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2009年1月30日星期五
For those of you who're interested in Chinese law..or anything Chinese in general, I strongly recommend this documentary, which was shown in my Chinese law class today.It's about the Tiananmen Square event in1989 and is very thought-provoking. It's not accessible in China, and I'm not sure whether Sg practices the same level of censorship on this too. But for those who can access it, it's definitely worth watching. (The Tankman) And if you're interested in free American documentaries, here're two which I strongly recommend too... Bush's regime --> "Torturing Democracy" - this is recommended by my International law professor on how gravely Bush have committed certain crimes against humanity and violated international law through his attack on Iraq. Obama's dream - for those who wants to know more about the current American president, his history and his views. And you can find several other interesting documentaries on Frontline's website. They're all very educational! [If accessible]. 2009年1月29日星期四
Random thoughts....1)Sometimes I'm quite amazed at how contradictory a person am I...like i'm always fighting against the practical me. I chose secured transactions, a class which is so boring, instead of chinese law, which i found out is so interesting and is probably attending more frequently than secured transactions even though i'm just sitting-in in chinese law. I am aiming to earn big bucks by applying to some high grade law firm even though my dream is to live by the sea and be able to draw for the rest of my life.. 2) I'm also quite amazed at how much time i spend my life studying...probably besides eating, watching TV, most of my time was spent in front of books ever since secondary school. Maybe u'll say that's what got me where I am now. True. But I'm still questioning where I am now is where I really want to be. I started going to art classes when I was 4, and piano and ballet classes when I was 5. When I was 8 i went to some abacus class after school. None of these classes actually developed any interest or talent in me...not until I joined the art class in secondary school myself and fell in love with art myself. I wonder how much of my life was planned by my parents, by practical reasons and social pressure, instead of by myself. 3) Singapore. It's amazing too that so many people here in my law school have been to Singapore. It's really a small world. I mean Singapore. I just met a student here who grew up and worked in Singapore. One of my professors worked in Singapore, another worked in NUS law school before and is going back again for some conference with my NUS law professors, and another actually studied in Singapore and went to the same H programme in my JC !! So when I met him today I was in a SHOCK to learn that the professor whose class I can't even squeeze into for next quarter is actually my grand grand senior LOL. So he actually said he'll check and let me get in his class!! On the other side of the picture..many pple know nuts about Singapore. Redundant questions like 'which part of the Singapore are you from?' frequently pops up to me. Some of my friends think Singapore is 'just next to Hong Kong' and 'they are all the same', while others are unaware that Singapore is a country, and not a city. Probably the worst is hearing someone trying to brag about their knowledge on Singapore - that Singapore is a new country formed in the 1980s..and the only 3 things you can do in Singapore is 'shop, eat, and enjoy the sun'. 3) This quarter, as you all can feel from the lack of blog updates, I'm much much busier than last quarter. I don't know what I'm getting myself into. I'm having a heavy credit load, and is probably studying much more than the JD and Masters students here. BUT, i'm feeling happier and more contended than before. I guess I have changed. A lot. 4) Stop by and think. Do you notice how hastily we pass each day without stopping by the roadside and realise how beautiful is everything surrounding you? I guess Seattle is the first place where I am starting to miss even before I leave this place. The scenery, the cold air, the people, the experiences, the smiles...and many more. I will miss watching the old folks coming out of their apartment (which is just in front of mine) with cute little dogs running in front of their grocery trolley every morning. I'll miss the feeling of pushing open my apartment's door each morning and breathing in the chilly morning air, and sometimes getting a surprise from the sign of another rainy day. Ah.. I realise my friend Joyce has made a superb blog entry on our Vancouver trip last November. I don't think I can blog any better than hers so here's the link--> (Vancouver Trip) Wow it was last year! And it feels like yesterday. How time flies. Today my friend was watching Bridget jones beside me and lamenting on how old she is..SIGH SIGH SIGH..haha..but isnt bridget jones an encouraging story for old spinsters? Gah.Back to work. 2 papers and 1 assignment. :) 2009年1月28日星期三
