Wish you a blessed Christmas

Today, I spent my Christmas first time overseas. No, there was no white, romantic Christmas here which was good since traveling would be a hassle. Instead, we had a calm and almost warm Christmas.

I went to work half-day on Dec 24 and tried to get an afternoon nap as I wanted to attend the midnight mass service at Saints Philip and James Church. I tossed for about 15 minutes before giving up and watched TV instead.

Street in In the evening, I arranged with Jingshi to take pictures of Christmas light up at intersection of Chestnut Avenue and 34thHampden. Only at this block could you see every house decorated with lights and Christmas decorations. It has become a tourist attraction at this time of the year to see the light ups. Traffic came to a crawl as many cars slowed to take pictures and pedestrians covers the walkway on both sides of the street. Snowman, The Grinch, reindeer, candy sticks etc were out on display.

I overheard a conversation between an owner of the houses and a sightseer that the electrical bill was expensive but she rather sacrificed and spread Christmas cheers. What a noble spirit!

Thereafter, I went to the midnight mass where they had a special half-an-hour of carols. The choir and music were good. After mass, I took pictures of the church decorations, especially the Nativity scene which is the reason we celebrate Christ-mass (celebration of Jesus' birth).

The walk back to my apartment was peaceful and silent like the carol, Silent Night and I contemplated on the meaning of Christmas. I called back home to wish my family a blessed Christmas and opened a gift.

Christmas was spent cooking lunch for Eduardo and family. I grilled and baked pork loins which I marinated with three separate recipes on Sunday night. I also served stir-fried Shanghai cabbage with shrimp, fried sweet potato fries and white radish red dates with wolf berries soup.

My boss, Prof. August invited the 'lonely' post-docs for a dinner at his home. I had red and white wine, chicken, salad and baked potatoes, followed by dessert.

It had been an eventful Christmas here and pray for peace to reign in the hearts of men!

Hampden Christmas pictures.

The Gift by Richard Paul Evans

After a hiatus of not reading novels, I picked up a book entitled 'The Gift' which had an attractive cover. It had my favorite color and a beautifully wrapped gift box.

I woke up at 2a.m. this morning and could not get back to sleep. So, I decided to finish this novel revolving around the main character, Nathan Hurst. He was carrying emotional baggage from his past. At Denver airport where planes were grounded due to a snow storm, an act of kindness to Addison Park and her children changed his life. He discovered her son's gift of healing which Addison tried to hide. As more people discovered about this gift, Nathan's and Addison's lives intertwined.

A touching book on love and making life choices. I had to dry my tears after reading.

Talking about gifts, I hand-delivered greeting cards to my colleagues this week. I observed that they were eager to open up the cards upon receiving them. People still find the suspense of getting a greeting card. If a small card could lighten up their day, imagine what greater joy others would have when you share your gifts of time, companionship and many other gifts, not only during Christmas season but everyday of your life.

A Season to Reflect

19 days to a brand new year.
346 days had past, leaving memories of laughters and tears.

While looking ahead to new adventures and making resolutions,
also reminiscence on friend and family relations.

Tis the season to buy gifts and send out greeting cards,
loved ones receiving them will have warmth and joy in their hearts.

Washington Monument light-up

On Thursday Dec 6, there was the annual light up of Baltimore's Washington Monument at Mount Vernon. This is not to be confused with the Washington Monument at D.C. although both were designed by Robert Mills.

Visitors to the 178 feet (54 m) monument can climb 228 steps to the top for an excellent aerial view of Baltimore city and obtain information on George Washington and construction of the monument at the ground floor museum.

Shortly before 7 pm, the mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon, gave a rousing speech and flipped the switch, lighting up the monument and triggering the fireworks display.

For the sake of taking pictures, I took off my right glove. My hand was numbed from the bitter cold that night. Without a tripod, I had to hold my breath to minimize movement for longer exposure (1/10 s) .

Traffic was re-routed for this event. Among three of us who had arranged to watch the fireworks, I was the only one who caught it since Eduardo and Jianshi could not find parking lots. They arrived at 7.20 pm, long after the fireworks had extinguished and workers were removing the road blocks. To make things better, I treated them to Korean food at Jong Kak Restaurant at the intersection of Charles St and 20th St.

Cute egg-themed kitchen gadgets

The collection of egg-themed kitchen gadgets began in 2003 when I bought an egg-shaped hour glass in Australia. At that time, I did not think of collecting them since I only saw the hour glass.

While passing by the kitchen section of Sears at WhiteMarsh in 2005, I saw the egg whisk and it dawned on me that there were other similar gadgets. I started to look out for them whenever I was near to any kitchen section and thus began my collection of egg-themed kitchen gadgets.

The pan and spatula were bought from Su Casa in Fells Point. I also checked out the website on the packing and discovered that these interesting and cute gadgets were sold by MSC International. Other cool gadgets included Mr Potato Brush, Carrot Peeler and animal-shaped ice cream scoops. I love their creativity and ingenuity of turning simple ordinary things into works of arts.

