Thursday, July 28, 2005
an unfortunate event
The past Sunday was just like any other Sunday except that this time I went to look at a car. I got home around 7.30pm, do some small things here and there and came online to check my mails. The moment I signed in to MSN Messenger, CY messaged me. His housemate, Lim Jiang Wei was pronounced dead due to drowning. His exact words was that 'his body is in the hospital'. I thought that he was in a serious condition in the hospital so I said "wish him get well soon for me" when he was leaving for the hospital. That's when he told me, "No, he died". I was stunned. I didn't know what to say. This shouldn't be happening. He's the only son in the family, he has yet to see his parents for quite sometime, he was just having fun, he's only one semester or rather two classes away from graduation and he's a great friend to have around. It's just not fair.
I am not very close to him but we've hanged out a few times together with other Malaysians. I have came to know that he's fun and he's good at bowling. The last time we met was during a picnic event followed by bowling. He was really good at the game but was not boastful at all. Adeline and me were not playing that night as we are really bad at it. So he sat by us between his turns and explain the game to us. It was a fun night. On Sunday, I was just asking CY if he's gonna move in with him soon as he's still bunking over at another friend's place. Just hours later...the news got to us.
The official news came out on Monday in Muskegon Chronicle and on Tuesday in State News. Earlier today at 4pm, a memorial service was organized by the Office of Internatial Students and Scholars to honor him. His close friends had made a website to remember him. Although I wasn't very close to him, knowing that I have the opportunity to cross-path with him makes me feel very lucky. It was also very nice of the Engineering department to grant him his Bachelor's of Science in Engineering. Unfortunately, they had to present it to his parents.
May God bless Jiang Wei...you'll always be remembered in our memories.
Friday, July 22, 2005
cars
I have been thinking of getting a car since early this year but the finding has yet to be fruitful. Initially I didn't know what car to get and thought that most cars are too big for me. After driving Nok's car (Honda Civic Coupe) for quite sometime, I find that it's actually not that big after all. When I was back at home, the largest car I drove was Proton Wira aeroback, which is not very big compared to most Japanese and American cars. So I think it's an improvement in my driving skills as I now feel more comfortable driving a larger car.
That had increased the choices of cars I'm looking at - Honda Civics or Toyota Corolla, ideally VW Golf. However, I feel that my budget is way below the prices of cars available here. I don't intend to get new cars but just simply want a car that has a total mileage of less than 100K. Unfortunately, cars with such low mileage seems to cost more than USD6K, which I feel is too much to spend on a car that I will be using only for 5 years or so.
Does that mean that I should increase my budget or am I just looking at the wrong place? I'm been looking through our MSU network, the local newspaper classifieds, and online car listings. Maybe I should just stick to taking the bus and cycling. That's a lot cheaper than getting a car even in the long run. But not having a car also means that I don't get to go around and taking the bus seems to be taking up too much time. It's also hard to set up experiments that require attention 24 hours as I can't come back later at night.
Why is it so hard to get a car?
That had increased the choices of cars I'm looking at - Honda Civics or Toyota Corolla, ideally VW Golf. However, I feel that my budget is way below the prices of cars available here. I don't intend to get new cars but just simply want a car that has a total mileage of less than 100K. Unfortunately, cars with such low mileage seems to cost more than USD6K, which I feel is too much to spend on a car that I will be using only for 5 years or so.
Does that mean that I should increase my budget or am I just looking at the wrong place? I'm been looking through our MSU network, the local newspaper classifieds, and online car listings. Maybe I should just stick to taking the bus and cycling. That's a lot cheaper than getting a car even in the long run. But not having a car also means that I don't get to go around and taking the bus seems to be taking up too much time. It's also hard to set up experiments that require attention 24 hours as I can't come back later at night.
Why is it so hard to get a car?
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
jet-lagging
Was awakened a while ago by some alarm going on downstairs. I left my door open when I went to bed hoping that my bag is still gonna get here. Unfortunately, they either did not get here or I was too dead to hear any knocks on the door.
