Wednesday, October 31, 2007

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.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

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

Saturday, October 27, 2007

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.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

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.

Friday, October 19, 2007

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.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

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.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

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

Monday, October 01, 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.