Ranking of my photo albums on Webshots

I created my Webshots account (littlesaul) on March 21, 2006 to share my travel pictures online with friends and family back home. My initial idea was to upload every single picture so that I had backup of all my pictures online. In addition, I had saved them on my 100Gb external hard disk.

Charles once mentioned that he browsed through the majority of pictures in an album and clicked on those that caught his attention. This set me thinking. He suggested that I should select the best and do some editing such as cropping and changing colors before letting the world see. For me, I just simply use PictureProject which came with my Nikon D70S to do auto-enhancing. The software usually brightens and sharpens my pictures. He also recommended to burn CDs on top of storing pictures in my hard disk.

As time passed, I set for myself a limit to upload a maximum of 45 pictures per album. This meant making decisions to include only those which I wanted to tell a story or my point of view. So far, two categories which I uploaded my albums are ranked while the rest have this annotation "see the top 1000 members in this category". In outdoors, I am ranked 6956 out of 16,132 members and in fall scenic, my rank is 857 out of 14,353 members.

I get a kick out of seeing my works noticed. This definitely motivate me to improve on my capturing skill which reminds me of a book I bought on all I need to know on digital photography. I will need to set aside some time to go through it.

Thanksgiving, a time to count your blessings

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Coincidentally at my lab, we had five persons, including me celebrating their birthdays in November (Nov 16, 21, 24, 25 & 26). That was the greatest concentrations of birthdays I ever experienced.

The celebration began on Nov 16 when BJ brought in a caramel cheesecake to celebrate for us all. After that day, I had enough of cheesecake as dessert or food. I ate pumpkin cheesecake in the morning for breakfast, a cheesecake at a seminar given by my boss and finally BJ's cheesecake in the afternoon during tea break. The amount of calories intake exceeded my system.

Knowing that I would be eating continuously, I put in extra effort to exercise in the morning and evening, alternating between swimming, running and lifting weights daily.

On Nov 21, I went to a Thanksgiving party organized by The Singapore Students Association at JHU. It was a potluck party where the undergrads cooked a turkey, roti prata, vegetables and steamed fish. I felt like an old fart among the youngsters and most were scholars. I also found out that some actually lived in the same condominium building as I.

Thereafter, I proceeded to Vladimir's party where I had lasagna, sausages wrapped in bacon strips and many more. My colleagues were amazed at the amount I could eat. I was so stuffed later that night. I slept the moment I laid on my bed.

On Thanksgiving, streets were quiet and stores were closed. Most would travel to their homes for this major holiday to be with family members. Airports, train stations and roads were packed from mass exodus starting as early as Sunday and peaked on Wednesday.

Together with Shuzhen and Wenmin (whom I 'picked-up' in Hopkins shuttle because she carried a bag advertising Singapore General Hospital), I drove to Josephine's home in Bethesda where she had graciously opened up her home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Driving on the highway was smooth since traffic was sparse.

Her home was huge with two real fireplaces and it was beautifully decorated. It definitely looked like an American home. I helped to make salad and carve honey baked ham. Besides the traditional dishes of stuffed turkey, sweet potato, cranberry sauce, etc, we Singaporeans had rice, Devil curry and Thai prawns. I was teased again for wolfing the wide spread of food at my age (FYI, I had three helpings of food and three helpings of dessert comprising of Edy's ice cream, grapes and caramel custard). I let the gals drove back the car as my brain had 'sank' to my stomach.

On Black Friday which marks the beginning of Christmas shopping season, I woke up at 5am and drove to White Marsh Mall to witness some shopping frenzy. Some stores opened as early as 12 midnight and most retailers offered door buster deals to attract consumers, especially electronics stores. I also observed that there was a high occurrence of advertisements selling diamond jewelery as an expression of love during this consumerism season. Husbands, I bet, are under a lot of pressure from the constant showing of these ads.

I was disappointed when I reached the mall. It was not as crowded as claimed. The discounts were not that attractive from sales which I had been. The best time to shop I found out was after each season when prices were really low. I intend to drive to outlet after this winter to find some bargains. I got a pair of brown dress shoes and a brown belt at Macy's for $76. My head was throbbing from five hours of sleep and I took a short nap only to wake up to go to Arundel Mills Mall where Vladimir, Dijana and I had bought tickets to watch Medieval Times where diners were entertained based on the true medieval tradition of royal families inviting guests to a festival and feast to watch Knights compete on horseback.

Dinner began with garlic bread and hot vegetable soup ladled into a pewter bowl. Next came roasted chicken, spare rib, a seasoned potato and apple roll served without silver ware. The horses were well-trained. They pranced and strut gracefully. Knights jousted and fight. Overall, the food was alright and the show was entertaining.

Since we had some time left on our car reservation, Vladimir and Dijana shopped while I took a brisk walk around the mall. The mall, being the largest in Maryland, took me 15 minutes to encircle.

On Saturday, I celebrated my birthday and am glad that I have the chance to work overseas and experience a different culture.

Duckpin bowling

On Saturday, Greg suggested to go bowling and four of us, including Vladimir and Djiana went to AMF Pikesville Lanes.

