so i was looking through the online archieve of the 20-year running documentary series named 'hang cheung chap'....it's been showing weekly in HK for many years and i remember watching it as a kid...obviously i didn't really appreciate the depth in these documentaries as a kid, but i'm really amazed with the range of topics covered and the quality of the program now that i can watch them online...
anyway, i watched one of the episode named 'childhood without seasonal changes'...it caught my eye because that particular episode has garnered a few international documentary awards...i didn't prepare myself for a topic this grave but i was really moved by the end of it...the 30-min program talks about the plight that faces the millions of child labor in the world...seeing these footages remind me of my trips to Cambodia..in many ways, i think my trips to Cambodia has been sheltered from the many horrible truths that exist...i was living in an orphanage, where everything is peaceful in the villages nearby...yes, i know the kids there didn't really have a good quality of education and many of them have to help out in the farm...but it never really dawned on me what is it really like to fend for yourself for survival at the age of 5.
The documentary was mostly filmed in Nepal where there's a big chil trafficking trade across the border to India...some of the kids being interviewed were sold off by their parents without their knowledge...and it hurts to hear this boy confessing that he miss his parents after he comes back from a long day of work carrying bricks weighing much much than his own...some girls were forced into prostitution...it is a really depressing sight...i'm really glad that there is some people in the world who's actually doing something about it as the program itnerviews a few activists who try to get the world's attention to this problem...many times when faced with a social problem of this magnitude, many of us (the fortunate) would be at a lost of where to begin and probably count this as one of the daily bombardments of bad news happening around the world...but i'm glad there're people with such passion to dedicate their lives to this cause...i wonder what else i can do...or more importantly, what will i personally actually do at the end of the day, other than fretting about it here...
here's a link to the episode..it's in cantonese with chinese subtitle
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/hkcc/20050502.html
Monday, September 19, 2005
a strange conversation...nostalgia
perhaps i shouldn't call it strange...it's kind of heart warming at the same time...well, after slogging through some nano fabrication homework till 1 in the morning, a sudden wave of nolstalgia engulfed me and so i decided to give my friends in HK a ring...i guess i should have prepared myself (emotionally) before dialing the long-distance numbers...fact is, this group of friends i had managed to keep in contact since my secondary school days in Hong Kong always arouse a feeling more than mere friendships based on our more innocent and carefree days...i guess they have always been the embodiment of something bigger, something that reminds of the place i was born, the i deals i had as a kid and the level of spirituality i once had...this is the 10th year since my family migrated from Hong Kong to Singapore, and i must say i have a fruitful 10 years...my plans have always more or less gone the way i have intended them to...i am pretty satisfied with the personal trriumphs, to the exten that i chose to define them, i had so far...and yet those last 2 years in HK in Baptist LMC Secondary school always hold a special place in my heart...it makes me abit uncomfortable saying it cos i'm abit effy when it comes to these sort of sentimental subjects...perhaps that's what it is...those 2 years represent to me a time when i was truly innocent, full of wild dreams and simple ideals with next to nothing to worry about and these friends i had were the same...and i don't recall being uneasy with discussing matters of the heart...fast forward 10 years and now i'm a much more cynical person...
that's why catching up with this group of friends always tingles more than the usual vibe i get when i talk to an old friend and i consciously make an effort to stay in touch with them...most of the time these encounters with them evoke many happy memories but occasionally the distance and time barrier do bring about abit of awkwardness...perhaps i have too high expectations of these friendships...but it's an intricate thing to balance this sense of being a close friend and yet being very distance (quite literally)...
anyway, so i called up gloria...she's always been the outstanding smart girl who seem to excel in everything as far as i can remember...we talked for a long while...pickin on random topics...at some point we talked about religion and it dawns on me that the most care-free time of my life is also the time when i have the most spiritual peace of mind...and both of us agree that those early years in LMC where we attended the christian fellowship in school regularly was really the last standing fort that pushes us in the direction that there is a God, despite whatever hanging questions and doubts about religion that comes with the development of more complex reasoning later in life...i realize that's really one of the major reason why i long for that period of time so much...and i'm really grateful that i have such an amazing childhood...
that's why catching up with this group of friends always tingles more than the usual vibe i get when i talk to an old friend and i consciously make an effort to stay in touch with them...most of the time these encounters with them evoke many happy memories but occasionally the distance and time barrier do bring about abit of awkwardness...perhaps i have too high expectations of these friendships...but it's an intricate thing to balance this sense of being a close friend and yet being very distance (quite literally)...
anyway, so i called up gloria...she's always been the outstanding smart girl who seem to excel in everything as far as i can remember...we talked for a long while...pickin on random topics...at some point we talked about religion and it dawns on me that the most care-free time of my life is also the time when i have the most spiritual peace of mind...and both of us agree that those early years in LMC where we attended the christian fellowship in school regularly was really the last standing fort that pushes us in the direction that there is a God, despite whatever hanging questions and doubts about religion that comes with the development of more complex reasoning later in life...i realize that's really one of the major reason why i long for that period of time so much...and i'm really grateful that i have such an amazing childhood...
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Berkeley racial composition of incoming class
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050909/ap_on_re_us/berkeley_admissions
well, i saw this on the homepage of yahoo! appaarently there's 47% asian in the new freshman class...this is suggested to be the result of the blind-race approach in recruitment policy that was passed as a law a while ago or so i gather from the article...but there's a huge imbalance in terms of african american student as well as hispanic students...this reminds me of all the debate surrounding the affirmative action law suit against U-Mich for the past few years...
well, i saw this on the homepage of yahoo! appaarently there's 47% asian in the new freshman class...this is suggested to be the result of the blind-race approach in recruitment policy that was passed as a law a while ago or so i gather from the article...but there's a huge imbalance in terms of african american student as well as hispanic students...this reminds me of all the debate surrounding the affirmative action law suit against U-Mich for the past few years...