Can't seem to get back to bed now. It's probably jet-lagging effects. There isn't much to do at this time of the day..so I started surfing the net and I couldn't help checking out the prices of air tickets and hotels at Vegas or Chandler. BK is currently at Chandler and he has been bluntly asking me to go over to spend a weekend with him. Part of me really wants to go there but part of me asks - is it worth it to spend that much amount of money for a weekend with the guy I know that I'll never get? But then again, if I don't go, will I be wasting the opportunity to be with the love of my life for one weekend?
Maybe it's time I thread lightly on this path of my life. Just go along with the flow, do what my heart says and not think about it so much. Furthermore, he's still single at this point of time. Why should I be the one thinking so much about it? Why should I be the one worrying about him being playful? Like a friend have said before, flirting can be the most fun activity. Yeah..I shall set my mind on that.
Can't seem to get back to bed now. It's probably jet-lagging effects. There isn't much to do at this time of the day..so I started surfing the net and I couldn't help checking out the prices of air tickets and hotels at Vegas or Chandler. BK is currently at Chandler and he has been bluntly asking me to go over to spend a weekend with him. Part of me really wants to go there but part of me asks - is it worth it to spend that much amount of money for a weekend with the guy I know that I'll never get? But then again, if I don't go, will I be wasting the opportunity to be with the love of my life for one weekend?
Maybe it's time I thread lightly on this path of my life. Just go along with the flow, do what my heart says and not think about it so much. Furthermore, he's still single at this point of time. Why should I be the one thinking so much about it? Why should I be the one worrying about him being playful? Like a friend have said before, flirting can be the most fun activity. Yeah..I shall set my mind on that.
Monday, July 11, 2005
back at Lansing
Arrived Lansing a little before 3pm after what seemed like a neverending flight on Korean Air from Penang. Left Penang at 1.05am Monday morning with a heavy heart. Due to my dad's 'the-early-the-better' character, I was at the airport at 10pm. After checking in, we sat at Coffee Bean drinking hot chocolate and talk about the house, the garden, me getting a car, me getting a green card and etc. At 12.30am, it was time for me to go to the gate. All of a sudden, tears started pooling in my eye and all I could do was hug my dad tightly and cried. I didn't want to let go. I did the same with my mum. I've done this many times and like the first time, I didn't want to leave and the tears never seem to wanna stop. I cried all my way to the boarding gate and just sat there, wishing that I have more time with them.
When I left home to pursue my bachelor's degree, I never did expect to leave home for such a long time. All I had in mind was that I want to go home after I finish my degree. It was set to be that way until that very last year of my degree. I got really interested in research and the appreciation I received from my professors, professors who didn't know me, from peer researchers, it was all very motivating. I knew that if I want to continue towards success, I would have to stay here. At the same time, the expectation of family members for me to stay is so high that it became part of the reason I stayed. Today, I wished that I had stayed home a few years before pursuing my higher degree. But since I'm already in the middle of it, I will finish it and this time, I am going to go home to find my destiny. If I can't find it at home, I'll roam again. But I'll definitely take the time off to stay home.
The flight from Penang to Incheon was a disastrous one. I was having a bad cold and a heavy head. I slept most of the way until they served breakfast, which was just some fruits and yogurt. I am a huge fan of yogurt but at that time, nothing seems to appeal to me. I picked on some fruits and went back to sleep. However, I can't go back to sleep this time as my meninges seems to be filled with fluid. I can't blow them out and the pressure was killing me. I was holding onto my head all the time. As the plane started descending about an hour later, it hurts even more as my ears are now hurting too. It felt like my head was going to burst due to excessive fluid. Thankfully, the pain was gone when the plane touched down.
I arrived Chicago at about 10.30am this morning. I brought my luggage to clear the custom requirements and went straight to United Express counter to request for an earlier flight. I got the 1.10pm flight and was so glad. However, I didn't thought that my luggage might not make it because it was still at the international terminal at about 11.30am, when I brought it for custom clearance. But I didn't want to spend 6 hours at the local airport because there is nothing much to do there. My cell phone was out of battery so there's noway I can call anyone to chat. There is also no wireless connection so I can't really do much.
