My 365 (more or less) days from home!

the picture speaks for itself...

2008-05-11T10:17:00.003+08:00

any query about the program/scholarship/watever?
just drop me a message!

should a strawberry be an apple or an orange?

2008-02-12T23:11:00.000+08:00

sometimes, things are not chosen by chance or free will...

who are we to judge the value of fruits?

2008-02-05T20:53:00.000+08:00

just bitching abt work n pay...
we are always not paid enuff until we move to a point where health/family/life is more important..

why shld we just be happy with our current job/pay?
we shld all go n change to our jobs or career and be happy..
but not in singapore... the market is too small...
opportunities are only given a privileged/lucky few...

i think i am one of those lucky ones..
nevertheless i had tasted the overseas air...
the chances there may not be limitless..
but sufficient for everyone.. to change to meet each needs n wants

i will wait... then i will spring like a mousetrap... hm...

strawberry...

2008-01-27T23:33:00.001+08:00

Just decided to do a special on this unique strawvberry on my msn picture..
i used a few msn nicks for this photos:
1) this is a strawberry...
2) the strawberry looks lonely without the cream...
3) sometimes, the fruit just tastes better by itself...
4) the strawberry is evergreen and lasting
5) the strawberry feels good about making itself worthy

will be trying to come up with one everyday... wish me luck...

first post of 2008 (and in a long time...)

2008-01-06T16:13:00.000+08:00

probably most pple have forgotten abt this blog since i have not updated it for so long..

anyway... just to update the most loyal fans who still drop by once in a while..

just a few things on my mind:
- reaching 30 years old

- grandpa passed away

- 8th month in my current job

- old frens in tokyo and nyc

- wrong things i said and done...

- achieving master's and an 'ideal' job

the wanderlust in me had reduced ..
i have to be more mature now on...

stability is still wat pple seek in end..
equilibrium.. esp when things start falling into places..
esp when u realise there are limited time left in you..

new theory:
a lifetime is like wine?
when young, always refreshing, new tastes, changing
when aged, full bodied, ripe, solid, relaxing
there is only a bottle of it to share ard..
as u enjoy it with more pple.. the less each gets..
as it ages, you will want to keep it for pple who matters..

sunday afternoon alone with jazz is the best inductor of moods..

idiotic handphone music

2007-05-06T02:46:00.000+08:00

since i came back recently, i found that lots of pple have those loud obnoxious handphones which play very loud music...

some of those punks .. if it was in the states, i will go up to them n scold them..
but here.. gr.. pple just tolerate them...
nmind.. if i see one i will scold one from now on... support me please!

"live" from berkeley

2007-02-24T00:14:00.000+08:00

there have been this protest going on in berkeley, about removing oak trees to build a new gym..
the protesters were staying in the trees and so on.. just like in the movies!!!
but yesterday, the police finally came in and removed them from the premises:
http://www.ebdailynews.com/article/2007-2-23-02-23-07-bcn-46-items-removed

and i was actually at that location watching them remove the items yesterday afternoon!!!
i was at the scene!!! wow! it is not everyday that u witness news acting out in front of u!!!
maybe it is just me.. i too country bum...

actually stuff like protesting & police intervention is nothing major in Berkeley... it just happens ..
but as a singaporean... it will be a rare sight if a protest can be last even 1 hour .. ;)

happy chinese new year!

2007-02-18T04:42:00.000+08:00

to all my chinese readers,

happy chinese new year!
may u get lots of angpows and eat lots of good food!

cheers!

first photo of spain

2007-02-08T07:29:00.000+08:00

this is a photo of Granada, the last muslim stronghold on continential Europe.
this was the best city i visited during this trip, because of the culture experience.
it was wonderful to spend one hour in an arabic teahouse, having an awesome cup of spearmint tea...
a bit of relaxation from the rush of travelling from cities to cities..

more photos will follow soon i promise! :)

long time no see...

2007-01-31T03:15:00.000+08:00

some update on side since i did not update this site for more than 1month..

- went spain and back just in time for school to start.. but was trapped in the airport for a day..
- school started.. last sem seems slightly easier.. see how .. :)
- planning a post-grad trip, but cost is running out of control..

will definitely upload the hundreds of photos i have from charlotte and spain!!!

hohoho!!!