Friday, September 09, 2005
Berkeley campus
apparently, the Berkeley Bears has exactly the same color combination as Michigan Wolverine (mazin blue and yellow)...that explains what some have a slight shock on their face when they come close and see word 'michigan' emblazoned on my jacket..
Alrite..the Berkeley campus is really quite small compared to AA...I figure it's probably smaller than central campus...at most 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other...but this rough estimate of walking duration is highly dependent on the direction you'r taking..cos the whole campus is situated on the side of a hill...which can be pretty damn steep (maybe 30 degrees)..especially near the EECS building..sucks!
Life @ berkeley (continued)
once again, this shows tam's touches in the house with her 'oh-so-romantic' setting..with rose peddles and candle...i assure you there'd be no shortage of solid fuel (=wax) shall a fire breaks out...touch wood..
We opt for a cushion/pillow setup to save on the cost of buying a sofa...pretty comfy actually :)
the projector image looks kind of dim here..but when we close the blinds, our living room becomes a kickass home theater with 5.1 dolby sound system...best for watching live games..and the video image will be more than double the size in this pic when we put the projector further back beside the cushion sofa...Germany 06 here i come!!!!!
Life @ Berkeley
So after 3 weeks of intensive shopping, me and tammy finally got our apartment set up nicely...we spent quite alot (close to $1500) for furnitures, new phone lines, sound system, utensils, daily supplies...ouch! but it's all worth it if u take a look at the pics below..
A kitchen bar top as our little kitchen table with 4 bar stools...covered with orange-red table cloth..
another view of the kitchen table...with special meal coutesy by Tam da Chef..a long candle holder in the background...for romantic effects?
michigan wolverine at heart...in a land called Berkeley...looks like tam's also a Michigan convert now..
A kitchen bar top as our little kitchen table with 4 bar stools...covered with orange-red table cloth..
another view of the kitchen table...with special meal coutesy by Tam da Chef..a long candle holder in the background...for romantic effects?
michigan wolverine at heart...in a land called Berkeley...looks like tam's also a Michigan convert now..
Friday, September 02, 2005
New beginning at Berkeley...
So it's been quite a while since i write here. The summer passed by so quickly, especially when you'r travelling and spending more money than the total in your previous 25 years of existence. It's been a fantastic summer and I'm recharged to start a new phrase of life in Berkeley.
I arrived in Berkeley a week before Tammy did. We got ourselves a really great apartment on Shattuck Ave, which is walking distance from the BART (the local mass transit train system) and the campus, and we got it at a great price as well, considering that it's a brand new building. Anyway, I didn't get too much done except watching a bunch of movies frokm BlockBuster and attending a few orientation activities as Tammy insisted on getting the furniture until she arrives. So basically I slept in an ampty apartment for about a week, which I guess explains my quick decision to get a home theatre system to hook up to the projector I brought from Singapore so I can start watching some shows to cure my boredom.
Berkeley on first sight isn't really that attractive as a town. But i've come to enjoy the atmosphere unique to this place where the 60's hyppie movement still thrives with the backdrop of possibly the most liberal campus in the States. It's a very different place from Ann Arbor; it certainly lacks the greens and space of Michigan, but what it lack in natural beauty it makes it up with a mirrad of interesting shops and outdoor market, as well as the frequent protests and demonstrations. It also has a ridiculously high density of book shops. The campus intererior is awesome too, albeit small and abit too crowded for the school population. Unfortunately, the EECS building, named Cory Hall, happens to be the ugliest structure in Berkeley and quite possibly an exact replica of the Freeze Building which is now being demolished in Ann Arbor.
Another 2 things that Berkeley pales in comparison to AA is its safety and song-writer scene. Ok, AA is a bubble, probably as safe as Singapore and there're probably very few places in US as safe as AA, but berkeley can a rough time, especially after dark. Fortunately, our apt building is situated on a major road with ample lighting so I hope that'd help. Another thing that bucks me is the lack of open mic or venues for song-writers like me. AA's got the Ark, ample pubs and cafe and school programs for open mics. I've been searching Berkeley for the past 2 weeks for a cafe or pub that regularly hosts small gigs to no avail.
I arrived in Berkeley a week before Tammy did. We got ourselves a really great apartment on Shattuck Ave, which is walking distance from the BART (the local mass transit train system) and the campus, and we got it at a great price as well, considering that it's a brand new building. Anyway, I didn't get too much done except watching a bunch of movies frokm BlockBuster and attending a few orientation activities as Tammy insisted on getting the furniture until she arrives. So basically I slept in an ampty apartment for about a week, which I guess explains my quick decision to get a home theatre system to hook up to the projector I brought from Singapore so I can start watching some shows to cure my boredom.
Berkeley on first sight isn't really that attractive as a town. But i've come to enjoy the atmosphere unique to this place where the 60's hyppie movement still thrives with the backdrop of possibly the most liberal campus in the States. It's a very different place from Ann Arbor; it certainly lacks the greens and space of Michigan, but what it lack in natural beauty it makes it up with a mirrad of interesting shops and outdoor market, as well as the frequent protests and demonstrations. It also has a ridiculously high density of book shops. The campus intererior is awesome too, albeit small and abit too crowded for the school population. Unfortunately, the EECS building, named Cory Hall, happens to be the ugliest structure in Berkeley and quite possibly an exact replica of the Freeze Building which is now being demolished in Ann Arbor.
Another 2 things that Berkeley pales in comparison to AA is its safety and song-writer scene. Ok, AA is a bubble, probably as safe as Singapore and there're probably very few places in US as safe as AA, but berkeley can a rough time, especially after dark. Fortunately, our apt building is situated on a major road with ample lighting so I hope that'd help. Another thing that bucks me is the lack of open mic or venues for song-writers like me. AA's got the Ark, ample pubs and cafe and school programs for open mics. I've been searching Berkeley for the past 2 weeks for a cafe or pub that regularly hosts small gigs to no avail.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Reflection on Michigan Days (Continued)...