NEW YORK (PART 1) Central Park  Brooklyn Bridge - we walked the entire bridge!!The night view was magnificent!  Chinatown- we had some roast duck rice and noodles, and packed some chao shao bao and egg tarts. The New York Chinatown is quite authentic! Got all the chinese goodies, vegies and herbs. Central Park again! - love this walkpath..  Horse-riding in Central Park.. The Fountain at Central Park - if you have watched 'Sad Love Song' (a korean drama LOL) by Kwon Sang woo, this is one of the romantic shooting places where the female and male leads met in NY..     Empire State Building - if you have seen the movie Sleepless in Seattle, this is the place where the girl was waiting for the guy to appear -where the 'magic' begins..  Went up the Empire State Building - the best place to view NY city. You should definitely see the night view here if you come to NY!   Buba Gump Shrimp (Times Square) - had a sumptuous dinner of shrimps in diff styles at this theme restaurant, based on the movie Forest Gump. They say that you can ask the waitress/waiters any question on the movie and if they cant ans it they'll give u fries for free :)  Times Square!! Staten Island Rail..  On the ferry to Staten Island Financial District - NY Stock Ex building..   At an amish food market..the food is quite delicious!  Word Trade Center ground zero...it's actually a big whole in the ground..like some atomic bomb has happened.. M&M store at Times Square - souvenirs, apparels, food, anything u can find with M&Ms logo on it..with big walls full of m&ms..  In front of the Hershey's Store! - full of Hersheys and Hersheys souvenirs LOL..even the elevator is a big Hershey's. Times Square again! Haha we went to times square almost every night when we were in NY..cuz there are not much places to go in NY...- to be con'td.. My CNY... was spent in the icy cold city of Edmonton, in Canada. It was -29 degrees celcius! What was I doing there? Haha..my parents came over, and we decided to visit my cousin who is studying there in Edmonton. Even though it was super duper cold there, with practically nobody walking on the streets, I still had the warmest cny i've ever had for many years! Probably it's due to the feeling of walking with my parents and my cousin like a family, which I have come to treasure a lot after being alone in the US for several months now. We spent our precious 3 days walking around in the Edmonton West mall, a large (or largest mall in the world?) mall which has everything you can imagine in there to save people from walking around in the cold, and also in Chinatown, which is very very authentic..after seeing so many chinatowns in the US and Canada. Maybe because of the many first generation chinese immigrants there..the chinese food there is superb! I also shopped alot..cos the clothes in Canada is quite cheap plus they're having sale on summer clothes..and eating ice cream with my cousin..LOL.. Ah..it was so super cold that i'm wearing uncountable layers of clothes and din even bother to take pics. But it was memorable. So how did you guys celeb CNY? 2009年1月17日星期六
People, Faces, Sounds...Just wanna record down some people i met on the journey in east coast..before I forget them.....  Man playing saxophone ... Boy and dad - discussing what they can do with a tree stump they spotted. Dad, 'we can probably make it into a stool and place it in our living room'. I loved their conversation. Didn't mean to eavesdrop though.. Boy - love his innocent smile! Man playing 'drums'...it sounded like real drums! He's so talented. Man feeding squirrels and pigeons. He even gave me a nut so that I can share his joy of having a cute squirrel hopping to your hand and take a nut from u! I don't mind spending my entire morning in this park in Boston to feed pigeons and squirrels. Such a carefree life...I met a korean girl in my new york hostel..she came to America to be a nanny and study at the same time. I admire her courage to do such a thing! Leaving her hometown and coming to a foreign country and study english. We spent the night on Xmas day in the lounge of the hostel listening to some korean songs tger. All I can rmb of her is this song, which she said is her favorite, and her story.. Its Your Day - Yiruma Met another french girl in the hostel in boston, she's exchange student from France to Canada. All I can remember of her is this song...which she taught me on our way to Harvard.. Je ne veux pas travailler - Pink Martini And there's also this japanese lady who quit her job in Japan and decided to travel in the US for 90 days, which is the maximum visa period, before she heads back to Japan and find a new job. She said she's quite tired of the working life in Japan. Met her in the new york hostel..together with another super pretty French girl who is from Canada but migrated to France and is nearly getting married, but has to go to new york to see her sick brother. She invited me to shop with her at Aldo but I cant make it ... People from all walks of life ...met in a small hostel in a strange place..and ..exchanged smiles..and stories. I loved that experience. 2009年1月12日星期一