2006-12-25T10:40:00.000+08:00

merry xmas to all!!! :)
n a happy new year!!!

to those who sent me a e-card..
THANKS!

very touched! :)

nyc part 2...

2006-12-09T13:20:00.000+08:00

this is a continuation of my nyc trip's photo... so was taken 1.5 mths ago.. i looked very uncle now.. sob..

2006-12-09T13:19:00.000+08:00

hm.. i went past a movie shooting site while walking to the subway... they blocked 4 streets and placed some car wrecks by the road.. maybe they are filming 'Die Hard part 23'... :P

2006-12-09T13:16:00.000+08:00

the wachovia building in nyc.. plain functional buidling.. mok (the other singaporean intern) worked here almost everyday from 9am to 11pm..

2006-12-09T13:15:00.000+08:00

this is a famous church which was featured in the recent movie "national treasure".. it is located at the intersection of two most famous streets in US: wall st and broadway.. hm.. i did not go in to see if there were really treasures below the compound..

2006-12-09T13:12:00.000+08:00

sideview of the church..

2006-12-09T13:11:00.000+08:00

ground zero of 9/11... the construction in the background.. the panels showed the heros.. "we will never forget..."

2006-12-09T13:09:00.000+08:00

future site of world trade center: the new version... can see that they were still careful abt safety ...

2006-12-09T13:08:00.000+08:00

a swing which had water running down from the top.. nothing much.. just take for fun.. :P

2006-12-09T13:06:00.000+08:00

on recommendation of lonely planet, i went to chinatown to have this famous chinatown ice cream factory's ice cream..
the shop is the one with yellow signboard.. i was holding the green tea ice cream..

2006-12-09T13:05:00.000+08:00

metropolitan museum of art in nyc.. one of the most famous museum in nyc/usa.. really liked it.. but did not have much time to go thru it.. came here once 5yrs ago.. still very nice..

2006-12-09T13:03:00.000+08:00

when i was in nyc, i visited some of my classmates' apartment.. this is the main corridor in haochuan, jason and yousef' apartment.. rather dark cos i have to use very high shutter speed.. but the room was also slight dark..

2006-12-09T13:01:00.000+08:00

jason's room.. er... this is the standard room in nyc... think i might be living in similar place if i was in nyc for my internship...

2006-12-09T12:59:00.000+08:00

a small symphony in the subway... common fate in usa.. busker or perform for the love of it..

2006-12-09T12:57:00.000+08:00

Time Sq... cold n windy.. not snowing yet.. think it will be back on new year eve...

wilson and serene... most blissful couple in the world...

2006-12-03T13:51:00.001+08:00

i was in nyc one month ago.. and i stayed with wilson... those who dun know him, well.. we went a long way back.. jc classmate, nus coursemate, part of the hjc 94s35 gang... he came here after graduation and currently is a vp with jpm.. he brought me to this authentic japanese yakitori place.. awesome!!!

2006-12-03T13:51:00.000+08:00

wilson and serene... they are very happy here in nyc.. having lots of fun i think.. wilson has a great job.. serene got her degree here.. wish them all the best when they relocate to asia next year...

2006-12-03T13:49:00.001+08:00

yummy..

2006-12-03T13:49:00.000+08:00

drinks.. serene likes to drink calpis soda (the milky drink in a mug).. i still remember my family used to buy calpis by the bottle and mix with water for drinking.. healthy drink like yakult.. uncle like me drinks beer of cse..

2006-12-03T13:47:00.001+08:00

yummy..

2006-12-03T13:47:00.000+08:00

wilson's place at downtown nyc.. he is earning big bucks.. can afford to live here.. the mess on the soft is my fault. that was my bed for the three nights in nyc.. much better than in hotel or with some of my classmates' apt..

2006-12-03T13:45:00.000+08:00

the living room... very cosy.. hope my house is cosy like this.. not like my apt now.. so empty..

2006-12-03T13:44:00.000+08:00

dining area and kitchen and walkway to the door..

2006-12-03T13:43:00.000+08:00

wilson & serene's cat.. very playful.. leapt into my bags and blanket.. cant see from this photo.. but he is really fat!

my mfe buddies!!!

