So turns out the rumors I alluded to in an earlier post has turned into reality. Since the information is readily available on the internet, I shall just post the link here and you can come to your own conclusions --> link
----
Met up with Laurel and Flora on Thu evening for dinner at Sun With Moon Jap restaurant at the Wheelock place. I used to think of the two of them as the flower girls of my class (kind of like flora & fauna). Anyway, I haven't seen Laurel for so long I don't even remember the last time we met. It was fun catching up and all. The restaurant was also very good. The food was beautiful and tasted good too. So, I was not too surprised by the bill at the end.
----
Last weekend, we had a mega Cornell gathering in town. I believe about 20 people turned up in total, although at slightly different times. I gave the waitress a shock when I said I wanted a table for 14 people. haha... thank goodness we were early so we did not have to wait long.
On the same day, I also attended Confluence. It was on a much bigger scale than last year. However, I was slightly surprised by the low turnout during the Ministerial dialogue. I was even more surprised when there was no reception after the dialogue. Well, I wasn't too hungry, but they had one last year so I was expecting one.
----
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Experiences 2007 (& other updates)
I remember going for the very first Experiences when I was in JC1. That would be 1999. Today I went to Experiences 2007 with my sister. The event has come a long way. There are a lot more sponsors now and it is held at Suntec City, a much bigger place than the small hotel ballroom 8 years ago.
I saw quite a few familiar faces at the fair. Of course, I recognize the people at the Cornell booth. They are mostly the rising Seniors, and the rest looked like the rising Sophomores. I saw some Stanford Masters students, but they were mostly at the booths of their undergraduate universities. I also saw Jason and we chatted for quite a while. I also met a few of my sister's friends. A very nice experience on the whole. =)
---
Back to the topic of work, someone commented that I should be wary of my previous entry about work. Maybe it is better kept offline and untrackable. Re-reading it, I guess it is ambiguous enough and not really that bad right?
Anyway, work is looking better. I think Huixian's comment is very true; it is a good chance for me to learn about the whole company and see how I can make a positive contribution. Another friend also told me that I should take the chance to learn as much as I can; after all, there must be something useful to be learnt. That is very true.
---
Caught the lastest Harry Potter the other day. I enjoyed the show. It was definitely much better than the book. Some parts might not make sense to non-fans, but it is quite good as a standalone show. Might be going to watch Transformers with my colleague/schoomates tomorrow. That should be an even better show from what I heard from people who've seen it. =)
I saw quite a few familiar faces at the fair. Of course, I recognize the people at the Cornell booth. They are mostly the rising Seniors, and the rest looked like the rising Sophomores. I saw some Stanford Masters students, but they were mostly at the booths of their undergraduate universities. I also saw Jason and we chatted for quite a while. I also met a few of my sister's friends. A very nice experience on the whole. =)
---
Back to the topic of work, someone commented that I should be wary of my previous entry about work. Maybe it is better kept offline and untrackable. Re-reading it, I guess it is ambiguous enough and not really that bad right?
Anyway, work is looking better. I think Huixian's comment is very true; it is a good chance for me to learn about the whole company and see how I can make a positive contribution. Another friend also told me that I should take the chance to learn as much as I can; after all, there must be something useful to be learnt. That is very true.
---
Caught the lastest Harry Potter the other day. I enjoyed the show. It was definitely much better than the book. Some parts might not make sense to non-fans, but it is quite good as a standalone show. Might be going to watch Transformers with my colleague/schoomates tomorrow. That should be an even better show from what I heard from people who've seen it. =)
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Week 2
Tomorrow is the start of my 2nd week of work. Let me try to recall what I have achieved so far:
1. Attended new staff orientation.
2. Leave by 5.30pm everyday.
3. Talk to colleagues and my supervisor.
4. Settle random admin stuff (access passes, laptops, etc)
The 1st week has been really boring. It is actually very tiring trying to stay awake when there is nothing much to do. The coming week might be better since training is going to start. But I am not too hopeful.
The talk with my supervisor confirmed some of my fears. I can understand why the first few weeks of work can be boring. After all, I am untrained in the specifics and I have no job responsibilities. But if your supervisor tells you that he was not expecting you to join his team, that he is going to work out your role over the next few weeks, and that you should keep a lookout for opportunities where you can jump in and make a positive contribution, the red lights should probably start flashing rapidly. Am I unwanted and not needed?
There are some other disturbing issues, but they are speculative and probably confidential. It sure is difficult to master up some enthusiasm when the tunnel seems to have no light at the end.
-----
Moving on to non-work related events, last week was really tiring with meetings on Wed, Thu and Fri evenings. Singapore is getting crowded. We had to wait until 8.30pm before we got into the Thai restaurant at Marina Square. I am never ever going to eat there again. The service was atrocious, and they should at least employ people who can understand English. But it was good catching up with my friends. =)
On Sat, I went with my brother to Funan center so he can exchange his Xbox 360. Can you believe that it is going to be his 3rd set? The first two both had the fabled 'Red Ring of Death'. No wonder MS is going to suffer more than 1 billion in repair costs for the console.
Funan center was amazingly crowded. We had to wait for about 30min just to get into the carpark because it was full. Either I am too used to the wide spaces in the US or Singapore has really gotten super crowded. I was feeling very unhappy waiting in the car to get into the carpark and suddenly felt really alienated. Maybe I am starting to feel the effects of reverse culture shock.
-----
Fri's meeting with my Cornell friends left me feeling kind of nostalgic. It was almost as if we had never left Cornell and not met for more than a year. Granted it was not the whole gang, but it was nice to be able to sit back and chat about random things. It almost felt like we were back in college again.
Someone once commented that when we are overseas, we do not get to choose our (Sgrean) friends. We just get stuck with whoever is at the same school. But I guess in this case, my gang turns out to be pretty good.
1. Attended new staff orientation.
2. Leave by 5.30pm everyday.
3. Talk to colleagues and my supervisor.
4. Settle random admin stuff (access passes, laptops, etc)
The 1st week has been really boring. It is actually very tiring trying to stay awake when there is nothing much to do. The coming week might be better since training is going to start. But I am not too hopeful.
The talk with my supervisor confirmed some of my fears. I can understand why the first few weeks of work can be boring. After all, I am untrained in the specifics and I have no job responsibilities. But if your supervisor tells you that he was not expecting you to join his team, that he is going to work out your role over the next few weeks, and that you should keep a lookout for opportunities where you can jump in and make a positive contribution, the red lights should probably start flashing rapidly. Am I unwanted and not needed?
There are some other disturbing issues, but they are speculative and probably confidential. It sure is difficult to master up some enthusiasm when the tunnel seems to have no light at the end.
-----
Moving on to non-work related events, last week was really tiring with meetings on Wed, Thu and Fri evenings. Singapore is getting crowded. We had to wait until 8.30pm before we got into the Thai restaurant at Marina Square. I am never ever going to eat there again. The service was atrocious, and they should at least employ people who can understand English. But it was good catching up with my friends. =)
On Sat, I went with my brother to Funan center so he can exchange his Xbox 360. Can you believe that it is going to be his 3rd set? The first two both had the fabled 'Red Ring of Death'. No wonder MS is going to suffer more than 1 billion in repair costs for the console.
Funan center was amazingly crowded. We had to wait for about 30min just to get into the carpark because it was full. Either I am too used to the wide spaces in the US or Singapore has really gotten super crowded. I was feeling very unhappy waiting in the car to get into the carpark and suddenly felt really alienated. Maybe I am starting to feel the effects of reverse culture shock.
-----
Fri's meeting with my Cornell friends left me feeling kind of nostalgic. It was almost as if we had never left Cornell and not met for more than a year. Granted it was not the whole gang, but it was nice to be able to sit back and chat about random things. It almost felt like we were back in college again.
Someone once commented that when we are overseas, we do not get to choose our (Sgrean) friends. We just get stuck with whoever is at the same school. But I guess in this case, my gang turns out to be pretty good.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Update
Hello, it's been a while since I updated anything.
It's been quite a wild rush since my last post. Commencement came and was over. We actually managed to finish packing the apartment, but at the cost of canceling the last hangout session at our place.