Upon entering the premise, I was glad that I did not smell cigarette smoke since lighting was banned. I hate to breathe second-hand smoke! I also noticed that there were a lot of boys and men wearing yarmlkes on their heads and dressed in white shirts and dark pants. This is no surprise since Pikesville has a large community of Jews. The head gear reminds Jews of God living in heaven above and they shows their respect to the divine presence by wearing a cap at all times.

Families with young kids, dating couples and bowling buddies were having fun bowling. We each paid $16 for unlimited games till closing time. At 10pm, lights went out and music came on like in the movies.

When we went to our lane, I noticed that the bowling balls were smaller than average size balls but slightly bigger than a shot put ball with no holes for inserting fingers. The pins were also smaller than usual and the lanes were shorter. I wondered why we were given a piece of paper when we collected our bowling shoes. I realized that it was used to record our results manually! There was no screen announcing the results. The best of all, we had to push a button every time to swipe and replace the pins. Compared with Ten-pin bowling, bowlers were allowed three shots per frame, rather than two.

While writing this post, I did some researching and found out that what we played was actually called Duckpin bowling. The ball was lighter which I played to my advantage by using brute force to knock down the pins but was ungraceful at my lofting. I scored the highest for two games and tied for one. The good thing about Duckpin bowling is that I do not suffer from arm aches the next day from throwing heavy balls as in Ten-pin bowling.

Salt-ejecting iron

After one year of storage, I took out my steamer iron from my cupboard to iron my wrinkled corduroy pants.

To my surprise, the iron started to spout out scales (mineral precipitate). I had taken for granted that water here is hard compared to Singapore. Hard water has high mineral content, usually consisting of calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and sulfate ions. It is harder to lather soap or toothpaste with hard water than soft water.

In the span of almost two years, I had encountered two victims suffering from kidney stones which are usually calcium oxalate. I wonder if there is a correlation between hard water and kidney stones.

This brings me to another aspect where one had to adjust to a new environment. There is a Chinese phrase "水土不服 (shui2 tu3 bu4 fu2)" which means water and soil are not "compatible " with those back home. My friend even suggested that I mixed a portion of water brought from home together with water here so that I would not get sick.

My Serbian colleague also told me that fruits and meat tasted different. Well, soil and climate do play a big part in husbandry.

Halloween 2007

This was my first Halloween since I went back to Singapore before Oct 31 last year where it is not celebrated.

I noticed this festival when our department requested for donation of candies to be given out to children patients trick-or-treating at Hopkins hospital. We were encouraged to dress up in costumes when giving out the candies.

Supermarkets (e.g. Giants, Whole Foods), shops and homes were decorated in red, orange and yellow, colors of falls. Squashes, pumpkins, dolls of witches, skeletons etc. served as decorations.

Cinemas and TV stations started to screen horror movies, chilling-related serials and documentaries on Halloween.

It all began in pre-Christian Ireland where it was believed that the dead revisited the mortal world and large communal bonfires were built to ward off evil spirits. Coincidentally, Chinese culture also marked not only a day, but the entire seventh month of the Lunar calendar where the dead were released from Hades and allowed to roam the mortal world. Offerings of food, Hades money etc. were burnt to ward off spirits.

While waiting for the shuttle bus in the evening, children dressed as princesses, pirates and ghostly outfits were with parents, collecting goodies in bags or buckets. I also went around trick-or-treating, where I had two cute little boys, bony Mathias and clownish Amar as an excuse. They are children of friends I made here.

Two-year-old Mathias did not say trick-or-treat when collecting his goodies but no one minded since he was cute in his costume. The funny thing was he said, "Thank you" only after he turned his back from the giver.

Older Amar was observing the big inflatable decorations put upfront and costumes worn by other kids. They were scared when a man in a horror face mask came down the steps to give them candies.

The atmosphere was friendly where some families had their gathering and people were just sitting in the cold, giving out goodies to children and teenagers. The candies that Mathias received were brought to the lab since his parents would not like him to develop a sweet tooth. So much for Halloween.

Inner Harbor, Baltimore

A cheap way of visiting Baltimore's Inner Harbor was to buy a water taxi ticket, price at $8 for an all-day unlimited rides. It allows you to hop on and off at various landings to visit the attractions.

Landing 2 is a convenient location to most of the attractions where one can visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland Science Center, Baltimore Maritime Museum and The Gallery. Get your map and information from The Visitor Center.

Federal Hill is just a short walk away where you can take a panoramic view of The Inner Harbor.

At Fells Point Landing (Number 11), there are many shops and restaurants along Thames Street. For those interested to hunt for second hand stuff, there is a flea market held on the second Sunday of every month at the square.

Caton Waterfront Park Landing (Number 16) is situated at an upscale residential area where you can see many waterfront condominiums and yachts at the marina. Property prices are exorbitant. You can visit The O'Donnell Square for more shops and pubs. For those interested to get unique items, you can shop at 2910 ON THE SQUARE where I bought a set of game cards in the shape of a bone and handcrafted wooden boxes.

Happy cruising!

Inner Harbor pictures.

