Moving Stuff

I've been packing for my move to a larger place this weekend. I can't believe that I've accumulated so many things over the course of my seven-year stay in the U.S.. To think that I started with just two suitcases of clothes, one computer and a few books. Now my 500 square-foot apartment is almost full. Four desktop computers, three boxes of computer stuff and electronics, nearly 300 books (including texts), five shelves ranging from knee-high to floor-to-ceiling one from Ikea. And on those shelves are yet more stuff. Quote of the week: Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

It Finally Feels Like Winter

The temperature in Ann Arbor has finally dropped below freezing after being unseasonably warm in December. And what does it do? Rain. The rain water then freezes and collects on objects. Forming an interesting "ice coating". The sun shining on these trees form a "crystal forest" effect that is just breathtaking. Sorry. No photo of that since my camera is over exposed from the brightness.

Secondary School Literature - Shakespeare

If Secondary school Math was the shining pinnacle of my grades, then Literature (Lit) was the dark tar pit that trapped prehistoric animals in unrelenting morass. In other words, I absolutely hated Lit because my grades were usually barely above passing and I didn't understand what the heck they were yakking about. What sparked this rant was my recent attendance of the Shakespearean play "Merchant of Venice". With the actors, the set, the costumes and the accents, I was actually able to follow the story, without falling asleep. That's a lot more than I can say for Lit class. All the teacher did was to run through the book and translated "sixspear inglis" (I have since learned that Shakespeare made up most of those words). The teacher should have shown me an actual play, or a tape of a play, preferably with translation subtitles. (Oh how I wish I had the internet then. Downloading a televised play would have been so convenient!) A picture says a thousand words. I would have had an easier time understanding Julius Caesar if all the plotting was acted out instead of trying to read a version of English 400 years dead. In addition, another part of my poor grades was because I wasn't taught how to answer the Lit questions. If my Lit teacher had taught me how to answer the Shakespeare questions, then with my typical singaporean-student-exam-smart-do-10-year-series style, I could at least fake answers with reasonable correctness. But of course, "correctness" probably isn't how Shakespearean plays are supposed to be experienced. So if anyone from MOE is reading this, especially Lit teachers (you know who you are), please stop spoiling Literature for us by making it an exam topic.

Funny Commercial

Good Chinese Food - Twin Cities

Over the past 3 months, Jia Nin and I managed to find two good Chinese eateries in the Twin Cities area. She found the places and we went since the reviews were positive. First, we went to the dim sum place called Jun Bo, near the airport. If you ever need a rough gauge to see if a place serves authentic Chinese food, just see if there are a lot more Asians in the place than Westerners. It's a quick way of determining if the place has adapted it's food to Western taste buds and decor is not a good indicator. I find westernized Chinese food too sweet and/or salty. But I digress. The dim sum was great and the menu was quite comprehensive. We went after the lunch hour so the trolleys were no longer being refreshed constantly. So we ordered straight from the kitchen. Very fresh, obviously not re-steamed, and very tasty. After Christmas, we visited the other place, called China Jen near Jia Nin's work place. Don't ask me what the name means. I must look like I was starving for authentic Chinese food, 'cause after we were done with our meal, the proprietress asked if we would like to buy a fresh-out-of-the-oven roast duck. Yes, a roast duck! Apparently, they have an extra, maybe a canceled order. And it was priced reasonably at US$18 for the whole duck. Crispy skin, juicy meat and just like what we used to get from Johor. Food, glorious food.