Then it was off to Vancouver with my parents for a bus tour that took us on a 2600km (I think) round trip to the Rockies and back. The view was great, the food mediocre, and the bus ride horrendously uncomfortable. I will try to upload some pictures when I find the time.
And now, I have started work.
Not much (positive) comments. The place is near my house, so that is a big plus. Hm, and that's about it.
Should be watching Fantastic Four 2 tomorrow evening. yes yes, it is a very old show, but well, I totally missed Spiderman 3.
It's been quite a wild rush since my last post. Commencement came and was over. We actually managed to finish packing the apartment, but at the cost of canceling the last hangout session at our place.
Then it was off to Vancouver with my parents for a bus tour that took us on a 2600km (I think) round trip to the Rockies and back. The view was great, the food mediocre, and the bus ride horrendously uncomfortable. I will try to upload some pictures when I find the time.
And now, I have started work.
Not much (positive) comments. The place is near my house, so that is a big plus. Hm, and that's about it.
Should be watching Fantastic Four 2 tomorrow evening. yes yes, it is a very old show, but well, I totally missed Spiderman 3.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Packing Frenzy
I started packing yesterday and discovered that I have a lot of junk. There were old documents, strange computer cables that I did not recognize, and random pieces of stationery. Most of them went promptly into the trash can.
I also discovered a lot of sentimental stuff. There was a whole bunch of postcards that Keru sent me, so heart-warming to see some that date all the way back to 2004. I also feel ashamed that I have not reciprocate as much, especially in recent times.
I also found some little notes from V-day all the way back when I was a freshman. I still remember a whole bunch of us going out for a dinner at Lost Dog's Cafe in the freezing winter cold on Feb 14. I also remember the amount of work that piled up from the gift preparation for V-day. Hehe, looking back, that was kind of cute.
There were also birthday cards from long ago and some remnant notes from a relationship long gone. I did not read through everything, but they bring back memories.
It was kind of heart-breaking that I realized that I have to throw away most of my notes. Actually I am passing them to a first year graduate student, but it is as good as throwing them away. Oh well, I do have the pdf versions. But the homeworks and hand written notes represent years of work and pain. I even have some of my Cornell ECE notes. Anyway, I still kept some of the notes and most of the textbooks. The notes for sentimental reasons and the textbooks because they are so expensive.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that I actually have 4 suitcases here; I thought that I only have 3. Anyway, it is now down to 3 again as the last one has a damaged zipper and I cannot open it anymore.
Alright, time to make a call home. My parents should be awake and getting ready to leave for the airport in a while. Yeah!!!
I also discovered a lot of sentimental stuff. There was a whole bunch of postcards that Keru sent me, so heart-warming to see some that date all the way back to 2004. I also feel ashamed that I have not reciprocate as much, especially in recent times.
I also found some little notes from V-day all the way back when I was a freshman. I still remember a whole bunch of us going out for a dinner at Lost Dog's Cafe in the freezing winter cold on Feb 14. I also remember the amount of work that piled up from the gift preparation for V-day. Hehe, looking back, that was kind of cute.
There were also birthday cards from long ago and some remnant notes from a relationship long gone. I did not read through everything, but they bring back memories.
It was kind of heart-breaking that I realized that I have to throw away most of my notes. Actually I am passing them to a first year graduate student, but it is as good as throwing them away. Oh well, I do have the pdf versions. But the homeworks and hand written notes represent years of work and pain. I even have some of my Cornell ECE notes. Anyway, I still kept some of the notes and most of the textbooks. The notes for sentimental reasons and the textbooks because they are so expensive.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that I actually have 4 suitcases here; I thought that I only have 3. Anyway, it is now down to 3 again as the last one has a damaged zipper and I cannot open it anymore.
Alright, time to make a call home. My parents should be awake and getting ready to leave for the airport in a while. Yeah!!!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
End of Everything
Yes! I am totally done with the quarter and my education. I just came back from a presentation this morning which went pretty well. It was very informal and the TA was very nice and upbeat about the whole thing, so I am happy.
My parents will be here in 48 hours. Before then, I need to get all my stuff in order. Feels like an insurmountable task though, my room is in a mess. There is also the rest of the apartment to clean up and pack too before this Sunday. Hmm... as one of my friends says, desperation is the biggest motivation. Hehe... I am sure it will work out fine in the end.
----
On another note, I am not so confident about other things working fine in the end. We shall see how it goes bah. That reminds me of a quote that I read recently...
In the End,
we will remember
not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
I think we can also rephrase the last line as but the words/actions of our friends.
On a good note, I suppose when I start being bothered by the actions/inactions of my friends, I know that they are truly my friends.
My parents will be here in 48 hours. Before then, I need to get all my stuff in order. Feels like an insurmountable task though, my room is in a mess. There is also the rest of the apartment to clean up and pack too before this Sunday. Hmm... as one of my friends says, desperation is the biggest motivation. Hehe... I am sure it will work out fine in the end.
----
On another note, I am not so confident about other things working fine in the end. We shall see how it goes bah. That reminds me of a quote that I read recently...
In the End,
we will remember
not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
I think we can also rephrase the last line as but the words/actions of our friends.
On a good note, I suppose when I start being bothered by the actions/inactions of my friends, I know that they are truly my friends.
Friday, June 8, 2007
No Motivation...
I am into the home stretch and feeling extremely unmotivated. There isn't really that much left to do. I have one homework which I plan to finish tonight, a project report that is almost done, and one exam on Tue that I plan to start preparing for tomorrow.
I spent some time this afternoon clearing up my room. Oh man, the amount of junk I have accumulated over a year! Opening my drawer, I noticed even more things that need to be cleared. I think I will start cleaning everything after my exam on Tue and concentrate on my work for now. I was also looking through all my financial accounts and wondering what to do with them. Sigh, after 4 years in the US I have grown some roots here.
The other day I had difficulty asleep as I was seized by anxiety pangs of sorts. Not anxiety about work or what. I was worried about going back permanently. Will I be able to adjust? How will work be like? Over the past years, Sg has become more like a holiday destination; I go back during school breaks to relax, enjoy the food, and see friends and family. Even my sister commented once that it might be quite different for them to adjust when I go back permanently. Although I suspect her comment was also related to how I am going to be a working adult rather than a student, so my life will be very different.
Anyway, I realize that this will also be the last few days where I get to cook, which is both good and bad. Good because I will get to eat superior mum-cooked cuisine back home, and bad because I do derive some pleasure in cooking. My past attempts at learning to cook from my mum never worked out. It was so easy to fall asleep before dinner time when I was on holiday.
Alright, time to get my butt off the chair. Think I will cook the minced pork with silken tofu and lots of fresh chili. =)
I spent some time this afternoon clearing up my room. Oh man, the amount of junk I have accumulated over a year! Opening my drawer, I noticed even more things that need to be cleared. I think I will start cleaning everything after my exam on Tue and concentrate on my work for now. I was also looking through all my financial accounts and wondering what to do with them. Sigh, after 4 years in the US I have grown some roots here.
The other day I had difficulty asleep as I was seized by anxiety pangs of sorts. Not anxiety about work or what. I was worried about going back permanently. Will I be able to adjust? How will work be like? Over the past years, Sg has become more like a holiday destination; I go back during school breaks to relax, enjoy the food, and see friends and family. Even my sister commented once that it might be quite different for them to adjust when I go back permanently. Although I suspect her comment was also related to how I am going to be a working adult rather than a student, so my life will be very different.
Anyway, I realize that this will also be the last few days where I get to cook, which is both good and bad. Good because I will get to eat superior mum-cooked cuisine back home, and bad because I do derive some pleasure in cooking. My past attempts at learning to cook from my mum never worked out. It was so easy to fall asleep before dinner time when I was on holiday.
Alright, time to get my butt off the chair. Think I will cook the minced pork with silken tofu and lots of fresh chili. =)
Monday, June 4, 2007
ST article
Oooh, I can hardly believe that this letter got published. (link)
-----
Future not so rosy for working-class S'poreans
MANY Singaporeans must be celebrating at the moment, with the buoyant economy, high employment, higher salaries and, for private home owners, skyrocketing property prices and 'en bloc' frenzy.