2006-12-03T13:30:00.000+08:00

we named ourselves Dream Team Two.. cos all of us are really smart and hardworking.. :P i had lots of great time with them.. on projects.. during meals.. from left, ren shi: shanghainese american, came here since sec school.. one of the smartest pple in the class, dual masters from caltech.. dun play play; haochuan: was here for master & phd & work for several years, mech eng phd from berkeley, another of the smartest pple; ye qi: oso here for master n work for several years, fastest programmer in the class, now enjoying life in japan with lehman bros.. miss those guys...

2006-12-03T13:24:00.000+08:00

michael: mfe writing and language consultant.. he is the one who helped me with improving my resume and cover letter.. and oso the american culture..

2006-12-03T13:23:00.000+08:00

jessica and sue... working hard on one of the programming projects.. my team shared the same room and discussed our work freely among all the chinese.. unity is power mah.. n all of them are really smart...

2006-12-03T13:22:00.000+08:00

mfe had a small gathering one month ago in nyc .. i was there for the job fair.. so joined them for a short drink.. tok abt internships n compare environment... quite fun to tok to classmate after not seeing them for a while..

2006-12-03T13:20:00.000+08:00

think i look good in this photo :P left: jason: taiwanese at barclays, trading assistant; swaroop: citibank; vivek: fitch ratings..

2006-12-03T13:16:00.000+08:00

three ladies from the class - left: chen min: phd, very smart, li mu: young girl from china, flew here from SF cos of interview, jessica: intern near new york city..

2006-12-03T13:14:00.000+08:00

scandalous! :P from left, mok - my other singaporean intern at Wachovia, haochuang, sergey - russian american, merril lynch

my best apt ever!

2006-11-14T12:31:00.000+08:00

the front door to my apartment! the whole building is very classy with conceriege and gym... worth the money!

2006-11-14T12:29:00.000+08:00

the living room... when we first opened the door.. we were so surprised that the apt is so nice n big...

2006-11-14T12:28:00.000+08:00

the living room .... front door on the right...

2006-11-14T12:27:00.000+08:00

the living room ... the door opens to sean's room....

2006-11-14T12:26:00.001+08:00

the living room...

2006-11-14T12:26:00.000+08:00

my new room!

2006-11-14T12:25:00.001+08:00

sean's room

2006-11-14T12:25:00.000+08:00

sean's toilet and closet

2006-11-14T12:24:00.000+08:00

view of the living with the front door and kitchen...

2006-11-14T12:23:00.002+08:00

the kitchen

2006-11-14T12:23:00.001+08:00

the laundry room.. washer was not installed yet .. now got liao..

2006-11-14T12:23:00.000+08:00

the kitchen...

2006-11-14T12:22:00.000+08:00

my room on day 1.. slept on air mattress .. not good... went to buy a foam mattress .. will update my room photos later..

2006-11-14T12:21:00.000+08:00

door to my toilet..my toilet got two doors.. this one is from my room. the one after u go in n turn right is to the kitchen...great for late nite snacks!

2006-11-14T12:20:00.000+08:00

toilet ..

2006-11-14T12:19:00.000+08:00

my walk in closet.. big right? ok.. not as big as some pple's .. but it is big enuff for me..

2006-11-14T12:18:00.000+08:00

the view outside of my window. nice weather

2006-11-14T12:17:00.000+08:00

the same scene at 4am in the morning! i just woke up at this time on my first day.. saw this beautiful sight.. so i just took it..

2006-11-14T12:16:00.000+08:00

hahha.. bad hair day.. somehow i like my hair this way.. looks cool leh.. :p

the winchester house

2006-11-06T10:37:00.000+08:00

i visited this historical landmark, The Winchester House with serene and shuet mun in sep. read the intro in the next photo!

2006-11-06T10:35:00.001+08:00

read this!

2006-11-06T10:35:00.000+08:00

stairs to nowhere.. another floor was built over the stairs..

2006-11-06T10:34:00.001+08:00

window in the floor..

2006-11-06T10:34:00.000+08:00

like the sign said! open to 2-floor drop out of the building..

2006-11-06T10:31:00.000+08:00

the building was constantly in renovation and expansion..