Arriving Lansing at 2.50pm, I waited for my two baggages. One arrived but the other still seemed to be filed as missing. I took a cab straight home and took a bus to the lab. I tried to call Nok from there so that she don't go over to the airport to pick me up. But until now, I have yet to get my other baggage. It was supposed to arrived tonight when they called me around 8pm. Should I wait or should I just go to sleep? Keeping my cell phone charger in a check-in bag is probably the dumbest thing to do but I didn't realize that the battery is still being drained even if the item is switched off all the time. How dumb...
When I left home to pursue my bachelor's degree, I never did expect to leave home for such a long time. All I had in mind was that I want to go home after I finish my degree. It was set to be that way until that very last year of my degree. I got really interested in research and the appreciation I received from my professors, professors who didn't know me, from peer researchers, it was all very motivating. I knew that if I want to continue towards success, I would have to stay here. At the same time, the expectation of family members for me to stay is so high that it became part of the reason I stayed. Today, I wished that I had stayed home a few years before pursuing my higher degree. But since I'm already in the middle of it, I will finish it and this time, I am going to go home to find my destiny. If I can't find it at home, I'll roam again. But I'll definitely take the time off to stay home.
The flight from Penang to Incheon was a disastrous one. I was having a bad cold and a heavy head. I slept most of the way until they served breakfast, which was just some fruits and yogurt. I am a huge fan of yogurt but at that time, nothing seems to appeal to me. I picked on some fruits and went back to sleep. However, I can't go back to sleep this time as my meninges seems to be filled with fluid. I can't blow them out and the pressure was killing me. I was holding onto my head all the time. As the plane started descending about an hour later, it hurts even more as my ears are now hurting too. It felt like my head was going to burst due to excessive fluid. Thankfully, the pain was gone when the plane touched down.
I arrived Chicago at about 10.30am this morning. I brought my luggage to clear the custom requirements and went straight to United Express counter to request for an earlier flight. I got the 1.10pm flight and was so glad. However, I didn't thought that my luggage might not make it because it was still at the international terminal at about 11.30am, when I brought it for custom clearance. But I didn't want to spend 6 hours at the local airport because there is nothing much to do there. My cell phone was out of battery so there's noway I can call anyone to chat. There is also no wireless connection so I can't really do much.
Arriving Lansing at 2.50pm, I waited for my two baggages. One arrived but the other still seemed to be filed as missing. I took a cab straight home and took a bus to the lab. I tried to call Nok from there so that she don't go over to the airport to pick me up. But until now, I have yet to get my other baggage. It was supposed to arrived tonight when they called me around 8pm. Should I wait or should I just go to sleep? Keeping my cell phone charger in a check-in bag is probably the dumbest thing to do but I didn't realize that the battery is still being drained even if the item is switched off all the time. How dumb...
Saturday, July 09, 2005
trip to KL
Haven't had the chance to update for quite sometime. I was trying to change the look of my blog but before I got to change anything, I had to borrow my laptop to my uncle. Was also away in KL for the past two days. It was a very short trip meant to meet up with some old friends.
Got a ride from BK to KL. I was afraid it was gonna be awkward because I didn't really know what to chat with him and plus we just had an argument just the night before about who's being understanding. But after the first half an hour or so, the tension seemed to disappear into the air and it was actually comfortable. It felt okay to just be silent and enjoy the ride. It was also helpful that he seemed to remember some of the stuffs we used to share and it felt okay to talk about it with him. We went for dinner when we got to KL and he was soooooooo nice that he asked me to make the choice..I suggested Murni at SS2. We went there last year the night before I left for the States and I like the mango drink they have there.
He brought me back to my place after dinner and I wished so badly that we could have more time. But I know that no matter what I do..there's where it'll end. But I wasn't upset for long as I went out right after that to meet up with my friends from high school - EF, San, Irene, Kenny and Kas. We met at Ming Tian for a drink but it wasn't a lot of catch up since I was missing most of the stuff they talk about. Edmund ( a frequent anonymous commentor on my blog) came shortly after that and San, Irene, Kenny and Kas left. Edmund and me then left for Zouk.