-----
Future not so rosy for working-class S'poreans
MANY Singaporeans must be celebrating at the moment, with the buoyant economy, high employment, higher salaries and, for private home owners, skyrocketing property prices and 'en bloc' frenzy.
However, is the current state of the economy and future as rosy as it appears for most working-class Singaporeans?
According to data published in a report on the wealthiest cities in the world by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) on March 11, Singapore ranks 36th out of 70 cities based on gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005.
A look at the rankings will reveal that, apart from Singapore, all the cities in the bottom half are in Second and Third World countries.
Singapore's GDP of US$129 million (S$197 million) pales beside other Asian cities such as Tokyo (US$1.19 billion), Hong Kong (US$244 million), Seoul (US$218 million) and Shanghai (US$139 million). In fact, we are only slightly ahead of Mumbai (US$123 million).
These rankings are arrived at by using purchasing-power- parity exchange rates.
However, unlike Singapore, our Asian counterparts in Hong Kong seem to have more to look forward to. The projections for city wealth in the year 2020 show that Hong Kong is likely to rise to 14th position, while Singapore is likely to decline to 40th.
The study (taking into consideration deduction of taxes and social-security contributions) reveals that net salaries in Asian cities such as Tokyo, Dubai, Seoul and Taipei will surpass Singapore.
However, these sobering statistics apply only to the average Singaporean citizen. The top bracket of earners in professions such as medicine, law, banking and, of course, within the ranks of the Government, will earn as much, if not more, than some of their counterparts worldwide.
What do these figures tell Singaporeans? We can conclude that even though we pay a relatively low rate of personal income tax, the net amount of wages we take home leaves us in the bottom half of the 70 cities in the PWC report.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
2 weeks left
I am into the final 2 weeks of my student life. Only 3 days of classes left, actually, make that 2 days of classes left since I do not have class on Wed. The last 3 days of classes for a long time to come. There is still quite a bit left to do, but I know that we will all make it one way or another.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
4 weeks left
I just flipped through my organizer and realized that my parents are arriving in exactly 4 weeks!
Wow, I didn't realize that I am going to be graduating so soon. Granted, this quarter is not as busy as the previous two. But, there is still a lot to finish up within the next few weeks. Hope all goes well!
----
So I have been a bad boy and went to the Big Apple over the weekend instead of working. It was a very hectic trip, which started with an overnight flight where I slept less than 4 hours. The first day involved a lot of walking, Mary Poppins, and a late night meeting with Jason until 2am or so.
The next few days also involved considerable walking, although we got tired and used the subway more often. We were lucky enough to be along 5th Ave when the Queen was apparently shopping in one of the shops. The entire road was filled with police cars parked perpendicular to the sideway with their sirens flashing. It was quite a sight. I also had my very first Tapas meal; expensive but very good.
It was nice catching up with some friends and seeing NYC for the last time for many years to come. Thanks to YC for hosting us too, else would have spent a bomb on some crappy accomodation. Too bad we were both too busy moving around and didn't really get much time to sit back and chat. I suppose in NYC, everyone just lives life at a faster pace.
Wow, I didn't realize that I am going to be graduating so soon. Granted, this quarter is not as busy as the previous two. But, there is still a lot to finish up within the next few weeks. Hope all goes well!
----
So I have been a bad boy and went to the Big Apple over the weekend instead of working. It was a very hectic trip, which started with an overnight flight where I slept less than 4 hours. The first day involved a lot of walking, Mary Poppins, and a late night meeting with Jason until 2am or so.
The next few days also involved considerable walking, although we got tired and used the subway more often. We were lucky enough to be along 5th Ave when the Queen was apparently shopping in one of the shops. The entire road was filled with police cars parked perpendicular to the sideway with their sirens flashing. It was quite a sight. I also had my very first Tapas meal; expensive but very good.
It was nice catching up with some friends and seeing NYC for the last time for many years to come. Thanks to YC for hosting us too, else would have spent a bomb on some crappy accomodation. Too bad we were both too busy moving around and didn't really get much time to sit back and chat. I suppose in NYC, everyone just lives life at a faster pace.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Singaporeans World's Fastest Walkers!
Woah, this is really interesting news (link). I read it on my friend's blog.
Anyway, one line I find interesting was this...
"But there has to be an upper limit, because if this trend continues, we will arriving places before we have set off."
Haha.. isn't that stating the obvious...?
I find that I walk even faster than the typical Singaporean, but it's been a while since I tested myself against the field at Orchard Road. I do recall them being really slow though... Anyway, I credit my walking speed to dear Keru's wonderful training back in Bishan when we trekked between RI and MOELC. Those were the days...
---
On another note, I have developed a new liking for Jamba Juice! Hope the extra calories won't make me fat, and even so, please make my face fat!
Anyway, one line I find interesting was this...
"But there has to be an upper limit, because if this trend continues, we will arriving places before we have set off."
Haha.. isn't that stating the obvious...?
I find that I walk even faster than the typical Singaporean, but it's been a while since I tested myself against the field at Orchard Road. I do recall them being really slow though... Anyway, I credit my walking speed to dear Keru's wonderful training back in Bishan when we trekked between RI and MOELC. Those were the days...
---
On another note, I have developed a new liking for Jamba Juice! Hope the extra calories won't make me fat, and even so, please make my face fat!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
May Day News
Here's one headline that I found kind of offending:
"Workers here have little choice but to keep working"
The man in charge of planning for Singaporeans' retirement needs says they have little alternative but to work for longer so they can retire with enough savings for old age.
Minister (Prime Minister' Office) Lim Boon Heng noted that getting better returns for Central Provident Fund could also boost retirement savings, and that is what the Government is trying to do.
But it is not easy as some investments make good, but others fail, he said..... (link)
---
In other news, the government wants to raise the employment rate of women (link), and unionists wait (with bated breath?) for goodies (?!) to be announced during the rally (link).
So not only do we need to work till it's about time to enter the grave, our (married) women also need to work and juggle the demands of nurturing a child at the same time.
Unfortunately the articles did not explain why our pay is so low that we need to work forever to make sure we have enough to retire with, nor why married women have to work too. Is it to generate more income for the economy? In any case, I think most married women are already working out of necessity.
With both parties working, no wonder our birth rates are low. Work just sucks the life out of people, and in some unfortunate cases, that is actually literal (link).
"Workers here have little choice but to keep working"
The man in charge of planning for Singaporeans' retirement needs says they have little alternative but to work for longer so they can retire with enough savings for old age.
Minister (Prime Minister' Office) Lim Boon Heng noted that getting better returns for Central Provident Fund could also boost retirement savings, and that is what the Government is trying to do.
But it is not easy as some investments make good, but others fail, he said..... (link)
---
In other news, the government wants to raise the employment rate of women (link), and unionists wait (with bated breath?) for goodies (?!) to be announced during the rally (link).
So not only do we need to work till it's about time to enter the grave, our (married) women also need to work and juggle the demands of nurturing a child at the same time.
Unfortunately the articles did not explain why our pay is so low that we need to work forever to make sure we have enough to retire with, nor why married women have to work too. Is it to generate more income for the economy? In any case, I think most married women are already working out of necessity.
With both parties working, no wonder our birth rates are low. Work just sucks the life out of people, and in some unfortunate cases, that is actually literal (link).
Random Thoughts
Today could have been a wonderful day.
Last night, a few of us went to Milpitas and had 云吞面 for supper. It was one of the best 云吞 I had for a long time. To top it off, I had nice smooth 河粉 with it! A very nice and satisfying night.
This morning, we went to Stacks for brunch. The food was really good. The weather was fantastic too; it was actually 28 celsius with a nice breeze! For dinner, we visited an Italian restaurant Mezza Luna. The food was not too bad but a tad pricey for the serving size. The winding ride there and back didn't go down too well with my stomach either.
I didn't even do much work. The most strenuous thing was probably helping my friend set up his computer for some simulations and reading my notes.