2nd yr:
life as a political being:
Second year is perhaps the most crucial year in my stay in AA. It is really the time when I realize my existence, responsibility and functions as a political being. Of course that fantastic political science class about contemporary american policies and the fact that i’m studying in possibly the most liberal campus in america wih daily debates from affirmative action to LGBT rights helped propel my interest in this direction, but my involvement in starting a new student organization named "World Service Team" also reinforces and make me think hard about my role in the society.
World Service Team (WST):
Initially, I was looking around for an organization that caters to comm service in developing countries on campus. And when i couldn't find one, i decided to start one. Of course things seem really bleak at the beginning. I was just a sophomore and i don't have any faculty backing. But what I lack in credibility and capacity i made up with 3 of the most capable and intelligent individuals I've come across in my freshmen year, Luke, Lauren & kim. i've already mentioned about luke and lauren earlier. kim is an international student from thailand who's possibly the most meticulous and organized person i've worked with & she's perhaps also the most patient and motherly person i'd work with in a long time. If there's one reason why we manage to set up this new organization and the expedition to Cambodia successfully, that'd be cos of these 3 outstanding ppl i've mangaed to convince to join me.
Why WST?
To digress abit, I took part in a volunteer service trip to Cambodia in 2002 prior to coming to michigan. That experience has a profound impact on the way i see the world and my obligation as someone living on the more fortunate side of the world. I know from the trip that seeing and reading about poverty that happens on the other side of the globe is 2 completely different matters & so i wanna fill in this need/ demand on campus by starting a student organization that will organizes a 1-month expedition to a developing country every yr. I want it to be entirely run by students and i want it to be a life-changing experience for every participant, so we will all come back and act as agents of social change. One of the first struggle i face is actually an internal psychological conflict that i know will surely arise for everyone involved in this sort of trip. "Why don't we just pour in the money we raised instead of spending on our travels there? Afterall, there's alot of help needed locally, we don't have to look that far to render our service." I struggled with this for a long time and I know I have to arrive at a clear and convincing answer before I can embark on this. After almost a year of pondering during my freshman year, i've come to the conclusion that comm service is not only about service, in fact it cannot only be based on the help the volunteers render. It's gotta be based on some kind of fulfilling LEARNING experience in order for it to be effective. Indeed, we probably inconvenience the locals alot by visiting and the help we render really doesn't amount to anything siginificant; but the cultural exchange and 1-st hand experience with the "other parts" of the world should and must agitate the participants to do more upon their return. In fact, i think that's the criteria of success for any community service. The success shouldn't be measured by what happens during the duration of the service, but what it does to all parties involved, which include even the locals; that it challenges our world-view and instills in us an urgency to do something, which is how i felt after my first time in cambodia. And i think that being placed in a completely foreign environment will serve as a strong catalyst to create this sort of commitment and urgency in the participants.
Disappointment and triumph:
So, after coming to terms with the rationale of starting this new organization, we began to get down to work. We wanna make sure that our first year will be a success, so we chose cambodia, the place where i've done my first overseas comm sevice. We started recruiting members, fund-raising, planning and liasing with the local contractors to build a school for the neighbourhood. It was alot of work which required alot of commitment. Clearly, the initial optimistic response from the many applicants are misguided as many began to quit half-way as it required too much time and effort and money on their parts. I was really dejected at one point and thought of giving up when we had only 9 ppl left in the team. With the sum of money we'd need to finance the construction of the sch, I wasn't confident of raising that sum. And it was really straining to be the one who's always motivating the rest. I know none will have the kind of passion i had, even among luke, kim & lauren, as i'm the only one who've done this sort of trip before and know the rewards it brings. Yet it was pretty exhaustive to remain passionate and sometime i thought i was preaching too much. At one point i was ready to give up. Fortunately, the other 3 somehow hang in there and miraculously, we had new members joining in and we ended up with 17 ppl going on the trip. And what a success this trip had been! Logistically, it was almost flawless with all the connections Kim had in the region. nobody had any major accidents except me, who almost lost my right index finger when i made a really deep cut while trying to open a paint ucket with my swiss knife. And most of all, we had a great bunch of ppl coming on the trip, who were willing to learn and fared realli well despite being completely placed out of their comfort zone. And once again the locals were fantastic host. They gave us their best treatment despite their apparent lack of materialistic wealth. I was also really glad to be back to the same orphanage where i met many of the kids, including Seyha, this kid that me and Tammy has been sponsoring for the past 3 yrs now. In all, I was beaming with satisfaction afer the trip. I'm really grateful that we held on to the end and that now with the first success of World Service Team, many more Michigan students will get the chance to experience life outside our comfort zone and hopefully change things for the better.
The ultimate change agent - politician:
One new revelation after my second time in Cambodia is also linked to politics or more accurately, policies. I realized that things didn't change for the better or worse after my first trip to the orphanage. Life goes on the way it was in the village. Of course, we realized the limitation of our works, and I reckon that this sort of 1st-hand experience will provide a constant reminder of the many things that have yet to be done. But to really create change that has a significant impact, one has to move into a position with enough power to implement such changes. In other words, one needs to become a policy-maker, or to some, the equivalent of becoming a politician. It's indeed a chilling thought to me. There's alot of things I know I can help, and when I realize that to be most effective i need to be involved with policy-making, i was taken aback. I think that to be a politician or policy-maker require the highest moral standards and intellectual capacity and most of all, a great deal of personal sacrifice. Lacking any of these would mean that the policy-maker will much more harm than good. The motives might be noble, but the results could be disastrous.
Movies..movies...movies:
Besides my work with World Service Team, I have also grown in 2 of my passions, movies and music. Joy Kuang, this bubbly HK girl became my movie khaki and we went to dig up alot of old classics and documentaries to watch from the library. The fact that I took only arts classes in my second term also means that i have much more time to spare. So I ended up going down the list of top movies listed on www.imdb.com and watching on average 3 movies a week. It helps that my school library has a kick-ass video collection and I can borrow up to 3 DVD at one go for free with my student ID.
