Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Wow.
Has it really been a year and 9 months since I posted this? Just watched three straight hours of NBC's live election broadcast, which culminated in the historic announcement at 10pm Austin time, and witnessed newscasters, celebrities, politicians, religious leaders and supporters alike break down and weep under the sheer magnitude of the moment. We've indeed come a long way, and I'm thankful that I can be here to take it all in.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
A (not so) Silent Halloween
I went as a mime.
Beret and White Face Paint: Lucy in Disguise
'Retro Red' Lipstick: CVS Pharmacy
Gloves: Goodwill
Shirt: My own - bought it at H&M in NYC
Suspenders: Borrowed from Dana's Dad
Shorts: Daphne's
Tights: Walmart
Shoes: Some store in Jurong
'Retro Red' Lipstick: CVS Pharmacy
Gloves: Goodwill
Shirt: My own - bought it at H&M in NYC
Suspenders: Borrowed from Dana's Dad
Shorts: Daphne's
Tights: Walmart
Shoes: Some store in Jurong
Getting the mime face on took an hour. Gotta give credit to this girl, who showed me how to do it right. Experimented with a scary face at first, then settled on a sad one.
With Dana aka. Fernando the Pinata. His costume was fully hand-made!
Huiping the Shell Station attendant, Su-May as Minnie Mouse, Chris the peanut farmer, Mei as Spongebob
Lilian the Stepford Wife. I really loved this one... she even baked a pumpkin pie!
Jan as Iron Man/Tony Stark.
A couple of Nerds.
The Streetfighters, Ryu and Dan.
With Pammy the Hot Quarterback and Daph as Audrey Hepburn/Holly Golightly
Wai Kit the white Matrix Reloaded twin
On Sixth Street, where I spotted at least 10 Jokers...
And only one Sarah Palin, who was supporting Obama.Sunday, October 26, 2008
Oktober
And we're back. I suffered from chronic incompleteblogposts-itis over the past few weeks, and so I have a few halfway-done drafts and am starting afresh (again). Who knows if I'll reach the end of this one.
A lot has occurred since the momentous event documented in the post below. First, I have completely forgotten how to drive. However, I do have a license and look very happy in it (they took the picture immediately after the test). Other events of note:
1. Finding a church I can call home. I'm happily settled in Gracepoint Fellowship Austin and I know it's a place where I can serve and grow. Two years of church-hopping wasn't easy, especially having gone to the same church for 21+ years in Singapore, so thank God for these guys.
2. Hanging out with work friends. I love my fellow Peer Academic Coaches! That's me in orange... heh. A few of these people share my passions for The Office, cute movies like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and molten chocolate cake from Chili's.
3. Austin City Limits. Hot, dusty, crowded, smoky, weed-y, sweaty and a ton of fun. Was introduced to new bands and got to swoon over familiar ones. Highlights: Foo Fighters, Gogol Bordello, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss and The Raconteurs. Was stupid enough to forget to put on sunscreen all three days, and so...
4. Fell sick for a week. Super-duper-schedule-messer-upper. Do NOT fall sick, ever.
5. Teaching a sixth grade class at Kealing Middle School, a great school in a bad neighborhood. Austin is divided by Interstate-35 and everything east of it is a whole different world from our university bubble. The bus journey to Kealing is quite an eye-opener. However, my teaching experience has been rosy so far, because my cooperating teacher is amazing. She manages to be totally stern and yet cool, funny and warm at the same time. And I love how she incorporates film, music, audiobooks, real life simulations and even food into her lessons. Am learning a lot.
6. Watching UT football games on Saturday for the past three weeks. I've only just begun to understand the appeal of the game, and it helps that UT is THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY! HOOK 'EM HORNS! Wow, I'm surprised that blogger does have burnt orange on its color palette. Nice.
7. Putting together my Halloween costume. Will not say what it is right now, but I will say that all I'm missing is a black beret.
8. Watching Margaret Cho's performance at the Union, which was almost entirely about sex and made me realize what a prude I am. I was under the impression she was going to give a lecture on Asian-Americans.
9. The upcoming election. Seeing people sporting 'I Voted' stickers or Obama or McCain buttons is making me more excited than ever for the outcome. I'm thankful to be in the US at this momentous period of time. But the best thing that's come out of all of this, IMHO, is Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impressions on SNL ("I can see Russia from my house!").
I will stop here, because nine is the square of 3 and is therefore cooler than 10.
Until next time!
A lot has occurred since the momentous event documented in the post below. First, I have completely forgotten how to drive. However, I do have a license and look very happy in it (they took the picture immediately after the test). Other events of note:
1. Finding a church I can call home. I'm happily settled in Gracepoint Fellowship Austin and I know it's a place where I can serve and grow. Two years of church-hopping wasn't easy, especially having gone to the same church for 21+ years in Singapore, so thank God for these guys.
2. Hanging out with work friends. I love my fellow Peer Academic Coaches! That's me in orange... heh. A few of these people share my passions for The Office, cute movies like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and molten chocolate cake from Chili's.
3. Austin City Limits. Hot, dusty, crowded, smoky, weed-y, sweaty and a ton of fun. Was introduced to new bands and got to swoon over familiar ones. Highlights: Foo Fighters, Gogol Bordello, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss and The Raconteurs. Was stupid enough to forget to put on sunscreen all three days, and so...
4. Fell sick for a week. Super-duper-schedule-messer-upper. Do NOT fall sick, ever.
5. Teaching a sixth grade class at Kealing Middle School, a great school in a bad neighborhood. Austin is divided by Interstate-35 and everything east of it is a whole different world from our university bubble. The bus journey to Kealing is quite an eye-opener. However, my teaching experience has been rosy so far, because my cooperating teacher is amazing. She manages to be totally stern and yet cool, funny and warm at the same time. And I love how she incorporates film, music, audiobooks, real life simulations and even food into her lessons. Am learning a lot.