But it takes just one thing to screw it all up.
---
On a happier note, I finally confirmed my trip to NYC. At least that should cheer someone up.
---
As some of my friends have said on occasions, my family is very important to me. I don't think I've ever said this to them (or ever will since it isn't really that Asian a thing to do), but I really do love them a lot. Perhaps that is the problem. I don't think I have enough love left for anyone else. There might be enough for a dog though, and I can be sure that it'll love me.
Last night, a few of us went to Milpitas and had 云吞面 for supper. It was one of the best 云吞 I had for a long time. To top it off, I had nice smooth 河粉 with it! A very nice and satisfying night.
This morning, we went to Stacks for brunch. The food was really good. The weather was fantastic too; it was actually 28 celsius with a nice breeze! For dinner, we visited an Italian restaurant Mezza Luna. The food was not too bad but a tad pricey for the serving size. The winding ride there and back didn't go down too well with my stomach either.
I didn't even do much work. The most strenuous thing was probably helping my friend set up his computer for some simulations and reading my notes.
But it takes just one thing to screw it all up.
---
On a happier note, I finally confirmed my trip to NYC. At least that should cheer someone up.
---
As some of my friends have said on occasions, my family is very important to me. I don't think I've ever said this to them (or ever will since it isn't really that Asian a thing to do), but I really do love them a lot. Perhaps that is the problem. I don't think I have enough love left for anyone else. There might be enough for a dog though, and I can be sure that it'll love me.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
I finally understand WJ's frustration with his research. I remember him complaining to me once about a paper from Michigan which was so sketchy that it took him forever to understand and replicate what it suggested. In addition he even found some errors and emailed the authors. The reply that came was they were going to correct the errors in a future paper.
So this paper that I am supposed to read for a homework sounds really good, until I start doing the math which turns out to be extremely confusing and hardly as easy as the paper made it to be. Oh well, I suppose I should not be surprised. Otherwise everyone will be designing circuits based on just one paper =p
So this paper that I am supposed to read for a homework sounds really good, until I start doing the math which turns out to be extremely confusing and hardly as easy as the paper made it to be. Oh well, I suppose I should not be surprised. Otherwise everyone will be designing circuits based on just one paper =p
Thursday, April 19, 2007
ST Main Page
I know this comment will reflect really badly of me. But this picture of a foreign beauty in a tube + old man + giggling schoolgirls really tickled me...
Slack Quarter
One of the first signs of a slack quarter is the high number of posts on my blog.
I finally decided to drop the lithography class, so I officially have Wed free, and Fri free because it is too much effort to go to school for a class I can and would rather watch online. This quarter is looking even better because I just discovered that the school library has a large collection of DVDs for 24-hr loans. I have already shortlisted The Departed, Babel, and Superman Returns on my to-watch list.
---
Today's weather, while sunny, was extremely windy and chilling. I ended up sitting in the sun with a hot cuppa coffee to warm up while waiting for my lecture. I am beginning to feel more and more Ang-Moh.
Anyway, I found that sitting alone in the sun with nothing to do is an absolute catalyst for the mind to wander and ponder over many issues; some pleasant and others unpleasant.
The biggest news this week is definitely the VA Tech shootings. My brother even MSN-ed me this morning (by order of my parents) to tell me to be careful. I don't think there is anything I can say here to add to the discussion. I am definitely very shocked and saddened by the whole incident. It also make me feel very vulnerable; the incident could easily happen here too.
I finally decided to drop the lithography class, so I officially have Wed free, and Fri free because it is too much effort to go to school for a class I can and would rather watch online. This quarter is looking even better because I just discovered that the school library has a large collection of DVDs for 24-hr loans. I have already shortlisted The Departed, Babel, and Superman Returns on my to-watch list.
---
Today's weather, while sunny, was extremely windy and chilling. I ended up sitting in the sun with a hot cuppa coffee to warm up while waiting for my lecture. I am beginning to feel more and more Ang-Moh.
Anyway, I found that sitting alone in the sun with nothing to do is an absolute catalyst for the mind to wander and ponder over many issues; some pleasant and others unpleasant.
The biggest news this week is definitely the VA Tech shootings. My brother even MSN-ed me this morning (by order of my parents) to tell me to be careful. I don't think there is anything I can say here to add to the discussion. I am definitely very shocked and saddened by the whole incident. It also make me feel very vulnerable; the incident could easily happen here too.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Glorious Weather!
One of the perks of being in California is the wonderful weather, and today was a prime example. Blue cloudless skies, lots of sunshine, and a light cool breeze. The weather was simply too good to be wasted at home. Furthermore, I found a free Jamba Juice coupon in the mail. So I went out for an afternoon stroll on campus to get myself a free smoothie and enjoy the sun.
I ended up getting more than what I expected. Incidentally, it happened to be Community Day, so the entire campus was teeming with people and activity. I had quite a good time wandering through the small crowd and looking at the booths which were largely targeted at young children.
The campus definitely felt more pedestrian friendly today. All the visitors were walking on the walkways, oblivious to the few bicyclists around. Hehe, the bicyclists ended up having to maneuver around us pedestrians for a change. (I absolutely hate the inconsiderate bicyclists in the school, they ride as if they own the place.)
After I got my smoothie from Jamba Juice, I headed home and chanced upon an entertaining Japanese drum performance. Perfect end to a wonderful day! Made even better than the fact that I didn't any work until dinner time.
I ended up getting more than what I expected. Incidentally, it happened to be Community Day, so the entire campus was teeming with people and activity. I had quite a good time wandering through the small crowd and looking at the booths which were largely targeted at young children.
The campus definitely felt more pedestrian friendly today. All the visitors were walking on the walkways, oblivious to the few bicyclists around. Hehe, the bicyclists ended up having to maneuver around us pedestrians for a change. (I absolutely hate the inconsiderate bicyclists in the school, they ride as if they own the place.)
After I got my smoothie from Jamba Juice, I headed home and chanced upon an entertaining Japanese drum performance. Perfect end to a wonderful day! Made even better than the fact that I didn't any work until dinner time.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Short Update
School has been going pretty well. If I do drop that infuriatingly-incomprehensible lithography class and just audit it, this quarter will become even better. My week effectively ends on Friday, since the Friday sections can either be watched or are infrequent. In addition, there is only one class on Mon and no class on Wed!
Now, if only I have the means to do something more fun with the time than bum around in Stanford. Oh well, I shall go take comfort in reading a totally brainless fantasy storybook now.
Now, if only I have the means to do something more fun with the time than bum around in Stanford. Oh well, I shall go take comfort in reading a totally brainless fantasy storybook now.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Case of the Disappearing Article
So the following article was on STI for a while, and promptly disappeared a few hours later. Thought that I will post it here for record sake. The actual link is here.
-----
Singapore PM's salary stuns White House Official
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A senior White House official on Tuesday admitted he was floored by the news that Singapore's prime minister earned five times more than US President George W. Bush.
-----
Singapore PM's salary stuns White House Official
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A senior White House official on Tuesday admitted he was floored by the news that Singapore's prime minister earned five times more than US President George W. Bush.
"I'm going to emigrate and run for office in Singapore," the official said on condition he be identified only as "a senior administration official who sits in disbelief after reading that story."
On Monday, the Singapore government had announced a fresh 25.5 percent pay hike for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, boosting his salary to 2.05 million dollars per year.
Bush gets paid 400,000 dollars per year for doing his job, according to the White House.
Combined with personal investment income, he and his wife Laura reported 618,694 dollars in taxable income in the 2005 fiscal year. They had to pay 187,768 dollars in federal taxes.
But maybe Bush shouldn't feel so bad. The Singaporean's paycheck is eight times fatter than Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's.
----
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
ST News
Media paints a bad image of S'pore, but people here know better
THE Western media paints Singapore as a place where individual freedoms are restricted, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said in Sydney on Wednesday, but businessmen and talented people working in the country know better, he told the Singapore media.....
----
Unfortunately my EDB account seems to have expired.... damn. I sure would have loved to hear what and how people in Singapore know better.