A stone throw away

After living around the Homewood Campus for 20 months, I discovered recently that there was Catholic mass service held at the InterFaith Center on every Sunday. It is just a one-minute-walk from my apartment to the center. There is a tendency for people living closer to their destination to be late where I failed twice miserably to be early.

I do not have to walk 30 minutes to Blessed Sacrament, though the congregation is warmer. At the center, I finally see youngsters attending mass compared to seniors at Blessed Sacraments. In the colder months, this place will be refuge for attending Sunday masses.



View Larger Map

Great Falls, Virginia

After attending a "makan" (Malay for eating) session organized by the Singapore International Foundation in D.C. last month, I attended another function, this time a picnic at The Great Falls to meet up with fellow Singaporeans.

Together with ShuZhen, who was mistaken as my "wife" previously and her friend, Kian Meng, we met at the visitor center. As I am collecting fridge magnets of various states which I had visited, I was disappointed that there was none.

Before going for a hike along the Potomac River, I watched an 8-minute presentation on the history of The Great Falls. I learnt that "Potomac" in the Algonquian/Powhatan word means "where the goods are brought in" where American Indians and early colonists traded. George Washington dreamt of turning the river navigable in the hope of stimulating trade between the East and the Ohio Valley, and building cohesion between states in a framework of mutual interest and trade.

Construction of a series of five canals began in 1785 by the Patowmack Company and took 17 years to complete. During the span of 26 years of operation, flour, corn, whiskey, furs, tobacco, iron ore and timber were transported on flatboats from as far as Cumberland, Maryland. The canal system declined due to newer modes of transportation that could haul larger loads much faster than the canal boats which took three days from Cumberland.

Today, the remnants of the Patowmack Canal can still be seen along the forest trail. People still gather at this river, not to trade but to drink in the spectacular view of Potomac River falling over a series of jagged rocks and journeying through a narrow gorge; avid rock climbers scaling the vertical walls, family and friends having a picnic or whitewater rafting for the brave hearts.

More Great Falls pictures.

Camping at Delaware Water Gap

Greg, Mario, Vladimir, Dijana and I planned to camp at Delaware Water Gap on Oct 13 and 14 to catch the colors of falls. However, Vladimir and Dijana backed out and left three of us. On Friday (Oct 12), Greg and I went food shopping for the trip and drove up to Pennsylvania to spend a night over at Mario's.

Early next morning, we set off towards our destination. Along the way, we missed our exit while Mario was navigating and we had to drive for another 20-odd miles before the next exit. At the next exit, I suggested to Greg that we stopped and asked for directions but he refused.

He said, "I know my direction."

He made a U-turn to head towards the missed exit. After looking up on the map of Pennsylvania, I told Greg, "Actually, you could have continue on route 209 East and it would still lead us to our destination."

We arrived at Kittatinny Point Visitor Center in New Jersey and started to determine how much food we wanted to bring. On hindsight, we brought too much food for just two days and one night shared among three persons. There were coleslaw, beans, mashed potato salad, 3 cans of Campbell soup, muffins, cereal, roasted beef, turkey breast, hot dogs, hot dog buns, yogurt, one loaf of bread, half a gallon each of apple cider and milk, and water. Greg and I carried most of the stuffs while Mario's was the lightest since his bag was smaller. We stopped by the visitor center to get some maps and were told by a staff that we could only camp at specified campsites and not along the trail.

We marched north along the Appalachian Trail towards Backpacker Site 2, ascending 700 ft (213 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km). We switched backpacks along the way to share the heavy load. The trail was very rocky and I was wearing sneakers, not ideal for hiking. We had lunch at some place which looked like a campsite but did not know that it was actually Backpacker Site 2 since there was no mention of it on the notice board put up. We only realized that after we had reached Sunfish Pond which was another 1.7 miles and 300 ft climb with our heavy backpacks and saw a signboard that had a trail map.

We backtracked towards the campsite and set up two tents. Greg thought of letting me sleep in one tent while he would share with Mario. As the night temperature would drop to freezing point, I suggested that we slept in one tent instead where three body heat would warm up the tent. I learnt some cold surviving tips after reading Mike Horn's conquest of the Arctic Circle where he survived in extreme cold.

Thereafter, we hiked back to Sunfish Pond and walked around it. The pond was formed by glacial eons ago. Along the way, we passed by a group of scouts where one complained, "Rocks, rocks, rocks everywhere." I could empathize with him because my soles were hurting now.

As night fell early, we ate dinner around 5pm and cleaned up the area since there were bears which would be lured by smell of food. Metal boxes and a pole with hooks were available to store food. The trunks of two trees supporting the pole were covered with metal sheets to prevent bears from climbing. Hooking and unhooking bags of food and garbage high up were a challenge.

Since no camp fire was allowed, I turned in early around 7pm after a long day of hiking. In the middle of the night, I went out to answer nature's call and saw the starlit night. It was beautiful but I had to go inside the tent after a while for it was cold.

The next morning, we packed and headed towards the Red Dot Trail. Greg warned us that it would be arduous . The trail would rise rapidly in elevation and involved hiking over large boulders but "it would be worth it" (quoting him) where we would have an excellent view of Delaware River. My left knee was hurting and I was lifting my left leg by pulling my pants with every climb I made.

