Haven't been blogging since forever. Been busy with life and travelling and studies =)

If you want to see some photos that I've taken, you can look me up on Facebook. My email address is c hr i sng x at um ic h. ed u.

Please translate into normal email speech =)

Blogging from Vegas

Posting this from the McCarran Int'l Airport in Vegas, waiting for the flight back to Detroit. I posted up some new photos on Facebook... in fact, most of my photos are on facebook. I find it easier to upload to facebook I guess.

Vegas has been fun, if a little tiring. I think I'm way too spoiled now; 3 days of walking and my legs are killing me. Gambled a bit, watched a bit of shows, generally had pretty good fun for a solo trip out here by myself. Wouldn't do it again on my own though, I prefer some nice warm company the next time I get here heh.

I'M SNOWED IN!!!! (and without a nice girl in my house either)

So what does it mean when there's a "winter storm" coming? Well, it means that about 3 inches (8cm) of snow falls, and since its a Sunday, no one's cleaning it up. The roads are full of snow, my car is covered in snow, the walkways are covered in snow. Very pretty! But it also means that I'm not going anywhere until it's done. I'll have to meet Milena for coffee another time then...


In other news, I'll be headed down to Vegas over the winter break. Solo trip this time round, for less than obvious reasons. Got a pretty good deal on accomodations at the Luxor ($70 a night for an upgraded room, 3 nights). Total cost for this trip will be about $520+ USD, plus expenses money. Won't gamble much, since I'm the kiasu person who just hates losing money.

Should be a blast. I haven't uploaded my florida pics yet. My bad. I'll try to do that in between hanging out with girls, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 12. Oh and Netflix DVD rentals.

Sorry for the long absence

It's been about 3 weeks since I last updated this. Besides the Florida vacation, there have been papers and presentations and stuff to do. I'm supposed to upload the pictures from Florida as well, which I haven't. I'll get that done ASAP.

It's officially Winter now in Ann Arbor. I don't care what you call it, -15 deg C outside qualifies as winter to me. Snowflakes fall, my fingers get numb-ish, brrrr. 3 layers is mandatory now, and I shudder at the thought of doing laundry in this weather. (which is what I'm going to do after this post).

Thankfully I've a portable heater in my room that can help turn up the heat somewhat. Heat in my apartment is supplied through radiators powered by a central hot water boiler. Thing is, by the time the water flows to the apartment, it already has lost some heat, so the temperature inside my apartment is a slightly chilly 22 deg C. Brrrrr. I've problems with the portable heater as well. My apartment is pretty oldish, built in the 60s or 70s, so it doesn't handle large power draws very well. Putting the heater on any of the default wall plugs will trip the fuse rather quickly, so I have to leave it in the bathroom (which has power points that were supposed to power washing machines and dryers). I can also use it in the bedroom in the evenings when all the other lights and stuff are off, so it's not too bad.

Alright, I'm off to do the laundry. I promise to get the photos uploaded somewhere by the weekend.

Of Snow and Lazy Ants...

It's finally started to snow in Ann Arbor... well, something like snow. On my way back from class on Wednesday, I was mildly surprised to hear the little tinkle tinkle of hail falling on my car. Hail is like ice pellets, thankfully they were pretty small and harmless. (Snow comes in the light flaky form). Snow also means that I have to wear multiple layers now, since it's abominably cold outside, and my skin dries up into scaly flakes (ugh).

School-wise, I'm approaching the end of term (Dec 15) and then there's a short 2 week break for Christmas. You would think that the US is predominantly a Christian nation, but in fact, the US takes great pains to keep religion out of the public square. For example, there are laws in some states that you may not display the nativity scene (Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph) in public because of its religious significance. Similarly, no religious holidays are permitted in the US. In a manner of speaking, I think that Singapore is far more accepting in celebrating the different faiths in our community.

It's always amusing to see how life and nature imitate the culture of the country. After dropping a chocolate chip on the floor (baking accident), I was somewhat annoyed to see an ant trail leading up to the chocolate chip the next morning. The strange part is, the ants move soooo slllooooowwwwwwllllllyyyyyy. Like they were having a leisurely walk. Whereas in Singapore, the ants scurry around like the world was coming to an end. Make whatever conclusion of that as you will =)

I should be headed down to Florida next week for the Thanksgiving break. I'm pretty stoked about FINALLY going to Disney and Universal Studios. Yes, I'm the biggest kid around here haha.

The Colors of Autumn

Linguistically, since I'm in the US, it should be the "Colors of Fall", but I'll make my exception for my fellow British ex-colonialized countrymen.

It has been a really chilly and blustery autumn lately, with temperatures from -2 to 8, but the wind really makes it a challenging affair. The wind can blow right through 2 layers of clothes and set your teeth chattering. In the morning, the steering wheel of the car is so cold that I have to wear gloves to drive. How cold is it? Take 2 bottles of ice water out of the fridge. That's how cold it is.

I'm headed down to a latin music and dance concert today with a friend. It's part of the University's Arts and Eats programme. For $15USD, you get a pizza dinner and a lecture by a member of the University's music faculty on the history and background of the music/performance. You also get a student priced stall ticket (normally about $35) in one of the best concert halls in the country: The U of M's Hill Auditorium. According to my math professor, the conductor of the Boston Philharmoic Orchestra will only perform in 2 places in the US: The Orchestra's home concert hall and Hill Auditorium.

Anyway, I have a great set of photos to share: The Colors of Autumn. Check it out, especially the gorgeous houses/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19385174@N04/

Woohoo, it was cold last night. How cold you ask? I was out this morning to grab my GPS for recharging, and there is a layer of frost on my car. FROST! Brrrrrr

Some updates on my life. School's been school, and we've officially crossed the mid-way mark for the semester. Coming up will be Halloween (which is huge in the US, like the equivalent of Christmas in Singapore. Pagans *cough*) and Thanksgiving (4th Thursday of Nov). I have several papers due this week, but unfortunately I just got started in World of Warcraft again. Decisions decisions... anyway, it was great to go raiding with the gang again.

The colors of fall are really pretty, all golds and oranges and browns. The leaves are starting to fall though, so hopefully I can get some pictures up before they all go away. I'm headed up to Professor Waltz's place today; she's having a house party for all students in her Foreign Policy class. It's an hour's drive away (see attached Google Map)


View Larger Map

Holiday plans: I should be headed down to Florida during Thanksgiving (finally off to Orlando), and over to the West Coast in December when school ends. Have traveling companions for both, so it should be a blast!