THE Western media paints Singapore as a place where individual freedoms are restricted, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said in Sydney on Wednesday, but businessmen and talented people working in the country know better, he told the Singapore media.....
----
Unfortunately my EDB account seems to have expired.... damn. I sure would have loved to hear what and how people in Singapore know better.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Glorious Weather & Floating Abominations
The weather has been great the past few days; lots of sun and yet cool enough to walk without much sweating. Late yesterday afternoon, we decided to pay the Dish a visit. The Stanford Dish is a large satellite at the top of a hill. The area surrounding it is supposedly a Mountain Lion habitat area, and is also open to the public as a recreational area. Many people hike/jog up the hill. Some random pictures...
Strange Straw Figures at the Dish
One of the many squirrels
We wanted to walk all the way to the Dish until we realized that it was a 3.5 miles trek. We gave up and made our way to this other place called Vista Point. The drive was only 12 miles but took almost 30 minutes because it was an extremely winding road. It would have been perfect for some Initial D racing at night....
Anyway, Vista Point had a fantastic view of the Bay area. If only the drive was more pleasant...
Nice Clouds at the Horizon
-----
The glorious weather also brings with it new life in the form of floating caterpillars (eeeek!). I started noticing them towards the end of last quarter, and now they are everywhere! They float down from trees in the dozens on little spidery threads and drift in the wind. If I didn't know, I might even mistake them for spiderwebs. Absolutely disgusting... I ended up walking off the shaded pavement most of the time because I did not want to walk into the caterpillars.
I hope they turn into butterflies soon and disappear from the paths. Or maybe when school starts, the human traffic will help clear them. Muahahaha.
Strange Straw Figures at the Dish
One of the many squirrelsWe wanted to walk all the way to the Dish until we realized that it was a 3.5 miles trek. We gave up and made our way to this other place called Vista Point. The drive was only 12 miles but took almost 30 minutes because it was an extremely winding road. It would have been perfect for some Initial D racing at night....
Anyway, Vista Point had a fantastic view of the Bay area. If only the drive was more pleasant...
Nice Clouds at the HorizonThe glorious weather also brings with it new life in the form of floating caterpillars (eeeek!). I started noticing them towards the end of last quarter, and now they are everywhere! They float down from trees in the dozens on little spidery threads and drift in the wind. If I didn't know, I might even mistake them for spiderwebs. Absolutely disgusting... I ended up walking off the shaded pavement most of the time because I did not want to walk into the caterpillars.
I hope they turn into butterflies soon and disappear from the paths. Or maybe when school starts, the human traffic will help clear them. Muahahaha.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
3rd Last Day of Spring Break
Chilling around doing nothing (much) during Spring Break is really quite enjoyable. I had dinner with CZ and TA at this wonderful Vietnamese restaurant last night. Most of my friends here do not eat beef, and that place serves the best beef bowls I've had. So it was a rare occasion where all three of us who went could enjoy the beef noodles.
Thanks to TA, I got to watch Transamerica last night. It was a pretty good show. The lead actress gave a very good portrayal of a transsexual. My only grouse is that the show ended on an inconclusive note and the issues of being a transsexual was not totally explored. At the end of the day, it was more about the reunion of the transsexual father and his/her long-lost son.
Anyway, it was nice catching up with TA again after so long. We've all been so caught up with school and hardly get the chance to have any HTHT for a long time. I wonder how things will be when all of us get back to Sg after graduation and start work. Will we still have the time to chit-chat on MSN? How many people will be able to meet up for the occasional gatherings?
Thanks to TA, I got to watch Transamerica last night. It was a pretty good show. The lead actress gave a very good portrayal of a transsexual. My only grouse is that the show ended on an inconclusive note and the issues of being a transsexual was not totally explored. At the end of the day, it was more about the reunion of the transsexual father and his/her long-lost son.
Anyway, it was nice catching up with TA again after so long. We've all been so caught up with school and hardly get the chance to have any HTHT for a long time. I wonder how things will be when all of us get back to Sg after graduation and start work. Will we still have the time to chit-chat on MSN? How many people will be able to meet up for the occasional gatherings?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Feeling Satisfied
Just finished cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and re-vacuumed parts of the house. The bathtub was clogging and the repairman who came wore his boots all the way into the bathroom! So I ended up vacuuming the floor and washing the bathroom. Feels good to have a clean house.. :D
CZ came back Wed night and will be leaving for Tahoe later this evening to ski. I got to hang out with him yesterday, which was really nice because I don't think we've had much chance to. I got a haircut, the first one since sometime last Nov I believe. It is now short and nice, perfect for the current Cali weather.
We also caught two movies: Shooter and TMNT. Both were brainless, but pretty entertaining. I would say that Shooter was the better of the two. TMNT just seemed too different from the childhood cartoon I remember. They just don't make cartoons like they used to anymore. Everything now is about state-of-the-art 3D animation. No wonder I like anime so much; they are closer to the cartoons I loved so much as a kid.
I am so happy to have a clean house. Yeah!
CZ came back Wed night and will be leaving for Tahoe later this evening to ski. I got to hang out with him yesterday, which was really nice because I don't think we've had much chance to. I got a haircut, the first one since sometime last Nov I believe. It is now short and nice, perfect for the current Cali weather.
We also caught two movies: Shooter and TMNT. Both were brainless, but pretty entertaining. I would say that Shooter was the better of the two. TMNT just seemed too different from the childhood cartoon I remember. They just don't make cartoons like they used to anymore. Everything now is about state-of-the-art 3D animation. No wonder I like anime so much; they are closer to the cartoons I loved so much as a kid.
I am so happy to have a clean house. Yeah!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Calorie-Loaded Day
Wow. Let me count what I have eaten today.
Breakfast: Simple bowl of Post cereal + Mandatory cuppa cafe
Lunch: Shin Ramen with Dumplings.
Dinner: Porridge (lots of it) with 8 chicken wings (surprised I finished)
Supper: 1 pack of Honey Dijon Kettle Chips (all 9 oz of it)
I also had a can of coke from the gas station along the way to pick my friend up from the airport.
Breakfast: Simple bowl of Post cereal + Mandatory cuppa cafe
Lunch: Shin Ramen with Dumplings.
Dinner: Porridge (lots of it) with 8 chicken wings (surprised I finished)
Supper: 1 pack of Honey Dijon Kettle Chips (all 9 oz of it)
I also had a can of coke from the gas station along the way to pick my friend up from the airport.
Random Chatter
One thing about Stanford that really impresses me is its efficiency (or perhaps inhumanely tight academic schedule). Final exams can be graded and final grades decided within a week. Typical mid-terms only have a turnover of one weekend. Perhaps Cornell was just inefficient?
Grades for this quarter ended up better than expected. In some sense I am happy that all the work paid off. Interestingly, the first A+ I got in an EE class comes from my CS architecture class. Maybe this is a sign that I should take the next class in the series. Maybe it is a sign that I am more suited for architecture than circuits.
Anyway, I am not as happy as I thought I will be, nor as happy as I might have been in the past. Maybe expectations are changing eh? I remember TT telling me that after winter break, he realized that grades aren't that important. I cannot remember what he said was important though.
Been trying to plan my parents' trip this June. We should be visiting Vancouver and the Rocky Mountains. I was looking at some online tour package which looked quite promising. But I just noticed that it departs on Friday. Darn.. we were going to arrive on Mon or Tue. Maybe we will end up driving ourselves.
Let's see what I have been doing the past few days. Vacuumed the house. Placed a fix-it request to fix the living room lights. Played with the new MacBook Pro and sent it in for repairs today (the trackpad seems a tad strange so I decided to get it replaced). Cooked kong ba for last night's potluck dinner. Watched American Idol last night for the first time; it was pretty entertaining. Filled up the tax forms (should be getting a few hundred dollars back.. yeah!). Ah finally hopped onto the Facebook bandwagon.
Things left to do: settle next quarter's classes, buy textbooks, write a few postcards/cards, check up on IEEE membership, order cap+gown for graduation, apply for graduation, and confirm my air ticket back to Sg.