2006-11-06T10:30:00.000+08:00

mrs winchester got a call button in every room.. this panel would show the room number

2006-11-06T09:21:00.000+08:00

bell tower.. used to be outside of the building.. but the building was built ard this tower during expansion

2006-11-06T09:16:00.000+08:00

a cabinet door which opens to a pillar..

2006-11-06T09:15:00.000+08:00

ornate door hinge..

2006-11-06T09:14:00.000+08:00

supposed to be a chimney.. but it was uncompleted because of another floor was built over it..

2006-11-06T09:10:00.000+08:00

the two 'beauties'... :P

2006-11-06T09:09:00.000+08:00

mrs winchester had arthritis.. so she remade the stairs with very small steps.. the stairs had to be winding to accommodate the length..

2006-11-06T09:05:00.000+08:00

all of us taking a rest.. wonderful weather..

three sleepy heads, one happy brunch..

2006-11-06T08:05:00.000+08:00

this is the first of a series of old photos which i did not upload long time ago.. i was with serene and shuet mun (ex-colleagues) who were here for a project.. brought them to sushi house .. wonderful lunch.. ps: this was in sept..

2006-11-06T08:03:00.000+08:00

a row of birds on the waterfront.. cute that they all sat there like that.. very orderly

2006-11-06T08:02:00.001+08:00

oldies

2006-11-06T08:02:00.000+08:00

oldies...

scary story... NYC!

2006-11-02T14:19:00.000+08:00

ok.. during my short three days stay in nyc.. i just happend to be there during halloween season.. so i went out to club with wilson (my jc classmate, working in JPM NYC).. i stayed with him as well... i ugly right? fat n weird color for face n hand... but just for fun lah.. first time at halloween party mah..! :P

2006-11-02T14:17:00.000+08:00

wilson in his mask... reluctant to dress up at first.. but since i was coming.. he oso no choice.. thatz his wife serene in french maid attire..

2006-11-02T14:16:00.001+08:00

serene n fren posing for photo... all her frens are of the Kill Bill theme..

2006-11-02T14:16:00.000+08:00

serene's frens... dun know names.. :P

2006-11-02T14:15:00.001+08:00

happening.. packed like crazy..cannot imagine i was in usa.. looks like too asian ...

2006-11-02T14:15:00.000+08:00

big huh? take that SOS!

2006-11-02T14:14:00.001+08:00

there was a costume contest... this is a headless guy.. whose costume is really taller than him...

2006-11-02T14:14:00.000+08:00

strange pair as ur favourite clown and buglar...

2006-11-02T14:13:00.000+08:00

winner: a guy dressed up as grandma! lots of pple supported him!

tomolo has to work!!!

2006-10-23T11:03:00.000+08:00

i am kinda alright now.. since i have done a bit of stuff this weekend .. :P
so i hope my efforts will be rewarded tomolo.. hehe..
dun know lah.. if the work style here different.. then just my luck..
at least i tried! :)

well as i was busy this weekend.. n no internet connection (i am stealing wireless)...
i cannot upload all the pictures ... maybe the weekend after next..
cos i already ordered internet connections..

first "filling" sleep!

2006-10-21T22:37:00.000+08:00

hi hi.. woke up 2 hours ago... did some chores.. gonna do more chores later..
but started as a good day..
settling well here. :)

anyway.. i will start to upload all my photos soon..
in the meantime... i have my own domain name!!!
http://www.charleschua.com/
http://www.planetsolx.com/

my work station!

2006-10-18T12:00:00.000+08:00

hehe.. i just started on my internship on a CDO trading desk today..
officially, i started yesterday... was a big day... had to settle all the admin..
very stressed cos the traders are all go-getter type..
i want to impress them so i will get hired mah..
working from 730am to 9pm.. so not alot of time though...

anywya.. i got my own bloomberg and complex phone system...
oso this cool headset.... look pro huh?! :p
will be here till jan.. so hope i will update this blog more often..

yeah!

2006-10-13T09:02:00.000+08:00

finally no more exams and homework for 3 months!!!
gonna update this more often.. n i have my own internet domain name!
watch this space!