Lets rock & roll!:
As for music, coming to America has revived my song-writing flair and exposed me to many great artists. I soon found myself frequenting open mics on campus and doing random shows for school events. My greatest musical high was during the concert that we organized as a fund-raiser for our Cambodia trip. I was playing a 3-way set with Luke Gyure, possibly the most talented song-writer i know personally and Texas Tea, this edgy funk-rock band with an amazing repertoire of originals. There were some 200 ppl watching the show and I was on fire. It’s the first time that I played a full set of my own songs and I was really glad that ppl seem to dig my songs.
The Bob-Marley lookalike professor:
I’ve also met a bunch of new friends in my second year, though none of them stands out as much as Prof Herbert Winful, the professor teaching my electro-magnetism class. First of all this dude doesn’t look at all like a typical professor, with his dreadlocks and funky dress sense he could easily pass off as a jamaican reggae star. And he was possibly the most “caring” teacher i’ve had in Michigan, in that he’s not like some other professors who’s here because of their research, he was here because he’s here to teach and he went thro great lengths to make sure we learn well. He’s the only professor whose office-hours were always overfilled with students. And mind you most of us actually don’t really have much to ask and were there just to have a chat with this great guy. Our relationship got to a great start from the first time i went to his office hour. I was carrying my guitar with me since I was gonna perform in some gig that evening. He was more interested in what i’ve got with my music than what I wanna ask about the homework. So a normal office-hour turned into a 30 min jamming session with him treating me to lunch and us talking everything on music. He was indeed a great friend and a great mentor and he had been the one who wrote some 4-5 recommendation letters for my various awards (one of them gave me a handsome US$5000!) and my graduate school application. We attended gigs together and he even organized a concert for students of our electro-magnetism class as he found out there’re many musicians in our midst. I mean, which professor will go through the length to do all that? At mid-50 he has retained his childlike curiosity/open-mindedness and humble demeanor; I think I’d model myself against him as I grow older. He’s definitely one guy i’d wanna keep in contact long after I’ve left ann arbor.
life as a political being:
Second year is perhaps the most crucial year in my stay in AA. It is really the time when I realize my existence, responsibility and functions as a political being. Of course that fantastic political science class about contemporary american policies and the fact that i’m studying in possibly the most liberal campus in america wih daily debates from affirmative action to LGBT rights helped propel my interest in this direction, but my involvement in starting a new student organization named "World Service Team" also reinforces and make me think hard about my role in the society.
World Service Team (WST):
Initially, I was looking around for an organization that caters to comm service in developing countries on campus. And when i couldn't find one, i decided to start one. Of course things seem really bleak at the beginning. I was just a sophomore and i don't have any faculty backing. But what I lack in credibility and capacity i made up with 3 of the most capable and intelligent individuals I've come across in my freshmen year, Luke, Lauren & kim. i've already mentioned about luke and lauren earlier. kim is an international student from thailand who's possibly the most meticulous and organized person i've worked with & she's perhaps also the most patient and motherly person i'd work with in a long time. If there's one reason why we manage to set up this new organization and the expedition to Cambodia successfully, that'd be cos of these 3 outstanding ppl i've mangaed to convince to join me.
Why WST?
To digress abit, I took part in a volunteer service trip to Cambodia in 2002 prior to coming to michigan. That experience has a profound impact on the way i see the world and my obligation as someone living on the more fortunate side of the world. I know from the trip that seeing and reading about poverty that happens on the other side of the globe is 2 completely different matters & so i wanna fill in this need/ demand on campus by starting a student organization that will organizes a 1-month expedition to a developing country every yr. I want it to be entirely run by students and i want it to be a life-changing experience for every participant, so we will all come back and act as agents of social change. One of the first struggle i face is actually an internal psychological conflict that i know will surely arise for everyone involved in this sort of trip. "Why don't we just pour in the money we raised instead of spending on our travels there? Afterall, there's alot of help needed locally, we don't have to look that far to render our service." I struggled with this for a long time and I know I have to arrive at a clear and convincing answer before I can embark on this. After almost a year of pondering during my freshman year, i've come to the conclusion that comm service is not only about service, in fact it cannot only be based on the help the volunteers render. It's gotta be based on some kind of fulfilling LEARNING experience in order for it to be effective. Indeed, we probably inconvenience the locals alot by visiting and the help we render really doesn't amount to anything siginificant; but the cultural exchange and 1-st hand experience with the "other parts" of the world should and must agitate the participants to do more upon their return. In fact, i think that's the criteria of success for any community service. The success shouldn't be measured by what happens during the duration of the service, but what it does to all parties involved, which include even the locals; that it challenges our world-view and instills in us an urgency to do something, which is how i felt after my first time in cambodia. And i think that being placed in a completely foreign environment will serve as a strong catalyst to create this sort of commitment and urgency in the participants.
Disappointment and triumph:
So, after coming to terms with the rationale of starting this new organization, we began to get down to work. We wanna make sure that our first year will be a success, so we chose cambodia, the place where i've done my first overseas comm sevice. We started recruiting members, fund-raising, planning and liasing with the local contractors to build a school for the neighbourhood. It was alot of work which required alot of commitment. Clearly, the initial optimistic response from the many applicants are misguided as many began to quit half-way as it required too much time and effort and money on their parts. I was really dejected at one point and thought of giving up when we had only 9 ppl left in the team. With the sum of money we'd need to finance the construction of the sch, I wasn't confident of raising that sum. And it was really straining to be the one who's always motivating the rest. I know none will have the kind of passion i had, even among luke, kim & lauren, as i'm the only one who've done this sort of trip before and know the rewards it brings. Yet it was pretty exhaustive to remain passionate and sometime i thought i was preaching too much. At one point i was ready to give up. Fortunately, the other 3 somehow hang in there and miraculously, we had new members joining in and we ended up with 17 ppl going on the trip. And what a success this trip had been! Logistically, it was almost flawless with all the connections Kim had in the region. nobody had any major accidents except me, who almost lost my right index finger when i made a really deep cut while trying to open a paint ucket with my swiss knife. And most of all, we had a great bunch of ppl coming on the trip, who were willing to learn and fared realli well despite being completely placed out of their comfort zone. And once again the locals were fantastic host. They gave us their best treatment despite their apparent lack of materialistic wealth. I was also really glad to be back to the same orphanage where i met many of the kids, including Seyha, this kid that me and Tammy has been sponsoring for the past 3 yrs now. In all, I was beaming with satisfaction afer the trip. I'm really grateful that we held on to the end and that now with the first success of World Service Team, many more Michigan students will get the chance to experience life outside our comfort zone and hopefully change things for the better.