After climbing 1549 ft (472 m), we reached the summit of Mt Tammany. The view was magnificent. You could see areas of trees extending towards the horizon and the Delaware River meandering through the land. We had lunch at the Indian Head scenic view which was a rocky outcrop that dropped nearly straight down. I had included my feet in the photos to demonstrate it. Vehicles traveling along I-80 looked like small model vehicles. The wind felt good and there were vultures soaring in the sky. A couple even sat near the precipice to admire the scenery (what a romantic guy he was).

As we hiked down, both my knees were complaining at the steep descend and rocky trail. I overheard one woman complaining to her companion that this was not a staircase while she climbed timber-and-rock stairs. Her companion replied,"This is a natural staircase." I was laughing inside.

This trip would have been better if the trees were all red and yellow.

Delaware Water Gap photos.

Maryland Renaissance Festival

The Maryland Renaissance Festival is located on Crownsville Road, in Anne Arundel County in Crownsville, just outside of Annapolis, MD and opens only on weekends during falls.

It is a recreation of 16th century English village where adults and children can dress up in costumes (elves, pirates, dukes, dames etc) to relive their fantasies. Costume rental was available at the entrance. Some families even turned up in costumes. There were actors and actresses going around the village entertaining the guests.

Street and stage performances dotted the entire village for those interested in English playwrights. Shops selling various wares like wooden mugs, jewelry, pottery, leather-work, clothing, glass-blowing, paintings, and soft sculpture were but some of the artistry displayed. I was curious about the prices of the costumes that were sold and they do not come cheap! It cost around US$100 for a simple peasant shirt made of linen. There was a jousting arena where knights jousted in full armor. I pitied the knights since it was hot and dry that day.

I tried my hands at various game booths throwing axes and ninja darts since I would not have a chance to do it in Singapore. These would be considered as weapons. None of my axes got stuck on the wall and my darts were off the bullseye. There goes my possibility of being an assassin. I hesitated on trying a high striker (a.k.a. strength tester or strongman game) since it was public. For a dollar, you got must hit the bell three times to win a cheap necklace. I only managed to get the puck halfway up the tower. Well, I would need more practices to use my body's momentum to hit the bell or hit the gym to gain muscle before trying again.

Maryland Renaissance Festival pictures.

The Oxford Murders

An interesting crime mystery which revolves around Mathematics where a young mathematician was drawn into a series of murders. Together with a distinguished professor, they must solved the riddle to stop the next killing.

An unusual twist of events and easy reading make this novel a relaxing book to read.

The author, Guillermo Martinez, who had a Ph.D. in Mathematical logic inspired me to consider about writing in general.

Today, while browsing through the Baltimore City Paper, I came across an advertisement about getting a Master's degree in writing. Is this another sign?

The 126th Maryland State Fair

A tradition that has been running since 1878, the 126th Maryland State Fair opened from August 24 - September 3, 2007. There were livestock shows and exhibitions of farm and garden products, and home arts.

The cow in the picture had such a straight back that it seemed weird compared to my impression of a cow. Cows from different farms were paraded at a judging ground inside the Cow Palace where they were judged based on its meat or milk.

Horse competitions were more elaborate. Some owners even braided the horse's mane and tail (akin to hairstyling a doll). Their coats were combed and cleaned off any dirt by air brush and wet cloths. This horse's coat was combed to a precise angle (L.O.L) and it gleamed under sunlight. While I was busying snapping pictures of horses from the front, someone approached me and said I should take horses from the side instead as horses appeared to look like giraffes from the front according to his theory. Well, I can differentiate a horse from a giraffe by a giraffe's horns.

Competitions were also held for swine, goat and sheep.

The Animal World was a big favorite among children where they got to pat farm animals such as sheep, goat, duck etc. All signboards for the animals were correct except one which had a comical twist. A cow had a signboard saying, "Beef" instead of "Cow". I had a good laugh at this since it reminded me of a sweeping remark that Chinese would eat anything that fly, crawl or swim.

After visiting the livestock shows, I headed for exhibitions of farm products. I witnessed the largest watermelon I had seen so far where it weighed 77 pounds (35 kg). Tomatoes, chillies, gourds, corns etc were submitted for competitions too.

People interested in indoor hobbies could hop over to the exhibition of home arts. Among the displays were quilts, knitting, fine arts, food preservation, baked products and photogrpahy. I was also impressed by some of the photographs captured by young contestants.

There were rides and games for young and old. After touring the fairground for about five hours, I was tired but culturally enriched.

More fair pictures available here.

Finally got my hands on Harry Potter

Last Thursday (Oct 11), before I went for a camping trip at Delaware Water Gap (my future post as I am editing the pictures), I wanted to get a good fiction to read while I was camping.

After work, I dropped by the library and as usual browsed through the shelves for the latest series of Harry Potter. I knew it was available a few months ago after its worldwide launch on July 21 but the two copies in Eisenhower Library were always checked out.

There was no sign of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the display shelves. By a "twist of magic", I decided to browse for it through the online catalog. Lo and behold, one copy was available. I went to the check-out counter and inquired if it was available.