Zouk was fun - drink and dance..what more can I ask for? Plus a really sporting guy by my side. But the crowd that was there kinda surprised me. It was a culture shock in my own country. But I shall not elaborate it here because I might be offending certain group of people.
Despite the fun I had that night, when the alcohol effects disappeared, I couldn't help thinking about the question BK asked me - Do I want to go over his place? I really wanted to but I know that it's not the right thing to do. It's wrong. Very wrong. But when he called me sometime around 1am..the urge to go over was even stronger. So after we left Zouk, Edmund brought me there. I guess at that point, only Edmund could understand how I felt because I know that if it's an outsider, that would be the most foolish thing I could do. But he never did looked at me a different way than he usually think of me. He respected my decision to go over.
I was at BK's place until 8am the next day. All the time, in my mind I kept telling myself it was wrong to be with him even if it's just sitting there next to him. But it felt right. It felt in place. It wasn't awkward. It was comfortable. He said it's okay. I told him that it's wrong. But he said that it feels right to him. The next thing I know, it was 8am and it's time for him to send me home. I was sad but I know that I should be happy because that was one more day with him when I can be myself. No more tears to flow down because I know that there are still things that need to be solved between us and the time is not here yet.
Got a ride from BK to KL. I was afraid it was gonna be awkward because I didn't really know what to chat with him and plus we just had an argument just the night before about who's being understanding. But after the first half an hour or so, the tension seemed to disappear into the air and it was actually comfortable. It felt okay to just be silent and enjoy the ride. It was also helpful that he seemed to remember some of the stuffs we used to share and it felt okay to talk about it with him. We went for dinner when we got to KL and he was soooooooo nice that he asked me to make the choice..I suggested Murni at SS2. We went there last year the night before I left for the States and I like the mango drink they have there.
He brought me back to my place after dinner and I wished so badly that we could have more time. But I know that no matter what I do..there's where it'll end. But I wasn't upset for long as I went out right after that to meet up with my friends from high school - EF, San, Irene, Kenny and Kas. We met at Ming Tian for a drink but it wasn't a lot of catch up since I was missing most of the stuff they talk about. Edmund ( a frequent anonymous commentor on my blog) came shortly after that and San, Irene, Kenny and Kas left. Edmund and me then left for Zouk.
Zouk was fun - drink and dance..what more can I ask for? Plus a really sporting guy by my side. But the crowd that was there kinda surprised me. It was a culture shock in my own country. But I shall not elaborate it here because I might be offending certain group of people.
Despite the fun I had that night, when the alcohol effects disappeared, I couldn't help thinking about the question BK asked me - Do I want to go over his place? I really wanted to but I know that it's not the right thing to do. It's wrong. Very wrong. But when he called me sometime around 1am..the urge to go over was even stronger. So after we left Zouk, Edmund brought me there. I guess at that point, only Edmund could understand how I felt because I know that if it's an outsider, that would be the most foolish thing I could do. But he never did looked at me a different way than he usually think of me. He respected my decision to go over.
I was at BK's place until 8am the next day. All the time, in my mind I kept telling myself it was wrong to be with him even if it's just sitting there next to him. But it felt right. It felt in place. It wasn't awkward. It was comfortable. He said it's okay. I told him that it's wrong. But he said that it feels right to him. The next thing I know, it was 8am and it's time for him to send me home. I was sad but I know that I should be happy because that was one more day with him when I can be myself. No more tears to flow down because I know that there are still things that need to be solved between us and the time is not here yet.
Monday, July 04, 2005
back to original
Managed to reload the original one but still can't seem to change the borders to fit my photos. Aik..but I'm sleepy already. How in the world does people manage to read all those codes and decipher them? It's like a totally different language.
screwed template
Since I had some time last night, I tried to play around with my template and was trying to make the entry section wider so that I the photos can fit in nicely without overlapping with the sidebar. Unfortunately, while messing around with the size, I changed the position of the side border and I have no idea how to change it back. Now I'm still trying to play with it. Anyone wanna help? Maybe I should just change the entire template.
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