24 hrs does not equal to 86400 sec of work

2006-10-04T12:42:00.000+08:00

oh no .. i am neglecting my fans!!!
sorry... but these two weeks are crazy..
next week too.. it is crunch time for me again..

next week: two reports+two assignments+three exams
+leaving for internship on sat 6am..
+moving out of my current house cos have to lease out..

hence.. i want to issue a "warning":
this cycle of stress and "newsless-ness" will repeat for another two cycles..
once in dec and once in mar..
so if i MIA then, imagine me as a empty zombie with inclination to type reports, do programming, read 100pgs an hour, eat, barely sleep, etc...
please send me chocolate, email well-wishes, poke fun on MSN, so that i will not forget u once i revive.. :P

IMF saga

2006-09-16T16:27:00.000+08:00

ok.. i have been reading so many articles on IMF in Asiaone that i felt compelled to comment something on it ....

at risk that i get sued by some one or some govt...

ok.. situation:
1) Singapore host IMF meeting in her country....
2) Singapore barred some activists from disrupting the meeting...
3) IMF protested against such actions as those activists are 'accredited/welcomed' by IMF

instinctively, i know this is the typical reaction by my beloved protective govt...
but i just feel that we shld let the activists in since IMF has no objections..
since IMF is allowing it... why shld Singapore be the "bad guy" in this by barring activists?
analogy: if my "enemy" is banging on my door for a quarrel and yet I am willing to open the door to say hi, I shld be given the right to do so.. the authority shld not act as a "lock" which refuses to open..

on the hand, i came up with another analogy:
if I rent your house for a private party, you does have the right to stop undesired parties from attending my party if those parties have a history of property damage, etc... hence, singapore shld be correct to stop those 'potentially-violent' activists from coming to the country..

now i am torn between both polarities... my 'rebellious' side says.. "just let them in... let them do their stuff .. then let them leave... " but then.. singapore is my "home"... how can anyone come n mess up my home like that... hm...

i guess the underlying issue may be bigger than wat it seems... maybe if the activists are allowed to do wat they want, this may set a precedence for singapore.. n more problems may arise in the future... hm..

nevertheless.. i just hate it that singapore is getting so much bad publicity on the govt's handling of the activists.. i do feel that it may slight over the top.. but maybe the things would be viewed from a more neutral standpoint if singapore had a better preceived history of 'human rights'..

ps: first time i wrote so much.. hope none of you are bored.. i will add some photos soon.. just too busy..

i wish i have more time for my blog...

2006-09-15T01:24:00.000+08:00

coming...

one of those days...

2006-09-06T01:32:00.000+08:00

when i did not do anything ..
when i got piles of stuff to do...
when i just wanted to lie in the bed n watch tv all day...

welll i did that for the past 3 days..
now panic... need to do so many things...

hehe..

2006-09-01T14:37:00.000+08:00

I found him!

ok.. for those without facebook account:

casino voucher

2006-08-27T15:43:00.000+08:00

this was a "souvenir" from the casino in reno.. :P it was a voucher i got back from one of those 'penny' slot machines (meaning i could use $0.01 as betting units).. to get this voucher, i put in $2 (cash) in the machine and started playing.. in just 5 mins, i lost $1.98 and could not bet any more... then the machine just printed out this voucher which can be redemned or used on another machine ...

i found this very cool cos it 'forced' me to use my 'winnings' on another machine or go to a counter to cash out the voucher... in that sense, i could not use the voucher in another casino until redemnation..

last time, when i went to las vegas, the winnings were paid in cash... i could just take the cash and walk away ... most probably this method of giving out the winnings will be implemented in singapore for the casinos...

quote of my day!

2006-08-25T01:23:00.000+08:00

was missing for a while cos my internet got cut off last week, then my keyboard was spoilt..
was quite pissed with the IBM service tech... postponed the service call then was late this morning..
now just happy to have a full functional laptop.. realised i cannot live without computers...

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Seuss

life's little things...

2006-08-18T02:05:00.000+08:00

strongest dad in the world...
really touching...

bowling.. less than 100.. :(

2006-08-16T11:02:00.000+08:00

hehe.. david n wu yao were playing dance dance revolution.. :) (dun kill me for this).. i took this in a bowling place.. i really sucked at bowling liao.. sigh.. those were the days..