The ultimate change agent - politician:
One new revelation after my second time in Cambodia is also linked to politics or more accurately, policies. I realized that things didn't change for the better or worse after my first trip to the orphanage. Life goes on the way it was in the village. Of course, we realized the limitation of our works, and I reckon that this sort of 1st-hand experience will provide a constant reminder of the many things that have yet to be done. But to really create change that has a significant impact, one has to move into a position with enough power to implement such changes. In other words, one needs to become a policy-maker, or to some, the equivalent of becoming a politician. It's indeed a chilling thought to me. There's alot of things I know I can help, and when I realize that to be most effective i need to be involved with policy-making, i was taken aback. I think that to be a politician or policy-maker require the highest moral standards and intellectual capacity and most of all, a great deal of personal sacrifice. Lacking any of these would mean that the policy-maker will much more harm than good. The motives might be noble, but the results could be disastrous.
Movies..movies...movies:
Besides my work with World Service Team, I have also grown in 2 of my passions, movies and music. Joy Kuang, this bubbly HK girl became my movie khaki and we went to dig up alot of old classics and documentaries to watch from the library. The fact that I took only arts classes in my second term also means that i have much more time to spare. So I ended up going down the list of top movies listed on www.imdb.com and watching on average 3 movies a week. It helps that my school library has a kick-ass video collection and I can borrow up to 3 DVD at one go for free with my student ID.
Lets rock & roll!:
As for music, coming to America has revived my song-writing flair and exposed me to many great artists. I soon found myself frequenting open mics on campus and doing random shows for school events. My greatest musical high was during the concert that we organized as a fund-raiser for our Cambodia trip. I was playing a 3-way set with Luke Gyure, possibly the most talented song-writer i know personally and Texas Tea, this edgy funk-rock band with an amazing repertoire of originals. There were some 200 ppl watching the show and I was on fire. It’s the first time that I played a full set of my own songs and I was really glad that ppl seem to dig my songs.
The Bob-Marley lookalike professor:
I’ve also met a bunch of new friends in my second year, though none of them stands out as much as Prof Herbert Winful, the professor teaching my electro-magnetism class. First of all this dude doesn’t look at all like a typical professor, with his dreadlocks and funky dress sense he could easily pass off as a jamaican reggae star. And he was possibly the most “caring” teacher i’ve had in Michigan, in that he’s not like some other professors who’s here because of their research, he was here because he’s here to teach and he went thro great lengths to make sure we learn well. He’s the only professor whose office-hours were always overfilled with students. And mind you most of us actually don’t really have much to ask and were there just to have a chat with this great guy. Our relationship got to a great start from the first time i went to his office hour. I was carrying my guitar with me since I was gonna perform in some gig that evening. He was more interested in what i’ve got with my music than what I wanna ask about the homework. So a normal office-hour turned into a 30 min jamming session with him treating me to lunch and us talking everything on music. He was indeed a great friend and a great mentor and he had been the one who wrote some 4-5 recommendation letters for my various awards (one of them gave me a handsome US$5000!) and my graduate school application. We attended gigs together and he even organized a concert for students of our electro-magnetism class as he found out there’re many musicians in our midst. I mean, which professor will go through the length to do all that? At mid-50 he has retained his childlike curiosity/open-mindedness and humble demeanor; I think I’d model myself against him as I grow older. He’s definitely one guy i’d wanna keep in contact long after I’ve left ann arbor.
Reflection on Michigan days (continued)...
1st yr as a Wolverine:
On the 1st day of arrival in my dorm room, i wrote on a piece of paper these following words;
"1. Learn about the american culture
2. Learn to be independent
3. Learn to be disciplined
4. Learn to be open-minded
5. Live life to the max"
this piece of paper has been in front of my desk for all 3 yrs in michigan. thou i hardly really notice it, i'm always recharged when i happen to glance thro it as it reminded me why i'm here.
Roommate from Kansas:
The most impt thing that i'd say i've gained in my first year is possibly my roommate, Luke Meinzen, this tall, opinionated yet extremely smart dude i lived with in a refugee-like room with a 3rd roommate who was, well, still exploring his sexual inclination. Anyway, i've learnt a ton of things from luke, like basic rules of Football, downing beer in 2 seconds and all the basic activities (go figure~) associated with a freshman year. I even stayed with his folks over christmas thou i was utterly disappointed with the fact that it doesn't snow in Kansas in December. But besides all the weekend partying and late-night farting, we've had some insightful exchange of ideas abt things east and west. And i'm glad both of us were open-minded enough to hear each other out. That laid a good basis for our work together when we both started the new student organization next yr.
the 3 musketeers:
there're 2 other dudes living on the same floor that i've kept in close contact after freshman yr. Henry and Ryan...we shared the same immense passion of music and movies...we've attended a few shows together (including watching White Stripes at Detroit's Masonic Temple) and crashed a few parties...between beers and late-night movies, i've come to know them well and they provide me with another window into what it is to be an american...and to be frank, there're so many different kinds of americans. I'm always lost for words when ppl back home ask me what americans are really like. Fact is there's such a wide spectrum of them who even varies in some very fundamental ideologies that it's unfair to talk of them as a whole. Personally, i was shocked to find so many non-whites when i arrive in ann arbor...i was definitely ignorant but i wonder how many who like me conjure up an image of america based on hollywood movies and sitcoms, which are of course dominated by the fairer skins...