6. Watching UT football games on Saturday for the past three weeks. I've only just begun to understand the appeal of the game, and it helps that UT is THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY! HOOK 'EM HORNS! Wow, I'm surprised that blogger does have burnt orange on its color palette. Nice.
7. Putting together my Halloween costume. Will not say what it is right now, but I will say that all I'm missing is a black beret.
8. Watching Margaret Cho's performance at the Union, which was almost entirely about sex and made me realize what a prude I am. I was under the impression she was going to give a lecture on Asian-Americans.
9. The upcoming election. Seeing people sporting 'I Voted' stickers or Obama or McCain buttons is making me more excited than ever for the outcome. I'm thankful to be in the US at this momentous period of time. But the best thing that's come out of all of this, IMHO, is Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impressions on SNL ("I can see Russia from my house!").
I will stop here, because nine is the square of 3 and is therefore cooler than 10.
Until next time!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Someday I'll look back on this and laugh
I failed my first driving test today in a hilariously humiliating way that isn't so funny just yet. Man, it stings...
Second chance: Wednesday!
** Edit: I PASSED!!! ** :D
Thank you for all the encouragement, guys!
Second chance: Wednesday!
** Edit: I PASSED!!! ** :D
Thank you for all the encouragement, guys!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
East Coast Trip Special Feature: Red Door Series
Fifth Avenue, New York City
Somewhere near Soho, I believe...
E 63rd Street, NYC
Beacon Hill, Boston
Georgetown, Washington DCThe Amazing Adventures of Bill and Jeff, Part One
Meet the team:
Bill...
... and Jeff.After dumping a bunch of stuff in Austin and getting our fill of Einstein Bros. Bagels, we set off on our much anticipated East Coast Adventure. First stop: Noo Yawk City. Guess who was on the same plane to NYC:
Yup, it was Jennifer Hudson! Wanted to ask her to autograph my bag of mini pretzels, but didn't. Then our plane was stuck on the ground for two hours, so we struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to us, a sculptor of very large pufferfish and other marine animals. We finally arrived in New York City around midnight and promptly crashed into bed at the very nice and well-located Big Apple Hostel (see picture below).
Yup, it was Jennifer Hudson! Wanted to ask her to autograph my bag of mini pretzels, but didn't. Then our plane was stuck on the ground for two hours, so we struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to us, a sculptor of very large pufferfish and other marine animals. We finally arrived in New York City around midnight and promptly crashed into bed at the very nice and well-located Big Apple Hostel (see picture below).
Special K with Red Berries in the morning.
Times Square: absolutely essential but ultimately overrated.
Jeff Koons' exhibit on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - a stunning location.
Famous Magnolia cupcakes at an outdoor foodfest - yum!
Pizza - our best friend for the next few weeks
In an attempt to be unconventional, we took pictures with the Naked Cowgirl instead (see the famed Naked Cowboy in the background?)
Making the treacherous subway trip to the Whitehouse Hotel - a smaller, shadier but more endearing hostel on the Lower East Side.
Despite the crazy narrow corridors, cell-like rooms and lack of any real ceilings, we grew very fond of the place
Barry, architecture-loving friend and bodyguard who helped us fall in love with New York and taught us the meaning of "prefabrication"
Sampoorna aka Pony, our trusty tour guide, lover of peaches, partner-in-dessert-crime and SATC movie buddy
Grace, food connoisseur who brought us to the yummiest ramen dinner in Little Tokyo
Tired but triumphant after the walking part of the Brooklyn Bridge
Guy chopping up nougat in Little Italy
Posing outside Serendipity 3, where they shot the movie of the same name
Their famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate immortalized on screen
Wandering around Columbia University
Our unwitting model outside the New York Public Library
Esquire covers at the MOMA
Getting my molten chocolate cake with sea salt and pistachios at the Dessert Truck
Katz Deli, shooting location of that infamous scene in When Harry Met Sally
Yellow Fever outside Yonah Schimmel's Knishery
Life imitating art in Brooklyn
Brooklyn had a charm all its own
The team
Posers (Oh, Rainn)
Onward to Boston!
Famous Magnolia cupcakes at an outdoor foodfest - yum!
Pizza - our best friend for the next few weeks
In an attempt to be unconventional, we took pictures with the Naked Cowgirl instead (see the famed Naked Cowboy in the background?)
Making the treacherous subway trip to the Whitehouse Hotel - a smaller, shadier but more endearing hostel on the Lower East Side.
Despite the crazy narrow corridors, cell-like rooms and lack of any real ceilings, we grew very fond of the place
Barry, architecture-loving friend and bodyguard who helped us fall in love with New York and taught us the meaning of "prefabrication"
Sampoorna aka Pony, our trusty tour guide, lover of peaches, partner-in-dessert-crime and SATC movie buddy
Grace, food connoisseur who brought us to the yummiest ramen dinner in Little Tokyo
Tired but triumphant after the walking part of the Brooklyn Bridge
Guy chopping up nougat in Little Italy
Posing outside Serendipity 3, where they shot the movie of the same name
Their famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate immortalized on screen
Wandering around Columbia University
Our unwitting model outside the New York Public Library
Esquire covers at the MOMA
Getting my molten chocolate cake with sea salt and pistachios at the Dessert Truck
Katz Deli, shooting location of that infamous scene in When Harry Met Sally
Yellow Fever outside Yonah Schimmel's Knishery
Life imitating art in Brooklyn
Brooklyn had a charm all its own
The team
Posers (Oh, Rainn)
Onward to Boston!
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