The librarian said, "It had just been returned."

"Great!" I exclaimed. "I had been trying to get hold of it for a long time."

"It's a great book. Enjoy reading it."

"Thanks."

I was hooked on Harry Potter after borrowing the first series from my university library during my undergraduate days. Since then, I had always read the series on loaned from the library and the fourth series was borrowed from a friend. I only bought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as a Christmas gift for one of my godsons. So, in keeping with this tradition, I was bend on getting my hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows though I could get it from Barnes and Nobles down my block.

However, I am not reading as fast compared to the previous six series because I would like to hold onto the suspense as long as possible. By finishing it, the "spell" of Harry Potter over me would also be lifted. Let's hope that J.K. Rowling can come up with another sellout series of fiction.

The list below was taken from Wikipedia on Harry Potter. Read the interesting annotation on translating British English to American English by clicking on the first series.

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 26 June 1997 (titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2 July 1998
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 8 July 1999
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 8 July 2000
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 21 June 2003
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 16 July 2005
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 21 July 2007

Survived driving to Washington DC

I apologized for the long period of absence due partly to my busy schedule as I am guiding two new postdocs who just joined our lab. Also, there are several posts which I wanted to post but I would upload my pictures first. I just got the photo-editing-software from Tom since my old laptop crashed.

I am frustrated that I did not do a backup of my travel photos on my laptop! Well, it happened some time ago and I had already moved on. I am entrusting my friend who is visiting Baltimore to bring it back to Singapore for data extraction. Pray that this works!

Anyway, back to this post. Today, the Singapore International Foundation organized a welcome event for all new Singaporean students studying around DC area. I was asked to pick up a fellow Singaporean staying at Reed Hall, Hopkins Hospital since she just arrived one month ago. We were the only ones coming from Baltimore while the rest traveled less than an hour.

The road directions in DC are confusing. The street that you are traveling on can become inaccessible after a junction since you would be driving against traffic. So, you had to navigate up and down to reach your destination. A good thing I had ShuZhen navigating while I drove. I could not imagine finding that restaurant without her help. According to Tom, the roads were designed to confuse the British during the civil wars (correct me, Tom if I am wrong). Well, they did successfully confuse anyone who do not drive in DC before!

At the welcome event held at the Malaysia Kopitiam, I met several Singaporeans who were interested in my work when I told them I am researching on influenza vaccine. A funny misunderstanding was that ShuZhen was mistaken twice as my wife since we came together.

The food was delicious. There were chicken rice, oyster omelette, curry, satay and tao suang for dessert. I also expanded my network of friends and get to know information from those who had stayed longer than me. Cecilia, the organizer, even suggested some places for me to visit.

There were games such as unraveling jumbled words related to Singapore, explanation of our unofficial language, Singlish and of course lucky draw. As usual, my luck was not good today.

Driving back was harder since the headlights from cars behind blinded me. I had to lean forward to drive safely. I drove ShuZhen and myself back safe and sound. The journey was smooth because I memorized the route from the ADC Map. I was proactive instead of reactive. Learning new things each time.

Listen!

My mind is constantly repeating this song, Listen by Beyonce after watching Dreamgirls. She sang with so much emotions that I could feel it reverberating through my body.

I also need an outlet to scream out today and this is a good song for doing just that. After two months of experiment, a simple mistake screwed up everything! I am so angry!

LISTEN by Beyonce Knowles

Listen,
To the song here in my heart
A melody I've start
But can't complete

Listen, to the sound from deep within
It's only beginning
To find release

Oh,
the time has come
for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own
all cause you won't
Listen....

[Chorus]
Listen,
I am alone at a crossroad
I'm not at home, in my own home
And I tried and tried
To say whats on my mind
You should have known
Oh,
Now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what, you made of me
I followed the voice
you gave to me
But now I gotta find, my own..

You should have listened
There is someone here inside
Someone I'd thought had died
So long ago

Oh I'm screaming out, for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside or worse
Into your own
All cause you won't
Listen...

[Chorus]

I don't know where I belong
But I'll be moving on
If you don't....
If you won't....

LISTEN!!!...
To the song here in my heart
A melody I've start
But I will complete

Oh,
Now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what, you made of me
I followed the voice, you think you gave to me
But now I gotta find, my own..
my own

My first solo drive

Today marked my first solo drive in USA. After getting my Flexcar membership, I had tried to come up with a valid destination to drive to.

Vladimir, who was coming back from his honeymoon in Hawaii, decided to give me a call in the morning, checking whether I could pick him up from the airport. I had jokingly told him that I could pick them up last week.

I was mentally unprepared for this drive as I thought he would called me yesterday to arrange but he did not. I had imagined myself practising more before hitting the highway. Negative thoughts swept through my mind as I performed my experiment. However, I told myself not to let fear prevent me from taking action. Instead, I should channel it towards making me more alert and reactive.

I told him that I had to check online to see if there was a car available at that slot. Among four cars, all but one were reserved. I reserved the last from 2pm to 4.30pm. I got into the car at the appointed time by tapping on the card reader on the front screen. There, I proceeded to retrieve the key. Getting the hybrid sedan to start took me some time as I had to browse through the car manual.