the nurse:
Another interesting character i met durin my first y is Lauren Nielsen. She's a nursing student whom i was working with as the co-site leader on a 10 days community service to McAllen, Texas. The trip itself wasn't all that fulfilling but i was glad to know Lauren, for she'd turn out to be my 2nd camaraderie when we started the new student organization next yr
qualitative & quantitative thinking:
Besides meeting new friends, i was thriving in the american education system. Its flexibility and breadth had given me the opportunity to dwelve into matters that does not evolve around numbers. I was developing a strong interest in psychology, economics and political science and thro these arts classes, i was finally able to improve my qualitative skills, which frankly speaking is really lacking after being ignored for my first 21 years. And soon I decided that i wanna do a double degree in electrical engineering and organizational studies (basically a collection of social sciences with an organizational focus). I thought this'd equip me with the qualitative and quantitative skills i'd need in my future. Althou i didn't hold out to this plan eventually, my fling with the double degree program means that i ended up graduating with many additional credits in the arts. Thou they don't contribute to my eventual degree in EE, they've laid a solid foundation in arousing my interest in the social sciences...
2-month honeymoon:
the 1st 8 months flew past and i decided to spend another 2 months in ann arbor to do spring classes. Tammy joined me during these 2 months and we had the most amazing time living together in a perfect estate named "Willowtree". It was really like honeymoon since i really have no other commitment besides sch work, and she has none besides cooking and watching sitcoms. It was really a great relaxing and romantic 2 months and we both treasured it alot since this sort of days with no worries are a luxury in this fast-paced modern world. During this time, i also really gotta know beng hoe and william very well, who prove to be my weekend PS2 khakis and occasional personal driver (i call them the Lexus Brothers since both of them drive Lexus). They're 2 really impressive minds with loads of ambition to match, i think they'd go far in life.
On the 1st day of arrival in my dorm room, i wrote on a piece of paper these following words;
"1. Learn about the american culture
2. Learn to be independent
3. Learn to be disciplined
4. Learn to be open-minded
5. Live life to the max"
this piece of paper has been in front of my desk for all 3 yrs in michigan. thou i hardly really notice it, i'm always recharged when i happen to glance thro it as it reminded me why i'm here.
Roommate from Kansas:
The most impt thing that i'd say i've gained in my first year is possibly my roommate, Luke Meinzen, this tall, opinionated yet extremely smart dude i lived with in a refugee-like room with a 3rd roommate who was, well, still exploring his sexual inclination. Anyway, i've learnt a ton of things from luke, like basic rules of Football, downing beer in 2 seconds and all the basic activities (go figure~) associated with a freshman year. I even stayed with his folks over christmas thou i was utterly disappointed with the fact that it doesn't snow in Kansas in December. But besides all the weekend partying and late-night farting, we've had some insightful exchange of ideas abt things east and west. And i'm glad both of us were open-minded enough to hear each other out. That laid a good basis for our work together when we both started the new student organization next yr.
the 3 musketeers:
there're 2 other dudes living on the same floor that i've kept in close contact after freshman yr. Henry and Ryan...we shared the same immense passion of music and movies...we've attended a few shows together (including watching White Stripes at Detroit's Masonic Temple) and crashed a few parties...between beers and late-night movies, i've come to know them well and they provide me with another window into what it is to be an american...and to be frank, there're so many different kinds of americans. I'm always lost for words when ppl back home ask me what americans are really like. Fact is there's such a wide spectrum of them who even varies in some very fundamental ideologies that it's unfair to talk of them as a whole. Personally, i was shocked to find so many non-whites when i arrive in ann arbor...i was definitely ignorant but i wonder how many who like me conjure up an image of america based on hollywood movies and sitcoms, which are of course dominated by the fairer skins...
the nurse:
Another interesting character i met durin my first y is Lauren Nielsen. She's a nursing student whom i was working with as the co-site leader on a 10 days community service to McAllen, Texas. The trip itself wasn't all that fulfilling but i was glad to know Lauren, for she'd turn out to be my 2nd camaraderie when we started the new student organization next yr
qualitative & quantitative thinking:
Besides meeting new friends, i was thriving in the american education system. Its flexibility and breadth had given me the opportunity to dwelve into matters that does not evolve around numbers. I was developing a strong interest in psychology, economics and political science and thro these arts classes, i was finally able to improve my qualitative skills, which frankly speaking is really lacking after being ignored for my first 21 years. And soon I decided that i wanna do a double degree in electrical engineering and organizational studies (basically a collection of social sciences with an organizational focus). I thought this'd equip me with the qualitative and quantitative skills i'd need in my future. Althou i didn't hold out to this plan eventually, my fling with the double degree program means that i ended up graduating with many additional credits in the arts. Thou they don't contribute to my eventual degree in EE, they've laid a solid foundation in arousing my interest in the social sciences...
2-month honeymoon:
the 1st 8 months flew past and i decided to spend another 2 months in ann arbor to do spring classes. Tammy joined me during these 2 months and we had the most amazing time living together in a perfect estate named "Willowtree". It was really like honeymoon since i really have no other commitment besides sch work, and she has none besides cooking and watching sitcoms. It was really a great relaxing and romantic 2 months and we both treasured it alot since this sort of days with no worries are a luxury in this fast-paced modern world. During this time, i also really gotta know beng hoe and william very well, who prove to be my weekend PS2 khakis and occasional personal driver (i call them the Lexus Brothers since both of them drive Lexus). They're 2 really impressive minds with loads of ambition to match, i think they'd go far in life.
Reflection on Michigan Days
I told myself I have to write down my thoughts on my undergraduate days as soon as I graduate from the big house before future incidents influence what i really felt upon the end of my 3 yrs of ann arbor student life. Well, it turns out that i'd have to wait another 3 months (because of the europe backpacking and china youth program) after my graduation to finally sit down with a cup of Pokka green tea and think about what has passed me by in the past 3 yrs. i shall attempt to write this in the most coherent way i can but given the amount of things i wanna say, i doubt this will come off in an orderly fashion...