Grades for this quarter ended up better than expected. In some sense I am happy that all the work paid off. Interestingly, the first A+ I got in an EE class comes from my CS architecture class. Maybe this is a sign that I should take the next class in the series. Maybe it is a sign that I am more suited for architecture than circuits.
Anyway, I am not as happy as I thought I will be, nor as happy as I might have been in the past. Maybe expectations are changing eh? I remember TT telling me that after winter break, he realized that grades aren't that important. I cannot remember what he said was important though.
Been trying to plan my parents' trip this June. We should be visiting Vancouver and the Rocky Mountains. I was looking at some online tour package which looked quite promising. But I just noticed that it departs on Friday. Darn.. we were going to arrive on Mon or Tue. Maybe we will end up driving ourselves.
Let's see what I have been doing the past few days. Vacuumed the house. Placed a fix-it request to fix the living room lights. Played with the new MacBook Pro and sent it in for repairs today (the trackpad seems a tad strange so I decided to get it replaced). Cooked kong ba for last night's potluck dinner. Watched American Idol last night for the first time; it was pretty entertaining. Filled up the tax forms (should be getting a few hundred dollars back.. yeah!). Ah finally hopped onto the Facebook bandwagon.
Things left to do: settle next quarter's classes, buy textbooks, write a few postcards/cards, check up on IEEE membership, order cap+gown for graduation, apply for graduation, and confirm my air ticket back to Sg.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Last Spring Break...
Hello, I am back!
Someone commented that I always blog about work. Another commented that I am always talking about work. So I will refrain from talking about work as much as I can... as soon as I give a quick update (which will inevitably contain references to work).
The quarter has come and gone. Spring break officially starts today, and I am bumming around here in Stanford. One of my house-mates is back in Ithaca, while the other two have left on a big road trip. By big, I mean the length of time (8 days) and number of people (9). Honestly, I feel kind of bad that I am not going with them; they did their best in persuading me to go and I suppose I did not give them a very good reason. Oh well....
So other than trying to save S11, another reason might be that I just don't get much utility from traveling. After almost 4 years in the US, I equate traveling to fatigue. There is definitely the fun factor, and it is the last chance to travel together with a big bunch of friends. After we get back to Singapore after graduation, work and family will prevent us from doing anything like this. So perhaps, I will regret my decision in months to come. But for now, other considerations are more important.
Back to the issue of graduation, 4 years has passed by surprisingly quickly. This last year must be the fastest of all due to the pace of life here. A recurring dinner topic among us is how we will cope with going back to Singapore permanently. There is general grumbling about starting work and worries about being paid (real) peanuts. But I think a bigger worry is the reverse culture shock.
I think I should be able to deal with the loss of space; at least everything will be within 20-30 minutes if I drive. The loss of privacy should not be an issue. I am used to having my own room and being free from parents. Going back means that I will be sharing my room with my brother again, but that should be fine I think. Anyway, it will be as big an adjustment for me as it is for them. I am not so sure if I can deal with the different working style though. Keeping my fingers crossed on this....
I was going to go on about the woes of my posting back in my company, but since that is about work, I shall defer it to a later point. Instead, let's end with a picture!
New Gem in My Room
Someone commented that I always blog about work. Another commented that I am always talking about work. So I will refrain from talking about work as much as I can... as soon as I give a quick update (which will inevitably contain references to work).
The quarter has come and gone. Spring break officially starts today, and I am bumming around here in Stanford. One of my house-mates is back in Ithaca, while the other two have left on a big road trip. By big, I mean the length of time (8 days) and number of people (9). Honestly, I feel kind of bad that I am not going with them; they did their best in persuading me to go and I suppose I did not give them a very good reason. Oh well....
So other than trying to save S11, another reason might be that I just don't get much utility from traveling. After almost 4 years in the US, I equate traveling to fatigue. There is definitely the fun factor, and it is the last chance to travel together with a big bunch of friends. After we get back to Singapore after graduation, work and family will prevent us from doing anything like this. So perhaps, I will regret my decision in months to come. But for now, other considerations are more important.
Back to the issue of graduation, 4 years has passed by surprisingly quickly. This last year must be the fastest of all due to the pace of life here. A recurring dinner topic among us is how we will cope with going back to Singapore permanently. There is general grumbling about starting work and worries about being paid (real) peanuts. But I think a bigger worry is the reverse culture shock.
I think I should be able to deal with the loss of space; at least everything will be within 20-30 minutes if I drive. The loss of privacy should not be an issue. I am used to having my own room and being free from parents. Going back means that I will be sharing my room with my brother again, but that should be fine I think. Anyway, it will be as big an adjustment for me as it is for them. I am not so sure if I can deal with the different working style though. Keeping my fingers crossed on this....
I was going to go on about the woes of my posting back in my company, but since that is about work, I shall defer it to a later point. Instead, let's end with a picture!
New Gem in My RoomTuesday, February 20, 2007
Is this for Real?!
56-year-old Mabel Ong held up as example during Budget Statement
56-year-old Mabel Ong stepped into the limelight in Singapore's Budget on Thursday.
She was held up as an example of how many Singaporeans have a positive attitude when it comes to work and skills upgrading.
And she is one of those who will benefit from the help the government is providing to low income workers.
The mini-bar supervisor earns $800 monthly and lives with her elderly mother in a three-room flat.
Even though grateful for the extra money, Mabel said she would rather not receive any hand-outs.
"I am happy... but I think I better upgrade myself, so that my salary increment will be bigger and I'll get more pay, then I can spend more happily. Don't wait for others to help you, but earn it yourself," said Mabel, a mini-bar supervisor at Oriental Hotel.
Source: CNA
56-year-old Mabel Ong stepped into the limelight in Singapore's Budget on Thursday.
She was held up as an example of how many Singaporeans have a positive attitude when it comes to work and skills upgrading.
And she is one of those who will benefit from the help the government is providing to low income workers.
The mini-bar supervisor earns $800 monthly and lives with her elderly mother in a three-room flat.
Even though grateful for the extra money, Mabel said she would rather not receive any hand-outs.
"I am happy... but I think I better upgrade myself, so that my salary increment will be bigger and I'll get more pay, then I can spend more happily. Don't wait for others to help you, but earn it yourself," said Mabel, a mini-bar supervisor at Oriental Hotel.
Source: CNA
Friday, February 16, 2007
My Birth Date
After this week ends, there will only be four weeks of classes left, which will then be followed by the finals. Time sure flies by here... I just had a (semi-disastrous) midterm last night, keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Tomorrow morning will be my last midterm. Yeah! Then it will be time to continue working on my parallel BTree code...
Anyway, I was reading the ST this morning and noticed that we are going to get the full GST hike at one go. Of all dates, it has to fall on my birthday. Come to think of it, July 1st seems like a pretty popular date. Let me try to recall what else happened on that date...
1. Hong Kong becoming part of China
2. SAF day.
3. hmm.. can't remember anymore haha.. I thought that was more.
Wikipedia has a full list anyway... Interesting read..
Anyway, I was reading the ST this morning and noticed that we are going to get the full GST hike at one go. Of all dates, it has to fall on my birthday. Come to think of it, July 1st seems like a pretty popular date. Let me try to recall what else happened on that date...
1. Hong Kong becoming part of China
2. SAF day.
3. hmm.. can't remember anymore haha.. I thought that was more.
Wikipedia has a full list anyway... Interesting read..
Friday, February 2, 2007
No Social Life..
After having a chat with YJ about the apparent lack of community spirit among our fellow countrymen at Stanford, I decided to rant about social life here. Sadly, my comments might just be far from the truth since I am largely a hermit.
So it's been about five months since I came to the Farm. Compared to good old Ithaca, the work/study opportunities are limitless. I was, and still am, immensely impressed by the amount of brain-juice this place has.
Yesterday, I attended a talk by David Patterson, the co-author of the industry bible for computer architecture. (The other co-author happens to be the school president by the way.) The number of textbook writers and leading researchers here is simply amazing.
Being in Silicon Valley does have its benefits after all.