After getting the engine to start, I took a longer route to get used to the car. I avoided the highway first since I was not confident. Traffic was smooth and I could find my way onto 295 South leading towards Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Driving on the highway was not as bad as I thought.

Thinking that they would need time to get their luggage, I decided to find the garage and meet them at the arrival hall. I followed the signs leading to the garage but missed a turn and ended up at the cargo complex.

Just as I was retracing my route, I got a call from Vladimir that they were done. I told them to wait for me at the arrival hall.

After they had got in the car, we headed back towards Baltimore. Vladimir who was trying to help by giving me instructions got me nervous instead. I told him to "back off" and that I was the one who had the steering wheel. The idiom "too many cooks spoil the broth" also applies here.

Along the way, there were courteous drivers who let me overtake them and idiot drivers which nearly caused accidents! This marks the beginning of building my confidence on the road and the responsibility to drive safely!

Car sharing

Last Friday (Sep 7), I received a letter which I was waiting anxiously when I applied for a Flexcar membership on Aug 31.

Flexcar is a car-sharing company where members use cars when they need them. It is far less expensive than owning a car, and much more convenient than renting since there are four cars located at Homewood campus. I am just 2 minutes away from the nearest car. Students and affiliates of Johns Hopkins University are offered a special rate of $6/hour or $60/day. I also save on parking fees, car insurance and fuel which are included. Reserving a car is simply performed via online or phone.

While going to the gym, I happened to pass by a flyer which caught my attention and got me interested in the scheme. It was also featured in Hopkins newsletter.

Now, I can go to H-mart or anywhere as and when I like. Quoting Flexcar's phrase, "After all, why own the car when you can just own the drive?"

Pharmacology New Student Crab Feast

Today, we had our annual Pharmacology New Student Crab Feast. This event was to welcome new students as stated in the feast name.

September is also the peak season for eating blue crab where it is at its best. The crabs were seasoned with Old Bay Seasoning and steamed. They tasted salty and spicy.

Expect to be messy since the crabs were served intact. You would have to remove the shell and gills. Mallets were provided.

Since I used only my thumbs and index fingers to grab the crabs, my hands were not as dirty as compared to my colleagues who used all 10 digits.

I ate three crabs slowly, extracting meat from the legs, pincers and body while one of my colleague just gobbled up seven crabs from the body only.

In Chinese folk story of Journey to The West, the Monkey God, Sun WuKong and Pigsy each had a heavenly peach. Being greedy, Pigsy swallowed up the whole peach while WuKong took a small bite at a time.

In the end, while salivating and staring at Wukong's peach, Pigsy asked Wukong how the peach had tasted.

Moral of this story, taste good food slowly and not by quantity.

Smooth ride

Yesterday night, I took my new bicycle out for a spin. Changing to one of 21 gears was smooth sailing. Light squeezing of the brakes was sufficient to slow or stop the bicycle. Cushioning over bumps and humps was good. I was satisfied with what I had bought!

The cool air was refreshing as I cycled towards the supermarket. I reached the supermarket within 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes if I had walked.

To keep my balance while transporting my grocery, Tom suggested to me to buy a backpack. Back home, I would have hung the bags on the handles and maneuvered up and down hill. I took his advice and bought one from Rite Aid Pharmacy. I had a bargain where the pharmacy had 50% off on all backpacks since this was back-to-school week.

It seems that I do not have to stock up my refrigerator with food now except when the weather gets colder.

Getting more mobile

After getting my driver license on Wed, Aug 29, I added another mode of transportation to getting around.

I had wanted to buy a bicycle since the beginning of this summer. The big push was a bicycle trail map that I had picked up at The 126th Maryland State Fair where I intend to spend my weekends cycling on those trails. Seeing Tuanleng (Fish speaks) cycling also reminded me of my cycling trips back home. Since I live further from the supermarket nowadays (25 minutes walk), I will cycle to and fro instead of walking. Carrying heavy grocery had caused me neck strain.

This morning, I engaged a friend's help to transport the 26" Men's Schwinn Skyliner Comfort Bike ($149.63). I am grateful to Tom for sacrificing his rest day.

Labor Day, end of summer, beginning of school term

Labor Day in USA falls on the first Monday of September. This year, the date was Sep 3. It was a long weekend for Americans to experience the numbered days of summer.

I did not travel since I did not planned for it. Beside, my wandering lust was not strong enough to compel me to leave my experiments aside.

Anyway, as I strolled along Homewood campus towards church on Sunday, I witnessed the area bustling with activities. Long lines of cars were formed at hostels where parents were sending off their kids to college. There were farewell kisses and hugs plus some tears.

I also passed by a BBQ which was organized to help them make new friends. Others were at "The Beach", interacting in circles. Believe me that there is no sand nor a single drop of sea water. It is a big roundabout lawn where students often gathered to tan on the grass.

The freshies, travelling in twos or threes were also busy orientating themselves to where they can hang out. The shuttle bus would be packed again on Tuesday.