Prior to Michigan:
Identity insecurity:
i was filled with apprehension and excitement much like most of us who's never gone overseas to study. Well, strictly speaking, this is the second time i have to do this sort of overseas education since I've already gone through a rather tough time adjusting to life when my family migrated to singapore from HK. That was tough because i don't speak mandarin nor english...but a least culturally speaking, Singapore is as close as it gets in terms of lifestyle to the one i used to live growing up in HK. US is a different story. To be frank, even though i never say it loud, i think i used to suffer a sense of ethnic inferiority (is that how u spell it?) before i flew off to michigan. I mean, from the ads and movies, everything beautiful and powerful seem to have donned a caucasian skin. And I was wondering how can i fit in, and eventually excel in this new environment.
Music vs overseas education:
Besides this internal glamorization of anything western, i was at the crossroads of deciding what i really wanna do with my career. Usually this decision is only forced upon fresh graduates, not incoming freshman. But i'm glad that i was compelled to think deeply about it when i was offered a contract by BMG Asia. The contract itself isn't all that great, but its potential to lead me on a completely different route (pursuing music) has driven me to think hard about what i want to do with my life. I know i'm fortunate enough to be in this position of dilemma, choosing between becoming a rock star (of course it's more of an illusion but hey, bob dylan aint all that pretty) and a scholarship to study overseas. At one point I was ready to give up the scholarship and try out music. But given the vehement reaction from my folks (they wanna disown me if i do that), i turn the other way. So i chose a path that's much less romantic than what my usual i'd-live-my-own-life self would prefer. But the decision has a huge impact on my following 3 years in Michigan. It really gives me alot of motivation to excel in Michigan. I wanna do great things in Michigan, in return of the passion i have to give up (of course i still play in gigs and stuff in Ann Arbor..but that's still not a rock star haha).
Away from home:
Another thing was of course being away from my family. That's made easier for me since i've practically lived away from home after serving in the military for the past 2.5 years. The most agnozing thing thou was that i'd have to face a long distance relationship with my best friend-turned-gf now that i'm going overseas. Both of us had our doubts and i'm so glad that eventually we held out those 3 yrs (much to her credits actually) and now we're officially engaged. i think i'm the luckiest man on earth. anyway, things doesn't look all that gloosy back then and i was definitely thinkin alot of how we're gonna last thro my overseas days.
No more aerospace:
Another impt decision i made prior to coming to michigan is that i've changed my mind about my major. i know i'm still gonna work in engineerin field but i know aerospace is not for me. i found out from my 1 month attachment to ST Aero that i wont need a aerospace degree to do aicraft maintenance and that it's really a pretty narrow field. I think what I really want is to learn to fly a plane, not how to fix or even design one.
Prior to Michigan:
Identity insecurity:
i was filled with apprehension and excitement much like most of us who's never gone overseas to study. Well, strictly speaking, this is the second time i have to do this sort of overseas education since I've already gone through a rather tough time adjusting to life when my family migrated to singapore from HK. That was tough because i don't speak mandarin nor english...but a least culturally speaking, Singapore is as close as it gets in terms of lifestyle to the one i used to live growing up in HK. US is a different story. To be frank, even though i never say it loud, i think i used to suffer a sense of ethnic inferiority (is that how u spell it?) before i flew off to michigan. I mean, from the ads and movies, everything beautiful and powerful seem to have donned a caucasian skin. And I was wondering how can i fit in, and eventually excel in this new environment.
Music vs overseas education:
Besides this internal glamorization of anything western, i was at the crossroads of deciding what i really wanna do with my career. Usually this decision is only forced upon fresh graduates, not incoming freshman. But i'm glad that i was compelled to think deeply about it when i was offered a contract by BMG Asia. The contract itself isn't all that great, but its potential to lead me on a completely different route (pursuing music) has driven me to think hard about what i want to do with my life. I know i'm fortunate enough to be in this position of dilemma, choosing between becoming a rock star (of course it's more of an illusion but hey, bob dylan aint all that pretty) and a scholarship to study overseas. At one point I was ready to give up the scholarship and try out music. But given the vehement reaction from my folks (they wanna disown me if i do that), i turn the other way. So i chose a path that's much less romantic than what my usual i'd-live-my-own-life self would prefer. But the decision has a huge impact on my following 3 years in Michigan. It really gives me alot of motivation to excel in Michigan. I wanna do great things in Michigan, in return of the passion i have to give up (of course i still play in gigs and stuff in Ann Arbor..but that's still not a rock star haha).
Away from home:
Another thing was of course being away from my family. That's made easier for me since i've practically lived away from home after serving in the military for the past 2.5 years. The most agnozing thing thou was that i'd have to face a long distance relationship with my best friend-turned-gf now that i'm going overseas. Both of us had our doubts and i'm so glad that eventually we held out those 3 yrs (much to her credits actually) and now we're officially engaged. i think i'm the luckiest man on earth. anyway, things doesn't look all that gloosy back then and i was definitely thinkin alot of how we're gonna last thro my overseas days.
No more aerospace:
Another impt decision i made prior to coming to michigan is that i've changed my mind about my major. i know i'm still gonna work in engineerin field but i know aerospace is not for me. i found out from my 1 month attachment to ST Aero that i wont need a aerospace degree to do aicraft maintenance and that it's really a pretty narrow field. I think what I really want is to learn to fly a plane, not how to fix or even design one.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Poem from a friend
Tallon 田龙, my buddy from CSP actually left behind a slip of paper in the library book that's now lost somewhere in china for me...on it he wrote for me these words from arguably the greatest chinese poet, Li Bai:
送友人
李白
青山横北郭， 白水绕东城。
此地一为别， 孤蓬万里征。
浮云游子意， 落日故人情。
挥手自兹去， 萧萧班马鸣
Thank you 田龙, I really appreciate it.