However, the social life seems kind of lacking. Everyone seems to be very much caught up in work. Everywhere I go, I hear people talking about their work. The much larger graduate population here might be the reason for this; I still remember one of my TAs saying that as a graduate student, research just occupies his mind all the time.
I also find it hard to feel the presence of student groups here. The equivalent of Ho Plaza here is filled with people and tables only during a career fair. There's usually no tabling, and if there is, it is just two or three lonely-looking tables. Most people either zip past in their bicycles or walk a distance away (I'm guilty of the latter). It makes me wonder how many active student groups there really are. Maybe all the activity is in the undergraduate dorms and I am missing out.
Then again, having to finish my MS in nine months automatically makes me miss out on a lot of things. If I had the choice, I will probably take one more quarter.
CNY is coming up in two weeks. Suddenly, I miss good old Cornell and our annual CNY dinner.
So it's been about five months since I came to the Farm. Compared to good old Ithaca, the work/study opportunities are limitless. I was, and still am, immensely impressed by the amount of brain-juice this place has.
Yesterday, I attended a talk by David Patterson, the co-author of the industry bible for computer architecture. (The other co-author happens to be the school president by the way.) The number of textbook writers and leading researchers here is simply amazing.
Being in Silicon Valley does have its benefits after all.
However, the social life seems kind of lacking. Everyone seems to be very much caught up in work. Everywhere I go, I hear people talking about their work. The much larger graduate population here might be the reason for this; I still remember one of my TAs saying that as a graduate student, research just occupies his mind all the time.
I also find it hard to feel the presence of student groups here. The equivalent of Ho Plaza here is filled with people and tables only during a career fair. There's usually no tabling, and if there is, it is just two or three lonely-looking tables. Most people either zip past in their bicycles or walk a distance away (I'm guilty of the latter). It makes me wonder how many active student groups there really are. Maybe all the activity is in the undergraduate dorms and I am missing out.
Then again, having to finish my MS in nine months automatically makes me miss out on a lot of things. If I had the choice, I will probably take one more quarter.
CNY is coming up in two weeks. Suddenly, I miss good old Cornell and our annual CNY dinner.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Intel Announces 45nm Transistors! + other news
The biggest news the past week, in my opinion at least, was Intel's announcement of the next generation 45nm transistors (hurrah!). It was quickly followed by a similar announcement from the IBM alliance, which includes Intel's arch-rival AMD, and I believe Toshiba as well.
I am not sure if it's just me, but I felt that there was a lot of 'fanfare' surrounding the whole thing; I mean, I hardly noticed the advent of the 65nm node. So I thought I noticed the news because I had grown more geeky and started reading eetimes. Then my professor came into class one day and commented about the huge media coverage.
Anyway, I thought it was all very exciting, but I shan't bore the non-EEs with the details.
On another note, I found the absurdity of certain media reports (including our very own ST) very entertaining and hilarious at times. But first, here's a good one which is largely correct:
"...Each company said it has devised a way to replace problematic but vital materials in the transistors of computer chips that have begun leaking too much electric current as the circuitry on those chips gets smaller...
Technology experts said it is the most dramatic overhaul of transistor technology for computer chips since the 1960s and is crucial in allowing semiconductor companies to continue making ever-smaller devices that are also energy-efficient."
"...However, past the 65nm barrier, the silicon used to manufacture critical elements of the switches known as gate dielectrics no longer performs as it does at larger scales.As a result, currents passing through the transistors leak and reduce the effectiveness of the chip.To prevent this, researchers have had to develop new materials to contain the current at such small scales. The class of silicon substitutes are known as high-k metals... (emphasis mine)"
Now I found that absolutely hilarious; there is no such thing as high-k metals, just high-k dielectrics. Some other reports I read claimed that the new transistors replaced silicon dioxide with metal! That is replacing an insulator with a conductor, which doesn't make any sense.
Anyway, from what I have read so far, it seems like the new innovation is to replace the polysilicon gate with a metal gate, and replace the silicon dioxide with a high-k dielectric (hafnium oxide). So there, if that was confusing, it must have confused the poor journalist writing the article...
I have been really busy the past few weeks (as evident from the dearth of posts). Classes have been heavy, but mostly enjoyable so far. This past week has been particularly rough, I think my sleep cycle has been shifted permanently from sleeping at 12-ish to sleeping at 1-ish or 2. I just completed a programming assignment due Mon, three homeworks due Wed, and one homework due Thu. I still got one more assignment due Thu that shouldn't take too long.
But, there is no time to relax... Two midterms next week, another two the week after (also CNY week). That's excluding all the weekly homeworks... sigh. Thinking about it makes me tired. I shall get to bed now. Hope that I will update again soon. =)
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Start of a New Quarter
School resumes tomorrow, but I do not feel ready for it yet. Textbooks seem even more expensive this time; I just bought 200USD worth of course material for a single finance class. I will also have to do some course shopping this week. Hope it goes well...
The good thing is I actually get to enjoy public holidays here! There is no school next Mon, so a bunch of us will be heading down to Tahoe this weekend for a ski trip. I do not ski, but I can't wait to see snow. Yeah!
The good thing is I actually get to enjoy public holidays here! There is no school next Mon, so a bunch of us will be heading down to Tahoe this weekend for a ski trip. I do not ski, but I can't wait to see snow. Yeah!
Monday, January 8, 2007
Mexico Trip
It's time for a blow by blow account of my Mexico trip. Please don't be mistaken into thinking that my life here is filled with fun-filled trips. On the contrary, I spend all my time studying, eating, and doing groceries when school is in session.
This trip to Mexico represented many "firsts" for me. It was my first winter break away from home. It was the first time I went to a country where I did not speak the language. It was my first time traveling with a backpack. It was also my first time staying in a hostel. Overall, the trip was pretty enjoyable. Mexicans are extremely friendly and helpful, the pastry is amazing, and I adore guacamole, but cannot say the same for the Mexican staple of tacos.
Dates: Dec 18 - Dec 31, 2006
Day 1 - Mexico City
Cathedral at Zocalo. First of many cathedrals we visited.
We arrived in the morning and took the metro to our hotel, which is located in Zocalo, the historical center of Mexico city. The metro was insanely crowded, which is probably due to the low ticket price of 2 pesos (1 USD~10.75 pesos). It was also very efficient; the metro serves most parts of the city and comes at very regular intervals.
Christmas Deco at Zocalo
Day 2 - San Miguel De Allende
We took the first of many bus rides to get to San Miguel, a quiet little town about 2 hours away from Mexico city. Such "long-haul" buses operate from huge bus terminals in major cities of Mexico. There are a few big bus companies around, offering pretty comfortable rides.
We visited another cathedral in San Miguel. Most Mexicans are catholics and, from what I observed, deeply religious. There are always people in the churches, and every single town we visited has a main cathedral.
Plaza in front of the Cathedral. Notice the square canopies.
Day 3 - Guanajuato
A longer bus ride took us to Guanajuato, a beautiful small town among the hills. We had a wonderful guide, Maria, who brought us around. Thanks to my friend's Lonely Planet guide and Maria's navigational skills, we found a cozy little restaurant called Truco 7. We had lunch and dinner there; that was how good the food was. (ok, the extremely reasonable prices helped too.)
By Day
By Evening
Days 4,5,6 - Guadalajara
An even longer bus ride (5 hours I believe) brought us to Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico (Mexico City being the largest). By this time, most of us were feeling a bit tired from waking up early for the long bus rides. I was thankful for the longer time we spent here.
Anyway, Guadalajara reminded me of NYC; kind of polluted and crowded. Notable places visited included Tlaquepaque, where we got to look at some original and beautiful arts and crafts, and Tequila, where the famous liquor is made.
We also found a delightful Chinese restaurant. The owners are from Canton, and we were treated to a feast both times we were there. We even got the freshest prawns I tasted in a while the second time we visited.
Tequila
Agave Cactus from which Tequila is made
Day 7 - Mexico City
A 7-hour bus ride got us back to Mexico city. It was just a transit point before we left for Acapulco, which is another 5 hours away.