DC pics.......(Cont'd) Basilica of the First Conception Basilica at night.. Franklin Roosevelt's tomb..or grave..or maybe..'grave stone'.. Virginia - in a candy shop full of tubs of sweets! Virginia - old town Me and Barack Obama!! LOL Capital Building - inside..doing a free tour..the tour guide explains the paintings surrounding the building's center dome - mostly on american history. Capital building - dome ceiling Capital Building - another hall where all the statute senators representing each state have their are placed.. Space museum - free! - if u like planes/ american World War air fighting history/ Rockets/ space race etc..this is a good place for u to spend a whole day in... I love this pic!! (in Space museum)  Freer & Sackler Art Gallery - Houses asian art - free. Love this painting..so serene and green.. Saw this 麒麟! omg this art gallery houses alot of asian collection which are now impossible to find in Asia now..or in China..cuz they date back all the way to only a few hundred AD!! Natural History Museum - about how organisms evolved on this earth..hehe spent the least time in this cuz i not that interested in learning about how microrganisms onced lived in the sea and got killed by some meteor... National Art Museum - a must visit if u're an avid-art fan...this place has quite a few famous works like those from Van gogh, Leonardo Davinci, Millet, Titan, Paul Cezanne, etc..the one i'm standing next to is a painting by Leonardo Davinci..(i forgot the name, but definitely not Mona Lisa lol). The guard actually asked me whether I want a photo with this painting! He was like 'this painting is very famous...want a photo?' LOL i wonder what the guards do in this museum! I still remember in the art gallery in london i got scolded a million times by guards for taking pics of paintings..  I spent one of my nights in DC sitting in Borders reading and drinking Latte...cuz Audrey was having her 48 hr paper and i din wanna go home alone early having nothing to do...so i bought Obama's 'The Audacity of Hope', but found something rather attractive lying on the table..it's a discounted book called 'Why We Suck' - all about American social behaviour. The entire book is hilarious and informal..with frequent swearing and sexual terminologies. The content revolves around describing three main things Americans center their lives on - sex, money and ....FATS..hehe..quite an illuminating book! The author says on its Preface not to buy his book unless u wanna waste money on crap..but i recommend u search it out and read it in a bookstore...for a laugh.. A high class street near the Whitehouse..where a high class hotel is..there's this night event going on when i walked pass..and i saw alot of pple dressed in gowns and suits holding champange glasses through the hotel window..haha i felt so 'lower class'.. White House! Holocaust Museum - free - also a must visit!! One of the first museums i stepped into in DC. It's all about history, process, pollitical ideologies and religious conflicts lying behind the holocaust. Pictures, video clips, real holocaust leftover things like boots (which were the only things left when bodies were burnt) etc..P.S - dont eat before u go in..or else u'll...er.. National Cathedral - i like visiting religious buildings cuz they give me a very peaceful feeling.. Reflecting Pool - WWII Memorial Washington Monument Lincoln Memorial Roosevelt Memorial Thomas Jefferson Memorial Xmas tree in front of the White House...with toy trains surrounding it. Ended my DC tour with a night near the Xmas tree, listening to high school students singing Xmas carols..all i can remember is their voices sounded heavenly in the freezing cold night..Other places went: --> National Building Museum - a place for pple who love architecture - archive of building plans! --> Hirshorn Museum - modern art - a lot of sculptures (including a piece from Rodin, a series from Monet, and also from Frank Lloyd Wright)! --> Spy Museum - only need-to-pay museum..but a worth it place to visit...cuz u'll learn about all u wanna know on espionage..history..equipment...tricks etc..quite interesting (includes history of espionage till 20th century) That's all abt DC! Happy CNY everyone!! |
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