送友人
李白
青山横北郭， 白水绕东城。
此地一为别， 孤蓬万里征。
浮云游子意， 落日故人情。
挥手自兹去， 萧萧班马鸣
Thank you 田龙, I really appreciate it.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
CSP6 Day 7 (continued)
an ancient infantry lined in formation..frozen in time...these soldiers guards Qin Ci Huang (the first emperor who united china) tomb
despite broken arms and buttocks, these solder sculptures still stand strong..
a Qin solder in a standard kung fu pose...
CSP6 day 7
so the time has finally come for us to visit "bing ma yon", hailed as the 8th wonder of the world...i was really excited about this visit as i know of its historical importance since young from movies and tv...it's probably the one i heard about the most besides the great wall..
Friday, July 15, 2005
CSP6 Day 6 (continued)
We attended a great talk by this world-renowned archeologist, Hen Wei, who gave us a passionate recount of his 40 years venture in making impt discoveries near Xi An...it seems that his specialty is in ancient emperor's tomb and his detailed description about the symbolic importance of the tomb's shape, the stories behind all the amazing discoveries & the frequent blunders he encountered in his quest make his speech a really inspiring one...while it wasn't exactly a 'lecture on chinese history" as the slogan proclaims, the session is definitely an eye opener for most of us...
after the talk, it was free time for the rest of the day in Xi An...our group made our way to the central area of Xi An (bounded by the ancient walls)...this is one of the many street-side hawker that we passed by...
cant resist not putting this pic taken by JA...hee..
we made our way to the 'bell tower' in the evening...it's a bit like the triump de arc of paris where traffic go around the stucture in the middle...u can get a pretty good view of the nearby triving night life from the top of the tower..
wat's a bell tower without its bell...legend has it that if you were to hit/knock the bell 10 times, it'd bring you 10 differnt luck...of course luck comes with a price tag..$10 RMB for 3 knocks & $30 RMB for all 10 knocks...
and finally a group pic in front of the bell tower...from left to right..JC, Gladys, Tallon, Me, Ah Shun, Lan Zao, Sophia, Pearly, Ah Hua, Jimmy...
CSP6 Day 6 (continued)
after the school visi, we checked out the village near by...this is the field that we walked pass on our way to the village...
entrance to the cave dwellings that the locals live....while it's burning outside in the open, it was really cooling inside the cave...
the interior of the "cave dwelling" makes for a cosy home for the old couple living here..
i bought a total of 4 kg of peach from this man for a total of 2 renminbi (US$0.25!)...
CSP6 Day6
We made a visit to a rural primary school near Xi An in the morning...it reminded me a bit of cambodia althou i'd say the facility here is still slightly better and there are definitely more teachers and better reading materials...i soon found out that this school has been one of the 'improvement projects' undertaken by some HK volunteers...once again this reinforces my conclusion that volunteer work is needed to keep oneself agitated abt issues...the most influential way for someone to bring abt substantial change is by becomin a policy-maker..
the main square of the school with the national flag
me and my buddy Tallon posing behind the school's table tennis table...behind us is the slogan "safe journey to school"
a regular class in session during our visit...the slogan above the black board reads "study hard, pursue excellence"....i found out later that these kids were having their annual exam the day we arrived...i hope that we didn't cause too much disturbance...anyway, they're taking their exams 1 month after the national norm as the children had a 1 month break a while ago so that they can stay home to help out with the harvest season in the fields...
me with 2 of the boys in the class...all of them are required to wear this red cloth tied around their neck in school...i think it's supposed to serve as a reminder of the efforts of the revolution in the early years of PRC...
one of the school teacher grabbed me and Tallon and presented his caligraphy to us...iw as pleasantly surprised...it's a simple chinese poem welcoming us to his school...after some talk i found out that this dude's been teachin math for 40 years! and yes he's smoking while he took the pic with us...
Thursday, July 14, 2005
CSP6 Day 5 (continued)
after the ancient casle wall, we were treated with a classic xi an dumpling meal...essentially we had over 20 different kind of mini-dumpling for the whole dinner...it was kind of interesting at the beginning but frankly speakin, the quality of the food can never be superb when you'r cookin for over 200 ppl at one go...after we checked into our hotel...this mainland delegate with the nickname "shu tiao" or lierally french fries cos his chinese name sounds like tat, brought us to one of the main eatery street in central xi an for some supper...the place was supposed to be the muslim quater and sure enough there were many shops selling mutton...i ended up having a bottle of bear and we finally made our way back to the hotel at 2+am....it's been a long day..
CSP6 Day 5 (continued)
arrival at the xi an airport...there are 2 things i felt immediately once i'm off the plane..hot and humid!
once we set off from the airport, we were driven to one of the main gate of the castle wall that used to protect this ancient capital of china...this wall is definitely more grand than any of the castle wall i've seen in europe, and it's not even the great wall!
another view of the castle wall..great pic by JA again...
CSP6 day 5 (continued)
after our visit to the 'chen's house'...we went to some art museum where we attended a talk about the development of the 'zhu triangle' special business admin district...the woman giving the talk spoke in english...while i admire her courage in speakin in a foreign language in front of a bunch of native-speakers...i regret that her limitation with the langauge really restricted her delivery...so i was kind of disappointed with the talk...not exactly that inspiring or informative...but at least now i know there are a few special business admin districts in china, which were handpicked by teng xiao ping (if i'm not wrong) during the thrust to adopt an open policy 2 decades ago..
another buffet style lunch..
at the guongzhou airport, where we board a plane to Xi An...first impression of a china airline...pretty good except that it has a long way to go in terms of food or on-flight entertainment if it were to catch up to top airlines such as SIA...
CSP6 Day 5 (continued)
me chilling in front of the main gate of the 'chen's house'
check out the detailed carvings on the roof top...
another view inside the 'chen's house'
"men shen", or literally the god of bouncer...gaurding the main gate of the 'chen's house'
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