Days 8,9 - Acapulco
Acapulco is touted as a cheaper alternative to Cancun, which is this warm beach resort place that American students go to during Spring break and party the night away. However, I left disappointed with the place. The beaches were not as nice as I thought; they were largely overcrowded. At least the water still looked nice and clean.
The weather was much warmer than the rest of Mexico. I actually got to wear shorts!
Nice Blue Sea
Not-so-nice crowded beach. Notice the numerous umbrellas...
Day 10,11,12,13,14 - Mexico City
Final stop was Mexico City itself. We were planning to make a few day trips to nearby towns. In the end, we only visited Teotihuacan and Xochimilco. Everyone was a bit tired from the long trip. The other two towns we had in mind were Taxco and Puebla, which were about an hour or two away. We figured they were going to be just more cathedrals and colonial buildings.
Anyway, Teotihuacan was definitely the highlight. We climbed the two 'pyramids' (actually temples) there and got a wonderful view of the area. Xochimilco was not too bad too. We had a very relaxing boat ride along the canals. Another notable place we visited was the anthropology museum.
From the top of the Pyramid of the Moon
Pyramid of the Sun (with ant-like humans)
So ended our 2 weeks in Mexico...
This trip to Mexico represented many "firsts" for me. It was my first winter break away from home. It was the first time I went to a country where I did not speak the language. It was my first time traveling with a backpack. It was also my first time staying in a hostel. Overall, the trip was pretty enjoyable. Mexicans are extremely friendly and helpful, the pastry is amazing, and I adore guacamole, but cannot say the same for the Mexican staple of tacos.
Dates: Dec 18 - Dec 31, 2006
Day 1 - Mexico City
Cathedral at Zocalo. First of many cathedrals we visited.
Christmas Deco at ZocaloDay 2 - San Miguel De Allende
We took the first of many bus rides to get to San Miguel, a quiet little town about 2 hours away from Mexico city. Such "long-haul" buses operate from huge bus terminals in major cities of Mexico. There are a few big bus companies around, offering pretty comfortable rides.
We visited another cathedral in San Miguel. Most Mexicans are catholics and, from what I observed, deeply religious. There are always people in the churches, and every single town we visited has a main cathedral.
Plaza in front of the Cathedral. Notice the square canopies.Day 3 - Guanajuato
A longer bus ride took us to Guanajuato, a beautiful small town among the hills. We had a wonderful guide, Maria, who brought us around. Thanks to my friend's Lonely Planet guide and Maria's navigational skills, we found a cozy little restaurant called Truco 7. We had lunch and dinner there; that was how good the food was. (ok, the extremely reasonable prices helped too.)
By Day
By EveningDays 4,5,6 - Guadalajara
An even longer bus ride (5 hours I believe) brought us to Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico (Mexico City being the largest). By this time, most of us were feeling a bit tired from waking up early for the long bus rides. I was thankful for the longer time we spent here.
Anyway, Guadalajara reminded me of NYC; kind of polluted and crowded. Notable places visited included Tlaquepaque, where we got to look at some original and beautiful arts and crafts, and Tequila, where the famous liquor is made.
We also found a delightful Chinese restaurant. The owners are from Canton, and we were treated to a feast both times we were there. We even got the freshest prawns I tasted in a while the second time we visited.
Tequila
Agave Cactus from which Tequila is madeDay 7 - Mexico City
A 7-hour bus ride got us back to Mexico city. It was just a transit point before we left for Acapulco, which is another 5 hours away.
Days 8,9 - Acapulco
Acapulco is touted as a cheaper alternative to Cancun, which is this warm beach resort place that American students go to during Spring break and party the night away. However, I left disappointed with the place. The beaches were not as nice as I thought; they were largely overcrowded. At least the water still looked nice and clean.
The weather was much warmer than the rest of Mexico. I actually got to wear shorts!
Nice Blue Sea
Not-so-nice crowded beach. Notice the numerous umbrellas...Day 10,11,12,13,14 - Mexico City
Final stop was Mexico City itself. We were planning to make a few day trips to nearby towns. In the end, we only visited Teotihuacan and Xochimilco. Everyone was a bit tired from the long trip. The other two towns we had in mind were Taxco and Puebla, which were about an hour or two away. We figured they were going to be just more cathedrals and colonial buildings.
Anyway, Teotihuacan was definitely the highlight. We climbed the two 'pyramids' (actually temples) there and got a wonderful view of the area. Xochimilco was not too bad too. We had a very relaxing boat ride along the canals. Another notable place we visited was the anthropology museum.
From the top of the Pyramid of the Moon
Pyramid of the Sun (with ant-like humans)So ended our 2 weeks in Mexico...
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Monterey Trip
The past two days were spent at Monterey bay (~1.5 hrs drive away). It was supposed to be a one-day trip, but the first day we went, it was too windy to go whale-watching. So we ended up spending the day at the Monterey bay aquarium. We got to see sea otters, jellyfishes, all kinds of fishes, and more jellyfishes. It was pretty interesting, but the place was teeming with kids, which made me feel really old... Some pictures:
Jellies!
Humorous sign.
The next day, we tried our luck again. This time the sea was calm enough to go whale-watching. But alas, I got too sea-sick to move around much. The only whale I saw was the one which blew right in front of where I was busy feeling sea-sick.
We visited Point Lobos in the afternoon. It was a beautiful state park just by the Pacific ocean. We spent about three to four hours trekking along the coast and through the forest. Some nice pictures I took:
If you look closely in the second picture, you can see that the rock is covered with sea lions. Thank goodness I could only hear them and not smell them.
Jellies!
Humorous sign.
The next day, we tried our luck again. This time the sea was calm enough to go whale-watching. But alas, I got too sea-sick to move around much. The only whale I saw was the one which blew right in front of where I was busy feeling sea-sick.
We visited Point Lobos in the afternoon. It was a beautiful state park just by the Pacific ocean. We spent about three to four hours trekking along the coast and through the forest. Some nice pictures I took:
If you look closely in the second picture, you can see that the rock is covered with sea lions. Thank goodness I could only hear them and not smell them.
Friday, January 5, 2007
2006 in Retrospect
I just spent the past two weeks meandering in Mexico. It was an interesting experience; most did not speak much English, Spanish being the main language. We visited cathedrals and museums, which made me feel more cultured than I have felt in a long time. Staying in hostels was also a first for me. It wasn't half-bad. I think army helped a lot in dealing with the bunk-like accommodations.
Christmas and NY was largely a non-event for me. Christmas was spent in Acapulco. There wasn't much atmosphere. NY eve was spent at the airport waiting for the shuttle to bring us back to the dorms, so yet another boring night.
So 2006 came and left in a blink. The past quarter went by faster than I thought it would. School was much busier than I thought, but it was also more fulfilling in many ways (barring one lousy course). As I have said many times, I am getting my money's worth.
Graduation back in May feels like a distant memory now; the loooong summer break definitely contributed to that.
The only other notable event of 2006 I can think of now is the "merger" of LSI and Agere. Hopefully it will open up new opportunities come June 2007.
Christmas and NY was largely a non-event for me. Christmas was spent in Acapulco. There wasn't much atmosphere. NY eve was spent at the airport waiting for the shuttle to bring us back to the dorms, so yet another boring night.
So 2006 came and left in a blink. The past quarter went by faster than I thought it would. School was much busier than I thought, but it was also more fulfilling in many ways (barring one lousy course). As I have said many times, I am getting my money's worth.
Graduation back in May feels like a distant memory now; the loooong summer break definitely contributed to that.
The only other notable event of 2006 I can think of now is the "merger" of LSI and Agere. Hopefully it will open up new opportunities come June 2007.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
First Post (again)
Deleted the blog a few weeks back, and now it is revived. It is largely due to the new blogger interface; you just can't keep an engineer away from trying out a new interface.
So far, the new interface has been really intuitive and easy to use. Most of the features from wordpress that I really like are available and much easier to use on blogger. Kudos to the google team!
More entries to come (hopefully on a regular basis).
So far, the new interface has been really intuitive and easy to use. Most of the features from wordpress that I really like are available and much easier to use on blogger. Kudos to the google team!
More entries to come (hopefully on a regular basis).