Yipee!!!!! Secrets of creative tension.

I once read a book which mentioned on creative tension. Let me explain what is creative tension with my experiences.

I had envisioned sometime in my future that I would like to drive a car instead of taking the public transport or walking.

Till this afternoon (Aug 29), I did not have a driving license to drive a car. Thus, there was a disparity between the present and the future which created a mental tension, propelling me towards getting my car license.

Being endowed with a brain to study hard so I could get my head Permantly Damaged (re-arrangement of Ph.D.) but not with abilities for driving, I had to overcome my limitations by practising more.

To cut the whole story short, I finally got my driver license today! I can rent a car to drive myself around in USA. I am no longer a "prisoner" of bad public transport.

For those interested to know the juicy part, read on further.

I have to thank Delores Henson, my lab technician who has the guts to teach me on the roads. She is 61 year old. She kept insisting to bring me to the highway (expressway) which terrified me since I am no speed demon. I want to get comfortable with driving first before heading out there. Getting my license is just the beginning, driving safely is the end.

Special thanks to Ao Yang who "squeezed out" time from her busy schedule to teach me too.

I am grateful to Gregory Simon, my colleague who took me to Glen Burnie Motor Vehicle Administration for my test today.

We left work at 1pm for my 2.30pm appointment but he mistakenly took a longer way which left me with 30 minutes to practise with his car. I tried to do parallel parking with dismal result. Both of us had a rough idea where I stood for my test. However, since I had made an appointment, I decided to go for it, thinking if I failed, I could always try again. Skipping the test without trying would make me a complete failure.

Learning from my mistake with my application of learner's permit where I was rejected outright in the queue, I brought along my passport, social security card, working visa, bank statement and a void cheque, just in case some nasty and unhappy personnel was behind the desk.

Instead, I was just asked for my learner's permit and was sent to process my test application. The personnel serving me even wished me good luck.

I had to relief myself and calm me down before taking the test. The tester was reasonable and said I could ask questions if in doubt.

The first task was the turn about which I performed under 1 min 20 seconds (3-minute limit).

The second task was backing up (reversing) in a straight direction which was alright since the road was level.

The last task was the parallel parking which has a 3-minute limit too and the wheels must be within 12 inches from the kerb. In the midst of parking, I asked, "Can the wheels touched the kerb?" while the clock was ticking. I managed to clock 1 min 47 seconds and the wheels were way within 12 inches.

After this, he instructed me to drive out of the test circuit and told me I could collect my license on the spot. I was elated. My heart was pounding hard during the entire circuit. He also asked if I worked at Hopkins since I forgot to take down my badge.

When I recounted this to Vladimir who also got his license recently after a second attempt, he joked that he should have worn his badge too during his first attempt. His twist was that I got my license with my Ph.D. on the Hopkins badge. I rolled my eyes (implying, "Whatever"). I can sleep well tonight.

8 short minutes

Last Friday (8/24), I arranged for a driving practise to prepare for my driving test on this Wednesday.

The instructor called me at 8.52am to inform me that he had arrived. I told him that I was on my way to meet him. He was early since we fixed it at 9am.

When I reached my building lobby, I did not see his car so I waited till 9am before calling him. I found it strange that he should take 8 minutes to reach here wherever he was unless he was at a wrong place.

"Hello Mr. A, this is Paul. May I know where are you at?" I asked.

He replied, "Paul... bus ... back up ... crash... Re-schedule..." I could only picked up these words as he had a heavy accent.

Feeling a bit disappointed, I proceeded towards the Johns Hopkins shuttle and noticed there were more shuttles than usual. Sandwiched between two shuttles, there was a car. Its hood was crushed badly by the rear of the front shuttle. I realized the car belonged to my driving instructor. A good thing that no one was injured.

I felt bad that his livelihood was affected and was also reminded that life is fragile. Within a short span of 8 minutes, an accident happened. This episode served as a reminder to treasure each moment fully.

Getting my acts together

It has been 12 days since I last posted.

I am feeling lethargic lately and tend to procrastinate.

Need to gather myself together and focus on important things instead of letting precious time slips by.

Artscape 2007

I had been procrastinating with this post for three weeks since Artscape 2007 was held from July 20 - 22.

This annual event features the arts and crafts of artists. I was interested in the works of other photographers, trying to learn some tips from them.

There were outdoor performances, street theater and a section dedicated to children.

I was able to get onto a Ferris wheel, sponsored by McDonald's. Personally, I liked the shot of the Ferris wheel in motion.

More Artscape 2007 pictures here.

A love story by a male author?

As I was browsing for a new book to read, my eyes rested on the title "Dear John" written by a male author.

I found it odd that a guy would write about romance, so I decided to read it. I have always associated romance with female authors and the front cover has a picture of a man and a woman in embrace. I know I am stereotyping.

I was hooked after reading the first chapter and I could identify with some parts of the plot. Instead of describing the love making process between the lead characters (as in some romance novels), the author simply wrote in one sentence. The plot unraveled at the right pace and the ending was heart wrenching.

I had recommended this book to Heiny and would like to get feedback on whether males write romance differently from females.