"good question"

i notice americans, especially professors love to say this.

and what i find so interesting about it is that it is a very simple phrase.

but it displays a markedly different perspective about society.

a simple praise.

but something often overlooked in singapore society.

it encourages intellectual curiousity.

no question is any less valuable than another.

it makes people so much more interested in questioning things,

it incentivizes critical thinking and

rewards those who voice out their views.

it is something we can all learn.

on another random note.

its the weekend, and parties galore.

too bad i'm too lazy to attend. =P

things i want to do.

loft my bed,

get a fridge,

microwave.

car,

fly.

in that sequence. hopefully i accomplish the first 3 by the end of next week.

Random Musings

Reading Othello now, and thought i'd post up an interesting passage:

BIANCA

Save you, friend Cassio!

CASSIO

What make you from home?
How is it with you, my most fair Bianca?
I' faith, sweet love, I was coming to your house.

BIANCA

And I was going to your lodging, Cassio.
What, keep a week away? seven days and nights?
Eight score eight hours? and lovers' absent hours,
More tedious than the dial eight score times?
O weary reckoning!

It seems like they're conveying their longing for one another after some absence, something like what I feel now, though in a somewhat different context of course.

On another note, here are some random musings i've put down in my note book:

1) I thought of a chem analogy: we are like atoms, sitting in alternate seats in the lecture halls and only sitting together if we know someone, or if there are no more seats left. (if someone could just remind me what the law associated with is called, its just at the edges of my mind but i just can't get to it)

2) for physics lecture, our lecturer just broke a beaker in class, on purpose. and swept it up after himself. (and here i think, how likely is that going to happen in singapore -- all this i say out of the great appreciation i have of the opportunity to be here to do my studies)

3) i love the wonders of online shopping. especially in the US! woohoo. the stuff i ordered are coming in.

just because we're freshmen

last night we watched american football!

and stanford beat wake forest by a lot!

such a thrilling experience,

since we actually had a side to support, and enthusiastically no less.

imagine a singapore sports game and the fans. it wouldn't be as colorful or exciting.

no one is more enthusiastic than freshmen.

who paint their bodies with the word 'go stanford!'

one person one letter.

who all wear red (the school color).

who cheer so loud and with gusto.

who support their friends and more.

(and yes, sometimes) who boo at 'bad' referee decisions or at our opposition.

we lift our keys and jingle them with pride every new kick-off,

we cheer on the offense

we bang our benches so as to distract the opponent when its their turn to attack.

we sing along and dance to the tune of our one and only Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band.

we clap.

we jump.

we do so much and more.

other than the match, i went fountain hopping with some of my dorm mates.

yes you heard right, fountain hopping.

singapore is hot, stanford is cold at night,

but guess what, we run around like mad men,

i'm in shorts and a t-shirt,

but most are in less.

and we find the iconic fountains in our campus to run around and jump in

the one at memorial auditorium,

the CLAW at white plaza,

the one near the library?

the one near old union?

pardon my uncertainty,

i am still new,

and we did run in circles a few times.

lost freshmen, orientating themselves around campus.

in what better way than fountain hopping.

here i shall end abruptly.

strobe lights and spontaneous parties

we get free blinking bike lights (red and white) and they some how make wonderful party tools. all you need is pretty loud music and a room to host everyone.

too bad i'm not much of a party person. =P i bet someone would enjoy it though.

tomorrow will be yet another eventful day... so much going on. so much.

of awesome acappella and random runs

Its officially been a week since I have come to the United States.

And I must say its been pretty exciting.

Some things I notice as an alien of the region

-food portions are huge

-people are super friendly

-i don't know how the four-way stop junctions work but it seems like first come first serve

-90% of the people park head in

-the sun is intense

-

In any case, i have finally met my roommate. And she is pretty cool. Aside from the fact that I was secretly hoping she'd bring a fridge, I think we should get along just fine. We kind of love our laptops a lot. =P Plus we both sleep pretty late (case in point: it being 1am now and we are both still up but doing our own stuff.

On a very enthusiastic note, 3 things really made my day today.

1) the awesome acappella groups in stanford!!

-how often do you get a bunch of talented passionate people sing for you during your first ever lunch break?!

2) the random bandrun!

-we literally combed the whole campus with the school band leading the way and people had the most expressive attires. (trust me!) i would NEVER imagine this happening at a campus on singapore. woohoo stanford!

AND

3) reflecting back, convocation was very meaningful to me and even though my parents weren't there, what professor Elam said resonated with me and I could say I was moved to tears. It made me think of my dad and what he told me. I really look forward to my next 4 years and stanford to maximise the opportunities available to me.

On a completely unrelated note, i'm thinking of someone. How random.

Should I be? At the moment, I'm really too busy to think further. We'll let things settle down into a routine before I invest more thought into this.

Letters Owed, credits to be transferred, activities to be visited, much to be done. And yet i am blogging. or then again we could say that this is also an essential part of the whole experience. Not just going through it, but actually reliving it in our minds and realising what was truly meaningful to us.

Its late, and its also a disjointed post. But I'm done for the night.

I think i need to expend my energy else where?

photos and videos await.

after i figure out how to upload them from iphone to laptop.

i'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when i'll be back again.

so much to look back at,
so much to look forward to.

-disconnecting from the internet for awhile, probably until i get a new laptop-

consolidation

I'm packing my room right now. and i've been gradually putting my things into boxes. I just cleared my 'certs and trophies', all of which were dusty from neglect - and it seemed pretty apt that, in a way, I was stowing away the achievements of my past and moving on into university.

As the saying goes, "Past performance does not guarantee future success". I guess its time I put my head down and get to work; but in the next FIVE days in Singapore, I am determined to enjoy what little time I have left with those dear to me.

When it comes down to the crunch, we finally realise what is important to us; there is also a greater sense of urgency to accomplish all the things we set out to do at the start. what I have learnt in this past month or so is the need to keep my drive and motivation up especially in the middle of a long period. Hope I bear this in mind when I get over to the US.