Wilson. Okay, I can just see you brandishing a steak knife and hunting me down in South Quad so I think I should stop right here.

I was just clearing my email inbox and look what I came across. Apparently I'm still part of the SeconomicsRJC Yahoogroup, the name speaks for itself- it's a group comprising all the past and present 'S' paper economists in RJC. I don't particularly think I deserve to be part of this group, since my reasons for taking 'S' level economics were more pragmatic rather than for purposes of actual interest. But whatever. Anyway, I chuckled to myself upon reading the following email sent by our beloved Jamie Reeves- it does seem like nothing's changed, two years on.

***
Dear 'S' Paper Economists (class of 2006)

No college this Tuesday, so there will be a session
this Thursday (12th) in LT6, and I would like everyone
to attend, or as many as possible. I will be
conducting the session, and we will take a look at the
November exam paper, which was the best paper set in
the last decade.

In the normal run of things there will be two sessions
each week - Tuesday & Thursday - and you will choose
to attend one of the two sessions. (note: alternatively, you can conveniently choose not to attend any of them at all, like what my dearest friend gaya did, though it is highly unadvised that you do so.)

Mr. Sowden will conduct the lessons in the following
week, when he will conduct the post mortem on the
first essay. He tells me that so far he has failed
every single essay marked. Welcome to the world of 'S'
Paper!

I look forward to meeting you all on Thursday.

Mr. Reeves
***

Which reminds me that I never received anything better than an 'U+' (Ungraded Plus- like the plus makes a hell of a difference!) until the 'A' Levels. So all you 'S' paper economists out there (unlucky souls), don't worry too much about it because you'll probably come through in the end!

This is a special post, for an incredibly special person to me.

Hey partner-

It's amazing how much we've both gone through together. The journey's been pretty spectacular, in fact. And even though there's just about... well, a couple of thousand miles, to say the least, between us right now, it's just so cool how our relationship transcends the distance. That's something which has always fascinated me. I believe there's some things we'll both never forget- paddling together in RJC13, the times we spent together, all those insane things we did, and just about a ton of other memories that are so precious to me. I expect you feel the same as well. Anyway I just wanted to let you know that the times we had in the last two weeks were pretty sweet- and hang in there because it's only a matter of four months before I'll be back and we can go tear up Macritchie again. Hahahaha. And I guess only you know how much you've always meant to me. Take care back there.

- Fengyi